Time Out From Diabetes

Thinking of Extended Family

Weight:            185

Morning FBS:  126

Tonight:             93

Daily Meal:

Breakfast was green drink

Lunch was a large taco salad

Evening meal was veggie meat balls with 1/2 cup spaghetti and scalloped potatoes.

Bedtime snack was an apple and handful of chips

Day two is looking pretty good.

I have had some requests and comments over the past couple of weeks that went into my spam box - mainly because someone added a link to their blog and my blog engine sees that as spam so it took me a while to find the spam folder and respond.  If you want to leave a comment on this blog, and you want to make sure everyone can see the comment, please do not add links to outside sites.  You can send those to my personal email address.

Just getting back into the community and watching the news had me thinking of our readers as an extended family and how much we should keep them in our minds and prayers.  So instead of adding anything about being diabetics and adding new topics, I thought today I would dedicate this post to individuals I know and those reading this blog.  I want to send up my prayers for them and also ask you as readers to do the same thing.

Malaysia

We have several readers from Malaysia and everyone must now know about the plane that went missing 11 days ago and how it might now be a hijacker event.  Either way, there are hundreds of people on that plane and are either suffering at the moment or have perished.  I hope none of our readers are on that plane or have family members on the plane.

Heavenly Father, please find it in your heart to be with those passengers and help them find a little comfort in their potentially terrible situation.  If they have perished, please find it in your heart to take them home.

Ukraine

We also have several people from Ukraine that read our blog.  It should not matter to us who is right or wrong in the current situation.  I am sure some people will feel more comfortable in the Russian family and others feel better aligning with the EU.  It would have been nice in my mind if the people would have had an open and honest opportunity to vote their hearts.

Heavenly Father, we ask that you be with the people in Ukraine and if this is truly their desire then let the region move back to peace.  I pray that our readers are not in harms way at the moment.

UK

From an earlier post you found out I had a friend in London who is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor.  He is doing well and I do not get to spend that much time on the phone with him and it has been a couple of years since I have had the chance to be with him.

Heavenly Father, please be with my friend in London and continue to reward him with a good life with you and his new found partner.  I also want to thank you for the years he has been given and how you have helped extend his life and his quality of life.

US 

This list is made up of friends, family, ADA members, and readers of this blog.

My wife suffers from deteriorating ligaments and muscles in her thumbs.  There are days she cannot use them.  Her only relief is to fuse them and lock them in place.  Not a good option for her at the moment.

I have just found out that a very close cousin of mine has cancer of the throat and the same cancer on his lungs.  He just started treatment today.

I have a long time friend who has been battling cancer and is always in a fight state as they cannot completely clear  the cancer as it finds locations in the body and hides for a while and then comes back.  His life is a constant on and off switch.

A military friend from 40 years ago is a Vietnam veteran and now has Parkinson disease from Agent Orange.  Killed in that crazy war and did not even know it.  He is in good spirits and I got a chance to see him this past Christmas vacation.

My partner at work was just told they are going to finally replace his knee and that is actually great news as he can hardly walk and is on heavy drugs.

Marty and her husband Gabby need our prayers as Gabby's health continues to be up and down.  Marty is the one who often adds a lot of comments and is a walking talking dictionary when it comes to diabetes and a very good supplier of comments on this blog.

Dora is an individual we have mentioned before and a person who Marty helps bring a little happiness into her life as Dora lives in the same home as Marty's mother.  Dora is slipping and now has cancer.  She has lst body parts because of this disease - so she has had a troubling life.

Dolores is a friend from the ADA and while she is not struggling at the moment or complaining, she has heart problems along with diabetes.  Something that happens to a lot of diabetics.

There are countless people on the ADA and they have other serious issues and battle health issues along with diabetes.

 

Heavenly Father, while we know you do not bring these diseases and troubles upon us, we do know and believe you can help us deal with the trouble daily.  The Bible tells us to bring our problems to you and lay them at your feet and you will help.  We ask now that being relief to our extended family members.  Especially those like Dora who are nearly that glorious moment when she will be coming home to a peaceful life with you for eternity.  We ask that you provide relief while she prepares for her journey to cross over into eternity.  For others that are battling and still have a solid foot on this side of that journey that play an important role in the reduction of their suffering and help them life as fruitful life as possible.

We also thank you for each day you give us and each meal we are provided.  We thank you for the roofs over our head and the opportunity to be an extended family with you in the center.

Bob,

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 4

Teaches Us How To Live - And To Die

FBS - 02/16/2014 - 135.  I am still running high and trying to get back to norm.  However, last night I played cards with our new neighbors group and I had great cards and great food - so I won at cards and lost the meter game.  By the way I was high man and my wife was high lady - a good night for the Dant's and the cards.

BP - 02/16/2014 - 139/78 - not bad after giving up my medicines and not taking anything over the past 2 weeks.  I will have to monitor closely as now it has returned to normal and I have to be careful.

This sure seems like a morbid topic or it could be.  But I think it a fact of life us diabetics live with constant life threatening events like losing limbs, heart failure, and many other related illnesses and threats on our life.  Therefore, I think it valuable that we have a higher power who can help us deal with both subjects.

David's story

I have a close friend and partner in London.  A few years back David was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  Doctors told David he had till the end of the year to live and his diagnoses come in June - 6 months to live at the longest.

I struggled with what I was going to do as I knew I was going to see him but what would I say, how would I handle the situation, and how would I say goodbye.

Then as I discussed this with my Higher Power - God, I received a simple answer to my question.  Go see David and take him the Book of Life and Death - the Bible.  I went to see David on his birthday - or the day after - in August.  The first night I was there I presented David with the Bible I had wrapped to give him as a present.  Before giving David the Bible, I explained it would either be the best gift he could receive or it was going to be a disaster for both of us.  I did not know David's belief system - yet I knew he knew mine.  So I was afraid David would be offended and might take my meaning wrong.

I should have known that if God sent me the message then it would be OK.  It turns out God did know best.  David and I had a solid discussion about how the Word of God teaches us how to live and how to prepare for death.  My intent was to remove or reduce David's burden knowing he only had 6 month's to live.  We also discussed his childhood and how his parents took him to church but when he become older he moved God out of his daily life but still believed.

So David and I agreed that only he and God would decide when he was going to leave this earth and we as a team were going to spend time preparing David.  I explained to David that I think my God loves it when his children lean into him for help and comfort.  So going to church and reading the Bible and using it for comfort - I thought was just what he wanted.

Well, David's story could take a blog all by itself - but we should cut it short here.  David did pick up the Bible and went to church with me that Sunday.  After I left, David had many thoughts and figured it would not hurt to get to know God again, so he went back to his church that his parents took him to.  At a Sunday service, David ran into a female friend he used to work with and they liked each a lot when they worked together.  Long story short - David has a new life and a new soul mate.  The two of them now enjoy a lot of time together, travel together, go to church together, and share each other's life threats and successes.

Yes, much to my surprise and David's surprise; God did use me to send a message to David, Time to start living, not dying.  David listened and he is living.  Yes, he will die like all of us - but not until he and God decide.  When he does, we both know where he is going.  By the way, I had an hour chat with David today and he is doing great although London is getting pounded with bad weather.

Love at first site

Many of you might know I am a Catholic and my wife and I also attend a non-denominational church.  So we go to two churches on Sunday. Today, like many times the sermons were the same and each reminded me of the small things we should do in life to live as our High Power wants us to live.

Love at first site and what does that truly mean.  We were asked in the Catholic service if we believed in love at first site - and there was a split.  Father went on to explain how God sees love at first site and how the things in us do not allow us to see other humans for who they are and not to prejudge - but see them as his children.  If we come to meet someone with prejudice, anger, hate, and any other mean attitudes, how could we see the other person with love when all of that exists in our heart.

In the ADA community, we have an individual who posts things and gets beat up by the professionals and I am not sure why - other than his means of doing that do not come across right to the other members.  I think if they saw him as someone who was near death and pulled himself back out of his situation or if they saw him as someone who did that a certain way and had a certain believe, I think they would not be hard on him - they would actually congratulate him for fighting back.  You see, he appears to have different thoughts than many of those on the site.  Does that make him a bad person, no just has different thoughts.  So my God ask me first to see him as a Child of the King and then start there.  If I disagree I can do that without being mean or prejudice.

Us diabetics go through this all of the time and so do many people with ailments.  It is like when I am at a party or place for the first time and say "No thanks, I am a diabetic"; people will stop to think and then treat me different.  Why is that, I am a human being who happens to have a disease that cannot be cured call diabetes.  The reason, they have no knowledge of the disease and their first impression is I am a person who has not taken care of myself and therefore I am a bad person.  Too bad the world usually judges a book by its cover first.

Our Higher Power teaches us to love unconditionally and accept those around us for who they are. If we march through life being frustrated we are diabetics and carry a chip on our shoulder - we might miss seeing Love at First Site.  We might miss that small moment  when we get a chance to enjoy a small slice of life and create a moment.

Building friends

In the other church, the lesson was on building friends and how studies are now saying that friends and close friends are what gives long lasting life and helps manage so many ailments.  The concept is that building close friendships allows one to be free of mind and find support in others.  You did hear me right, having close friends can help with many ailments.

The example used was David and his relationship with Saul's son - Jonathan.  David and Jonathan had a life time friendship that was a priority to each in their life and that friendship helped them accept the adversity of life.  The friendship turned out to save them both in the end.

There are friends we have had for life time and we should nourish those relationships and also create new ones.  A person who has two or three close friends they can share their frustrations and joys with, be honest with, support and get support is invaluable in this attempt of ours to fight this disease.  Our friends will never judge us a bad because we are diabetics.

For me, I think the internet and communities allow us to develop a different kind of close friend - one we share the same situations (like diabetes) so we have the ability to generate close friends and share with each other, our ups and downs.

Back to the person who the community is a little rough on, then it does not always work out that everyone is going to be friends - some people will be and some people will not be friends.  We need to chose our friends so they bring these things to our life; support, openness, honesty, and the ability to express our deepest thoughts with someone who cares.

So if you have diabetes and reading this - join a group, build some relationships, get involved with those that suffer from the same disease - it will help.  Do not try to fight this as a lonely person, you must reach out to your High Power for all they provide, learn to live, get some friends, and go through life noticing love at first site in all of life's little moments.

 God grant us the ability to learn how live and die.  Give us the first love site we need to go though life and enjoy all the moments we are presented and to get the full view of the benefits we have received.  May you fill our hearts with lots of friends to help us manage our emotions along with our blood glucose levels.

Bob,

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 3

Unconditional Forgiveness

To my many readers, I am going to ask for your forgiveness later on.  Several of you have wondered / worried about me and I apologize for that.  This is not Sunday but a good time for this post.

Before going on, it appears we have added Sweden to our country list while I was out playing hooky.  I want to welcome you to this blog and also to new beginnings for the year.

FBS -111 - A very big surprise since I pretty much decided to take off a couple of weeks and forget I was a diabetic.  If you do not listen to any of my advice - make sure you never do that.  Once in a while is okay; but, this long is like trying to get back in the game again after losing my star player - I am finding it difficult.  I will share what I did today to jump start the program again.

God's Promise of Forgiveness

As you know, I have mentioned before I am a Catholic Christian and therefore have two Higher Powers, God and Jesus.  One is my Creator and Father and the other is my Lord and Savior.  Both have brought forgiveness into my life in a big way and have promised to do so.  One of my favorite versus really puts it all on the line in a simple message:

"Philippians 3:13-14. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."

To me this sums it all up in one sentence.  God allows us to forget the past (our sins and transgressions) and look to the future and to gain the ultimate prize.  There are no questions asked when we say we are sorry and move on - he has and does forgive us with no conditions attached.

I can only hope that your Higher Power does the same for you.  You might ask?  Why is the act of forgiveness so important to a diabetic.  I am experiencing this very blessing at the moment, forgiving myself for taking a break.  I know I am a diabetic and I should not take off two weeks - even though I was mainly good - closing an eye to my condition can only put my body in jeopardy and that is not what He wants me to do.

However, stopping the insanity and starting the turn around - I know he has my back and will once again provide the courage I need to move forward and to get back on the straight and narrow as He did earlier this year.

Forgiving Ourselves

If our Higher Powers can forgive us for our errors and mistakes, then we surely can learn from that and learn to forgive ourselves.  I find this to be very crucial for us diabetics.  We must understand we did not ask to get on this ship nor sail this rough sea; but we ended up getting aboard for some reason.

I have experienced this myself - thinking there was something wrong with me and I am a weirdo because I am a diabetic.  Shying away from a desert, or telling little lies why we cannot partake in the sugar feast, is nothing more than blaming ourselves for our disease. 

A fellow American Diabetes Association (ADA) community member says it best "Hello, my name is Bob and I am a diabetic,"  No remorse, no regret, straight forward, and pure honesty.  This is easier said than done if we have not forgiven ourselves for our condition.  Many of us were born with the defect or we got it through genes.  Some of us, like me, did the damage to myself by not eating right or taking care of myself when I was younger.

For many years I felt stupid, dumb, should have known better, or thought I was just an idiot.  I could go no where as long as this was my thought pattern.  I had to change this pattern before I could change my approach to managing or living with my diabetes.  I was fortunate to have a daughter bring forth tough love and help put me on the right track.

But her tough love was not the drive, it was simply the spark that started the turn around journey.  I had to look myself in the mirror and say, it is okay you have not taken care of yourself for many years; but, today is the day you put that behind you and look to the future - just as I am taught by God, forget the past and place your eye on the real prize - get your diabetes under control today.

So here I stand before you again, looking in the mirror knowing that taking two weeks off is not good.  But this time I am smart enough to say time to forget and move forward - but again these types of events need a kick in the pants to help me get started.  Along came my wife, daughter, and son (my huge support team) and they knew I needed a kick or jump start. So they asked me to join them for Hot Yoga.  Now if you have never experienced this you should.  I am hooked as it was a great way to get back into the game.

Hot Yoga involves being in a room where the temperature is 105 degrees - yup that is a little warm.  You then spend 90 minutes doing basic yoga poses; but nothing is basic in that heat.  The instructors just ask that for the first time you manage to stay in the room for the 90 minutes and try the poses and learn to breath.  I can only say this goal is a lot more difficult than you can imagine.  During the session, about 50 minutes into the 90 minutes, your brain starts to run wild and you start to lose focus.  To make it, you have to focus and just learn to breath - then it works out.  Each pose or set of poses is completed two times.  Towards the end I was resting for one of the poses and trying to do the second repetition.

At about the same point my mind was wondering and starting to lose focus, my son Brian turned around and gave me a stern look to sit down for a set.  It was good timing - I needed the break.  At the end, people where giving me a high five and congratulating me.  Obviously, I felt good about my self and at that point in time I knew I was going to get back in the game and go back to controlling this beast.

I had added two new people to my support team - the instructors who encouraged me to make it.

Forgiving each other

As our Higher Powers and My God teach us to forgive ourselves, they also teach us to forgive one another for our mistakes.  This too is very important to us diabetics.

I am asking for your forgiveness as well.  Not that I took two weeks off, or I decided not to be a diabetic for two weeks; but, I left for two weeks and did not leave the proper message that I would be out.  Some of you had to worry about me and for that I am truly sorry and ask for forgiveness.  I have learned my lesson and in the future I will make sure I do not leave you worried any more.

When we are looking to forgive each other, we must think of our close support team.  Again I am speaking from experience.  For many years I would get frustrated and close to angry when reminded I was a diabetic and that maybe I should not have the desert or the second helping of mashed potatoes and home made gravy - yummy.  When I would not eat or take my medication and my lovely wife Kathleen would try to support by encouraging, I would take it as nagging.

We must learn to forgive those around us who care and are trying to do the right thing for us.  For you men out there, you must swallow your pride and allow your better half to be your support team.  I think we have the biggest problem with this - Mother Syndrome I think.  I am no psychologist but it sure felt to me like Kathleen was trying to be my mother.  I had to ask her to forgive me but to do that, I had to realize I had to forgive her for caring and trying to get me to do the right thing.

For our friends who eat anything in front of us or drink heavily while we drink water or diet sodas; we must forgive them and not feel bad to be around them.  They did not give us this disease and contrary to popular belief, MISERY DOES NOT LOVE COMPANY!  It is your disease - deal with it!

In my mind when we forgive those around us, we make it easy for them to forgive us.  When there is no black spots in our hearts we can focus on the real enemy - DIABETES!  We can all bond together in a loving manner to bottle up the beast and put it on ice and control it.  We most likely will not kill it in my life time - but someday - maybe - just maybe - we will kill the beast within us.

In the meantime - we live together in harmony to bring as little stress in our lives as we can and work to control our diabetes with the help of our Higher Power and Forgiveness; of ourselves and of each other.

What have I been doing

You already know my dog had surgery and had a malignant tumor removed about a week before Christmas.  Then the day before Christmas we noticed he was swelling and bleeding a lot.  We took him back up to the vets and he had a serious infection.  So Mac had to spend his Christmas on the hospital.  The good news is he is doing a lot better now from all of that.

Both my children, Sarah and Brian, come home for Christmas.  Lydia also joined Brian and made it a very special Christmas get together.  So we had 4 great days as a family and during those 4 short days my attention was on my family and my Super Support Team! 

After Mac got out of the hospital we headed for Florida to spend a month with Kathleen's parents who have retired to Florida.  I can work remotely at my current contract, so it is more about working remotely versus a vacation.  The good news was our son decided to go to Florida for a little retreat before going back to Boston.  We were once again blessed to have a couple of days with our Son while we drove to Florida and he road with us.  We put him on a plane back to Boston just tonight.

While in Florida, I have had the opportunity to play a round of golf with my son and enjoy hot yoga with my entire family.

During all of this, I had to have a conversion done for my contract at Walgreens over New Years.  The conversion did not go that well and my team spent 48 hours straight (12/31 - 01/01) getting the conversion completed on time. Then we slept for a day.      

I am also working on proposals for two new contracts and that is taking a lot of time.  So I have been extremely busy.  

These are all my reasons but are not good excuses for not telling you where I was at so you did not worry.  Again, I ask for forgiveness and looking forward to the new year.

I still owe you the ending series on meal planning and hope to have that completed next week.  In the meantime, thanks again for the forgiveness and I look forward to our continued relationship and new beginnings.

May God grant us the power to forgive ourselves and to forgive each other.  May he give us the ability to forget the past and keep our eye on the prize of the future.  May he give us the courage to move beyond being upset with ourselves and wisdom to know we are humans and make mistakes.  May he help us to understand these mistakes are okay to learn from and move on.

Bob,  

 

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 2

Calming storms within us

To all my readers, again I apologize for being absent.  I left you hanging when I was struggling last week - still struggling but for many reasons.  I am not as depressed about being a diabetic as I was and I am not quitting.  It was a storm for a short time period and I know it is a storm that will come again.

FBS - 121 this morning.  Not bad after I had a lot of home made toffee last night during the movie.  That is truly my down fall.  I just love toffee and it is nothing but sugar.  I am going to have to find a low-carb toffee recipe for the upcoming years - NOT!!!!

As you know, it is Sunday and this is the day I want to keep our Higher Powers in our minds and working for us.  I am a Christian and practicing Catholic as I have said before.  I think I am blessed as I have two Higher Powers, God and Jesus.  To me they are one in the same; but represent different strength in my life.

I think it important that your Higher Power play the same role for you that mine does for me when it comes to calming life's major or minor storms.  This topic is fitting today for two reasons, right now my life is filled with many storms and last night we were out as a family and got caught in the storms that went through the area.

The evening just made me realize diabetes is like a storm and we have to constantly have mechanisms or methods to help us deal with the storms of diabetes.  We have to test to make sure we are monitoring the "storm" patterns.  We have to manage our food intake so we do not create any major storms.

So let me explain how my Higher Power(s) calm my storms.

Jesus Calms The Storm

Matthew 8:28 - 34 from the New International Version bible.

²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

This verse in the bible has always been a player in my life.  Yes, Jesus calmed the storm and weather was the storm.  But to me, like so many things in life, the storm was symbolic of  life's storms and how my Higher Power can calm those storms that are much easier to control than the weather.

We know that stress drives up our glucose levels.  So let's examine my life and how daily events can cause stress and how I use my Higher Power (God and Jesus) to help calm the storms.

Work Related Storms

I have a career that can cause a lot of stress from deadlines. failed computer outages, or people just wanting to get something done quicker than they should.  I also have my own business so on top of the normal storms that occur within the technology field, I compound mine by adding the stress of finding new contracts or work.

At the moment, I am on a contract and the pressure is on to deliver ahead of schedule because the company is out of money; but, the project needs to get done.  So we are all under a lot of stress to make it happen.

In addition, I am running into a stream of good luck and I have created 3 proposals for potentially new business just this past two weeks.

In the past I would have worked all night doing both and would have put myself through a lot of stress.  I would not have eaten right, I would not have gone to the gym, and I would not have gotten much sleep.  All of these things lead to my diabetes onslaught and my levels continually rising.

Today, I now go to church twice on Sundays and listen the word of God and give myself a 3 hour break from all of the noise.  In the past I would go to church - maybe - and I would be thinking about work.  I would tune out the sermon and the time time I could relax and find comfort from life's storms.  I did not realize I was removing the one thing in my life that could help the rest of the week be better.

I also used to worry about deadlines and I would work all hours of the day to make it happen.  Now I realize, that is not that important and giving 8-10 hours a day is enough time for work.  Yes, I still put in extra hours and do more than my fair share - but I do limit it and when possible - I take some quiet time.

So use your Higher Power to grant yourself some personal time and time to pay attention to your Higher Power and to yourself.  Your diabetes will appreciate the quiet time.

Relationship Storms

Relationships are important to all of us - they make us feel like we belong, like we are loved, and like we have value.  If you are lacking in relationships, then I would encourage you to get one with your Higher Power - it will really help.

But here I am talking about how these relationships can cause stress and storms in our life.  I love my wife and I am positive after 38+ years she loves me.  But we do have our moments - maybe more than we both like, when we are in love but not loving each other.  We have things that get in the way.

During those times, I feel rotten, I feel alone, I feel anger, I feel frustration, and just about every other feeling you can imagine comes out.  I do not eat right and I do not think about taking care of myself.  I just do not care!  I never used to know how to move on from these situations - none of us come with owner manuals to explain these things.

These are the times I "lean" into my Higher Power the most.  I ask God to calm my heart, take away my frustration, and get me off my dead butt and go apologize - even if I do not feel I did something wrong - just go engage and get the conversation stared.

Do not let these kind of storms run for a long time - this is the tornado, hurricane, or typhoon in your life.  It is you cancer that eats at your heart and destroys the very thing that makes us humans.

I have two lovely children, Sarah and Brian.  I have not always been a good Dad and there are times I was wrong in my punishment or anger.  They are over 30 now and I still think there are times I am supposed to be their Dad and tell them what to do.  This puts strain on our relationship.

Then I remember my Dad and how I hated when he would tell me what to do.  Then I smarten up and back off and know they must run their own lives.  Then I look to be their Father not their Dad, if you get my drift on that one.

My God is like that, he is my Father in Heaven and the beauty is, he does not tell me what to do.  He laid out some simple rules to live by that are nothing more than being a good human being.  Then he sits on the side and pours out his love and waits for me to come to him.  If only us earthly Fathers could be like that.

So let your Higher Power show you how to manage your relationships and calm those storms in your life. Do not let these storms rage without calling on your Higher Power to be the source of love and a support team. 

 The Diabetes Storm

Ah yes, the beast that lives in all of us.  The "perfect storm."  The one that can make our live miserable, can cause us to go blind, can cause us to lose body parts, and can cause us to have all kinds of other diseases.  The "beast" that drives our lives to the brink of quitting.  The "monster" that haunts us in our sleep and lives below our skin in places we cannot see.

Our Higher Powers are truly needed to help us fight this horrible storm.  I use God to talk to, to help me when I am weak, and to listen to my pain.  I "USE" him and I think he is okay with that.  I use him to remind me when I should not eat something.  I use him to let me know it is better to go work out than do something else.

I use him as my most effective medicine to fight this disease with all his power and might.  For without him, I think I would lose the battle.  

All I can say is use you Higher Power to give you strength to eat right.  Use your Higher Power to remind you to test, test, test.  Know what is going on inside you at all times.  Never ever go without knowing what the monster inside you is doing.

Use you Higher Power to lift you up when you are down - no one else might be around.  My God wants to lift me up and care for me.  As I have said before, I feel lucky, I have learned to face my disease with my family and my God.  When I let it alone inside where no one could see it, I failed.  When I brought it out in the open and faced it, I started winning.  I have a long ways to go but I believe I have the support from God to get there or fight the good fight.

The Calmness of Love

I mentioned as a Christian I get two Higher Powers.  I have Jesus, Son of God, who came to earth to bring a new message for all of us - the message of Love.  Love thy God, Love thy neighbor, and Love they enemy.  His message was simple and to show me how simple and easy was his message, he stretched out his arms on a cross and gave his life because he Loved me.  It is as simple as that.

So his Love, can calm my storms as easy as he looked to the skies and asked the raging storm to leave and it left.

He is the greatest Higher Power as he was with us today.

'Lean" into your Higher Power to calm your storms.  Your Higher Power wants you to feel calm and wants to help you manage your disease.   "Lean" into your Higher Power and find strength that only Higher Powers can bring.

May God calm our storms. May he brush them away with the love of his heart.  May he bring us peace when our diabetes is raging within us and the lightening is striking and our earth is shaking.  May he give us the strength to stand tall against the winds of temptation to eat wrong.  And may he allow us to find those moments of solitude when we can relax and know we have braved another storm with His help.

IN CASE I DO NOT HAVE TIME TO WRITE ANOTHER POST - MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND MAY THIS BE THE SEASON THAT HIS COMING LIGHTS UP YOUR LIFE AND WAYS YOU COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED. 

Bob,

The Value of A Higher Power - Part 1

How can a Higher Power Help Manage Diabetes

Once again I have to say I am completely amazed at the number of readers and people coming to this blog.  I truly appreciate you taking the time and energy to read about my journey.  But more importantly, I hope one of you can start a journey of success and complete a life style change as I am on.  We have a long ways to go - I hope many years of the journey.

You have been able to top the 2,000 mark and we now have ten countries in our little community.  We are truly blessed to know each other.

FBS - 126 this morning.  I watched the Carrie Underwood Sound of Music last night and got so carried away - I ate a lot of pop corn.  All of that, after I just posted how much sodium us Americans have.  Well, sometimes, you just have to enjoy life.  I can honestly say if you get a chance to watch the special or it comes on again, it is worth it.  Carrie has done some amazing things with her voice and has taken many lessons to get it where it is at.  I am not saying she is Julie Andrews, that would be a real difficult act to follow - but man was she close.  I could not put down the pop corn - just keep eating and watching.  It was fantastic - oh yeah - Carrie was really good as well!!  LOL (Laughing Out Loud)!

So many of you have sent nice compliments on the series God's Amazing Body and I appreciate the feedback. I only hope this Sunday series is as good as that one.

This series will focus on Our Higher Power and how they can help us manage our lifestyle change and how they can help us get our diabetes under control.  We will explore stress management. relationships, support, and many other aspects of a High Power and how they can contribute to our lives.

Introduction to my Higher Power

I do not know who your Higher Power is; but, there is a good chance your Higher Power is my Higher Power - God.  I say that as the world claims that 75% of the religions people follow are based on Abrahamic (Abraham) - God focused.  

I have another blog which is being done out of passion and not from a desire to help manage a chronic disease.  That blog is about a historical view of Christianity and the United States.  One of the posts, I discuss One God, Three Religions.  This is who my Higher Power is.

I am a Christian who practices the Catholic faith.  I am a true believer that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and arrived here on earth to remove our sins.  But that is just part of the story and what a Higher Power can do for us.  On this small journey I hope to show you how eating right, exercise, and medications are not the only thing that helps.  They are the only things we will read about in magazines, journals, and from doctors; but, for this community, we will use our Higher Power also to help manage our diabetes.

A Higher Power Other Than God - Story

I was listening to my Christian radio station and heard a story about a young lady (well younger than me) and she was discussing when she was a drug addict, living on the streets, a prostitute, and  an alcoholic.  WOW, and I only have diabetes, this is amazing that someone like her could be on a radio discussing her Higher Power.  She is truly lucky to be alive today to tell her story.

But her story got me wondering, does our Higher Power do more for us then we think, and the answer is probably yes - and that is what this series will explore, how do we tap into that power to help manage our life style change.

Sorry, back to the young lady.  While she was living on the streets at night, she had picked up a Power Ranger (you know the Power Ranger heroes) along the way when she was first getting started.  That Power Ranger went with her everywhere and she relied on that Power Ranger.  

She kept it in her pocket and when things were difficult she would pull out the Power Range and she would talk to it and she could hear it talking back to her and helping comfort her.

When she was afraid or something was happening to her, she would pull out that Power Ranger and she would cling on to it with all her hopes and all her fears and the Power Ranger would help her make it through the event.

Being lonely a lot, she would use the Power Ranger as a companion and talk to it.  She would share her dreams and innermost thoughts with the Power Ranger.  These conversations would give her hope and allow her to stay alive and try one more day.

When she needed something, she would pull out the Power Ranger and explain her needs and somehow the Power Range would deliver what she wanted.

Then one day - the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene and demonstrated to her a better POWER RANGER - the one true POWER RANGER!  She was able to give her life to Christ and defeat her addictions and is now on a better path and journey.

Now we know, and she knows, the Power Ranger did not do any of those things - but to her it did and it was real.  I think she still has the Power Ranger just to remind her of those days.

My point with this series will be, how can we use our Higher Power to help us on the journey.

"Lean" Into Your Higher Power

The basic concept of this series will be for us to learn how to "lean" into our Higher Power and use our Higher Power to alter our lifestyle.  The young lady I just mentioned, "leaned" into her Power Ranger for support and comfort.  We will explore ways of doing that and how that lean will help us manage a better lifestyle.

Leaning into your Higher Power means to give it all up and fully trust your Higher Power.  I am not an inventor of this Higher Power concept - it really comes from the 1930s and Alcoholic Anonymous.  They use it in their 12 step program of recovery.  Here is what they say: 

Alcoholics Anonymous

The terms 'higher power' and 'power greater than ourselves' appear in the "Big Book", on three occasions:

• "Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." 
• "The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power." 
• "Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances!"

Simple concept - NOT!!!  This is not easy - we often discuss this and we mention it - but I challenge you to truly lean into your Higher Power for support.  Get ready to use them as effectively as you use eating, exercise, and medicines to control your diabetes.

Times I Leaned Into My Higher Power - God

You are reading this blog so you know how I leaned into God to help me quit smoking and how I leaned into him to help me with my life style change.  These stories are just a few times that I leaned into God for his help and trusted him to deliver.

The most difficult time in my life is when I lost a business during the 2008 - 2009 Credit Financial crash.  I had a business that developed software for banks and was just getting started.  We were making good traction and then the crash hit.  Many small businesses went under during that time - I was not the only one.

Kathleen and I was in the process of losing our house and home.  I had invested our life savings into the company and I lost it all.  We had no idea where we were going to live, how we would survive, or what would happen to us.

During the business years, I traveled and worried more about the business than my relationship with God or Kathleen.  So when it all went south, I had a choice, lean into God or be angry.  I am so fortunate to have a steadfast wife who talked me into leaning into God for help and support.  During that time, I learned to pray more, learned to love a little more, and learned to live a little more.

Most importantly, I learned living in the "Present Moment" with God and Kathleen was the best moment of my life.  Then I noticed each day and each moment started feeling like that.  We prayed together, we played together, and we learned to love each other as we did when we were younger.

I am a firm believer that without God, I would have never pulled through those times.  But what really happened is I found it okay to "Lean" into my God and ask him for help.  I was worthy of his love and support.

That is the place I want you to get to with your Higher Power as we go through this series.  Learn to trust them.  Learn to listen to them.  Learn to "Lean" into them.  No matter who or what your Higher Power is, get close to them to help you through this life style change.

God, a simple request, please give us all the ability to "Lean" into you and to allow you to give us the gifts you want for us.  Allow us to take care of this temple you have provided and this Amazing Body you gave us.  Give us the courage to treat it right.

Bob, 

God's Amazing Body and Science - Part 6

The Heart

I am sure this is going to be my last post in this series or matching God and science.  It is fitting to leave the most important for the last and this organ is important to us in many ways.

I was got up late today and did not take my FBS before running off to cheuch.  I have struggled the past few days of staying the course with my eating.  I have a dog who just had surgery and most likely has cancer.  I have a lot of stress still going on at work and the Christmas season is upon us - not that it brings on stress, just a lot of good eating!!! 

Straight forward warning - this will be a long post - happy reading.

What it looks like and does

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, located just behind and slightly left of the breastbone. The heart pumps blood through the network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.
The heart has four chambers:

• The right atrium receives blood from the veins and pumps it to the right ventricle.
• The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps it to the lungs, where it is loaded with oxygen.
• The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
• The left ventricle (the strongest chamber) pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. The left ventricle’s vigorous contractions create our blood pressure.

The coronary arteries run along the surface of the heart and provide oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. A web of nerve tissue also runs through the heart, conducting the complex signals that govern contraction and relaxation. Surrounding the heart is a sac called the pericardium.

Once again I am amazed that one cannot see it took a super engineer to create such a system of moving oxygen rich life through our bodies.

Heart Conditions

There are many conditions that can effect the heart and are listed below:

Coronary artery disease: Over the years, cholesterol plaques can narrow the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The narrowed arteries are at higher risk for complete blockage from a sudden blood clot (this blockage is called a heart attack).

Stable angina pectoris: Narrowed coronary arteries cause predictable chest pain or discomfort with exertion. The blockages prevent the heart from receiving the extra oxygen needed for strenuous activity. Symptoms typically get better with rest.

Unstable angina pectoris: Chest pain or discomfort that is new, worsening, or occurs at rest. This is an emergency situation as it can precede a heart attack, serious abnormal heart rhythm, or cardiac arrest.
Myocardial infarction (heart attack): A coronary artery is suddenly blocked. Starved of oxygen, part of the heart muscle dies.

Arrhythmia (dysrhythmia): An abnormal heart rhythm due to changes in the conduction of electrical impulses through the heart. Some arrhythmias are benign, but others are life-threatening.

Congestive heart failure: The heart is either too weak or too stiff to effectively pump blood through the body. Shortness of breath and leg swelling are common symptoms.

Cardiomyopathy: A disease of heart muscle in which the heart is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened. As a result, the heart's ability to pump blood is weakened.

Myocarditis: Inflammation of the heart muscle, most often due to a viral infection.

Pericarditis: Inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericardium). Viral infections, kidney failure, and autoimmune conditions are common causes.

Pericardial effusion: Fluid between the lining of the heart (pericardium) and the heart itself. Often, this is due to pericarditis.

Atrial fibrillation: Abnormal electrical impulses in the atria cause an irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common arrhythmias.

Pulmonary embolism: Typically a blood clot travels through the heart to the lungs. 

Heart valve disease: There are four heart valves, and each can develop problems. If severe, valve disease can cause congestive heart failure.

Heart murmur: An abnormal sound heard when listening to the heart with a stethoscope. Some heart murmurs are benign; others suggest heart disease.

Endocarditis: Inflammation of the inner lining or heart valves of the heart. Usually, endocarditis is due to a serious infection of the heart valves.

Mitral valve prolapse: The mitral valve is forced backward slightly after blood has passed through the valve. 

Sudden cardiac death: Death caused by a sudden loss of heart function (cardiac arrest).

Cardiac arrest: Sudden loss of heart function.

Science to the rescue as always

Science has done many good things for the heart.  There are many tests now that can be run and science has even gone so far as replacing a heart.

Tests that can be run on the heart

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG): A tracing of the heart’s electrical activity. Electrocardiograms can help diagnose many heart conditions.

Echocardiogram: An ultrasound of the heart. An echocardiogram provides direct viewing of any problems with the heart muscle’s pumping ability and heart valves.

Cardiac stress test: By using a treadmill or medicines, the heart is stimulated to pump to near-maximum capacity. This may identify people with coronary artery disease.

Cardiac catheterization: A catheter is inserted into the femoral artery in the groin and threaded into the coronary arteries. A doctor can then view X-ray images of the coronary arteries or any blockages and perform stenting or other procedures.

Holter monitor: If a doctor suspects an arrhythmia, a portable heart monitor can be worn. Called a Holter monitor, it records the heart's rhythm continuously for a 24 hour period.

Event monitor: If a doctor suspects an infrequent arrhythmia, a portable heart monitor called an event monitor can be worn. When you develop symptoms, you can push a button to record the heart's electrical rhythm.

The first heart replacement

On December 3, 1967, 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky receives the first human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

Washkansky, a South African grocer dying from chronic heart disease, received the transplant from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old woman who was fatally injured in a car accident. Surgeon Christiaan Barnard, who trained at the University of Cape Town and in the United States, performed the revolutionary medical operation. The technique Barnard employed had been initially developed by a group of American researchers in the 1950s. American surgeon Norman Shumway achieved the first successful heart transplant, in a dog, at Stanford University in California in 1958.

After Washkansky's surgery, he was given drugs to suppress his immune system and keep his body from rejecting the heart. These drugs also left him susceptible to sickness, however, and 18 days later he died from double pneumonia. Despite the setback, Washkansky's new heart had functioned normally until his death.

In the 1970s, the development of better anti-rejection drugs made transplantation more viable. Dr. Barnard continued to perform heart transplant operations, and by the late 1970s many of his patients were living up to five years with their new hearts. Successful heart transplant surgery continues to be performed today, but finding appropriate donors is extremely difficult.

The heart and Love

So this thing we call a muscle and is designed to pump the very life liquid through our bodies is also associated with a feeling, and emotion, a little thing we call love.  I am a true believer that God intended this muscle to be important to us and our relationship with him.  It is also the organ that drives our relationships on earth.

Before explaining why I think this is true - let me lead you to another person who has an awesome way of stating what happened to her.  Hillary Pike has a site and the link is http://thedailylove.com/the-awe-inspiring-power-of-your-heart/ .  In her post she writes:

'One of the most powerful moments of my life was when I experienced the love within myself during my Kundalini Yoga teacher training at Golden Bridge. I was in a deep meditation when I had a profound heart opening that took over my entire being; I felt so much love exuding from my heart. It was as if my whole body became a vessel of divine love. In that instant, I felt the true intelligence and power of the heart. I knew in that moment that part of my soul’s purpose in this lifetime to is to help hold a space of love on this planet.'

Jesus gave us two new commandments and they both involved love, love one another and love our enemies.  I think God knew that along with the blood our heart pumps that we would need a special place for our "love" of one another and he placed it in the heart.  That is why he gave us our hearts.

As we move into the Christmas season, I for one need to do a reset on so many things and starting with my heart is a good step.  A reset that involves:

1. Finding and eating good heart healthy foods
2. Taking heart healthy vitamins
3. Intensifying the love in my heart for my wife, children, friends, and even my enemies
4. Strengthening my love for my God - give my heart what it wants 

I ask each of you to think about your heart and over the next year - let's get heart healthy and heart friendly and let's take care of this muscle that pumps our life energy and also brings us joy through love.

God I make one simple request today and that is you give us the ability to make these life altering changes for our heart.  And we thank you for the amazing body you have given us and for the scientist you have allowed to learn about this amazing body and help it when it is broken and needs repair.

We love you and adore you and look forward to this Christmas season for your coming and your birth.

Bob,

God's Amazing Body and Science - Part 5

 

Medicines and how they can help

Yep, you heard it here folks - I am going to give some credit to the medicines and the ones we take.  I have stated before and you can see if previous posts, I believe in medicines - I just choice to avoid them if possible.  Then I have to hope I am not doing any damage to myself.

FBS - 106 this morning.

I have to get a new blood pressure monitor - mine is broken.

Before going to far, it is Sunday and we must give thanks to our higher power for the great things we have.  But most importantly, I ask that you raise your thoughts and prayers to your higher power for diabetics everywhere.  I am lucky - I have diabetes and that is just about it.  The rest of my body functions near normal, I guess.  There are so many diabetics that have other complications and the medicines they take for their other ailments actually increase their blood sugar level.

I have also been introduced to a nice individual in the ADA community and her mother " began taking Vascepa (which controls her triglycerides and inflammation markers in her blood) but had to stop as insurance wont cover it due to the FDA's actions regarding this drug.  It was really helping with her feet.  She can hardly walk now"   She has reached out to the community to gain some support for this medicine and I have signed the pledge.  If it is in your heart - please sign the pledge at http://epadruginitiative.com/.

Thanks for the support and help of a fellow diabetic.

Two Main Body Organs

We have looked at many different aspects of blood sugar and the impact of our bodies.  We have also looked at how our bodies utilize blood sugars.  Let's take a closer look at the two main body parts that help control blood sugar levels, the liver and the pancreas.

The Live Functions

The liver has several functions:

It regulates the composition of blood, including the amounts of sugar (glucose), protein, and fat that enter the bloodstream.

It removes bilirubin, ammonia, and other toxins from the blood. (Bilirubin is a by-product of the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.)

It processes most of the nutrients absorbed by the intestines during digestion and converts those nutrients into forms that can be used by the body. The liver also stores some nutrients, such as vitamin A, iron, and other minerals.

It produces cholesterol and certain important proteins, such as albumin.

It produces clotting factors, chemicals needed to help blood clot.

It breaks down (metabolizes) alcohol and many drugs.

So the one we are most interested in is the regulation of sugar in the body.

The Pancreas Functions

The pancreas is an organ located in the abdomen. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body's cells. The pancreas has two main functions: an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.

Exocrine Function: The pancreas contains exocrine glands that produce enzymes important to digestion. When food enters the stomach, these pancreatic juices are released into a system of ducts that culminate in the main pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct joins the common bile duct to form the ampulla of Vater which is located at the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum. The common bile duct originates in the liver and the gallbladder and produces another important digestive juice called bile. The pancreatic juices and bile that are released into the duodenum, help the body to digest fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Endocrine Function: The endocrine component of the pancreas consists of islet cells that create and release important hormones directly into the bloodstream. Two of the main pancreatic hormones are insulin, which acts to lower blood sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys.

Once again I have to say I am completely amazed when people think our bodies morphed from tiny cells.  A great mind had to put this together - it did not just happen and it did not formulate itself.

Medicine To The Rescue.

We know there are times our bodies just cannot work as designed - like an engine that is not tuned or has a belt problem.  We need to take care of it and send it to the mechanic.  Our body mechanics are scientist and doctors.  Thank God for them.

metForm

This is the most common medicine for diabetes.  I will focus on it today just as how science is working.

Metformin ( pronounced /mɛtˈfɔrmɨn/, met-FAWR-min; sold as Glucophage) is an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class. It is the first-line drug of choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in particular, in overweight and obese people and those with normal kidney function.  Its use in gestational diabetes has been limited by safety concerns. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, and has been investigated for other diseases where insulin resistance may be an important factor. Metformin works by suppressing glucose production by the liver.

First synthesized and found to reduce blood sugar in the 1920s, metformin was forgotten for the next two decades as research shifted to insulin and other antidiabetic drugs. Interest in metformin was rekindled in the late 1940s after several reports that it could reduce blood sugar levels in people, and in 1957, French physician Jean Sterne published the first clinical trial of metformin as a treatment for diabetes. It was introduced to the United Kingdom in 1958, Canada in 1972, and the United States in 1995. Metformin is now believed to be the most widely prescribed antidiabetic drug in the world; in the United States alone, more than 48 million prescriptions were filled in 2010 for its generic formulations.

New metformin combo drug

Metformin is popular as the co-ingredient in several drugs for type 2 diabetes, and a new one is now in the pipeline and on course for approval by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. The new drug is called Xigduo, and it represents the first time metformin (which is in the drug class biguanide) has been combined with a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, dapagliflozin (Forxiga). 

Science just keeps trying to get better and I appreciate them for it.

Special Medical Professionals

I could not talk about medicines without talking about my favorite pharmacist - Suzy Cohen.  Suzy is trying to do so much for us diabetics and it is not all medicine related.  She is trying to educate us on so many topics and how medicines may actually be harmful to our bodies.

I urge you to get her book and visit her on-line at http://www.dearpharmacist.com/ .  She covers how to live drug free, headaches, and many other day-to-day complications.

She is a must in your library and knowledge bank.

God grant us the ability to know our body and its different functions.  Grant us the ability to give it what it needs and what you designed it to need.  Thank you for this wonderful body and we appreciate it very much and those mechanics who help us take care of it.

Bob,

No Carbohydrate Diet - Part 2

What Do Carbohydrates do for us

FBS - 11/2/7/2013 - 122

FBS - 11/28/2013 - 106 - still fluctuating with stress and work - not totally out of the woods yet

BP - 139/87  home machine and is slightly above 110/70 at this reading / HR - 61

I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.  I know for my international readers this a United States holiday but I think we all have something to be thankful for - so we can all call this a Day of Thanksgiving.  Give it up to your higher power(s) and thank them for what they have done for you today.

My dad left me with three basic things to be thankful for:

1. When you wake up in the morning, give thanks to God for he brought you through the night and you are looking down at the ground and not up at it.
2. When you go to bed at night, give God thanks for every second he gave you during the day to experience the life he meant for you to experience.
3. But most of all, thank God for the people he put in your life - and I thank God for each of you.  Strangely enough - I have to thank him for my diabetes because without it - I would not know any of you.

What are the functions of carbohydrates in our body.

According to most sources there are really six functions:

1. Providing energy and regulation of blood glucose
2. Sparing the use of proteins for energy
3. Breakdown of fatty acids and preventing ketosis
4. Biological recognition processes
5. Flavor and Sweeteners
6. Dietary fiber

I will take each one and provide some detail information  and at the end of the series, will wrap up with why we should not go without them.

Providing energy and regulating blood glucose

This might be considered the most important function and why not having them in our diet can be a major risk.

Glucose is the only sugar used by the body to provide energy for its tissues. Therefore, all digestible polysaccharides, disaccharides, and monosaccharides must eventually be converted into glucose or a metabolite of glucose by various liver enzymes. Because of its significant importance to proper cellular function, blood glucose levels must be kept relatively constant.

Among the enormous metabolic activities the liver performs, it also includes regulating the level of blood glucose. During periods of food consumption, pancreatic beta cells sense the rise in blood glucose and begin to secrete the hormone insulin. Insulin binds to many cells in the body having appropriate receptors for the peptide hormone and causes a general uptake in cellular glucose. In the liver, insulin causes the uptake of glucose as well as the synthesis of glycogen, a glucose storage polymer. In this way, the liver is able to remove excessive levels of blood glucose through the action of insulin.

Type 2 diabetes may have two problems - our cells do not recognize and take in the glucose thus leaving large amounts in our blood - or we do not produce enough insulin to manage the glucose produced.  This is much the same problem of a Type I diabetic.

In contrast, the hormone glucagons is secreted into the bloodstream by pancreatic alpha cells upon sensing falling levels of blood glucose. Upon binding to targeted cells such as skeletal muscle and brain cells, glucagon acts to decrease the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. This hormone inhibits the uptake of glucose by muscle and other cells and promotes the breakdown of glycogen in the liver in order to release glucose into the blood. Glucagon also promotes gluconeogenesis, a process involving the synthesis of glucose from amino acid precursors. Through the effects of both glucagon and insulin, blood glucose can usually be regulated in concentrations between 70 and 115mg/100 ml of blood.

Other hormones of importance in glucose regulation are epinephrine and cortisol. Both hormones are secreted from the adrenal glands, however, epinephrine mimics the effects of glucagon while cortisol mobilizes glucose during periods of emotional stress or exercise.

Despite the liver's unique ability to maintain homeostatic levels of blood glucose, it only stores enough for a twenty-four hour period of fasting. After twenty four hours, the tissues in the body that preferentially rely on glucose, particularly the brain and skeletal muscle, must seek an alternative energy source. During fasting periods, when the insulin to glucagons ratio is low, adipose tissue begins to release fatty acids into the bloodstream. Fatty acids are long hydrocarbon chains consisting of single carboxylic acid group and are not very soluble in water. Skeletal muscle begins to use fatty acids for energy during resting conditions; however, the brain cannot afford the same luxury. Fatty acids are too long and bulky to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Notice through fasting or starving, our bodies start to find a different source that is not as good.  Leave it to our "smart brain" to know this is not good for us.  If the brain knows not to consume fatty acids, then we should be smart enough to feed our brain some real glucose.  No carbohydrates - might be a danger to our brains.  When I went on my "no carb" eating; it might have saved my life but what did it do to my brain?  Oh yeah - forgot I do not have much of one anyway - I am okay!

 Therefore, proteins from various body tissues are broken down into amino acids and used by the liver to produce glucose for the brain and muscle. This process is known as gluconeogenesis or "the production of new glucose." If fasting is prolonged for more than a day, the body enters a state called ketosis. Ketosis comes from the root word ketones and indicates a carbon atom with two side groups bonded to an oxygen atom.

 Ketones are produced when there is no longer enough oxaloacetate in the mitochondria of cells to condense with acetyl CoA formed from fatty acids. Oxaloacetate is a four-carbon compound that begins the first reaction of the Krebs Cycle, a cycle containing a series of reactions that produces high-energy species to eventually be used to produce energy for the cell. Since oxaloacetate is formed from pyruvate (a metabolite of glucose), a certain level of carbohydrate is required in order to burn fats. Otherwise, fatty acids cannot be completely broken down and ketones will be produced.

It surely appears to me that these "No Carb" diets make no sense.  What I think makes a lot of sense is using these no carbohydrate snacks to help put a little fuel in our body.  Again, as I have stated many times, you must know what your body needs, on a regular basis on at the given moment you are ready to eat.

By the way, today is Thanksgiving and a day of coming together and sharing a great meal.  My family is not in Nashville and I have an ex-coworker, Steve Megow, who invites us to participate with his extended family each year.  See why my Dad said be thankful for each person God puts in your life.

Oh yeah - he smokes some great meet and none of his family are diabetics so they have a good time.  Lookout for my readings on Friday - for today I feast and thank God for every second he allows me to graze today!  Carbohydrates are in this blog and in the dictionary; but, they are not on a Thanksgiving table!

May God grant you many seconds each day for which you can be thankful.  May he watch over you at night while you sleep and bring you through those unguarded times.  Most of all, I ask that he opens my eyes and allows me to see the "real" person he put in my life today, not one based on race, religion, or political views; but, the one he created.

God bless each of you and have a most Thankful day!

Bob,

No Carbohydrate Diet - Part 1.

I did this once!

I am really thankful you guys stayed with me while I was out doing some heavy work.  I once again apologize but it had to be done.

FBS - 122 this morning.  I am learning that there is a magical mixture between sleep, a snack, and stress.  It seems that when I am stressed, getting little or no sleep, and I have a snack at night my body acts more consistent than when I do not have the snack.  Last night I did not have a snack and I was up today.  I shall continue the experiment.

My Story

You know that today I was featured in the e Newsletter from the American Diabetes Association - that was nice and I am grateful they think my story is worth sharing.  I am not saying I hope people follow my exact path; but, I do hope my story encourages one person to take up my challenge and take charge of their diabetes.

You also know that back when, I reached an A1c of 13.1 - probably dead and God was not ready to call me up.  I hit the panic button and knowing nothing more than carbohydrates are what causes our sugar levels to rise, I decided I would eliminate them totally from my diet - that should fix my problem.

So I turned to a great diet, chicken and stir fried vegetables - okay I was getting a little of those things called carbohydrates - but not many.  I had it for breakfast, lunch, and evening meal.  If I had a snack it was just a smaller portion of the chicken and very seldom any vegetables.  I drank a lot of water and stayed off the coffee.  I did however continue to smoke - call me crazy or what - but when a smoke sounds god - IT JUST SOUNDS GOOD!  Like right now!

Needles to say - I would now tell everyone the diet was as crazy as the smoking.  I have now learned a little more about what our bodies need and how it all works - I would say I was taking a big chance with this diet.

So I am going to share the more clinical information of the good and bad about carbohydrates.  Beware - this may get down into some real medical stuff that none of us can pronounce correctly but I find it fascinating how our body works - you all know I think this body of ours is amazing.

Types of Carbohydrates

The American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association lists three types of carbohydrates:

Starches  (also known as complex carbohydrates)

Foods high in starch include:

• Starchy vegetables like peas, corn, lima beans and potatoes
• Dried beans, lentils and peas such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas and split peas
• Grains like oats, barley and rice. (The majority of grain products in the US are made from wheat flour. These include pasta, bread and crackers but the variety is expanding to include other grains as well.)

Sugars

Sugar is another type of carbohydrate. You may also hear sugar referred to as simple or fast-acting carbohydrate. There are two main types of sugar:

• naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk or fruit
• added sugars such as those added during processing such as fruit canned in heavy syrup or sugar added to make a cookie

On the nutrition facts label, the number of sugar grams includes both added and natural sugars.

Fiber

Fiber comes from plant foods so there is no fiber in animal products such as milk, eggs, meat, poultry and fish.
Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes. When you consume dietary fiber, most of it passes through the intestines and is not digested.
For good health, adults need to try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day. Most Americans do not consume nearly enough fiber in their diet, so while it is wise to aim for this goal, any increase in fiber in your diet can be beneficial. Most of us only get about ½ what is recommended.

Other Sources

Other sources or the more in depth scientific community lists 5 types of carbohydrates:

Monosaccharides 

The word monosaccharide is derived from mono, meaning "one", and saccharide, meaning "sugar". The common monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose. Each simple sugar has a cyclic structure and is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in ratios of 1:2:1 respectively. 

Disaccharides 

Disaccharides, meaning "two sugars", are commonly found in nature as sucrose, lactose and maltose. They are formed by a condensation reaction where one molecule of water condenses or is released during the joining of two monosaccharides. The type of bond that is formed between the two sugars is called a glycosidic bond. 

Oligosaccharides 

Carbohydrates that contain more than two simple sugars are called oligosaccharides or polysaccharides, depending upon the length of the structure. Oligosaccharides usually have between three and ten sugar units while polysaccharides can have more than three thousand units. These large structures are responsible for the storage of glucose and other sugars in plants and animals. 

Polysaccharides 

Important oligosaccharides are raffinose and stachyose. Composed of repeating units of galactose, glucose and fructose, these oligosaccharides are of nutritional importance because they are found in beans and legumes. Because of their unique glycosidic bonds, raffinose and stachyose cannot be broken down into their simple sugars. Therefore, they cannot be absorbed by the small intestine and are often metabolized by bacteria in the large intestine to form unwanted gaseous byproducts. Commercial enzyme preparations such as Beano can be consumed before a meal rich in beans and legumes in order to aid the small intestine in the breakdown of these oligosaccharides.

Nucleotides

Polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates are usually monomers and consist of thousands of repeating glucose units. Naturally, they allow for the storage of large quantities of glucose. Starch is the major storage form of carbohydrate in plants and has two different types: amylose and amylopectin. Although digestible alpha glycoisidic bonds link both types of starch, each type is unique in their branching of glucose. While amylose is a straight chain polymer, amylopectin is highly branched. These differences account for the fact that amylopectin can form stable starch gels which are able to retain water while amylose is unable to do so. Therefore, amylopectin is often used by manufacturers to produce many different kinds of thick sauces and gravies. Sources of starch include potatoes, beans, bread, pasta, rice and other bread products. 

WOW, and I thought it was just simple to count carbohydrates and I was done!  No wonder our bodies appear to act differently all of the time - with all of these variants - it does make us and the carbohydrate world unique.  All the more reason to get to know our foods and how our body processes them.

I would say just on this knowledge - we need to consume carbohydrates.  In the next post we will discuss what carbohydrates do for our bodies and why they are important.

God grant me the ability to understand the complexities of what I eat and how it impacts my body.  Help me to understand I am unique and what works for one person may not work for me.  Grant me the courage to go on my journey with all the help I can get.

Bob,

God's Helpers

The women in my life - how they care for me.

I have finally this morning finished up the project I am on and getting back to normal.  I was running so ragged I did not even test this morning.

This month I am being honored in the ADA Newsletter on on the story - My Story.

I thought I would be lazy and just add it to this blog - much of you guys already know but since it was supposed to be Sunday - just want to thank God for where I am at.

My Story: Bob (robertdant)  - my user name in the ADA community.

                                          

I am positive I am like so many other diabetics and my story begins in 2000 by my doctor telling me he is positive I have diabetes and wants to schedule a test.  At that point in time, I am pre-diabetes and allowed to control it with diet and exercise.

My Dad developed diabetes late in his life and my Grandpa Matheny (my Mother’s Dad) was a Type I diabetic.  So I grew up around it but did not have much exposure to it.  I do not even think I felt anything because I thought – no big deal.  Unfortunately, my wife Kathleen, was told by the doctor it is a big deal and it was her responsibility to make sure I took care of my health through diet and exercise.  Looking back on it now some 13 years ago – I was a fool and so was my doctor.

After 13 years of battling this disease, I finely figured out this year it is my disease and not my wife’s and I do need to take it seriously.  Before telling you about my life style change, I should set up what my life style was before the dramatic change this year.

In 1999, I decided to leave the corporate world and branch out on my own and start my own business.  We were lucky to pick up a nice contract in Des Moines, Iowa and at the time we lived in Chaska, Minnesota.  For two years, I traveled to Iowa on Sundays and back on Friday as it was a 4 hour drive.  Sometimes Kathleen would go with me and we would stay a couple of weeks in Iowa so I could relax.

Get the picture, I was always on the road and never really stable in any environment.  On top of that, I have situation where I never have had a hunger pain.  So I would forget to eat, sometimes for 1-2 days.  Then I started developing times I would feel faint and start to sweat.  I guess instinct told me to dump in some sugar and keep going.  What havoc was I wreaking on my poor body?

This life style of being on the road and traveling to jobs and pouring my entire life into the business continued until 2009 – when I lost the business during the great financial crisis.  We moved to Nashville to get out of the cold and for my wife to be close to our kids; Sarah and Brian – as I was never really home.  Within one month of moving to Nashville, I received another two year contract in Cincinnati and moved up there and come home on the weekends.  I finally landed a gig in London and was there for 3 years.

I had started to smoke again, reached a weight of 250 pounds and was in horrible shape.  While living in Cincinnati, I reached a point of knowing I should lose weight.  All the time knowing I was a diabetic; but did not buy strips as I needed the money for the business – and, after all I was losing weight and thought I was eating right.  I even started walking again just to make sure.

My lovely wife (Kathleen and God's best angel), who should have kicked me to the curb long ago, knew I was not right.  Later I found out she could tell I was not healthy because my skin was grey and many of my neighbors noticed it as well.  She persisted and finally found a study I could apply for and they would put me under their care for two years - SHE SIGNED ME UP.  To get in the test, you could not be on medications and you had to have an A1c less than 11.  Go figure I failed the criteria, I had an A1c of 13.1 and that day my FBS was 540.  I knew I was in trouble.

I started eating meat and vegetables as my only source of food.  Two months later there was another study and this time you had to be above 11 and not on medications.  The doctor called me immediately and I went in.  I nearly failed again as I was 11 on the number. 

Roll time forward and for the next 8 years I traveled and fought the numbers game along with smoking.  When I lost the business in 2009 I knew I had reached rock bottom and God was intervening for so many reasons in my life – probably to save my marriage along with my health.  For the next 4 years I was able to maintain and found out as a disabled veteran I could use the VA – what a fool I had been – it was always there for me. 

In March of 2013, this year, I had my six month checkup and my numbers were heading up again, I had an A1c reading of 8.1 and out came the threat of insulin.  It is not the insulin that worried me it is the needles – I hate them.

Usually when I come home, my family would say nice try Dad; better luck next time; or my poor wife would take on the guilt of not managing my disease for me.  I am blessed in so many ways as I have a daughter (Sarah, God's second angel) who said enough is enough.  No more dad!  I am not going to take care of you when you are older if you do not take care of yourself now.  She is a professional golf instructor and I like playing golf with her.  She told me no more golf or lessons unless I straightened up.

Not sure what scared me the most, the needles, the disease, or my daughter.  Does not matter, I told myself I had to get better and I need help from a higher power who had helped me to quit smoking 2 years earlier.  It was time for my God to help once again.

I bought books, I tried diets like Vegan, and I tried getting back the YMCA for exercise.   My diet had been oatmeal in the morning, salads made by my lovely wife for lunch, and some kind of meat and vegetables for supper.  This had been going on for two years and that is why the numbers being up were so horrifying – I thought I was doing better.

Then a funny thing happened to me and I received this email marketing a book by Suzy Cohen RPh, Diabetes without Drugs (God's special outside angel).  Now this email must have come directly from above because I was having a hard time to determine even how to start.  But this book caught my eye because I grew up with a mother who did not believe in medications if you could avoid them.  I thought, “WOW, Mom to the rescue.”  I ordered the book and started to read it.  I could not put it down - it read that well for me and I loved what she had to say.

So I started the program.  It is now November and I have reduced my weight from 224 to 179.  My A1c in September was 6.4.  All of my medications were stopped but my high blood pressure medicine.  One month later that was even taken off my list by my doctor.  I am now medicine free.

Yes I have been very blessed to have three exceptional women in my life.  My wife has been with me through thick and thin and there is no one in the world better than her.  She has kept me grounded in my faith, my rock when I was on the road chasing a dream, and my best friend when it all fell apart.  My daughter, Sarah, who just simply cares about her Dad and that in itself is another very long story.  Finally, having Suzy come along and writing a book to help me change my life style was amazing.  I still go to her book as there is much to learn that I just glazed over the first time. 

I have also added a new set of friends from the ADA community.  Knowing and realizing I am a diabetic and will always need help – I joined the ADA and participate in the community.  It is great and there is a post were we all get on each morning and register our morning FBS level.  This makes me do this each day as I feel I will let them down if I do not respond.  Another special female Marty (God's fourth angel) really knows a lot and has become a close friend in the ADA community.  She provides knowledge, encouragement, and just good companionship.  You can see her comments in some of my posts.

God has blessed me in so many ways and I know no this thing I used to hate called diabetes, is the very thing God has used to help enrich my life.  I now eat right, exercise 2 hours each day, and live a much healthier life style.  All of this will help me live longer.

If I can do this – I KNOW YOU CAN!

By the way - if you cannot afford Suzy's book - just let me know and I will try to help.  I think it is that good.

May God put special people in your life to help out.  May God give you the sixth sense to know when he has and to listen to them.  They just might be delivering that very special message you need to hear.

Bob,