Big Changes Are Happening: Logs & More Logs

Since my diagnosis of diabetes several years ago, I've only had sporadic success with balancing my blood sugars. I've tried many different things to balance them including:  taking my medications on a regular basis, taking alternative supplements, eliminating certain beverages and foods, eating healthier, incorporating more fruits and veggies into my diet, exercise, and other things which I've long forgotten about.  None of these things has really helped me on a consistent basis but perhaps if I hadn't done them my diabetes challenges would be much worse.

I used to walk a lot until I started having numerous issues with my knees. I've since learned that I have arthritis in the knees. That was another set back.  But I rallied and am now walking much farther than I have for ages.  I'm using walking poles to help me (I do not do well with canes) and am working on consistency as it has been so long since I've been able to walk consistently.  I track my exercise on a daily basis so I can see when I am falling behind.  I can also see if this activity is helping to balance my blood sugar levels when I get an A1C test every 3 months.  One thing I can't seem to do, is control or manage the stressors in my life, of which there are several. I know I need to pray more and meditate more. I can pray often during the day but have discovered that I need far more time to meditate than I commonly have time for on a daily basis.  This is the next thing I really need to work at. 

In the first 6 months of the year, my blood sugars were balanced (that is without the walking) and after a few months of walking, I discovered my blood sugar was a little elevated again.  When the doctor called to let me know last week, I have to say that I was utterly frustrated and left feeling a little blue. I feel I try so hard and yet positive results elude me. In reflecting back on the last three months, I realized that I had become a little lazy with my diet.  In part because I had balance sugars for half of the year, and in part because I had started a regular exercise program.

To get my sugar readings back to normal, the doctor wanted me to increase one of my medications.  I was reluctant to do so.  I am fearful of adding more medications and in fact, I want to get off some of my current ones.  She also asked me to track my blood sugar levels and food intake daily as well.  Again I didn't feel hopeful about these measures.  I've made so many positive changes to my diet already that I didn't think tracking things  was going to help.  However after a day or two, I decided I must keep track of my blood sugars at least 6 times a day so I can better see how certain foods affect me.  I have to be honest and say I'd become a little slack concerning my diet due in part to my new exercise regime and because my blood sugars had been under control for the first half of the year.  I felt things were really on track.  When I got my A1C results, I had a rude awakening.  I also can't underestimate the level of stress I've been under over the last 3 months.  Though I can't control the stress, I can do some things to try and manage it better.

Oatmeal with cinnamon. I also eat some bran flakes or Fibre 1 for breakfast but porridge seems to be best.

So now I'm keeping several logs:  a daily food and blood sugar log, and an exercise log.  The food and blood sugar logs  have already been very useful.  I am learning what foods are good and what foods aren't and how little of something bad it takes to really raise the sugar levels.  My exercise log is great too because I really don't like exercising. But with a log, I can see what I've done or haven't done and try to correct it.  I also keep track of when I do much more activity around the house and whether I do more stretching or other movement. All these things add up to physical activity that can help a diabetic.

After keeping my food log for a few days, I realized that I had become complacent over the past several months about my eating habits.  I had let good habits slide a little due to the extreme heat we've been having and because I had started exercising.  I thought I had room to "play" because I was now burning more calories.  (If I had thought about it for awhile I know that wouldn't have been my conclusion.  But sometimes we turn a blind eye to things).  I also know that with the two trips I made out of town this summer, I had to eat a lot of restaurant food and that didn't help matters.  I did try to eat salads while on the road.  But that was not enough to compensate for eating out more often than usual.

I'm also discovering that when my body feels a certain way, it is NOT necessarily low blood sugar.  This is borne out by the regular glucose testing. In the past, I would simply snack if I felt I was hypoglycemic.  Now I test myself and find I am not so no need to snack at that time.

Green salad with pinto beans.  I am trying to eat this or a variation of it 1 or 2x a day. Another salad I like is made of grated celery, carrot, apple, avocado with freshly squeezed lime juice.

Today I talked to my doctor again about what I'm learning through the food logs and glucose testing.  She thinks I am making great progress and we will review my progress in a few weeks time.  It is my goal to eventually get off all of my medications.  I've had this goal for a few years already and so I know how difficult it can be for most diabetics to truly do this.  I have renewed determination.

One thing I can say is that all these logs take an awful lot of time on a daily basis.  It also takes a lot of time to plan and prepare healthy meals and snacks every day especially and to take food with you when you go. One also has to shop for all the food.

Barley soup with vegetables (carrots, onion, celery and spinach). Good thing I love barley!  This is good for me for lunch or dinner along with some lean chicken or baked salmon.

For whatever reason, my blood sugar levels don't seem to drop quite so readily as other people who make positive dietary and physical activity changes.  Because of this my emotions and attitude have been on a roller coaster for some time over the consistently high sugars.  I get frustrated when what I am doing isn't working.

In the last few days though I can "see" the results of my more focussed approach.   The blood sugar level is improving.  Today though it dropped so low after lunch and I had a scary incident. My sugar reading was 3.8 and I was very irritated, unable to concentrate on a phone call and shaking.  I had to have pop for the first time in a while just to get my sugar levels to normal.

 I'm hoping to be on a more even keel soon with all the hard work I am putting in.  Replacing bad habits with good ones, or implementing positive habits on a consistent basis, will be my big challenge.It takes me a very long time to form new habits (at least the good habits).

I also signed up for a coach to check in with every week to make sure I am getting my exercise.  I am currently doing it on my own  but feel I need an accountability buddy with all my current challenges.  I hope that after my 6 month stint with the coach is done, that I will feel like and look like a new me. If I have my starts and stops and ups and downs, I hope to be able to pick up again after I dust myself off. Wish me luck.

Weather & Finances

On Tuesday night I saw some fluffy little clouds in the middle of the sky. There was an airplane making its way to the Vancouver International Airport for landing. It looks like an insect on my camera lens as it makes it's way westward.

It's been a record breaking month of sunshine and heat in this month of July. We haven't had rain for the entire month. I think that is supposed to change over the weekend though the rain is not expected to be heavy.  The persistent heat can feel oppressive to those of us who aren't used to it. It is also hard on the lawns and gardens since our plant life in these parts is used to much more rainfall to keep everything nice and green.

On my walk to the park this evening, I noticed the lawns in some places are looking a bit yellow and dry around the edges.  I took a photo of the sky from the park on my camera photo but can't figure out how to get it from there to my computer. It used to be easy to do but since I went on holiday, unlocked my phone and put back the original SIM card it no longer works properly. I think I need to reset it to the factory settings but am afraid to lose my photos. I'll have to ask someone for help first.

I notice the flowers along the streets are very full and healthy looking whereas the flowers I planted in my garden are extremely slow to grow.  The flowers only seem to do okay in containers. The vegetables are looking a bit better but the kale looks a bit skinny. I've probably left it in the garden too long now as it is going yellow around the edges.

I had a rude awakening on Monday morning.  I mentioned in an earlier post how I dislike the crows who come to my patio garden because they make so much noise, leave food and feathers in the birdbath, chase away the little birds that I like to watch and are just generally destructive.  For two weeks, I chase them away every time I see them land on my bird bath. I guess they didn't like that. Yesterday morning they made quite a ruckus and totally dismantled the bowl of my bird bath until it came loose and topped over.  What pests they are but I have to admire their intelligence.

After running errands at the local pharmacy on Tuesday night, I finally started clearing my desk of the many receipts that have been piling up for the last month. I have to sort them by month and date and put them in baggies until I transfer all the information to an excel spreadsheet. I'm not so disciplined when it comes to inputting all the information as it isn't my favourite thing to do.  I put this kind of work off until I really feel like doing it.  I have been  trying to keep a record of all regular expenditures for the last 4 months or so to get a better handle on where my money goes and also see how much I've saved.  This is part of my "package" of financial goals for 2013.  Although I don't track every expense, I do track most expenses. I don't keep track of meals out or stops at the coffee shop because these are not part of my usual expenditures unless I am on holiday.

I hope your week is going well and that you are making progress on your goals whatever they may be.If you haven't yet read my last post, please read here. I would appreciate whatever you can do to share it on your social networks; especially on Facebook as we need 10 connects to get this profile in the searchable directory. Thanks so much!

Elvis in Kenya - Update

Hello everyone,

I have often written about the needs of the poor and the sick  in Kenya and invited people to contribute funds to the various causes I write about and support. Today I ask a different favour.

I've been sponsoring a young man in Kenya to get his medical diploma from Kisii University.  I've tried for several years to find him a sponsor but no one else would step in and help him.  I'm happy to report that he is almost finished his education but unfortunately I just cannot help him anymore. My heart breaks over this as he is very near to completion. He needs a bit more help to finish his final year and will soon need to go on what they call an attachment where he goes out in the field for a practical placement. He will need funds for his tuition, his living expenses, travel and graduation costs.

In order to try and help him with this latest challenge, I have created a fundraising page on the gofundme site where I have explained Elvis' story.  I've also created a button on my side bar to create awareness of his need.

I am asking if you will help me share Elvis' story on your blog or on your Facebook page, through Twitter or any of your other social media platforms. You can share the story by clicking on the 'gofundme' button on the upper right of my blog where you will find a way to do that. At the very bottom of the page, you will  see several button that will help you share on Facebook and others social sites.  You will also see a small button called "embed". If you click on that you will find the code to post a gofundme widget about Elvis on your site or blog.

I am not asking you for donations (though I won't discourage you if you feel you want to help). I am asking you to help us spread the word of the need, or IF YOU KNOW how to raise the needed funds, please let me hear from you!

Thank you so much for your time.

Elvis in his lab coat.

UPDATE: - July 29, 2013 - So far we have one anonymous donation of $50 for Elvis' school fees. This is a start and we are thankful. I want to thank those that have shared the need on Facebook and on Twitter. Please continue to do so. If we can pay at least some of Elvis' fees for now, that means he can continue with his last and final year. Also if we get 10 (TEN) connects on Facebook, gofundme will add this need to their searchable directory.

Westward Views

The weather continues to be very hot for us here in Vancouver. When I go out for my walks and appointments I always have my sunglasses, my sun hat, my bottles of water and some paper towels. I also usually stop somewhere and have a cool refreshment along the way. Today I had an iced lemonade, kind of like a slushie drink (finely crushed ice). It was so cold it "froze" my chest. I have to drink these kinds of drinks very slowly.

Yesterday I had a Valencia Orange Lemonade from Starbucks. This is a new to me drink. I think I like their Lime refresher much better.  But it is nice to have the orange for a change and certainly better than feeling too hot!

Today my appointment was with the ear, nose and throat specialist. It was my first visit to one in 16 years. I think the specialist was about 45-50 minutes late in seeing me.  But she was very nice and apologetic for the wait. She was also very thorough and educational in her visit.  I return to see her in a few months but in the meantime have some ear medication and a good set of ear plugs (not the foam or wax types which I've tried before without success).

This is the view from the waiting room of the doctor's office.

This is the view looking toward Granville Street or west on Broadway.

The very tall building next door is full of doctors, dentists and other kinds of office. On the side facing downtown, most of the employees and their clients have a stunning view of the waterfront that is called "False Creek", a short inlet in the heart of Vancouver. It separates the downtown core from the rest of the city.

This is the view looking northwest. You can see Granville Bridge in the far distance and all the boats on the water.  This is where I took a water taxi or aqua bus last week. The high rises in the distance are in the city's West End (or downtown).

These are my sky views for Skywatch this week. You can see that there is very little cloud cover.  More beautiful skies can be found  here.

Enjoy your weekend.

Moving Forward in Kenya

Hello friends, it has been awhile since I updated the happenings in the Kenyan Missions of Hope.  My friend Jonah is currently still on break from voluntary missions as he is working on other things at the moment. However he has finally seen the fruition of working with a community near Marigat, Kenya. This is a project in which I had a (very) small hand by funding the geologists report and finding the first funder to drill the borehole.  It has taken a very long time to progress from that point but I'm happy to see that the project is now complete! 

Please continue to keep Jonah and his future in your prayers. He is earnestly seeking paid work in his field of training and passion.

You can access the full story of the borehole at Jonah's blog by clicking on the link beneath the photo. If you can visit there and leave a comment too that would be great!

God bless.

Jonah washes his hands at the new borehole.

Kenya Missions of Hope: Answers to Prayer: Years ago I brought different friends to this place near Marigat, Kenya,  to see the need for water and a borehole. We prayed mightily for w...