A nice, simple feel-good post today. My toddler was playing with a bunch of stuff that aren’t his toys, as kids are want to do, when he sat cross-legged in a cake dish borrowed from his grandmother. I thought it was a cute representation of a meditating Buddha. Enjoy!
I think I’ve posted this image every few months over the past couple of years, but it has an air of truth behind it that’s rather important. I can’t remember where I found it and when I try to locate it online, I usually come up empty-handed but sometimes it’s nice to post something positive instead of just bitching about my condition, right? Here’s the image:
Take a look at all those descriptive words in the second paragraph of the image. To some, it may seem like bragging and maybe it is, to an extent. But when I take stock of my life and the things I’ve been through, I recognize that a good number of those descriptive words ring true. Had I never been diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes, I may not have developed the determination and will to keep fighting through things that I have, With an simpler, easier life free of Diabetes, maybe I would have become soft.
Or worse, maybe I would have become boastful and a bully, none of which would be a good thing. That’s why if you’re fighting the good fight against Diabetes and you recognize yourself in some of those words, do as the image suggests: Take that and fold it up and put it in your pocket for a while. ☯️
It still amazes me to recognize that carb-counting was never a thing for me until I started on the pump. I remember the look on the dietitian’s face when she asked how I count my carbs to account for my meals and my response was, “How do I count what??? I just estimate an insulin amount…”. I think a little part of her soul died. I’d gotten so used to just guessing how much insulin I needed for certain foods that carb counting never entered the equation. It was definitely not something that was ever brought up during my childhood by doctors or my parents. I just always thought it was normal…. Eating a sandwich? Take 6 or 7 units. Going to a buffet? Maybe take a dozen units instead…
I can’t even remember the last time I ate at a buffet. It’s more trouble than it’s worth, considering the combination of different foods can lead to difficulties in the difference between slow and fast-acting carbs, fats and whatever else…. I either bolus too much, despite my efforts to count how many carbs I’m eating, or I don’t bolus enough. It’s bullshit I don’t need, simply for the purpose of making a restaurant owner cry at watching me go up for my fifth plate of food. Not least of which, is the fact that I have historically ALWAYS felt like crap after eating at a buffet. But i digress…
I posted about this a few years ago, but counting carbs involves a bit of math. Most commercially purchased foodstuffs will have a nutritional label on the packaging that should allow you to have a reasonable idea of how many carbohydrates you should be bolusing for. I say a “reasonable idea” because it isn’t always accurate. But what’s more is, you can’t just read the label and bolus for the carbohydrate total listed on the label. The image below will illustrate:
The image above is what a typical nutrition label on packaged food will look like. AT the very top, you’ll notice that they list a “portion” amount. I put that in quotations because, if you’re anything like me, you’re not counting out 27 pieces when eating chips. So, recognizing the portion you’re eating versus the portion listed on the label becomes important so you can add it all up.
Let’s say this portion says 55 grams but the total box, which may be consumable in one sitting, is 250 grams. This means you have 4.5 portions to account for. Whatever total of carbohydrates is listed will need to be multiplied by 4.5 in order to know the total you need to bolus for. Still with me? Good. Next, look at the numbers I’ve circled. Dietary fibre needs to be subtracted from total carbohydrates, as we don’t bolus for fibre. So the actual amount for one portion of this label is 37g – 4g = 33 grams of actual carbohydrates per portion.
Now, even if your head is totally killing from the math, should you decide to consume the entire package of 250g, which is 4.5 portions, this is the math you’d use:
33g (carbs/portion) x 4.5 (# of portions =
148.5 grams of total carbohydrates
That’s a pretty hefty total. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever consumed that many carbs in one sitting. This is mainly to illustrate the math. It works much better when I’m eating something like chicken wings or bites, which are only about 8g per portion. With the same portion sizes as described above, you’d only be looking at 36g total carbohydrates instead, which makes more sense for one sitting. I think the last time I actually tried to bolus for more than 100g of carbs was when I had a full meal of a certain fast-food chain that boasts a creepy smiling clown. Wink, wink…
Estimating how many grams of carbs you’re eating will sometimes be necessary. If someone slaps a plate of rice in front of you at dinner, how will you know the EXACT amount? But knowing how much cooked rice may sit at, you can still make a pretty educated guess. But guessing for the sake of guessing can put you in a position where you may wind up too high or two low. So, it’s important to makes the effort. Yes, it involves a bit of math, but it can make the difference between a balanced day or riding the BS roller-coaster. Anyone else craving a Chinese buffet, now? ☯️
2015 was an important year for me as a Type-1 Diabetic, as I started a new leg of the journey by starting pump therapy. I remember it clearly; my coworkers were pretty miffed at me, since I had just come back from several months of parental leave after Nathan was born. THEN I start on the pump and my employer’s medical branch opted to throw me on administrative duties for a few months to get acclimated to the pump. It was not well received, haha.
Over the past six years, I’ve gone through a number of concerns and issues as they relate to the insulin pump. Although I can say that I’ve enjoyed some of the best blood sugar levels of my life and my last A1C result almost moved me to tears, it stands to reason that any technology is only as good as the user and the environment that it’s in. And that’s why on occasion, things go a little haywire,
On Saturday, I decided that it would be a good idea to bring my son Nathan to the public pool. My wife and I usually prefer the splash pad, since it allows Nathan not only to run around and burn energy, it just happens to be free. But considering that the temperature was expected to be disgustingly hot and I didn’t want either of us sitting out in the sun for an extended period of time, I opted to pay the entry fee and make use of the actual, indoor swimming pool.
As we got ready to go in, I brought my backpack along with our towels and belongings poolside, where I would be able to indulge in my paranoia and keep a passive eye on them. Among those belongings would be my insulin pump. Despite the fact that the manufacturer boasts the device being waterproof, I wasn’t taking a chance. As I took my first steps into the pool, I had a sudden realization: this would be the first time I entered the water and submerged my CGM. Although that was also said to be waterproof, my Patchabetes adhesive was a mystery and if that came off, the CGM would follow suit. Uh oh…
I started running numbers through my head, how long the current sensor had been attached, how many I had left at home and whether or not I wanted to potentially sacrifice a sensor just to go swimming. Since I’m cheap and had already paid my entry, I decided to throw caution to the wind, suspended my pump (since it would be left in my bag) and hit the water. I checked the adhesive occasionally, and made sure to keep it out of the water when I was in the hot tub.
We were in the pool for about three hours. I had to basically drag Nathan out, he was having such a good time. When we reached the backpack, it had any alarm going off with such volume and frequency that it was a wonder that no one was evacuating! Turns out the pump didn’t like the fact that it couldn’t read my sensor (because I was too far) and had started vibrating, then setting off an alarm, then increasing the volume more and more…
I silenced the alarm, hooked back up and it only took a minute for the pump to pick the CGM up and start monitoring again. All things considered, it was nice that the CGM held on and the adhesive lasted for several hours worth out peeling off. At time of writing this, the adhesive is still firmly in place. So, kudos to the CGM for roughing it out in the water, but also to Patchabetes for lasting through all that, as well. ☯️
I’m usually a hot mess in the morning…. Until last year, I had the benefit of having a structured method to my mornings. Get up, hit the washroom, grab an energy drink and head downstairs. Once there, I could take my meds, test my blood sugars and begin the shave and shower routine that would get me ready for the day. Of course, my basement still had furnishings back then, which included a home office where I could have everything laid out and ready.
These days, my basement is in mid-renovation, which means that my neatly laid out routine is broken up into smaller, less manageable pieces. I wake up in the morning and pull the pills out of a drawer next to my bed (when I remember to take them) and make my way to the kitchen to grab an energy drink to wash them down. This is before hitting the washroom, mind you. And I think we can all agree that this is usually the first step that the human body screams for, first thing in the morning.
Once I’ve tested my blood (again, when I remember to do so) I may shave depending on my need and then start the delicate process of picking out my clothing for the day and getting dressed in a dark room where my wife may still be sleeping. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve grabbed the wrong colour tie to go with a shirt, because I thought it was a certain shade but couldn’t tell in the dark. First world problems, am I right?
My point for this post is that habit and routine are integral parts of a morning. If you have Type-1 Diabetes especially, it can mean the difference between taking much-needed medications and testing your blood, or heading into work without it. Although the meds may not be a HUGE issue, depending on why you take them, knowing your blood sugar levels prior to leaving the house can have an impact on your safety and the safety of others. Speaking from experience, there’s nothing worse than trying to drive when your blood sugar is low.
Once our renovations are done, I will once again enjoy the benefit of a home office where I can lay out my clothing, medications and morning requirements, which will eliminate the chance of forgetting certain key steps to my day. Plus, it’ll go faster, making it more likely that I have time to grab breakfast before I leave the house. Skipping meals is never a good idea. One doesn’t necessarily need a home office to accomplish a good routine. Any corner committed to oneself will do. I simply don’t have any other space in our small bungalow, at the moment.
Even though I’ve had Type-1 Diabetes for the past 38 years, it’s amazing how easily I forgot things I’ve been doing for decades. Taking pills or testing my blood sugars seem to take the sideline, even though I’ve been doing it long enough that I should be doing it on auto-pilot. This is where a good routine and structured habit comes in. ☯️
I know a lot of people who reuse needles, whether because of the cost or laziness. I’m guilty of this myself, having spent weeks a a time jabbing myself with the same pen needle over and over before switching it out. Usually, I would only switch out the needle when I was switching out an insulin vial, which meant I could end up using a single needle DOZENS of times before finally realizing that I needed to change it.
I’ve written plenty of posts where I’ve shown the effect of using a needle mu;triple times, but I’ve never shown the effect on actual flesh. The above photo shows the hole that a needle makes in your skin. I fogey where I found the photo, but you’ll notice that it doesn’t indicate whether it was a fresh needle or not. Therefore, one is inclined to believe it’s made by a new needle. Under a microscope, that hole looks substantial. I mean, I can just picture cartoon microbes walking in with their suitcases to set up shop inside the tissues.
This photo shows why it’s important, not only to change out your needles after every use, but to make sure you clean your sites and especially during finger pokes, wash your hands before and after. This will prevent a whole batch of issues that I won’t ruin Saturday morning breakfast by describing…☯️
I was having a conversation with someone from work yesterday who had an unfortunate incident involving his lunch. Since he typically works out during his lunch hour, we were discussing whether he would walk to somewhere nearby and purchase some food or if he would simply go to his workout as usual. The conversation led to the benefits and disadvantages of working out on an empty stomach. And as with all things in life, there’s a case to be made for either one.
Sometimes, it’s more about HOW you do something than the actual WHAT. In this case, there are times when exercising on an empty stomach is fine. In fact, I’ve often heard that exercising on an empty stomach can lead to a better fat burn, since the only energy the body has to depend on is one’s fat stores. Unfortunately, this isn’t correct.
According to an article on WebMD, working out on an empty stomach will cause your body to use a source of energy that’s readily accessible, which may include breaking down sugars from the muscle tissue, followed by the production of sugar by the liver. Fat stores simply aren’t the go-to secondary fuel that many (myself included) believe it to be. By that logic, training heavily on an empty stomach may inadvertently cause you to sacrifice your own muscles in order to fuel them.
The article goes on to explain that if you’re doing a consistent form of aerobic exercise like running or cycling, doing it on an empty stomach can work. But the overall risks of a fasting workout aren’t worth it. The article suggests consuming small portions of low-glycemic, complex carbohydrates, like steel-cut oatmeal, apple slices or whole-grain cereal without the milk. Click on the article link for more of those suggestions. I won’t list them all here.
From the Diabetes standpoint, a fasting workout can be difficult at best. This is especially true since different types of workouts will affect different people’s blood sugars in different ways. Ain’t Diabetes grand??? It’s a wonderful kaleidoscope of bullshit. For example, if I head out on a long bicycle run and may blood sugar is normal, I can expect to hit a high before I get home. Unless my ride is wildly inconsistent in terms of speed and resistance. Then I’ll have a low. Working out on the punching bag or doing heavy weights will almost always make my levels drop. Unless I suspend or remove my pump, then they’ll sky rocket.
See what I mean? And those conditions may be different for each person. So if we add an empty stomach to the mix, it makes things all the more complicated. Not least of which is the fact that hunger can be extremely distracting. Try focusing on lifting weights or working the bag properly when your stomach won’t stop rumbling. It ain’t easy. Plus, hunger can cause fatigue, dizziness and/or nausea, none of which are ideal during exercise.
The next perspective is the martial arts. If your karate classes are anywhere near as intensive as mine are, the last thing you want is something heavy sitting in your gut, sloshing around and making the bile rise in your throat. This is where that small portion of complex carbohydrates comes in. Give yourself the fuel you need to get a more intense workout in, without the risk of throwing up all over the dojo. Contrary to SOME opinion, projectile vomiting is not an effective means of self-defence. That’s a story for another time…
Bottom line, fueling up before a workout will still allow you to burn fat. In fact, that WebMD article linked above indicates that “If you’re doing a killer workout… non-fasting is better. You’ll get to the fat burn because you’re going to deplete carb stores quickly by working out so intensely. You’ll start burning fat within 16 to 20 minutes.” Since I average workouts at 30 to 60 minutes, I’m getting a burn no matter what.
There you have it; empty stomach = not good. More or less. Some people just flat out can’t exercise with food in their stomach, so there are exceptions to any concept, right? For us Diabetic martial artists, eating the right foods at the right times in the right circumstances is all that it takes. Sounds easy enough… (rolls eyes sarcastically) ☯️
With modern life’s fast-paced requirements, sometimes it’s good to take a moment and stop to appreciate some of life’s beauty that may be right in front of you. We don’t always recognize it and even when we do, we often fail to take time to appreciate it. This is a shame, because one should never go through life doing nothing but working and dealing with struggle and strife. This morning, I’m taking my own advice to heart and appreciating the beauty of life as it sits right outside my window.
In previous posts, I’ve joked about having an angry pigeon defecate against my window, birds smacking into the glass and even the sun’s rays turning my office into a makeshift sauna, despite my best efforts to stem that effect through air conditioning. But this morning, I was able to find a few moments of relative peace and tranquillity, despite the fact that I was at work. Sound hard to believe? It’s not. Sometimes, it’s what you make of the situation.
I was reasonably on the ball this morning and managed to be out the door and walking into my office an hour earlier than usual. This put me in there at almost an hour and half earlier than everyone else. No, I’m not an overachiever; I’m simply the type who doesn’t enjoy sitting idle at home during the early hours of the morning. As a result, I arrived at the office early. My typical routine involves using the first hour to catch up on emails and phone calls, followed by a plethora of other duties that quickly consume my morning. But there’s coffee. There’s always coffee.
I have a small coffee machine in my office and on this morning in particular, I brewed a cup of chocolate raspberry truffle coffee. Absolutely wonderful stuff; makes my whole office smell like a chocolatier’s shop. I’m usually working at my computer while coffee brews. But on this morning in particular, I stood at my window and looked out at the horizon. My office is located on the fifth floor of a 16-floor building, so I don’t have the highest view in the city, but it can be a beautiful one nonetheless. My coffee finished up (it’s a Keurig) and I grabbed my cup and stayed at the window.
As I looked out at the horizon, I noticed the sun was rising into a clouded sky. This meant I had a sliver of morning sunlight peeking through, between the ground and the cloud coverage. It was truly a beautiful scene to behold. I tried to take a photograph of it, but the reflective properties of my office windows wouldn’t allow a clear shot without revealing the inside of the office as well. So, I sat there for a few moments and calmly sipped my coffee. As I did, I found a moment of calm as I watched the cloud movement mingled with the morning sun.
It dawns on me that in recent years, I’ve fallen prey to letting time dictate my life. Meditation has taken a back seat to the hustle and bustle of daily life, which should never happen. Finding some balance and inner peace is integral to a happy life, despite the obstacles that are in the way. Although this wasn’t meditation in the traditional sense, it served the same purpose and gave me some focus to get on with my day. All I need now is my next cup of coffee to get through the rest of it…☯️
Society has a propensity for trying to take the easiest and most stress-free way possible, when dealing with issues in their daily lives. And I get that. Stress sucks. Confrontation sucks. None of it is fun, but if you live in modern society, there’s a safe chance youwon’t go through life without dealing with at least some of it, in some given way, shape or form. How you choose to deal with these things not only speaks to your character but could potentially dictate how certain life scenarios play out for you.
One of the best examples I can provide is a classic scenario that many people know all too well…. The noisy neighbour. Depending on how you live and where life has taken you, at some point, you may have had to deal with a neighbour who lives it up and parties at the wee hours of the night when you and your family are trying to sleep. If this were an 80’s “Brat Pack” movie, you’d likely see the adults next door waking up, shaking their heads in a combination of disbelief and ire, followed by trying to roll over or pull a pillow over their head.
Here’s the bad news: this ain’t a movie, so your situation needs to be dealt with. In the real world, this means that if you expect any sleep, someone’s going to have to go next door and ask those neighbours to lower the volume. Personally, I’ve been pretty lucky in this regard. When we moved to Regina, we were lucky enough to be blessed with a family that not only had kids close to my son’s age, but were accommodating in almost every way. We’d help each other clear out snow, take each others’ garbage bins to road on trash day…. I couldn’t imagine better neighbours.
They moved out, almost a year ago. The fear of who may move into a house that shares a tandem driveway with us was concerning, but we were once again blessed with a neighbour who communicates and has some understanding of good neighbourly relations. Our neighbours on the other side of our fence are equally as friendly and understanding. I even had them climbing a ladder in the pouring rain to clear out one of my gutters when I was out of town, to prevent water damage.
But for the sake of conversation, let’s say you’re neighbours aren’t all that and a bag of chips. I’ve had a lot of different neighbours over the years at different residences as my law enforcement career moved me around a lot. I’ve had quiet neighbours that I’ve basically never seen, neighbours who have been obnoxious and keep me up at night and neighbours that as described earlier, were salt of the earth people who would bend over backwards for others. But for this scenario, let’s say you’re woken in the wee hours of the night by your neighbours music/party…
In my experience, I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me to go get their neighbours to quiet down. It became my common practice to always ask the same question, “What did they say when you asked them to turn it down?” I would ALWAYS get the response that they haven’t spoken to them and that they expected it was my job to do so. Let that sink in for a moment. Your neighbours, the people whom you live next door to, are creating noise. Instead of trying to speak with them first, your impulse is to contact law enforcement. Brutal.
This is only one example of this TYPE of scenario and I’ve already been wordy enough on this post, so I should likely get to the point, which is that as humans, we usually prefer to have others do our “dirty work.” Now, maybe there are reasons behind it. Maybe you already have a bad relationship with your neighbour and you’re afraid of aggravating an already tense situation. That can happen. But for the most part, one should always make the effort to communicate with the person in question BEFORE escalating things.
I know a lot of people don’t agree with this thinking. Insert a joke about “Karens” and “Kyles,” here. But no matter what one is dealing with in life, one’s first step should always be to directly communicate with other person in question. There’s a saying about how one can only control what they say, not someone else’s reaction to it. And this is quite true. But if you approach someone with whom you have an issue with an open mind, calm demeanour and the ability to properly voice your concerns, you may be surprised at how often the situation may right itself.
This may not always be possible, especially if you’re going in with fire in your blood. In such instances, it may be better to give it some time before approaching the other person. Then again, every situation is subjective to the individual. maybe the situation doesn’t allow one to wait. And who am I to tell anyone how they SHOULD act? I’m not a therapist, but I do have the benefit of years of dealing with other people’s problems. But my ultimate point is this: you shouldn’t always start by asking for the manager. You shouldn’t always start by calling police. You shouldn’t always START by making a complaint, filing a complaint and/or complaining in general. You SHOULD start by communicating. If everyone did this, society would be a whole lot better off. Or go join the party, instead fo complaining about it. After all, life is short. Food for thought…☯️
Sitting at over 900 posts (over 500 of them in a row without missing a day), I’ve had a number of people asking me where I find the inspiration provide content on a daily basis, And yes, that’s a bit of a brag, and rightfully so. Finding moments to write posts while working full time and having a family with two young children vying for constant attention isn’t easy, by any means. Throw in working out and Diabetes-related issues, and you’ve got yourself some effort!
But to answer the question, some of the content writes itself. Considering that Diabetes affects every aspect of a person’s life, all one needs to do is write about all the shit that goes down with Diabetes. As I write this, I’ve had to switch up my CGM. Since it takes a couple of hours to warm up, followed by a couple of calibrations over the hours that follow, it can be DAMNED inconvenient. And as most of you know, I tend to write about this stuff.
The same goes with karate and some of the basic concepts behind Zen Buddhism. When you write about something you know, it makes providing daily content pretty easy. Especially when you’re passionate and committed to what you’re writing about. Not only does this make it easy, it makes it damn hard to shut up. And I’m sure some of you may have noticed that I can be a “little” long-winded.
For the rest, it’s important to develop the ability to observe life. If you pay attention to the world around you, it will help to jog one’s inspiration. I never go out to work or to run errands without seeing something, hearing something or having something inspire a thought process that ends up becoming a post. This is what’s important; being able to draw on life to provide inspiration.
That’s all I got. There’s no big secret to it. If you’re riding on the bus, pay attention to the environment and the people in it, as opposed to having your nose buried in your phone. Be sure to write about something you’re passionate about and it will be reflected through your printed words. Then, give yourself a goal. Mine was to post daily. I had almost reached a full year before missing a day and pissing myself off. My new goal became posting for a straight year, which I’ve long surpassed.
Bottom line, make certain to write because you WANT to write. Make sure that whatever you write about, be sure it’s for you. If you do that, you’ll definitely be successful. But lastly, don’t push it. If you throw up a post simply for the sake of throwing up a post, the quality just won’t be there and won’t hook your readers. Let it come to you, naturally. ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 