THANKS A LOT MR. PRESIDENT

5:45am Wake up. TEST (then eat breakfast).

Get ready for work. (Before getting behind the wheel) TEST.

8:30am/9:00am TEST (to make sure my previous amount of insulin worked well). Eat a snack.

11:00am TEST (sometimes) (to make sure my previous amount of insulin worked well). Maybe I eat lunch now.

If I wait until noon to eat TEST.

2:00pm TEST (to make sure my previous insulin worked well, my numbers are ok, etc).

3:30pm I'm usually hungry for a snack. TEST

4:30pm Get ready to leave work. TEST before getting behind the wheel.

Get home anywhere between 4:45pm-6:00pm depending on traffic and picking Derek up from train.

7:00pm TEST before eating.

9:00pm TEST to make sure everything is working ok.

Anywhere between 10:00pm-11:00pm TEST before going to bed.

Occasionally if I wake up in the middle of the night and am interested where my blood sugar is at TEST.

That's 12 BLOOD TESTS...and this is on a day I'm not exercising. You can add another 3 TESTS or so as I TEST more frequently as it gets closer to my actual workout. After my workout. And, if I'm not feeling well, sometimes during my work out.

What about on days I go low. You know the drill: Glucose, juice, etc. Retest in 15 minutes. Still low. Repeat. Same with a high...Take large dose of insulin. Test in 30-60minutes. Keep testing until back in range.

My current Rx allows for 700 strips for a 30 day period.

You can see why I was upset when I received a letter saying I would now only be covered for
no more than 200 strips/30 days.

After calling my health insurance company, the rep confirmed that it was due to the new health care reform. Insurance companies had to reevaluate certain drugs and cut back.

So, apparently the Food and Drug Administration recommends only testing your blood sugar 6 times a day.
Really? And what does the American Diabetes Association recommend?
What about my endocrinologist who is a Diabetes Specialist, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, Professor and Director of the Kovler Diabetes Center out of the University of Chicago?
What does he recommend?

A LOT MORE THAN 6 times a day!!!!

I'm tired of the FDA approving chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics in our food, but putting limits on me and not thinking its a good idea to take care of my Diabetes.

I'm not scamming the system. I'm a hard working American who has always had a job, so I could make money, pay my bills, and yes, because I have Diabetes, unfortunately, health insurance is a big factor in where I work and what I do.

I test a lot, and it's not always fun, but I'm trying to do the best I can to be the healthiest I can.

The good thing is that this doesn't go into affect until April and my doctor can write a letter stating why he thinks it's necessary for me to test more than 6 times a day.

The letter of medical necessity will be reviewed by the Prescription Research Team and they will decide whether or not my full RX will be covered.

The letter that was sent stated I could still order my full RX, but I would then pay out of pocket for anything over 200 strips....that's $500/month!!!

It was an overwhelming day thinking about all of this and day dreaming about the worst case scenario.
I sent a tweet to the White House before getting into bed. I know, it's a long shot.

Jen Enger (sunnyside_life) on Twitter: sunnyside_life Jen Enger
@whitehouse/usg just got denied coverage 4 basic diabetes supplies ive used 4 22yrs due 2 healthcare reform. Thanks a lot!!!
13 hours ago

I started to cry as I lay in bed thinking, "I'm just so tired of Diabetes".
Derek wrapped his arms around me and said, "Oh Jenny, it's ok. The Bears might win it next year."
Of course I laughed, and through my snots and tears said, "I know, but I just figured I'd cry it out for the both of us."
And before he fell asleep, he pulled me in closer and sang, "Ooooh child, things are gonna get easier, oooh child, things will get brighter."

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!

I woke up to an email from my mom with this quote from Tony Evans:
"When God allows trouble in your life, He has a purpose. Dignify your difficulty by finding meaning in the trial."

I know God is BIGGER than the health care system.
All I can do is pray...and enjoy my husband's bedtime serenades!!!!

THE PASSING OF A LEGEND...

(source)

























When I was a little girl,
I went to a signing around Christmas time.
He autographed a picture and I gave him a box of sugar-free candy canes.
I was nervous to meet him,
but excited that we had Diabetes in common.

Whenever games were on cable,
Derek and I would listen on the radio
and crack up at his enthusiastic commentary.
Most times when the games were on TV,
we'd still listen on the radio, just to hear him.

And this morning I teared up,
listening to the news reporters
speak so highly of a great legend who passed away
... Ron Santo.


(source)















One of the greatest 3rd basemen to play for the Cubs.
The greatest Cubs fan there ever was.
The heart and soul of the Chicago Cubs.

It's always exciting to see or hear about an athlete with Diabetes.
It's hard enough dealing with wacky blood sugars during a 30 minute run,
or an hour long yoga class.

So, my respect and admiration go out to
athletes with Diabetes who put their bodies through
discipline and physical training
year round, for a living.



(source)

























Ron Santo was quiet about having Diabetes during the years he played.
Back in the 70's he gauged his blood sugar levels based on his moods.
If he felt he was going low, he would eat a candy bar during a game!
He ended up getting both legs amputated due to Diabetes complications.
We've sure come a long way!

The world definitely knows the triumphs and struggles Santo had with Diabetes
as he's played such a big part in raising money, awareness, & research
with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

It's been a while since I've done a Ron Santo Diabetes Walk-a-thon.
I think I'll do that this year.



(source)

















Come on Cubbies,
let's win it this year for Ron Santo...
A great man and legend who will be missed by all!




(source)



A LITTLE BEHIND...

I've always been a little behind.

I didn't really go through a pink/girly/ballerina/princess stage
until I graduated from college.
(Most girls hit that around 5 years old or so).

Now that I've been out of college for 7 years,
I think I know what I want to do with my life,
and where I'd go to school, what I'd study, etc.
if I had the chance to do it all over again.

The first night my mom met Derek (back in 2001) she went home and prayed
that I'd marry someone just like him someday.
We were just friends at the time.

For 3 years
(when Derek and I lost contact due to life getting busy and his phone getting stolen,
causing him to lose my #)
my mom proceeded to ask me what Derek was up to and why I hadn't called him or hung out with him.
It was 3 years late,
but I finally called him to catch up...and we eventually started dating.

A year and 1 week from there, we were engaged

And 11 months from there we were married

We spent a quick weekend in Lake Geneva right after our wedding,
unable to take a "real" honeymoon.

And now that it's 2 1/2 years later, we're jetting off on our official honeymoon.
A quick trip to Miami (yes, for the Bears game)...and then some time in Sanibel Island.

Hey, better late than never!!!

BIG BLUE

You know when you're watching football on tv and they announce the players?
Not at the beginning of the game where they run onto the field, but when a little square pops up at the bottom of the screen and a video plays.
Each player says his name and where he went to college.
Know what I'm talking about???

Football season is big around our home and if you were to sit down and watch a game with Derek and I, you'd hear me start to giggle when these videos pop up.
Some of the guys say some funny stuff or refer to their college as THE such and such.


Derek's Graduation, TIU, May 2003
(I graduated later that December).
[We were just friends here :) ]



It's funny, but that's not why I'm laughing.

I'm laughing, because I'm getting myself ready to keep a straight face and ask Derek how he'd say our college if he were an NFL player (playing for the Bears of course).

Being the great husband that he is he plays along...

"Derek Enger. BIG BLUE, TIU".

Yes, those were our Halloween costumes!
Derek was a Chicago Bears football player
(the pants and socks were actually worn by real Bears players,
bought at a fan convention) and I was a fan

I don't know if anyone else refers to Trinity International University as the Big Blue...but we do.

This month BIG BLUE has a much greater meaning as November is Diabetes Month...(and blue is the official color that is associated with it).
But more on that later...

HAPPY FRIDAY EVE!!!

SOME WEEKS ARE HARDER THAN OTHERS...

I turned the lights off and crawled into bed last night (MUCH later than I had wanted), while an episode of Fresh Prince of Belair played in the background.

He knew I was upset, so despite being exhausted, he stayed up and waited for me to come to bed.

I'm sure he heard me crying just a few rooms away, as I sat on the pantry floor, putting in a new needle, after discovering problems with my current infusion site.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

"Yeah" (I lied).

“Are you crying?”

"Yeah", I sniffled as snots came pouring out of my nose.

“Do you wanna come over here and cuddle?” he asked (I could hear the smile on his face), as he pulled me toward him, forcing me to cuddle.

"ok" I whispered, like a little girl, beginning to uncontrollably weep.

He wrapped his arms around me tightly, making me feel safe. "Did you get a new needle in?" he said calmly. I knew he was trying to help me see something good at the moment.

"yeah" I whispered again.

"Then everything is going to be ok," he calmly rationalized.

"I’m just really frustrated." I began to weep even harder.

“I understand,” he sympathized.

"I’m tired of poking myself". I whined, again like a little girl.

“I understand,” He said again.


Diabetes has been kicking my butt this week. Not so much as far as blood sugar goes. It’s the emotional side of it all that has taken a toll on me lately.

First, there was the awful news of Eilish, then going through 4 failed and painful sensors in 24 hours, and now a late night infusion set issue.

It’s weeks like this that make me feel like it’s just too overwhelming.

It’s too much work, and I’m tired of it.

I don’t wanna poke myself anymore.

I don’t wanna measure and weigh and count the carbs of every stinkin thing I put into my mouth.

I don't wanna plan out my every move, constantly thinking about where my blood sugar is at.

I don't wanna be reminded of the complications of living with Diabetes for 21 years that are possibly waiting around the corner for me.

I know I shouldn’t “give up”…and I’m certainly not…it just feels like this week, Diabetes wins.

Sometimes I just need to cry it out. I need to get mad and say, "It's not fair, I didn't ask for this, why me..." I need Derek to hold me and to listen to me while I'm upset, and to tell me he understands.

...but then I need to get up, determined to not let Diabetes upset me or stop me from doing anything I want to do.
 
So I woke up this morning, knowing it was a brand new day, and everything seemed a little bit better.

Psalm 30:5b "Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning."

SOMETHING NEW

New name, new look, new feel (same websight, same author, same topics).

I was bored and needed a change.

...But the picture is HUGE!
I can't seem to get it smaller.
Can anyone help???
I spend my entire lunch break figuring out how to finally resize the picture. Oh well! It's done!

I've been so behind in blogging...and I'm not gonna catch up this weekend.

Off to see Dave Matthews at Wrigley Field tonight and then to Dallas for a long weekend to cheer on the Bears with my hubby!

What are your weekend plans???
Whatever you're doing...Enjoy your weekend!!!

PURE SOPHISTICATION

What's a girl to do when her husband is at a Fantasy Football Draft Party???


Dine on fine cuisine...

Dabble in the arts...

Invest in highly intellectual reading...

Get back in touch with my roots...

Watch a documentary on love...

Yes, while my husband was eating pizza, talking football, and hanging with the guys...I was being far more sophisticated.


*Diabetic Bloggers....how in the world do you bolus for sushi and California rolls? I have always just guessed...and then inevitably had to correct later. I can't figure out the carb content for this stuff for the life of me. HELP!!!

FRIDAY FAVES: CUGINI!!!

* With a week full of new weekly blog segments (found here and here)...we might as well end with another one...FRIDAY FAVES!

Yes, yet another segment to add to the list to keep me busy blogging away.

As opposed to my WEDNESDAY WISHLIST, where I blog about what I'm wishing for...this will be a segment of recent finds, things, places, etc. that are my favorite.

Without further ado, my current FRIDAY FAVE...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't imagine life without them. We grew up having sleepovers every weekend, getting together at Grandma's once a month for homemade ravs. We played handball in the basement and laughed all day long.

They were ALL involved in our wedding, and I couldn't have imagined the special day without them.

When I roll over in the morning as I'm waking up, I first see Derek... and then a picture of them on the wall just above Derek's head.

We've had many celebrations, lots of laughter, and few tears together.

They are...MY CUGINI!!! (which mean COUSINS...in Italian).

The timing couldn't be more perfect for the cugini picnic! We have our more extended cugini with us...me and my cousins and our parents' cousins and kids. The group keeps growing.

We eat, laugh, eat, play bacci ball, eat, and enjoy being together every summer. Did I mention we like to eat a lot?!?! We're ITALIAN! (and yes, several of us have DIABETES...both types 1 and 2).

 Looking forward to a weekend of lots of food & family
...and the first home pre-season Bears game.

What are your current Friday Faves?

BALLIN ON A BUDGET FOR A BIRTHDAY.

If you are on a budget and you want to surprise your husband for his birthday, you should...

Find out the name of that book that he's been looking for.

 

See if they have it at a used book store.

Of course, you'll have to pay in cash since anything you debit, he'll see! He does such a good job budgeting and keeping an eye on everything that goes in and out of the bank accounts.

If you don't have any cash on hand, you can break into the change buckets, hoping he doesn't keep too close of an eye on those!

You can also make an attempt at your first cheesecake since it's his favorite.

You can always count on the fact that your family won't pass up an opportunity to treat him (and you) to Superdawg!

And you can also be thankful that his family threw him a birthday party.

Looks like another birthday success!

Good Health, Fresh Starts, and Yellow Daffodils

Growing up there were certain words we weren’t allowed to say. Compared to other families, my parents were really strict on this…which I didn’t mind and am even thankful for today. [We even made up a new word for “fart” because my mom didn’t like the way it sounded (we called it “froof”)]! My husband says some of these words that just weren’t uttered in our home growing up. I often joke with him that we can’t have kids until he cleans up his “potty” mouth of words like “crap” and “sucks” (Even just typing them makes me wonder what mom and dad would think!!!)

When Derek talks about things "suck"-ing, I can't help but think of a 7th grade boy!!!

(Derek as a little boy) :)

Well, over the past few months, I’ve found myself making an exception and saying that “Diabetes sucks!” I’ve been living with this disease since I was 8 years old. I vividly remember giving myself my first shot as a little kid, testing my blood sugar several times throughout the day, taking 3 shots a day, watching carefully what I ate…and never experiencing the taste of candy bars, sugar coated cereals, and pop as a kid!

BUT I do also remember playing sports all year long, going to summer camp for 2 months every summer, spending 10 days in Italy after graduating high school, spending an adventurous 3 months in Boston, taking a 2 week Spring Break missions trip to New Orleans…not letting Diabetes stop me from doing anything and everything I wanted to do!

I never thought I’d start another blog, since I stopped writing on Xanga…what seems like forever ago! But lately I’ve found myself daydreaming about what my life would be like if things were different…if I would’ve gone to California for college, majored in Athletic Training, continued playing volleyball year-round, kept up with my Italian so I was fluent, owned a home in the city with a roof-top garden, had a fun and high paying job at the Art Institute…and didn’t have Diabetes.

Well life IS good… I have a personal relationship with Jesus, my Lord and Savior, who continually blesses me, the greatest (and hottest) husband in the world, an amazing family with a rich heritage that I cherish, wonderful friends who I can count on for anything, and a good job that provides health insurance and money to help pay the bills.

Diabetes definitely throws a curve into things, makes life more complicated, and causes me to have thoughts that race through my head all day long that the average person, w/out Diabetes would never think of or understand…but it is what it is.

Maybe it was all the wedding planning, moving, change in jobs, getting older, etc…but over the past 2 years I haven’t done the best job of keeping my health under control and taking care of my Diabetes has just seemed a lot harder.

With the hopes of having a baby someday (5 years down the road or so), wanting to live a healthy and long life with Derek, and some inspiration from Kerri's blog that I randomly came across (www.sixuntilme.com)…I plan to document my journey as I try to live the healthiest I can, while managing my Diabetes as best I know how.

With the lack of internet at our place, I can’t promise I will be consistent with this. I’m sure I’ll have random thoughts that I jot down here, and this blog may not be completely revolved around Diabetes….but it is a lot of who I am.

So...here goes! Here's to good health and fresh starts...and a lovely vase of sweet smelling, bright yellow daffodils that are sitting on my desk! (Sometimes it's the little things that brighten my day!!!)