ORGANIZE + THRIVE
So I tried my hand at making my own face mask last night and ended up dropping the sewing machine needle into my index finger. Good times!
I’ve found a number of tutorials on how to make masks, including the following videos to help walk you through how to make some simple face masks.
Enjoy!
For those of you who are new to working from home, having it thrust upon you in the way it likely has been has probably, I’m guessing, been a complete culture shock.
So how to maintain sanity in this whole coronavirus lockdown time?
Well here is a great article giving your 10 things you can do during the coronavirus lockdown, that are NOT work!
The government of Canada has published a great deal of much information about the current COVID-19 pandemic, including the following guidelines about actions you can take to reduce your risk of becoming ill, supplies to have on hand and everyday precautions.
As someone with diabetes, I’m in the high risk group. I will definitely not be going to the grocery store or farmer’s market to minimize my own risk.
Though this is done in a cheeky manner, it is EXACTLY spot-on. I have had fibromyalgia for 22 years now and it’s ups and downs are especially problematic.
Since stress exacerbates the symptoms of fibromyalgia, our current situation is giving me flare-ups. We’re being posted to Germany this summer, which means we’re busy getting our house ready to go on the market. Add to that the fact that we have two dogs who we cannot take with us because of medical conditions, along with the COVID-19 pandemic and you can just imagine what the stress levels are like around here!
So when I found this link I’d sent myself, I knew I had to share. It made me both nod my head and chuckle. Which I needed 🙂
This is a long story about Type 2 diabetes and it’s complications.
Now I’ve had T2 for a long time, diagnosed in 2010. I had gestational diabetes with my second child, but with none of my other three pregnancies. The fact I didn’t have it with my last two children was startling since they were 11lbs 14oz and 12lbs 1oz!
So after many years of being sedentary and eating poorly, I was diagnosed. I was put on the starter med of Metformin and monitored. Things chugged along and were stable.
In 2015, Gliclazide was added to my meds as things seemed to be a little off and my A1C was climbing. Again all was stable for a while.
Three years later, Invokana was added. It was new and we were hopeful that it be a good fit to help get the A1C under control as I was on the max of Metformin and Gliclazide.
After trying the Invokana for 18 months or so, I had had it with the side effects. Because Invokana’s mechanism was to bind with the sugars in my blood and then eliminate them in my urine, there were “uncomfortable” issues. While my NP was on parental leave, I saw the physician at the clinic and told him I wanted off the Invokana. He DOUBLED my dose. Talk about arrogant and not listening to what the patient is saying. Ugh.
So once my NP was back, I hightailed it into her office and explained the Invokana debacle. She added Januvia, got rid of the Invokana and we had a follow-up the next week.
That was 21 January 2020.
At that appointment, it was determined that I needed to start insulin. Deep down I knew it was coming, because my A1C’s had been climbing again and I was still sedentary and eating like a goat – three gumballs and a tin can for dinner type shit. My eating habits have been atrocious and I absolutely know that this is my doing.
I have not paid attention to vegetables. Even when a friend hung a grocery bag of kale on my doorknob for me to try when we lived in Winnipeg! Thanks Andrea!
I have not consistently exercised since the late 90’s.
I have enjoyed far too many bags of milk chocolate chips, chocolate eggs, chocolate rabbits and Giant Tiger BBQ chips.
I have consistently taken in FAR more calories than I have burned off.
So here it is. Insulin.
I’ve been started on Tresiba, a long-acting injectable that is quite painless to use. The goal is to have a 4-5 fasting. So first thing in the morning.
This leads to today’s events. Since Tuesday, I’ve been hyperconscious of what I’m eating. Unfortunately for me, the large flake oats we have makes my sugars go up instead of down, so that’s out. Yogurt and strawberries gave me awesome results, but the people I live with insist on eating MY STRAWBERRIES! Bums. Apples and peanut butter spike my sugars so that guilty pleasure is out. Shreddies do the same – can you say CARBS! Which also means perogies, pizza, fries, potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on are gone.
Anywho, I had some expected side effects on starting insulin. I was incredibly woozy Tuesday night after my first dose and woke up Wednesday morning with a killer headache. I was woozy again Wednesday night. I didn’t have a headache Thursday morning, which was nice. I was woozy again last night after taking the insulin.
This morning, I started out with a 7.8. Which is the lowest fasting result I’ve had! Which is great! But I developed a headache and so had a banana, some ibuprofen and went back to bed.
When I got up again, I was decidedly unwell. I was shaking and anxious and a bit of an all around wreck. I was immediately suspicious and took my sugars – 4.6! I was having a hypoglycaemic episode at the level I was supposed to be at fasting! I took a spoonful of sugar, and made some peanut butter toast on whole wheat. Things settled over the next 30 minutes or so but I was frightened. I haven’t driven since starting insulin, which is a major drag, but after this hypo episode, I’m glad I’m not.
I’m pretty sure this is karma for having been diagnosed for ten years and doing nothing to protect my health in that time.
Since the best time to start taking care of my body would have been in 2010 when Dr. Haggard told me (or you know, from birth), the second best time is now.
Because I’m a fussy eater, I’ve been focusing on what I can’t have rather that what I can have. By turning that around, I’ve gone looking for diabetic friendly recipes for me with ingredients I can eat. Beef, chicken and fish are all still on the table, and I’m quite happy to put them to work.
Most of the veggies I tend to like are starchy so I’m looking for others that I can enjoy. I can have starchy ones occasionally but not regularly.
This is a journey that I am working hard to manage and hopefully, this time, I’ll get it right.
TL;DR – I’m on insulin because I didn’t treat my body well.
If you have any yummy recipes, let me know below!
This article from the Harvard Business Review really resonated with me on so many levels.
By calling us to focus on four key components in life, the authors have started a conversation about how we respond to a busy life, job or home!
My husband sent me a link to this video on The Downsides of Positive Thinking. It’s a good watch but left me feeling a little dissatisfied.
So I went looking for a couple of things Derren Brown mentioned about stoicism.
I found the video below and watched carefully. It has a very good way of teaching us about what is and is not in our control, and gives a framework to help us manage the things that come our way.
I hope you find the same lesson! Let me know in the comments!
I found the article referenced in the title of this post the other day and was intrigued with what it had to say.
First, a definition. According to Urban Dictionary, “high vibe” culture is defined as “A naturally high state. The state of joy one achieves when a persons actions and beliefs are aligned and all the pieces of their life have integrity and love at it’s core. The state of bliss experienced when at full health as a result of being substance free.”
So when I’d read the quote below, I was floored.
“No bad vibes,” means that it’s not okay if you have been the victim and are in a healing process, or if you are simply having a bad day, moment, or month. And, it completely gaslights those who deal with chronic physical or mental conditions.
I deal with a few of the chronic physical issues, not the least of which is my own struggle with obesity, fibromyalgia and Type II diabetes. This is a great read for you even if you are not one of us who try to manage chronic illness.
Read for your self! Let me know what resonates with you?
The video below is a quick 2-minute watch on how to use some tin cans to create a cute little centrepiece with candles and a tiny wreath for each can!