HELLO TO MY NEW BLOG!

A lot of feelings are associated with the diagnosis of adult-onset IDDM (Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, or Type 1). Shock, disbelief, embarrassment, anger, sadness, fear, confusion, frustration and hope...I experienced this range of emotions the evening of my diagnosis, and in the weeks following. The greatest relief for me in the beginning, and still, is that although I didn't ask to become a Type 1 Diabetic, I control the outcome of this story. Every choice I make - what goes on my plate, in my cup, whether and how long to exercise -  either supports or undermines my long-term goal of staying emotionally committed to my health, and avoiding the long-term complications typically associated with Diabetes.  The changes I needed to make are quickly becoming habitual, and hopefully someday soon second-nature, and the feelings of grief that I faced for the loss of my former "normal" self have subsided.

I knew very little about Diabetes, Type 1 or 2, before my diagnosis. I even held the common misconception that most people with Diabetes are elderly and/or overweight! Google has been such a gift, accessible day and night, with a plethora of discussion forums, blogs and medical journals. Why is this? What's that? Can I eat these? Where do I get one of those? I quickly learned the technical details of the disease (Diabetes is the term for the symptom of high blood glucose, which can be caused by any of several fundamentally different, very complex conditions), and know I still have more to understand about the long-term management and emotional coping aspects. It will be a life-long process!
Some things I've learned about myself and about my Diabetes so far are:

• A positive attitude goes a loooong way
• The shots don't hurt! I knew I could face my diagnosis after the first injection :)
• I will likely be healthier in the long-run for the dietary and lifestyle changes I'm making now
• While limited compared to a "normal" person diet, I love the types of food I am able to eat, and find so much joy in preparing meals that are both beautiful and delicious
• I like having an excuse to decline unhealthy foods, and conversely to have a treat when my sugars are low
• I feel helpless and frustrated when I believe I've followed my diet/exercie plan and have a high sugar - I know these emotions are unecessary, but they are tough to control 
• My cravings for carbs, sweets and even fruit actually went away after the first month of my new diet plan

The tool I use to track my daily activitites, blood glucose and food intake is an iPhone app called MyNetDiary. LOVE it! I currently test my sugars 3-6 times each day, depending on where I am and what I'm doing. I enter my insulin, blood sugar test results, and the food I eat for each meal and snack into the app, and the overall nutrition, charts and dietary analysis with recommendations. Travelling for work and eating meals away from home is one of the biggest challenges I've faced (a week in Poland followed by a week in Mexico - Geez). Restaurant food is usually pretty bad for us, and the servings are generally way too big!

Yesterday was my birthday. Hello 30! I figured today is as good as any to create this blog, and begin sharing my story with others. I wasn't ready before, and now I am.  Here are some pictures from a wonderful day, which I view as the beginning of the next chapter of my life: 30-year-old Mariah is more informed, healthier, responsible, determined, self-aware, and especially grateful for the little things.

 

 A new poppy bloomed each morning I went for a brisk walk last week.

Thanks for the encouragement, Poppy!

  

 Birthday lunch: 26g carbs. Go kale chips, go!

 

This recipe includes walnuts, parmesan, spinach, garlic, crab meat, mustard and horseradish. We blended everything and stuffed it into mushrooms! I look forward to trying this with fresh garden basil, too.

 

This birthday dinner of smoked salmon, stuffed mushrooms and veggie salad only had 12 grams of carbs, so I actually needed to add some bread in order to not go too low after dinner!

 

To my biggest cheerleader, Greg. He keeps me on the right track and in a positive mindset.  Although he hasn't chosen to adopt a strictly diabetic meal plan, I think my good habits are rubbing off on him too (and anyway, he usually eats what I prepare).  We're in this together, and he's learning as much about Diabetes as he can, in support of my health and our happiness. Love you, honey!



I enjoy talking about it, so if you have questions about Diabetes or my experience with it, please post a comment or email!  Check back weekly for more food photos, blood glucose results, and new discoveries I make along my journey.