Category: Diabetes

Running on ‘E’

anonymousknitterLeave a comment

Good Morning! Hope you are well. Young Master Duke is stretched out to get some rest. My beloved is watching a show. I’m waiting for the batteries to recharge. I’ve noticed lately that I’m just wore out. Last night was another 3 hours sleep night. I woke up feeling like I’d been in a rock tumbler instead of bed for multiple hours. Though this particular rock tumbler seems to be as massive as the cement mixers that Mythbusters used to blow up.

Maybe it feels like I was inside the particular cement mixer that they sent to orbit. Oh well. I’m waiting for certain joints to pop. I’m not exactly in the financial situation to be able to have a massage therapist, a physical therapist and a back cracker on duty 24/7. Heck, back crackers aren’t covered by my insurance. The last one I saw scared the tar out of me. I’d been in an accident. She told another lady in the same accident that I would be in a wheelchair by age 40. I showed her, it was in my middle 40’s. Snort.

So, how does a chubby old lady recharge her batteries? Let’s begin at the beginning. I have a 1 gallon ziplock bag of medications that help my body keep on. Diabetes meds, 3 of them, are important. Then there are blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills and the supplements to reduce inflammation. There’s the supplements to help my brain keep functioning, and lastly the generic midol. The last one, is about the only thing I take for pain.

Now let’s talk about keeping my brain working. Yes, I take magnesium for that, but I also take coffee, and the occasional energy drink. There are days when it is 2 energy drinks. However, I find that I can think better with the energy drinks. My brain is the only thing I have. The coffee is also medicinal. I’m a homicidal wench without it.

Nicotine, helps with the depression. Whatever chemicals that I haven’t had in my brain naturally is replaced by whatever nicotine does. I’m tempted to switch to just patches at this point. It is cheaper than the method I currently use. Tapering off, while living with a smoker would not be choice or freaking easy.

Now, let’s talk about actual recharging of the batteries, so far, I’ve written about maintenance. I don’t do yoga. The poses in yoga are physically impossible. What I do do is stretches. I use my cane to help keep my shoulders from completely locking. I work on it after the midol has a chance to start easing up the pain. Whatever endorphins are released, along with increased range of motion, are a plus.

I wish I could work, I wish I could walk. I wish I could climb trees and go on hikes through my favorite park again. Not going to happen. Heck, I wish I could drive awhile in order to get from point A to point B. However, wishes don’t recharge my batteries. Also, there are no call centers available for me to work at within 60 miles.

So, other methods. I play online games. I listen to music. Okay Rob Zombie is a thing. So is Clanadonia. I nap. When I can, I take a bath. I watch videos on how to do intricate stitch wizardry. All of these recharge the batteries.

However, the A+++ of all of the techniques I use to recharge? Napping with Young Master Duke. Which is where I’m heading right now. Take care my friends. I have a pupper unit who must be snuggled. I will bug you again soonest. -L

Advertisement

A difference.

anonymousknitterLeave a comment

Morning all, hope you are well. Young Master Duke is napping, and we survived the night.

Diabetes is an evil rat bastard. I found myself in a reaction not once but twice last night. During a reaction, I zone out. Then I start sweatting and get dizzy. Soon enough, I pass out if not treated.

That said, with the dizzy comes nausea and other issues. The solution to a reaction is to eat and drink sweet things. The problem, that nausea. Yesterday’s rearrange in the kitchen ended up a blessing. Having the wheelchair in there, made a reaction situation much easier to deal with.

I wasn’t fighting pain, nausea and dizzy at the same time. Granted, the nausea was evil, and yet… I survived the night.

2 things I use for rapid survival mode. Tang Breakfast Drink, and a similar one from Welches. I can drink those until I am able to eat. It’s quick sugar, not a long acting carbohydrate, but it buys me enough time to get something in me.

That’s about it. I know, a little gruesome this morning. But the thing is, without the kitchen change yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have been able to deal with this on my own.

Why doesn’t the Hubs help me? He never has with the diabetes. He still thinks it’s a myth or a lie I perpetuate. Oh well. Life gets teejus. -L

Molle Bag and add-ons

anonymousknitterLeave a comment

Hello all, am taking a few minutes to write a ‘normal’ post. Young Master Duke is begging to go outside, and I’m whiny.

Recently, I purchased a Molle backpack, and some accessories, and thought I would do a review.

First things first, why did I a chubby womba in a wheelchair choose a tactical bag for my effective purse? Especially when I almost never leave the dratted house?

Customization. I can rearrange the thing, with accessories to do almost anything. I could turn it into a knitting bag, for instance, and have room for all the notions. I could have it be a medical kit, complete with band aids, wraps, and the like. I could even turn it into a writing bag. It is also possible to turn it into an overnight bag for camping.

That said, what am I using it for? All of the above. This is my 2nd molle bag. The first was actually my range bag. I used it for my EDC, cleaning kit, and extra ammo.

However, once I left the farm, I no longer needed it for that purpose, and it lay dormant in a trunk. You know I follow campers and preppers on social media, and one of them gave me a heck of an idea.

First, I purchased the new molle bag. I knew that my husband’s surgery was coming up, and if they had to keep him I would be screwed. I set up the original bag as an overnighter. It has incontinence products, extra clothes, and a deodorant. As my meds ride in a cooler bag, this worked well. As I have a crew cut, I didn’t need hair care. A toothbrush and mini paste went in a pocket.

The new bag got a book, the tablet I normally write with, my kindle and some first aide. It also held a utility knife, and other misc toys. This effectively was my purse. I strapped it to the back of the wheelchair when I had to leave the vehicle.

Both bags strap well to the wheelchair together, and I have some clips that make it make better sense as a “single unit”.

Other items that I use are little mesh pencil bags for back to school. Kleenex tiny lotion bottles, and other misc fit perfectly in them, and they fit great in either bag.

Those ‘travel accessories’ kits sold by mega stores. They are less than 5 dollars. Lots of things work with them, and they are useful for camping as well as edc needs.

Altoids tins. I am desperately in love with altoids tins. From cigarette cases, to emergency ash trays they have a million uses. I use altoids to help settle my stomach when I have to take medications. So I have plenty. Eventually, they will completely replace cigarette cases. They last longer, and are stronger.

Some pouches have arrived, molle style, and I spent about half an hour resetting my system this afternoon. Three of the pouches are for holding water or soda bottles. Another 3 are for holding extras, including my wallet and other needs. They strap onto the main bags, and are a lifesaver.

The neatest thing about this, is that this makes more places accessible for me. From my wheelchair, I can survive and get on with most activities of daily living. I don’t have to worry about not having some form of something that I really need that would be a tragedy if I didn’t have.

Next month, I will be getting a few more pouches and such. Some of them are designed to attach to the wheelchair, but the manufacturers didn’t realize this.

The biggest limit to my ability to go out and do things is medical. If I don’t have my supplies with me, it turns into hell on wheels quick. Molle bags help me survive. I am happy.

Take care my friends. Peace, -L

Spoons

anonymousknitterLeave a comment

Morning all, have been posting from bed lately, and I am sorry. Today I am up for a bit at the desk, and thought I would bring you up to speed.

I woke at just close to 1 this afternoon. I’d finally fallen asleep at about 2:30. I have a device that tracks my sleep, and that is what it tells me. I probably could have gotten up for the day at 8:30, but my body said “Oh hell no, git yer arse back to bed.” I’d gotten up to head to the necessary. Having a bladder the size of an acorn does help in life, I swear, it means that I don’t need an alarm clock.

I desperately need a shower, but am worried that I don’t have enough spoons to get the job done. My husband is in that same boat. We do use daily sponge baths so to speak, but a shower just resets the body somehow. I know that the hot water would be a blessing, but I don’t want to crash to bed for 4 hours afterwards.

Diabetically, my blood sugars are back through the roof. It’s just too much sometimes. I know that stress and pain raise blood sugars, and even intermittant fasting doesn’t help. So, I do the best I can, and pray for the rest.

Measuring out the spoons for the day is a rat bastard. I have to have enough spoons to make it through the ‘normal’ activities. Yet there are times even going to the necessary takes 5 frigging spoons per visit. There are days I long for someone to take care of me, but then again, there are days that I remember what it was like working in long term care.

The catch-22. I’m an addict. Therefore, for pain management, I am behind the 8 ball. There are no medications I can take that will improve my quality of life. While the flares are through the roof, I am screwed. I can’t camp, sitting in the back yard under a tent is a major spoon withdrawal point at times. Other times, I sit out there in defiance of my body.

That’s really what’s going on. In defiance of the spoons, and in defiance of my body, I get things done. I guess, I’m just thinking this through as I write. I know that the flares get worse as time goes on. Yet that proposed camping trip to the backyard is still giving me hope.

I’m just waiting for when the high temp for the day is in the 60’s and the lows are in the 40’s again. I’m looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I suppose I better go lay back down and zone out for a few. Please take care, -L

Insulin Rationing

anonymousknitterLeave a comment

Morning all, have to fly out the door in too soon of a time, but wanted to strike while the iron was hot so to speak.

I’ve been rationing insulin for decades. As a Medicare patient, my insulin is not covered by Medicare. I had to choose between a plan that would cover some of my meds 100% and not the insulin, or a plan that would cover few of my meds. It costs more per month.

Well, this month, my insulin rationing is saving my life. There are not enough shekels in order to cover both insulin and food. There are not enough shekels to cover insulin, food, and fuel for the vehicle. So, insulin has to wait.

Some vehicle uses have to wait.

Some food has to wait.

It’s a give and take thing. There aren’t programs that help, because we still make too much over the poverty level.

It’s life, however, I do have enough insulin to get through the month. That’s what matters.

There are other things in the world much more important for folks to worry about. My getting insulin isn’t a crisis right now. Hope you are well. I better get going. Take care. -L