Pizza,Vitamins and The Occasional Workout to a Movie

Today was my nieces birthday party. And what a party it was!! All the cousins together at a place that has theme parties with crafts, nail polish, temporary tattoos, book reading, dancing to High School Musical songs...and.....a chocolate fountain...AND cotton candy. Too bad I didn't have a low while I was there! To top it all off with pizza. So I wasn't having a low, but I was super hungry. Why, oh why?? Only 2 pieces and the blood sugar soared. I knew it would happen, I just thought I loaded up with enough insulin. I can never get pizza right....I'm quiting pizza now! Never again...well never again until I forget this incident and then do it again.

I'm back on the wagon with my vitamin taking. It is such a pain to remember, so now I put them in a small dish and keep it on the kitchen counter as a reminder. I get them ready like I get my lunch ready. And it always works better when I do it the night before. I'm trying to make that part of my routine. Getting ready for bed, getting my junk together for the gym, vitamin setup, and oh...don't forget my high maintenance dog who has a ton of herbs/vitamins I give him for the cancer he was diagnosed with a few months back. (Old man...I'm not putting him through "treatment", can't do that to him!) So now you are thinking I have to get ready for bed at 7:00 don't you??? Nawwww....9:00 though. When you wake up at 5AM that time seems reasonable.
Wait...back to the vitamins. Did you all know that Type 1's are usually extremely deficient in magnesium??? Or that there has been a great study, done at U of M I believe, that shows that 600+mg of alpha-lipoic acid has a prophylactic effect on the nerves for ALL type of diabetics. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you all about Omega 3's right??? 3-4 grams a day! I won't go on. I'm sure you get the picture! I really do feel better when I'm taking them.

So, workouts today go like this:
Actually I'll start with yesterdays run...1 mile test done on a treadmill. Did that in 8:13. Same as last...no improvement, but all is good!
AM swim today..actually another test day...1000m race pace swim, and I did it in 18:15. Not my best, but consistent with other tests. I was hoping to see improvement there too, but it's all good!
This afternoon was just a trainer ride. An hour of base heart rate while I watched a movie. Nothing to report there. Same ol', same ol'. The movie I picked for this ride always gets me thinking. An obscure movie that not a lot of people know. It's called "Defending Your Life"...written and directed by Albert Brooks. Very funny if you like his stuff. In a nutshell Daniel (Brooks) dies and goes to the "pit stop" to defend his life before he can move on. It's all about fear and you keep going back to earth if you have not overcome them. Makes you think and laugh at the same time. Lots of fears in being diabetic. LOTS! But.....I think since I entered this medically challenged world of mine I've had more fear go out the window. I never would have ran a marathon! Never would have gone on that mountain biking trip out west. Never would have gone to Diabetes Training Camp, alone, without knowing anyone there. I never, ever, would have ventured out of my comfort zone!! Now I feel nothing really scares me anymore. And if it does...I now have a huge support system of fellow diabetic friends that are my comfort. Live life without fear!!!!

Nothing New

I woke up yesterday morning in the way I normally do when anticipating a trainer ride. In other words...I woke up procrastinating....AGAIN. There really is a common theme to this blog in the winter isn't there?? I got the bike set up, Ipod set up, DVD ready to go, and a little bit of coffee and carbs to speed me up. Sounds exhausting already doesn't it? I now start the 2 hour ride of monotony. Sugars were great throughout. I had a few more carbs then usual, so it rose to 156. Still a great number. I decided not to fuss with the basal rate because of it and just checked often. I was stable throughout! Ended at 96. Just wonderful! So this slightly higher number I had during the ride played an interesting part in my effort/energy. I felt more of it. And in a way made the ride less repetitious. Now there a few things that could also be contributing to the energy. I'm more hydrated, I'm back on the wagon with the vitamins, and had a great nights sleep. At any rate, It was a good morning for sure! And how's this for living on the edge....I had a different breakfast! I know, I know...Holy Cow!!! What is she thinking??? I did eat the usual egg white/fake sausage/homemade bread thing....BUT..... I added a protein smoothie. It's my new kick. Love em! Oh, and don't forget the coffee. Do any of you other diabetics feel like coffee makes you insulin resistant?? I've been noticing that.

I ended my day with a great dinner with my family. Happy Easter to us! When I got home I was part of a conference call with my Mari and a new friend Courtney. We have some exciting stuff in the works for 2009. Some things have to come together first, then maybe we can talk:) Mari is one amazing chickypoo!

Reflection

When I was diagnosed I went through the feelings most diabetics go through. It’s been 9 years and all those feelings came back yesterday while talking with a client who was recently told she was a Type 2. At the beginning she was losing the weight she needed to, and her A1c went from 13 to 6. I was so proud of her! This lifestyle is no piece of cake…no pun intended! Well, yesterday she was in and wanted me to actually look at her test results. Her A1c was back up to 7.5. She was kicking herself and clearly depressed about it. She gained back all the weight she lost, and now her doctor has increased her meds. OHHHHHH have I been there. I assured her that this was not a crime and at one time or another even the best diabetic has fallen off the wagon. I hope I gave her some words of wisdom with my 9 years of experience. I did tell a white lie though. I tested while she was still there, and it was 260. She freaked out….”Oh my God…isn’t that high???” Yes, it sure is but….”I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and not freak out over every high number.” When really…I obsess about every high number and where it comes from, and how to get it down, and how did I let this happen, and etc, etc….
There are pros and cons to having this disease for as long as I have…which, by the way, is no where near as long as some of my friends have had it. Sometimes when you know a lot about something you think too much…and when you are a rookie at something you are just starved for information and ask questions. Some days I just don’t want to think about it at all. But I wouldn’t want to be a rookie again either!

And Then There's Guilt

Why can’t I get up anymore? Ok, maybe an exaggeration, but really…..Wednesday was another one of those days. Slept right through that alarm. So the guilt set in immediately, but not enough to get me there after work. So this morning the guilt was still there and magnified. I didn’t have to start work until 10AM so I had the time to do a 2fer. I squeezed in a 45 min. run and a 1:10 min. swim. It felt good. It always does, and you’d think I’d remember that when I hit the snooze button a million times. The blood sugars were good the whole time, except for the 175 I woke up with. I ate only 10gm and bolused .4units. I figured that with 2 workouts that I didn’t need much. After the 45 min treadmill run I was at 128. Heart rate was a little high, probably from being a little tired, but all in all a pretty good run. Just…you guessed it…boring. I HAVE to remember to put some new music on the Ipod. Let’s dive into my brain a little bit……maybe the boredom is keeping me in bed. Do ya think????
Now it’s 6:30AM and I’m in the pool. There is only one other guy in there and he’s Mr. Splashy. With only 3 lanes for lap swimming I have no choice but to be next to him. Doesn’t he know I have a blood sugar meter that can’t get wet?? Geezzz….the nerve! I also brought some G2 (Gatorade, new low calorie/carb version), and water. I was wondering what the bg’s would do this morning, so I’m prepared…but then again, when am I not. About half way through I was in the 100 range, so I sipped on some of the G2…and by the end I was the same. NICE! The swim was not particularly tough. I picked this one specifically because of the 2fer I was doing.

I got a nice greeting from the dogs when I got home. My old man Casey actually heard me come in. Miracles will never cease! They watched me make my breakfast in the usual fashion….nose to the ground waiting for food to fall. I checked my blood sugar and I’m back to the 175 I had when I woke up. G2? Pump off for 1:10 min.? I even gave my routine bolus of the basal I lost when I got out of the pool…but…whatever…I knew it would correct itself when I bolus for breakfast. That it did.

Super Friends!

Kudos to my friend Mari for a cool video for the Tour de Cure in Colorado! The Red Rider program is off and running, and I'm going to try to speed it along here in Michigan! Watch this great clip!

All Time New Low......All Time New High

When I mean low....I mean low!! This was a couple of weeks ago. I never had anything quite like it. That really doesn't mean anything except that I have been lucky enough not to experience one. I was minding my own business...eating a nice Mujadrah (lentils, cracked wheat, onions) dinner with Brent....not realizing what was to come......after dinner.....during our Whole Foods shopping trip. I actually made it to the car and on the way home it was like a lightening bolt...first the confusion, then the obligatory stuffing of the face with Skittles......then the Smarties...then the sweating.....by the time I got home I was soaked in perspiration and freakin' Brent out I'm sure. I didn't even bother testing....I was guessing in the 30's. I downed a few more carbs because I had only eaten 1 hour previous and I know I've got a lot of active insulin flowing through me. Well, I couldn't have been more WRONG!!!! In true Nancy form I over corrected, and by the time I went to bed, (feeling like a lumpy piece of Jello I might add), my bg had soared to new heights. To heights I have only seen once...when I was diagnosed. Let's just say the next morning when I got up to go to the gym....I didn't go to the gym. I felt like a truck hit me. What did I learn you ask?? I have theory's. Mostly involving the Symlin, the 2+ hours of training in the AM, and low glycemic food. But I have no doubt that if I had that continuous monitor on none of this would have happened!!!! This was a fun day to remember!