Positive step forward

I spent most of the day reading and sleeping but I did get up and finally threw in the Zumba DVD. Beto and I danced and exercised through the Cardio Party and we both ended up sweaty and smiling by the time we were done. I feel soooooooo GOOD! I need to do this more often and I was exercising regularly for several months until I hit a wall right after the MS Walk in May.

Around that time I discovered I had a UTI and I thought that was what was making me feel so lousy. Then I had another UTI in June. I still felt cruddy and had no energy. I would come home and nap right away, thinking it was the infections and my MS. Now I know that it was probably the diabetes ramping up. That must be what had been making my eyesight fuzzy the last few months, as well.

So now it's summer and we just had a terrible heat wave in which I did nothing but hang out in my bedroom in the air-conditioning. I must get back to doing some sort of exercise on a regular basis. Maybe not Zumba every day but walking or some of my Wii Just Dance or Cardio Boxing. Moving does feel good.

I'm also debating on whether I should try the Nutrisystem Plan for Diabetics. It's pricey but it's all set up for people like me, who are lazy and could care less about cooking. Anyone have any ideas about that? You still have to supplement with fruits and veggies and such but it's for diabetics and it could make my life easier.

No frappes today but I still need fruits and veggies. Baby steps, life won't be perfect all at once.

Day three, a setback but still movement forward

Today is day three with diabetes and I made a piss-poor choice. I drove myself headfirst into a medium caramel frappe after having a horrible night. This may be TMI (too much information) so be forewarned, folks. I have my period and I have been bleeding heavily. So heavily that last night I was bleeding through a super plus tampon and a pad every few hours. It was awful. I was thinking about going to the hospital if it didn't slow down but it eventually did later on today.

I was tired, worn out and frazzled. I got dressed and drove down to McD's and got myself a frappe and I drank it and went back to sleep. I ended up sleeping most of the day away and waking up feeling awful. I had a yogurt and felt a little better. Then it was off to the shower and on to the grocery store. I tried to get more protein choices: some marinated pork tenderloins, veggie burgers, turkey bacon, and turkey hot dogs. I hardly ever eat meat so this was a big step for me. I also have some egg beaters to use for breakfasts.

So I stepped back for a frappe and forward to protein choices and some more fruits (strawberries and fresh pineapple chunks) and veggies (some cukes). I find that I feel better when I eat good food and make positive choices.

Thanks for all your positive comments and thanks for reading!

Day two as a diabetic

I am a diabetic. I am also obese. I need to work on both of those things and together they will bring me to a healthier me. I like the sound of that and the visualization of being healthy, smaller, and strong.

I do not think I will be model thin. I know I will not grow tall as I am a whisper below five feet. I do believe that I may end up taking a long time to get to a healthier weight. I am okay with that; it's a process, a journey of sorts that I need to go on for myself.

My mother likes to remind me that I am obese. It's not as if I am able to forget that. I know the size I wear, know that I cannot cross my legs, know that sometimes I am squished into a movie seat or restaurant booth. I am making a goal of losing ten pounds between now and when school starts in September. I may lose more, I may lose less. I have never been a diabetic on a diet. This is all a new ballgame for me.

My food choices need to be more conscious along with being healthier. That won't be overnight, again it will be another process. Today I ate two servings of fruit and a few servings of veggies. That's an improvement for me. I drank lots of water again. I stayed away from the frappes for a second day. I am celebrating the small victories.

I also started taking my Glucophage/Metformin today. Another pill (and then eventually two) to add to my arsenal. I know that when I do get to that healthier body within, I will be able to take less pills overall. I'd love to sleep throughout the night without my CPAP. I'd love to be strong enough to run again and have some muscles where there is only fat now.

Day two as a diabetic has been enlightening instead of frightening. I can deal with this. I am dealing with this, bit by bit.

Learning to fight the big D

I got a call yesterday from the doctor's office that my sugar had been high again and they wanted me to come in today to discuss the lab results. I had a 9 a.m. appointment and heard the news that I had been expecting; indeed, I am a diabetic. My glucose tested at 300 the first time (non-fasting) and 299 after fasting and my AIc level was 10.8. At that point there was no doubt that this was prediabetes or just a mistaken, freak reading. I am a diabetic.

I am now arming myself with knowledge. I did it when I geared up to fight MS; I have to do the same to beat down another disease. At the bookstore I picked up Diabetes for Dummies and Geneen Roth's Women Food and God. It's no secret to anyone who knows me in real life, that I have issues with food. I'm not going to "sugarcoat" my weight and say that I am a little chunky; I am plain old obese and it's time to start taking my power back.

I mentioned Geneen Roth's book because I think that woman is a genius. She's someone who has battled food and weight demons like I have. She's been obese and she's been underweight. She now has a healthy relationship with food and I am interested to see how the God angle gets worked in there. I have some God issues that I need to clear up for myself, as well.

I made some small strides today. No caramel frappe for one, I know it's not good for me even if I have still been losing weight while I have been making unhealthy choices. I had more water instead. That is one good thing I have working in my favor; I drink a lot of water and this heat wave has made me drink even more.

Once this ridiculous heat wave breaks then I can feel comfortable enough to get more exercise in. Let's face it, I have almost two more months off before school starts and I can do some serious damage in this fight against diabetes through exercise, better and more conscious eating, and the use of my Glucophage (the diabetes fighting drug my M.D. has prescribed). No insulin, just pills for now.

I'm off to wage war against diabetes and I will get this under control. I have faith in me.

It's getting hot in here!

I live in the Northeast which happens to be hotter right now than some places in the deep South. I am not a fan of the heat, nor the humidity that is coming with it at the moment. Most MSers don't tolerate heat well but some do. I'm just not one of them.

So I've taken to my bat cave aka my apartment and I have been drinking copious amounts of water and sitting in front of the fan or upstairs in my air-conditioned bedroom. The air conditioning just went in last night thanks to BJM's hubby. He is the heavy-lifter when I need someone like that. Thank goodness for friends and their husbands!

Up early this morning to give blood for the diabetes testing. The nurse was so good with my vein that I didn't even feel the stick. I should have results in a few days. I'll keep you updated.

That's all for now as my meds are kicking in and I am fading fast... Stay cool everyone!

Happy 4th and Happy July!

Today is America's birthday and my first post for July. I'm watching some made-for-TV movie, okay more like listening to it while I type away. I've had one solid week off from school and I have done nothing more than to read and sleep the time away with an occasional trip out and about to run errands.

I did have my latest Tysabri infusion on Friday, a sort of pre-4th of July celebration. After my infusion I went out with my colleague and friend, Mary, and we enjoyed a fattening lunch at Friendly's, along with a trip to Kohl's for some bloomers and other things for me, and a trip to the store I covet, Hobby Lobby. I was picking up some stickers and marked down papers to create my luau scrapbook of my last 5th grade class's (what else?) luau.

I have had two school dreams/frightmares in the last few days. Usually I don't have those until sometime late in August. I am reading some novels I'll be using in class so maybe that's prompted the dreams. Of course, this reading is in between my summer fun reading of magazines and chick lit.

Have I mentioned that I might have diabetes? If I did already, I apologize. My memory of the past is crystal clear but I can tell you the same story twice in ten minutes and not realize it. My last blood test (from a few months ago) showed a high glucose level so I am going on Tuesday to have a second test done for my A1C level. That will be the clincher as to whether I am diabetic or not. I have had issues that mimic diabetes for a few months so I am not entirely surprised by this new journey to a diagnosis (or not).

I don't drink much at work because I can't get to the bathroom on my own schedule.I do, however, drink a lot at home. I also pee a lot and wake up at night to urinate as well. I also noticed at work a few months ago some problems with my eyesight getting blurry at times. I also keep getting UTIs which can be another sign of diabetes. So if I am a type-2 diabetic, it will not come as a complete surprise out of left field. It just means I really need to get my $hit together as far as eating and exercise goes.

Let's face it, it's not healthy to be a good 75 pounds overweight and I know that. I also know that I adore the new McD's caramel frappe and fresh cut pineapple (no, not together). I enjoy Zumba when I do it but I also enjoy my frequent naps. It's all a matter of balance. Eat less and move more and maybe IF I am diabetic I can make it go away by getting control of my body.

Maybe I'll need to change the title of the blog or start a new one... I am dealing well with the MS and am in remission. I have dealt with a lot of messy stuff but there is more still to deal with. If there weren't, I wouldn't be overweight. But right this moment I feel blessed to be alive, to be as healthy as I am, and to live in this great country.

Happy birthday America, land that I love!

Three's a charm

Okey dokey, here I am again for the third day in a row. Woot woot!

I slept again until after two p.m. and then napped again after that. I'm not bothered by that but I could see where some other people would think I am being rather slothful. This is what I get for not taking my Provigil for two days. The fatigue and sleepiness just overtake me and I am out like a light. Even at night I am so tired that I don't make it to where I can turn out the light and put my CPAP mask on before I literally pass out into sleep. I wake up an hour or two later to use the bathroom and find myself zonked out once more with the lights on. It happens every night now...

School is over and I am glad for the break. I need to get myself prepared for a new year in a new grade. Some of you know the story already but some of you do not.

In the simplest version I have been teaching fifth-grade for the past several years. We were not departmentalized and our principal was considering a switch so we would be. There were five teachers at the grade level, with one retiring and one having to leave the grade level to work in another building due to circumstances beyond her control. That left three of us.

We all emailed our boss the subject we preferred to teach in the event of departmentalization. He said the three of us all wanted something different so that wasn't a problem. The original five of us were against departmentalizing and we had explained our reasons. Our boss said he would tell us his decision by the end of the next week.

We were somewhat certain that he would departmentalize us but I had a special surprise coming my way. Thankfully, one of my friends had gotten wind of a rumor that one of the remaining three would be leaving the grade level and she passed that on only to me. So it was not much of a surprise when my boss told me that I was being moved to another grade right before the meeting on departmentalization. I was hurt by being moved and hurt by the fact that I was told about the switch in my room only one minute before the meeting.

We don't always get what we want though. So now I am a sixth-grade teacher who will be departmentalized and teaching a combination of ELA and Math enrichment. I am getting a huge air-conditioned room for the majority of the next year, while my area is under construction. I also get to create my own curriculum that uses skills that reinforce what is being taught in Math and ELA.

It isn't all bad and change is good but I am sad in some ways and mourning the loss of being a fifth-grade teacher with a great team.

Two in a row...

This was my first full day of summer vacation and what did I do? I slept almost the whole day away, read in between naps, and occasionally watched some television. Do I feel guilty at all?

Nope, not even a little bit!

I deserved every minute of my rest and relaxation today. I have been working hard this past school year, hardly taking off any time at all due to illness. I even carried over 2.5 days to next year! I have taken off one day a month for my Tysabri infusions and two personal days (one for mental health reasons and one for Franklin angel). That is huge for me compared to last year when I was out from November to May!

So what's up for this summer? Better eating, more fruit and veggies, and lots more movement. Time to shake off those pounds again.

It's been a month...

It's been a month since I've last posted but today is a good day. You see, today is the last day of school and I am now on vacation.

I promise more will follow soon because I will have the time to write and I need to spend part of my days doing something productive. Something more productive than just sleeping, that is.

My MS is still under control and I made it through the year with no relapses. Yay, go me. Thanks body for working with me and not against me this year.

There are lots of changes coming in the new academic year but I'll write more about that soon.

Weebs :)

May memories...

Once again I've been gone for no other reason than I have been feeling great and living my life with nary a thought of my MS. I know some of you deal with terrible symptoms on a regular basis but I have to tell you that I have been lucky for a while now.

What's happened in May?

1.) Well, we completed the 3 mile MS Walk. Team Weeble rocked the course and rocked the fundraising too. Woohoo.

I was tired when we finished the walk because we actually walked a smidge more than we needed to and because it was a humid day. It was great though and if I could lose more weight for next year's walk I might find the whole thing even easier. I am hoping to be one of the top teams and one of the top individual fundraisers for our area walk.

2.) I hosted a successful Tastefully Simple party at my home, a little apartment that was bursting at the seams with people, good food I actually made, and three different alcoholic drink buckets. I baked and made dips and everyone survived the food tasting!

It was a crazy, stressful, and fun experience all at the same time. Everyone who came laughed a lot and bought a lot, so I earned some nice free products along with one giant deal thanks to BJM who booked a "book party" for the fall.

3.) We made it through state testing and I am looking at a four-day work week, then a four-day weekend, followed by a three-day week next week because of Tysabri and Memorial Day.

4.) I found a new cleaning person and she is fabulous! I would recommend her to anyone. She is efficient, neat, and of course, clean! She loves to clean which is a sickness I will never have but I will be glad to use her talents.

5.) My sister made a surprise trip home from Afghanistan and I spent parts of two days with her. That was a sweet gift for my family.

6.) I have only 21 days of school left until summer vacation. Wowzers!

I hope that if you're still one of those blog readers that actually do check on me now and then, that this post finds you in good health and not in too much heat. :)