May I say "Bah Humbug!" on your behalf? I always said I finally got life figured out and it would throw something else at me and it sounds like you just got to that spot too. This is where the one day at a time philosophy comes in handy. I know it is hard not to look into the future and see it as "better" but I found the loss of the expectation of future happiness was replaced by the enjoyment of the present. I finally learned to do as Asha does and "go with the flow".

A happy life with diabetes is doable if you have the co-operation of the person with it. Ray was a problem as he was a lover of cake and always thought that if I didn't see him eat it it didn't count. His mother, also an insulin dependent diabetic replaced sweet treats with crackers plus all kinds of toppings, amazing how much variety you can find in topping them.

In the days of portion control she was allowed to have eight grapes and had to weigh bananas. I think the modern way of looking at diabetic diets is a lot different so find out what is allowable and work your meals and snacks out in advance if you can to make shopping for food and food preparation easier. I have a theory you should count fats too but very little research has been done into that. I just gave Ray his fats in the way of treats, eg icrecream and cooked our food for my low fat diet, adding mashed potato for him and leaving that off my menu.

Triglycerides are thought to cause heart problems but I doubt there is a lot of proof and cholestrol, if you have it you have to deal with it. What a nuisance it all is. Ray finished up with 14 main medications, I often wonder what was worse the illnesses the conditions would have caused or the side effects of the various medications?

Sue.

Debbie have you heatd of Dr Joel Fuhrman & the" eat to live diet" He's an MD with a sspecalty in nutrution from NJ . he realy believes & has researched that we can & should be able to fix & even reverse many ailments by genuinely eating nutritiousy about 90% plant ba- based diet - I'm dabbling in it & really think it makes sense.

I like all foods & don't mind veggies & fruit. but mant could not make the change.

Just a thot Susan from Alberta

Debbie, some of your new priorities has been standard in my case like the satins and the vitamin D. The VA see to it I got them all the time. They even started one satin that cuts down on what satins suppose to do and it's called Atorvastatin 40mg that replaced Rosuvastatin. They got me on a vitamin D pill too plus I drink plenty 2% milk daily with my cheerios.

I have escaped diabetes for many years so not much else except pains but I got pills for them too. I can't complain except now I'm having slow heart beats for unknown reasons but I await my heart monitor soon to be here.

Hi Debbie, Iam a diabete, use to be told that I was a type 2, now just a diabete. It took me awhile to get it in my thick skull, that I haded to change my lifeststyle. I do not like sweets, or soda, so I thought I be okay, without eating any cakes, or drinking sodas. Wrong! Now , I eat vegs, fruit and drink water, my treat is water with ice, I live in Florida.

You have the right attuide, I also have hight blood pressure, so no salt for me. You can live a good long life, if we do the correct things like eat right, go for walks, and think postive.

Yvonne

Debbie, this is the road we have to travel I guess. We don't know what will be coming around the bend. You are already on it I see with the cookbook and monitor. I know you will do your best to help Bruce, as usual. Maybe the diet will help him to lose the weight and help his recovery. Here I am just the opposite, trying to get Larry to eat more - no matter how fattening or how much sugar is there.

Sorry to hear about your friend and the son. Cancer is something I hope we can avoid here.

My son just got out of the hospital with another bout with his colon. His biggest problem - Diet! He now knows he has to change. I told him all his bad diet catches up sooner or later.

Be careful with the snow storm. I will be thinking of you.

Julie

The one positive I meant to include is that in thinking all this through, just maybe with all of these imbalances there will be improvement in how Bruce feels when everything gets balanced out. I am truly looking forward to a good Spring.

Back when Bruce stroked, he required a total body scan due to fever - which ended up being diagnosed as stroke fever in order to get him transferred to a SNF. Neuro said there was no such thing really, but with everything else ruled out, they had to call it something. With any body scan, something will be found! That is a definite and with Bruce it was a nodule on his Pancreaus. His GI did do an ultrasound two years back, during the Colonoscopy from "H" - LOL. And it was inconclusive, so new PCP wants it done again in March.

So my thinking is that by Spring, Bruce's Vitamin D, Triglyceride and Blood Sugar levels will be evened out, just maybe he will begin to physically feel good, want to start working physically. All I can think of is my Nurse Mantra to my diabetics - Sugar puts the brain on overload!

We see the Physiatrist for Botox end of the month. I was going to ask to start his approved 2013 therapies, but thinking now, I am going to wait and see what the Spring brings. Debbie