New Things to Try

I had the honor to receive a copy of the cook book "Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats" from Debbie Adler. She runs a highly successful business in LA since 2006. I have tried two recipes so far from the book and loved both.

            

The Recipe I tried was the Blueberry Strueusel Donut Holes. I like the fact they were incredibly moist and not too overly heavy. Debbie's Recipe has a special flour mixture she used which I know made a big difference in how this recipe turned out when I made them at home. I could not find the coconut nectar in my area so I had to order from Amazon which does carry it. In order to test the recipe sooner I used agave instead of the coconut nectar but had to add more water because the agave is much thicker than the coconut nectar would be. I just adjusted the water amount as I mixed the ingredients until it was a soft dough. If you use the coconut nectar there will be no need for adjustments. The overall taste of the donut holes were great they were not too heavy but still like a donut hole would normally be. I enjoyed the fact that I did not have any blood sugar spikes and the recipes do have the Carbohydrates listed which made for easier dosing. The recipe would be great for type 2 Diabetics as well with it being lower carbohydrates and sugar.

I have included the recipe below. I will also provide the recipe for the flour mixture as well.

 

Flour Mix will make more than needed for this receipe but can be stored for future use.

Instructions for flour use.

 I loved the two recipes I have tried so far. I will try to make more recipes in the next couple of weeks and share them with you. I love the chocolate cookie recipe I tried and the flour mixture that she uses for her recipes is not only healthy but also really makes for a great tasting deserts and breads. I know I love the two recipes I have tried so far and looking forward to trying more as I have time. I am hoping you all enjoy the recipe like I have. Also if you are unable to find some of the flours I recommend Amazon they also have a large selection of gluten free flours at a reasonable price.You can find Debbie's book on Amazon and most book stores such as Barnes and Nobles.

Continued Improvements

Yesterday was a busy day at the office. We added new members to our team which will be assisting our department. I know this will hopefully help to keep the overtime like it currently is where I am working around 12-14 hours a week which is not bad. I know after many years of working six or seven days a week this is a much needed change. I know Duchess is much happier with this change as well because I know the moments of scary really affect her a great deal. So me being seizure free and not as bad period of constant lows has left me feeling a great deal better.

I have not had issues making it to wok on time because I am not having as many lows. I am not sure if that is because I am exercising or I am just getting better at adjustments or changes that need to be done to avoid the really bad stuff. I know this year has been much better so far than the past two years so I am beyond pleased and I know If I keep working at things I am hoping to avoid as really bad lows as possible but I know it is not fully possible to avoid all bad lows. So I am hoping with the changes at work I will have more time for me and for Duchess because honestly it can makes things miserable if you are working too much.

I have also noticed recently that I am doing better with my recovery from lows it has dropped dramatically the time it takes me to recover especially when I am at work. I know when I first started back to work I struggled greatly of after treating lows to get my body to stay in normal range. Thankfully I have been able to avoid that most days and have found that if I keep working things are continually improving.

Great Changes Over the Past Year

It has been such a different year for me this year I have done a great deal of things I never thought I would do. I have been very forthcoming on what I need at work and it has paid off for me. I have also been a little more up front of where I am at with my own family when it comes to my Diabetes the problem is that they are not very accepting of it at this point. I have been feeling like I am finally starting to understand exercise and my Hypoglycemia Unawareness and I have had fewer days with lows and if they happen they are at the tail end of my exercise which is an outstanding improvement. I have accomplished so much in numerous ares of my life but I have not been very happy. I guess a couple months ago I said to myself that I thought I would not be able to run a half marathon. I guess because I gave up it really made me unhappy. I have been discussing things with my family about how much I want to do it and looks like I am going to go for it.

Life is way to short to no to continually try to achieve your dreams and I honestly don't want my Diabetes to win. I know without the support of my medical team I would not be event trying this and I know if I had not mentioned it at my last appointment they would not have shared what they did. I always recommend running these issues by your Dr.'s because you might be really surprised by what they tell you. I know I just want to feel like I was doing something nice for myself. I do not do enough for myself most of the time. I normally and helping friends or family with issues. I feel like this is a time in my life I need this for me.

I know this will be a great deal of learning for me as I train but I know I can do it. I know this will be good for Duchess as well. I will need to figure out how I can do this but I know it is possible. I have started running and plan to continue to train. I guess we will see where it takes me and what I learn along the way. i honestly have been getting bored in some ways with the same old so I guess it time to add more challenges to my life. I at times really do well with pushing myself to do more. Hoping that I can continually achieve great things and not doubt myself like I was previously.

Recent Article From Insulin Nation

I have been struggling after my recent low. Not because of what happened but because of the negative song and dance from the Dr. at the hospital. I know I was not ready to share this until now. I know normally when I go in they advise me to make adjustments and see my Endocrinologist to follow up which I have done. This Dr. told me that the low should have not happened and I need to work on this issue. I told the Dr. I have Hypoglycemia Unawareness and I told him a great deal of patients with this have increased lows normally. I know from a great deal of people I have meet with Hypoglycemia Unawareness it is like some one turned on a water hose and you can't turn it off. I know I work very hard to keep myself safe but this is an issue of several factors increasing the odds of having a bad low. I know I was just upset at his response of not commenting after I explained my medical history. I know the Dr. seems to think that all Diabetics can avoid lows and it is easy to control. I know mine has never been easy even as a child so why would it be easy now.

The Dr. kept insisting that I need to figure out a way to avoid this at all costs and that I was basically wasting his time. I know I am not perfect but it was insulting on all levels that he treated me so badly when I do the best I can. I am always trying to do the best I can. The Dr. did not see me during the worst part of my Hypoglycemia Unawareness which was the beginning and things were extremely scary. I know they thought this was a bad low but it was not. I know I did my best to explain that my condition has involved seizures since I was little in fact a month after diagnosis was my first. So once I explained that my Diabetes has always been difficult the Dr. finally started to lay off your a bad Diabetic routine. I know I don't need to be told I was lucky that people were around or that I need to be more careful. I know the risks involved with insulin after my 34 years of experience.

I know I don't need a guilt trip because I always feel incredibly guilty, ashamed and upset at the time. I don't need a person who has never been a Diabetic and spewing information you read in medical school when it is not always correct. Diabetes is and will always be challenging but I don't need physicians making it more difficult for me to deal with. I know I wish I could avoid them completely but this year I have done better than last year and the year before. I have been seizure free over a year and half. I think I am doing better. I know my friends all wish they had known what to do because we would have avoided this whole situation. Advocating for one self after low was incredibly difficult but was handled pretty well by me because after the low I really cranky and tired. I have attached an article from Insulin Nation on another Diabetics shaming experience by an EMT.

http://insulinnation.com/treatment2/the-ambulance-of-shame/

This Is My Life

I had dinner last night with a friend who was the one who took me to the ER that Saturday at the movie night. It can be overwhelming for me to have to review what happened but also to see who responded and who choose to just leave. I know my friend needed help to get me out to the car and into the ER but only one or two offered to help. I know I followed instructions as I was given which is not unusual for me during a bad low. My friend said since she had not seen as much of me she was a little foggy on what to do. I know I have written instructions for at work but not in my purse. I know she had wish she had know that the glucagon was in my purse normally. She said she would have used it to treat the low and once I was able to come to she would have taken me to a restaurant nearby that offered gluten free food until I had my blood sugar level instead of the ER. I know hindsight is always twenty twenty. Thankfully my friend is calm during emergencies. So this was not very difficult but for the other person who was their they were freaking out the whole time.

I know it is so hard to know that your Diabetes was the cause of all the commotion and that you are putting friends through a great deal. I will always feel so guilty for what has happened for a great deal of time afterwards. I think I always will but I also wish that I did not need to constantly apologize when I am doing the best I can with where I am at. I guess I will work on instructions in case something happens. I showed my friend my Glucagon kit in my purse last night. She said she remembers it from that night. I am sure she feels bad not knowing but honestly I hope most of my friends never have to deal with this kind of situation with me but the booklet I will put in my purse could help in a situation like that Saturday night. I also showed her how the glucagon works and that there is also a phone app as well in case you forget. I know most people love the pictures in the glucagon when emergencies arise. I feel really bad but I don't feel like I need to apologize for my Diabetes this is sadly a part of my life weather I like it or not.

So I am going to work with my friend on this creation which I will also have at work as well. Always good to have numerous instructions people can choose from. It was good to reveiw things with my friends but it also reveals the moments of scary that I experience. It also gives them a inside look into how complicated my life is at times and how fast things can change.

Struggle to Get Insulin Shipped

It seems recently that my insurance company becomes more and more difficult to deal with. I am now officially listed as having a drug allergy to Humalog which makes sense after breaking out in hives back when my issues first started. I got an exception to use Novolog which is same insulin type but different manufacturer. So I had to call into my insurance after a message was left yesterday stating they won't fill my prescription because I would be allergic to Novolog as well. I told them because they are different manufactures that I believed that is why I am able to use it as well. I know in the I can take penicilin but I am unable to Biaxin which is penicillin but causes me hives and rashes. So I figure they way drugs are processed can cause me issues. The interesting thing is that when I am on Novolog no issues which seemed to astonish the pharmacist. She that was not possible. I said it is possible and seems to be a growing issue for my body at times. I know my body does not seem to function like most Diabetics and I hear it from my Dr. frequently as well. I told the pharmacist to call my Dr. and she would go over the whole allergy issues with her but the pharmacist finally agreed to fill my prescription.

I know it has been such a struggle to even get insulin from my insurance that is not Humalog. Hoping next year when I have to file for an exception that they understand that I can't take Humalog. I find it interesting that because they bid out the drugs to companies that Humalog which is notoriously more expensive than Novolog was the choosen Insulin. I know it is very commonly used but when you are me this creates issues. Hoping from now on I can just order online and they just ship my insulin without trying to get out of covering my insulin. I swear what is the cheapest is not right for all patients and they seem to ignore that more and more frequently. I called my Dr. office they called the local CVS which they have a prescription on file with this morning asking that they fill it today because I was having issues with my mail order. The pharmacist said he would have no issues getting it filled today. They also promised no reviewing my Drug allergies again. I am not in the mood to go over it agin.

Considering Something I Thought I Would Never Do

I know a great deal of people will think I lost my mind. I am considering possibly running a half marathon in the next year or two. I know I could do it with a great deal of planning. I know my Endocrinologist is encouraging me if that is what I want to do. I know I need to get my Rheumatologist permission first as well. I think I can do it but I also know that would be most the challenging thing I would have done as Diabetic especially with Hypoglycemia Unawareness. I know I have not talked much about the fact that I come from a family of runners. I have always enjoyed running and my father was a marathon runner. I know he would be incredibly proud if I could figure it out. I am not sure if I will make it that far but I know I would enjoy the challenge of it all even it could do a 10K that would be great too. I know I am ready to try more challenging things. I know I have seen others do it and I figure why can't I as well.

I know I have noticed that since I have been doing more rigorous exercise there has been a great deal of good things happening. My lows don't have the same effect and the lows do not last as long. I know I have also noticed that my vitamin Deficiencies have disappeared as well. So I think I am on the right track. So I am going to start slow by running for a while and increasing it as a go over a years period of time. It might take me two years to get their but could really be worth it. It might take me a lot less time but I guess I would have to see because I have never run over 7 miles previously. So this would be a learning experience. I am sure there would be a great deal of challenges but I know my Endocrinologist said they could even come up with a plan for me it would be more challenging than other patients in the past but they said was do able.

I am not sure if I am going to do it but I am really starting to consider it. I know the biggest thing is that I don't want my Hypoglycemia Unawareness to win instead I would like to be able to find a way around the issues and still be able to do everything I want to do. I know its possible.

Realizing I'm Human

I have been thinking recently in some ways I am way too tough on myself. I know I am way too critical and I am working on getting the bad messages from previous Dr.'s out of my mind. It will take me some time to get rid of the old baggage of sorts. I know first hand that most Dr.'s meant well but they were highly unsuccessful in many ways because of the messages they were using. I know now that these messages still bother me today. I am thankful that I have a wonderful team supporting me through all my rough spots. I know my Dr. did not pass judgement on my recent incident that happened she thought it was related to stress like I was thinking. I know all too well I don't handle stress well in anyway.

I know this time I did not want to do a play by play and my physician understood I was not ready to do so. She said she thought there was most likely several factors involved and that driving myself crazy trying to solve why in this case was not the best idea. She gets that I am a type A and these things drive me crazy. I want to solve all issues on my own. I think this time I am done rehashing things but I did do basal changes before my appointment and she did a couple more. So I think we have it covered.

 I like that my Dr. does not blame me what happened but gets that normally when things happen for me it has several factors that contributed to the bad lows. I know if I am not sleeping well I make time to catch up if possible, staying hydrated, keeping lows to a minimum seems to help avoid bad lows. I try my best but I realized I cannot expect more than just doing my best. At the end of the day I am human and even with years of experience I can make mistakes. I can also do everything right and still end up with a bad lows so for now I am just going to focus on the fact that I had very little changes done to my pump settings. I am thankful that I do the best that I can and know that Hypoglycemia Unawareness is the most difficult issues I have ever dealt with as a Diabetic.