Saturday, February 6, 2010

againwithemeds


I received a call from Walgreen's, you know, the automated call, that I had an RX. I thought I had picked all of them up so I called. It seems I had one for some vitamin D which I did not know was prescribed. I'm guessing, because no one told me, that I am severely deficient in this because the dosage is a whopping 50,000 IU. No, I did not put too many zeroes there it really is fifty thousand. Directions said to take one per week for eight weeks. It would have really been nice if someone had told me about this and why I'm taking it.
As always I look to the Internet for some sort of info. There are a lot of things which this dosage is for but I narrowed mine down to two things. I have been extremely tired lately and my bones have been hurting. I thought it was arthritis but maybe not. I intend to take these things as prescribed and make an appointment at the end of the eight week period, unless I have some adverse reaction or other to the vitamins, could happen.
A friend of mine made the comment that perhaps it was my not being out int he sun (she said I always looked pale)that was partially the cause. In my defence I read when I was 24, ages ago, that the sun caused cancer so of course I avoided it all I could unless I was in my garden in the spring and summer and even then I wore a hat and long sleeves. I have never been a sun bather. I consider sun bathing a real bore besides being dangerous for one's health. You just try your best in this life and somehow with the best intentions whatever you do there seems to be something wrong with it in the end. I laugh at that though. I think life is a giant stage of comedy and farce. At least that has been what has gotten me through it.
I'm enclosing this picture, taken today, of my pale self. This is the real me. It gives me a giggle to have Marlena as my photo though and therefore I don't want to change it. I feel my life is way to quiet and predictable so that is the only racy thing about me is the picture. My alter ego so to speak.
I know I look quite serious in this picture but really I'm not, just concentrating on holding the camera at arms length and such.

Thursday, February 4, 2010


This is Caleb. I love to paint and especially love to do portrait's. This one is a non traditional rendering of a very nice young man who worked hard on a farm in the early mornings and then attended college. He was fairly exhausted by the time he sat for me and fell asleep.

fearasamotivator

Hello All,

I watched an episode of Oprah today, a rare treat. They had Dr. Oz on the show and the featured topic was diabetes. I was motivated before to not get full blown Diabetes 2 but after watching that show I am not truly fearful of not doing the right thing here regarding diet and even (dare I say it) exercise. Don't get me wrong I like exercise I just don't like getting started again. It's sort of like a cold shower experience. I do plant to go to the senior center in our area on Mondays because they have line dancing and it's only $3.00 to go. As long as I don't have to put up with some old fart drooling on me or smelling bad I'm all for it. Seems like line dancing is the perfect thing, no partner required.
Getting back to the show. They said that extra sugar in the system is like having broken glass shards going through your veins. How's that for a visual. Then they went to a hospital where a woman who used to be nurse, but had diabetes, had some of her leg amputated. If that doesn't put the fear in you I don't think anything will but I did me. I'm on my way to Barns and Noble to see if I can snag some books on diet without a lot of scary pictures in the book. I got the message already.
My friend in Las Vegas emailed me and said that my gift to her Mother, a jar of Idaho huckleberries, was made into a pie. The pie was so good it is now her favorite flavor running neck and neck with chocolate. I could just weep!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

theweightandsuch

Hello All,

I would have written more than one word in the title but it mysteriously turns to hieroglyphs for some reason.
Anyway.....Since I last wrote I have been so tired and draggy it became ridiculous. I was working four hours a day at an office, not big deal, and then I would come home and take a two and one half hour nap. No kidding. I finally got sick and tired of it (no pun intended) and went to see my health care provider, Lora, who is a very dedicated NP. I told her my story and since I have had screenings for diabetes each year I thought maybe a glucose tolerance test would be in order.
She ordered that test and some others. What an ordeal that three hour test is. I'm glad I did it though. The result is that I have a condition calle Hyperinsulinemia.
What it basically means is that my body dispenses way more insulin than it needs after each meal, especially after having carbs. I looked on the internet and discovered the condition was discovered around 1924 by a Dr. Seale Harris, Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama. The symptoms are:
Hunger,
Weakness,
Fatigue,
Anxiety,
Nervousness,
Crying spells,
Trembling,
Confusion,
Disorientation,
Delirium and Stupor.

I don't think you have to have all of those things at once but at one time or another I have to confess to having most of them.
Bottom line to this is that after having all this insulin go through your body you crash because it is not used to properly and the food is used as fat storage instead of nourishing your body. This condition effects every cell in your body.
Hyperinsulinism can lead to diabetes, heart attacks, high cholesterol, stroke, certain cancers, PMS (like we need more of that) and acne just to round it out.
I encourage everyone who reads this blog and has the symptoms to get a glucose tolerance test and see if you have this awful condition so you can get on to better health and yes, even lose weight.
Since I have been diagnosed, ten days, I have followed a low glycemic diet and taken the medication they prescribed, I have lost a pound a day. The first five days were accompanied by a lot of headaches which I think were withdrawal from carbs, I love carbs.
If you have any questions let me know and good luck with your health and be happy.