There is a group of women at work who are training for the half marathon, that is coming up on September 13th.
I was asked to join the group.
Why WOULDN'T I join? These women are AMAZING!!! Some of the godliest and most funny women I know! I'd love to spend the Saturday mornings training with them (even though I can't run the race due to a wedding we have on the day of the race)!
I need the accountability and encouragement, this will help me get in shape for my cousin's upcoming wedding, AND will help get me back on track for overall health as I get my body prepared for pregnancy (again, I remind you....DOWN THE ROAD...4-5 years, or so).
Well, of course in the back of my mind, I worry about my blood sugar being too low or high while running.
I woke up early this morning to run. I was too low, so I took some carbs, waited and was fine...halfway through, I was too high and had to stop! It just set the trend for an "up and down" day :(
I was discouraged, but figured, well, that's enough for today, I'll wake up tomorrow and try again. And now it's a challenge...to figure out the right routine to keep my numbers in control while being able to get a good, hard workout in at the same time.
And with that I went to work, to find an email from one of my amazing co-workers. I shared some of my hesitations AND excitements with her. Her response warmed my heart and even got me choked up a bit:
"Ok, I’m SOOOOO glad you’ll come to our Saturday runs!! I really think it’ll be a great time. Will your blood sugar levels make it difficult to run? Whatever it takes to make sure you’re ok, we’ll do it!! And you’ll be the fittest bridesmaid EVER :)"
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
One Glorious Year!!
Words can not express how amazing this last year has been.
It's hard to believe how fast it has flown by.
We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.
I love sitting back and thinking through all the details of our relationship, how it began, when we were just "good friends" back in college, our first kiss, when he told me he loved me for the first time, the proposal, etc...I get giddy just thinking about it!!!
We had a great time, stretching out the celebration between 2 weekends because we just had so much to celebrate!!!
An amazing dinner at Maggiano's (one of our favorite restaurants!!!).
After dinner we made our way over to the Marriott Renaissance, where we spent the night.
We were right off of the river and had a view of the Chicago Theater right outside of our room
And yes...Derek took the picture below (isn't he amazing?!?!?)
We went out at 11:00pm (look at how young and fresh we are!!!) and went walking around near the Buckingham Fountain. It must've been prom because there were a million obnoxious high schoolers, dressed up and riding around in limos. We just laughed and were glad to be grown, and celebrating our marriage!!!
It's hard to believe how fast it has flown by.
We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.
I love sitting back and thinking through all the details of our relationship, how it began, when we were just "good friends" back in college, our first kiss, when he told me he loved me for the first time, the proposal, etc...I get giddy just thinking about it!!!
We had a great time, stretching out the celebration between 2 weekends because we just had so much to celebrate!!!
Friday, May 9, 2008
An amazing dinner at Maggiano's (one of our favorite restaurants!!!).
After dinner we made our way over to the Marriott Renaissance, where we spent the night.
We were right off of the river and had a view of the Chicago Theater right outside of our room
And yes...Derek took the picture below (isn't he amazing?!?!?)
We went out at 11:00pm (look at how young and fresh we are!!!) and went walking around near the Buckingham Fountain. It must've been prom because there were a million obnoxious high schoolers, dressed up and riding around in limos. We just laughed and were glad to be grown, and celebrating our marriage!!!Saturday, May 9, 2009
It was a beautiful day as we walked back to our car (parked at work, where I got a ticket for parking overnight...but it was just an MBI ticket and not a "real" one...so no payments needed to be made!!!)
It was a beautiful day as we walked back to our car (parked at work, where I got a ticket for parking overnight...but it was just an MBI ticket and not a "real" one...so no payments needed to be made!!!)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Breakfast on our back porch on a wonderful sunny, Saturday morning!!!
Baked Banana Bread French Toast
(my go-to breakfast for special events)
Fresh Organic (and SUPER cheap) fruit from Stanley's Fruit Market near work.
And don't forget the coffee in a TIU mug
(where the friendship and sparks all began)!!!
Back at TIU, Jackie graduates with her Masters in Teaching!!!
We are so proud of her!!!
And of course I had to take a trip down memory lane to my old room. 4 years, 1 roomate, 1 room...Suite 1A, Room 111. Some of the best memories and hardest laughs took place in this room with Kathrina!!! I still laugh just as hard with my new roommate, Derek :)
Breakfast on our back porch on a wonderful sunny, Saturday morning!!!
Baked Banana Bread French Toast(my go-to breakfast for special events)
Fresh Organic (and SUPER cheap) fruit from Stanley's Fruit Market near work.
And don't forget the coffee in a TIU mug(where the friendship and sparks all began)!!!
Back at TIU, Jackie graduates with her Masters in Teaching!!!We are so proud of her!!!
And of course I had to take a trip down memory lane to my old room. 4 years, 1 roomate, 1 room...Suite 1A, Room 111. Some of the best memories and hardest laughs took place in this room with Kathrina!!! I still laugh just as hard with my new roommate, Derek :)Sunday, May 17, 2009 (Our actual anniversary!!!)
The Bears Fan Convention/Expo
Soldier Field
GM Jerry Angelo, President Ted Phillips, Head coach Lovie Smith
Lovie!!!
Our hero Jay!!!
Jay Culter, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, Orlando Pace
In the locker room
Urlacher's locker
Cutler's locker. I was hoping to see some juice and glucose tablets in there...but I know this was set up for show!!! (I'm sure he's got some on hand during the games!).
After the long day, we had dinner at Ditka's. The food was AMAZING!!! I had tilapia, pan fryed in vanilla rum sauce with rice and some kind of pineapple-mango salsa. Even the bread and butter was delicious!!!
The day actually began with a surprise bouquet of flowers. Derek told me he had to go to the store to pick up some sharpies for when we see the players at the Expo. I thought that was strange since he has sharpies in every color and thickness!!! When he got home he asked if I could throw in a load of laundry down in the basement. HE normally does the laundry, so again, this was weird, but as a happy wife of 1 year, I went down to the basement to begin the laundry.
When I came upstairs, there was a beautiful bouquet sitting on my pillow!!!
It was the perfect celebration with the perfect man for me!!!
The Bears Fan Convention/Expo
Soldier Field
GM Jerry Angelo, President Ted Phillips, Head coach Lovie Smith
Lovie!!!
Our hero Jay!!!
Jay Culter, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, Orlando Pace
In the locker room
Urlacher's locker
Cutler's locker. I was hoping to see some juice and glucose tablets in there...but I know this was set up for show!!! (I'm sure he's got some on hand during the games!).
After the long day, we had dinner at Ditka's. The food was AMAZING!!! I had tilapia, pan fryed in vanilla rum sauce with rice and some kind of pineapple-mango salsa. Even the bread and butter was delicious!!!
The day actually began with a surprise bouquet of flowers. Derek told me he had to go to the store to pick up some sharpies for when we see the players at the Expo. I thought that was strange since he has sharpies in every color and thickness!!! When he got home he asked if I could throw in a load of laundry down in the basement. HE normally does the laundry, so again, this was weird, but as a happy wife of 1 year, I went down to the basement to begin the laundry.When I came upstairs, there was a beautiful bouquet sitting on my pillow!!!
It was the perfect celebration with the perfect man for me!!!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Fasting, CGM's and HOPE!!!
Ok, so I finally got most of my fasting tests done. The first round felt like a nightmare. I just kept wanting to give up, I felt shaky and awful and even cried at one point!!!
Derek was by my side encouraging me to keep going and I shot back at him in my crabby state of mind...but he loved and encouraged me anyways!!!
My mom bought me Crystal Light and sugar-free jello to help hold me over.
My dad and Derek watched sports while I wallowed in my sorrow on the couch, like a little child, my sister and my brother made me laugh, and my mom kept checking in on me.
I was so excited to finally have it all done, so I proudly sent my numbers off to my doctor.
Her response..."We're gonna need to you repeat all of these, I'm not getting a good sense of what's going on here."
AWESOME!!!!
So last weekend, I did it again! I was geared up and felt ready and pretty optimistic. I spent a good majority of the hard part reading through my Bible and journaling. I honestly think that made the difference! My mind was focused on the Word and I didn't experience the intense hunger pains or shakiness!!! Praise the Lord!!!
Shot another email off to my doctor with the results and waited to hear back...
"Alright...make these adjustments...and REPEAT!!! We'll see how the results turn out this time and from there we'll make changes if needed and repeat until we have it."
REPEAT?!?!?!
Oh man...this never ends!!! I know it's for my own good and in the end, I'll feel better...but can I just lay on the floor and kick my feet and whine like a baby for a few minutes?!?!?
And so the big hope and prayer is for a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)!!!
This device in my opinion is AMAZING and life-saving! This is what I need to gain better control of my Diabetes and to be able to realistically plan for a baby down the road!!
(Disclaimer...that is not my flat stomach...I wish!!!).
A. Insulin Pump
B. Infusion set (needle, attached to tubing where insulin gets delivered).
C. CGM (sensor that reads blood sugar)
D. Transmitter (sends results to the pump).
So, what this does is tests your blood sugar every minute and gives you an average every 5-10 minutes. It creates a graph, showing you whether your blood sugar is heading up or down, whether or not you should be concerned, need to give yourself more insulin, or whether you need to get some sugar in you.
You can set an alarm that will go off if you are over 250 or below 70. (80-120 is the goal). I would still need to test my blood sugar to calibrate the monitor...but I would be able to have tighter control, wouldn't need to test my blood sugar 25+ times a day like I do now (my scabbed fingers are killing me these days!), and it would eliminate worry when I'm in a meeting at work, while I'm running, sleeping in the middle of the night, etc.
Sure, it would be another needle, another attachment...but that's all worth it for better health!!!
Now the annoying part....INSURANCE!!!! The CGM's have been out for a bit and from my explanation, it's OBVIOUS how this could tighten up Diabetes control. Insurance companies KNOW this, it's LOGICAL...but they need to see proof and studies and results down on paper.
I made a few calls and have gotten the ball rolling, but it will take lots of paper work, documentation, me and my doctor fighting for coverage, etc.
It really gets me angry that insurance companies won't be quick to pay for this preventative care, which will make me healthy now AND later... but down the road, they will be more quick to pay for a leg amputation, kidney dialysis, eye laser surgery after blindness, etc (which is all more expensive!!!) because of poor managing of Diabetes!!!
So, pray and hope along with me. The advancements and technology they have are amazing and getting better and better. What a change I've been able to see and experience in the last 20 years!
I'm encouraged and hopeful. There is a cure right around the corner...but for now there is lots of work to be done!!!
Derek was by my side encouraging me to keep going and I shot back at him in my crabby state of mind...but he loved and encouraged me anyways!!!
My mom bought me Crystal Light and sugar-free jello to help hold me over.
My dad and Derek watched sports while I wallowed in my sorrow on the couch, like a little child, my sister and my brother made me laugh, and my mom kept checking in on me.
I was so excited to finally have it all done, so I proudly sent my numbers off to my doctor.
Her response..."We're gonna need to you repeat all of these, I'm not getting a good sense of what's going on here."
AWESOME!!!!
So last weekend, I did it again! I was geared up and felt ready and pretty optimistic. I spent a good majority of the hard part reading through my Bible and journaling. I honestly think that made the difference! My mind was focused on the Word and I didn't experience the intense hunger pains or shakiness!!! Praise the Lord!!!
"Alright...make these adjustments...and REPEAT!!! We'll see how the results turn out this time and from there we'll make changes if needed and repeat until we have it."
REPEAT?!?!?!
Oh man...this never ends!!! I know it's for my own good and in the end, I'll feel better...but can I just lay on the floor and kick my feet and whine like a baby for a few minutes?!?!?
And so the big hope and prayer is for a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)!!!
This device in my opinion is AMAZING and life-saving! This is what I need to gain better control of my Diabetes and to be able to realistically plan for a baby down the road!!
(Disclaimer...that is not my flat stomach...I wish!!!).
A. Insulin Pump
B. Infusion set (needle, attached to tubing where insulin gets delivered).
C. CGM (sensor that reads blood sugar)
D. Transmitter (sends results to the pump).
So, what this does is tests your blood sugar every minute and gives you an average every 5-10 minutes. It creates a graph, showing you whether your blood sugar is heading up or down, whether or not you should be concerned, need to give yourself more insulin, or whether you need to get some sugar in you.
You can set an alarm that will go off if you are over 250 or below 70. (80-120 is the goal). I would still need to test my blood sugar to calibrate the monitor...but I would be able to have tighter control, wouldn't need to test my blood sugar 25+ times a day like I do now (my scabbed fingers are killing me these days!), and it would eliminate worry when I'm in a meeting at work, while I'm running, sleeping in the middle of the night, etc.
Sure, it would be another needle, another attachment...but that's all worth it for better health!!!
Now the annoying part....INSURANCE!!!! The CGM's have been out for a bit and from my explanation, it's OBVIOUS how this could tighten up Diabetes control. Insurance companies KNOW this, it's LOGICAL...but they need to see proof and studies and results down on paper.
I made a few calls and have gotten the ball rolling, but it will take lots of paper work, documentation, me and my doctor fighting for coverage, etc.
It really gets me angry that insurance companies won't be quick to pay for this preventative care, which will make me healthy now AND later... but down the road, they will be more quick to pay for a leg amputation, kidney dialysis, eye laser surgery after blindness, etc (which is all more expensive!!!) because of poor managing of Diabetes!!!
So, pray and hope along with me. The advancements and technology they have are amazing and getting better and better. What a change I've been able to see and experience in the last 20 years!
I'm encouraged and hopeful. There is a cure right around the corner...but for now there is lots of work to be done!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)