Day Two

It is now Day Two of my new low-carb way of eating. While finding good, filling foods (and resisting the leftover pies) is pretty difficult, the way I felt this morning when I woke up made it all more than worth it. For the first time in I don't even know how long, it was easy to wake up on a weekday! The alarm went off, and I got straight up without even having to rub my eyes. This healthy way of eating isn't just some mumbo jumbo babble from my doctor and nutritionist. It actually makes me feel and look better. Yes, LOOK better. I have gotten so many compliments on how my skin looks brighter and smoother today, and my hair seems so much shinier. Maybe it's just my upbeat mood that's making others take notice to some changes, but either way I have nutrition to thank. While I'd like to say this is all because of my desire to take better care of my diabetes, it's actually due to higher price of insulin I'm now paying. The only way to pay less for insulin is to need less insulin. And there are two ways to need less insulin. 1. A diet with slim carbs. 2. A lifestyle full of exercise. In my busy life, option 1 seemed to be the best bet.

While I'm talking about nutritional ways to reduce the need for certain medications, I can also tell you about my new allergy "medication". I've had allergies for almost five years now, and they suck . . . the itchy eyes, the sneezing, the runny nose. It's all just gross and annoying. My sister has the same issues, even though she's about eleven years younger than me. So my sister's doctor (not wanting to prescribe harsh allergy medications to such a young girl) told my mom about how locally grown honey can help the body create an immunity to pollen and such. Kind of like how when you get the flu shot, they're actually injecting the flu into you. So I started having honey in my tea almost every day. I thought it might help a little bit. Maybe I wouldn't have to get prescription allergy meds anymore, I could just get the cheapest stuff off the shelf. But thank God I won't even have to buy that stuff anymore! Allergy season has started, and I have NO symptoms. Absolutely none. So I can cross one more medication off my long list!

I probably sound like an infomercial or a late night health program, but I am just so excited about how true this is all turning out to be. There ARE natural remedies to the things we just pop pills for. Not only does this make ME feel better, but it's also making my bank account feel a whole lot more satisfied.

Another Pain of Diabetes

While diabetes is alot about the physical limitations and struggles, it's easy for people to look past another major struggle for diabetics; Money. Today I went into my pharmacy to refill my prescription of insulin. Insulin is one of those prescriptions that are necessary for survival. In fact, insulin is necessary for ANYONE'S survival. The difference for us diabetics is that we have to pay for it. This morning, as my insulin pump was nearing empty, I searched for my last vial of insulin that was still half full. Unfortunately, I could not find it. It is very possible that my 7 month old puppy got a hold of it and then hid it around the house somewhere. We've found many lost items through this game that he likes to play. We've found socks behind furniture, garbage in his crate, even our underwear has been strewn about. So, I was forced to call in another month supply of insulin two weeks before it was necessary. When I went into the pharmacy to pick it up I found that the price had doubled. Now, just to stay alive, I have to pay $100 each month. After calling insurance and arguing with a machine for twenty minutes, I found out that my minimum went up and I now have to pay at least $100. If I could, I would say "FORGET IT!" and save my $100 a month for something I actually wanted to pay for. But the thing with diabetes is that you can't just say "FORGET IT!" We're all forced into the financial difficulties, simply because we want to stay healthy. So while I can't say forget it to my insulin, I'm going to have to say forget it to some other things in order to put this money aside each month.

And Above All...

Remember to love

The Important Things in Life

It seems like lately I've been noticing that all the people around me are getting confused. I understand how it's easy to become blinded by things in life. Money is tight, and things are getting difficult for the majority of people. I understand this first hand, given that my family has always struggled and now I really see it while I'm trying to scrape money together to get an apartment. As if it's not hard enough to pull money together, jobs are being threatened or just impossible to come by. Just the other day, my boss told me she's considering other options for the girls that I watch every day. A job that seemed so sure to me is now rocky and unsure. Add that to my list of money concerns, life. I understand the struggle and the desire and how it becomes so desperate that any job seems promising. I also understand that I am in high school, and to some people, fitting in is the most important thing. Maybe it is important to feel accepted. Actually, it's very important to feel accepted. Psychologically, feeling accepted and loved and included can make the biggest differences for all aspects of a person's health. Everyone has these needs. The need for survival, the need for acceptance. They are our instincts. And without even realizing it, we all go after those instincts. But here's where it becomes not okay; when the things that make you who YOU are are being thrown under a bus. Since when did it become necessary to lie in order to obtain your needs? Especially about the little things that no one gives a rat's ass about. Who cares if you actually did nothing this weekend, and that story about how many friends you hung out with isn't actually real? Who cares if you're still a virgin or if you've never done drugs? And you know what's especially important is who cares if that OTHER girl actually did do something embarrassing at a party? All these things are minuscule. Obsolete. Yet almost everyone I know feels the need to do it. Lying has become a part of everyday life, in almost every where. From lying about why you "can't" go out to coffee with someone, to lying about why you went home to your wife at 3 am. This is why our society as a whole is losing it's identity. I'd like you to find a teenager, or even a middle aged person, who isn't confused in some way about who they are or what they believe. How can they be sure when they lie about what they had for breakfast? It's pretty easy to be confused about yourself when you're not able to own up about it to anyone. And this inability to own up to things has become such an issue that it's hardly even seen as an issue. Why do you think people have affairs so much or cheat? All it takes is a few lies and you're in the clear for the time being, until you get caught. This is why so many marriages end with infidelity. Lying has become second nature. Some people even view it as a necessity. Well, it's pretty easy to see lying as a good thing until you're on the receiving end of it. The true heroes in our society and the ones to look up to don't have to be saving people out of wells or fires. No, the people with real courage are the ones that are true to themselves and true to everyone around them. The ones who don't lie and cover up. Whether it's lying about where you are, who you are, or even something as simple as your natural hair color, it's makes you a little less of yourself and a little more of something else.