Category: Health & Well Being

A Strange Odyssey, Day 10…

Alright, let’s get back to it… I’ve had a few days of down time since it didn’t directly relate to my trip. But today, I got back on the road.

This morning I woke up at 7:00 am to continue next leg of the odyssey I’ve been on since a week and a half ago. I had a customary blast of caffeine, since I barely got any sleep as usual. I was on the road by 9:10 am, since my family insisted behind reason that it would take me two and half hours to reach my destination. Since I had an appointment at 1:00 pm, that would give me an hour to locate the building I needed.

Once I found the building in question, I grabbed a light bite to eat then attended my appointment. Everything went well, and now I’m sitting in a local coffee shop trying once again to remember how I got here.

Tonight, I have the extreme pleasure of spending the evening with an old friend that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Tomorrow I will make the last leg of the New Brunswick portion of my journey to an airport that will bring me back to Saskatchewan. It’s been a weird week and a half and I can’t wait to get home. ☯

A Strange Odyssey, Day 5…

Today, I chose to exercise a personal demon… I visited my old high school. Although I generally don’t talk about it a great deal, I was badly bullied during my school years. I mean the kind of bullying that goes beyond the current, modern-day snowflake definition that everyone wears slogans on their shirts and take to social media about.

I often lived in a lonely shadow, hurriedly sneaking out of school at the end of the day to avoid contact with anyone who may try to hurt me. One of the worst incidents I ever had, involved three guys taking their turns beating on me. The VERY worst incident involved a case where I had another student stab me in the forearm with a pocket knife…

High school and school in general, never held any affection for me. Although I’ve always been a student of all knowledge, there was no love lost when I finally received my diploma and walked away. In fact, I very nearly declined to attend my own graduation and I certainly didn’t attend my prom. The painful memories and dislike I felt went as far as having me refuse to attend my 20-year high school reunion.

One of the perks of being home… Access to the ocean!

I think the subject of bullying has been covered often enough in recent years that I don’t need to climb up onto my soapbox, and I certainly don’t need to explain the reasons why bullying is bad. Suffice it to say that once my martial arts skills progressed significantly, the bullying magically stopped. Imagine that.

All jokes aside, I took a step towards personal healing today as I stepped into that long-hated institution and walked the very halls that were the place of my subjugation. I walked straight to the administration office and introduced myself to the secretary. A very kind woman, she invited me to walk through the main area and look at the graduation mosaics, which would certainly yield a photo of me from twenty three years ago!

I would have loved taking a few photographs, but I thought I would avoid the complications of a random adult male snapping photos inside a high school’s hallways! It did spark an idea, though. I asked the secretary if she knew who I could contact in regards to obtaining a copy of my graduation yearbook. I never got one; in fact, I’ve never even seen it.

The good news is that she believed that there would be spares in the school library and that any extras could certainly be sold. She took my name and contact number and promised to look into it and get back to me. I left the school property with a renewed sense of healing as though I had found a way to bridge a gap that has existed in my personal timeline for the past two decades.

I’ve always said that it’s an important thing to remember where you came from. This helps guide you to where you may be going and your development as the person you’re meant to become. I have a lot of bad memories from my school years; some medically-related, some bullying-related. And some of this has made it difficult for me to recall the good times I actually had through school.

And although I hadn’t planned on being home in northern New Brunswick, the unexpected change in travel plans may have yielded something positive. Even if life doesn’t care about your plan, it doesn’t mean it intends something bad. Sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective. ☯

A Strange Odyssey, Day 4…

They say you can’t go home again, but there’s definitely something to be said for doing that exact thing. I woke up this morning and checked out of my hotel. With the sudden changes in my plan and an additional stop added to my week, I decided there was nothing to be gained by staying at a hotel. I decided to hit the open road and go visit my parents on the north shore of New Brunswick.

My morning was an uneventful few hours of coffee and reading, followed by my last appointment in Fredericton. The appointment went well (I caused a few laughs, as usual) and I hit the open road as soon as it was done. After three days of having a rental vehicle, I finally figured out how to sync my cell phone with it so that I could listen to music, place phone calls through the car’s speaker system and use the talk-to-text function.

Lush, forested hills and appalachian mountains, coupled with curving highways

I stopped at a gas station in a city called Miramichi and got some caffeine. then I carried on to Bathurst, where I was able to stop in and have a brief chat with one of my oldest friends. My karate instructor’s son, actually.

I got back on the road and made it to Dalhousie just shortly after 6:00 pm local time and met up with my parents. My father, ever the charmer, took one look at me and bellowed “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Now, just to be clear, despite being confined to a wheelchair, my father is a very large, very intimidating man.

His second major complaint was that I didn’t bring his grandson with me! What can i say? You can’t please everyone. My mother and I stepped out and enjoyed supper out coupled with conversation. Now, as I sit in a local coffee shop (because they have internet) I’m taking it all in and wondering how I got here.

The mountainy side of Dalhousie (yes, my vehicle was parked when I took the photo)

Last week i was planing and prepping for a five-day stint in Fredericton before flying back to Saskatchewan. Now, I’m sitting in my home town having coffee and letting the childhood memories flood in. It’s a nice and unexpected turn of events to be able to see my parents. but I still can’t wait to get home to my family.

It would take a lot to flood this town!

I’ll be home for a few days until my next appointment. Following that, I’ll be making my way back to Fredericton for the last leg of my journey and the return home to my family. I’ll keep you all posted on the shenanigans I get into while here. ☯

A Strange Odyssey, Day 1…

Life doesn’t care about your plan. I’ve written about that on several occasions. In fact, I’ve always come to think of life as being a story that is unique to me. We all know how everyone’s story begins and ends. But it’s the chapters in between that allow us some control on the rudder as we sail through life.

This morning, I woke up a few minutes before my alarm went off. That usually drives me crazy but considering I woke up at 2:30 this morning, it was welcome as I didn’t want to wake my wife. I especially didn’t want to wake my son and cause havoc in the household right before I left.

Although I had gone to bed early enough to allow for almost seven hours of sleep, I barely got more than two. The prospect and anxiety of my trip weighed heavily on me and kept sleep from taking over. I kissed my wife goodbye and looked in on my son, who was blissfully snoring away (lucky little jerk).

I stepped out of my house and into the morning chill. Although it can hardly be called winter, it was only 4 degrees Celsius this morning. I could see some mild frost on the roof of a vehicle parked at the curb. The taxi I had pre-ordered pulled up to the curb and I hopped in.

I was dropped off at the Regina International Airport and made my way up to the security gate. I made it through without issue and boarded a plane that would usher me towards the next chapter of my life. The odyssey had begun…

The morning sun starting to rise over the Prairie horizon

The first leg of my flight went without issue. Better than usual, in fact, as I had the benefit of having a vacant seat next to me. This meant that I could sprawl and not deal with the awkward, uncomfortable pressing of my body against someone else’s for two and half hours.

I landed in Toronto around 10 o’clock local time. I had just over an hour to spare before making my connecting flight. I grabbed an overpriced burger from one of the food court eateries and stuffed my face with ravenous enthusiasm. Lack of sleep, stress and anxiety tends to work up an appetite.

The second leg of my flight left on time and also went without issue. Unbelievably, I was once again the only occupant in my two-seat row. Was it possible that for the first time in a couple of years, my luck was turning positive? Would this luck hold out over the week to come?

I landed at my destination and picked up my rental car. I had arrived. I checked into my hotel and now I sit before my keyboard with hope and grim determination for the challenges to come during the week.

New Brunswick’s Provincial Capital

I’m in Fredericton for the next five days. I’m trying hard to understand how I got here or what incorrect choices I may have made that led me here. But at the end of the day, I acknowledge that no matter what my plan may have been, life doesn’t care. It throws whatever curve balls it may choose.

I’m therefore going to face this week’s challenges the same way I’ve faced every other obstacle in my life: with a hand on my heart and a fist towards the target. When the dust clears, I’m certain things will be better. I’ll keep y’all posted! ☯

There’s A Reason Why Rails Are Parallel…

We often don’t realize just how intrinsic our personal values are to the jobs or careers we choose. Sometimes, the career chooses us. Depending on the career we pursue, the job’s core values can often coincide with our own. This is what makes us suited to specific careers. So what happens when those values no LONGER coincide with ours?

I’ve often felt as though my personal values were in sync with the core values of my career. It’s one of the aspects that has always made my chosen career feel natural, as though it isn’t just something I do but it has become who I am.

But in the past two years, my trust in my chosen career has become shaken. And my values and the job’s core values has slipped off the rails (hence the title). They are no longer in sync with one another. And this has caused me to lose trust in what I do. Do you know what happens when you stop trusting the career you’ve chosen?

When we reach this point, it becomes important to start looking at potential changes. Change is scary. It brings the unknown and most people are always afraid of the unknown. It doesn’t mean it’s BAD, but as a people we tend to be more comfortable with the familiar and are resistant to change. Am I just stating the obvious here? Sometimes I tend to ramble…

I think it was Ed Parker (who is the one who brought modern Kenpo to North America) who said, “The true martial artist is not the one who fears change, but the one who causes it to happen.” Trust may come and go, and it always makes life harder when the organization you dedicated your life to happens to turn on you, but if you’re amenable to change and willing to take a chance on life, there can only be good things around the corner. ☯

Stress Is A Hell Of A Drug…

Most days, it seems as though there really isn’t a great deal of much that DOESN’T affect my blood sugar. It often feels as though if I take a breath the wrong way, my blood sugar may spike!

The past two years have caused a massive ball of stress in my gut. My thoughts often stray to the situations I’ve been dealing with. you wouldn’t think that worrying about something, being anxious or stressed, would adversely affect blood sugar, but it does. Here’s why:

When we become anxious or stressed, our bodies produces hormones. Some of these stress hormones can prevent the release of insulin in a normal person. But since most of us Type 1’s don’t really produce insulin anyway, those hormones tend to cause a whole bunch of other damage.

I think that most of us would agree that an hour and a half isn’t a significantly long period of time. Right? Or is that just me? My last karate class was a bit of a brutal ordeal. I started class with a normal blood sugar level. This usually means that I’ll stay level, maybe even have increased blood sugar, by the time class ends. This is because the release of adrenaline usually includes the release of glycol and causes spikes in blood sugar levels.

But this wasn’t the case for me. About an hour in, I was hit by a sudden wave of nausea, which is weird because nausea isn’t usually one of my low blood sugar symptoms. I bowed out and staggered over to my gym bag and tested my blood sugar through my sensor. I was sitting at 3.2mmol/L. For those in the know, this is starting to scrape the bottom of the blood glucose barrel!

I excused myself and wolfed down a handful of sour grape jellies, which resulted in a jump to 8.7mmol/L in under an hour. I have to be honest, fluctuating levels of that magnitude are exhausting. Add to the fact that class wasn’t out yet, and I tend to be too hard-headed to stop, even when it’s what’s best for me.

I spent the remaining half hour in a bit of a daze, trying to consolidate my sudden increase in blood sugar with the fact I still had to push myself to complete the class. All of this to say that even the mildest and most normal of human emotions can have an adverse effect on blood sugar.

All of this is to demonstrate how very important it is to test frequently and always be prepared. Carry sugared goods on your person at all times. Be sure to adjust your insulin levels and consult your medical practitioner often. Fine tuning and careful monitoring can often be the only way to ensure your continued health. ☯

Hey, Great! You Showed Up!

There’s a growing trend that seems to have emerged in the last couple of decades; one in which the newer generations are rewarded simply for the effort of trying or showing up as opposed to receiving the rewards of accomplishing the goals through hard work.

If you’re like me and are either Generation X or Gen Y, you’re likely used to how things USED to be. That is to say, you didn’t get anything unless you accomplished the goal, you didn’t move on to the next grade in school unless you actually PASSED and you didn’t get trophies simply for showing up and playing the game. But for Millennials and Centennials, actually accomplishing something seems to be taking a back seat to being praised simply for trying. And I certainly don’t mean to paint all Millennials and Centennials with the same brush, so there’s no need for anyone to get offended (yet another issue with modern society!)

Look, I get it! Acknowledging one’s efforts can be extremely important and rewarding on its own. And it can feel good knowing that a teacher or a coach will still pat you on the back and assure you that “we’ll get it next time”. But the current world perspective may be creating a weaker generation of adults.

According to an article written by Ashuthi Kanneganti in the Queen’s University Journal, “The issue with participation trophies is they promote a disheartening concept: that failure is something to be ashamed of.”

Kanneganti goes on further to say, “Failure can shed light on our shortcomings, and making mistakes is necessary for personal growth.” And the article continues by describing how such practices leave children unprepared to face real life failures later on in life, such as college or university. Many of them have difficulty coping with these failures as they grew up without ever having to face them. (https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2018-09-10/opinions/participation-trophies-are-creating-a-weaker-generation/)

Another interesting perspective is from Dr. Jonathan Fader, Sports Psychologist, who wrote an interesting article in Psychology Today, in which he explains how trophies and accolades may not be in the best interest of the winners or the losers; pride should be had in the win based on your effort and not the trophy at all! (https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-new-you/201806/should-we-give-our-kids-participation-trophies)

So in a world where some schools in the world have adopted a No Child Left Behind mindset, where is the happy medium? Certainly, I was never a “sporty kid” while growing up. Health issues and lack of popularity saw to that. But as I trained in the martial arts, I remember the literal blood, sweat and tears that went into each and every belt rank I achieved. I also had the benefit of knowing that when I wore that belt, it was with the knowledge that I had earned that level of skill and I was entitled to wear that belt with pride, unlike some modern karate schools where you can earn a black belt in two years! (Which is impossible to do properly, by the way.)

Failing at things, regardless of what category of life they fell under, taught me the value and importance of recognizing my skill level and knowing what I had to work on. For most kids, if you reward them even if they failed or lost, you may be teaching them that trying isn’t all that important. After all, why exert yourself if you’ll get rewarded regardless of the outcome?

This has been a hot topic issue for a number of years now, and everyone falls to one side or the other; either they absolutely hate participation trophies or they totally endorse them. I, for one, will be teaching my son that if he wants that black belt, wants that trophy or wants that University degree, he will need to work his proverbial a$$ off and earn it. Otherwise, all we’ll be doing is watering down our society with generations who can’t handle the future. ☯

The Real Holy Trinity

Quite a while ago, I posted about the cycle of life. I tend to forget how long ago, considering I’m close to having posted everyday for almost a year at this point. But given the passage of time, sometimes it becomes acceptable to repeat some of the information I’ve shared. And here we are…

Ask yourself: what is the one thing that all living things have in common? The correct answer is MOVEMENT. All things that live tend to move. This is true of even the most basic of life forms. Plants move to adjust to the environment and some flowers will even turn with the sun.

So, what does movement create? If you answered ENERGY, you are correct. Think along the lines of a hydroelectric dam. Powerful currents of water sent through turbines that create energy. It’s a proven concept of basic physics that movement promotes energy. Almost like running on a treadmill or wind turbines… Movement creates energy, no doubt.

And guess what? Energy creates life. At the end of the day, whether your beliefs are religious or scientific, one needs to acknowledge that we are all essentially made of the same stuff: energy. Down to our atomic base, we are all composed of energy. And even basic electricity has movement contained within it… Electricity is fundamentally the movement of electrons through a conductor, creating a current.

So here’s the equation: life creates movement, movement creates energy, energy creates life and so on and so forth. It’s a cycle, and an important one. If you remove or lessen any of the three, you jeopardize your health and your life. Think of unplugging your smart device, where the current of electrons stops and it is no longer receiving energy. The device effectively loses its “life”.

Look at it this way: If you happen to be a couch potato, you don’t move much. This means that your energy turns stagnant and non existent and you reduce your ability to maintain your life. In medical terms, you gain weight, your cholesterol rises and you basically die from sitting still.

So keep moving. Keep yourself motivated and energized. Even if it sometimes feels like it’s better or easier to relax and take it easy, your body and health will thank you later. ☯

A Meditative Monday

It’s Labour Day in Canada today. This means that most people have the day off, enjoying the benefits of a long weekend. Labour Day was first introduced in the 1870’s and can be read about in further detail here: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/canada/labour-day

So what does one do with an extra day off from work or school? Obviously, meditation is highly recommended. Most people think that meditation involves long hours of chanting or sitting cross-legged. That certainly is one method, but five minutes here or ten minutes there is really all you need.

Keep it simple. Make sure you’re seated comfortably and let all your muscles relax. One of the most simple forms of meditation is deep breathing. All this means is that you’re taking a deep inhalation, allowing your abdomen to distend, hold it for a moment then release the breath slowly. Train yourself to take almost full minute to release that breath. That’s it.

Sound a little too simple? Sometimes, the simple things are the best. Deep breathing calms you, allows your body to relax and keeps you rejuvenated. And focusing on the method of breathing allows you to occupy your conscious mind on that specific task, which trains you to control your thought process through the meditative process.

Proper meditation has been proven to be beneficial for one’s health, both physical and mental. It’s a cool, rainy day today. What better way to spend it than to try and find one’s balance through simple meditative exercise? Treat yourself to some peace and quiet. Your body and mind will thank you. ☯

What’s Good For You Can Hurt

Look, I post about the negative effects of Diabetes a LOT! It’s rather hard not to; Diabetes is one of the conditions with the highest number of side effects to the body that’s currently out there. And not just to the body… Studies have linked Alzheimer’s disease to a from of Diabetes.

Needless to say, if and when the day comes that there is a positive side to Diabetes, I’ll post about it. For example, if a side effect of Type 1 Diabetes ever causes me to gain sculpted abs, I’ll post about that like a mother-f&*ker.

If you’re like me, you tend to test your blood glucose at least six to ten times a day. If you still rely on a finger prick in order to test your blood sugar, this can cause some rarely considered complications. Especially to your fingertips!

According to the Mayo Clinic, here are the steps one should follow each and every time you test your blood:

  1. Wash and dry your hands well (Do this each and every time you test);
  2. Insert a test strip into your meter;
  3. Prick the side of your fingertip with the needle (lancet) provided with your test strip (Try to avoid pricking the fingertip; this is where all the sensory nerves for touch are located and it can hurt like hell);
  4. Gently squeeze or massage your finger until a drop of blood forms;
  5. Touch and hold the edge of the test strip to the drop of blood;
  6. The meter will display your blood glucose level on a screen after a a few seconds.

There are some meters that will allow you to take blood from alternate sites such as your forearm or your palm, but these tend to be a bit less accurate. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/blood-sugar/art-20046628)

Repeated finger pricks throughout the day can become very painful, regardless of where you test. Another problem is contamination. Obviously, jamming a piece of steel into your finger includes the risk of allowing access to a certain level of bacteria and germs. As with any injury when you have Diabetes, this can cause a risk of infection and other issues.

Using alcohol swabs to ensure a clean site is no longer a viable option, as residual alcohol on your finger can affect the blood sugar reading. If you insist on using them, you need t ensure that residual alcohol has been dried or removed prior to testing. This is why it’s necessary to wash with warm water and soap prior to each test.

Even with Continuous Glucose Monitoring, testing your blood with finger pricks is still necessary for accuracy and to calibrate your CGM. So there’s no getting away from it. But making sure you keep your sites clean and your testing accurate through calibrations and diagnostics will ensure you avoid unnecessary complications. ☯