DISCLAIMER:

live with physical challenges.
I am NOT a DOCTOR!!! I don't even play one on TV!!! It is my goal to live a more healthy lifestyle. Living well and being happy is what this blog is all about.

"Nothing,' wrote Tolstoy, 'can make our life, or the lives of other people, more
beautiful than perpetual kindness."

- Gretchen Rubin




I write about my own experiences and what works (or does not) for me. Nothing I write is to be taken as medical advice.

Only your health care provider, personal physician,Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor - I don't even play one on TV! This
or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs.








Sunday, March 31, 2013

The End was Just the Beginning

 
Sweet Peril 
by George MacDonald
 
Alas, how easily things go wrong!
A sigh too much, or a kiss too long,
And there follows a mist and a weeping rain,
And life is never the same again.
 

Don't be so quick to judge her for her sin.  That's not really your job anyway.  It's not mine either.  You know, the day that Jesus died on the cross and was buried seems like the end.  It must have looked like a defeat to those who were there.  At that point there was not a shred of hope for anyone on the face of the earth for salvation or redemption.  But looks can be deceiving and we all know that what seems to be is not always reality.  God was not finished and He is still not finished with His creation.  God was not finished with this woman.  He is not finished with you or me either.  It was only after God raised Christ from the grave that hope came to life! 

There is an excitement in the air on Easter Sunday for all Christians because we know without Easter and without the ressurection of Christ from the grave, we would all still be without hope and lost forever. A lot of neat events in my family happened on Easter Sundays.  My parents were married on an Easter Sunday in 1943.  I was born on an Easter Sunday.  That doesn't mean anything significant - I just think it's kind of cool.  April 2, 1961 was an Easter Sunday and I was born.  That's all.  Yes, my folks were married a good 20 years before they adopted me.  They were well established in their lives before I became part of it.   Then nothing was the same for them - arr arr arr!

The ultimate victory was the resurrection of our Lord.  This is why Christians have hope and this is where our joy comes from.   I'm thankful for my Christian heritage.  I'm thankful to God for showing me how to manage obstacles in my life such as diseases.  He's been so faithful to me and I know He is guiding me not only in the management of Dyslexia, PCOS and Type 2 Diabetes, but He is showing me how to manage it with style and grace and with a lot of humor.

My friend Lucinda Berry Hill and I were talking the other day about how God helps us get through difficult times.  I mentioned that one of the lowest points in my life was knowing that I would never have children.  I shared with her how God has a wonderful way of sending humor my way at times like that.  He knows I really need to laugh along the way instead of cry.  I'm thankful that He provides for me emotionally as well as physically. 

Take the opportunity this Easter Sunday to thank God for raising Christ from the grave and giving us salvation and hope for eternity.   We know that without Christmas there would not be Easter, but isn't there just something really wonderful about Easter?  It's almost like you want to say "Happy New Life" to your brothers and sisters in Christ - it's like happy new year, only better...  much, much better!

HAPPY EASTER - HAPPY NEW LIFE!!!!!!!!!!

 

Eggs of Life
Yellow, orange, blue, and green;
Eggs are given every spring.
The special story that these eggs hold,
... Is the resurrection of Christ our Lord.

He has risen!
There is life;
New beginnings
Through Jesus Christ!

He sacrificed for you and me,
That we'd have joy eternally.
Purple, pink, red, and white;
Eggs of Easter---
The day of life!

  Lucinda Berry Hill author of devotional "Coffee with Jesus."
 

Please watch this wonderful video! http://youtu.be/Fq3lgmn_vMo          






Saturday, March 30, 2013

So Many Pencils... So Little Time

The best part of the pencil... 
the ERASER!!!!!!!
 

Today is PENCIL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!  I talk with many people throughout the day, and almost everyone chooses pens over pencils to write with when given a choice.  I guess I'm just one of those weird exceptions.  When the other kids were discovering ink and permanent writing - I was still using my pencil and the eraser - thankful I had an eraser to use! 

The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead.  - Robert Brault

 
When I began taking piano lessons at 3 years of age, I've been choosing to use a pencil instead of a pen.  Musicians are taught early on that they need three items at the piano with them at all times:

"The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music", a Metronome and several pencils.

You're asking, "Why several pencils - why not just one?"  Well, if you are a lazy musician (and most of us are), you don't like to keep getting up to sharpen your pencil - so, you use a pencil until the lead is barely useable and then you reach for a pencil that is sharper.  Finally, when you have no sharp pencils, then you take them to the pencil sharpener and sharpen them all at once.  Yes, I do have an electric pencil sharpener.  Yes, I do empty the shavings - when I think about it or when they begin to overflow onto the floor. 

When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.

 - Michael Leboeuf

Just for fun, I counted how many pencils I use in the course of a day.  I also counted how many times I sharpen pencils in a week.  I took the liberty of writing this all down so I could easily transcribe it here today.

Let's see...  I have an eyebrow pencil.  I have no eyebrows if I don't use it.  Very essential pencil!  I sharpen it about once a week.  My eyeliner is also a pencil and gets sharpened about once a week.  My lip liner is a pencil.  It gets sharpened about twice a week.  I keep telling people my face is drawn on...  NOW do you believe me???

I keep a journal and I use colored pencils to write in it.  It's my journal and I can do whatever I want, k?  The color I choose helps me determine what type of mood I am in and gives me insight into my feelings.  Hey - Don't knock it until you've tried it.  I have 48 colored pencils at my disposal and I think I've used almost all of them.  Depending on which ones I use most, a particular pencil may get sharpened once a week maybe.

Do you doodle???  I doodle in my journal sometimes when I'm waiting for my train of thought to leave the depot.  Experts say that what a person doodles says a lot about what they are thinking and a lot about their personality.  I like to draw stars - I just put stars all over the page sometimes.  All different colored stars.  My husband is a bit more complex.  He draws 3-dimensional boxes.  It would be interesting to know what that means.  I think it means he's a very private person - which is true.  Me - I'm just OUT there - but he is not.

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.  - Mother Teresa of Calcutta
 
I'm so imperfect - every day.  I know everyone is - but I really am!  It almost gives me a sense of freedom to know that I can use a pencil to write and not have to worry about messing up.  I have that handy little eraser on the other end - so life is good and there are no worries!  The only time I really use an ink pen is when I have to endorse a check or some other official document. 

Most of the time my pencils get thrown away once the eraser has been completely used up.  In my humble opinion, a pencil without an eraser is dead and needs to be tossed.  It makes me almost crazy to see a pencil still in use that has no eraser on it!  I want to stand up and scream "What is the point???"  It's sort of like drinking decaf coffee...  I just don't understand.  I don't get it!

A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.  - Joyce A. Myers
 
I record my blood sugars in pencil, not pen.  Some of them I wish I could go back and erase and put in a different number - but I don't.  I'm honest about those numbers.  When I write down my carb intake I also do that in pencil.  

I like mechanical pencils and try to keep those hidden for myself.  My husband tends to let too much lead out and then gets frustrated when the lead breaks.  Well, you're not supposed to click on it fourteen times before you use it.  I keep them tucked safely away in my piano bench.  Shh...  don't tell.   

 Map out your future - but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip. - Jon Bon Jovi
 
A pencil can be your best friend but you have to take care of it.  I have a few pencils here in my studio that obviously went through some stressful situations with me at the piano.  They have teeth marks on them.  You know - you don't want to actually put the pencil back in the holder so you just sort of pop it in your mouth then play a little bit, then grab it back so you can jot another note on the music.  A musician never writes on music with ink.  There should be no written notes in ink - ever!  You always want to be able to erase written notes from a piece of music.

When I taught piano lessons I always wrote in the student's notebook in pencil.  My teacher wrote in my notebook with a pencil and I'm sure her teacher did the same thing.  So much of what we do is because we are conditioned to do it a certain way.  It all depends on our background and our interests and how we are taught. 

Most people think it's just silly that I prefer pencils over pens.  Well, let them think and me...  well - I'm gonna write and draw and make all the mistakes I want to - and use my eraser and just be happy with that.   
 
Ideas are elusive, slippery things. Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil at your bedside, so you can stab them during the night before they get away.

- Earl Nightingale
 
My friend, Lucinda Berry Hill and I were talking the other day about how it's important to be able to write down our ideas right away. I shared with her that I keep a notebook and a pencil on my nightstand just in case during the night I get an idea and want to jot it down quickly. I might mention, the older I get, the more quickly I need to get that notebook and pencil working.
 
If someone approached me and said, "You can no longer use a pencil for anything - now you have to use a pen all the time" - I think I would freak out!  I'm pretty sure I'd have to go somewhere and have a quiet little pity party.  There might be tears.

Pencils are a large part of what makes me... me, actually.  So, today I am honored to talk about why I choose the humble pencil over the widely chosen ink pen.  A well-sharpened pencil is reliable, dependable and has a nice eraser so I can erase mistakes with it!  How many things in life have that kind of guarantee?  Not many.  A well-sharpened pencil is much more reliable than any ink pen I've ever used. 

Most of the time when I get ready to use an ink pen, I begin to write and the ink doesn't come out!  Really???  That's not cool.  

In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.

- Vincent van Gogh

What gets me is those ink pens that are chained - like at the bank.  You pick it up and begin to endorse your check - and - no ink.  I'm thinking, "Why do you even bother putting a chain on this?  Nobody in their right mind would walk off with it!" 

The bottom line is - pencils rule...  ink pens drool.  There you have it.  Another pointless discussion that educated no one about anything having to do with wellness.  Hey - I have my moments.  Some days I just want to be silly.  It's Saturday - give me a break.

My friend, Richard Vaughn, wrote this and I want to share it with you.

Pencils and pens, pencils and pens,
that is where the writing begins.
The words will flow, it never ends,
Send them to your dearest friends.


You missed your calling, Richard.  You should have been a poet! 

Here's "The Flying Pencil" (if you like stupid-funny, which I do).

http://youtu.be/J-j-CilT1xY


Friday, March 29, 2013

It Was The Goodest of Fridays

 
Yes, I know it's not proper grammar - (thank you, grammar Nazi's)!  Now that I got that out of my system I can go on with my thought for today.

On this Good Friday, I'm asking myself this question:

I believe that Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for my salvation.  So, how important is it for me to pay it forward for someone else every day? 

I'm not suggesting the ol' "good works to buy your way to heaven" deal, because no matter how much you try to do to "earn" it - you can't earn salvation.  Can't be done.  No, what I mean is more simple than that. 

How much more can I show some real true compassion and concern for someone else and make a real attempt to help where I can?  How many opportunities do I pass up because I just don't want to get involved or get my hands dirty?

I gave up chocolate for Lent.  Has giving up chocolate made me a better person?  Oh, I doubt it - maybe it saved me a few calories and a few grams of fat - but it's a silly sacrifice compared to the one my Savior made for me on the cross to be sure! 

Last night I went out for dinner with a girlfriend.  We were driving along and came to a major intersection in our city and I saw a man standing on the median holding a crude cardboard sign that said HOMELESS AND HUNGRY.  He looked to be a young man in his 30's maybe and was wearing a baseball cap.  My heart went from being light and funny because I was joking around with my friend, to heavy and sad when I saw this man. 

I'm so torn at times like that - I'm not ignorant - I know that sometimes people use things like that as a rouse to gain entrance to your vehicle and do awful things.  There was no way that two women in a car are going to stop and help a man - homeless and hungry or not. 

Even with the decision made that we would definitely not entertain the notion of having an encounter with him, I could not shake the image of him standing there with that sign.  I am neither homeless nor hungry.  I could have easily bought a dinner and taken it back to him, but I didn't. 

In the Christian community I always hear that you should never give people money because they'll go buy drugs or alcohol with it.  We don't really know that, do we?  If we had given him some money, is that what he would have done?  Who has the crystal ball that says that?  I thought we are to help in any way we feel led and let God take care of the results.  Is that a naive' way to think?  I didn't give him money either.  I didn't do anything.  

Okay - I did pray for the man.  No - I know everybody says that - but as my friend will attest - I really did pray.  We got to the restaurant and I was upset.  I could not get him out of my mind.  The man and the sign are permanently etched in my memory bank.  I sat at a restaurant with my friend and maybe I should have just shaken the image out of my head - but it wouldn't go.

My appetite had left and I felt a nagging.  I said, "I just need to at least pray for him - even if I don't think there is anything I can do for him, I know there is something that God can do."  We prayed.  Where is he now?  I don't know.  Does God know?  Oh yes He does because we prayed some reinforcements to gather around him in his struggle.  Angels are watching over him until God sends just the right man along to help him.   

On Good Friday we watch the movie, "The Passion of the Christ".  It's a painful reminder of what my Lord went through for me.  I don't know why - I just know He did.  Well, I do know that God is a just God and can accept no sacrifice other than a perfect one - and only His one and only Son was perfect enough to be sacrificed for my sins.  I know without that sacrifice I would not be going to heaven when I die. 

I'm no great scholar or theologian but I am a believer.  

Today I just want to pay forward the story of the cross.  God loved us so much He sent Jesus to pay the ultimate price - His life - so we could be saved and live with Him forever in heaven.  

That's my "pay it forward" to you today.  

It really was THE GOODEST OF FRIDAYS.  I'm thankful for the love of my Lord.

Here's the movie "The Passion Of The Christ" (don't forget to turn on the "closed caption" and set it on ENGLISH).  Settle in and let it bless you.

http://youtu.be/MNPoxmwLC1c

My friend and author of the inspirational devotional book, "Coffee With Jesus", Lucinda Berry Hill, has written this poem for us today.  It asks the question, "How much time did I spend on my knees?"  Wow - that's one to ponder.

 
Time Well Spent

When I leave this world
And my time is all that I take,
How sure will I be
When I open my book
And show what I've brought to the gate.
How many months
Did I take the time
To care for the sick and the lonely?
How many days
Did I send out a smile
Even to those who're less friendly?
How often were times
I'd search through His word
Hoping to grow from within?
How much of my timeTo be with the Lord
Did I spend on my knees
With thanksgiving and praises to Him?
How many weeks
Were spent being selfish,
Hoping to hide from the Lord?
How many seasons
Or will it be moments
Did I spend in sharing God's word?
What will my book show
Of time spent in worship;
More time in His word or sin?
How sure will I be
When I take to the Lord
My journal of time spent with Him?


Today I felt led to share a second poem by Lucinda because it is how I feel about Good Friday. 
 
With Tears for Jesus
 
I'm glad the Lord has rescued me
From death; from sin and shame,
But before I can rejoice in song
My heart weeps for Jesus' pain.
The burden put upon His heart
No other man could lift.
Compassion like Christ Jesus had shown
No other could exist.
The nails they drove into His flesh
They pierce my heart again.
The tears He wept up on the cross
My eyes are filled with them.
I'm sorry for the pain He felt;
For the torture, and things said.
I'm sorry He had to sacrifice
But I'm glad, for me, He did.

Lucinda Berry Hill, author of "Coffee With Jesus".



 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Something on a Stick

 
Do you ever feel like just because you are diabetic you have to miss out on all the fun?  Well, I do!  I think today we should celebrate this wacky holiday together.  Today is SOMETHING ON A STICK DAY!!!!!!!!!  And yes, a toothpick counts as a stick - a very short stick, but... So what comes on a stick? Practically anything. The first thing that comes to mind is popsicles and fudgecicles. Hotdogs are poplar on a stick at campfires. There's also corndogs, and shrimp and many Chinese treats. Cocktail wieners and cheese are picked and eaten on a stick(a toothpick). I'll tell you how I plan to celebrate.  There is a local food market in my town (I would share the name, but Google won't let me!)  They always have those sweet little old ladies standing around offering samples of some new product that some company hopes to get you hooked on.  Usually when I'm at the store and they ask me in that sweet little tone of voice, "Would you like to try a sample of __________???"  I just smile and politely decline.   Today I'm going to march in there and take every single sample I'm offered!  By golly by gum I'm gonna celebrate the day!!!!!!!!!!!  I don't think a few little samples of __________ are gonna hurt my blood glucose level that much - and I'm going to have a good time doin' it!!!   Yes, I have gone crazy (but shh... don't tell my husband - he'll have the white coats here quicker than you can say "frozen banana on a stick dipped in dark chocolate, rolled in chopped walnuts" I just made myself very hungry...  oh well...  moving on...   Have some fun with the 20% acidic-based portion of your food intake today!!!  I'll bet it will leaving you laughing so hard you'll be crying.  It's that kind of laughter that is so good for your soul - and that kind of laughter leaves your stomach muscles feeling like they've done 200 sit-ups!!!  The laughing is so much more fun than the sit-ups would be!!!  No WAY am I doing 200 sit-ups - (not even for Coach Stewart) - huh-uh! Incorporate the healthy, green high alkaline foods today - yes!  Do not forget what these foods do for your blood glucose and HbA1c.  BUT...  don't cut fun out of your life!  Grab a fun friend and hit every little ol' lady up at the grocery store and try the sample she is promoting- and share with her WHY you are allowing yourself to be tempted by the little samples on toothpicks today!!!  Give her a great reason to laugh and have a good day too!  Laughter is so contageous and so healthy - and it costs you nothing to laugh or to make someone else laugh!   Bless someone else today and in the process - be blessed!!! Eat something on a stick and be happy today!

Jeff Dunham and Jose' Jalapeno On a Stick!

http://youtu.be/U8eFRaZvKxA

 
 Have a happy and healthy SOMETHING ON A STICK DAY!!!!!!!!!!! 

  




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

There's Gonna be a Spoonin' Moon Tonight

This is known as a "spoonin' moon" here in Kansas
 
Tonight there is going to be a full moon.  I thought it might be a fun time to gather information about the full moon and its effects on everything from our eating habits to the cases of insomnia reported to how it affects human behavior.  Does a full moon directly affect our wellness?  Hmm...  I don't know.

Sometimes in preparing and researching for this blog, I am blown away by the quality (or lack thereof) in some facts I gather.  For instance, did you know that there is actually a "Moon Diet Plan"?  Yes.  In fact, there are two moon diet plans - the basic and extended versions.  Please allow me to share:

The basic moon diet plan consists of a 24-hour fasting day in which you consume only water and juice (you lost me already).  During the fasting day your body is cleansed of toxins, and you can lose up to 6 pounds of water weight in one day (reminds me of preparing for a colonoscopy).

The extended moon diet plan begins with a fasting day on a full moon, as described by the basic moon diet plan, then provides additional guidelines for weight loss and healthy eating during each of the major phases of the moon.

They claim that the benefit to the moon diet plan (other than rapid weight loss) is that it will detox your body and improve your immunity.  Well...  there are better ways to detox, but that's just my humble opinion. 

Popular legend has it that the full moon brings out the worst in people: more violence, more suicides, more accidents, more aggression.  The influence of the moon and behavior has been called "The Lunar Effect" or "The Transylvania Effect."  The term ''lunatic'' derives from the word ''luna'' the Latin term for moon, and is used to depict a person affected by periodic insanity, as if affected by the phases of the moon. 

Friends of mine in law enforcement swear up and down that the number of robberies and other violent crimes rise when there is a full moon.  I guess the thief wants to be able to see what he's doing better, so the full moon provides perfect lighting.  I don't know, but that's my theory.  The number goes up because it's just easier to see what you're doing.  I don't believe it's a "draw" from the moon itself. 

There are more medical emergencies during a full moon.  I think people are unable to sleep because it's too bright outside, so they start doing stuff and as a result they have accidents and need to call an ambulance.  I think it's all about the full moon making it so bright outside that people can't get to sleep. 

It's difficult for me to sleep when there's a full moon!

I've been guilty of staying up until the wee hours of the morning when there is a full moon, although thankfully I have fought the urge to go outside and begin howling. It's not easy but so far, so good.

Hands up everyone who wants to eat more when there is a full moon!  What's that all about???  I have a theory about that too - I think it's just boredom to some extent.  I mean, you're wandering around the house aimlessly when you should be sawing logs, right? 

So...  am I the only one who wanders into the kitchen and opens the refridgerator door and stares blankly in there with not an inkling of a clue what I want???  To give in and begin eating everything in the house in the middle of the night would definitely put a damper on my plan to lose that last 40 pounds.  Yeah - no, not going there again! 

It's a known fact that cats behave oddly when there is a full moon.  They get into more mischief and are injured more often during certain phases of the lunar cycle, particularly when the moon is fullest.  It's thought that this is because during a full moon there is more light at night which discourages calm restful sleep (isn't that what I've been saying???)  The risk of emergencies for cats on full moon days was 23 percent greater, compared to all other days.

If your cat appears to be a bit aggressive or moody on a full moon night, your observations can be actually on target. A study was conducted on the incidence of animal bites at the time of a full moon at a general hospital in an English city. The collected data reported that animal bites rose significantly at the time of a full moon with 56 cat bites making up 3.4 percent of the total animal bites. 

Cat owners as well can attest that their cats behave strangely when the moon shows its whole face.  Reported behaviors consisted of staring at nothing visible, running around, increased vocalizations,and acting aggressively towards other cats.

There is one good thing about a full moon.  A full moon in these parts is also referred to as a "spoonin' moon".  If you don't know what that means, then I feel really sorry for you.  If you have never been in a barn, in hay with your best beau when there's a spoonin' moon outside - girl, you just have not lived! 

Merle Travis was in a movie called "Spoonin' Moon" (with the Westerners and Judy Hayden) in the early 1950's.  My dad was a huge fan of Merle Travis, and I think that's probably how the term got so popular (in our house, at least), but I don't know that for a fact.

The Full Harvest Moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox.  That's obviously not this one.  The next Full Harvest Moon will be on October 18, 2013.  Those are always fun because they're so close to Halloween. 

That brings to mind good times of my childhood.  At the Full Harvest Moon, we used to go on hayrack rides at one of the local farms.  We'd pile in the back of a flat open horse-drawn wagon and sit on hay bales.  Again, the hay and the beau and the moon.  That's livin'!  Then we'd build a bonfire and roast weiners and marshmallows.  Really nice memories and good times!  


My dad was the most superstitious person and believed lock, stock and barrel that the moon itself affected all sorts of things.  He also got very upset if I would leave a rocking chair rocking, or let a broom fall to the floor.  Heaven forbid if a bird were ever to fly into the house!  And if I saw a ladder I would walk an entire block out of my way to avoid it! 

Now, don't get me wrong, I loved and respected my daddy - he was my hero and I was a daddy's girl.  On this particular subject, however, I have to respectfully disagree with his point of view. 

It is my humble opinion that when there is a full moon, it just means that there is more light at night to do more stuff.  If people are up doing more stuff instead of sleeping, then they're going to get into mischief and get hurt.  They might have an accident because they're out driving instead of sleeping. 

And, if someone is going to commit a crime, especially robbery - well, a full moon just gives them a little more light to work by.  I believe it's just that simple.  I don't think it's some hocus pocus that the moon has over us.  But - I'm just a little ol' farm girl from Kansas.  What do I know?

Full moon rising - 4x timelapse.

http://youtu.be/Qiq0xKFqVE0

Today is NATIONAL "JOE" DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can really get into this - my mom's middle name was JOE (yes, with an "E") and my favorite beverage on planet earth is coffee - a.k.a - JOE!!!  Yes - this is definitely a biggie for me!



Wow - there's a great idea - let's get some coffee to go and drink it so we can do all sorts of really stupid things tonight while there's a full moon!  Between the caffeine and the bright light the moon will provide, wow that should make everything so much better, don't 'cha think???  Woo-hoo!!!  Game on!








 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Three Cheers for the DOC

I have met some wonderful people through the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), but one of the best friends I have is fellow blogger, Kelly Booth.  We had a discussion a while back in the Dyslexic Diabetic group about how much help and strength and support we get from each other, especially when we begin to have symptoms and don't know what they mean.  Sometimes if we just ask someone who has been there, we can gain a little peace of mind about what we're going through.  Kelly has given me permission to re-post one of her blog entries.  Thank you, Kelly!
 
The Delusional Optimist Returns:

A Flicker of Hope

Back in the mid-90s was when I started having some signs of complications. In 1995, I had an upper GI that showed slow stomach emptying – at the time, I didn’t realize that I had the beginning stages of gastroparesis. In 1995 and 1996, I also had a lot of laser surgery for retinopathy. During that same time period, I started getting neuropathy in my feet that got progressively worse.

Kelly Booth looking out door - a Flicker of HopeSadly, it took going on disability in 2005 that gave me the time to get online and find the Diabetes Online Community (DOC). It was late 2007 when I first found the DOC. By the time that happened, my neuropathy was so bad that I had to use a walker to get around. In 2006, I had stitches put in my foot without needing to be numbed. I had zero feeling in my feet up to almost my knees.

When I found the DOC, I not only learned tips on how to manage my blood sugar, I found hope that my neuropathy could be reversed some day. There were articles posted about nerve regeneration and discussions that followed. One very interesting discussion was how our mitochondria can take 2-3 years to reach our feet in a person of average height. And of course, most of them get killed off on the journey from our spine to our feet.

Yesterday I had an appointment at the wound center. Because I had left and then decided to go back again, I was treated as a new patient and had to go thru the health screening part for a new patient. The nurse practitioner joked about having to do the filament testing – she knew that I had zero feeling in my feet but was supposed to do it as part of the process.
I was expecting to fall asleep when I had my eyes closed because I had very little sleep the night before. I certainly wasn’t expecting what happened: I felt a vibration! I think I shocked the NP when I said that. It took a minute to find the spot again but I felt it again! She asked if it was on the top of my foot or the bottom – I said top and it was the bottom, but I felt a vibration!

That was my bad foot and she did it on my good foot. There was a spot there also! That one was not as strong as the other foot, but I still felt a vibration!
I can’t remember exactly when I stopped feeling those things, but I know it was pre-2003. In 2003, I had changed both jobs and doctors and everything was going downhill fast. I know that I had no feeling in my feet at that time and that was when the neuropathy also started moving up my leg faster. Because we are only a few weeks away from 2013, I think it is safe to say that it has been over 10 years since I felt anything in my feet!

I had some mitochondria survive the trek from my spine down to my feet! It is only one spot on each foot, but I felt the vibration! It is the first sign that I have had that yes, there is a chance that my neuropathy is going to reverse. I know it is only one little spot on each foot, but I believe that the process has started and my neuropathy is going to reverse. I know it is a very slow process, but it is going to happen – the first mitochondria to survive that journey made a path for the others to follow. I know that eventually I am going to be able to walk without my walker again. Mark my words, but I not only plan on walking without my walker, I am going to run again!

I know that I am the one that had to put the effort in, but I never would have been able to see this day without the DOC. You guys gave me the knowledge to do it, the support along the way, the encouragement to keep going when I got discouraged, and there to help me get back up when I fall. Thank you DOC!

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Since Easter is just around the corner, I want to share this lovely poem written by my friend and author of "Coffee With Jesus", Lucinda Berry Hill.


 
The Curtain
 

Long ago there was a place

that we could never see.

Only pure and holy ones

Could be found there on their knees.

But then God sent His only son

A lamb in purest form.

He gave His life for all of us

And the curtain, it was torn.

There's nothing standing in our way

NO fear, no sin, no shame,

No condemnation blocking us

From calling on His name.

We need no lamb, no sacrifice

To speak right to our Lord.

The final sacrifice was made

And the curtain, it was torn.

Today we go straight to our God,

No reservations, no doubt.

Nothing stands in our way,

Our sin can't keep us out.

We are loved,

We are welcomed

With acceptance from the Lord.

And nothing stands between us now

Since the curtain, it was torn.

Lucinda Berry Hill


 



Today is MAKE UP YOUR OWN HOLIDAY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  So...  celebrate whatever you want!!!!!!!!!!  Woot!!!!!!!!!!  I will be celebrating my very good friend's birthday today!!!  Hey - any old excuse to have a PARTY, right??? 


On a more serious note, today is also EPILEPSY AWARENESS DAY!!!!!!!!  It would behoove all of us to learn more about this condition.  Wear purple today in support of this important cause.