New Tricks

Foods that I find "scary" are things such as pizza, scones, pasta, homemade apple pie and french fries among others.  I have avoided these foods that I am scared of because it will do crazy things to me for the next 24 hours, like, say, a blood sugar reading of 402 after one slice of pizza.  But now that I am armed with all of my new tricks I feel somewhat giddy. I had success with pizza recently with the help of trick #1: the dual-wave bolus. This morning I ate a scone for breakfast with favorable results using trick #2: a 20 minute early bolus. My favorite trick, #3: red wine. I've enjoyed a glass of pinot noir with rigatoni as a blood sugar lowering tool. With my new tricks and sensor data to back me up, I feel as if I can expand my repertorie of what I eat and drink without the guilt. That feels good.

The Feel Good Doctor

I got a call from my doc today to review my most recent blood sugars that I had uploaded and amongst all of our conversation back and forth she managed to give a little praise...

me: I have a complaint from a type 1, I'm getting low too often and as a result, fat, I've gained five pounds from all of the sugar I've been consuming, can we do something about that?
doc: yes, I agree you have been low often, let's adjust XYZ.
me: (whew! I didn't have to argue) thanks
doc: You know, your doing a stellar job! Just look at these numbers, this is so great, you should be so proud of yourself.
me: silence. um, thanks.

As I tried to remember if a doctor had ever told me that I did a good job, I felt all of those endorphins rush to my brain and put me in a state of pure bliss. I felt so damn good for days.

Let's give it up for the doc who realizes what a little encouragement can do for the mental and physical health of her patients!

Fat

I've finally come to terms with fat. Eating it that is. When I was first diagnosed the plan was to follow the standard ADA pyramid diet with the majority of calories at the bottom of the pyramid coming from breads and grains and the least at the top from fat and sweets. Saturated fat was as bad for you as inhaling uranium and to be avoided at all costs. Margarine or low fat butter(an oxymoron if I ever heard one) was highly recommended. Lean meat such as chicken and fish were encouraged. Bacon and sausage would make the devil thrive in your right ventricle. Drink skim milk only. 2% will create slugde in your arteries. No cream cheese. Eggs should be limited--oh and don't eat the yolk, the devil will lurk. Very little fat is acceptable. After all, diabetics are at a higher risk of heart disease. As a 15 year old, I listened thoroughly, took the medical advice and tried to be a good patient.

In the last few years I have eaten real butter. Do you know what real butter tastes like? It's AHHH....MAAA...ZING. I snack on nuts sometimes, mostly almonds. I eat sausage, bacon and steak. I eat eggs, yolk included. I eat things on the top of the pyramid. If you go on the ADA's website and search for the food pyramid you will find a short blurb stating that it is no longer in use as a meal planning tool. I find this disturbing, not only because I followed medical advice that didn't put me at an advantage against this disease, but because I don't know what kind of advice I am following now or in the future that could be detrimental to my health.  So I have adopted my own philosophy for food, it's not original, but that its something I can live with, enjoy and feel confident that I'm supporting my body. I stay away from processed food, such as sugar-free cookies. What are those things made of anyways? I shop at farmer's markets in season and buy organically when I can. I focus on lots of fruits, vegetables and protein. I limit carbs, I don't avoid them. I've decided that eating real food, fat or no fat, is better than eating something that has been synthetically produced. People need fat. Even diabetics. If complimented with exercise, fat is your friend. It should be enjoyed.

My fat-loving ways were recently validated by my new endocrinologist. She suggested that I drink whole milk instead of 2% with my morning oatmeal or eat eggs every morning to decrease post prandial spikes. Drink whole milk? I gasped. And then I said, I like you.

D-Day: Sugar Invasion

Today, October 9th, is the day I was diagnosed 14 years ago.  It was the day that sugar invaded my body in places where it shouldn't have been, like my eyes. Things were blurry back then. The things I remember from that week in the hospital, not in any particular order:

-Being scared, but not sure what I was scared of.
-My mother stepping into the hallway to call my father.
-The autumn plant my stepmother brought to my hospital room.
-My brother visiting.
-Playing with plastic food to get an idea of how exchanges worked.
-Tiger, the stuffed animal, my stepfather brought me. (It's still in my bed.)
-Being embarrassed and not wanting to tell any of my friends.
-My mother sleeping on the couch.
-Getting released for a night, only to end up back in the hospital, because I was scared.
-My father, quiet.
-Holding a needle in front of my pinched stomach for hours trying to give myself the first injection.
-Giving the orange an injection instead.
-My aunt Karen, dressed in purple.
-Get Well cards from kids at school.
-Calling a friend to tell them about my new life.
-Morning snack. Half of a banana and vanilla wafers. I always wondered who got to eat the other half.
-My exchange book.
-Wanting to do a good job.