Author: Shawn

I am a practitioner of the martial arts and student of the Buddhist faith. I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since I was 4 years old and have been fighting the uphill battle it includes ever since. I enjoy fitness and health and looking for new ways to improve both, as well as examining the many questions of life. Although I have no formal medical training, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding health, Diabetes, martial arts as well as Buddhism and philosophy. My goal is to share this information with the world, and perhaps provide some sarcastic humour along the way. Welcome!

What’s Your Dollar Worth?

Despite the downward spiral that my fitness routine has taken in recent months, I’m a big fan of staying healthy. All the time and effort seems well beyond worth it, when I get the opportunity to visit with my endocrinologist and he tells me that I have the heart of a horse and all my systems are functioning ALMOST as well as someone who doesn’t have Type-1 Diabetes. This was further confirmed last week, when a visit with my ophthalmologist confirmed no presence of macular edema in my eyes, the first time in over five years.

Now that I’m done bragging about how I AM ALL THAT IS DIABETES!!!! I can get to the point of today’s post. Something I’m not a big fan of, is crowds. I prefer to train in private or in the company of my family or like-minded martial arts individuals. This doesn’t mean I won’t train with anyone who wants to learn or get in shape, but I’m not a big fan of working out in public gyms. There are a few personal reasons behind this, but there are some definite pros and cons behind getting a gym membership and working out in the public eye.

I try not to be cynical about things that can be of definite benefit to someone’s overall health, so I’m going to share my top five pros and top five cons when it comes to joining a gym and working out in public. This isn’t sourced from anywhere, it’s all me. Here we go:

PROS:

  1. They have equipment you can’t afford: I’ll be honest, paying for fitness equipment is killer. Most retail and fitness equipment outlets charge more than a dollar per pound for dumbbells, which means you’ll be hitting the 100-dollar mark for a pair of decent 45-pound hex dumbbells. The cheapest treadmill I’ve been able to find online (that isn’t second hand) came in at just over $500 dollars. Working out with a variety of different equipment can be costly. Working out at a gym can circumvent the need to buy everything you need;
  2. They’ll have resources: Most gyms offer personal coaching, group workouts as well as access to things like yoga and Zumba classes. It’s a great place to meet like-minded people; not the weirdos who are all muscle and no brains that monopolize workout stations, but people who are genuinely interested in getting in shape and working on their personal fitness;
  3. It’s convenient for the working population: You can take advantage of lunchtime workouts, get to the gym right after work or even before you start work. Since most membership-based gyms offer shower service, you can be cleaned up and on your way to the office before start of shift;
  4. It’s great for motivation: There’s no denying that humans are pack animals. There’s a reason why we gather in towns and cities. Fitness and working out is no different. Trying to get in shape can be easier if you try to do it around other’s who have the same goal in mind;
  5. It gets you out of the house: I enjoy working out in my basement, garage and back yard. But once in a while, quarantine measures be damned, you need to get out of the house. A gym membership can be a good way to get out of the house a few times a week, even if it only means a simple travel from “A” to “B”.

CONS:

  1. Memberships are expensive as shit: Honestly, a year’s worth of gym membership could effectively pay for that $500 treadmill I mentioned in the PROS list. And don’t even get me started on these fuckin’ gyms that are so high and mighty that they make you sign a “contract” that makes it almost impossible to quit once you’ve joined. I’ve had gym managers I had to verbally fight with, just to cancel a membership so that I could transfer with my job;
  2. They smell like a warm bucket of hamster vomit: Not all gyms are created equal. As much as the Rocky franchise romanticized the concept of gyms that smell like blood, sweat and puke, no one wants to be in a bacteria-infested environment that smells like the backside of a dead calf. Especially if you’re breathing hard during some extreme cardio or trying to use some equipment that the last douchebag forgot to wipe down;
  3. You may be forced to deal with haters: In my opinion, a gym should be a haven of fitness for anyone who wants to work on themselves and improve their lives, either physically or mentally. But there is an unfortunate small group of people who go to the gym and belittle people who are trying, making fun of them and making them feel worse about themselves. It can make working out difficult;
  4. You sometimes have to wait: The one, nice thing about working out from home is that you don’t have to wait to use whatever you have available. Even if gyms have a ton of equipment you either don’t have or can’t afford, you may find yourself in a position where you have to wait in line for someone else who may be using the particular piece of equipment you need;
  5. You gotta leave the house: Go figure, I’ll share point #5 with both lists. I’m weird, that way. And a bunch of other ways, but honestly I LOVE working out at home. I prefer it, in fact. But that’s just me. It’s always a good idea to get out of the house once in a while. But honestly, I like the practicality of having my wife and children nearby, access to my own shower and snacks, drinks and all the other stuff.

At the end of the day, I’ve worked out in public gyms AND I’ve found ways to work out at home. My personal preference is to work out at home. If I had to weigh out the pros and cons, cost ends up being the big deterrent. I’d love to keep a membership and enjoy all the benefits of working out at a gym. It would be incredibly fun to bring my wife and have her enjoy those benefits as well. But considering there are dozens of “body-weight only” workouts that one can do from home, it’s hard to justify the cost.

The rest of the PROS and CONS can sort of cancel each other out. But it’s a matter of preference. My best advice would be to give it a try. But be sure to protect yourself and join that gym that doesn’t require a contract membership and that you can leave with only a month’s notice. That’s usually pretty reasonable. You should be able to let them know within the month if you plan on quitting. But with the reasonably balanced amount of good and bad, you really can’t tell if a public gym is for you less you try it. ☯

Walk This Way…

Walking is wonderful, isn’t it? You step out into the crisp morning air, breathe in the freshness and get some mild exercise. Emphasis on the mild, but it exists nonetheless. The past couple of weeks have humbled me, in the sense that my wife’s absence with our family vehicle during basement renovations have meant that I’ve had to walk everywhere. For everything. It’s humbling because I’ve come to appreciate just how convenient having a vehicle really is. It also gives me a new appreciation for the folks who can’t afford a vehicle and ALWAYS have to walk or take public transit.

This period has seen me walking a minimum of three to four kilometres for simple things such as checking my lottery ticket at the local corner store, picking up my much-needed energy drinks and even picking up two duffel bags of groceries to shore us up until my wife got back. Not least of which is the fact that these items had to be hauled back by hand. With a bus route that only passes every 50 minutes and it being an 18 to 20 minute walk for any of the locations I require, it’s obviously more time-smart to walk.

But with a light freezing rain falling on the day I had to go do groceries, and my corner store being closed for cleaning on the day I walked to check my lotto (thanks, 7-11!), it also gave me a reminder of the good old days when I was younger and HAD to walk or bike everywhere i wanted to go. Walking gets a pretty indifferent reaction from the world in general and there always seem to be two camps: those who are indifferent towards walking, and those who believe it’s incredibly good for personal fitness.

Walking is often ignored and considered a pointless exercise, and with good reason. Since running, weight-lifting and any other extreme workouts require deeper, physical exertion in order to be completed, people tend to assume walking is not as effective a form of working out. We can be honest in the fact that walking can’t be placed in the same category as say, an hour of HIIT training. But there are still a number of benefits associated with walking regularly.

According to an online article posted by HealthLine.com, walking on a regular basis has a number of health benefits, which includes burning calories, lowering blood sugar, easing joint pain and boosting energy levels. On the mental front, walking can help improve your mood and encourage creative thinking. In fact, the Mayo Clinic writes that 30 minutes of brisk walking can add a burn of about 150 calories, with that total calories increasing, the faster and longer you walk. They also warn that if you’re walking solely for the purposes of weight-loss, a healthy diet needs to be incorporated, as well.

During my last eye injection when I took the bus to Saskatoon, I wound up walking almost 15 kilometres throughout the course of the day (For The Longest Time…🎶), and it was a significant calorie burn. And did my legs end up feeling as though Sensei had just delivered a dozen roundhouse kicks to my thighs? Hell no, because nothing hurts quite as bad as that, but it provided a decent burn over the course of that whole day.

The nice thing about walking is that it’s reasonably low-impact, so if you have knee or joint pain or suffer from obesity and are looking to start burning calories and losing weight, walking can be done for longer periods of time than traditional forms of cardio. Although walking may not be a “better” workout, it’s an effective one. And it can be a good addition to your weekly total workouts by providing a low-impact, relaxing alternative to just sitting on the couch on your rest days. So toss those earbuds in, lace up your sneakers and if you have Diabetes, plan ahead for lows and hit the streets. Your body and mind will thank you. ☯

Staying Alive, It Isn’t Just A Catchy 70’s Song…

Last Sunday, I wrote a post about Halloween and how my wife and I chose to allow our children to celebrate by indulging in treats at home as opposed to putting them at risk by wandering from house-to-house (here is last Sunday’s post, if you didn’t read it). I felt the post was well-written and was clearly categorized as an “opinion” piece, but some felt that my opinion was wrong, perhaps even presumptuous. And people can, by all means, feel however they wish to feel about my opinion. It doesn’t necessarily make it wrong. However, it raises something of an important issue that I’d like to address today.

There are a lot of thoughts floating around about what the next best step should be in regards to the current pandemic. Some people believe that we need to lock ourselves down tighter in order to mitigate the COVID-19 issue we currently face, while others believe that we need to loosen the noose a bit and try to start living normally again. In order to examine and open a constructive discussion on this topic, I’d like to start by sharing a post that an ER nurse apparently wrote. I got this from a friend on FaceBook, and I have no source for it, so you need to take it with grain of salt. But here it is:

“Anyone out there who can tell me what our end game is with the COVID-19? What is the magic formula that is going to allow us to sound the all clear? Is it zero cases? The only way that will happen is if we just stop testing and stop reporting. Is it a vaccine? It took 25 years for a chicken pox vaccine to be developed. The smallpox inoculation was discovered in 1796 the last known natural case was in 1977. We have a flu vaccine that is only 40 to 60% effective and less than half of the US population choose to get one, and roughly 20,000 Americans will die of the flu or flu complications. Oh, you’ll mandate it, like other vaccines are mandated in order to attend school, travel to some foreign countries, etc. We already have a growing number of anti vaxxers refusing proven, tested, well known vaccines that have been administered for decades but aren’t necessarily safe! Do you really think people will flock to get a fast tracked, quickly tested vaccine, whose long term side effects and overall efficacy are anyone’s best guess? How long are we going to cancel and postpone and reconsider? You aren’t doing in person school until second quarter? What if October’s numbers are the same as August’s? You moved football to spring? What if next March is worse than this one was? When do we decide quality of life outweighs the risks? I understand Covid can be deadly or very dangerous for SOME people, but so are strawberries and so is shellfish. We take risks multiple times a day without a second thought. We know driving a car can be dangerous, we don’t leave it in the garage. Many speed and don’t wear seat belts. We know the dangers of smoking, drinking and eating fried foods, we do it anyway. Is hugging Grandma really more dangerous than rush hour on the freeway? Is going out with friends after work more risky than 4 day old gas station sushi? Or operating a chainsaw? When and how did we so quickly lose our free will and give up our liberty? Is there a waiver somewhere I can sign that says, “I understand the risks, but I choose a life with Hugs and Smiles, and the State Fair and go to Church and go hug my Mom in her retirement home? I understand that there is a minuscule possibility I could die, but I will most likely end up feeling like crap for a few days. I understand I could possibly pass it to someone else, if I’m not careful, but I can pass any virus onto someone else. I’m struggling to see where or how this ends. We either get busy living or we get busy dying. When God decides it’s your time, you don’t get any mulligans, so I guess I would rather spend my time enjoying it and living in the moment and not worrying about what ifs and maybes, and I bet I’m not the only one.”

– Unknown ER Nurse

Like I mentioned at the beginning of today’s post, I got this from a friend’s FaceBook page and I wasn’t able to locate its source online. Maybe one of you will have better luck and if so, please free to name the source in the comments. But I think it’s important to give that paragraph a careful read. Look at the two-sided message it provides and how there are significant contradictions involved. A lot of what’s written in that quote is shared by many member of the public.

Although I agree that we need to start working on developing some level of normalcy within your society, what that “normal” will look like may not be what we’re all expecting or hoping for. Do I agree that we face risks of danger and imminent death on a daily basis? Absolutely. But most of what’s written in that quote is a matter of choice. We CHOOSE to operate motor vehicles. We CHOOSE to drink, gamble, smoke, use recreational drugs and have unprotected sex.

But nobody should CHOOSE to take unnecessary risks and potentially catch COVID-19. Even the comment on strawberry and shellfish allergies is a bit on the ridiculous side, and isn’t a choice. It’s an allergy one is either born with, or developed. That’s a far cry from allowing yourself exposure to a life-threatening virus. There’s nothing I want more than to travel back to New Brunswick and see my family, but in doing so, I risk endangering their lives. People are of the unfortunate belief that COVID-19 “isn’t all that bad” and that “it’ll pass.” Yeah, sure. It’ll likely pass, but it’ll change the world and how we do things before it does. It already has.

Folks, you need to realize and understand that getting COVID-19 isn’t like getting a bad cold or flu that you’re likely to recover from. It carries serious risks, and even a healthy person can succumb to it if it isn’t taken seriously. Everyone is tired of quarantine restrictions and self-isolation. I, for one would like to walk down my street without worrying if that jogger who’s panting heavily will spit Corona particles into my face, or worrying about what my child may be exposed to while in school.

This pandemic is far from over, and there are steps we all need to take to help mitigate the damage. It isn’t about a “minuscule possibility” of dying, it’s about protecting ourselves and the ones we love. That’s what it all comes down to. I don’t do politics. And I generally don’t follow trends. But I also know common sense, if such a thing exists, when I see it. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Wear the mask. Don’t go out into large crowds unnecessarily. Don’t expose your family to things because you think you need to “either get busy living or get busy dying.” That, in and of itself, is a defeatist attitude and humanity deserves better. ☯

Ownership, Like Cheese Sliding Off Your Cracker…

There’s a certain level of pride in ownership. Think about it: you have a few buddies who come over to watch whatever sporting event you’re into, and one of them comments on your television set. Next thing you know, you fall into a self-indulgent monologue about where you got it, how much you paid for it and the size and features of the screen, before one of your buddies finally stuffs a beer into your hand and reminds you the game is about to start. A person usually can’t help it. Pride in one’s belongings is a normal instinct, albeit self-indulgent and unnecessary.

Last night, someone broke into my family’s vehicle. This is the third time in as many years that this has happened. Speaking from a professional standpoint, there’s not a hell of a lot one can do about something like this. It’s a petty crime with little to no evidence, which means there isn’t anything for the police to go on. I know this from experience. From a personal standpoint, I consider it a violation of my privacy and an invasion of my home. Although the vehicle may be parked outside, it’s my property ON my property, and no one has any right to access it without my consent.

So, why do these people do it? I wish there was an easy answer… From a humanity perspective, I’m certain there are some who are simply seeking out cash money. That certainly seemed to be the case with my vehicle. I opened the driver’s door this morning to find my glove box and dash compartment sitting open and papers strewn all about. Even some of the menial electronics I had in the vehicle, such as a dash cam, were left untouched. This leads me to believe that they hoped to find coins, at the very least. But we keep nothing of value in our vehicle.

There are different schools of thought, in relation to a crime like this. Some people believe the best course of action is to simply leave the vehicle unlocked, allowing persons unknown an unhindered access to the vehicle so that they ca see there’s nothing inside and move along. Others, such as myself, believe that there’s no value in accommodating criminals in order to make their process easier, regardless of their reasons.

There is a enough suffering in the world without intentionally causing more. Besides the inconvenience of having to clean everything up, I spent the morning drop-off explaining to my 5-year old son why someone came into our vehicle and made a mess, even if the vehicle didn’t belong to them. What’s more is the sense of random strangers being inside the vehicle where I transport my children adds an unwanted sense of reality to the violation.

I find myself in a position now, where I am considering taking added security steps in my home including a camera system or a car alarm system. Despite the fact that keeping one’s doors locked should be enough to inform any person that they’re not welcome, the way of the world seems to require more. The worst part is the sense of anger I feel towards these persons, and the potential actions I may take if I were to ever catch them. I don’t want to be that kind of person. But one can only take personal violations for so long. ☯

Just Something To Make You Smile

Some days, I like to let my head cool down from all the reading, research and long-winded writing I do, and simply post something funny, inspirational or cute. So, here it is! I found this online and it made me smile, so hopefully it does that for you as well.

Some of the important lessons of life can come from the most unlikely sources, even if all they do is make you grin like a fool. ☯

“Asbestos” It Gets…

It’s been a hell of a long week, with basement demolition and foundation bracing taking place within my home. It started last Wednesday, with a crew from Grasshopper Construction showing up to take down the current walls and finishings from the basement in order to expose the concrete foundation. This was to be followed with the placing of steel braces all along the foundation walls in order to shore up and solidify the concrete and prevent any heaving or caving in, since the soil in Regina is primarily composed of yellow clay and tends to shift and cause said heaving.

The “Before” photo

My wife and I agreed that it would be best for her and our infant son to take a trip to her parents’ place for the week that followed, in order to allow the baby to get his naps and stick to a routine as opposed to dealing with the cold and noise that would take place within the house. My wife also requires a wifi signal for her work-at-home job, and we knew that power and internet may be interrupted at intermittent times.

This left me with my 5-year old son, Nathan, as he had school all week and had to make the bus every morning. The first day of demolition went well, with a significant amount of the finishings removed by the end of the day. The crew were extremely efficient, keeping me updated and asking questions as required. They were also really good with cleaning as they went and at the end of every day, which made the continued use of the washer and dryer a possibility during the whole process, which was greatly appreciated.

The panoramic “After” photo

After two full days of demolition, they had about 90% of the basement demolished and on Thursday afternoon, Jeff (the owner of the company) brought me to the basement to show me that they had discovered the inner walls of our cold storage room filled with an asbestos insulation called Vermiculite. The tiles left under that wonderful orange carpet of the basement’s open area were also made of asbestos. This meant that demolition and bracing would need to stop until I could get professionals to come in and remove the asbestos.

We were already aware of the floor tiles prior to the project starting, as Jeff recognized it during his first visit. But it wasn’t a concern as it wouldn’t interfere with the bracing of the foundation walls. But the cold room unfortunately had to be demolished in order to access the section of south wall that needed to be braced. I looked up a local asbestos removal company and asked for someone to come take a look and provide an estimate. At about 4:30 pm on Thursday afternoon, one of the guys came over and assessed the cold room and floor tiles and advised he would email me an estimate of costs.

Asbestos tiles

For those who are unfamiliar with it, asbestos refers to silicate minerals that are arranged in a fine fibrous crystal form and was used for multiple residential and industrial applications in Canada towards the end of the 1870’s. It became a popular commodity, due to it’s fire and temperature resistance as well as its ability to stand up against exposure to chemicals. Given it’s physical flexibility, it was often used as a source material for floor tiles, insulation, sound-proofing and temperature control. Especially since it was so cheap. The big problem is that when asbestos is damaged or broken up, it can release microscopic “fibrils” that can potentially be inhaled.

Asbestos insulation, or “Vermiculite,” discovered once they tried tearing down this wall

The inhalation of asbestos can lead to certain forms of cancer, specifically mesothelioma. I won’t get into THAT one; y’all can use Google on that one. I’m just happy that I managed to spell it properly. I got my estimate on Friday afternoon, and was told that an asbestos crew would be there the following day (Saturday) to do the clean up. I updated Jeff and we agreed that this would work out perfectly as it would prevent any interference or delays with the foundation bracing.

The asbestos removal people were scheduled to be here at 8:00 am on Saturday morning. I got up at 7:00 am, in order to have Nathan dressed and ready in the event we needed to vacate the house for a few hours. By 8:40, I started to wonder if I had misunderstood and contacted the company. Lo and behold, they only showed up at about 10:30 as they apparently booked an earlier job before mine. Such is life.

I was not impressed with the situation. The asbestos removal guys even mentioned that the use of asbestos within the house should have been disclosed before our initial purchase of the property. But considering the original owner did a lot of his own work and on his own, he may have insulated that room himself and it may not have been a known fact. Now that all the hazardous materials had been removed, the demolition team were able to finish removing the remaining finishings and get the bracing done on the foundation walls.

This wasn’t the end of the issues, of course. Minutes into starting their work on Monday morning, the Grasshopper crew found another wall filled with Vermiculite, and had to stop work in that area. A quick call to the asbestos company saw a crew of three show up at my house within 30 minutes in order to clean it all up. I’ll admit that I was a little miffed with them and basically “ordered” them to ensure they tore apart every wall to ensure I wouldn’t have to bring them in a third time.

Thank the light that the Grasshopper crew were flexible and able to take a break to allow the asbestos team to clean up what they had missed on their previous visit. They vacated the basement and showed up to continue working without missing a beat. They somehow showed up right when he asbestos guys left and continued work before I even noticed they even came back!

Wall braces, in all their concrete-straightening glory!

The Grasshopper crew worked over the days that followed, and I watched the progression of a heaved, cracked foundation to the neat, sealed and braced walls you see in the photograph above. A plumber and an electrician came in to reconnect certain pipes and power lines that had to be removed for the proper installation of the steel braces. All in all, the basement is looking way better than it did a month ago.

Over the next short period of time, we’ll need to decide if we’re to put our house back on the market or if fate and career will allow us to make it our permanent home. If it’s the latter, I’ve already got some ideas for the open space. Of course I do, this is me! I’m thinking pool table, maybe a mini-bar and cocktail fridge, dart board… After I get some flooring, framing and drywalling done, of course. I can hear my wife groaning already! Either way, a significant amount of stress is off my shoulders, now that I now the foundation of my home has been shored up.

Even the tight, difficult area under the floor landing, still properly and professionally braced

A really huge shout out to Grasshopper Construction, the owners Jeff and Shane, as well as Kess and Luke for their diligent and professional work and for putting up with the occasional distraction and questions from my 5-year old son Nathan. If you live in the Regina area, or know someone who does and requires foundation work or renovations, I can’t recommend these guys enough. Besides their website, which I’ve linked above, they also have a FaceBook page you can check out and see customer testimonials and photos of their work. ☯

Halloween? How About Don’t?

I was diagnosed as Type-1 Diabetic at the age of four, so Halloween has never really held an important place in my life. After all, the eating of chocolate and candy wasn’t exactly permitted, unless I was having a low, and my older brother was always too sick to go walking for long distances from door-to-door. So the concept of spending time, money and effort on a costume, just to go out and gather treats from other people never appealed to me as a child. It appeals to me even less as an adult, but it’s no longer about me. It’s about my children.

This year, Halloween has taken a severe kick in the candy-corn since social distancing requirements are as such that trick-or-treating is basically an unessential and frivolous risk when faced with the possibility of walking up to someone’s door to get a freakin’ Kit-Kat bar. Despite this fact, many parents decided to allow their children to go trick-or-treating, last Saturday. There are two schools of thought on this: some believe the risk isn’t worth it (and they’d be right) while others believe that our children shouldn’t be made to suffer because of what’s currently going on in the world (and they’re also right).

My 1-year old enjoying the spoils of Halloween

The concept of going door-to-door is a relatively recent one, tracing its roots to the early 1900’s when candy companies sought to cash in on the trend of trick-or-treating. According to an article posted by thekitchn.com, candy companies established a sort of “Candy Day,” which was usually observed on the second Saturday of October. This lasted until the 1970’s when the handing out of candy was seen as the most economic means of celebrating and the trick aspect mostly gave way to receiving the treat.

The term “trick or treat” first appeared in print in Canada in the late 1920’s. The idea behind the term was a subtle hint that if the homeowner didn’t provide a treat, a trick would be played through some form of mischief. Halloween, in fact, originally had nothing to do with going door-to-door for candy. This is a shiny aspect that was generously created by the candy companies in order to make money. And make money, they do!

But according to a detailed article posted by History.com, Halloween traces its origins to the Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. There’s obviously a bit more involved in it than that, but feel free to click the link to read the article for deeper details. Despite how long-winded my writing becomes, the purpose of this post isn’t actually a history lesson.

This year, my wife and I had a good conversation with our 5-year old and had him understand that due to the COVID-19 virus, that we wouldn’t be going door-to-door to trick-or-treat and rather, we would purchase a couple of boxes of treats and celebrate at home. We gorged ourselves on chips and candy bars (a great challenge for my pump, I might add) and our son was none the less enthused about Halloween as a result. It was a great alternative to exposing ourselves unnecessarily, and our kids still got to enjoy some Halloween candy.

Although this was a pretty simple and common-sense method of adhering to social distancing, we were somewhat surprised to see that some children still came to our door. We could have been grumps and refused to open the door but Nathan, in his generous nature, offered to share from his treat stash so that these kids would be able to partake as well. Many parents would argue that they have a right to allow their children to do as they please, especially on Halloween. I would assume those parents are also anti-vaxxers.

Yes, eventually we need to return to, or establish, some level of normalcy as everyone can’t live behind closed doors for the remainder of human history. But at the same time, there are some things that should be recognized as unnecessary in order to reduce risk of exposure. Getting groceries or picking up prescriptions are a necessity. Sending your kids out into the cold to intentionally interact with multiple households is not. Simply food for thought. Or rather, candy for thought… ☯

Fear Is Not A Diabetic Symptom

Having Type-1 Diabetes involves a lot of preparation and planning ahead. Even simple trips out of the house or a full 8-hour work shift requires good memory on my part, including blood testing equipment, fast-acting carbohydrates and extra equipment in the event my pump’s infusion set fails. It can be arduous, especially if you’re dashing out in a hurry. Light knows, I’ve had many times in my life were I’ve gotten to where I’m going and suddenly remembered, “Damn, I forgot to bring an insulin vial!”

For someone who isn’t QUITE as ancient as I am, and hasn’t had the opportunity to go through the ups and downs of Type-1, the task can seem daunting. What’s worse is that to some, the task can even be overwhelming or frightening, as some Type-1’s may believe that they face serious complications or death if they forget something, leading to self-isolation in the face of that belief. Although this is certainly a possibility, life for a Diabetic becomes much easier once you realize that it’s also the extreme. And a rare one, at that.

Essentially, almost everything you need for proper Diabetes therapy can be purchased over-the-counter. Even insulin. It’s been this way for years, and there’s even been a growing trend of Americans crossing the Canadian border to purchase insulin, as our prices seem to be significantly better than theirs. My point is that depending on one’s financial situation, running out of insulin is pretty much the worst thing that can happen, and even THAT has some solutions.

You can walk into any pharmacy and buy a vial of insulin without a prescription. That’s one of the nice things. Blood testing strips, lancets and devices for injecting insulin are all available over-the-counter, making for a certain level of safe comfort if you should happen to be travelling and forgot some of your supplies. Obviously, you’ll have to deal with retail cost if you don’t have a prescription or coverage. And pump supplies will usually cost you your first born, as well as a pint of your blood.

One good example would be my trip to New Brunswick in September of 2019. I was only there for a few days for a job interview. I was contacted by a different agency in New Brunswick and a second interview was scheduled for the following week. I now found myself in a situation where my pump supplies would run out, right around the time I’d be trying to board a plane home. I couldn’t chance it, so I walked into a local pharmacy and purchased a vial of Lantus, which I hadn’t used since getting on the pump. I had no issues walking into a pharmacy and simply buying the vial, out of pocket.

Because this is me, and life likes to see how much I can handle, there’s an aspect of over-the-counter purchases that tend to be a rather burly thorn in my posterior. In Canada, insulin is in the Schedule 2 drug class. This means that not only is it meant to be kept behind the counter and can’t be accessed without speaking to a pharmacist, they require your full profile in order to ascertain if you’re getting the “correct” insulin in the “correct” doses. As if the person buying the insulin WOULDN’T know that…

If you’re ever-so-slightly paranoid like I am, you’re not a fan of giving out your name, date of birth and home address to every random pharmacy that you may need to buy insulin from. And to be quite honest, one could argue that it should be their right to purchase an over-the-counter item without having to share a bunch of personal information. Right? Maybe? Or is that only me? It’s caused me some difficulty, in the past.

A few years ago, my wife and I had travelled to visit her parents. I ran out of Humalog towards the end of our trip, and I decided that rather than packing us up and heading home a couple of days early that I’d simply go purchase a bottle. I walked into the local Walmart and asked the pharmacist for a vial of Humalog. She then proceeded to start asking for all my personal info, which had never happened to me on previous attempts to purchase insulin.

I explained to her that I had no desire to provide my personal information as I didn’t live in the area and simply wanted to buy a vial of insulin. She made a big production in saying that she had no way to sell it to me without entering my information. I explained that I’ve managed pharmacies in the past, and since the insulin box has a barcode like every other item, all she needed to do was scan it and charge me the price. She refused service. I was taken aback. Rather that “Karen” out on her, I left and took my business elsewhere

Despite the fact that there can be obstacles, what did you notice from those two examples? The end result is that there were always options. And there always will be. In the first example, I had access to plenty of pharmacies and resources. Even in the second example, we could have simply driven home, which would have ultimately solved the crisis, had I not been able to secure insulin elsewhere. I used insulin as my examples because let’s agree that you can likely get by without testing your blood for a couple of days, if need be. You shouldn’t but it won’t cause the damage that being out of insulin will.

Over almost the past four decades of having Type-1 Diabetes, I’ve known doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, police officers, olympic athletes and even professional football players who have Type-1 Diabetes. The take-home lesson is that our condition doesn’t prevent us from enjoying any aspect of life that we may be seeking out. And it SHOULDN’T. Yes, there’s a lot to think about. Yes, there’s a lot you have to drag around. But none of that should prevent you from doing the things you want to do. You can’t let Diabetes force you to live in fear. ☯

A Possible Glimpse Of The Future…

It’s pretty safe to say that no one really knows what the future will bring. Given the increasing issues the world faces, that’s a pretty fair assumption. But as the world keeps turning, new obstacles and issues seem to pop up; sometimes expected, sometimes not. And this is where the book series I’m currently reading comes into play. I don’t usually make a point of reviewing things like books or movies, unless they directly relate to martial arts, Diabetes or Buddhism because, well… that’s the point of this blog. But this book trilogy relates, even if only after a fashion.

The Newsflesh Trilogy Boxset

I purchased this box set on a whim, while walking around my local Chapters book store (now universally known as Indigo). I was looking for something new to read, and the premise of this storyline looked interesting. Like many of the books I purchase, it’s been sitting on a shelf for the past few years as some of my “alpha choices,” (Star Wars, Star Trek, Wheel of Time and Jack Reacher books) have occupied what bit of time I have to flip through pages.

Although the first volume, entitled “Feed,” was released in 2010, I only bought the box set a few years later. I purchased the fourth and fifth follow-up books about two years ago and this has reminded me that I should get back to them. And in starting to read the first volume, I’ve gotten a bit of an eery look into what our future may potentially become…

Book 1, “Feed” is the one I’m currently reading

Set in the year 2040, Feed follows the story of a girl named Georgia Mason in a world where man-made viruses have combined to create a sort of super-virus that infects mammals and reanimates them in a sort of zombie form. Mason and her brother are bloggers, of all things, and are chosen to follow the presidential election during all the chaos. Online blogs have become the prominent form of media distribution, with the more traditional forms of journalism now defunct.

I don’t want to give anything of the story away, for anyone who may want to read the books. But as a blogger, I feel a certain sense of satisfaction from the idea that online blogging becomes recognized as the mainstream source for news and entertainment. And there’s no denying that having virus develop as a result of trying to cure something else also hits a little close to home, considering the current pandemic we face. In the books, our own cures are what perpetuated the virus and it’s no secret that many are currently trying to develop a cure for COVID-19.

The last bit of frightening irony is that the events in “Feed” take place in 2040, apparently twenty years after the emergence of said virus, which according to new math means that it all started happening in 2020. Just a little bit creepy, when you consider the book was released in 2010, long before COVID-19 was a thing. It gets one wondering if author Mira Grant (Seanan McGuire) had some strange, clairvoyant insight into what the future would bring. Who knows?

The two most recent additions to the series

Although the series has only been running for the past ten years, it’s already put out quite a number of books, but this is the main reading order:

  1. Feed
  2. Deadline
  3. Blackout
  4. Feedback

The fifth book I purchase, “Rise,” is a collection of eight short stories based on the NewsFlesh Series. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, this series will definitely provide a fresh take on the concept. You can check out the Goodreads entry for a complete list of novels, novellas and compilations associated with the series. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read series to start, the NewsFlesh Series just may be for you. ☯

Education Is Key…

Most people are of the opinion that their medical history is private; something to be shared only with immediate family and medical practitioners. In most circumstances, this can make sense. After all, who needs to know the intimate details of your health condition and what the symptoms and problems associated with said condition may be? Honestly? Everyone. The correct answer is everyone.

I’m well beyond what can be considered conventional. Not only in matters of health, but with life in general. Unlike the previous paragraph, my personal policy has been full disclosure. Full disclosure with family. Full disclosure with friends. Definitely full disclosure with employers. Not only has this prevented a number of awkward questions throughout the years, it’s truthfully saved my life on a few occasions as well.

There’s always an exception to every rule. Even if it’s always been my personal policy, people who have been aware of my condition have gone out of their way to ignore it. I’m not talking about something straightforward like blaming my bad mood on high blood sugar. I’m referring to something more obvious and definite. this is where I’m reminded of my 11th grade French teacher…

During the 1994-95 school year, I was 17 years old and full of the same raging hormones and issues as any red-blooded teenager. Bad acne, oily skin and a singular focus on the female gender… oh, yeah! And Type-1 Diabetes! I was on two types of insulin, a fast-acting and long-acting, delivered by way of manual injection via insulin pens. I didn’t have the level of control that I have these days, especially since I was pretty much a morose, semi-goth kid who just didn’t give a shit.

I was in 11th grade French, trying to keep my eyes open during class. I likely SHOULD have recognized the symptoms, but my blood began to drop dramatically. Looking back on it now, knowing what I know, I can only assume that my initial dose of fast-acting insulin was too much for the amount of carbohydrates I had ingested at breakfast (if I had eaten any at all). I got dizzy and disoriented and wound up setting my head down on the desk and closing my eyes. I soon fell asleep at my desk.

Now I don’t know about you, but in most classrooms I’ve ever been in, teachers will take serious offence and wake any student they find passing out during their lectures. Despite the fact that teenagers have hormonal and growth imbalances that make them prone to falling asleep in class, teachers usually get pissed about it. It’s just human nature; I’d probably take offence if someone fell asleep during my lectures as well.

The point is, I was unconscious in class and my teacher was ignoring it. She knew I had Type-1 Diabetes and she also knew that I wasn’t the typical type of student who usually DID sleep in class. Common sense would dictate that she’d have assumed there was a problem. She should have halted her lecture and come over to check on me and see if there was a problem. But she didn’t. She let me be and continued on with her lesson. Bitch.

All the while, my blood kept dipping lower and lower, to the light knows how low of a level. When class was done and the lunch bell rang, one of my classmates walked over and shook me awake. He would be the one who would ultimately tell me that most people in class took notice of my passing out, but the teacher didn’t intervene. Given the nature of pack mentality, everyone figured that if the teacher didn’t care, why should they?

I staggered my way to the lunch line and got some food and made my way to a table, pretty much on autopilot. Once I had some carbohydrates floating into my system, I fell asleep in the cafeteria, from genuine exhaustion as opposed to low blood sugar. Dropping or climbing to extremes is incredibly tiring on the body. I missed the first period after lunch, until one of the cafeteria staff found me and roused me. I made the rest of my afternoon classes then walked home.

This gives you an idea of the kind of difficulties I’ve dealt with, even when I’ve TOLD the involved parties about my condition. Imagine the difficulties I’ve had with the people who have had no fuckin’ clue? This is why it’s SO important to get over your insecurities and share the specifics of your condition with the people around you. It could potentially save your life.

What would you prefer? Keeping your Diabetes history to yourself and private or providing others with information that under the right circumstance, could potentially save your life. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. But it’s definitely food for thought. Everyone nowadays is absolutely obsessed with their privacy. And with good reason, I think. But it stands to reason that there are some things that you shouldn’t keep to yourself; especially when it relates to your health and well-being. ☯