Posted on September 14, 2022 in Health, Life Goals, Spiritual, Uncategorized

Choosing Health

Image By Theresa Davidson. Flowers in three different stages of life.

Where I Have Been

It is time. Time for me to choose health. For too long, I have not chosen health. I have had fits and starts but I fall back on old habits. I have carried too much weight from my pregnancies. My first born is 27, I don’t think I can use it as an excuse anymore. I was on bed rest with her, and I just gained a lot of weight. It wasn’t pretty. But I have to give it up.

“The more a man uses moderation in his life, the more he is at peace, for he is not full of cares for many things. “
St. Anthony the Great

Image by Theresa Davidson. Monarch caterpillar eating milkweed leaf.

Last year my A1C crept up to 6.1. That is not terrible for a type 2 diabetic, but it is when the doctor says you either need to lose weight and eat right or you are going back on medication. My cholesterol was also going up. Menopause symptoms were getting bad again and the weight gain – just unstoppable.

Speaking of menopause, did you know menopause symptoms are so much more than hot flashes and night sweats? There are mood swings, aches and pains, brain fog, and man, if I didn’t have ADHD before, I sure feel like I do now! A good night’s sleep, what is that? My doctor (GP) wanted to put me on Lexapro when I said I had mood swings. I snapped at him and said “why do you only hear “mood swings? If I could sleep, I wouldn’t be so moody.” I had to laugh at myself later, but seriously, if I was getting enough rest, I think I could focus better and not be moody. I saw my gynecologist a few weeks later and she tried a different medication to try to help me sleep. Unfortunately, that med made my heart rate drop so low I thought I was going to die. No more of that. Still need to try something else.

Image by Theresa Davidson. Sunset picture from my deck, taken with my phone.

“Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.”
Saint Augustine

Where I Am Going

Dieting is not easy for anyone. I have tried a number of different diets and have had varying levels of success with each one. Everyone’s body is different and you need to find what works for you. With the combination of taking something for my menopause (an OTC menopause remedy), the lifestyle changes I am making with my diet (low carb/healthy fats), getting a little more exercise in, and wearing a continuous glucose monitor, things are starting to change. My prayer is that God gives me the strength to keep on this path. I want to be healthy so I can do what He calls me to do.

Another aspect of health is taking care of your mental health. I am so glad that the old thoughts on mental health issues as being shameful and weak are disappearing. It’s so important to take time to do things that “keep you sane” and do things that bring you joy. Nature photography, arts & crafts, reading, and writing all keep me sane and bring me joy. All of those things are like prayer to me. Singing is like prayer to me too and I start the day by singing in the shower – mostly Matt Maher songs. I am sure my family just loves all the noise I am making. Didn’t St. Augustine say, “singing is praying twice?’ Ah, but it brings me great joy. Isn’t it lovely to take a walk outside? Taking time to “smell the roses” is so refreshing to the mind and to the soul. Prayer and receiving the sacraments also helps stay in the right place mentally and spiritually.

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2

Images by Theresa Davidson. Winter bridge

Capturing peaceful images is also soul soothing to me. What are you doing to stay healthy: physically, mentally, and spiritually?

Peace.

Posted on March 23, 2016 in Health, Life Goals

Managing Type 2 Diabetes

The Diagnosis

When I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes approximately 2 years ago, I was devastated. I had fasting blood glucoses that were very high and my first A1C was 12.7! The first trip to the grocery store was extremely overwhelming as I looked at all of the labels of the food I usually bought and saw how tiny a serving size was and how many carbohydrates each serving had in it. I literally cried in the store that day. I had no idea what I could or should eat. My doctor had just told me to watch my sugars and the websites I visited said to eat a low carb diet. It really wasn’t very helpful at all.

A few months later, I found a diabetic education class that met once a week or 4 weeks in a town about an hour away from where I live. It was the best thing I could do. I also joined the American Diabetes Association forums – click here to see the site (and subscribed to the magazine) and the support and advice I got from both of those groups was amazing. I learned what I could eat and how to test my blood sugars to get to the optimal ranges. I learned daily exercise is important (though I admit I am terrible at this). I was also put on Metformin. I could only tolerate a low dose, but luckily for me it really worked for me as I worked to control my numbers through my diet (and occasional exercise). I lost weight (25-30 lbs since diagnosis – that 5 pounds keeps fluctuating). Things continued to get better. My A1C decreased to 7 by the first time it was retaken! By last summer it was down to the 6’s.

How far have I come with my Type 2 Diabetes.

My A1C was drawn a couple weeks ago. Last week I got the great news that it was now 5.8! WOW. I actually thought it would be higher because I did a lot of cheating over the holidays. My doctor took me off of the metformin and I now have to do it all (control my blood glucose) through diet and exercise.

It’s been less than a week since I am trying this and it has not been easy. My numbers have been high to low…I am having trouble getting things into the range I really want (they aren’r ridiculously high, but the lows are troubling because they happen quickly with just a little bit of exercise). I think I need to go back to the diabetic counselors and get things figured out so I can do this right. It’s a little scary being off of the medication, but it’s also exciting. I don’t want the chemicals in my body unless I absolutely need them. Pray for me or send good vibes my way. With God’s help I know I can do this! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! – Phillipians 4:13.

Question for you.

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, how are you controlling your blood glucose numbers? What advice would you give me?

Posted on March 5, 2016March 5, 2016 in Health, Spiritual

Pity Party for One Please!

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want too…

Remember that song? There’s a new song out too, you can search for it on YouTube if you’d like. It’s a little dark for my liking but I relate none-the-less! Who hasn’t thrown their very own pity party at least once in a while?

Pity parties are one of my least favorite types of parties, but there are just times in your life that you just want, no need to, throw yourself one. There are all sorts of reasons and I get into that a little later but first we need to define what a pity party is.

So, what is a pity party. I think the Urban Dictionary has a great definition that you really need to read here. But in short, it says a pity party is a “way of experiences grief, in which you spend your time feeling sorry for yourself and whining endlessly about how crappy your life is…” To be clear, I am not talking about the way you experience grief after a major life event. View the stages of loss and grief here. I’m talking about the feeling sorry for yourself & whining type of pity party. You’re with me on that right?

Why do we throw a pity party?

We have many reasons or excuses to have a pity party. Perhaps we think we were treated unfairly at work or school. Maybe there was a break up or suddenly our BFF was a complete jerk out of the blue. Many times we can have a pity party because of the cards we were dealt in relation to our health or wealth!

As the mom of a child with several chronic illnesses, I have had my own pity parties when I am overwhelmed by it all. Why my kid? Why don’t the doctors understand and fix her? Where did all my “leave” go (doctor appointments, staying home to support her when she’s too sick)? Why can’t I have a big vacation (no money, no leave)? And on and on. These pity parties don’t take too long. I cry it out in the shower, then dry off and put my big girl panties on and deal with it. I love my children and this is what a mom does.

As the mom of a teenage mom (other daughter now 21 and a mom of 2), I know I have had many pity parties related to this whole situation. Again, why my kid? Didn’t I teach her better than that? People are going to think I am a terrible mother! Ha! I’m now raising her oldest child while she is finishing cosmetology school. Some might say I am enabling her to use me. But in reality I am enabling her to do well in her life and be able to get a decent job to help raise her kids. But I digress, this is about me and my pity parties. I can have some because this is a time in my life when both of my girls are older (the younger one is 15) and I should have a little time to myself right? Not so much with a four year old. I get feelings of selfishness once in a while and whine about it. But I cry it out, create some art or crochet something and get over it.

My husbands aunt shared with me how she and her daughter (then a teen) would occasionally throw themselves a pity party when the daughter was in a serious car wreck and hospitalized for some time. They would have cake and ice cream and a good cry during their pity parties. And why not, it sucks recovering from injuries in a hospital! But they would have their pity party and then get on with the business of healing.

I think a pity party can be a healthy thing. Not necessarily eating the cake and whole tub of ice cream, but letting your emotions out is very healthy mentally. Sometimes we just need a good cry. Sometimes we need to vent.

But I’m of the belief that we shouldn’t hold long pity parties and I don’t think we should invite too many people to the party. You know when someone is having one and they want to invite you in because they are posting about it on social media. I’m all about giving a hug or an ear where it’s needed but please, don’t drag me into a rage or depression over what has got you down. Let’s keep it to sympathy or empathy! It can’t get ugly destructive when the wrong folks come to your pity party – what if all of you were having a pity party at the same time about different things and you all just added to each others piles. Not cool, especially if you can’t end your pity parties when they need to be ended.

Pity parties that last too long can turn into depression. If you have trouble ending your pity party you should probably seek help. Talk to a trusted friend about why you are feeling this way and ask them to help you! Go to your pastor if you are religious, pray about things and give it over to God, ask for help. Go to a psychologist or other counselor and get help. There’s even online help (Here’s one potential source of help).

So go ahead and have your pity party. Cry, scream, eat a tub of ice cream if you want. But then say a little prayer, count your blessings, and blow out those candles on that party cake. Now go have some fun.