Skip a shot, not so fun

Skip a shot, not so fun, and Im not talking about a shot at the bar.

I had a tough day on Friday. It actually turned tough the night before when I realized I had forgotten to take my dose of long acting insulin the morning before. My sugars were running a bit high, and some shots of short acting insulin just didn't seem to be working..... That was the moment I realized exactly what my body was missing. Sigh. It is never a good idea to skip a medication, but the medication that is used to lower your sugar level and keep your body running is forgotten; it can have some serious consequences.

so Friday morning I take some insulin and struggle to get to work on time. I go in, make myself a cup of coffee then go sit at my desk and stare at said cup of coffee.......

Every coworker that walks in the door that morning "whoa, you don't look so good." then I get nauseous and have to go sit in the bathroom for 20 minutes or so..... I come back, extremely light headed and say I need to go home, just for an hour, until my sugar level comes down. Then I get even more dizzy and go lay down in our CAD room (where we keep our charts and maps) for another 20 minutes. Double sigh, I can see this is going to be an extremely productive day at work.

Eventually I get back to the house I am house sitting at, close my eyes for a few minutes then get up and put the laundry in the dryer (cuz I ran outta time this morning) and get dizzy and sit down. Then I take some stuff down to my truck, get dizzy, sit down. Start taking some stuff out of the fridge, get dizzy, lay down. It's almost lunch time and I have not eaten anything yet today. So I make myself a bowl of cereal, sit down and look at it until it gets soggy to eat it.... I'm not feeling so well, check sugar level and take some more short acting insulin.

It's cold in the house so I'm not having much luck napping for more than 10 minutes at a time. I decide to finish loading my stuff into my truck and move shop to my house where I will be more comfortable. After many light headed spells and rests, finally I am ready. I call work to let them know I do not plan on coming back in this day. Which is frustrating, as my sugar level is better now and I still have no strength and feel like crap.

So this is what its like to take a sick day!! I much rather would be working, but sugar is having a party in my blood stream and just won't settle down!!!!!!!!

On another note I have been following a meal plan on realage.com and blood sugars have been fantastic!! Hence that's most likely why my body is being SO sensitive to these higher sugar levels!

A word of advice, never skip medication. The older you get the deeper the consequences and the tougher it is to get back on track.

Try to take care of yourself!!!! (I am doing the best I know how and it still gets away from me at times) Challenging for sure.

Lion jelly

Introducing the new and improved

(but mainly low sugar diabetic friendly)

LION JELLY!!!

RAWRRR! Warning..... if you have read my last post and decided to try this dandelion jelly recipe out, please note that if you consider yourself a "green thumb" reconsider, because every single digit will now become yellow. Yes I said yellow, and not to mention a very very sticky mess.

I had some lovely helpers the other day out picking these dandelions. The toughest part is that at this time of the year the dandelions are seeding into those wispy, billowing seeds that blow all over the place with a single breath. So there we were deep into dandelion territory, we were lucky to get out alive if ya ask me...

So after gathering 2 half filled bags worth it was off to home to separate the blossoms from the bitter stems. If my fingers were not yellow before, well..... even lava soap does not do the yellow dandelion pigment justice!(good thing I read the sap was good for warts, cuz I surely will not grow any on my hands!) It was tedious work but once I had 3 cups of blossoms I heaved a huge sigh of relief! Dandelions wilt pretty quick once you pluck them so just be sure to separate as soon as possible because they close up as they die and thats just more work than you need to do....

unless you like doing things the hard way of course....My new favorite pectin to use is: Pomonas Universal Pectin. It really does use less sugar (some pectins just say you can use less, but this brand is absolute magic!!) it is pectin powder that you mix with calcium water and you can buy it locally in Sitka at Simple Pleasures and at Evergreen health food store. Since this was all a huge experiment, I was not positive how this recipe was going to turn out because simmering dandelions dont exactly have the greatest aroma..... and since I have gotten away with adding less sugar to fruits and berries in recipes, I had high hopes this dandelion recipe would at least be edible...... However.... Lion jelly is delicious! If you dont believe me you should really attempt to make your own, you could ask me to help you, but Im not sharing mine so go pick some dandelions and call me!

Rawwrrrr......

Dandelion delight!

I am a type of cook in the kitchen that will just about try anything once. Using ingredients from the local area is high on my interests. Some things, like attempting salmonberry jam: is fantasticly extraordinary and I will keep on producing this phenomenal treat into a tradition.

Other things, like rose hip fruit leather and devlis club tea....not so wonderful (unless messy, bitter, thorny fun is what you consider a good time) but what to do with dandelions? Those pesky "weeds" that sprout up in the cracks and crannys of every sidewalk, planter bed, and under hard to reach decks.

As a child I remember collecting these vibrant yellow flowers into a bouquet and presenting them to the nearest lucky recipient. Or getting into dandelion wars and flicking the heads off at anyone and everyone.

Here is a recipe I will be testing out this weekend:

Dandelion Jelly Recipe #420372

1¾ hours | 1 hour prep
SERVES 20 , 2 jars

4 cups yellow parts dandelion flowers
3 cups boiling water
4 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 (6 ounce) package dry pectin

Pull the yellow blossoms apart from the green parts. Get lots and lots of blossoms. While you are collecting them, you can freeze what you already have. Make sure there are no green parts since the green parts have a bitter flavor. I pack the blossoms into a 4 cup measure. More blossoms mean more flavor for the jelly. Bring the water to a boil and fill the water with dandelion blossom shreds.

Simmer over very gentle heat about 10 minutes.

Pour the water and blossoms through a strainer. Press the blossoms as dry as possible to extract the maximum amount of water.

Add more blossoms to the strained water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Continue simmering and straining until all the blossoms are used up.

Add more water to make up 3 cups. You lose some water because it is caught in the blossoms.
Strain the water very well. I use a coffee filter.

Combine water with lemon juice, sugar and pectin. Bring to roiling boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil hard for one minute. Skim.

Pour into hot jars and seal. I haven't used food coloring but I have seen this jelly lightly tinted and it looks prettier.

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According to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, a serving of uncooked dandelion leaves contains 280 percent of an adult's daily requirement of beta carotene as well as more than half the requirement of vitamin C. Dandelions are also rich in vitamin A.

Dandelions are also used as herbal remedies. The white sap from the stem and root is used as a topical remedy for warts. The whole plant is used as a diuretic and liver stimulant.

I will get back to you and tell you how mine turns out!!

What are you creating these days in your kitchen?!

Bring on the spring

Allergies affect so many people on a day to day basis. Many do not even know they are affected, and I can sneeze why; allergens are minuscule terrors that float unseen on the breeze.

I wake up some mornings in the spring time with symptoms that make me think I may be coming down with a cold. I rub my eyes, and blow my nose- but my symptoms never develop into anything. Sometimes for weeks before I realize I can solve this blundering idioc haze with a little blue pill called Benedryl. But I dont like solving anything via pill, isnt there a better naturopathic solution?

I read somewhere recently that honey is a natural allergen reducer. As is goldenseal and grape seed extract, but you must get it in a pure form. Of course eating correctly in the first place helps a great deal, there are many foods which produce nutrients that block the histamines that affect our nasal passages.

If pollen or weed allergies affects you there are also foods you should avoid including: cucumber, banana, chamomile and ANY herbal supplements containing echinacea. As they can make your allergy symptoms worse(says webmd.com) Okay I am done ranting about health problems for now!

I am lucky that I only get seasonal allergies, and they really are not that horrible (sniff, sniff, ACHOO) but as many allergies are caused by dirt, mold and animal dander, the best way to begin preventing allergies is to have a clean home. And isnt that exactly what spring cleaning is for?!! Spring is here- YAY FOR SPRING TIME!!

On another note, I went to a potluck this weekend and someone stole my shoes!!! Okay it was probably not their fault since I had the exact same brand of shoes and it was a party with alcohol involved, but really, cant you tell if you are wearing YOUR shoes or not? They were the exact same size, but mine were a heck of a lot dirtier and older than the ones that were left behind (which I wore home, how else was I supposed to get around) So morally, if my shoes are the older gross pair, should I try to track down whoever now has my smelly/dirty old pair? There were a lot of people (about 40) at the party and most of whom I didnt really know. Now I feel kinda bad and for the next few weeks Im sure I am going to be checking everybodys footwear.

Get outside and enjoy your spring!!

The greasy details of: Greece!!

I am home!

First thing I do when I walk through my door, ditch the bags on the floor and head straight for my hairbrush (I travel light and havent brushed my hair in 3 weeks!) Then turn my heat up because brrrr!! Its a lot colder here than 8898 kilometers away (5585 miles).

So everyone now asks me: "What was the best part about your trip?"


And I have to say- the food. The Mediterranean food is phenomenal. Nothing is processed, nothing has added chemicals and preservatives (well some of the packaged foods do but they are not pushed as a part of a normal diet as in the way of the United States), no added hormones in the milk, yogurt and cheeses, the grocery stores dont have to label anything "organic" because most of it IS organic! They produce their own wines, traditional greek ouzo, bread, various vegetables and yummy fresh fruit, honey, and of course the olives! Olives fresh, olive tapenade(a topping for bread), olives on pizza, olives with wine, olives to accompany everything and anything and especially the much anticipated olive oil, as fresh as you can get it.

There is a special way of life here- a way of life I could definatly get used to!! Instead the presence of the place most on my mind continues to be Alaska. Where we ship all our produce and goods in, makes me question myself to why I DO love it so much here. (Especially while visiting a pretty much self sufficient country.)

Greeks dont know entirely what Diabetes is. Not so strange if you think about it, they eat enough non processed foods(see above paragraphs) so explaining this auto immune disease to them was a little bit like just rambling on about green eggs and ham. They nod their heads and say they understand.....but I just dont think they see the same types of health related problems there. Which made me a bit worried about my bloodsugars (especially the first week I was there, terrible jetlag) adjusting to the time change (example when it was day time in Greece, it was night time in Alaska) so getting onto an eating, exercise pattern was a bit difficult for me and I could feel it in the rollercoastering sugar levels for sure.

I wore a medic alert but was even more worried that if I was found unconscious, how would a situation like that be handled? Luckily nothing serious happened. Its a risk I choose to take to be able to travel. I am a prepared traveler. And I would not have it any other way.

The constant sunshine aided my hair into turning 2 shades lighter! Plus I got a fantastic head start on my summer tan. I think I forgot what rain was, it rained ONLY once for about 20 minutes while I was there, and it soaked up so fast into the thirsty ground that it seemed like it never even happened.

Each individual island has its very own pace, beauty, and charm. I only got to visit 5, but once I got going on the proverbial "island hopping" experience I knew I could easily adapt to more of this lifestyle. I saw 5 out of 227 inhabited islands, it just wasnt enough!! Plus the other 1,400 or so uninhabited ones are still out there waiting patiently.....

One thing that really surprised me about this country that thrives near its radiant ocean; is the litter. There is too much litter here. And not enough effort going into stopping the litter from collecting in the cities or on (and IN) the beautiful beaches.

The ferry tickets were by far the most expensive part of my entire trip. Okay not including my international plane ticket. But thanks to couchsurfing.org and the option of cheaper backpacking hostels and decently priced fresh local food, I am so thrilled to report that I spent less than $2,000.00 on my entire trip. Thats right my ENTIRE trip. And that IS including airfare there! You can be a budget conscious traveler too if you want to!

Not only was this was my first time to Europe, but also my first time traveling alone. I met so many wonderful people throughout this trip, made new friends and represented Alaska, oh yeah! I was thinking it was going to be a challenge for me. But it was a challenge I fully embraced and can positively say I WOULD do it over again!

I will never be able to say the quote "its all greek to me" in the same way ever again, because woot woot Ive been there!! Its a completely alternate way of life, to the diet they live on, the crazy driving skills it takes to survive on the roads, the architecture and expressive art that has survived hundreds of years, their proud culture, and the attitudes that are essentially: greek.

Yassas!!

To see ALL the photos from this trip go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/sitkakoala/Greece201002#

Dear Diabetes

Dear Diabetes,

This March marks the 20th year we have been together. Wow. Who would have thought we would have made it this far. We have been through so much, some challenges, some pain, plenty of finger pricks, and doctor visits, but mostly a whole lot of learning on how we can be healthier by working with one another.

Sometimes I do feel like giving up and kicking you out to the curb. I admit you sometimes make it hard on me, especially when all I want is to consume an entire pound of chocolate. And through trail and error I see that a small piece of chocolate- and in moderation, is a good compromise for feeling good and having enough energy to understand why you chose me to be your host body.

I have learned that regularity in exercise is THE BEST medicine for most ailments. Although keeping a positive outlook helps a great deal as well.

You have helped me to pick out the best possible friends to surround me when I need a little extra compassion and help. And even in times of crises, they still stand by me.

You have helped me by truly appreciating my parents. Because even though other people also appreciate their parents, I know what mine have gone through for us. Often I think about what they had to witness their 7 year old going through 20 years ago, god they sure have been brave.

I want to thank you for enabling me to be a healthier, conscientious person. And to be able to teach those around me that living with Diabetes does not have to be a negative life sentence. And to keep educating me. Every. Single. Day.

Please keep teaching me, because I enjoy this life immensely.

Sincerely, Me.

Acerbic Strength

Acerbic strength

We all have obstacles we must overcome. Mine is sugar. Sugar will try to kill me one day. It has already told me so.

Sugar talks to me. Sugar tells me all day long that it wants me. It says that it needs me. So much lust is involved that I start to hallucinate. And I am aware I am hallucinating because I know what the word crave feels like. I know how it feels to be lacking. To hanker for something you will decide in a nanosecond to surpass your judgment just to get insane relief. Aw relief. Even better. Sweet relief.

I see sugar standing there. It thought I was not noticing. So it started to shout. Then began to pout. I tried to be unaccessable. Why could sugar not do the same. It is the substance that makes my body tremble. Shall I close my eyes as I start to spasm inside of its hollow doorway. When I am in its arms it has complete power over me. Its the allergy I react to after I have already ingested it and wake up in the emergency room. Someone please oblige me in putting it into an unreachable realm!

My heart is affronted with the yearning for its fulfilling taste. The longing just to lick the smooth, gritty rainbow like substance once more. You too will want to bury your face in the navel of its syrupy goodness. But many hours go by as the sugars pour throughout my veins. Dancing and swirling inside of my body while my pancreas screams. Yelling at my kidneys to do something. Anything. It takes too long to come down after a sugar high. Would you give in to your own suicide. I do not desire to.

I claim innocence. I claim to not understand. But do I really? Do I continue to allow sugar to be my neighbor. I admit I have enabled it to hold my hand for 17 years. I ask you now if you understand. Do you understand how important it is for you to stand by me in my decision.

Will you please take this sugar down from its high shelf and occupy its attention long enough so I can kick it in the ass. Together we can create a defensive stategy. We can build a mechanism, a wall of blandness against this enemy of sweet treat threats.

Sugar I am not sorry I ruined your day. I hear your anguish. Stop shaking cute like. I am not taking you home. Pretending is only perpetuating a lie. It was once maybe all I ever knew. Sneaking in extra calories under the darkness of insufficiency and naivety. It does nothing for me now. There is no question on what I am sure of in my life. Move on over sugar you are being replaced.

I no longer lend my health to that which I wish not to be bound to. I am armed with acerbic strength. My cleverness out weighs my feeble hunger. My stamina can endure and over take this. I whisper to you, It is all in your head remember.

I give myself an autopsy of what I really need. I feel better already. Life is best without all those glittering granules anyways. These are not tears in my eyes. I know whats missing in my life. Its not dry skin and achy muscles, and toes that have no circulation. Blurry vision or numbness in the fingers. Fatigue, excessant thirst or nausea. It is sugar that aids these symptoms in happening. I know whats missing from my life. It is not sugar. Period.

Good bye feeling like crap. I have control.

Hello my name is Kate. I do not have diabetes. I live with diabetes.