Sunday, April 3, 2011

Skip a shot, not so fun

Skip a shot, not so fun, and Im not talking about a shot at the bar.

I had a tough day on Friday. It actually turned tough the night before when I realized I had forgotten to take my dose of long acting insulin the morning before. My sugars were running a bit high, and some shots of short acting insulin just didn't seem to be working..... That was the moment I realized exactly what my body was missing. Sigh. It is never a good idea to skip a medication, but the medication that is used to lower your sugar level and keep your body running is forgotten; it can have some serious consequences.

so Friday morning I take some insulin and struggle to get to work on time. I go in, make myself a cup of coffee then go sit at my desk and stare at said cup of coffee.......

Every coworker that walks in the door that morning "whoa, you don't look so good." then I get nauseous and have to go sit in the bathroom for 20 minutes or so..... I come back, extremely light headed and say I need to go home, just for an hour, until my sugar level comes down. Then I get even more dizzy and go lay down in our CAD room (where we keep our charts and maps) for another 20 minutes. Double sigh, I can see this is going to be an extremely productive day at work.

Eventually I get back to the house I am house sitting at, close my eyes for a few minutes then get up and put the laundry in the dryer (cuz I ran outta time this morning) and get dizzy and sit down. Then I take some stuff down to my truck, get dizzy, sit down. Start taking some stuff out of the fridge, get dizzy, lay down. It's almost lunch time and I have not eaten anything yet today. So I make myself a bowl of cereal, sit down and look at it until it gets soggy to eat it.... I'm not feeling so well, check sugar level and take some more short acting insulin.

It's cold in the house so I'm not having much luck napping for more than 10 minutes at a time. I decide to finish loading my stuff into my truck and move shop to my house where I will be more comfortable. After many light headed spells and rests, finally I am ready. I call work to let them know I do not plan on coming back in this day. Which is frustrating, as my sugar level is better now and I still have no strength and feel like crap.

So this is what its like to take a sick day!! I much rather would be working, but sugar is having a party in my blood stream and just won't settle down!!!!!!!!

On another note I have been following a meal plan on realage.com and blood sugars have been fantastic!! Hence that's most likely why my body is being SO sensitive to these higher sugar levels!

A word of advice, never skip medication. The older you get the deeper the consequences and the tougher it is to get back on track.

Try to take care of yourself!!!! (I am doing the best I know how and it still gets away from me at times) Challenging for sure.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

At a loss for words about hA1c

That was a rough weekend.

Stress and diabetes do not work so well together; first having the extreme low on Saturday then getting myself all worked up about an appointment to have my blood drawn on Tuesday morning. A diabetic should have their blood drawn on a regular basis(minimum every 6 months but preferably every 3) to make sure the HA1c is within normal range. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin

Only after living with diabetes for over 20 years; I get a little(okay a lot) of anxiety over a little needle in the(my) arm. Ive had some "bad experiences" but we wont dwell on that, at least not today. I get anxious just going into a hospital. So on Sunday, my voice decided to go out on me!!!!!!

First dealing with the low sugar, then I lose my voice for the rest of the weekend!!! I pinned it down again to the cold I had last week but after thinking about it today I realized I lost my words due to stress. Stress does strange things to a body, even more so for us who have to care for our diabetes.

So here's a deep breath, and a look forward to a calm week ahead, and the sugars are behaving better for the moment.

Oh and p.s. the blood draw went really well :)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Low blood sugar reaction 2/19/2011

Wow. Dont you hate it when you wake up on a Saturday morning with a thousand things to do and the only thing you get accomplished that day is scaring a friend half to death by her having to force feed you pineapple juice, bread with peanut butter and honey, a corndog, some coffee and all she recieves out of the deal is stress and some silly responses?

Yeah you wake up at some point of this low blood sugar episode bathed in a cold sweat and your friend fluttering about your kitchen attempting to locate the juice you have so neatly stashed out of the way for episodes similar to this one.

Stay away low bloodsugars, Im pretty sure this reaction is an after effect of having a cold last week and my sugars were much much higher than usual, and Im more tired than usual- so I take a nap, only I dont check the bloodsugar before hand because I assume its high..... which is a possibility but should never never NEVER be assumed.

Its near impossible to make up the wasted time in dealing with a serious low, in fact you already know you are going to be feeling a bit out of it for the next couple of days. But one way to make up for it is to take this special friend out for a burger and a beer. Always need a reason to cherish friends right?

I have good people watching out for me, I thank you my friend!!!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Diabetes Questionaire

Hello!

This request may sound unusual (or maybe not unusual at all) but please take some time to answer these interview type questions about me when I was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I am working on a project and YOUR feedback would be wonderful! If you don't feel comfortable answering the questions or if they do not apply to you please feel free to leave them blank :)

Any additional thoughts/comments/worries would also be greatly welcomed!!

Interview questions:

1. How do you know Kate Petraborg?

2. What did you think was happening to her in 1990? Could you tell she needed help/that something was seriously wrong?

3. Had you ever heard of Diabetes before she was diagnosed, what did you think Diabetes was?

4.What did you do to help?

5.What scared you the most about her situation?

6. How do you think her parents/friends felt?

7. How do you think it affected her younger brother?

8. Do you think being diagnosed at age 7 was difficult or easier for her to accept than if she learned she had it at an older/younger age?

9. How do you think Diabetes affects her daily life?

10. Do you think living with Diabetes has changed her outlook on life?

11.Do you think she has control over the disease now?

12. Have you ever tried to stop eating sugar? I dare you to try it for 4 days! ;)

Thank you so much for your support (in 1990 AND now!!)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Dear Diabetes

Dear Diabetes,

This March marks the 20th year we have been together. Wow. Who would have thought we would have made it this far. We have been through so much, some challenges, some pain, plenty of finger pricks, and doctor visits, but mostly a whole lot of learning on how we can be healthier by working with one another.

Sometimes I do feel like giving up and kicking you out to the curb. I admit you sometimes make it hard on me, especially when all I want is to consume an entire pound of chocolate. And through trail and error I see that a small piece of chocolate- and in moderation, is a good compromise for feeling good and having enough energy to understand why you chose me to be your host body.

I have learned that regularity in exercise is THE BEST medicine for most ailments. Although keeping a positive outlook helps a great deal as well.

You have helped me to pick out the best possible friends to surround me when I need a little extra compassion and help. And even in times of crises, they still stand by me.

You have helped me by truly appreciating my parents. Because even though other people also appreciate their parents, I know what mine have gone through for us. Often I think about what they had to witness their 7 year old going through 20 years ago, god they sure have been brave.

I want to thank you for enabling me to be a healthier, conscientious person. And to be able to teach those around me that living with Diabetes does not have to be a negative life sentence. And to keep educating me. Every. Single. Day.

Please keep teaching me, because I enjoy this life immensely.

Sincerely, Me.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Intro to diabetes

Imagination got me through the tough parts of my life, and there have been many difficult pieces. This story is told through my 7 year old point of view. I had more imagination at that age anyhow.... Diabetes will try to kill me one day; it has already told me so.

This is a work in progress which I have been working on for the past couple of months. I have a tingling sense that this might actually develop into something bigger..... I feel extremely satisfied with putting time into writing about my struggles with my personal diabetes experience this far. So please hang on for the ride! And any feedback would be great!

Please stay tuned.....

Friday, January 30, 2009

Acerbic Strength

Written June 11 2007

Acerbic strength

We all have obstacles we must overcome. Mine is sugar. Sugar will try to kill me one day. It has already told me so.

Sugar talks to me. Sugar tells me all day long that it wants me. It says that it needs me. So much lust is involved that I start to hallucinate. And I am aware I am hallucinating because I know what the word crave feels like. I know how it feels to be lacking. To hanker for something you will decide in a nanosecond to surpass your judgment just to get insane relief. Aw relief. Even better. Sweet relief.

I see sugar standing there. It thought I was not noticing. So it started to shout. Then began to pout. I tried to be unaccessable. Why could sugar not do the same. It is the substance that makes my body tremble. Shall I close my eyes as I start to spasm inside of its hollow doorway. When I am in its arms it has complete power over me. Its the allergy I react to after I have already ingested it and wake up in the emergency room. Someone please oblige me in putting it into an unreachable realm!

My heart is affronted with the yearning for its fulfilling taste. The longing just to lick the smooth, gritty rainbow like substance once more. You too will want to bury your face in the navel of its syrupy goodness. But many hours go by as the sugars pour throughout my veins. Dancing and swirling inside of my body while my pancreas screams. Yelling at my kidneys to do something. Anything. It takes too long to come down after a sugar high. Would you give in to your own suicide. I do not desire to.

I claim innocence. I claim to not understand. But do I really? Do I continue to allow sugar to be my neighbor. I admit I have enabled it to hold my hand for 17 years. I ask you now if you understand. Do you understand how important it is for you to stand by me in my decision.

Will you please take this sugar down from its high shelf and occupy its attention long enough so I can kick it in the ass. Together we can create a defensive stategy. We can build a mechanism, a wall of blandness against this enemy of sweet treat threats.

Sugar I am not sorry I ruined your day. I hear your anguish. Stop shaking cute like. I am not taking you home. Pretending is only perpetuating a lie. It was once maybe all I ever knew. Sneaking in extra calories under the darkness of insufficiency and naivety. It does nothing for me now. There is no question on what I am sure of in my life. Move on over sugar you are being replaced.

I no longer lend my health to that which I wish not to be bound to. I am armed with acerbic strength. My cleverness out weighs my feeble hunger. My stamina can endure and over take this. I whisper to you, It is all in your head remember.

I give myself an autopsy of what I really need. I feel better already. Life is best without all those glittering granules anyways. These are not tears in my eyes. I know whats missing in my life. Its not dry skin and achy muscles, and toes that have no circulation. Blurry vision or numbness in the fingers. Fatigue, incessant thirst or nausea. It is sugar that aids these symptoms in happening. I know whats missing from my life. It is not sugar. Period.

Good bye feeling like crap. I have control.

Hello my name is Kate. I do not have diabetes. I live with diabetes.