Five Days In...It's Not So Bad

A little bit of Random

Published on January 5, 2008 By MarcieMoo In Life Journals

2008. 2007 wasn't SO bad. It was doable. Hopefully 2008 will bring about some interesting things as well.

I've applied for a Fullbright Scholarship. If accepted into the program, I will be going to Japan this summer for three weeks, all-expenses-paid, to study the Japanese education system and schools. Considering I've never been out of the country...well...I think it would be an amazing opportunity to improve my own instruction in my classroom and also help to bring positive change to others in my school, district, and community when it comes to education. They choose 2 candidates from every state, and I'm hoping that there weren't very many applicants from Wyoming.

Those of you who are travel-savvy...I won't be notified yea or nay until March, and the trip is in June. Should I apply for my passport now, just in case?

My trip to Minnesota was good. The flights in between Salt Lake City and Fargo were the absolute BEST I've ever had, even if I was only on a 28-seater regional jet both times. I think God knows I'm terrified, and each time I get on a plane, He sends me an angel of mercy so I don't worry. Waiting at Salt Lake City International, I was getting scared, but this nice man came and talked to me while we waited for our delayed flight. He had a computer case and a carry on, and I asked him if he worked for Microsoft in Fargo. He said he didn't, and we ended up talking until the plane arrived and we were ready to board. His wife is a teacher, too, and we just talked. On the way back to SLC, one of my neighbors was waiting at the airport. My mom and her mom were dropping us both off at the same time. We had a chance to catch up a little bit--I now know that she just got engaged, one of her brothers is a carpenter in West Virginia and the other works on his father-in-law's farm in Iowa. She teaches school in Oregon, and was on her way back so she could teach the next day. (I took the 2nd off. I didn't get in to SLC till 8 pm, and we had a 3 hour trip back home from Utah...there was no way I was getting up in the morning...thank God for Eva, my very awesome best guest teacher EVER!) The flight was really full, so I ended up having to sit somewhere else. It turns out he lives only about 20 minutes from my mom, and he was headed to Anchorage, Alaska, so that he could do some ice road trucking. He hauls fuel up to the rigs in the Arctic. He was just....COOL. We talked almomst the whole way there.

I had a blast on my trip to Minnesota. I spent lots of time with my mom and my sister. The highlights were definitely my trip to Brainerd to see my college friends and New Year's Eve. I went to Brainerd the Friday after Christmas. The trees were all frosty and it was a beautiful drive. My friends and I ate at this really cute little restaurant called "The Barn"--very county fairish food...but I could still find some diabetic-friendly choices. After that, Megs had to get her car worked on so we took a little detour to Target and spent like two hours there (only the Concordia girls could do this, I swear). After that, we headed out to Meghan's house to get sleds and warm clothes--i.e. snowsuits circa 1975 which were very cool. Then we headed back into Brainerd to the high school to go sledding. Everyone else was chicken to go down the hill, so I volunteered to go first. It was late dusk, so I couldn't see the hill very well, which, in hindsight, was pretty stupid. I took off, and the hill is so steep I realized I hadn't seen all of it from the top. It's also very slick from all the previous sledders. Being as fat as I am, I gathered quite a bit of speed. The sled disentigrated beneath my ass, and I speed-tumbled down the rest of the hill. I hit my head VERY hard. When I finally caught my breath I stood up to a massive headache and dizziness. I'm sure I should have went in to get checked out, but I only see these girls once or twice a year (I'll post pictures when my mom ships my camera cord...oopies!). We found a less intimidating hill right next door and sledded there more safely for about an hour. When we could no longer feel our digits, we headed out to supper at Poncho and Lefty's (this is exceedingly funny...and my husband knows why), this very cute, very tasty Mexican restuarant in next-door Baxter. I had to leave early, but I got to eat and meet some of the other girls' friends who were very cool.

New Year's Eve we went to my aunt Marge's and uncle Jim's house for food and games. I think that this is where I gained most of my weight back. I tried hummus for the first time (and loved it). They had their daughter and grandson there, and about 10 other friends and family members including my mom and sister. The boys beat us in Trivial Pursuit (they got all the easy questions), and then we played about three hours worth of "Catch Phrase." I also forgot to mention that I went to Lutheran church for New Year's Eve service. I do love pastor Dan. He's been there since I was a little girl and we still went to that church. He's an awesome preacher, that's for sure.

On the 2nd, I had a doctor appointment. She upped my meds because my sugars continue to run high. I gained a couple of pounds back because I ate like a hog over the holidays. Imagine that. I'm at the library today doing some homework. I'm SO dizzy today. There's no way I'm low, but when I'm high I'm usually get a massive headache. I guess I'll have to check my glucose when I get home and maybe go for a walk or something if I'm high. Ry left late today, so if I get too dizzy and faint in a snowbank, I guess they'll find my frozen, lifeless body some other time. lol

I purchased a new glucometer on ebay the other day. I certainly wasn't thinking when I purchased mine. I got the little small pink one because it was cute and cheap. Very stupid. So, I got a new one that is a lot "smarter". It will graph my blood sugars for me, show me trends, and I can upload results to my computer. I can also input my meds schedule, excercise, stress levels, foods, etc. into the glucometer so I can see how those things affect my sugars. Use of the meter is proven to lower A1C levels. Plus, since I bought it on ebay, I saved like $70 had I bought it from Walgreens or something. I go back in a couple of weeks to recheck and also for my yearly female exam....whoooeee.

Okay, so the library's about to close here, I've got the homework done that I needed to (I'm looking forward to this class--Strategies for Literacy), and now I'm off to Kmart to get a universal remote control. Whoooeee.

Take care, JU. I hope that so far 2008 has treated you kindly, and I wish you the richest blessings for the rest of the year!

Comments

foreverserenity

on Jan 05, 2008

Marcie, glad you had a great holiday! I didn't realised you had diabetes, please do take care to monitor yourself better and follow whatever program you are on to be better and hopefully get rid of it. Good luck!

Leauki

on Jan 16, 2008

When you say "high", how high are we talking? And is it fasting or postprandial?

Are you above 100 fasting? Above 125? Above 200 postprandial? Above 125 two hours postprandial?

MarcieMoo

on Jan 18, 2008

Leauki:

Yup...I'm over 100 fasting. I was really high this morning...like 132. I hadn't eaten for 12 hours, and I took my meds, so I should have been lower. I usually hover right above 100 for fasting. What's postprandial? I'm assuming that's after I eat. I test two hours after I eat and I'm usually between 125 and 180 (I know that's a large range, but it really does depend on what I eat and what I do during the day). I think its time for me to be walking, walking, walking.

Leauki

on Jan 22, 2008

132 fasting is a bit high, as you say, especially after 12 hours. It's not really too bad though. It won't cause complications, I think.

Postprandial is after you eat. You probably know that two hours after a meal you should be below 126 again. But 180 is not too bad either, it's within the target range for diabetics (72 to 180), which means a problem with control but not a loss of control.

You probably know the target ranges, but just to give an overview, here are some numbers for non-diabetics:

Fasting (8 hours or more): 72 to 100, between 100 and 126 is considered impaired fasting glucose
One hour after a meal: below 144, between 144 and 160 is a bit high but can happen
Two hours after a meal: below 126
Highest a non-diabetic can go: 200 (I think that's the point where the kidneys try to get rid of the glucose)

Diabetic target range for control: 72 to 180

I am really not the one to talk about healthy living considering that I eat three foot-long Subway chicken sandwiches for dinner on a regular basis. I also always get two portions of Chinese food.

But it turns out a 20 minute walk one hour after eating does wonders.

I tested yesterday evening (I have a glucose meter and buy test strips, although I have to pay for them myself as the insurance only covers patients), and got 86 (two hours after a few Snickers bars).

(I am not on any medications or a diet or anything. I just happen to have a glucose meter.)

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!