Tuesday 4 ~ Just Wondering

 This Tuesday 4 is from Monday December 9. 2019.

A Repeat ~ Just Wondering

1.   When was the last time you tried something new?

Hmm, I guess I don't try new things that often. I suppose I could say it was a recipe for English scones which I made last night. I've made similar baked goods before but this one was with buttermilk. I suppose it's the proper way. I just so happened to have buttermilk on hand because dear hubby accidentally mistook it for cream.  Although the recipe was for English scones, I added blueberries, an ingredient that I don't think the English use in scones. The recipe greatly understated the amount of buttermilk required. I could have added more than I did but they still taste great. (I bake rarely these days due to being a Type 2 diabetic.  Over the years I've had to change my diet but there are times when I am not so disciplined.  To be honest, I just get fatigued from thinking about it all the time).

2.   Who in your family do you compare yourself to?

No one except perhaps my mother in certain circumstances like cooking and sewing because she was so good at both. A natural talent whereas I am not, but I keep trying. Update: After reading the answers from others, I realize I didn't understand the question. I'm like my mother in very many ways: stature, resemblance except for skin colouring, some aspects of personality, work ethic, many interests and values. But I'm also like my father in several ways: build, complexion and colouring, personality & work ethic.  My mom however told me often that I reminded her of her grandmother. She was referring to her grandmother's patience. I always found this an interesting observation since I personally didn't think I was so patient though my assessment of self has since changed. I think I became more patient with age.

3.   What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?

Sometimes you will stand alone in life so you must learn to be strong and have strong faith in God.

4.   What can you do today that you weren't able to do before?

I don't think there is anything I can really point to except perhaps walking. I thank God I could always walk but some years back (I forget what year it was), I was suddenly stricken with osteoarthritis and couldn't walk for many months. I was in excruciating pain and gained a lot of weight. I tried getting better by diet, supplements, acupuncture etc. Finally, I learned about something called rehab poles for walking. They are a lot like like Nordic walking poles.  I started using those and going for short walks. I also learned about whole body vibration (WBV) and started using WBV machine every day.  It took well over a year but I was finally able to walk without agonizing pain. Now the arthritis did not go away and from time to time and I still suffer on a daily basis but nothing like I did several years ago.  Also,  I can still walk. I take at least one pole with me every time I leave the house.  It helps me go farther and keeps me upright. I did have one big arthritic attack last year and that was difficult but the recovery didn't take as long. I had the benefit of physiotherapy and my poles to help. I'm happy to say I lost the weight I gained due to sitting so much.

Baking Memories and New Plans

I love sweets. I always have. When I was much younger I used to bake a lot of sweets because back in those days we didn't eat a lot of them.  Though mother did bake most of our breads and the occasional cakes, pies, pudding or cinnamon buns it wasn't like we had dessert every day. I think these were considered an occasional treat or something for special occasions and holidays. 

I wanted it more often so I began experimenting making my own brownies, a variety of cookies, pies and other things I no longer remember. I even tried making ice cream from a little cook book for kids that I'd sent away for from the Carnation Milk company.  Perhaps some of you remember the cookbook.

Paperback selling on Amazon for $35.

If you wrote to the evaporated milk company you got a free copy. I see it is selling on line for a lot more than 'free'.   Even if I found my cookbook it would fetch nothing because somehow I burned the front pages quite badly though I don't remember how it happened. I still used the recipes that were not scorched, lol.

After a couple of years learning and experimenting I stopped baking altogether. I was worried I might gain too much weight.  I was always on the larger side even though I didn't eat that much. In fact, mother always used to worry about me because I never ate breakfast, hardly touched lunch and ate sparingly at dinner time. I just didn't have such a big appetite and most time I still don't. But if you give me a pastry, I'll probably try and eat it. So I stopped making baked goodies for that reason. I never really started baking again until retirement because then I more time to figure out how to bake breads and other things. 

Some of you know that I've had T2D now for some years.  As you age, the most diabetes generally get worse. I've really learned to eat differently and have tried all kinds of different ways of eating. I think the best approach is intermittent fasting but I still find it difficult.  Even if you do all the right things I find you get fatigued from always having to be vigilant.  

I also know that I still have a love of baked goods.  Some of them are sweet and of course a lot of them have a high carbohydrate content. So I'm finally going to try and learn how to bake goods using alternatives to white flour and other grains. I will go slowly so as not to stress myself. I been wanting to do this for a long while and I've picked up some good library books to get started. If I find one I like very much I may buy it but there is so much online for free too.

Here are some books I picked up. Most of them look very good. Not all of them are baking books. The big one called Simple Healthy is a regular cookbook. I bought a few ingredients to try out some regular meals before embarking on baking adventures.

I gravitate toward simple recipes.  Ones that don't needs a lot of fuss or a high number of ingredients. The Simple Healthy Cookbook seems to fit the bill. I like the look of the bakery books too but not yet sure how complicated things are.

Let me know if you have any experience with baking sugar free and gluten free and whether you have any cookbooks or websites to recommend. Many thanks!

Update - Mostly Health and Decor

 Hi again,

 It seems so very long since I've written here about what is going on so here goes.  I meant to post on Thursday for Skywatch Friday and post some autumn photos but time slipped away on me.

I'm still recovering.  My face still looks like quite a fright but the swelling has gone down a lot.  Now I watch the colourful bruises change from day to day.  I have a big bump under my right eye. When I touch it is is very hard.  This is where I have a fractured bone. After a lot of telephone tag, I finally have an appointment to see the plastic surgeon in just over a week. 

I've been working very hard for over a month to try and manage my blood sugar levels better. I had been eating well, exercising and watching snacks but the sugar levels just keep going up. I have been researching all about the causes of insulin resistance and the effects of low carbohydrate diet on insulin and blood glucose. I am now on one meal a day (OMAD) and Intermittent Fasting. I'm glad to say the blood sugar level has come down a lot. I compared my current reading to the last few years and I see that I haven't had such a good reading in 4 years.  So I 'm very excited and will keep doing what I'm doing. Hopefully in 3 months the blood sugar will be even better.  Since I've been trying this new way of eating I am not posting photos of my cooked meals.  It just isn't that interesting but if I should somehow become more creative about the meals, I will post about it.

I haven't been able to get back to household routines while I've been recovering. I'm too sore and tired and I still have a lot of neck and shoulder tension.  But I am moving forward every day to complete a number of 'to dos' and errands that I've been wanting to get to for long. That is how I happened to be out to get some photos some of which I'm sharing today.

The Sea bus to the North Shore leaves regularly from downtown.

During Covid it has been much harder to do the shopping for anything other than groceries and medicines.  Over the summer things opened up more and  now I'm running around trying to get what I need.  I'm also worried that things might become more restrictive again so the more I can do now, the better.

Most of my 'to dos' have been focussed on trying to fill the gaps and needs in my home.  I'm doing everything on a very tight budget so it takes a lot of looking around, consideration of the overall theme and colour scheme, seeing about the size of pieces and how to get them home. Truth is, I've been looking for some of these items for a few years already but wanted to get rid of other things first. I'm not much of a decorator. I usually see something I like and then I try to make it work. But now I have to be far more mindful if I want to avoid collecting a bunch of things that just sit unused.

I took this photo from the downtown Simon Fraser Uni. campus

I have needed dining chairs for a very long time.  Whenever I'd have people for dinner it would usually be a crowd so we didn't sit at the table anyway. We would gather on sofa, ottoman and side chairs.  Before I got different chairs I wanted to get rid of my old ones.  I did that just over a year ago. I've been searching for quite awhile for just the right chairs: sturdy, right colour, appropriate style and good price.  I finally bought some thrifted dining room chairs and they are absolutely nothing like I originally planned to buy. In the end I got tired of looking and considering and these chairs will do just fine. As it turns out my late sis owned a set of these oak dining chairs an an oak table to go with them.

They are just solid, oak wood chairs that will blend in with many other furniture items and decor.  These are not very popular chairs where I live.  Most people want modern or post-modern furnishings, not traditional or farmhouse.  However I happened to look at a new issue of Victoria magazine and saw the chairs featured in a restaurant and in some beautiful photos. I also saw them in a music joint in a You Tube video featuring Zydeco music and dancing.  So I'm thinking the chairs are popular with restaurants and bars in rural areas of the USA.  I think if I lived in a rural area in Canada, I could also find a lot of these chairs but not here in the city.  I found some on the Wayfair website (see photo below).  They vary in price from about $250 per chair to $550 per chair. If you find the chair in a brick and mortar store I'm certain they would cost a lot less.  In fact, my late sis used to own the exact same chairs and an oak table to go with them.  They and can be stained or painted a different colour and that was one of the reasons I bought them besides the fact that they are solid.  I had been looking for new chairs in a more traditional style and primarily made of wood or a neutral coloured fabric.  It wasn't easy to find anything in a style and material that I like and that won't need constant tightening of the screws and also fit the budget.  The antique oak and cane dining chairs I gave to my cousin needed regular tightening of the legs and I grew tired of dealing with that.  It seems modern chairs may be no better.  My cousin lives in the country where there are craftspeople who can repair what needs repair. In fact, her father-in-law did the job of fixing up the chairs for her and she absolutely loves them.  I am happy too that I found a good home for them because my late mother bought the chairs for me as a gift.  I picked the chairs against my mother's better judgement. I should have listened to her.

One chair on Wayfair for $450.

When I'm up to it, I'll share a few of my container finds from the thrift store for those of you who like thrift hauls.  I did a bit of research on the pieces I bought before I decided to go ahead and buy them.  I wanted to be sure the prices were not too high and I also wanted to consider whether I would really use them or they would just become clutter.  I hesitated to buy them at all because I'm not yet ready to display and use them.  I  need to get a few shelves to put up  in the kitchen and then I'll be ready to put out the containers.

I  also found new planter pots to repot some the aloe vera plants and other large plants that already out grew the pots I put them in over the summer. I was glad to complete this job before winter arrives.  They should all be good in their new pots for a long time to come. 

I've long had an interest in Chinese porcelain but to be honest, they don't go with my decor. I have such eclectic tastes which lean toward bohemian or classic. However this past 6 months or so, I've been trying to hone in on a style and I'm going for ethnic or tribal bohemian to incorporate different things I've collected over the years. It might seem a bit strange to hone in on a style as I head into my the last third of my life but I see it as one way to harness my purchasing habits so that I don't end up with a lot of needless things as the years go by.

• Can anyone relate to being indecisive about what style you really like or do you just go all eclectic? 
• Does anyone relate to ethnic or tribal bohemian decor?  

So the Chinese porcelain doesn't really fit in though perhaps some small items here and there will work. 

A jaunt to Chinatown to check out plants and porcelain

 

The Bamboo Village was my destination. They carry a lot of plants and pots

The thrift store where I bought the dining chairs was selling 2 Chinese porcelain pieces that had not yet been priced. I was a bit interested in them so I went to Chinatown to see if I could price similar items. I also checked on line and then went back to the store. It turns out the larger porcelain piece, which is the one I liked most, had been sold just a few minutes before I arrived.

I found out it was sold for $140. I couldn't believe it because though that is less expensive than what you will pay on the Wayfair website, it is definitely not what I consider thrift store prices. I also think you can buy a similar piece in store for a lot less if you look around.  he thrift store isn't an antique store and of course like all thrift stores the items are donated to them for charitable purposes.  I just don't agree with pricing donated items out of the range of most thrift shoppers. I likely wouldn't have purchased it anyway but I had to go through the process. The store has a second item which hasn't been put out yet because the lady who prices the items told me she is still researching.  When she researched the piece she found it on line for $3000. and on that basis she is going to price it on the expensive but hasn't yet decided on the final amount.  

I had discovered that there is a city in China (and quite likely many cities) where making porcelain reproductions is their chief business. So I asked "how do you know the vase isn't a reproduction?" She didn't have a good answer for me and acknowledged it could be a reproduction and that she hasn't finalized her research.  This is another reason why thrift stores should not try to act like they know about authentic art vs. fakes and reproductions.  If they keep prices on the high side they might end up selling something to some unsuspecting person who pays a lot and the purchaser might end up with a fake!  Anyway, I'm glad I was not interested in purchasing the piece.  It is a vase with butterflies painted on them similar to the photo above.  It wasn't that pretty to my eye.  The one in the photo is nicer. If I ever do purchase a Chinese porcelain pot or two I won't be looking to buy originals so I don't want to pay high prices. I am no collector of fine porcelain. I just want something pretty that catches my eye.

More fun for me was going to the fabric store and buying muslin and cotton fabric and cotton webbing. I have some tea towels on hand that I want to turn into some bags.  This is just to occupy my time and perhaps give some gifts as it is that time of year again. I have one or two people in mind for the bags. 

We celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada on Monday. I will be making ham for dinner so we don't have turkey for two holidays in a row. I like to have turkey on Christmas Day. If you are a Canadian reader, have a very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

 

One of my brothers who lives far from me will be visiting with his wife a week after Thanksgiving. They are coming to Vancouver on a short vacation and it will be nice to see them again.  Since it's Covid times, their options for travel are limited.  Though we've talked and visited by phone, I haven't seen them since mom's funeral service in April 2017. Time does fly by so fast.

Last but not least, I'm reading a bit. Here are 3 books on my list at this time. I can recommend them all. 

 

The Book of Candlelight is a mystery set in a town called Miracle Springs. The town suffers a flood and mystery unfolds concerning the death of a Cherokee pottery maker. 

Under the Table is chick literature.  The story concerns a woman who separates from her husband, moves to New York City to live with her sister and start a new life through cooking and catering private dinner parties. On one of her jobs she meets a reclusive, nerdy multi-millionaire and with his consent, begins a process of making him over.

1000 White Women is a fictional book based on a historical fact. It's the story of May Dodd who was committed to an insane asylum by her rich family because she married a man they felt was beneath her station in life. In 1875, she decides to volunteer to travel to the American West and marry the chief of the Cherokee Nation. The marriage opportunity is through a secretive government program and she joins up so she can escape the asylum.

Enjoy your weekend and the week ahead.

A New Dish

Would you take a moment to click on the badge to the upper right of this blog &  read the story of Elvis, the young Kenyan who is trying to finish his last year of university?

We would greatly appreciate it.

We seek donations and ambassadors to raise awareness of this young man's need. Would you consider it? You will find all the buttons and information you need by clicking on the bad. Thanks so much!

I apologize for the poor lighting in this photo.

As I adjust to a more rigorous way of eating  I have to try and find a menu of foods that will satisfy a number of criteria.  Foods that can be put together without too much fuss.  Foods that will keep my blood sugar levels balanced.  And foods that are interesting enough to eat over the long term. Part of my new diet includes eating enough pulses and grains daily to keep me full and keep my blood sugar more evenly balanced.  This first week or so has seen my blood sugars going wildly up and down since I'm also experimenting with different foods and noting the effects on blood sugar levels.  It's been a bit hard on me for one doesn't feel good whether the sugar is high or low but but I have begun to see things level out to more acceptable blood sugar levels so that is the good news.  The other good news is that the new way of eating while not easy is made a bit easier because I've already had a lot of practice soaking and cooking various pulses and grains, and practise eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.  I also have canned beans on hand for those occasions when I don't have time to soak and cook dried beans.  My challenge is in having enough of all the right foods in the larder. My room mate has not joined me in dietary changes so having every food we need on hand is an even bigger challenge.

Last week I prepared beans and put them in green salads.  This week I wanted something different so decided to make a cous cous dish.  After looking at a few recipes on line, I put this dish together with a few adaptations.

Ingredients:

• 3-4  cups cooked (in broth) cous cous
• 1 cup of cooked kidney beans (you can substitute another bean)
• 1/2 chopping red pepper
• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or to your taste0
• 1/2 cup chopped or whole black olives (pit removed)
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• feta cheese

Directions:

1. Saute onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil. Cook until the red pepper is soft enough to your liking.
2. When the onion is transparent and red pepper is cooked, add the beans and olives.
3. Add parsley and cilantro and stir together well.
4. Add cooked (warm/hot) cous cous into the mixture.

Serve hot or cold and garnished with sprinkles of parsley/cilantro and crumbled feta cheese.
Serves 5-6

Let me know if you try it and if you like it!

Update on Life

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,

He only doeth wondrous things,

He only doeth wondrous things,

And blessed be, 

His glorious name forever.

(An old hymn I sang as a child. I couldn't find a version of it on youtube to share with you).

This is a song that has been in my mouth the last few days. The last time I sang it was many years ago in Kenya when I shared it with one of the Kenyan congregations. I only know the words I've posted above. If you are reading this and you know the song or where to find it on line, please send me a link.

This morning started with a power outage. I could hear the burglar alarm going in an apartment next door. For some reason my computer didn't shut off. Sometimes that happens if I am on the computer before the power goes off. (Well the outage didn't last long. Within a minute or two, I could hear the alarm next door turn off and the power is back on indoors.  It must have been some kind of power surge).  Sometimes I find life is like that. We sometimes lose power but if we stay connected and grounded to our source of spiritual supply we can reconnect again. I have felt a disconnection of late with my power supply.

Health challenges that seem never ending or a loved ones dire health challenges can do that to us. It can be very hard to find time in these circumstances to stay connected to the source. Sometimes we don't even have energy to look after our own selves. Sometimes we don't even have the energy to pray for ourselves. Do you ever feel like that? That is one reason why I really try and take the time to pray for others. When someone asks for prayer or is in need of prayer because of what they've shared with you or I, you can be the one that stands in the gap for that dear one and holds them up when they can't hold themselves up.

Sometimes we get so weary of the drudgery of day to day existence. I know I am not saying anything shocking here. If people really stop and think about it they would realize that that is one of the reasons North Americans are excessive consumers, in high states of debt, and too busy, tired or distracted to consider the needs of someone else outside of their own circle of family and friends.

I don't want to be in this category.  I want my life to mean something and to matter to someone else outside of my family and friends.  At the same time though, I recognize that there are seasons in life where we can do more and other seasons where we can do less. Sometimes there are times to step forward and other times to step back. I'm trying to hear the voice of God in all these seasons and it takes patience. Also, there are times and seasons when family needs impact on things you can do for others. I also now have to take care of myself due to ongoing health challenges. I've been going through a long season of that though I never let it stop me from doing what I can to help on the mission field.

One needs to take care of themselves otherwise they have nothing to give to another person or cause. I tend to give so much of myself to others and find it hard to give to myself. That isn't a good thing but I was trained well by my mother and I've struggled to find a happy balance. I've come to accept that sometimes there is no way to really balance things.  There is still a need to try to take care of oneself.  Right now, I'm trying to take care of managing Type 2 diabetes much better than I have since I was first diagnosed. It took me a long time to get to this stage but  really must do this now if I don't want to have more troubles down the line. Some of you know I've been blogging about my renewed efforts to get the blood glucose under control over the past week or so and what I've been experiencing as a result of my efforts.  The good news is that the efforts I've made over the last few years to try and cook from scratch are helping me now when I have to eat a certain way. Yeah!

I didn't think I would write again so soon about my dietary changes after Sunday's post. But on Monday again I had an alarmingly low blood glucose reading (3.0 mmol/L).  I quickly downed a Coca - Cola and got it back up to 5.0. I also had a healthy snack that carried me through to dinner time without any more intervention.

My doctor is away for the month so I can't call her up or go and visit with my concerns about the emerging pattern of sudden blood glucose dips after lunch. I think it means, my dietary changes are working and I  need to reduce my medications already.  I experimented with cutting back on medication after dinner.  It seemed my blood glucose level was too high.  So I added back some of the medication I eliminated and then the blood glucose level was too low again. I had to snack all night long.  Tomorrow I will cut back once again.

Mom called Monday night to say she had sharp pain. She is worried it is part of the bladder infection. She asked staff to test her and so we will see how that goes. In the meantime, I prayed with her on the phone and then I called a national prayer line for prayer too.  It was nice when after praying for healing for mom, the prayer counsellor also prayed for me to have peace in the surrender of mom's health to God.  At scary times like these, prayer is so comforting and uplifting.

While all these things go on in the background, normal life more or less continues.

On Sunday when I wasn't feeling well I reverted to one of my favourite hobbies: reading. I managed to finish one book, My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult.  I enjoyed this book very much despite the heavy duty subject matter of medical ethics and parental and sibling anguish when you have a very sick child in the family. I won't say more in case you'd like to read it. I'd highly recommend it.

After finishing this novel, I started reading, Soho Blues, by Neil Blackmore.  I've only just started this book about a Soho (London) cafe owner named Henry Hudson whose life is forever changed when he hires Betty as one of his wait staff.

On Saturday, I started reading Paris, by Edward Rutherford. If you haven't read any of Rutherford's books, he has written several historical fiction novels (London, New York, and others). I read New York earlier this year and it whet my appetite for reading more work by this author.

In Bible readings this week, I've been reading so many of the stories of childhood that I haven't read for a long time.  I read about the miracle of the widow who had so little food but when she gave of what she had to the prophet Elijah, her meal and her oil never ran out. I read about how the prophet Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a whirlwind. What a mighty story that is!  I read about the Princess Jezebel and how she was eaten by dogs because of her wicked ways. I also read about Elisha, successor to Elijah,  and the many wonders (miracles) he performed by God's power. There are so many interesting stories and narratives in the Bible. I don't think I've read or heard of all the stories in the Bible and some I've forgotten along the way. It is interesting to read and see what is new to me.  There is always something new!

Please click on the badge to the upper right of this blog to read the story of Elvis, the young Kenyan man who is trying to finish his last year of university.  We would appreciate you taking a moment to consider a donation.  If you can't do that would you consider sharing Elvis' story on Facebook, Twitter or your blog?

Diabetes Epidemic

Hi friends,

Some of you know that I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about 5 weeks ago. I had a scare when the doctor told me my blood sugar was at an all time high of 11. The normal range is between 4-7.  I immediately got on Metformin medication to help me process insulin and began to cut out some of my sugary snacks and soda pops like Coca-Cola.  My doctor told me I could drink diet soda but I cannot stand the diet sweeteners. Besides that I've heard for a long time about the dangers of diet sweeteners.

Dr. Janet Hull has this to say about the dangers of one common diet sweetener, Aspartame.

 The dangers of aspartame poisoning have been a well-guarded secret since the 1980s. The research and history of aspartame is conclusive as a cause of illness and toxic reactions in the human body. Aspartame is a dangerous chemical food additive, and its use during pregnancy and by children is one of the greatest modern tragedies of all.

Why haven't you heard about this before? Partly because the diet industry is worth trillions of American dollars to corporations, and they want to protect their profits by keeping the truth behind aspartame's dangers hidden from the public. When NutraSweet® was introduced for the 'second' time in 1981, a diet craze revolutionized America's eating protocols and a well-oiled money machine was set into motion changing modern lifestyles. After more than twenty years of aspartame use, the number of its victims is rapidly piling up, and people are figuring out for themselves that aspartame is at the root of their health problems. Patients are teaching their doctors about this nutritional peril, and they are healing themselves with little to no support from traditional medicine.

You can read more about aspartame and it's effects on the body on Dr. Hull's website here. You can also read about all the other sweeteners here.  There is also a good Australian summary about diet sweeteners and other food additives here. The Australian page made me realize that there is a lot of hidden aspartame in foods we consider healthy. I will have to investigate this further in relation to my own diet. If any of you are interested in how aspartame became legal if it is so bad for you, you can read a time line here.

Anyway, I digress, my issue is not really that I add sugar to my foods. For example, I do not add sugar to my cereal unless it is slow cooked porridge or cream of wheat, nor do I add sugar or honey to tea or coffee.  I also don't add sugar to fruit like freshly cut strawberries even though most strawberries in the store really have little sweetness due to forced growth and shipping before they are ripened.  However, I still had sugar in my diet where it has been added to foods like:

1. regular soda pop, mostly coca cola and ready sweetened drinks
2. ice cream
3. snacks like ready made cakes, cookies and other baked goods
4. canned foods like beans
5. ketchup and other condiments.

For some time now, even before the diabetes diagnosis, I have in fact, radically cut back on all processed foods, and also on purchasing the items listed above. I eat more greens like kale, swiss chard, bok choy, broccoli, and multi-coloured vegetables (range of peppers, tomatoes, red and white onions, zucchini, carrots, etc.). I have also added more sweet potatoes to the diet, brown rice instead of white rice, eat only multi-grain bread and sprouted grain breads at home. I bake my own snacks like banana bread and cookies as much as I can and try to limit eating out in restaurants for health and budgetary reasons.

Despite all these changes I had gained quite a lot of weight since the fall due to previous illnesses/disabilities and an inability to move. I was also napping very frequently and for lengthy periods of time as I simply had no energy.  I was extremely fatigued all the time and more than that I felt exceedingly unwell.  I chalked it up to numerous health problems which I was already dealing with.  In desperation I got onto some herbal tinctures made up for me by a naturopathic doctor at the urging of a friend of mine. While these tinctures did work in terms of helping me feel better and less inclined to napping, I was still suffering. Now I am on the Metformin, exercising regularly (it helps that I don't need to nap every day, though some days are better than other days) and still making adjustments to the diet.

For the first two weeks after my diagnosis, I was afraid to eat anything. For the next few weeks, I ate whatever was available and not always what was the healthiest.  I did try very hard (and mostly succeeded) at not drinking coca cola or eating snack foods, sweet or otherwise.  I also cut out Creamo from my coffee. I've mostly stopped drinking coffee as a result or use whitener though if I look up the ingredients in that, I may have to cut it out as well. I have been drinking more milk. I use 1% milk and have been drinking that and using it for my cereals for some years now.  I have also been making my own ice tea drinks using real tea bags and sliced lemons mixed with a small bit of ice tea mix. I tend to like my drinks less sweet side so you can imagine how surprised I was when I learned that I had been drinking coca cola or equivalent soda pop, and that each can has anywhere from 10-12 teaspoons of sugar in it!  In addition to the dietary changes I started with an exercise class and swimming lessons as well as more walking. I would not be able to add this physical activity to my weekly routine if this were last Fall so I am thankful I can do it now.

Yesterday on American television, two shows: The Drs. and Oprah with guest Dr. Oz talked about the epidemic of diabetes in America. 

The 2009 estimated population in the USA is just under 310 million people. There are 24 million diabetics in America and 57 million pre-diabetics.  Dr. Oz said that if the rate of diabetes in USA continues as it is now, it will bankrupt the American medical system. That's right! Bankrupt the system. That is a scary proposition.  Especially since millions more American people are supposed to benefit from recent changes to their health care system.   Doctors there also estimate that about 6 million people are walking around in USA who have diabetes but haven't yet been diagnosed. I think I got that number right, but you will hear it by clicking on the Oprah link above and listening to Dr. Oz.

Canada's estimated population for 2010 is just over 34 million people. I also read today that 1 out of every 10 Canadian people have been diagnosed with diabetes. That is a full 10 percent of us. I wonder how many are walking around without knowing they have this disease which has been dubbed the "silent killer"? The good news is that 90% of diabetes is preventable and reversible.

I didn't realize until I got a diagnosis of diabetes just how much there was to learn about coping with and managing the disease. Part of that is monitoring your blood sugar levels and you do that with a glucose monitor. I got mine today and measured my blood sugar with the assistance of the pharmacist at my doctor's office. It was a 6! That is fully 5 points less than it was a month ago and is now in the normal range.The pharmacist and student pharmacist were very happy and impressed.

I also borrowed this cookbook from the pharmacist to see what new recipes I can learn about that are good for my roommate and I.

If you would like to learn more about diabetes, please watch the videos on the links for The Drs. and Oprah above.

You can also read more
in Canada here.
in USA here.
in Australia here.
in South Africa here.
in Tanzania here.
in Kenya here.
in Norway here.
other EU Nations here.