The Caregiver & Dysfunctional Families: How are you doing?

Glad, I have a pair of ankle bootie slippers I wear them all day when not working. I ordered some smart wool socks and I can’t wait to get them!

Golden 14 brrrr!! Peanut butter stuffed in celery is good protein start for the day too.

send - avocado and wheat toast is great. You need to add some protein to that. Protein at breakfast keeps blood sugar steady all day better than anything else.

book I can eat it straight too.

sharyn - 14 here and lots of snow

glad - love warm slippers!!!

bedtime - I think - sleep tight all

Avocado. I can just eat that by itself. Literally. As in not even seasoning it. Yum...

Sharyn, I wear UGGS as house slippers. Very comfy and warm. I would not want to wear them outside, though. They would soak up water and snow! BRRRR

Another day in the life. Becky, glad the laser surgery was done. One step at a time.

Snowed for a few hours lastnight, very fine and powdery. Real feel now is around 19, with actual at 25.

Golden, 
Egged out for breakfast here too....
Avocado on wheat toast for breakfast.

dori hope you have a good dinner tonight and relief from the spasms

becky PJ is a marvel. R is very active too though always working at something, not an exercise routine. His cardiovascular system s excellent and he is very careful about what he eats. You do very well with your walking and other exercises and your diet. I try to keep my cals down and carbs very down. Once in a while I record it and see how I am doing. I never was a breadeatber either, nor is R so that part is easy for me. I do miss a little cheese. Love ice cream too - I get it made from coconut milk and sometimes make my own sugarless.
Pam is very fortunate to have your family for support. She has a difficult journey ahead. Thankfully pain control is good these days. I would go for the Christmas organ music too.

Golden, PJ does a complete workout everyday - wears me out just watching, plus running and swimming. I do a stretch routine that I've done since high school when I took ballet and I walk twice a day outside. If I don't have fresh air a couple of times a day, I don't feel well. I swim sometimes, but not regularly.

I follow the the American Diabetic Exchange diet. I follow 1000 cal a day M-W-F and 1200 T-Th-Sat. On Sunday I do about 1200 cal but I have a small scoop of ice cream included in that 1200 cal. The ADA exchange diet is very easy to follow and has a good variety. One good thing for me is I'm not a big bread, pasta, or dairy eater (other than my ice cream).

Pam and I have spent the day together - mostly going over all of her financial stuff and also her medical history and medications. She wanted me to have her info since I'm POA - medical and financial. Jay sat in on some of it in case I'm not around for some reason. There shouldn't be any difficulties of any kind. She says right now she tires easily and has back pain. We have to get it set up for her at the oncology pain clinic. She says right now she is okay with heat, ice, ibuprofen. I'm sure that will change as her disease progresses or during whatever treatment she chooses to pursue. She and Jay got a good bit done at her apartment. We all went to mass this evening. pJ was playing the pipe organ and chimes for the 5:00 mass this evening. I think Pam would rather have gone with Jay. He played drums at the rock mass at the University. I wanted to hear the Christmas music.

Hi all....another drive by, and I haven't even had a chance to read yet. I will catch up later tonight. Just taking a quick breather while the robot vacuum does its thing. (God bless robot vacuums, but you do still have to babysit them!)

Had those awful leg spasms last weekend, then the soap-making effort took up the whole week, and then mom had surgery yesterday (just to move the dialysis catheter)....so the apartment is a MESS from neglect!  And from the chaos one demented old woman can create in a single week.

Best guy friend is coming over for dinner tonight and I promised he could watch his dumb hockey game, lol. So he'll probably be here for awhile, which means bathroom cleaning too, ugh. Not that he cares what the apartment looks like, but mom would be embarrassed.

Pam, absolutely! Some exercise can make a great difference too. Good for you getting your BS and A1C back into normal range. I eat low carb and expect without that I would be prediabetic at least. I just don't want to go that way.

Breakfast is a challenge these days. I am "egged out" as often eggs are about all I can eat from the hotel breakfast buffet (gluten and dairy allergic, and low carb). Yesterday here at home I had a lettuce wrap with cold deli meat. Today I had farmer's sausage in tomato and green pepper sauce (leftovers).

This is going to sound funny, I know, but I miss my stairs when I am away in a hotel. It is giving me second thoughts about the condo. The first building of the complex has a lovely set of stairs and I could envision myself walking up and down them. The second building with the unit we liked has a different lobby and no stairs. Maybe I have to wait till a unit in the first building comes available. There are "stair climbers" in the exercise room, that might work, but it would not be the same. I know stair climbing keeps my legs stronger. Decisions, decisions...

I sent out to the cousins the obligatory informational email with new address about mother's move to an NH, and was surprised and gratified at the replies I got. She is the last remaining "Viking" of her clan and remembered as a larger than life icon of the family. She garners some respect at the NH due to her longevity, her nicely decorated room (the artwork in particular), and her history of volunteer involvement in Haiti. I shocked the gals in the case meeting by telling them about mother's self taught computer skills, and that I was 80 and did squats. Love seeing their reactions.

Now I am after R to do squats too as he has bad knees, and I know squats will help him. Knees become an issue as you get older, so doing what you can now to help them will improve your quality of life. Start doing a gentle squat - three sets of three, two or three times a week. Place your feet quite far apart. Only go down as far as is comfortable to get up unaided. Eventually you will go farther. Exercising is not so much about longevity as it is about QOL. Longevity without QOL is the pits as we all know.

Having fired my "crazy lady" snow shovelling service, and R having left, we had a great dump of snow... of course. I will get a hold of snow angels on Monday, and meanwhile hunker down at home, or risk ploughing through the driveway with the car. On the plus side, it looks very pretty. The temporary car parking lot across the street is finally empty, so I have an unhindered view of the trees I love.

I read an article about social isolation, loneliness and health. Most lonely people are married and have social connections. The loneliest time in my life was when I was a young adult, and also in my first marriage. I am alone a lot now, but not the least bit lonely. It isn't a simple issue.

Have a good day everyone and look after you and do a few squats!!! 😜😜😜

I am prediabetic, and working on my diet, Small 5-10% weight loss can help a lot. These days they can also put you on low dose metformin,, it has brought my blood sugar and A1C into the normal zone, and it's cheap with low side effects ( I do have some tummy issues,, but they are much better after the first few weeks!)

becky - glad you got the lasering done and it was not traumatic. Cataract surgery is easy and should bring an improvement.

It is good your cousin has you and your family for support. I am sorry she is going through this, but loving family will help her.

ali -prediabetes needs to be kept monitored and any symptoms reported. Find out from the doctor/dietician what a correct diet and exercise routine is for prediabetes to get you back in a normal range. It is a big warning sign and needs to be treated if you want to avoid full blown type 2. You have it for 4 generations on your mother's side then you will get it unless you make changes. Blood sugar can affect your energy levels too.

all those having it of possibly facing it look after you - it makes a big difference. I was prediabetic once or twice but with diet and exercise am back in a normal range. You can do it.

guest - hold your ground. It gets too painful otherwise. I am glad you are being firm. Will be thinking of you.

More paperwork today and one lot ready to send off. Waiting on a report for the second one. I want these things over!!!!

Take care all. R is going south again. It will be quiet here which is good for a while

DH has peripheral neuropathy, which showed up after he'd been on an assortment of meds to control a really bad UC flare - Pred, Imuran and others. In his case, not related to diabetes.

I had the bleeders in my eyes lasered this morning. Only one bleeder on the right side; several on the left. It was quick, easy and pain-free. I have to wear sunglasses until 6:00 this evening. Now on to cataracts. First one is being done the Wednesday after New Years.

Ali, If a fasting glucose shows anything at all. Have your eyes checked immediately by an opthamologist and then as recommended.

Guest, hope your dinner with in-laws is uneventful.

My cousin has arrived. My brother is with her helping her do a couple of errands. She has lost a good bit of weight since I saw her during the summer.

GA -I thought I had responded to you and cant see it now. Sorry. Yes she is way out of line. I think she is interested in R. She has a husband and children but that means nothing these days. She referred to him as my brother first and I set her straight in that. No one has ever made that assumption of any man in my life. I don't think she is emotionally stable/healthy. If she persists I will see my lawyer about a letter to her. The snow angels will do my driveway when R isn't here. I appreciate your input

sharyn - thx I did set her straight but she still wants to hire R, I think that is her motivation, and I use the word "hire" loosely.

ali taking the parcels is illegal and she must have shovelled her driveway not her son as I saw the footprints. I very much doubt that her son would have touched my parcels. I am so glad you are sleeping better. Glad the convo with your mum was decent. I would get to the doctor about the feet numbness too. Becky speaks the word if experience.

send - thank you, very intrusive

We have the mandatory family dinner on the 22nd with the in-laws. Please hold good thoughts. I insisted on restaurant with husband. Told him that if he couldn't promise me that they'd agree to meet in a neutral controlled time setting then he could go alone. I'm tired of the dysfunctional schedule direction and his rolling over.

I agree, Barb - and in my case it would be sit up straight like my mother taught me and stop spending hours welded to the sofa/computer with my legs crossed at the knee. Posture in the post-internet generations tends to be bloody diabolical.

Neuropathy just means nerve disease, with any number of causes - infection, injury, autoimmune, all sorts. In diabetes the problem is poor blood supply to the peripheral (as opposed to central) nervous system; and that happens because excessive glucose in the blood almost literally gums up the works. It also affects blood supply to the retina, which is why blindness can develop. Seriously bad news all round and therefore worth working hard to avoid.

But don't panic. Find out whether you're at risk or not, and what if anything you need to do about it. There are lots and lots of things you can do to manage the disease effectively, and I personally know of at least two diabetic ladies who celebrated their ninetieth birthdays with cake.

Neuropathy in one's feet can have many causes. While I agree you need to take the diabetes seriously, I'd consider other causes as well.

My understanding is neuropathy is most commonly caused from diabetes. However, injury can also cause it. My sis has neuropathy from having uncontrolled and undiagnosed diabetes which dr estimates she had for at least 10 years. The pain did not show up until her blood sugar was slowly lowered to a normal range.

Ali, I'm still on the strict diet and exercise, twice daily finger sticks and oral medication, fasting blood sugar every three months.

Ali, CM's advice is more accurate than mine.

I had a finger stick at my PCP's office. It was elevated and they scheduled me for fasting glucose within a day or two. Mine progressed quickly and within a week or two I ended up using a walker. It took me six months of strict diet and exercise to get back on track. I did PT five days a week to get my balance and walking back to no walker. But my mobility is not near what it was 3 years ago. This is one time you don't want to mess around, especially with a family history.

Er, neuropathy is not a sign of pre-diabetes, it's a sign of well-established and uncontrolled actual diabetes having already caused substantial damage. So I hope the tingling sensation is related to something else entirely.

There is one way to treat pre-diabetes, which has even proved effective in reversing diagnosed type II. But you won't like it: 800 calories a day until you have burned up visceral fat deposits, under medical supervision only, and no short cuts.

With a strong family history (it's lurking in both sides of mine) you do want to keep an eye open; but rather than DIY methods go to your GP and get it done properly with a fasting glucose and regular monitoring.

Becky, you're right, of course, and I'm testing in "pre diabetic" range of blood sugar and I'm getting some other symptoms (but only occasionally with the dry eyes and mouth, frequent urination, but all the time with the mildly numb feet now) and I found out diabetes runs 4 generations deep on my mother's side. Yes... it's probably early symptoms. I'm not worried just yet, but I will continue to monitor and eat right. Do you think that's enough or should I invest in a blood glucose meter and keep an eye on it at home? I won't go in to doctor again unless things get worse. Not sure there's a way to treat "pre diabetes" if it's not in the range of being considered disease Dx-worthy.

Golden,
Trust your intuition about the neighbor. She is intrusive.

Ali, Numbness in your feet can be an early warning for diabetic neuropathy or a first sign of type 2 diabetes. I would get a quick blood sugar check. It's one of those better safe than sorry routines (this from the person who never bothered).

Golden, I really hope for your sake that the woman, yes, was interested in doing the shoveling and hiring R, so invited herself to do the work and to drop back in on you, but taking the parcels is RIDICULOUS error in judgment and I hope you don't hear from her further. GOOD ON YOU for knowing how to handle the situation. I'm getting better but things still surprise me. Had a situation yesterday that I don't want to go into, but... made me realize I'm far too nice. People expect things from me that I have NO intention of doing/giving and I don't even know why they would think that way... except that they are trying to be manipulative and taking and I have to cut that right off much sooner. It happens with me a bit... I suppose, too, because these situations are often with men friends who wouldn't mind being a little more than just friends... Anyway, I'm rambling. The things people will try to put on you if you would only let them. Sigh. I've had enough of it for a lifetime, for a few lifetimes. :-P

Dori ~ I appreciated the emotional stories you shared earlier. I don't have much to say except to give you big long distance ((((((((((hugs)))))))))). I'm glad you could feel all your feelings and grieve some. I think in general that's healthy and good.

Glad, Sharyn, Becky ~ Interesting regarding the neuropathy and compression socks. I have numbness in my feet and I wear very comfy shoes these days compared to previous styles I would wear for work and social life. I can't figure out why the numbness but it doesn't worry me yet.

Not much to say about myself lately. The sleep issues have subsided big time since I started with melatonin. I only take half the 3mg melt now, after not yet a week of it working like a charm. Last night I fell asleep early on my own w/o the melatonin. I slept A LOT of hours, 12+ all said, but it felt good and I still got up at a decent time and put in a full day today, so that's fine. I'll fall asleep early any day lol. It's not falling asleep until very late into the early morning that is the problem. Reading about what was causing the adrenaline surges (cortisol levels too high) helped me to figure out how to prevent them, I think. Or maybe it's all due to adding in melatonin. Both. I don't care why, just thankful I'm sleeping better, and so therefore feeling much better. Woo hoo!

I have a couple of job prospects but... I'll wait and see what pans out before I mention them. There's been a little of this and a little of that for weeks now but if nothing comes of it for awhile, I'm doing ok with the driving (rideshare for income) and learning/networking (new businesses in Chicago and talk to new riders every day about my past experience) right now. Things are ok on that front. For now.

I have at least one more trip to take to old house. I'll be glad when it's done. Not done just yet. Slow and steady pace, I'm doing what I can when I can, I'll just keep stepping for now.

Talked to my mother briefly today as it is her birthday.  The conversation with her can often leave me feeling attacked and defensive, but not today.  She said something about it being my life, and she said it in a neutral, acknowledging way for a change.  lol   That was nice that I didn't feel judged, defensive, or misunderstood for things I shared with her.  Convos with her often turn into my voice getting a little raised and tense as a reaction to something she says that I don't appreciate but not today.  Long may it last.  ;-)  

Golden, unbelievable how people will take on your life. I hope you set her straight. I hope your recovery is going well.

Glad, I wear dansko professional for work. It is all I can wear for the plantar fasciitis. They are not necessarily attractive shoes but I see the walking company has many cute orthotic type shoes with many styles for every day use.

Another busy day off with midgets grooming appointment and my hair appointment. Dd and I met at michaels afterward. They had 50-70% off so I picked up a couple decorative boxes for Christmas gifts ( I hate wrapping).

We have been very fortunate regarding parcels so far.

Have a good night all!

Veronica lol I am afraid it might turn her on. I have had no trouble with parcels up until this incident.

Glad - I hope you get your feet sorted out. Foot pain makes life so hard. I haven't tried the socks and seem to be ok with what I can buy at the grocery store. My feet tolerate flip flops and cheap flats very well as long as I get the right fit.

dori - look after you as much as you can, You are going through a lot right now.

if I have forgotten anyone please forgive me, I am supposed to be being quiet recovering from the surgery, but nut looks like some signals got mixed,

Made headway today with an additional claim for reimbursement from the city for expenses incurred by the fire. R is great at that kind of stuff. Need one more document that I hope that is coming from the restoration company.

Wishing for a quiet night and no more intrusions from that person or her family - ever! I think I ate a whole  bar of chocolate  today which s very rare thing for me to d.