Pot Luck High

Having never participated in one, I was looking forward to my 1st pot luck today. It was great having the opportunity to socialize with co-workers and try a little bit of everything from broccoli salad to calico beans to an amazing Mexican chip dip. Some home made treats and some store bought snacks were there to graze on. I was happy to see lots of veggies too. It was a nice variety, and I was actually surprised at how low-carb my choices seemed to be. The only thing I needed to bolus for was the pita chips I enjoyed with hummus, a handful of chips, a small bite of ooey-gooey brownie, and a tiny maple pecan bar (then a 2nd). Ok, dang. Now that I list it out I see wear I went wrong. Oh and I suppose those scrumptious beans I ate had some carbs hidden there, I always forget about beans!

Tricky tricky pot luck boluses. It's so hard to tell what you have consumed when you go back for 2nd and 3rds or have a bite here and bite there. I thought I had done pretty well. Then 3 o'clock rolled around and I found myself fighting an intense urge to take a nap at my desk. How horrible would that be if someone walked by and I was sleeping?! I seriously could have fallen asleep. Then a little birdie told me, "maybe you should check your BG". Ugh, but that means getting up and walking all the way to the bathroom. FINE. So I did. Whoops. 219. Duh. A correction bolus followed.

Lesson learned - I suck at bolusing for pot lucks. Ha. They are fun and the food is good, but carb counting = not so easy! Still worth it : )

Afternoon Delight

I have to say last weekend was quite fantastic.

I was pretty bummed on Friday when I realized I would not be able to make it to Nodak that night due to Old Man Winter, which meant no Jingle Bell 5K. I still had hope that Saturday would bring clear skies and clean roads, and allow me to at least celebrate my sistah's big 3-0 : )

Friday night we took advantage of being snowed in. We invited over our friends that live close by. I made some pretty tasty (but probably not so healthy) white chicken chili. Then we played cards and had a few drinks.

Saturday I was pumped to see we would be able to make the trek back to ND! The birthday celebration was FUN. I had never been to a Japanese Steakhouse, and was thoroughly entertained by our chef (especially when he was shooting sake into my mouth from a squeeze bottle!). The food was oh so delicious. I cleaned my whole plate : ) The rest of the night was spent with some pretty awesome people, more drinks and more fun.

I got to sit next to guest of honor!

Who doesn't love fried rice???

Sunday I was starting to feel pretty guilty about not working out at all Saturday and eating soooo much food. That guilt got me on the treadmill as soon as we got home. To my surprise I was able to kick out 5 miles, and an even larger surprise was how great it felt! 

That got me thinking - why have my morning runs lately felt so miserable and my evening runs so good? My conclusion, completely unscientific, is that by morning my background insulin from the morning before is probably out of my system. I read somewhere that even though it is suppose to last 24 hours, it's usually more like 18 hours. And lately I have woken up a little higher than I would like to be, so I also don't eat anything before I jump in the mill in the morning. Or it could just be that I am TIRED and want to crawl back in my warm bed!

It's just weird, because morning workouts use to always be my best and my end of the day workouts left much to be desired. Hm, who knows? Either way I was happy with my much needed run yesterday.

Today spin kicked my butt. (Seriously, my gym needs to figure out how to ventilate a room. The spin room gets SO hot that the windows and the mirrors all fog up - gross! The yoga room on the other hand, blasts cold freaking air when its not needed. What the heck?!?!)

I need to go check on the Maple Pecan Bites I am making for my Finance team's holiday potluck tomorrow! Never tried this recipe before, but they look and smell delicious!

November Month in Review

Whoa, hello December, you snuck up on me!

Although I am excited for all the holiday fun, I know it will go by too quickly.

Here's November's workout recap:

Cycle - made it to 6 classes

Swim - 2xs

Run - 8 times totaling about 30 miles

Bodyworks - survived 4 classes

Yoga - 3 wonderful times

Off days - 7 much deserved and enjoyed

I am pretty satisfied with November's results, especially given the fact it included a long Thanksgiving weekend back home. 

My plan for December is to enjoy one last month of care free workouts, meaning do whatever I feel like: spin, yoga, swim, run, strength training, all of it, whichever I feel like doing each day. In January I will get focused again and begin building up my running base for the Fargo half-marathon in May!

Check out our budget friendly real tree for Christmas 2010: 

Before

After!

Trapped

Yesterday I mentioned I had a headache. Well somewhere around 4am I realized it was more than headache, and more like a horrible migraine. I woke up and took some Excedrin, only to toss and turn, hit snooze to cancel any plans of working out, and toss and turn more. It made the workday pretty unbearable, and a 2nd dose of Excedrin still did nothing for me. In the afternoon I decided maybe a massage would help, my shoulders felt super tense and hurt when I rubbed them anyway. Luckily I was able to get an appointment in right after work.

The first thing my massage therapist asked was whether I had any issues. Yup. I explained the pain I had in the left side of my head all the way down through my neck and to my left shoulder. Instantly she said, "It's your Trapps." Huh? She explained that is the exact description of the pain people feel when their Trapezius muscle is tense or knotted. Sounded about right to me.

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She spent the next hour working that baby out. She pinched it, she pressured it, she rolled on it. She couldn't believe how bad it was, and she kept finding little balls of knots. She actually remembered me from the last time I was there a couple of months ago and reminded me how she had told me then I needed to schedule an appointment to just work on my shoulders. It was the least relaxing massage I have ever had, but anything to make this headache go away.

It was actually interesting when she would put pressure on different spots and ask where the pain referred to. One spot she pinched resulted in pain in the front of my head, and one I could feel pain down my upper back. She said it was so bad that she would honestly recommend accupuncture over more massage.

After the hour was up, she told me to get up slowly since I had been on my stomach the entire time. She wasn't kidding. Once I got up I felt SO dizzy and unable to balance. The pain in my head seemed to worsen, and on top of it, I felt nauseous from being hungry too. She warned that I may start to feel like I have flu like symptoms tonight, and to keep my shoulders warm. Ick!

About an hour after the massage and my headache is gone - and I feel great! Wow, thank you massage therapist.

I am going to work on being more aware of when I scrunch my shoulders. I am guessing I do that during spin and probably during Body Works when my arms get tired. It's amazing how our bodies work, and how little I know about it. I think I need to take intro to Biology again or something???

Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmm

I have a headache and can't imagine posting anything too insightful, so instead here are the things running through my diabetic brain right now:

1) How did I manage to keep such awesome BG numbers Thanksgiving Day and the following days, while still enjoying in my favorite homemade pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and chocolate caramels (yes, I indulged in all of the above)?

2) How come after getting back to work and my normal routine, including a good and sweaty spin session this morning, now my BG numbers are so high? I hope I am not getting sick.

3) Why have I been hungry all day, even after eating half a bag of almonds during the day and big fettuccine alfredo meal? Normally, it would be because of my workout this morning and my muscles storing up all the glucose they can, but then I would expect lower BGs, which as #2 indicates is not the case.

4) Why did pricking my fingers hurt soooo bad last week? No matter which finger I tried? Thankfully, that has come and gone.

5) Why does the nursing room at work always have to be in use when I want to check my BG and/or take some insulin? I guess some people actually need to use it for it was intended.

6) When will taking insulin in a public restroom ever become normal and not gross to me?

7) How come sometimes when I poke myself I bruise or bleed or it just really hurts, while other times I feel nothing?

8) Maybe having a pump would help solve many of my questions/issues? But then which pump, how much would it cost, how difficult would changing infusion sites be, how would I hide it under my clothes, etc???

Well on that note, I think it's time to schedule another appointment with my CDE!

Wordless Wednesday from ND!

Thursday Monday

Due to dire weather forecasts, we have decided to head back home a day early. This means tomorrow is FRIDAY! Coming to that realization today, and just in general being super excited to spend the holiday with family, I had a really hard time focusing all day at work. I am ready to go NOW (seriously all packed, ready to go)!

Looking ahead, the rest of my year is pretty much booked up:

1st weekend in December: 30th Birthday Party for my lovely sister! We also signed up for a Jingle Bell 5k. It will cold, but fun (I hope)!

2nd weekend in December: 2nd Annual Hilarious Ornament and Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Last year my purple glitter mosquito ornament was quite the hit. I am on the search for another ridiculous ornament.

3rd weekend in December: Heading to Florida to visit my husband's brother, celebrate my husband and niece's birthday, and have an early Christmas. I can't wait, and a break from MN winter won't be bad either!

(Somewhere in the middle of all that I need to find time to do some Christmas shopping and have other mini-Christmas' with friends)

Then its Billy Elliot and Lori Line, and then Christmas!

After that, I only have oral surgery to look forward to. Time to get these wisdom teeth out, all four. Apparently they are quite large, so it's going to be a long process. And the Dentist thought it was a better idea to use sedation and keep me awake during the surgery, rather than laughing gas, due to my diabetes. Something about being coherent enough to check my BG and treat if necessary after the surgery. Lovely.

Then its 2011. Holy cow, I am not ready to think about that yet. Here's to a happy holiday season just about to begin!!

Sugar free please!

Yes, I will admit that I am addicted to and love lattes and mochas. Normal drip coffee just won't do. I need the espresso and frothy milk, with a little flavoring to make my day start out on the right note.

However, I also am trying to be budget conscience. $4+ a day on a morning beverage is little much. I have tried to limit myself to one per week, but usually it ends up being more like two or three. My justification is usually that  I deserve at treat after waking up before the light of day and getting my sweat on at the gym. The current temperature drop isn't helping either. 

I do have my own espresso machine, but I accidentally dropped the piece that froths the milk in the garbage disposal and broke it. The replacement part has been ordered, but is taking its sweet time getting here. Another reason I can justify an extra stop at Caribou (when I feel especially like treating myself my order = medium skim dark chocolate mocha with less chocolate. Ah, soooo good and surprisingly only about 35g of carbs.) 

Today was no exception. It is COLD out and the freezing rain is keeping me indoors. But I wanted a hot drink! My hubby and I decided to walk to the nearby Starbucks with the dog, a little fresh air and a latte = heaven! I ordered a sugar-free non-fat cinnamon dolce latte. When the barista handed me my drink she just said non-fat cinnamon dolce latte. I asked nicely "Is this sugar-free?". She blankly stared at me and stated, "No." She was not happy to have to remake my drink and made that quite clear by throwing it dramatically in the sink, and making a different drink for someone else first. She asked if what I wanted was a "skinny cinnamon dolce". Um, I guess if skinny means sugar-free and non-fat which is how I ordered it, then yes. Sorry barista lady for not using the correct Starbucks lingo. 

I can't even imagine how my blood-sugar would have spiked if I had drank the first one she made. I am glad I double-checked before leaving, but I really didn't appreciate the attitude. Isn't the customer always right? I mean I did order what I wanted, and I wasn't being rude or mean. I just can't have a sugar-packed drink! So even though Starbucks is more convenient (location-wise) than Caribou, I think I will stick to my favorite Caribou (generally good service and to me much better espresso).

On a side-note, the last couple of weeks my blood sugars have been awesome (knock on wood)! I have had a couple of lows, but just barely below the line. I have got to learn to eat a snack in the late afternoon, because for some reason towards the end of the day work seems to get busier or stressful, causing my BG to drop. Anyone else have that problem?

Back to laundry/football day!

Early Christmas Present???

Today I got a new glucose testing meter! Um, am I only one excited about this? I was actually excited all day, thinking about how after work I would go pick this bad boy up. Yup, big dork.

Source

So here's the thing: the other day I found a coupon in my almost empty box of needles. It was for the Bayer Contour USB meter. $20 off. I checked it out online and found out it was also on sale at Walgreens for $29.99, regular price $75. Can we say DEAL!

I currently use the Bayer Contour, the regular old meter, and I like it just fine. It was the one I was given the day I was diagnosed. I have ventured to try other meters, free of course, including Freestyle and OneTouch, but didn't find them any better than my current meter.

So on top of the awesome deal, this new meter, as the name implies, has a USB on it, so I can plug it into my computer. It comes with software that allows me to see my history of results in a pretty graphs and charts, which I can then share with my CDE or endo.

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Still not as excited? Well if you knew how much of a pain it is to remember to log your numbers every time you test (which usually doesn't happen and results in my spending hours getting all down right before my doctor appointment), you might be. I am also excited that it lights up, which will be a handy feature when I need to test in the dark (yes, sometimes while riding in a car or in the middle of the night I do a quick test).

Well my fancy new meter is currently charging, so I can't say it if its all I hyped it up to be - but I hope so!

Ready. Set. Go!

Since yesterday was a big time lounging day, I had to do my weekly grocery shopping trip tonight after work. I really lacked any motivation, but knew yogurt and instant oatmeal wouldn't cut it for lunch two days in a row. Grocery shopping (and laundry) is my responsibility in this household, (yeah, I was wondering too how I got the short end of the stick?). On a side-note, if it wasn't my responsibility we would have a lot of hot dogs and Doritos. So I found a way to motivate myself. We had thrown a meal in the oven that needed to bake for 45 minutes. I decided to take it as a challenge to drive, park, get everything on my list, pay, bag, load and unload all the groceries in time to pull the bake out of the oven.

Luckily, we live only a few blocks away from the local grocery store. I cruised through the produce section, finding exactly what was on my list. Grabbed the canned goods I needed. But then I found myself distracted in the cereal aisle. Another side-note: cereal use to be my go-to breakfast, snack, and on occasion dinner. After being diagnosed with T1D, my cereal consumption has completely dropped-off a cliff. Cereal is a tricky one. Its so good, but not worth the blood sugar spike. But B. had put in a special request for some cereal and pop-tarts (see what I mean when I say I have to do the grocery shopping?). So after a little perusing for old-time sakes, I grabbed the requested Raisin Bran and hustled to the dairy section. I was able to cruise through the rest of the store, mostly sticking to my list (may have strayed slightly when I picked up some dark chocolate syrup to make my own mochas).

The challenge was a success. Grocery shopping done and on the counter with just 1 minute to spare on the dinner timer! Since I was able to get my butt out of bed early this morning and get a 4 mile run in, now I can spend the rest of my evening relaxing and not feel bad about it!!

Happy Monday!

Snowy Saturday

I woke up to a nice surprise this morning:

Although I was enjoying the unseasonally warm weather this past month, I can't help but be excited to see the first big snowfall of the year! Everything is so white and the snowflakes falling are huge. It really makes me want to stay in for the day, mostly because I am not quite prepared for winter coats, mittens, boots, and....shoveling the driveway! That won't be happening though. I have yoga at 11 and then a wedding at 2:30. I really hope the bride was prepared for this snowfall. Its pretty but it might make driving around the cities less than fun.

On a side note, I am not doing so well with the blogging everyday.

Wednesday I swam in the morning with my TBFL. Then ended up with some flu-like symptoms and just spent the rest of the day feeling miserable. She went home from work sick too, so I'm thinking it was something going around at the gym. Sick.

Thursday was Veteran's day, which is a big deal in our household. My husband is a 2 times over vet, and he loves to celebrate his day (deservedly so). My husband called me at about 5:15 wondering where I was and whether I was standing him up. He was ready to get his celebration on, since he couldn't wait he cracked an beer and played some Wii. Ha! We took up the free meal for Vets at Applebees, and I surprised him by inviting out a few of our close friends. After the 'bees we headed to the local Legion for more drinks. To my surprise the jag bombs he took had no effect on his ability to go to work the next day (must be nice, one glass of wine for this girl and I've got a headache rolling for a good day after). It was a really fun time! Next year it will be on 11/11/11 and a Friday. We will for sure be throwing some sort of party. Thank you to all the current and past service men and women who have put theirs lives on the line for us to enjoy our freedom and awesome lives in the USA!

Yesterday was work, and then a much needed run. I cranked out 4 miles on my treadmill and then felt great (except the low I had afterwards. My BG before was 147 so I didn't take in any extra carbs, but my BG after was 67. Dang it.). Then we just hung out with friends, ate some yummy Big Bowl, and watched a horrible movie (do not lose 2 hours of your life to Ghost Writer).

My pumpkin pancakes were fantastic this morning, now its time to get some stuff done!

Happy Weekend!

D-Blog Day

Today is the 6th annual D-Blog Day and this year's topic is six things you want people to know about diabetes. So here goes!

1) Type 1 is not just for kids. I'm pretty sure anyone reading this knows that, but I think the general public may not. Its hard either way you look at it and for different reasons, being diagnosed as a child vs. adult, but we all need the support of others!

2) Diabetes seems to have an affect on everything. It can impact either in the long run or on any given day my hunger, mood, heart, vision, circulation, energy level, ability to concentrate, kidneys, weight..just to name a few.

3) Diabetes has not been cured. To me a cure would be something that allows my pancreas to be able to function properly on its own permanently. Cross your fingers that some day a cure is found!

4) I cannot live without insulin. This is a fact even I am still coming to terms with.

5) Yes, sometimes the injections and the finger pricks hurt, but that's not the most difficult aspect of diabetes. That's just the stuff people can see. The hardest part (for me) is all the other stuff people can't see: the emotional wear a low BG has on me, the tiredness I feel if I am unable to keep my BG stable, the constant thinking about how I feel, whether I need more or less insulin, whether I need a snack to make it through a meeting, how many carbs are in what I think I might want to eat for the next meal, blah blah blah.

6) Nobody knows yet what causes T1D. Isn't that crazy? I hope the cause is determined soon and future diagnoses can be prevented.

Those are just my limited thoughts on diabetes. I am still learning too. If you'd like to learn more you should check out Six Until Me, who is able to put all the thoughts I have about the disease in much more eloquent words.

Night!

Monday stuff

Today was pretty uneventful.

Recap:

Spin in the morning. Man am I not a fan of "hovering", but I do love jumps! I look around the room and enjoy the fact that everyone is at a different fitness level and we can all enjoy the class together. One lady behind my friend was crazy ripped. I wonder how she got to that point? Lots of weights I suppose. No thanks : )

Work. Lots of projects to do before the year is over. Its looking to be like a busy next couple of months.  I am due for a 6 month pre-review. I can't believe I have been at my new job almost 6 months already. Where does the time go?

Dinner. Not even worth mentioning. I was looking forward to the Tomato Basil Soup, but it was just ok. It had carrots in it - weird? The leftover ciabatta bread from Saturday's delicious dinner was a little dry/spongy. Bummer.

Rest of the evening? I ran to Target to get my week's supply of Chobani (man do I love that stuff). My bag is packed for the gym tomorrow. I suppose the rest of the night will involve a little blog reading and tv watching. Tomorrow I am getting my cholesterol checked. The appointment is at 10am, and I am not suppose to eat 12 hours before it. This should be interesting. My plan is to make a protein smoothie before I go to bed in hopes of curving my hunger and maintaining even blood sugars through the night as well as through Body Works in the morning. I hope it works!

Do the BiG Blue Test, on World Diabetes Day

Please check out this video and a child with diabetes will get a full week of life-saving insulin:

So Sleepy

I had a great weekend with the family, and of course it flew by.

For some reason I have been just extremely tired both yesterday and today. And with no reason to be! Yesterday I even got up and went for a short run with my parents, and then enjoyed a hot mocha. I was yawning by 3 o'clock. Then I was super lame and went to bed at 10pm - yes on a Saturday with company at my house!

This morning we got an extra hour with the time change. I got a gooood night's sleep and enjoyed another fantastic mocha (mmm, I love Caribou). The Vikings game today was definitely the highlight of the weekend. I was frustrated with them the first few quarters, but they made the last few minutes of the 4th one of those stand and scream non-stop til you lose your voice type of games! It was great, and winning in overtime was the icing on the cake. Wow, does the dome get loud (pretty sure I saw my dad, sister and mom covering their ears several times). I think we got to see the best game of the season -- live! Hopefully, they can keep it up.

Now, its not even 5pm and ready to call it night! I hope I am not fighting a cold...if I am I hope lots of sleep helps prevent it!

Here's a visual for the fabulous grilling we indulged in last night:

Friends & Family Friday

I am little worn from a long week, so I am taking the easy way out and going with the suggested post topic from the ADA for "Blog 30 Days of Diabetes in November": Research shows that diabetes has a genetic component: Who in your family or circle of friends has diabetes?


My Answer: NO ONE!  Before I was diagnosed I had heard of no family or friends or friends of friends who had diabetes. So much for genetics?!?! Even now, I don't know anyone in person with the disease, just distant elder relatives with Type 2 and friends/co-workers with relatives I have been told about, and of course my online fellow D-bloggers. Thank goodness for the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), or I surely would feel all alone! 


But on a Friends and Family note - mine are awesome! My family is working to learn with me, all the ups and downs, and mysterious features of this fun disease. Even better is that they will be here in person - in just a little while! My parents and sisters are making the trip to the cities for a Vikings game. I am not sure what else we will do this weekend, but regardless I know it will be a good weekend just to spend more time with them! 




Happy Friday!

Mexican Rice Krispy Treats

Tonight after work I was really tempted to pick up something to go for dinner. My hubby wasn't planning on being home for dinner, and I was super tired from 1) running 5 hard miles last night; 2) swimming early this morning and 3) being crazy busy at work. I had the sudden thought of a burrito bowl from Chipotle, with their nummy salty chips. And then I had the even better idea to make a home-made, healthier version!

In the bowl: Unlce Ben's instant whole grain brown rice, splash of lime juice, 1/2 cup of black beans, shredded colby cheese and Amy's corn and bean salsa. The whole meal took less than 5 minutes to make (and only required a quick stop at Lakewinds to pick up some salsa). I scooped it with Tostitos new roasted garlic and black bean chips (which are now my favorite chip). Mmmmm, it hit the spot!! The rice had about 38g carbs and to my surprise the black beans had 23g.

My hubby came home and I informed him of the meal he could mix himself up quick if he was interested. He basically made the same thing, but added sour cream. He then microwaved it all together. With all the cheese melting and the white patches of sour cream, he stated it was a Mexican Rice Krispy Treat. Weird thought, but funny!

It was good - but I am not sure it filled me up. I will probably be helping myself to a little late night snack!

(PS - no post yesterday as our cable when out - NO TV or internet all night, erg! I am not counting it as a miss ; )

Window Sales Guy

My goal for today was to make it through Body Works at 5:45 AM and vote. I accomplished both! And then I remembered we had a window sales guy coming out to give us an estimate on new windows.

Of course he showed up 10 minutes early, which is better than the no-show last night (we got lost in the system supposedly). This meant not finishing my grilled chicken and rice meal : ( Then I realized he was definitely there for a sales pitch. It was hard to get past his fast-talking, buddy-buddy attitude to the actual window info. Somehow though this guy SOLD us on the windows. They have a lifetime warranty which is awesome and if you saw our current windows you would understand our desperation -- rotted sills, leak like a sieve, and fog/condensation on the inside. Hideous.

We really didn't want to spend more money on the house right now, but the energy tax credit was definitely a driver. Right now we opted to only replace the worst ones (4 of the 12). We will probably finish replacing the remaining 8 over the next year.

So that was my night and now its over! Not exactly how I wanted to spend it, but hopefully we will be satisfied (and never want to move)!

Because it is Diabetes Awareness Month, I feel I should also mention something diabetes related.  This morning my BG was 152 when I woke up and then 174 after Body Works. Yes, after exercising and NOT eating, my BG went up.  I have been running consistently higher than I would like to be, so I think I will start taking my background insulin again. Cross your fingers for no lows!

Month in Review: October 2010

Swims – 4 (3 more than last month!)
Bikes – 5 (45 minute spin classes)
Runs – 9, about 33 miles 
Strength Training – 3 = 2 Body Works class and 1 BOSU ball workout
Yoga Class – 4 (3 more than last month!)
REST Days - 9

Highlights of the Month:

• Ran my first ever 10K!
• Went to my first Broadway show of the season – Rock of Ages. The music was great and the show had me wanting to come back for an encore! Constantine from American Idol has an amazing voice. I am looking forward to the next one, Billy Elliot, in December.
• My TBFL and I had our one year of working out anniversary. We are HUGE dorks, so we celebrated it with Yoga, lunch at yum! (also where we went after our first swim together - the Patty Cake is a must!) and massages! We also reminisced at how far we have come:  being able to swim more than one lap at a time in the pool (although that feat is slowly fading), several 5Ks, our first indoor triathlon, BRICK workouts, lots of $$$ on fun new workout clothes and gear, experimenting with GU and other forms of refueling, our first (and 2^nd) sprint triathlons, a 32 mile bike ride, our 1^st 10K, and now looking to what next (half-marathon?!?!)
• My one and only SIOUX hockey game of the year! They lost, but it was still fun. College town brings back so many memories, and the Red Pepper still has the best grinders and Bonzers still has the best long-island schooners!

• October 19^th marked 3 years of the hubby and I owning our first home. No big celebration was had, but on a house-related note we completed our bathroom remodel! It was a project I thought would never end, but after my husband devoted most of his free time after work on and the weekends, we have an amazingly gorgeous bathroom to show for it. I love it! He gets credit for all the hard work – tiling the floor and shower, building a new vanity, installing a new toilet and all the plumbing, and much more. I helped pick out the items in the room, painted and varnished. Now we just need to find a piece of art (hint hint artsy sister) to complete the look!

Lows of the Month:

• Hypoglycemia 9 times (7 of which occurred every day I tried using background insulin again)
• No reading  - at all, whoops!
• One cavity : (
• Not much else - I am focusing on the good stuff!

Goals for the Month of November:

• Blog once every day in an effort to focus on Diabetes Awareness month (also why I changed my blog to a blue-colored theme). Wish me luck!
• Pick-up the running again (goal of at least 2x's a week, in hopes of 3x's)
• Yoga, yoga, yoga. I love it and I have to find a way to do it more often.

Three Papillons = CHAOS!

We are currently dog-sitting for our friends who are enjoying their honeymoon in Vegas.

One Papillon = we love our little Deja. We tend to think she is the cutest and smartest dog ever (she is). We also  often find ourselves quoting what we think her little brain is thinking, or having full conversations with her. She was the one spontaneous thing I have done in my life (accountant = semi-TypeA = overthinking all decsions, especially those involving $). We had gone to the mall to get a cell-phone upgrade, but ended up with the sweetest dog in the world. She is my cuddle-bug slash protector slash running buddy.

Two Papillon = opposite of Deja. Our friends found Tini on Craigslist. She wasn't doing well in her current home, possibly neglected and mistreated. Her name is fitting. She loves attention and is a good listener, but it generally afraid of anything and everything. For example, she will not go down our deck stairs to go potty. We must take her to the front yard. She also doesn't always tell us when she needs to go, but we discovered her favorite spot - the basement behind the pool table.

Three Papillon = one wasn't enough for our dear friends. Maverick is still in his puppy phase, which equals torn up toys, middle of the night whining, and tormenting the other to dogs (he doesn't get why the girls don't like being humped). He's cute and smart already, but a feisty one.

Should be a fun week!

(My hubby took this picture on his lunch break. I think he secretly likes having 3 little ones running around. He is definitely the disciplinarian around here, but with a soft cuddly side, hehe!)

Pancreas update

I think my pancreas decide to take a break again, or maybe permanently - we'll see. 

My BG's were getting higher again. Nothing crazy high, but enough that I started taking my fast-acting insulin to cover all my carbs (rather than the half I had dropped it down to). Even with that I started to notice my fasting BG's were a little too high and had reached the point in which my endo recommended I start taking my background insulin again. So I am back on the old plan.

Even so, I still felt my numbers were coming in a little high. So then I got to wondering if the insulin I am using is bad? I mean it has been sitting in my purse, not getting much use, for almost a couple of weeks. Plus the Lantus doesn't burn at first like it normally does. That's probably a sign it's not working? Man both the pen's are pretty new, so I hate to think I have to throw a whole one away. Especially, after last night's trip to the pharmacy for refills. I now am FULLY aware of the cost of my medicine. My high deductible health insurance plan is not very pleasant before the deductible is reached. In fact its quite painful. 

Anywhoo, tomorrow I'll try out a new Lantus pen and see what results I get.

As for the rest of the night - I have got something baking in the oven! I never bake, so this may or may not be a wonderful bedtime treat!

10K Race Report

Yesterday I ran my first 10K. My training buddy and I committed to this run just a couple of weeks ago, with the hopes of finishing at or around 65 minutes. We really hadn't been focusing on our running too much prior to signing-up, so we quick came up with a short training plan that involved one 5 mile run and one 5.5 mile run before the race. We were able to get those and a few other shorter runs in, so we knew for sure we could do the 10K, but just weren't expecting amazing times. 

The Autumn Woods Classic turned out to be a very popular family event. Before the 10K was a 5K, and there was also a 1K kids run. There were SO many people, and lots of volunteers. I loved that the 10K didn't start until 10:30! It gave me time to wake up in the morning, eat an english muffin with peanut butter, and still have plenty of time to trek up to the race site, park, check-in and check my blood sugars (several times). 

When the race started the temperature was at almost 80 degrees! I overhead another man near us mention that last year when he ran this race it was only 30 degrees. I just love this awesome weather we have been getting -- lucky! The run was entirely in a park reserve, so I was looking forward to the beautiful fall views too.

The first mile went fast. The adrenaline was flowing and people were cruising. We logged in at 9:11 at the first mile marker. I was surprised by the fast pace (for me, very fast pace) and thought - uh-oh there is no way I can maintain this for 5 more miles! 

Our pace for mile 2 was 9:34. Still not bad, especially with a slight up-hill. 

Mile 3 we stopped at a water break, as we decided before hand that it is not worth it to a) pass by or b) try to run and drink, just doesn't do any good. Even with the stop and with some small rolling hills, mile 3 was about 10:10. I don't remember much about mile 4. I think there were more rolling hills, and we stayed consistent at 10:10 again. At some point I remember being on the trail and leaves falling like rain. It was quite the site!

Mile 5 I was getting tired. Another water stop and more hills, but still somewhere around 10:20. Nice pace work! By the time mile 6 came, I was a hurting unit. I could already feel my quads getting sore, and I was feeling pretty weak. I really wanted to push through though, so I forced myself to eat a few Gu Chomps, in case the slump was do to low BG.  Finally the last .2 miles, but of course, there was  slight hill to be conquered before I could cross that finish line. I could hear the music close by and then saw all the people cheering everyone on. I somehow convinced my legs to keep going and crossed with an official race time of 61:58!!! I was MORE than please with that time! And happy to see my buddy smiling at the finish line. She had finished about 30 seconds before me - Go us!

The post-run consisted of eating a banana, some yogurt, attempting to do a little stretching and watching an owl turn its head 180 degrees (still amazed by that site). 

I am sore today, but that just confirms that I gave my all yesterday!

 

Month in Review: September 2010

Swims - 1
Bikes – 5, approximately 87 miles
Runs – 11, roughly 37.55 miles
Body Works + Abs Class – 5
Yoga Class - 1
REST Days - 8 (Includes lots of walking in NYC, mowing lawn, cleaning house, and dancing the night away at a wedding!)

Highlights of the Month:

• Amazing weekend in NYC to celebrate my BFF’s bachelorette party!
• A weekend back in ND spent hanging with my sis and her BF and celebrating friends’ open house!
• Participated in the Minneapolis Bike Tour, and enjoyed the 36 mile ride around the city!
• Celebrating and participating in our best friends’ wedding at a resort in northern MN!
• Signed-up for my first 10k and started doing some longer runs!
• Making it to Body Works every week (but yet still store for a couple days after every time – dang lunges and planks!)
• New running shoes – my toes are in heaven!

Lows of the Month:

• Only swimming and doing yoga once – it’s hard to fit everything I want to do in one week and swimming seems to get the short-end of the stick!
• Literal blood sugar lows – too many to count, not cool.

Goals for the Month of October:

• Survive my first 10K!
• Decide what to do next – perhaps another indoor triathlon?
• Continue to increase the length and number of runs, while incorporating speedwork and tempo runs
• Try to get to yoga more! It should be better this month as I won’t be gone every weekend : )
• Get my BG’s under-control. I hope to have less lows and as result not gain any more weight!
• Keep my food, exercise and BG log up to date daily – so much work!
• Read more, and make more time for my puppy – she needs exercise too!

Three Things THURSDAY

1) Yesterday I invested in a new pair of running shoes! I had just bought a new pair a few months ago, but as a result of getting my diabetes under-control, it appears my feet are actually a size 9, not the size 8 I bought. It was really tough to spend the money again, but I guess worth not losing a toe! My previous pair were the Asics Kayano, which I loved. I wanted to make sure though that I was wearing the right kind of shoe, and not just wearing them because they are so pretty. The guy at the running store was super helpful and I found I was in fact wearing the right type of shoe. However, he showed me a pair just a slight step down, with a little less gel (still super cute) and $20 cheaper. He said I probably won't even be able to tell the difference. Thanks shoe salesman! I love my new Asics 3120 shoes!

2) Today we had gorgeous weather. At work our Finance team even enjoyed our lunch outside, which made it a little hard to want to go back in for the rest of the afternoon! I took full advantage of the perfect weather and went for a nice, long run with the TBFL. We signed up for a 10k next weekend (both of our firsts) and today we wanted to get in a 5.5 mile run. We knew where the 2.5 mile turn around point was, but just guessed on the additional 1/4 mile. We are pretty sure we ended up getting close to 6, which is great! Runs go by so much quicker and better when you run with a buddy!

3) Tomorrow is Friday already! And its the first day of October! Where did September go??? I am not even sure where this week went, but I am excited to have a rest day tomorrow and the last Twins regular season game for us! (We already purchased post-season tickets - Go Twins!)

Unsolved mystery...

As previously discussed, my blood sugars have been quite low lately.  I realized that even though I wasn't taking any fast-acting insulin with my meals, I would still go low. So by process of elimination I guessed that maybe the background insulin was too much. In both frustration and as an attempt to prevent so many lows I decided yesterday to not take my background insulin and see how that goes.

Anyway, its seemed to work. The last two days my blood sugars have been in a good range. But I have been feeling like crap and super tired. Then I got to wondering what if my meter was telling me the wrong number? What if I am actually a lot higher than I think, which would explain my sluggishness? So tonight I tested using both my everyday Contour and the free One Touch I was sent in the mail. Contour = 150. One Touch = 235. Um, ok. Now how do I know which one is right? My hubby decided to check his on both. Results: Contour = 99; One Touch = 135. Hm. My limited knowledge of blood sugars told me that as a non-diabetic (and having not ate for a couple of hours) the 99 was probably more reasonable. But still, how does one know??

Of course I couldn't find that tiny little bottle of control solution for my Contour that I was given on my first day a PWD. I searched all over. No luck. Then I called the local Walgreens. Out of stock. Next closest Walgreens - Out of Stock. Super. The hubby had the great idea of checking Target (I always forget they have a pharmacy). Jack pot. They at least had the solution for the One Touch. So we buzzed over there before closing time, only to realize that tiny little bottle was $10! For a meter I never use, don't really like, and is probably the inaccurate one! Plus the meter itself costs $11 (but doesn't come with the solution). Hm. After a little debate and more discussion with the pharmacist, we decided the Contour is more likely correct and passed on the additional expense.

So that's where my night ends. Instead of catching up on reading (book club meeting is quickly approaching), I spent my evening trying to figure out if and by how much I may be high, only to be left with my original assumption. Maybe I just feel crappy and tired, because I do need some background insulin??? Maybe I should just call my CDE tomorrow and get her insight, rather than testing things out on my own??? Someday I will get this all sorted out - right?!?!

Shorty got LOW, Low, low, loooow

Okay, I need to vent!

For some unknown reason, my pancreas has decided that it wants to work a little now. Thanks for the notice pancreas!

Well I know I am still in the honeymoon phase, but this is extreme honeymooning then. Over the past week, I have had numerous lows, all while I thought I was doing a great job on carb counting. So then this past weekend, knowing I did NOT want to be the bridesmaid who passed out and ruined a perfectly beautiful wedding, I decided to not even take insulin (except my background insulin). So I ate, and checked, and ate, and checked. Cookies, ciabatta bread, chips, you name it. I really wanted it to be a little higher before the ceremony started just to be safe, but for the love of life I could just not get it much higher than 100. What the heck?!?! Well I thought, maybe I should just enjoy this while it lasts, which meant indulging in some yummy potatoes at dinner without giving it a second thought and finishing off my meal with a delicious piece of the red velvet cake!

So you probably think I should be happy about this. Not so. Today after my doctor appointment, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful fall day and not having to go back to work and go for a RUN!!! Ok, so I had a piece of toast with a little peanut butter and jelly. Then I checked my BG at about 4:30 - 55. WTH?!?! It was 92 when I checked at 2:30 and I hadn't taken insulin since before lunch at 12:30. Alright, so then I drank some Gatorade and finished off about half of a banana. Waited 10 minutes. Checked. 57. Nice - big improvement. DANG IT! Ok, what else can I eat around here? Found a cookie and thought this should do the trick. Scarfed it down. Waited 10 minutes. Checked - 72. Still not good enough! And by now I completely stuffed with crappy food and liquids and still not high enough to go for my run. SAD.

Alright, finished venting and just checked again. I am at 92. Maybe my 10 minutes of waiting each time was a little to impatient of me. I think I am going attempt this run now, and hopefully burn off at least some of this extra crap carbs I just consumed!

Tis another fun day with diabetes!

(I promise the next post will try to be more positive...)