364 Days

Click the above graphic to see it in a larger version.

"Let food be your medicine, and medicine be your food."

-Hippocrates

You might have noticed that I took a few days off this week. I took Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off as part of a detox I do for myself every once in a while. I enjoy blogging and browsing the net, but sometimes one just has to step away from the box on the desk, and step out into the light. Life gets stressful for us, heck it gets stressful for everyone, and in those times it is more important then ever to just take a step back from everything and enjoy whatever weather you are currently having. With the exception of a few really hot days, it has been a mild summer here in the Bay Area. It's been the kind of summer where you can wear a nice light sweater and be very comfortable. :)

The Internet gets to me sometimes. In my in-box there are four ads for ways I can increase my penis size, an email about how Sherry Shepard will now have to eat her words about a tasteless joke about Barbara Walters, and some assorted 56 emails or so that are actually newsletters. Everything from my About.com: Photography to my MayoClinic Weekly Health Update. I will more then likely delete the emails about ways to increase my penis size, because in that I am a girl it really isn't something I can use. LOL. And since I am more then happy with Alan... MORE THEN HAPPY... well... you get the picture. As for Sherry Shepard, I saw the joke, and I it wasn't a big deal. I am getting so tired of online sights, and AOL looking to find another controversy about The View, as if they are trying to recreate the Rosie year! Enough already.

I have a lot to share about what I did this week, but I think I will spread the news out over a couple days or so. I have some really good news to share about myself and Elvis. We are both handling things really well all considered. I will do a full update on him either tomorrow or Sunday, because Saturday is our next Round Robin Challenge. Are you going to play?So now, on with the news. For Now lets start with me...

As you know, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes on July 23rd, 2007. At that time my A1C was 6.7. Kaiser considers the normal range for non-diabetics to be between 4.6 - 6.0. The A1C test measures your overall blood glucose level for the previous 3 months prior to the test. When I checked my A1C in November of 2007, after living as a diabetic for 4 months, my A1C had dropped to 5.9. Just inside the normal range. In those four months I learned a lot about nutrition and stress. I was able to determine that stress was the biggest factor in raising my blood sugar. I took simple steps to lower my stress levels, and to get the most out of my meals.

The biggest difference came from not just reducing my sugar intake, but from eating proper portions, eating out less, and eating my meals inside 30 minutes. I stopped the fast food full stop. I love junk food, but once I began measuring my blood glucose levels, I got a wake up about what that food does to your body. I also learned that eating out once in a while will not cause the world to end, in fact it's good for the soul if done in moderation. Sometimes Alan and I will grab a Big Mac and split it, just to chase off the craving if we have one. Since I love to cook, it was an easy move for me. I love the creativity that comes from cooking. I have a cookbook for diabetics, that can be enjoyed by everyone who just wants more food with less consequences. Diabetics are not restricted to a sugar-free diet, it simply has to be approached from a realistic point of view.

I hate cookbooks that call themselves "Death By Anything Edible." It's not clever, and it is very possible. In fact it's more then possible. It will happen. I have a friend in my past who ate herself to death. She died at 37, 200 pounds overweight. She didn't have to die. She didn't have a problem with her metabolism, she admitted on more then one occasion that she didn't care. She lived alone, so why cook for herself? I still miss her funny wit, her kindness and her creativity. We all saw it coming, but that didn't make it hurt less when she died. Not one little bit. I think the only positive thing that came from it was the lesson about how nutrition can turn on you. Sigh.

Anyway, after my diagnosis I used the Internet to research how to make those necessary changes and adjustments, and as of Tuesday, July 21st, my A1C is 5.5! I have worked really hard at controlling my diabetes. I didn't have to give up anything to do it, I just had to let myself learn about nutrition and exercise. I learned I can eat a little more with dinner, if I am willing to engage in 30 minutes of mild exercise after my meal. Like I said... simple! My friend passed away in 1992, and sometimes I wonder if she would have survived longer if she would have had access to a computer to help her figure things out. I know I did a lot better because of the research I did. Last night I ate a Twix bar, and 2 hours later my blood glucose level was 100, which means it didn't go up even a little bit. That's because I have lowered by A1C so drastically that my body doesn't worry about me as much as it used to. That's a good feeling.

My goal for my A1C test in November is 5.3... wish me luck!

"For people without diabetes, the normal A1C range is 4-6%. For people with diabetes, the lower the A1C value, the better the diabetes control and the lower the risk of developing complications such as eye, heart, and kidney disease. Your goal should be to have A1C values less than 7%. That may be a hard target to hit, but it is important to try because the lower your A1C, the lower your health risk."

-Diabetes Journal of the American Diabetes Association


-OndineMonet

Stress Busters

"Health food may be good for the conscience, but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."

-Robert Redford

Yum, Persimmons. I hadn't eaten a persimmon in years, until today. I had gone to the hospital to have the blood work done, that I had put off last week, and as I was driving into the parking lot I remembered that there is a Farmer's Market there every Thursday. Wonderful locally grown fruits and vegetables, in all their yummy gloriousness, just sitting in the warm autumn sun, waiting to be snatched up by a woman like me. I was STARVING! LOL. My blood work was for my A1C test, and a fasting potassium and glucose check, so by the time I got to the hospital, I hadn't eaten in about 15 hours. That's a little bit long for me, and actually it is for all diabetics, as one of the first things they teach you in the health education courses I took was to never skip meals. Unfortunately, once ever 4 months, it is necessary to do just that, so that the doctor can get an accurate gauge of how I am doing with my diabetes.

Anyway, the lab technician had a difficult time with my veins, it seems they like to collapse when a needle is inserted... ouch... so needless to say, I was a bit on edge when I finally walked out of the appointment. Thank goodness, that little Farmer's Market was right by the entrance. I appreciate it that my HMO makes it available, right there on the hospital campus. They also had a nice listing of all organic farms and suppliers in the Bay Area counties.

I had a look around at the fabulous fresh tomatoes, grapes and the berries, and finally decided on a nice juicy persimmon. :) Persimmons are delicious, and like I said, it had been forever since I had one. It was a nice treat after a bit of stress. :) Is there anything better then a nice bit of fresh fruits and vegetables on a cool autumn day?

-OndineMonet
"Yum"
Union City, California
November 13th, 2007

November Is National Diabetes Month

Live in rooms full of light
Avoid heavy food
Be moderate in the drinking of wine
Take massage, baths, exercise and gymnastics
Fight insomnia with gentle rocking or the sound of running water
Change surroundings and take long journeys
Strictly avoid frightening ideas
indulge in cheerful conversations and amusements
Listen to music.

-A. Cornelius Celsus

If the above photo looks a little familiar, it is because I used it for an entry just a couple weeks ago. It was an entry about how much I enjoy cooking in autumn. This year has been especially enjoyable, as I search for recipes that are better suited to my new lifestyle change as a diabetic. I am learning so much about nutrition, and I am constantly surprised to find that a lot of what I thought it meant to be a diabetic has been false. Like the idea that I had to give up all the foods I enjoy. I don't have to give up much of anything, I am simply eating those foods with a slightly different perspective. Too much of a good thing, is never a good thing at all, and all things in moderation means less is usually the healthy way to approach life. It is working for me, I think I am doing pretty well most days, although I do still have those occasional days of frustration, when I just want to hop into bed, and pull the covers over my head, and give up. Thank goodness that doesn't happen all that often anymore. :)

Having diabetes is a challenge, but it is a manageable one. If you have diabetes, then you know exactly what I mean, if you don't, maybe you would consider doing a little research into what it means to be a diabetic. I read in my newsletter from, Diabetes Health Magazine, that nearly "21 million children and adults in the United States, have diabetes and anther 54 million people are at risk. Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the nation, and may well be the most serious health problem facing America today." Now THAT is a frightening thought.

So, if you haven't consulted your doctor about the A1C test, would you consider doing so this month? Do you know if you are at risk for the disease? November 14th, is World Diabetes Day, which was a day created by the United Nations in 2006, when a resolution concerning diabetes was passed by the General Assembly. It's time to encourage each other in education and information about this disease. In it's earliest stages, there are no symptoms, which I find especially cruel. Sometimes folks have it for years, before it is discovered. Sigh. So I think you can understand why I consider a national health care system so important. It will certainly be one of my top five concerns when I make my choice for our next president. So, what do you say, will you take some time this month to educate yourself on diabetes? Come on... for me? I kind of like you, and want you to be reading me in good health, for a long, long time. You know? :)

-OndineMonet
"National Diabetes Month"
Woodside, California
Autumn, 2007
Afternoon