Blueberry pudding tastes like blueberry lotion smells. ~ Sydney

Ok, so a quick lil update: My glucose numbers have seemed to finally leveled out... I woke up yesterday morning and tested (they're usually high after sleeping/long fasting) and it was only 97... I was excited, but wanted to see how this fared for the rest of the day. Before lunch it was only 107... by dinner time it was 127... Waking up this morning it was 120... Woo hoo! With diet, exercise, and this wonderful new medication... I can certainly control this! As for the exercise, I joined a gym. I go to see the personal trainer on Monday for an exercise program... I'm excited. I did go on Wednesday to see how it would be, and... I exercised my butt off (which is the point, right?). I don't know how I can tell if the thyroid stuff is working or not... other than I don't feel tired right now... but I really did last night. At that point though it was already the end of the day... kinda hard to tell if I was truly tired, or it was my thyroid... we'll see. :D

Picture Perfect - A Day in the Life of...

Being allowed to break rules, I was feeling a bit challenged to not do something so... ordinary. I could have posted a day of me at work... ugh...

Instead, I found this little guy just... well, you'll see...

A Day in the Life of...











...a Fly!

To participate in Picture Perfect, or to see some fantastic photos, go HERE!

Update from visit with hot doc

• My sugar levels were at an average of 162, which I knew...
  
• my A1C was 6.5. Overall, not bad. Certainly an improvement from last year (avg then was 207, and 8, or something).
  
• Blood pressure was good, 118/78.
  
• Cholesterol went up - ick.
• Big news is that I have a thyroid issue. Protein showed up in the urine test I had done.

So, what do I do now? My tiredness, even with controlling my glucose levels, is being caused by the thyroid problem. I now have medication for that.

My spikey sugar levels... I now have a medication for that.

Her belief is that the diet I AM following (as she observed by weight loss overall, and glucose levels) is sufficient, and that the thyroid and diabetes itself are causing the spike in the cholesterol. So with the meds and exercise... yes, I really MUST go exercise... we should see a decrease back to what my cholesterol levels were just a year ago.

She explained that what I have is known as the metabolic trifecta... All three things are screwing with me in a way that fixing one may cause something else to happen... that all three need to be treated, but in a way that she can identify what's working, and what's not... so it's a step by step thing. Getting my spikey levels under control are first, the thyroid is second. Hoping to pull the other thing in line.

That all should also take care of the other ickies I seem to get so often. She explained that both the diabetes and thyroid issue are immune deficiency disorders, and it can compromise me to the point of contracting the slightest bug...

And I got stabbed again. Tetanus shot... I think they just like sticking me with needles. I go back for review in three months... I told Matt that I expect to see him empty handed this time around.

Picture Perfect/GTP ~ Song Title - No Matter What

Ok, it's been a while, once again, and I haven't really done much in the way of photography... I snapped a few shots while in San Diego at the beginning of July. This was a shot of a HUGE statue next to the USS Midway.

I gave my time

I risked my life

I vowed to return

No Matter What

Into your arms

I give my life

Never again to part

No Matter What

I give my heart

I give my love

I am yours

No Matter What

© Charles Graham 2011

 

Ok, I'm tired, cranky, and just ugh... 4 hours ago my sugar was 229, just tested again and it's 116! I've been doing everything right as far as diet goes, but spikes like this keep happening. It's very frustrating and quite depressing. I go to see the hot doc Monday afternoon, so we'll see what happens then.

Round two

Chuck :D
Sent from my iPhone

Power is out. Big thunderboomers. Yay, fun. Water really coming down. Think I'll be washed away.

Underwear on Saturdays - A Repost

Because I was asked about an incident in my younger days...

As many of you may know, or will soon know after this short story, I have lost quite a bit of weight in the past six months. About 30 pounds, or so. And during this time many of you (AJ) have been telling me to buy clothes that fit. Well, for the most part I have. I went out and bought all new clothes for work. Pants, shirts, belt.

Well, what I haven't bought is shorts. Just didn't seem like a high priority on my list. This priority has changed recently.

On this past Saturday, while visiting a friend, I was asked to help move some furniture for her mother to an upstairs apartment. I grudgingly obliged. The furniture was all solid oak and, as you can imagine, quite impossibly heavy.

There, looming above me, was the biggest, heaviest armoire I had ever seen, or had been asked to move up a flight of stairs. After several deep breaths, and much griping, I grabbed on to the bottom of this armoire and hefted it up (lifting with the knees). My friend's uncle had the top and backed his way up the large flight of stairs. Not wanting to stop the momentum we had going, we continued our way into the apartment. Of course she wanted it all the way into the back bedroom. Again, with momentum on our side, and knowing that if we stopped, we'd never want to lift the infernal piece again, we continued our doomed march.

That is when it began to happen. There was no stopping it - not without dropping this monstrosity, crushing the very fabric of an old woman's life. MY SHORTS BEGAN TO DROP!

Yes, folks, it was a decision between dropping an heirloom, or dropping trowel. You all know me - I did the right thing. I let the shorts drop where I was standing.

Let's get this picture straight now. Uncle Jim holding onto one end of a giant piece of oak, me holding the other end with my shorts around my ankles - and standing right behind me? You guessed it - his sister, my friend's mother! Now that you all have that mental image to disturb you for the rest of your day, picture this: I WAS GOING COMMANDO THAT DAY!

Yes, my friends, freeballin'! The one day I decide, to hell with underwear! Who needs 'em? Not me, by golly! Now, by this time, mom has run out of the room screaming, uncle Jim thinks she is going to have a heart attack and drops the armoire, leaving me holding the bag on the other end - quite literally, in fact. I quickly reach for the wayward shorts, pull them up and look around with my most convincing face of innocence I could conjure. It's not working.

I proceed to quickly walk out of the room with the air of non-chalance, right past mom - who can no longer look me in the face, (I don't know where she was looking, now! Be nice.) I walk downstairs to where I am met by her daughter. Now I just flashed her mother, and I can't look her in the face. Mere minutes later, mom walks down and proceeds to tell her daughter that she saw my frank and beans, to which much laughter ensued. She then continued the harangue by explaining that it was the nicest set of frank and beans she's seen in years. I was overjoyed!

Friends, I now have new shorts, and will never listen to the little devil telling me it's ok to not wear underwear on a Saturday!

Tuesday July 11, 2006 - 12:34am (EDT)

Welcome to my new home.

I set this up a long time ago, but got distracted by something shiny and new... Well, that shiny thing finally became overbearing and kinda old. Bits and pieces started to sag... it's time to move on.

I need a place to write... not to socialize necessarily, but to simply put down my ideas and creations. I don't care if you visit... I don't care if you like it... I also don't want to feel pressured and guilty for not visiting you. I simply want to write.

I may not write every day, but more as the mood strikes. I may go for days without writing anything, as sometimes that is my life... others, I may even sicken myself with how prolific I am.

I don't know if I'm going to "pretty up" the place, or not. Again, this is about writing... although I would like a few visitors now and again, so maybe I will add some paintings to the walls. Maybe a love seat or oversized chair to get comfy in.

Anyway, I'll be back to tackle more of this thing later. I work a lot, and it makes me tired and grumpy. I'm out for now...