This Weeks Appointment

In an attempt to not fall too far behind I wanted to give you the skinny (or fatty) on my recent Endo appointment.

For those who don’t remember, and maybe just for word count sake (j/k), I had an endo who was a good guy but really was not to swift when it came to type 1’s. Especially fat type 1’s. So I found a new doc that I am digging big time.

The only tough part is that he wants me to see him every 2 weeks until he sees numbers that he likes. He helped me get in to see a CDE. He ordered some lab work. He seems to know a lot about technology and even helped me get upgraded to the new Revel pump. Cool dude indeed.

So I went in this week for my visit and I was curious to see the results of the blood draw last week, and the embarrassing urinalysis. After being weighed (worst part of every visit) I went into a room and waiting for the doc. My blood pressure was still a little high even though he upped my dosage of Lisinopril last time. We may need to try something different but he will see how my BP is next visit.

My nurse took my pump and downloaded all the readings into the PC so the Doc could look at the readouts. When he came in he wanted to change some basal rates in the evening and through the night. He was about to take my pump and do it and said, “Wait, you know how to do this stuff right?” I said yes of course and he watched me put all the info in. That was cool.

He pulled out my lab results and said that my cholesterol was quote “beautiful” so I gave a quick fist pump to Lipitor. It’s nice when drugs work the way you want them too.

“Everything looks good here except for your testosterone levels are low.”

“How low?”

“Well high is 800 and the low is 250. You are at 243. I want to have you do another blood test and we will see where you are at when you come back in two weeks.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Honestly though, after a few google searches it’s surprising what out of wack testerone will do to a guy and a girl! Read up.

In men, the test may be ordered when infertility is suspected or if the patient has a decreased sex drive or erectile dysfunction, all of which can result from low testosterone levels. Some other symptoms include lack of beard and body hair, decreased muscle mass, and development of breast tissue.

In females, testosterone testing may be done if a patient has irregular or no menstrual periods, is having difficulty getting pregnant, or appears to have masculine features, such as facial and body hair, male pattern baldness, and a low voice. Testosterone levels can rise because of tumors that develop in either the ovary or adrenal gland or because of other conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Testosterone level huh? The first thing I question is my inability to grow a beard. Maybe that’s why? And my lack of muscles. That’s probably because I don’t exercise. But what about these man boobs? Moobs? Those would be from too much bacon I am sure.

For guys talking about ED and decreased sex drive can be so embarrassing that even mentioning it to your doctor feels like you have something to be ashamed of. There is a lot of stuff going on inside our bodies and a lot of stuff that can go wrong. This is why finding a thorough doctor is such a blessing. Who knows how long I have had this issue and who knows what could have been helped had it been at the correct level.

He did say that weight gain is a symptom and that increasing your testosterone can help some of the drugs I am taking work better. Cool.

All and all it’s about what you know and when you know something you are on the road to being able to do something about it!

I hope this post wasn’t too TMI.  

Just Love

My plan for today’s post was to tell you all about my visit to the Endo yesterday. That post is going to have to wait.

Something is heavy on my heart right now and I want to write about it.

On my way to the doctors yesterday I noticed a police car parked sideways on the other side of the Freeway. He has his lights on and had all of the South bound traffic at a stop right before an overpass. As I got a little closer I also noticed that there were several police cars on the overpass stopped with their lights on, and then I saw him.

A man with a full head of gray hair standing on the outside of the overpass fence, holding on with one hand over his shoulder waiting to jump.

It was only for a second when I saw him but I could see in his eyes that he was not sure this was the answer. He had a look of total defeat and I guess you would have to be in that state to be where he was.

As I drove pass I started to think about giving up and how many times I have contemplated ending it all. There was a time after my dad died that I really felt like living was too much for me and that I was done. Heck I tried too much insulin once but as soon as I started to get low I decided to treat for it knowing it was not right. Suicide is never the answer.

Remembering back to a very close member of my family that killed himself and how it effected the people I love made it clear for me that nothing is worse then losing someone to suicide. The emotional rollercoaster you are left with is almost too much to bear.

You feel confused. “Why would they do such a thing?”

You feel guilty. “Why didn’t I notice they were hurting?”

You feel angry. “How could they be so selfish?”

You feel depressed. “Why wasn’t I enough of a reason to stay?”

You feel sad. “I miss him so much.”

I thought about this man and what he must be going through and all the people that love him and would do anything to help him. I thought about the millions of people who have it worse than he does and how could anyone, in this great country, give up hope? That is what we are all about, overcoming obstacles and having faith that we can do anything.

And then I remembered something my father always told me. He would say, “Son, what is a pebble to you could be a boulder to someone else.”

We cannot assume we completely understand someone’s feelings or know exactly what they are going through. There is no way to do that. All we can do is empathize, love, support, and show those we love that we will be there for them no matter what.

We have the power to love and hopefully that will save the people in our life from ever ending up where this man on the overpass was. I don’t know what happened and frankly I think I am just going to assume he got the care he needed and is now on the road to finding some peace in his life.

So when you are thinking about this post and about loving those people in your life, don’t forget to love yourself.

If you don’t do that, you cannot truly receive the love those around you are offering.

Just love.

You Tube Tuesday #181

I am a huge fan of shopping at WalMart. The one near us is always packed, the shelves always seem a mess, and the parking lot is nutso. I stick to that French store Tar-Zjay.

But if I knew I could find some shoppers like this at WalMart I would be there all the time.

Enjoy.

Take a Moment

From Thursday through Sunday my son was at a youth retreat with our church.

It was just for the high school aged kids and they went to Lake Mead to stay on a House boat. They spent each day having fun, growing closer together, and growing closer to God.

My son came home last night and besides looking 2 years older (why is it always like that when kids come home?) he was grinning from ear to ear. He told me all about his trip and how awesome it was as well as emotional. I think his official words were, “I think my tears ducts are pretty cleaned out after that trip.”

He talked about one thing they did as a group. It was called Affirmation Night and it involved all of the kids and the adult leaders. It started with one person holding the end of a rope and that person was not able to speak at all. Then while it was their “turn” the rest of the group would tell them all the good things they feel and see about that person. When everyone was done, that person handed the length of the rope to someone else, while still holding onto the beginning, and then that new person would be the one to receive the affirmations. They kept going on and on until everyone had a turn. When it was all said and done you had this rope going back and forth and in and out of the group and yet they are all holding a part of it. A small but important community that cared for and lifted one another up. It really was the final bonding of this group and an awesome exercise.

My son told me about it and how hard it was to hear all these nice things, especially to hear how much people loved him. Some people he didn’t even think thought much about him said some amazing things. He said he just let the tears flow and let all the love they were sending fill him up.

When I heard this it made me think of our community and the way we lift each other up. I am not the best commenter in the world since most of the time I cannot think of a response that differs from the responses already on the blog. But you know what, people don’t know they are loved and appreciated unless we let them know. We owe it to each other I think to raise one another up and continue to have a community that supports one another. So with that I think we should really do our best to comment on every blog we read. Even if it’s just to say, “good post,” or, “I understand.” Some way to show that we support one another.

It only takes a second and honestly, something as small as a “Good Post” makes people feel good and encourages them to continue to be an active member of the OC which is a very VERY good thing.

I am guilty of reading and not commenting and I am not going to do that any longer.

Who’s with me?

D-Feast Friday - Ninja Burgers

 

So yeah, I made these and they were amazing. First the ingredients. This is for 6 burgers. 

• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon ketchup (20 for Scott)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 6 slices bacon
• 6 Wheat Sandwich Thins

1. Fire up the grill and have a beer ready. I rarely drink beer but have to when barbecuing for some reason.

2. In a bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, egg, ketchup, salt, & pepper. Throw in the ground beef, and mix together by hand. Form into 6 patties, and wrap a slice of yummy delicious bacon around each one. Secure the bacon with toothpicks, and not those frilly ones k?

3. Put them on the grill and cook them just like you would any old burgers. About 5 minutes per side.

4. Add any fixings you want like tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, mayo and whatever. Throw them on a Wheat Sandwich Thin (21 carbs) and get your grub on the way Ninjas do!

You do need to be careful since they are a little fragile and bacon should always be treated with the highest amount of care and respect. It is "meat candy" after all.

Carb wise, I really only count the Sandwich Thins although I guess I should have figured in the Ketchup and the Beer. Hope you enjoy it, I know my family and friends loved them!