6.3 A1C!!

This number is amazing! Especially since I've been hovering at around 7 to 7.5 over the past 3 years. I haven't been in the 6 range since I was pregnant with Evan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Diabetes speak, I am talking about my hemoglobin A1C, which is essentially a 3 month average of my blood sugars. This is such an important number that I have my blood tested every 3 months to check. It's an indicator to how I am controlling my blood sugars. If I have more highs and lows they will throw off my average.

The one big difference over the last 3 months has been my Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). This is a system that reads my blood sugars continuously (every 3 minutes) and transmits that to my pump so I can see a graph of what my blood sugar numbers are doing at all times. I upgraded my Minimed insulin pump last year in May and bought the CGMS transmitter and 1 box of sensors, but was having trouble using them in the beginning so I took a break, that turned out to be a long break! I finally got back into it at the beginning of January and it seems those 2 months really helped my average, aka my A1C. So, I've had to suck it up and purchase more as I ran out the other week. With my deductible it's going to be a bit more expensive than I would like but it's for the betterment of my health! Who can put a price on that? Though it's something I struggle with regularly as I hate what I have to put out for medical expenses. But overall, I am so grateful that such advanced technology is available to help me get the best control possible!

I'm Really Still Here - and an Award

I know, I've been a bad blogger. :( This new year just kick started into high gear and I've been feeling so behind in all areas of my life. Unfortunately, my blog is often what gets neglected in these times. It may also be that I'm on a computer all day and when I get home I find it hard to get back on when I really need a break from it. I know these are all just excuses! I'm good at excuses, but I am going to try my best to keep this blog updated more often. We also haven't been doing much but daily life things so don't have too much to post about.

Anyway, my blog friend Summer has given me an award! My first one ever! It's the "Your Blog Makes Us Smile" award. Thanks Summer...she is just a ray of sunshine herself and I find such strength and perspective when I read her blog. I know what I deal with having diabetes is minor compared to her health problems, but as I see her deal with everything she goes through day to day it helps me find the strength on those days, like today, when my blood sugars are high and making me feel terrible. She is an inspiration truly! You should check out her blog!

Now I'm supposed to pass this along, and sadly, I'm not sure if I have 7 blogger friends to list. I'm really new to the bloggy world, and a lot of the blogs I read are popular blogs that many others read and have received many other awards. But here are a few:

Stephanie Sofka - my sister-in-law can always look at a situation from a different perspective and learn from life's circumstances, all while focusing on God. And she can always lift your spirits. She's a strong and sweet Christian women and I'm so proud to call her sister and friend. Oh, and she's kinda like me - a sporadic blogger! :)

Mike Sofka - want a good laugh? Check out my brother-in-law's blog. He is one of the most hilarious people I know! When he and Brad get together, it's a laugh riot the whole time! Yet he is also serious in his faith in God, and he's good at picking out great bible verses to share that seem to be just what others need to hear.

Layne - I recently connected with Layne through another diabetes blog. She lives right in town and we just met the other day. It is so nice to have someone around here who understands what I'm going through and that I can share experiences with. We've been able to learn so much from each other already! She has a great blog where she chronicles her life and how she manages her diabetes, and her job as a nurse in a NICU, which I think is just amazing!

Elle Nault - I love how through her blog I can tell how much she enjoys being a mother. She has a sweet spirit, and is honest and open with her feelings surrounding what is happening in her life.

Now I'm to list 7 things that make me smile. This part should be easy enough!

1. My little sunshine - my son Evan who is going to be 3 years old in April
2. My husband - his sense of humor is always making me laugh!
3. Watching my husband and son play together
4. Being surrounded by family, wherever and whenever!
5. Shopping - for a sale or deal of course!
6. Getting together with girlfriends
7. A bright, sunny day - good thing I live in Florida!

Thanks again Summer for giving me motivation and a topic to get me back into blogging!

Overwhelmed by Support of Diabetes Walk

Update: You can still make donations to my campaign through the end of the year. Just click here.

Wow! I am extremely overwhelmed, in a REALLY good way, with all the support of my family and friends in donating to my participation in the ADA Diabetes walk. In such a short time, so many generously gave to support this cause that is so personal to me. I feel so loved and encouraged by this. I had set a goal of just $250 as I knew that economic times are tough, but ended up raising $545! (More than double my goal, and more than half of my whole team's goal.) THANK YOU SO MUCH to all who donated, and for those who lifted me and the walk up in prayer! Our friends John and Summer also came out to the walk to join us in support. And though it was early to get up in the morning, it was a nice cool morning and a nice way to start a Saturday. Here are the few photos I got a chance to take at the walk. My nurse practioner, Julie, who helps me manage my diabetes, and has been with me since my diagnosis, was also participating. It was great to see her there and she gave Evan a pumpkin balloon she had been using to help her other team members locate her.

With Summer and John

With Dan (Team Captain) and Amy

Evan and his pumpkin balloon

Looking Forward to the Weekend

It's been a busy week! I've been go, go, go every night this week, except last night which I had to veg on the couch or I didn't think I would make it through the weekend. :) But so many exciting things are happening this weekend, and I'm ready for the Friday work day to be over.

Tonight, we'll be heading to a Fall Festival at the church behind our house...we'll be able to just walk out our back door and across the field. Evan will dress in his Tigger costume for the 3rd time. I think I'll go as myself tonight...dressing up in a short, red wig twice is enough!

Tomorrow morning is the ADA Step out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. I'm so excited to be taking part in this event! It's a cause very close to my heart, as you can see by the fact that I'll be getting up at around 5:30am to get all of us all ready to get out the door by 7am! But it will be a nice walk in cool weather...praying for no rain! So many people have donated to my campaign and I feel so overwhelmed with support and encouragement!

Then Sunday, we'll be attending the Beach Baptisms our church is hosting. It's a whole family event with a cookout and service afterwards. Our friends Summer and John are getting baptized so we are extremely excited!

So it's a full weekend ahead! But I'll leave you with some more cute costume photos..

From my work's Halloween Chili Luncheon:

From last weekend's Halloween Party (thanks Summer for the photos!):

With Summer

And a few from last year's Halloween Party. Summer just passed these along to me so I had to share. Look at how little and chunky Evan is! But wasn't he a precious turtle!

With Summer and John

Dealing with Diabetes...and a Walk to Fight Diabetes

Well, I woke up Thursday morning with a VERY high blood sugar reading. I almost hate to put the number here as those of you who don't have diabetes will be completely shocked! But here goes - It was 452. Let's just say around 500 people often pass out and end up in the hospital! Thank God that has never happened to me. But 452 is VERY far away from my target range of 80-110. With that high of a number I knew something was wrong with my infusion site...now you are probably saying "what is an infusion site?"

Here's a little background. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2001 at the age of 24. This is what is commonly referred to as Juvenile diabetes - but, yes, people can get it all the way up to the age of 30. Who knew? Not me! What a shock. To say it changed my life is an understatement. It meant I needed insulin to live as my body no longer produced any. Diabetes is not something I can just forget about or get away from. I deal with it daily...checking my blood sugar 5-7 times each day, counting my carbohydrates and giving myself insulin...it's a tedious process to say the least. But it's made easier (not easy but easier) with the help of an insulin pump to deliver insulin continuously, similar to a normal pancreas. That's where the infusion site comes in...the pump is connected to me through tubing that goes into an infusion site in my skin. The tubing is really small but does involve a needle to put the infusion site into my skin, and has to be changed every 3 days.

So back to my story...I immediately changed my infusion site to ensure my body was properly getting insulin and my blood sugar came down. Of course it took 4 hours or so for it to be back in range. And any time my blood sugar is really high or really low, it affects my body for the next 24 hours. Not fun - but something I've learned to deal with and push through because my day and responsibilities, such as work and taking care of my little boy, don't stop.

It was funny that this all happened the day after I had found out about an American Diabetes Association fundraising walk coming to my area on Nov. 1. I already knew I wanted to participate but this just solidified it and motivated me even more. So I'm asking friends and family to donate or join Brad, Evan and I for the walk. Find out more at my ADA personal webpage and some details below:

Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes is a fund-raising walk, benefiting the ADA's mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. I'm asking you all, as my friends and family, to consider supporting me by donating to my campaign. I know these are tough economic times and we are all feeling the pinch, so please don't feel any obligation to give. If you can and do, I'll so appreciate it. If not, I ask if you could pray for me and others with diabetes. Pray for us as we try to keep our blood sugars in line and keep it from affecting our health in what can be a wide variety of ways. Pray for the walk to be successful and hey, if you feel so moved, pray for a cure to be found quickly! :)

Also, if you are in Orlando and want to take part in a fun morning, consider joining me, Brad and Evan for the walk. It starts Nov. 1 at 8:30am at Loch Haven Park. You can sign up to walk and make donations on my personal web page.

Just so you know, more than 20 million Americans suffer from diabetes, and another 54 million are at risk for developing diabetes. I'm hopeful for a cure - and any support of the ADA helps!

____________________________

I do feel very fortunate that diabetes is treatable and I can still live a long, healthy life by taking the proper steps. I know this is not always the case for those with different forms of cancer, and other serious diseases. Plus, they are making advances in diabetes treatment every day and I truly hope a cure can be found (and attainable for the general public) in my lifetime. This is my challenge to face in life, and through it, I just remind myself of how blessed I truly am!