This post is for day 7 of Diabetes Blog Week and the topic is Spread the Love.  The prompt reads as follows:

As another Diabetes Blog Week draws to a close, let’s reflect on some of the great bloggers we’ve found this week. Give some love to three blog posts you’ve read and loved during Diabetes Blog Week, and tell us why they’re worth reading. Or share three blogs you’ve found this week that are new to you.

Diabetes Blog Week officially ended on Sunday but due to other commitments over the weekend, I wasn’t able to finish posting then.  So, I wanted to take the opportunity to do so now.

I want to thank Karen over at BitterSweet Diabetes for creating, organizing and hosting this awesome event each year.  I truly appreciate the hard work that she puts into it.  And I want to thank all of those who helped her with this year’s topics and prompts.  And, I want to thank everyone who participated and shared so openly with the community.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the posts I’ve been able to get through to this point.

Admittedly, I haven’t had time to read all of the posts or comments on as many of them as I would like to have, but there were several that stood out to me.

• Bob over at T Minus Two wrote a great poem titled Measures.

• Meri over at Our Diabetic Life wrote this beautiful post about acceptance -  D Blog Week, Day 3: The day it turned around

• Kerri over at Six Until Me wrote a great response to the Freaky Friday prompt.  D-Blog Week: At Least It’s Not …

• George over at Ninjabetic wrote of his accomplishment of writing and recording his song Not By Choice.

• Jess over at Me and D wrote a great post for the share and don’t share prompt for day one.  I Try

• Melissa over at Sweetly Voiced shared this amazing post entitled Seasons of Love

I know the prompt said three posts but I can’t narrow it down that far.   There were just so many.

To read more posts from each day, visit the links below.

Share and Don’t Share – Monday 5/13

We, The Undersigned – Tuesday 5/14

Memories – Wednesday 5/15

Accomplishments Big and Small -Thursday 5/16

Freaky Friday – Friday 5/17

Diabetes Art – Saturday 5/18

Spread the Love – Sunday 5/19

Dream Diabetes Device Wildcard

Diabetes Wild Kingdom Wildcard

Again, many thanks to Karen and everyone who participated.  Lots of Love to all!

This post is for Day 6 of Diabetes Blog Week.  The topic for the day was Diabetes Art, and the prompt read as follows:

This year Diabetes Art moves up from the Wildcard choices as we all channel our creativity with art in the broadest sense. Do some “traditional” art like drawing, painting, collage or any other craft you enjoy. Or look to the literary arts and perhaps write a d-poem or share and discuss a favorite quote. Groove to some musical arts by sharing a song that inspires you diabetes-wise, reworking some song lyrics with a d-twist, or even writing your own song. Don’t forget dramatic arts too, perhaps you can create a diabetes reality show or play. These are just a starting point today – there are no right or wrong ways to get creative!

Rather than creating a new piece for this post, I thought it would be nice to look back at the art work that I created for the very first Diabetes Art Day in 2010.

The work was titled Diabetes Family Tree and it was created as a tribute to the Diabetes Online Community, or as I’ve come to refer to it, my diabetes family.  Each branch of the tree is marked with the name of a member of the family.

Looking back at this now, three years later, the piece has stronger significance to me than when I first created it.  The reason being that I’ve been fortunate enough to have met many of these family members in person.  Here’s hoping that I’ll have a chance to meet more.  For now, I feel blessed to know them all.

It’s the 5th day of Diabetes Blog Week and the topic today is:  Freaky Friday.  The prompt reads as follows:

Just like in the movie, today we’re doing a swap. If you could switch chronic diseases, which one would you choose to deal with instead of diabetes? And while we’re considering other chronic conditions, do you think your participation in the DOC has affected how you treat friends and acquaintances with other medical conditions?

I hate to rain on the parade here, but I’m not playing musical chronic diseases today.  I’m just not feeling up to it.

I can’t bring myself to choose a different chronic disease to live with because I have more than my fair share already.

The flaming sack of bovine fecal matter that was left on the doorstep of my life contains  Type 2 diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Ischaemic heart disease, Arthritis, Asthma, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).  I could list more, but you get the picture.

I didn’t go skipping through the Garden of F***ed Up Health and merrily choose chronic diseases to toss in the sack.   I couldn’t skip to save my life.  And I sure as hell wouldn’t choose the contents of that flaming sack.  No one would.

This is the way it is for me, and I’ve accepted that.

I can understand why some may see the grass as being greener in another chronic disease pasture.  I’ve had those thoughts.  We all have.   But I’ve also come to understand one very important fact.   Other pastures are fertilized with bovine fecal matter, too.

If only perfect health were a chronic disease.  I’d gladly switch to that one.  If only.

It’s day 4 of Diabetes Blog Week and the prompt for today reads as follows:

We don’t always realize it, but each one of us had come a long way since diabetes first came into our life. It doesn’t matter if it’s been 5 weeks, 5 years or 50 years, you’ve done something outstanding diabetes-wise. So today let’s share the greatest accomplishment you’ve made in terms of dealing with your (or your loved one’s) diabetes. No accomplishment is too big or too small – think about self-acceptance, something you’ve mastered (pump / exercise / diet / etc.), making a tough care decision (finding a new endo or support group / choosing to use or not use a technology / etc.).

I’ve struggled with how to respond to this prompt today.  I’ve been through so much and accomplished quite a bit since I was diagnosed, so much so that it’s hard to pinpoint any one thing the write about.  Much less find the right words to express how I feel about it.  So, after much thought about how to approach this, I’ve decided to let a couple of images do most of the talking for me.

Where I was

This photo was taken on October 23, 2008, about two months before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and congestive heart failure.  At the time I took this picture, I weighed about 340 pounds, felt awful most of the time, and was down right miserable.  More importantly, I was damn near dead and didn’t even know it.

October 23, 2008: Two months before diagnosis

Where I Am

This photo was taken on March 21, 2013, nearly three months after the fourth anniversary of my diagnosis.  Four years later, I’ve lost approximately 45 pounds and, weighing in at 295 pounds, have achieved a goal that I’ve been trying reach for a decade.  To weigh less than 300 pounds.  I’m not much under that mark, but I’m on the side that I need to be on.  It’s a big freaking deal for me.  I’m thankful to be able to say that I’m full of life and living that life to the fullest.

March 21, 2013: Four years, three months later

What a difference four years have made!  I’m blessed and quite thankful to have had them.  Here’s hoping for many more.

Today is day 3 of Diabetes Blog Week and today’s topic is Memories.  The prompt reads as follows:

Today we’re going to share our most memorable diabetes day. You can take this anywhere…. your or your loved one’s diagnosis, a bad low, a bad high, a big success, any day that you’d like to share.

Memories.  What a topic to have fall on this day.  A day that, for my family at least, will be filled with memories both joyful and painful for the rest of our lives.   A day on which we mark the one year anniversary of the death of April’s mom.  She lost an incredibly hard fought battle with cancer on May 15, 2012.

As you might imagine, diabetes management was the absolute last thing on my mind that day.  I remember my numbers being all over the place that day, but that’s about it.  That day, diabetes didn’t matter to me.  I’m sure today isn’t going to be a whole lot different.

Wendy had a beautiful rose garden in the front yard of their house.  Though she was allergic to most flowers, she enjoyed their beauty.  The roses began to bloom a short while before she passed and I captured this photo of one a short while later.

After she passed, I wrote the words and combined them with the photo as a tribute to her.  How fitting for today.

In Memoriam

It’s day two of Diabetes Blog Week and the prompt for today is as follows:

Recently various petitions have been circulating the Diabetes Online Community, so today let’s pretend to write our own. Tell us who you would write the petition to – a person, an organization, even an object (animate or inanimate) – get creative!! What are you trying to change and what have you experienced that makes you want this change?

My response is based on something that I wrote last April during the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge.  I’ve included the text from that post below.  My petition follows that.

There’s More to Life
When living with chronic health issues that require constant attention, it is easy to become so consumed by those thoughts that we lose sight of the fact that there’s more to life that just those health issues. Sure, they are always with us, but they should not be the center of attention all the time.

I much prefer to devote my time and attention to the people and things in my life that are the most important to me. Like April and the time we get to spend together.

For the past few years, April has talked about the idea spending a day at a local park, just lying under a tree and enjoying being out in the beautiful weather. Maybe take the camera along and take pictures of the blossoms on some of the trees. For one reason or another, though, that never happened. Well, not until last Sunday afternoon, anyway.

The idea came up in conversation that morning and since the weather was beautiful that day, we decided to jump at the opportunity to go. So, we grabbed a blanket, our cameras, and a sandwich to share from Subway, and went to the park for an impromptu picnic. As you can see, we found a nice place on a hill beneath a couple of trees to pitch our blanket.

Oh sure, I checked my blood sugar and took my dinner time injection of Byetta before I started eating, but as soon as that was out of the way, my diabetes was pushed to the back burner and my attention returned to what was really important at the moment, April and our time together.

We had our meal and spent a while just laying on the blanket, taking in the view of our surroundings. And before we left the park, we took pictures of the blossoms on the trees and managed to snap some shots of each other in the process. It was a lot of fun.

It’s so important to remember that our loved ones also endure a lot of grief because of the health issues with which we are diagnosed. I’m quite thankful that I’ve had April by my side through my battle with congestive heart failure. I know that it has been every bit as scary for her as it has me. And, like all spouses of PWDs, April has dealt with the crap that goes along with that role, too. The highs, the lows, and the god awful mood swings, too.

So, anytime there’s an opportunity to do something fun that allows us to think beyond those other things, we jump on it. And we do our best to enjoy every minute we have during those times.

April finally got the day in the park that she’s wanted for so long and I got a souvenir of that day.

My new favorite photo of her.

The Pledge

We, the undersigned, acknowledge and understand that we, as PWD’s, are not the only people affected by the disease with which we have been diagnosed.  That our loved ones endure the struggles of this diagnosis along side us.   We pledge to remember this, to show appreciation for their support, and to support them in return.

We, the undersigned acknowledge and understand that there is much more to life than diabetes and that it is important to take every opportunity to enjoy life in the moment.  We pledge to stop and smell the roses and make memories, like the one above, as often as possible.

We, the undersigned, pledge to always remember the importance of making time for our families, and for ourselves.

Signed,

Mike Durbin. (And hopefully everyone who reads this. )

Today is the first day of the fourth Diabetes Blog Week, created and hosted by my friend Karen over at Bittersweet Diabetes.
Today’s topic is: Share and Don’t Share
Often our health care team only sees us for about 15 minutes several times a year, and they might not have a sense of what our lives are really like. Today, let’s pretend our medical team is reading our blogs. What do you wish they could see about your and/or your loved one’s daily life with diabetes? On the other hand, what do you hope they don’t see?

What I wish the doctor could see

I wish my doctor could see the bruises and scars on my stomach from all of the injections of Lantus, Novolog, and Victoza I take.

I wish she could see the pained look on my face as the needles pierce my skin and the Lantus begins to burn.

I wish the doctor could see my frustrations as I sit down each week and sort out a dozen pills.

I wish she could see the looks of stress and strain on my face as I struggle to figure out how to pay for all of the medications and supplies. As I choose between buying medications, paying bills, and putting food on the table.

I wish the doctor could see the concern in April’s eyes when she knows I’m struggling with highs and lows.

I wish the doctor could see all of the external factors that impact my ability to manage well.

I wish she could see the efforts I put into managing my diabetes each day. And see more good in my numbers than bad.

But what I hope my doctor never sees,is me as just one more donor to her retirement fund.

After making it through an emotionally draining morning and afternoon yesterday, I decided to go hiking at a local nature preserve to clear my mind.  I got out there just before sunset and made my way to a spot where I could see the bald eagles’ nest that is just beyond the boundary of  the preserve.  I’ve spent a great deal of time out there since I learned of the nest a month or so ago.  Last night was special, though, because I had a chance to not only see one of the eagles swoop down from the nest to catch a fish from one of the ponds for dinner, but also the chance to catch it on camera.   It was a great way to end an otherwise bad day.

The male bald eagle perched on a tree branch before swooping down to catch dinner.

The bald eagle catching dinner from the pond.

In flight back to the nest with dinner in its talons.

And then the sun set.

Life Is Short; Laundry Is Eternal by Scott Benner

]]> http://www.mydiabeticheart.com/2013/04/17/wordless-wednesday-just-finished-reading/feed/ 2