Category: Blog

Disclaimers:

Glucerna OR Abbott Nutrition provided complimentary product to sample and offer to readers

Glucerna nutrition products are formulated for people with diabetes and should be used under medical supervision.

We didn’t do very well on the last contest so we’ll give it another try.

Here’s the prize:

A giveaway package for your readers that contain a mixture of great-tasting Glucerna shakes, snack bars and cereals, Mother Love’s book “Half the Mother, Twice the Love,” packaged in a chic reusable lunch tote that’s perfect for summer picnics.

There are three available.

Here’s why:

Glucerna and Mother Love, author, speaker and entertainer, have teamed up to educate Americans and raise awareness for diabetes. Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1990, Mother Love, who you may remember as the host of the syndicated TV talk show “Forgive or Forget,” made smart lifestyle choices to gain control of her health. Now as research ambassador for the American Diabetes Association Research Foundation, she travels the country sharing her success story to inspire others to take charge of their health to either mange or prevent diabetes. 

Here’s how to win:

First three comments with valid email address will win.  Tell us anything about how living with Type 2 diabetes has impacted you.

Disclaimers:

Glucerna OR Abbott Nutrition provided complimentary product to sample and offer to readers

Glucerna nutrition products are formulated for people with diabetes and should be used under medical supervision.

As much as I would like to be a spoiled brat and get the surgery over immediately, it looks like putting it off until November would be a better thing.

Here’s the deal.  They are saying 6-8 week recovery.  I have 36 sick days.  Best case is 6 weeks and that means I have 6 days left.  If it goes to 8 weeks, I have my pay docked.  Not good.

However, if I do it in November, I have the week of Thanksgiving off.  I’m also off through the 20th and January 1.  The optimum time to do the surgery is on November 15th putting the eighth week ending on January 1st. 

Yes, that means missing Dallas Market Hall, but Mildred COULD show Dulce as bred by if she looks good enough, and I would be up and about to show her at Nolan River.

It also means using only 25 sick days – worse case, leaving me with 11.

The ever-fabulous Mother Love^® is an entertainer, motivational speaker, author of “Half the Mother, Twice the Love” and the widely recognized host of the late-90s talk show “Forgive or Forget.”  Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 1990, Mother Love took control of her health by making smart and healthy lifestyle decisions. 

For additional background information, please refer to dlife.com.

Well, I’ve just been looking at a calendar, and my favorite school program is “Early Start”.  It starts on July 27th (plus there is someone who wants to have lunch with me on that day), and extends through August 14th. 

Staff development is the week of August 16-20th.

I’ve got some agility trials in August, weekend of 21st and the 28th.  Plus I’m signed up for a class at the end of July.

Right now, I have around a million sick days … okay 26 1/2 and I’ll have 10 more sick days when school starts.

So looking at the calendar, I’m thinking sometime around the second or third week of September will work the best. 

Also going to talk to my mother about it.

My right knee has bothered me for years.  I’ve been coping with it, have had physical therapy, have had shoe inserts, Symvist, etc.

Got an x-ray done yesterday, saw an orthopedist today.

Really liked him, because he made no assumptions, was not judgmental, and laid it out.  I sort of have this in the back of my head anyway. 

He got that I liked to be active and liked to do the dog stuff, was cool about my having lost weight but it hadn’t helped.  Was cool that exercising was a struggle.  He said all the stuff above I’d done helps, but doesn’t solve the problem.

They are supposed to contact me tomorrow about the next steps.

Looks like I’ve be cancelling some dog training and some agility trials, but I’m waiting and seeing what happens.

We’ve also got to get the insurance company on board too.

I will, of course, be blogging about this.

1.     You travel a lot, and have a varying schedule.  I do the same in a small way, and have trouble managing my diabetes then.  What helps you?
What helps me when I travel is speaking up in restaurants and asking the chef to specially prepare a dish for me, not eating at fast food places and being able to snack well with my Glucerna shakes and snack bars. They are easy to carry and I can always get my shakes over ice.

2.      What tips do you have for keeping at the work of diabetes care over the long haul? I do great for short periods, but am constantly having to reinvent my self-care.
I have changed my LIFESTYLE! You have to get in down to a routine so its second nature.

My positive attitude that I can live well with diabetes helps a lot. I make my P.H.D., my Personal Health Decisions, to live well with diabetes.
Keeping a strong support team around me is crucial. Sometimes family & friends don’t get it, so I had to make new family & friends who support me in a good way. 
I have a better relationship with food now that I used to and I do most of the cooking so I control what’s in my meals. There is always something bright and colorful on my plate, lean proteins and good carbs. I also snack well with Glucerna bars and cereal because they solve my sweet tooth when she appears.
I understand the importance of physical activity and I move in big movements, cleaning, doing laundry, walking and swimming are good activities. Try to get moving and stick with it on most days.

Lastly, I know how to chill, de-stress and relax. I have learned to say "No, I can’t do that", something more people ought to learn to do instead of always being in their SUPER CAPE. I read a lot, hang out with my grandchildren, cook, do arts & crafts, go to the beach, movies, the playground… kids will keep you moving!

So when last I posted, I was in the waiting room at my doctors.  Almost 2 hours later I got 10 minutes of his time.  EKG was good.  I’ve gotten to up my Celebrex dosage, got orders for an xray and a referral to an orthopedist which I am to see tomorrow.

I also saw my injury specialist today and go back to him in 4 weeks.  They are still trying to get rehab for me.  i also had them check if they would take my BCBS insurance as they are infinitely closer to anyone else my doctor might send me to, I swear he’s almost in Oklahoma and all his specialist definitely are.

I still need to see my sleep doctor (next week), and my endo – right before school starts.  Otherwise, I have all the yearly stuff out of the way and working on the arthritis. 

Fun day.  Looking forward to tomorrow.

July is my month for doing my yearly follow up visits.  Cardiologist this morning.

They didn’t seem to want to do any tests, blood pressure 124/70.  Sent me off for another year.

At the primary care physician, who I am trying desperately not to annoy me, he insisted on EKG even though I’m here for arthritis pain.  Yeah, I tried this last month, and got so annoyed I went to try another doctor but he didn’t even bother to open his office the day I had the appointment.

Also see the accident doctor this afternoon, I’ve pretty much decided I’m not going to get any more rehab out of them.  I think they are going through my health insurance and I’ve used that.

They keep giving me the wrong lens.  I’ve gone over this about three times.  My doctor prescribed a lens.  It didn’t work, we went back to a different strength lens, she wrote it down in the chart, but still order and give me the WRONG lens.

Gheesh. 

Now, I have to call them and tell them they gave me the wrong lens.  Your guess is as good as mine if they will have the right lens when I get there.

The worst part, is that I’m wearing the only one of that prescription I own right now.  And I almost lost it today.  I can wear the other lens but not for as long and can’t see quite as well.