I’ve Come to Realize…

Over the past week or so, this meme has been spreading across the diabetes blogosphere like wildfire.  I don’t even know who stole it from whom anymore!  It may have started with LeeAnn at The Butter Compartment but it’s also been posted by George and Kelly and Crystal and Kerri and many, many more!  So, I figured I’d hop on the bandwagon and add my realizations to the D-OC mix.  Here it is, My Favourite Number’s first meme:

1. I’ve come to realize that my chest-size … isn’t something I want to discuss in the blogosphere.

2. I’ve come to realize that my job … is full of possibilities.

3. I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving … I like the windows down, the sun shining and country music on the radio (upon rereading, this actually kinda sounds like the start of a country song…).

4. I’ve come to realize that I need … love and laughter and joy.

5. I’ve come to realize that I have lost … some, but have gained so much more.

6. I’ve come to realize that I hate it when … I lose perspective.

7. I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk … I’m more talkative.

8. I’ve come to realize that money … can be made by singing on the street.

9. I’ve come to realize that certain people … just don’t understand my straight-faced and often subtle sense of humour.

10. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always … do my best.

11. I’ve come to realize that my sibling … is a great guy and far more tech saavy than I’ll ever be.

12. I’ve come to realize that my mum … is my best friend.

13. I’ve come to realize that my cell phone … is not something I often carry.

14. I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning … I was excited to head down to the ocean.

15. I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep … I felt at peace.

16. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking … about impending deadlines.

17. I’ve come to realize that my dad … has never lost his sense of wonder at the world around him.

18. I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook … I hope that one (or more – I’ve got about 30!) of my cousins will have uploaded new photographs.

19. I’ve come to realize that today … is always a new day.

20. I’ve come to realize that tonight … will be for my husband and me.

21. I’ve come to realize that tomorrow … will involve some island hopping!

22. I’ve come to realize that I really want to … be a good person.

23. I’ve come to realize that the person who is most likely to repost this is … in need of some fill-in-the-blank therapy.

24. I’ve come to realize that life … is for living to its fullest.

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend … will involve some quality time with my husband (and some island hopping! – see #21).

26. I’ve come to realize that marriage … is an indescribably fulfilling adventure brimming with love, compassion, patience, understanding and compromise.

27. I’ve come to realize that my friends … are scattered across the country and around the world.

28. I’ve come to realize that this year … I’m taking a year on.

29. I’ve come to realize that my ex is … gone.

30. I’ve come to realize that maybe I should … take up a new activity…painting? dancing? boxing?

31. I’ve come to realize that I love … deeply.

32. I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand … a lot of things.

33. I’ve come to realize my past … has led me to where I am today and is constantly preparing me for my future.

34. I’ve come to realize that parties … are better with music.

35. I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified … of flying (but am getting better).

My Favourite Number? Less Than or Equal to Seven.

Yesterday, something happened that has never happened before.  Yesterday, something happened that made me smile.  Yesterday, I had an appointment with my endocrinologist and, yesterday, I was greeted at his office door with a high five and an exclamation of, “You did it!  You broke the A1c 7 barrier!”

I am proud to share that my most recent A1c clocked in at 6.9%.  Only once before have I had an A1c less than or equal to seven… but, unfortunately, it didn’t count.  At that time, I was 17 or 18 years old and my sugars were wild, swinging with reckless abandon from 17.4 to 3.2, from 14.1 to 2.4.  All this Tarzan-like swinging, while not particularly healthy, did result in an okay average blood glucose and, therefore, a deceiving A1c.

But, this time, it’s different.  This time, it counts.  This time, my A1c is a reflection of my hard work and diligence.  Reaching this level of control has been a major undertaking for me and something I’ve been working very hard to achieve since the new year.  And finally seeing my hard work pay off feels pretty hecky-darn good.  Over the past year, my A1c values have hovered in the mid-seven range (7.8, 7.6, 7.4) but, with abstract plans for a potential baby in the not-so-distant future (was that vague enough for you?), I have been seriously striving to get this number to that seemingly mythical “less than or equal to seven” range.

It is why I decided to switch to an insulin pump (I struggled for years on multiple daily injections.  For me, no matter how much effort I put into my diabetes management, I never saw results on MDI).

It is why I make such a concerted effort to precisely count each carbohydrate I consume.  It is why I started keeping a kitchen scale, a copy of Calorie King and a calculator on my kitchen counter, within easy reach and in plain view (as opposed to stashed away in a rarely-used cupboard that I had no intention of ever opening).

It is why I make an effort to regularly exercise.  See, for example, mountain climbing, kayaking, cycling or walking.

It is why I test my blood sugar 8, 10, 12 or 15 times a day.  And it’s why I’ve finally started keeping my meter on my bedside table over night.  No more stumbling around the house at 3am, with low blood sugar, overturning cushions and digging through backpacks and purses searching for my meter for me (and no more run on sentences either)!

And it’s why I decided to become an active contributor to the Diabetes Online Community.  I take so much of my inspiration and motivation from individuals, scattered across the globe, whom I have never even met.  I’m fairly confident that today’s favourite number would not be 6.9 if it wasn’t for the D-OC.  Thank you Kerri, Amy, Chloe, Scott, George, Tim & Alison, Chris, Karen, (and so many more!) for telling your day-to-day stories, for sharing your hopes, your frustrations, your disappointments, your goals and your joys.  Reading your stories makes me healthier.  And I hope, in my own little way, I can inspire this same positive change in others.

Here’s to reaching our diabetes goals!

How to be Gluten-Free

A few weeks ago, some dear friends told Daniel and I that they’d like to have us over for dinner.  They said that they would like to support me by making a gluten-free meal at their home…and they want to do it right.  Daniel and I said we would love to take them up on the offer and our conversation quickly turned into a question and answer period about the subtleties of celiac disease.  They asked questions about contamination and questions about safe grains.  They even offered to purchase a new (uncontaminated) cutting board just for the dinner party!  Before being diagnosed with celiac, I would never have believed that the mention of a new cutting board could evoke such a strong swell of emotion.  Now I know, it can.  In fact, the conversation brought tears to my eyes.

Living with chronic illness can sometimes make a person feel alone in the world (which is why the online community is such a wonderful thing).  Outside of my everyday support bubble, (where my amazing husband, Daniel, stars front and centre), it sometimes feels that there are very few people who actually understand – or have any desire to understand – more about these unbelievably important, yet invisible, threads of my life.  So, when these friends offered to invite Daniel and me into their home and to make their kitchen gluten-free and celiac-friendly for my benefit, thanking them hardly felt like enough.  But, in a matter-of-fact tone, my friend replied, “You are our friends.  We want to support you.  It’s really not a big deal.”  And, on one hand, I suppose she’s right.  Friends need to be there for each other.  Period.  On the other hand, their selflessness and desire to learn more about my celiac life is a huge deal to me – admirable, extremely appreciated and definitely worthy of a big, giant THANK YOU.

In preparation for our dinner party (which is taking place next weekend), I put together a handout for my friends’ benefit.  I wasn’t overly impressed with any of the handouts I had received from my dietitian after my diagnosis.  So, taking matters into my own hands, I spent one afternoon last week amassing information on celiac disease, safe and unsafe foods and cross-contamination.  The result is this PDF, aptly entitled, “A Little Bit About Celiac.” Please feel free to download it, use it and adapt it as you see fit.  I hope this will help others of you who may be new to the gluten-free life and would like a quick, concise and fairly comprehensive way to educate your family and friends.  Happy gluten-free dining!

**Editor’s Note: In the handout, I state that oats and blue cheeses are unsafe.  I did this for the sake of simplicity.  In truth, both of these items may be safe depending on where/how they were processed/packaged.  However, I feel that simply avoiding these food items at dinner parties is easier than debating about the purity of oats or the blue-cheese making process.  But that’s just my opinion.

Jackie is a Punk

Who needs rabbit ears when you’ve got an entire cat channelling Joe Strummer onto your t.v.?