Friday, September 23, 2011

Things I’ve learned this week . . . .

in bullet list form.  Because it’s Friday and I’m really really ready for the week to be over.
  • My eyes are good.  We ramped my eye appointments up to every 6 months a couple of years ago when my eye doctor started to see some small leaks.  As of Monday, my right eye is 100% clear.  And my left eye has “just a ghost of the tiny spots” she had seen in prior exams.  My eye doctor said that eye is “as close to a non-diabetic eye as you can get”.  Which sounds pretty good to me.
  • The rest of me is doing okay too.  The results of my blood draw and urine sample were pretty darn great.  The only thing we’ll keep an eye on is my thyroid level, which had crept up a tiny bit.  It's still in the "good range" but it's something to keep tabs on.
  • A Diabetes High-Five is priceless.  My endo greeted me with the following sentence: “Hi!  Did you know you are my greatest success?  You are the pumper success story I tell other patients about.”  In that moment, any shred of Diabetes Burn-Out I may have been feeling melted away in a pool of pride.
  • Maybe being a neurotic perfectionist isn’t such a bad thing.  After all, if I’m going to be totally invested in something, what better thing to totally invest in than my health?  And this week’s appointments and tests all showed that I’m doing something right.  So yay for neurotic perfectionism?
  • Life is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can.  So this is the bullet point where I completely contradict my last bullet point . . . sort of.  Yes, working hard to stay healthy is very important.  But so is enjoying life.  We never know how much time we have left.  We can spend time with a loved one and never realize it will be the last time we’ll get to see them.  So don’t forget to take a break sometimes, don’t forget to slow down a little and enjoy the moment, and don’t forget to tell your loved ones exactly how much they mean to you.
good-bye, I love you

12 comments:

  1. I'm giving you a diabetes high five AND a regular high five. (So, a high ten?)

    You rock!

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  2. Wonderful reminders for the weekend. Thanks, Karen! And so great to hear that all is looking good for your health!

    Happy Friday!

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  3. awesome news on the health front :)

    I've started taking walks at lunch again - much needed if I'm not doing much else as far as exercise. It's perfect weather out there, must enjoy it before winter!

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  4. Love reading good updates, especially on a Friday! Just makes the day brighter (which it's not here, right now).

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  5. I am glad that your eye appointment went well Karen. I know that is a fear we all have.

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  6. yay karen! way to go, friend! great list!

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  7. Awesome Karen! Many Diabetes High Fives from me!

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  8. A few thoughts!
    * Yay!
    * Yay!
    * Yay!
    * Yay!
    * Yay!
    (Hey, I didn't say they were DIFFERENT thoughts!)

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  9. Oh I am so PROUD of you!!! You pumper poster person!!!! And you mean a lot to me! and KC too!

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  10. I don't think it's a contradiction at all. It's all about balance, right? Doing as much as is necessary without freaking out about it is not an easy thing to do.
    Yay for your great results!

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  11. Thanks for the share!
    Nancy.R

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Thanks for your comment!