Another First

I'm still a pretty new diabetic, so I continue to experience "firsts" in this journey. A few days ago I was reminded of this as it was the first time that I have gotten really sick since I've had diabetes. When I first was diagnosed with diabetes, the doctors and nurses gave me information at the hospital about what to do on "sick days" and everything. But I thought at the time that feeling ill would be the same whether or not I had this disease. Like many other times in my life, I was proven wrong!

It all started because my numbers were going a little wonky. Highs and lows within hours for no explainable reason. I thought this was a little odd, but that's what life is for, right? Keep it interesting? ;) Then after a short while, I was experiencing the cold symptoms. Normal, I thought. I'm just getting the cold that's going around. And it was fairly normal for the rest of the day.

I was anticipating on getting up and ready for school the next morning as usual. But the moment I woke up, I knew that wasn't an option. So I stayed home from school for a couples days. This felt almost entirely like the yucky cold that goes around, but the difference was adding diabetes to the equation. I was surprised to discover that when I checked my numbers before meals, they were in the 200s and 300s. This is definitely unusual for me as I try very hard to control my numbers to where they should be. Even after giving myself extra insulin to correct at suppertime, I was still at 358 and nine o' clock. Not only was I disappointed that my numbers were high, I also didn't get my normal nine o' clock snack. Oh well, life goes on.

The next morning I did some serious research into being sick with diabetes. Here are a few big things I came up with. If you are a diabetic, you might want to keep these things in mind if you ever have a couple sick days.

1.) High numbers are normal. High numbers and even high to low fluctuations are normal when you are sick because your body is under stress. To deal with this stress, your body releases hormones that help it fight disease. But these hormones have side effects. They raise blood sugar levels and interfere with the blood sugar-lowering effects of insulin.

2.) Check your ketones. None of us like to do this, right? We forget, it gets busy, we just don't want to. But it really is important. Because of the higher numbers, you may find that you have ketones. Even if you aren't above the 240 point, doctors will still tell you to check your ketones every 4-6 hours when you are sick. If you have moderate to high ketones, but you don't know that or you don't treat it, it can result in a coma and even death. Okay, I know that seems very serious and it is. But it doesn't have to be something to worry about if you simply check your blood glucose and your ketones often.

3.) Drink A LOT. No matter if you have diabetes or not, your body needs some extra fluids to fight against this sickness. But also, to help prevent having ketones, the more you drink, the faster your body flushes out ketones. Hot tea is perfect. There are many different flavors and there aren't any carbs.

 4.) Check your cold medicine. Make sure you read the labels of the cold medicine you are going to take. A lot of them tell you to ask your doctor before using if your have diabetes. That is very important. You don't want to make anything worse by taking something that is going to harm you more than help you. Also, there are many diabetic-friendly cold medicines that you can find at your local pharmacy. That way, you know for sure that it is safe for you.

The biggest thing about being sick with diabetes is simply to be aware of your body. I'm sure that everyone is different. These are just a few things that I learned while experiencing another first in my diabetic journey. I hope that this information can help in some way.

Turning Colors

Fall has to be one of my four favorite seasons! I love the crispness of the cool air and hearing the leaves crunch when I go for a walk. I get excited every time I look at the big tree down the street and notice that it is bright orange. I love getting out my favorite sweatshirts and wearing socks 24/7. The hot soup and tea is a special favorite that comes with this season. But, I could go on this rant forever. There just seems to be an endless list for all of the reasons that I love autumn.


In my devotions, I have been focusing on the book of Ecclesiastes. There have been many verses that have reminded me that I really need to enjoy this time of year. This is a very busy time for most people, but this book  has encouraged me to look beyond the every day "things" and appreciate the blessings. Once I start to do that, I begin to realize how abundantly caring God is for us. He simply wants us to enjoy his creation. I hope these verses will encourage you as they did me. :)



 "Everything on earth has its own time and its own season." (3:1)

"God makes everything happen at the right time." (3:11)    

"I know that the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life,  because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do." (3:12-13)

"It's better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense then chasing the wind." (6:9)

"When times are good, you should be cheerful; when times are bad, think what it means. God makes them both to keep us from knowing what will happen next." (7:14)

No-Noodle Zucchini Lasagna

Okay, I feel like our first reaction to anything with zucchini is a negative one. But it can be substituted into many different recipes to make foods healthier and lower in carbohydrates. Pasta is very high in carbs, but I love to eat lasagna. My sister found this recipe and we tried it. It is actually very good. It doesn't taste identical to regular lasagna, of course, but it is a nice option for a healthier meal filled with energy-giving veggies.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time:  1 hour
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- Hot water as needed
- 1 egg
- 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander. *
3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta cheese, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.
5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Than layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.
6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information: (Per Serving)
- Calories: 494
- Total Fat: 27.3g
- Cholesterol: 121mg
- Sodium: 2200mg
- Total Carbs: 23.2g
- Dietary Fiber: 5.8g
- Protein: 41.3g

* We found that it was helpful to make sure that you have enough time earlier in the day to dry the zucchini.

Silly Moments (Disney)

Let's take a moment and pause for the appreciation of Disney. I am a Disney fanatic! There's just something about curling up and watching a good ol' Disney movie when life starts to get a little stressful. So, for today, I'll share with you some fun memories of great Disney movies. Enjoy! :)

"If it's not Boroque. don't fix it!"

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest
and most beautiful of all."

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!"

"Think of all the joy you'll find
when you leave the world behind and bid your cares goodbye."

."Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts."

"Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!"

"I am on my way. I can go the distance.
I'll be there someday, if I can be strong.
I know every mile will be worth my while.
I will go most anywhere to find where I belong."

Changing Times

School started again about two weeks ago and I knew it was going to offer some changes regarding my diabetic health. As I have mentioned before, I got diagnosed with diabetes on the last day of school this last year. So I haven't had the opportunity to observe how the "school year schedule" affects my body until now. And, to be honest, these last two weeks have been a little difficult.

I am a very active person. Since being diagnosed with diabetes, I have grown to love moving my body and stay busy with active projects. However, being forced to sit for seven hours every day, five days a week, has definitely altered my blood glucose numbers. I am usually normal at breakfast, a little high at lunch, and in the two-hundreds at suppertime. Even with the insulin increases that I have done, it stills seems to be consistently high later in the day. 

This can create some frustration when, after treating myself with the correct amount of insulin for my numbers shown, I get lows before bedtime. It will sometimes jump from mid two-hundreds to below seventy within a few hours. I almost feel like my blood sugar is playing a ping-pong match in my body. It can be hard for me not to feel upset, disappointed, or even guilty for my numbers to not be where I want them. I have had to remind myself often that this is simply an adjustment time. I'm sure every diabetic could have a story or situation where he or she could not control their body the way they would like because of their circumstances.

I think that's the key word: circumstance. But the thing that I keep telling myself for encouragement is that it's not what my circumstances are, but how I choose to react to them. I am learning to take it day by day, or sometimes simply moment by moment. I do what needs to be done; I correct or adjust the insulin dosage according to what my record book says I have to. I don't try to tackle this whole situation to fix it because I just can't. 

Over the last four months, I have really come to love this disease that I have. But there are good days, and there are difficult days. Sometimes, it just takes some time to learn how to deal with the hard ones. By the support of family and friends, by the determination in each of us, and by the grace of God, we have the hope that we can and will keep going.

Extending Our Arms

As promised, I am sharing with you some ways to help those who are suffering throughout the world today. This is something that I am very passionate about (as you can probably tell). I believe that God places the responsibility of caring for others upon us and there are two reasons for this. One: These are God's children that He loves deeply. Two: It will teach us to be appreciative and content with what we have, knowing that others are forced to endure much more.

One way that I love to help others is through child sponsorship. There are many different organizations that work with families across the globe, offering support in a variety of ways. I have chosen to go through World Vision. I pay thirty-five dollars a month to provide clean water, nutritious food, health care, education, spiritual nurture, and the building of communities. It seems unbelievable that this amount of money could supply all of these things. However, there are a few sponsors per child, so together a bigger difference is made. This is why it is so important that more people take prayerful consideration of supporting a child.

My sponsor child is a nine-year-old girl who lives in Malawi. We have sent each other letters and she is such a delightful, spirited young lady. She has a father and mother, two sisters, and a brother. She tells me about her school and about her faith. It feels so good to receive letters so that I know that she and her family are well. Simply from the letters I have gotten, I can tell that she is so unique and loves life! It's such a blessing  to offer such a small gift to do so much for someone else.

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17 

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18 

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9 

"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9 

"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18 

Again, I hope that you will consider through thought and prayer how God intends for you to help others. If child sponsorship interests you, here is a link to World Vision:  

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2DoChildSearch_B.jsp?