MeMe Monday - Honesty

If we're going to be honest, I should start by admitting this isn't actually a meme.  It's a note I was tagged with on FaceBook.  But isn't that kind of the same thing?  I never got around to filling this out on FaceBook, so I figured I might was well use it for MeMe Monday.

Can you fill this out without lying? You've been tagged, so now you need to answer all the questions HONESTLY.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth? An organic banana.

2. Where was your profile picture taken? It was taken on the beach in Westport on our wedding day.

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?  I don't know, I've never tried.  What do you have to do?

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?  Does K.C. count?

5. How late did you stay up last night and why? I was up until 10:30 wasting time on the internet.

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you?  I don't know.  I love my little house.  But a bigger house in a better neighborhood would be nice.  I don't think I'd want to leave New England though.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?  I don't specifically remember, but I'm sure Pete and I must have kissed while watching fireworks at Disney World.

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you on your FaceBook list?  My husband, of course!!

9. Do you believe exes can be friends?  I think they can.  Although I'm not friends with any of my exes.  At least not the ones I was very serious with.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?  It's good, but I don't drink it often.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?  Thanksgiving night.

12. Who took your profile picture? My friend Dave.

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?  Person?  I guess K.C. doesn't count.  Hmmm, this is a tough one.  Probably the last time I took a pictures of a person was when I kinneared (it is a real word!!) Nikolai Morozov at a skating show in September.  Want to see?

14. Was yesterday better than today?  You bet.  Mondays are the worst.

15. Can you live a day without TV? I'm sure I could.  But why would I want to try?

16. Are you upset about anything?  Of course I am.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Of course they are.  What kind of stupid questions are these??

18. Are you a bad influence?  Probably not.  Unless you need someone to talk you out of eating chocolate or buying yarn.  Then most certainly yes!!

19. Night out or night in? Night in with comfy clothes and good snacks.

20. What items could you not go without during the day?  Probably my lap-top computer, my coffee and my cat.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? My Dad's twin brother.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?  I don't text.  But my last email was from Harry, telling me I should spin K.C.'s fur into yarn.  Funny guy, that one.

23. How do you feel about your life right now?  Life?  What life?  I'd need to have a life to be able to tell you my feelings about it!

24. Do you hate anyone?  Hate is a very strong word.  I am displeased with a few people, but I'm not sure I hate them.

25. If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find?  A message from my brother-in-law.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? Absolutely, unless they were screening for insulin or blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? My husband, but he's very biased.  I am far from perfect, as is any one human.

28. What song is stuck in your head?  I didn't have one stuck in there, but when I read this question Brick House suddenly started playing in my head.  I don't know why.  (You didn't really expect me to link a Commodore's video, did you?)

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., a secret lover or George Clooney?  Couldn't George Clooney be my secret lover?  Okay then, I guess no one is knocking at 2 a.m.

30.Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50?  That is clearly impossible.

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow?  Get my blood work done.

32. Do you think too much or too little?  Way too much!

33. Do you smile a lot?  I think so.  I also glare a lot.

Bonus Round...

34. How many hours a day do you spend on the computer?  Far too many.

35. If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be? Hmmm, that's a hard one. Hopefully some one really cool!

36. Facebook or Twitter?  I like them both, but for different things.

37. Chicken or Beef?  Yes please.

38. Mac or PC?  I considered both when I needed a new computer.  Finances made me stick with a PC.  I'm fine with that.

39. Have you ever punched anyone in the face?  Not intentionally, but things happen on a crowded dance floor.

40. Last music received or purchased?  Eeee, okay, I was feeling sentimental and bought The Rose from iTunes.  I'm slightly embarrassed about this.  (Also, no one skates to The Rose - so it's Bette in the link this time!)

Sunday Snapshots . . .

It's the last day of the long holiday weekend.  And as fun as it's been, I'm pretty wiped out from all of the socializing . . . and eating!!  So instead of going out to snap pictures today, I'm posting some of my favorites from my hard-drive.

I took this picture in St. Thomas during the cruise we took to celebrate our 5th anniversary.   That was my favorite day of the whole cruise and this is my favorite picture.  It takes me right back to our perfect day on that beautiful island.

This is Charlie during the only Christmas we got to spend with him.  He got quite a few presents, including the Kiddy Condo you can see on the far left.  Of course, he wasn't at all interested in anything we bought him.  Instead he decided he loved Pete's new back-pack and would curl up on it for a nap any chance he got!

Of course, I have to follow a picture of Charlie with a picture of K.C.  Wouldn't want her to get jealous, would we?  This was taken within minutes of bringing her home from the shelter.  I was thrilled that she climbed right into my lap.  Knowing her as well as I do now, I think she was absolutely terrified to be in a new place.  But I'm happy that she felt protected by me right from the start.

I LOVE this picture!  It's my Mom, my uncle and my aunt.  It really shows their personalities.  My uncle, hamming it up with that toy gun in his hand.  My mom, carefully trying to balance her birthday cake so she doesn't drop it.  And my aunt, ready to dig in!

Me, at Webs, meeting The Yarn Harlot.  She agreed to hold my sock, and asked me to hold her Traveling Sock!!  For a knitter, life doesn't get much better than that!

And last but not least, my SweetPea.  He emailed this picture they took of him at work getting an award.  He's pretty awesome, isn't he?

Back to the Beginning . . .

Well, it's day 28 of NaBloPoMo. And I've got absolutely nothing to post about. Really, I've wracked my brain and I can't think of a thing. So I decided to go back . . . . way back. I'm going to re-run one of the first posts I ever wrote for this blog, since it will probably be new to most of you!  Actually, I wrote this for my blog on DiabetesFriends.net - I used to post there before I started this blog.  This is the second post I did.  I'm not running the first, because it was just a boring little introductory post.

Needles, Needles, Needles

Anyone who is a diabetic is very used to needles. Blood draws, finger sticks, and for some, insulin injections. How many times a year do we deal with needles? Too many.

I've never really thought much about it, and never found anything good in the fact that I jab myself all the time. Until this week.

This is Charlie, a sweet little 16+ year old kitty we adapted four months ago. In the past two weeks, he has suddenly become very sick. He has feline renal failure (and isn't kidney failure something we all fear as diabetics as well?). He is also severely dehydrated. If we can get him strong again, we may be able to manage his kidneys with medication. So how do we get him strong again? Well, every day I have to hook him up to an I.V. for 5 - 10 minutes. When the vet asked if I would be comfortable handling the needles, I was happy to be able to say yes.

Mind you, I was surprised to find out it is much harder to stick someone else than it is to stick yourself. The pain I feel every time I insert the needle into my poor little guy is much sharper than any pain from a needle I've given myself. But it's making him better, and that's the best news ever! So today, I am very thankful for needles and for my familiarity with them.

*** Unfortunately, we lost Charlie on February 9, 2008, just a few days after I wrote this post. I still miss him a lot.

'Tis the Season

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I suppose it's time to look ahead to Christmas and start getting into the spirit.  How do I make that happen?

By indulging in my first Gingerbread Latte of the season.  It certainly won't be my last!  Some how the holiday stresses seem to lighten up when I catch a glimpse of that little gingerbread man dipping his toes into my coffee.

What holiday treats do you look forward to all year long?  Have you indulged in any yet?

Giving Thanks

The turkey has been eaten.  The pies have been served.  The boluses (boli??) have been programmed.  The thanks has been given.  What two things am I most thankful for?

The two loves of my life!!  What else am I thankful for?  Here's a not-so-serious list . . .

• all my yarn
• the fact that while my home-made ravioli were a bunt, my home-made cranberry sauce was a grand slam!  Hey, wait, I'm not into baseball, I'm into figure skating.  Okay, the fact that while my home-made ravioli were a single lutz, my home-made cranberry sauce was a quad-toe loop!
• the fact that I'm not into baseball, I'm into figure skating.
• big sharp needles needles on the infusion sets and CGM sensors and the smelly insulin, because even though they stink and hurt, they also keep my alive and healthy.
  
• my family.  Even the uncle who told me today how fat I am.  Twice.  Really, he honestly did.  Yes, I am even thankful him.
• the fact that I didn't cry in front of everyone after talking to that uncle.
• that there are only four more days left of NaBloPoMo.  Seriously, any more and I probably wouldn't make it!!
  
• that both my father's twin and my mother's sister were released from the hospital and got to spend Thanksgiving at home with their families.
  
• did I mention all the yarn???

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!!

Not again!!!!

Yesterday my CGM sensor started to bother me a little bit.  Considering what happened last time you would I think would have pulled it out right away.  I didn't.  But when it was so sore that it woke me up at 2 am, I took it right out.  Squinting as the bathroom light attacked my sleepy eyes, I saw this.

That's right, another welt. Not only did I see it, but I could feel it too.  Quite a lump was left behind where the sensor came out.  This picture was actually taken 12 hours after I took the sensor out.  It doesn't hurt any more, but it still looks bad.

 I have no idea what is going on with these sensors.  I've always been able to wear them for 6 to 8 days without a problem.  But these last two haven't even lasted four days.  Has Minimed changed how they make them?  Is there something new in them that my body can't seem to tolerate?  I plan to call and find out.  But I'd love to know if any other Minimed CGM wearers have been suddenly having problems too.  If you wear one, please comment and let me know if they are working fine for you or not.  I'm starting to get aggravated, but with the nasty low I had on Sunday I really don't want to go without my CGM.

Scary Low . . .

Usually lows don't bother me. Usually my body handles them really well. Usually I eat a little something or drink a little juice and everything is okay.  Usually.

Sunday night was not usual.  Sunday night was damn scary.

Much of it is very foggy.  I remember sitting in bed with my pump and meter.  I couldn't quite figure out what my pump was.  I kept turning it over and around, trying to figure out which end was the top and which was the bottom.  I kept pressing buttons but none of the screens made sense.  I also didn't know how to turn on my meter or what it was supposed to do.  Pete was wide awake beside me, telling me it was okay and I should drink my juice.  I told him I couldn't, but thank goodness I drank it anyway.  He said I kept saying I didn't know what happens next.  I think I resisted drinking the juice because even though I was confused I knew that I generally stay away from juice because it raises my blood sugar.  I also think when I kept saying I didn't know what happens next I was trying to say that I knew I had to punch the carbs from the juice into my pump and bolus but I couldn't figure out how to do it.  Out of frustration, I kept begging Pete to show me how to work the buttons.  He calmly told me he didn't know how and that I should just relax and drink the juice.

I remember I kept disconnecting my pump because I didn't know how to work it.  Then I would reconnect it because I knew I'm always supposed to wear it.  Pete ran downstairs and got a spoonful of frosting for me to eat.  I suddenly decided I had to check my blood.  Pete said it was a bit soon to test again but to go ahead and do it anyway.  Some how I managed to remember how to work the meter.  The screen flashed 33.  Somewhere in my mind, that number seemed familiar.  I guess I was starting to come out of the fog, because I asked for another juice box.

After I downed that, things really started to clear up.  I could remember how to work my pump as well as my meter.  According to Pete, I had woken him up and told him I needed help.  (Thank goodness for that!!)  According to my CGM log, my low alarm went off at 10:51 telling me I was 55.  It rang again at 11:12 to say I was 41.  At 11:31 it reported that I was below 40.  I don't remember hearing or clearing any of those alarms - I just remember dreaming about being on Cape Cod.  According to my meter, I tested my blood sugar at 11:35 and it was 33.  That's why the number 33 seemed familiar when I did the second test at 11:46 and was still at 33.

Once the fog cleared, I realized I was soaked with sweat.  The chills hit hard and my teeth started chattering.  I was pretty freaked out by what had just happened.  I felt terrible for disrupting Pete's sleep on a work night and for frightening him so badly with my incoherent ramblings.  At midnight we tested again and I was up to 49, and three hours later I was 172.

I can't tell you how lucky and blessed I feel that Pete was there.  I am so proud of how calm he stayed through the whole thing.  He held it together and did everything right.  He was *thisclose* to calling for an ambulance when the fog cleared and I started making sense again.  I can't imagine how scary the whole thing was for him.

Yesterday I was wiped out and freaked out all day long.  Pete called me several times more than he usually does to check on me.  Every time I heard his voice, I started to cry.  From gratitude for what a wonderful care-giver he is.  From guilt for putting him through such a terrifying situation in the middle of the night.  From pure exhaustion that made me more emotional than usual.

I've always handled low numbers well.  A few weeks ago I woke up with a blood sugar below 20.  I know, because I tested three times to confirm.  13, 19, 16 were the numbers my meter reported back.  I was sweaty, but clear-headed and otherwise fine.  I drank juice and petted the cat until my blood sugar went back up to 83.  Then I went back to sleep.  Easy as pie - which would have come in handy with a blood sugar below 20!!

Why was that 33 so terrible and that 19 no problem?  Who knows?  Maybe The Big D was cranky Sunday night.  It's been around 20 years since I've had a low that left me so out of it.  I honestly hope it's 20 more before the next Scary Low.

Meme Monday - Couple's MeMe

I saw this MeMe over on Allison's blog.  It's probably more than you ever wanted to know about me and Pete . . . but it is MeMe Monday.  So here we go.

How long have you been together?
Our first date was on June 26, 1999.  We were married on June 26, 2004.  Because I'm dorky like that.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met in March of 1999.  It's kind of a long story, but also kind of amusing.  A friend of mine kept asking me to go to a Singles Group with her.  I wasn't interested - I was convinced there wouldn't be any "good" guys there.  She talked another friend into going with her.  They both used to pester me to go with them.  One week, the Singles Group meeting was going to be at a restaurant that made The Best nachos so I agreed to go - just for the nachos.  I met Pete that night and decided the Singles Group wasn't that bad.  The rest is history.  Oh, and those two friends who talked me into going to the group?  They are both still single.

Who asked whom out?
I gave him my phone number.  Actually, I was too chicken, so a friend gave it to him for me.  A few days later, he called and asked me out.

How old are each of you?
Oh geez, you would have to ask.  No snickers, okay?  I am 41.  Pete is 35.  Shut up.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Pete's.  My brother is in Colorado and we only see him every few years.  Pete's brother was in Virginia.  Then he was in Utah for a while, so we didn't see him much.  Now he's renting an apartment a few towns away from us until the New Year, so we see him several times a week.

Did you go to the same school?
No.  Even if we had grown up in the same town, we wouldn't have ever been in the same school at the same time.  Unless I stayed back a few years or he skipped a few grades - or both.

Are you from the same home town?
We aren't even from the same home state.

Who is smarter?
I'm not really sure.  We both did really well in school.  Pete probably uses more knowledge on his job.  I probably have more common sense and a better memory.

Who is the most sensitive?
Most certainly me.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
I'm not sure we really have a favorite place.  It depends on what kind of food we're in the mood for.  We are lucky to have a bunch of really great restaurants in this area.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Probably to San Diego last February.  (Hi George!!)

Who has the craziest exes?
I don't know.  Me?  I certainly have the most exes.  (That doesn't make me sound trampy, does it??)

Who has the worst temper?
Me me me me me!!!!  Poor Pete, I don't know how he puts up with me!

Who does the cooking?
I do.  Pete's not a bad cook.  But he's a slow cook.  And a very messy cook.  So I do most of the cooking.  He usually makes breakfast on the weekends though.  And if we want chicken cutlets, he always makes them.  His are a lot better than mine.  Not sure why, but they are always so juicy and yummy.  (Great, now I'm hungry.)

Who is the neat-freak?
That's me again.  He is a slob.  When he had his apartment in New Jersey and we were doing the long-distance thing, I used to take a week of vacation time to stay with him a few times a year.  I always spent the first few days cleaning his apartment.

Who is more stubborn?
I was going to say me again, but he's pretty stubborn too.  In a battle of wills, he's usually the one who gives in though.

Who hogs the bed?
Not me this time!!!  He constantly migrates to my side of the bed in his sleep.  K.C. sleeps on my side too.  I have no room!!

Who wakes up earlier?
On week days, he gets up first and I get up while he's eating breakfast.  On weekends, I'm always the first one up.

Where was your first date?
Tavern On Main. After dinner, we walked on the beach and sat on a bench and talked.  Years later, he brought me back to the same bench to propose.  It's the bench I am sitting on in the picture at the top of this post.

Who is more jealous?
I think it's probably a tie on that one.

How long did it take to get serious?
We had been dating for 6 months when he got the job offer in New Jersey.  I told him the choice was his, but that I wouldn't do a long-distance relationship again.  (I had been in one with my college boyfriend after graduation and it ended in a mess.)  Pete decided the job was too good to pass up.  I decided being with him was too good to pass up.  I think the minute I decided to do the long-distance thing again, it got serious.

Who eats more?
I always give him a larger portion of dinner.  So I'll say he does. 

Who does the laundry?
Me.  But when I was working, we both pitched in and did it.

Who’s better with the computer?
Probably me.

Who drives when you are together?
He always does the driving.  We never talk about it though.  We usually use my car, and I just hand him the keys on our way out the door.