Type 2 Diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure are two common conditions that people are diagnosed with every day. Living with one of these conditions at any age is hard enough; imagine living with both at the age of 27. That's what this blog is all about. It's about my life with Type 2 Diabetes and CHF, and about showing that you can live a fulfilling life with each.
Sometimes in life, happiness comes in small, naughty bites…. In unexpected places…. Now, I know what you’re thinking. This post isn’t about that kind of naughty bite, so I’ll give you a minute to get your mind out of the gutter.
This post is about these sinfully delicious, bite-sized red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and little heart shaped sprinkles. And where, pray-tell did I find these naughty bites of happiness? At work!
This nice little treat was completely unexpected and it has made a dreary night at work just a little bit brighter. And believe me, they are every bit as delicious as they appear.
So, I’ve been talking about this thing since I got it Monday and decided that instead of trying to describe it in writing, I’d shoot a vlog post and show you. So, without further delay, I present My Heart’s Cell Phone. Enjoy!
Well, today is January 1, 2012. Happy New Year to everyone reading this right now.
Much like millions of other people in the world, this is a time when I think about resolutions for the New Year. Things that I want to work toward by the time the year ends. Some years, my list is long, and others, not so much. And some years I accomplish them, and some years I don’t. This year, I have only one resolution. And it’s one that I’m guaranteed to be able keep each and every day of 2012.
This year, I have resolved to Give ‘Em Hell. To give diabetes and congestive heart failure just as much hell as they give me.
I’ll be giving them the finger
each and every day.
Sticking it to both of them,
to survive another day.
My tactics will soon be changing,
because I’ve lost a little ground.
But I’ll keep doing what I must to
turn this back around.
The battle will be difficult,
and I’m sure I’ll shout and swear.
Consider this your warning,
don’t say you weren’t aware.
It is my fondest wish that
the battle will go well.
Just call me Harry cause
I’m gonna Give ‘Em Hell!
So there you have it. My resolution for the new year. Short, bittersweet, and to the point. And since this post has taken the shape of a wine glass, here’s to a healthy and Happy New Year to everyone! Cheers!
Today is the 3rd anniversary of my diagnosis with Type 2 Diabetes and Congestive Heart Failure. Wow, only three years? It feels like so much longer. Alas, just three years. Three years of knowing, caring, surviving, and sharing.
Three years of knowing that I have a two invisible chronic illnesses for which there are no cures. Three years of knowing that I’m not alone in my fight. That there are millions of others fighting the same things. Three years of getting to know some of the most amazing people around. Lots of love to everyone in the Diabetes Online Community.
Three years of caring more about my well being. Three years of doing everything I possibly could to beat the odds against me. Three years of caring for those around me, both online and offline. Three years of being me.
Three years of surviving the many challenges before me. Three years of enduring the daily routines required to stay alive. Three years of painful medical procedures and tests to monitor changes both good and bad.
Three years of sharing my story with the world. Sharing both my victories and my defeats, showing what it’s really like to live with these conditions. Sharing the message that it is possible to live well with both. And that there is no shame in being diagnosed with them.
You’ve surely noticed the repetition in this post by now, and you may very well be ready to leave it. And, honestly, I really can’t blame you. I’d love to leave it all behind too. But I can’t. That’s life with diabetes and congestive heart failure.
Here’s to many more years of knowing, caring, surviving, and sharing.
This just in! MDH News has received unconfirmed reports that Blunt Lancet is set to release a single of their Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Betes, just in time for the holidays. MDH Entertainment reporter Little G is investigating and will have a full report soon.
Blunt Lancet is the popular 90′s rock band that has staged an impressive come back over the last couple of years. And this is not the first time we’ve reported on a potential Christmas release from Blunt Lancet.
Last year, the band was rocked by the BetesLeaks scandal, in which a rogue agent of the consulting firm Dewey, Fuck’em & Howe stole the lyrics to the song and shared them on the notorious online site, BetesLeaks.
We are seeking comment from a representative of Blunt Lancet, and will have more on this story as it develops. In the mean time, here are the lyrics available on their website.
The Twelve Days of Betes
On the first day of Betes my doctor gave to me
The results from my first A1C.
On the second day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the third day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the fourth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the fifth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the sixth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the seventh day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the eighth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Eight goals for meeting
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the nineth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Nine pumpers pumping
Eight goals for meeting
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the tenth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Ten fingers bleeding
Nine pumpers pumping
Eight goals for meeting
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the eleventh day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Eleven lancers lancing
Ten fingers bleeding
Nine pumpers pumping
Eight goals for meeting
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
On the twelfth day of Betes my doctor gave to me
Twelve Dexcoms beeping
Eleven lancers lancing
Ten fingers bleeding
Nine pumpers pumping
Eight goals for meeting
Seven ways of cheating
Six bills for paying
Five loads of Bullshit!
Four insulin vials
Three rusty lancets
Two old brochures and
The results from my first A1C.
In previous blog posts and conversations over the last two years, I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’ve battled with bouts of depression and anxiety since I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and type 2 diabetes.
The daily routines of medications, blood sugar testing, meal planning, and other related bullshit, combined with the constant worry of trying to figure out how to pay for all of those medications and testing supplies, are simply overwhelming at times.
Add to that all of the typical stuff that goes along with every day life, you know… work, bills, chores, relationships, etc… and you’ve got yourself a great big barrel of fun.
Then top that off with dealing with a loved one being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and going through all of the activities and emotions that go along with that, and being forced to put a near 9 year relationship on hold while your best friend becomes the primary caregiver for that loved one, and that great big barrel of fun transforms into the biggest clusterf*#K you’ve ever seen.
It’s all enough to destroy someone mentally. And the extreme mental hurt quickly manifests into extreme physical hurt. And you eventually reach a point where you just can’t take it anymore, and feel like throwing the towel in.
As difficult as it is for me to admit, I reached that point in the early part of February.
And the hard part is that I know it didn’t have to happen. I had a little bottle of “happy” pills in my possession that my doctor had given me the month before. I just wasn’t able to take them immediately, because I was starting a new blood sugar medication and had to get through the side effects of it before starting the other medicine.
And then when it was time to start the Celexa, I kept putting it off and putting it off, because of the fear that I’d have the same problems with it that I had with similar drugs years before. When you’ve had a bad experience with medications, or anything for that matter, you tend to shy away from them. It’s perfectly normal to have those feelings.
Things finally reached a point in early February where I knew I needed help, and knew that I had to take the plunge into the world of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications again. And so, on the 21st of last month, I broke the seal on the prescription bottle, cut the little pill in half as the doctor had instructed, and jumped.
Tomorrow, March 21st, will mark a month since I started the medication, and I can honestly say that I’m glad I did. I’m not nearly as edgy as I had been, and feel quite mellow most of the time. And mellow is a good thing.
The moral of this story is this: It’s OK to need help; You just have to ask for it!
