Monthly Archives: October 2007

A Productive Afternoon

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Diabetes class went better than expected. It reinforced my knowledge about the disease, added a few new info tips to my brain, and made me realize that I’m doing things the way I’m supposed to.

I noticed I was the youngest of the group, and that I was more receptive. There was the old lady who refuses to change her eating habits, thinking that because he doesn’t eat too much she shouldn’t worry about her carb intake. Then there is the sweet lady who’s in shock after getting the news about the disease, and whose medication is making sick (I hope she will go to her doctor and have that taken care of). Then there is the super athletic guy who is frustrated because he too needs a meds adjustment.

But the one who caught my attention was the old man sitting next to me who still cannot believe he got diagnosed with Diabetes at age 78, and is totally lost when it comes to counting carb choices. He reminded me of my dad, I couldn’t help it (they even look alike!). At the end of the class I asked him if there was anything he didn’t understand, and he told me about his frustration with the whole meal plan. He was expecting some kind of written menu, not a page full of choices so you can figure your meals out. I sat down with him, explained how carb choices work, and told him I can help him making menus next week. I was really happy to help him.

Things I learnt today that I won’t forget:

- It is necessary to ingest at least 45 grams of carbs per meal. Our body uses 130 grams a day just for brain function. No carbs diets are insane… seriously. Burning just fat makes you burn good body tissue as well… scary!

- You can substract grams of fiber from total carbs on food labels, only if there is 5 grams of fiber or more.

- Sugar free stuff with sugar alcohols isn’t as good as I thought. It isn’t bad, but sugar substitutes are preferred. I need to keep those carbs down.

- It isn’t bad for diabetics to eat sugar, as long as they keep it within normal ranges and count them as carbs. Sugar isn’t the only thing you have to watch when you’re a Diabetic.

Diabetes Classes

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I never had Diabetes classes before. I wish I would have… for me, for my father. I wish I would’ve known more about this disease and how to control it back then, before he died. And he was good, really disciplined, so what happened? Lack of information? Lack of resources? But I can’t turn back time, and I can’t regret the past or get stuck in it. I still can do things for me, thinking of my father; and knowing wherever he is, he wants me to be healthy.

I’m going to my first Diabetes class today. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can, but also getting to meet other people in the area who are dealing with the disease. I love making part of online communities, but it’s nice to meet locals I can become friends with.

I better go and get lunch ready so I can leave early. :-)

Friday’s Feast 166

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Today’s Friday’s Feast brought to you by Nintendo.

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
This page called “You Are a Miracle” – Because sometimes we’re so down we need to be reminded of how special we are in the eyes of God.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
I think it’s between 7-9. I don’t remember my dreams all the time, but I’m sure I have one almost every night. They are usually weird… So weird!

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?
I had PETS, plural. My first cat was a beautiful one and her name was Pinina. Then came a bunch of dogs, other cats, bunnies. I grew up in the country side, so there was also an assortment of lizards, one iguana and a wild hare my brothers caught. Never birds, though!

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise?
If it’s a product, I would like to advertise a hybrid car. If it’s a cause I think I would choose Diabetes research.

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
I like Menta Helada de Colombina! And mints in general.

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Tweaky Bird

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John pointed out that my individual entry pages were messed up; it drove me nuts and I decided to take off the sidebar. Then Laura at BlogHer Ads let me know the code was not visible enough. So I spent a while today trying to figure out what was wrong, and I have to say I love how I’m finally getting comfortable with WordPress. I know it’s an easy to use CMS, but I was too lazy to actually figure out how the code worked. With all the pre-made templates, there isn’t much thinking left to do.

Anyway, I decided that if in the past I was able to completely understand and tweak Movable Type, I sure was capable of fiddling around with WP. All the booboos are fixed now, and I even managed to change a few things I wasn’t happy with. The next step is maybe create a few templates of my own. Oh, so much fun!

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Two Digits!

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I’m so happy… so happy! Small battle won today. After almost two weeks of seeing three digits on my glucometer screen, today I got an 86 before dinner. I just wanted to share. :) Wow… 4 posts today. Heh!