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 28. 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.
The challenge for today was to come up with a mascot for ourselves, our medical issues, our health focus, whatever. And provide a visual if possible. Here’s my attempt a Mascot Recipe.
Ingredients: 1 goofy pancreas, 1 big soft heart, a sense of humor, a pinch of sarcasm, and the fighting spirit of one ninja.
Preparation:
Take one goofy pancreas and combine with a big, soft heart in a poorly functioning body.
Put that mixture through the fires of hell. Stir in the fighting spirit of one ninja to help the body rise to the challenge it’s facing.
Remove from fires of hell and let rest. Cover with sense of humor to ease the pain.
And walla, you’ve got some thing that could adequately represent me.
Oh, and don’t forget to top the whole thing with a pinch of sarcasm.
Today is day 23 of the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challengeand since it is a writer’s choice day, I’m revisiting a prompt I skipped yesterday. Things We Forget. Here’s my post-it reminder.
Today is day 22 of the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge and it is also Earth Day. In honor of the day, I took a break from writing and put together a selection of photos from the weekend’s hiking excursions. No better way to celebrate Earth Day than to be out enjoying the sights it has to offer. Enjoy!
OK, the gibberish below is just that. Pure, unedited, computer generated gibberish. I followed the instructions of the prompt, went to the suggested website, filled in the parts of speech, clicked generate, and the mess below is what was thrown back at me.
Much like this gibberish, nothing about life with any of the types of diabetes makes sense. Nothing about life with congestive heart failure makes much sense either.
There are, however, somethings about this mess that are a big part of life with these diseases.
When my blood glucose is too high, you get gibberish. When it’s too low, you get gibberish. There’s grumpiness, unhappy doctors, concerned friends and family, bloody middle fingers, and trips to expensive pharmacies. And there are people on twitter who understand the gibberish.
And, if none of what I just said makes sense, well…my blood glucose level probably has something to do with it. Better go check.
all in small
All in small went my meter listeneding
on a middle finger of red
into the sharp blood .
grumpy unhappy lancet ed important and ing
the excited result before.
clean be they than clumsy logs
the inaccuracte tight result
the tight excited result .
grumpy tight doctor at a disappointed office
the helpful nurse before.
scales at blood pressure cuff went my meter listeneding
listeneding the smile down
into the sharp blood .
grumpy unhappy lancet ed important and ing
the old-fashioned frown before.
red be they than quaint tight medicine
the unhappy disappointed result
the quick important n result .
grumpy quick pharmacy at a red car
the sweet home before.
friends at blog went my meter listeneding
listeneding the phone call down
into the sharp blood .
grumpy unhappy lancet ed important and ing
the sweet girlfriend before.
concerned be they than dreary mother
the nosy lively result
the relieved long result .
grumpy relieved work at the small phone call
the long boss before.
All in small went my meter listeneding
on a middle finger of red
into the sharp blood .
grumpy unhappy lancet ed important and ing
my twitter tested friends before.
The American Diabetes Association hosted their annual Chicago Diabetes EXPO last Saturday and, for the second year in a row, I made the drive from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis to catch a ride to the EXPO on the bus charted by the good folks at the ADA’s Indiana office, went to Chicago and back to Indy, and then drove back to Fort Wayne. All in the span of 24 hours. Yes, the definition of insanity is repeating the same actions over and over and expecting different results to follow, and if you look that up in a dictionary you’ll see a picture of me beside it.
And this year, April took part in the insanity with me after having worked second shift the evening before. That’s love, or something like that. We left Fort Wayne around 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning and reached the ADA office just in time to fill out the required paperwork and load the bus for the interesting trip ahead of us.
The DOC at The EXPO
The Diabetes Online Community was out in force at the EXPO this year. Fellow Indiana DOC members Mike Hoskins and Jeff Neitzel also took the bus trip from Indianapolis to Chicago, and we met up with Marie Smith and explored the offerings of the the event together. And we were joined by our friend Missy during the cooking demo by Jamie Deen.
It was great getting to meet Marie and Missy in person for the first time, and sharing the EXPO experience with fellow DOC members. And it was definitely fun explaining to people who asked how we all knew each other. That we had all met online and arranged out meetup via Twitter. All hail the power of social media.
April, Mike Hoskins, Marie, Me, and Jeff
Jamie Deen
Jamie Deen and Dr. Anita Swamy
This year’s celebrity guest was Jamie Deen, son of Southern cooking queen Paula Deen, who recently announced that she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a couple of years ago. Jamie and his brother Bobby have been traveling the country to demonstrate how they’ve transformed their mother’s traditional southern style meals into more diabetic friendly offerings as part of the “Diabetes in a New Light” campaign sponsored by Novo Nordisk.
On this day, Jamie demonstrated a vegetarian gumbo recipe while a Chicago area doctor talked about the health benefits, etc… It was an “OK” performance but, frankly, I wasn’t overly impressed by it. I, like pretty much everyone else, wanted to hear Jamie talk about what he was doing during the demo, his thoughts on the campaign, his mom, etc… If I wanted to hear a doctor lecture on the benefits of eating low fat, low sodium, and low carb foods, well… I’d go visit my own doctor.
Perhaps my expectations going into it were a bit too high, but if I had paid to see that presentation I would be asking for my money back. I was there to see and hear from Jamie. Not the doctor. And, I’m not the only one in the DOC group who felt that way.
After the cooking demo was finished, Mike Hoskins had a chance to meet Jamie and sit down for an interview with him. And since I had a camera with me, I went along and snapped a few photos to help Mike with his story. You can find the story and photos over at the Diabetes Mine. Great job, Mike.
The Red Bracelet
During the cooking and interview, Mike and I took note of a red bracelet that Jamie was wearing, but we didn’t think to ask what it was about until later. While we were looking at the interview photos, we agreed that we needed to know. And when I noticed Jamie walking toward the Novo Nordisk booth for his meet and greet, I took off after him to get an answer.
The Red Bracelet is part of a charity project that Jamie started, and it benefits a food bank in Savannah, Georgia. One side of the bracelet says, “Malice Toward None.” The other, “Do Good Things.” The message, be nice to people, do what you can to help someone, and pay forward the good things that others have done for you. It’s a good idea, and one that I can support.
Malice Toward None
Do Good Things
Now, I just wanted to know what the bracelet said, but as he was explaining it, Jamie removed the bracelet from his wrist and gave it to me. “Welcome to the club,” he said.
Part of me thought that was a cool and classy thing for him to have done. On the flip side, I also thought it was probably all for show because there were so many people around, including his PR person and the handlers from Novo Nordisk. Whatever the motivation, I was really just appreciative to have gotten the answer to my question. And, of course, a cool story to tell.
Jamie and Me
The Freebies
What would a health fair of any kind be without boatloads of brochures, goodies, and other assorted freebies? April and I ended up with three or four bags a piece by the time we left the EXPO. And the best catch of the day in my mind was the Contour USB meter and vial of 50 test strips handed out by Bayer. I got one as a backup and April got one to take home for her mom. Oh, and I can’t forget the enormous pill sorting box given to folks who pre-registered for the EXPO online. Given the number of pills I take each day, that could come in handy. We’ll see. Now we just have to sort through the rest of our loot.
Back to Indy & Fort Wayne
We were all sufficiently wore out and ready to go home by the end of the EXPO, and we boarded the bus back to Indianapolis a little after 4:oo p.m. Chicago time.
Just as we did last year, we had a bit of fun on the ride home in the form of a diabetes trivia game and a prize drawing. Everyone ended up with a prize. I got a water bottle and a stress ball. Pretty cool.
We got back to Indy around 8:30 p.m. or so, and since it was raining, the goodbyes were short and sweet. April and I got dinner a little north of Indy and then hit the road back to Fort Wayne. Since she slept on the bus, April got to drive home. I don’t remember much of that two hour drive.
That’s all, Folks!
Overall, this year’s trip to the Chicago Diabetes EXPO was a great experience and I’ll more than likely take part in it again next year. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the experience with friends from the Diabetes Online Community. At the end of the day, it was the people I was with that made the day enjoyable.
And, we had twice as many people on the bus this year as last year. Clearly there is interest in these types of events, and this should serve as encouragement for the continuing this trip in the coming years. And as I said last year, consider this my RSVP.
After nearly two months of waiting for the appointment, I finally got to see the cardiologist on Friday to review the results of the cardiac MRI, blood work, and 30 day heart monitor that I had to endure in an effort to determine why there had been a decline in the function of my heart and if I would need a defibrillator.
I woke up late and had to scramble to get ready and head out to the medical center on the other side of town. Normally if I’m in a rush and stressed like that it shows up when the nurses check my blood pressure, etc.., but not this visit. My BP was normal and by the time the doctor came in to see me, I was oddly peaceful.
To my relief, the doctor confirmed that the cardiac MRI indicated that my ejection fraction is at 47%. That is in stark contrast to the 35% that previous tests had indicated. And since defibrillators generally aren’t prescribed for patients with ejection fractions over 36%, that means I will not need one. The doctor stated that a normal ejection fraction is around 55%, and since mine is 47%, he considers the weakness of my heart muscle to be mild. Since I’m already taking the best medications for treating congestive heart failure and improving heart strength, the doctor wants to continue with the regimen that I’m on now and see how things progress.
The results of the blood work done to check my potassium, iron, thyroid, etc… all came back within the normal ranges. While I’m thankful that those results were good, they are also frustrating because we were hoping to find a treatable cause for the decline, like an iron overload or something like that. Alas, there’s no evidence of that, and I’m really not going to spend much time dwelling on it.
There were a few points of interest on tapes from the heart monitor I wore for a month, but the doctor said they seemed to indicate normal elevations in heart rate that anyone can expect from time to time. Nothing to really worry about.
I can’t begin to explain how glad I am to finally have some of the answers that I needed, and how thankful I am that the results from the tests were worth the grief I endured going through them. And as frustrating as the wait has been, it’s been worth it.
As for that odd peaceful feeling I was feeling on Friday? It’s still with me as I write this. I’m more at peace with things now than I have been in a long time. And, along with the improvement in how I’m feeling mentally, I’m also feeling better and stronger physically. And that, my friends, is saying something.
And speaking of friends, I can’t begin to say how much I appreciate the love, support, good thoughts and prayers that I’ve received from everyone in the Diabetes Online Community over the last few months. If there were any doubts in my mind as to whether I’m loved or not, they are long gone. To all of you: Thank You, and Lots of Love, my friends!
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!
Thanks for being awesome, Mike! Not only was it very cool you let me borrow the pin, but it was great sitting and talking for a bit before getting back on the road. And Riley loved seeing you again! The pin on my collar did spark some conversation, too - so thanks, my friend!!
When I decided to keep blogging, I never thought I'd end up being able to help my favorite Jedi Master get on the lizard spit wagon but I'm so glad I was able to help. Love ya buddy.
Thanks for the links to two such awesome people, Mike! Loved hearing all the cool diverse stories of how we got into the DOC, and seeing the wonderful personalities up close and personal whenever that chance arises! Great post, my friend.
