Type 2 Diabetes

I am seriously considering either changing this blog into a resource for type 2 diabetes management or creating a new blog dedicated solely for that purpose. I am not sure if anybody reads my blog besides my family and friends. 5 trillion blogs already exist so my guess is that I don't have much of a following in my ramblings. So my minor dilemma is do I want to jumble this blog with the usual posts and mix in diabetes info as I go along, or start from scratch and try to write 2 blogs when I barely have time to manage and update 1. My intention when I began this blog a couple years ago was simply to keep a little slice of cyberspace for myself. A way to communicate primarily with a few family members. It was something I thought would be a good creative project, and assumed nobody would ever really read what I wrote. Currently I find myself at a crossroad in life. A point where my lifestyle must completely change, and I am working through accepting and embracing that. In a short span of time my focus has been shifted. My top priority is management of my health and the challenges I face. The best way to explain this is suddenly things that seemed important became trivial. Things I overlooked became things I needed to focus on immeadiately. What I need to do in regard to type 2 diabetes is fairly straight forward. Just because the lifestyle changes that must be made are clear cut, it does not mean it is a simple task to manage. To make a crude analogy; when a person goes through a knee surgery they enter into physical therapy 2 weeks after. That PT is more painful than the surgery, and improvement is slow. It takes 6 months or more and most of the time it feels like you will never return to anything close to normal. You have a Physical therapist that pushes you, and when they see you limping they pull you aside and give you hell about it. They are like a personal trainer that keeps you on track, pushing you against your own will, and in the end it pays off. Type 2 diabetes comes with no coach. It does come with a lot of emotions. Fear, remorse, regret, confusion, did I mention fear? It creates a desire to be able to turn back the clock to when you were pre-diabetic. You think of a million things you could have done to attempt to prevent the onset. Simple things like cutting out soda and candy from your diet before it was too late. Losing that extra weight to keep your body happy and healthy. With the type 2 diagnoses came a feeling of failure, a reflection on years of playing with fire instead of taking care of a genetic condition that was lurking beneath the surface. I know it serves no purpose to look back in time, there is no rewind button in life. It is all about making changes for the future. Learning from past mistakes. Correcting the course we were on that led us down the wrong path. So in closing I offer this message to all type 1 & 2 diabetics and their families: Have a safe and happy holiday season, be there to support one another. Realize what is important in life. Take care of each other, and take care of yourselves. Most importantly, put your faith in God.

The Jewish Diabetes Association

I just found this resource and haven't had time to fully look through the site. It seems like they have some good information there. I like the scripture that is posted on their front page: Take very good care of yourselves. - Deuteronomy 4:15

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American Diabetes Association

Need information on diabetes? Want to make a donation to a great cause for the Christmas season? Visit the American Diabetes Association's website and look around. At the very least you will find all types of information on this disease that plagues our country. Let's find a cure.

And don't forget to donate before Dec. 31 to claim your 2006 tax deduction. This is a worthwhile cause. If you can't afford to donate (money is always tight around x-mas), then just look around the website a little. Read some of the stories and information provided there. I can tell you firsthand that being newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is scary. This website has a message board where people from all over can discuss treatment and strategies for diabetes management. Thanks for reading this post.

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Bringing drug test results into the public light

When questions are raised about the heart safety of drugs used by millions, Dr. Steven E. Nissen often raises a red flag.

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quote of the day

courtesy of Dale:

"Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box."

USA sold up the river

Read the headline. I mean it. I have sat silent too long. I have watched jobs being outsourced and not replaced for too long. I have watched the American worker get cheated, used, and abused for too long. I have watched the US government spend billions on weapons so they could look for weapons of mass destruction they never found. By the way, where is Bin Laden. I thought they were going to "bring him to justice". Did the guy who said that actually know what justice is? I doubt it. I think to know justice begins with having to work hard to put food on your table. As Americans we are tough and we take pride in our work, but the fat cats have sold our work up the river. They have sold the American worker up the river. So they have sold our country out from under us. For what? To save a few bucks? So some Billionaire can have another yacht? Where do they think this is all headed? They don't care, it is all about money for them right now. As I watch America systematically weakened from within, I grow sick. It is never too late to turn things around, but it will take action, not just a bunch of BS. This country runs like one giant crooked ENRON. Wake up people. Start putting pressure where it belongs, or sit on your ass and watch your country crumble.

Pearl Harbor Day - Dec. 7th

Please visit the link below and take a moment to remember the brave Americans that lost their lives. Thank you.

Battleship Arizona Memorial

Pollsters screw the Maize and Blue

The Buckeyes have been No. 1 since the preseason. Led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Troy Smith, they've run roughshod over their competition. No team, other than Michigan, stayed within 17 points of Ohio State this season.

Read that carefully, because the only blemish on the record of the Wolverines is a 3 point loss on the road under poor field conditions. Somehow this is all overlooked because of the illusion that the SEC is a great conference. Really, people just don't want to have a rematch. So it is easier for them to screw Michigan out of a title shot than it was to screw Florida. Florida also had 1 loss, it was by 4 points to LSU I believe. They were not a #1 ranked team. Florida leapfrogged over Michigan because they beat a #8 ranked opponent. They only play this game because their conference has 2 divisions that play a SEC title game. It gives them an extra conference game on their schedule. Since this is such a hair splitting affair about strength of schedule and team rankings, you tell me why Michigan with only one 3 point loss to the #1 ranked team, on the road, is facing up against USC that has 2 losses both to unranked teams. If you are retarded enough to believe that the PAC 10 is superior to the Big Ten, where somehow 2 losses to mediocre opponents puts them on the same field (a home field advantage) with the Wolverines, then you are insane and simply know nothing about College football. The bottom line is the BCS is a giant pile of crap. You can spin some bull however you want about Florida deserving a fair shake, but we all know Michigan is the second best team in the land, maybe the best team in the land. You'll never know. The rematch was voted down, thanks to the BCS and their pathetically flawed system.

I will say this just 1 time. In my lifetime I have never rooted for OSU. This year I shall grant them a 1 day pass when they play the Gators. I will cheer as the Buckeyes trounce that SEC club team and do the Big Ten proud. We may hate OSU, but we respect them and our rivalry with them. We respect Troy Smith here in Ann Arbor. I personally hope the Detroit Lions draft him. What team wouldn't want that guy. Let me also say that our Wolverines are one hell of a group of tough men. USC, you better bring your A game to Pasadena. I heard non-stop trash talk after you beat Notre Dame at home (we did it on the road baby) about how you were such a great team and you earned your shot. What you earned was 2 losses to unranked teams. If you didn't overlook UCLA on your schedule we might not be having this conversation. Shut your traps in Hollywood and get ready to play some ball in the Rose Bowl. I promise our team won't be gentle.

Sagittarius wisdom

Usually, or often, horoscopes can be full of crap, however, on some ocassions they hit upon a theme that was going through my mind at the time I read mine. This may not make sense to you, or it may. It was an interesting message to me though. Perhaps I am just deprived of sleep. Here it is:

Sagittarius (12-02-06)
Like a pointillist painting by Seurat, your life is made up of many small details that add up to something lovely. But as with that painting, what you see when you focus closely is a bunch of unrelated pieces. Take a step back, and things will fall into place -- you'll see that the complete picture is distinctively beautiful. Try not to be too caught up in your life's details today, and congratulate yourself on the wonderful masterpiece that you're in the process of creating.

Pistons win 7 straight

Detroit won its seventh game in a row. Defending NBA champion Miami fell to 6-9 and begins a four-game trip Saturday in Memphis. Good job guys.

Stay posted and I may write about Ben Wallace.

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