My Diaversary!

Diabetics call the anniversary of their diagnosis date their "Diaversary". For me, I don't count my original diagnosis date, summer of 1999 when I was told I was Type 2, as my Diaversary. Rather, mine is when I was almost a month away from my 36th birthday, woke up in the ICU at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, found out I was actually Type 1, not Type 2, and would be on insulin for the rest of my life, and had to make a serious decision to start taking care of myself in order to live. Sunday, Jan 20th, 2008, I was taken by ambulance to the ER, suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis and the complications that went along with uncontrolled diabetes. Admittedly, I had not been taking care of myself for about eight years prior to that date. But either way I was going to get sick at some point. I was not aware that I was actually Type 1, not Type 2 as I had been diagnosed in 1999. Anyway, after four days in ICU, I was transferred to the fifth floor -- "5T". I was so lucky to get great care and meet wonderful people at Muhlenberg Hospital. Now, 13 years later, I am fortunate to work for the same health network that SAVED MY LIFE. I have so much support from my dad, Mike and his family, friends and colleagues in fighting the good fight every day. I have kept my diabetes pretty much under control and feel darn good despite my left foot deformity (a result of four surgeries for a diabetic wound, also in 2008 when things were bad) and the problems with my vision (which is currently stable, luckily). Diabetes is a daily part of my life, but I try to handle it as best as I can and live a "normal" life. THANK YOU TO ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT -- I LOVE YOU!!!

 

Endocrinologists

So, getting back to the beginning of my Type 1 diabetes journey in 2008 . . . one of the first things I had to do was schedule follow-up appointments. I had seen two endocrinologists in the hospital. My initial follow-up appointment had to be rescheduled, so I saw Dr. Ya-Yu Lee. He was not the original doctor I was scheduled with, but it ended up being one of the best things that happened. Dr. Lee was kind, understanding, and encouraging. He made me feel reassured that I could turn my health around. Yes, I would have to take responsibility and do work. But I knew Dr. Lee would support me and guide me as long as I did my part. Fast forward to present day -- not to "toot my own horn", but I am now one of Dr. Lee's "favorite" patients. I also see nurse practitioner Kathleen Post. They are both awesome, we have a great relationship, and we are a true TEAM in my diabetes management. I have an insulin pump/continuous glucose monitor combo, which allows me a lot of freedom to self-manage. However, there are definitely times when I have to be brought back to Earth and remember that I really do need my endos to oversee everything and sometimes "tweak" things.

WRITING

I am a writer. I am a writer. I am a writer. 

I. AM. A. WRITER 

I keep telling myself that. I tell other people. I was a journalist major. I basically wrote my high school newspaper's entire sports section, and pretty much did the same thing in college, though I did have some help from my friend Bill. My original career goal was to be a sports writer, but instead I ended up going into the college sports information profession. It was a good career while it lasted, and I did get to use my writing skills a lot.

A few years ago I decided to start a blog. Originally it was going to be mostly about my journey navigating the path of adult Tyoe 1 diabetes since 2008. I wrote a couple entries. And that was it. A couple years ago my counselor at the time encouraged me to start writing again. Not necessarily about the diabetes if I wasn't feeling it, but about ANYTHING. So I wrote about our cat. That was fun!

I actually do know what my problem is and why I don't write more and post blog entries more.  I am a perfectionist.  Very hard on myself, especially when it comes to my writing.  I am overwhelmed by spelling, grammar, punctuation -- that's the Journalism major in me.  Also, I always think that I need to write things in a certain way so that they are "in order" and "make sense".

But Hell, it's MY blog, right? Who am I trying to prove something to? I can do what I want with it. If I want to write an entry all in one paragraph or jump around to random topics in one entry, that's my right. If people want to read it, awesome. If not, that is fine. It's MY blog. It's for ME to write what's important to me.

Lately I have made quite a few friends through a Facebook group of fans of my favorite band, Breaking Benjamin. This band's music is wonderful, amazing, powerful, inspiring. And, it turns out, the friends I have made in the group -- though we have never met and may never meet in person -- are some of the best people I know. Many of them are creative souls like me -- musicians, writers, artists. They are inspiring me to use my talent and do what makes me happy. In turn, I am trying to encourage them to do the same.

I have added a few blog entries lately. A couple were actually just copied and pasted from some things I posted on Facebook. My most recent post, about mental and emotional health and counseling, was written specifically for the blog. This post you are reading is a combination of a message I recently sent to a friend and fellow writer explaining why I don't write more, and original thoughts I have added to that.

THANK YOU to anyone who takes the time to read this! I really appreciated it. XOXOXO

COUNSELING

I have been seeing a lot of people recently share their experiences with mental and emotional health issues. Notably for me this year were a local TV sports director from here in the Lehigh Valley, Dan Moscaritolo, and the drummer in my favorite rock band Breaking Benjamin, Shaun Foist. Well, I am a person who battles anxiety, depression at times, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. As a Type 1 diabetic, I see an endocrinologist four times annually. A few years ago, talking to one of my endos, I expressed my feelings to her that, despite the fact that my diabetes is very well-controlled, sometimes "diabetes sucks". She asked me if I wanted to talk to someone about it. I said sure, why not? Well, that was the beginning of my once-monthly counseling sessions. Sure, it started out being primarily about how diabetes affects EVERYTHING in my life and EVERYTHING in my life affects my diabetes. But it became so much more than that. I now talk to my counselor about everything and anything. It is so helpful. I am not at all embarrassed to tell people I see a counselor. In fact, I will tell anyone about it. I would encourage anyone who has any kind of emotional or mental health issues to TALK TO SOMEONE. If you have the resources, find a professional to talk to. If that is not possible, find a trusted family member or friend who will listen. I promise you, it will help you so much and change your life. 

God bless America

 My friend Jakob suggested I post this here in my blog. It is taken from my Facebook page from Sunday, December 13th, 2020, the day after the Army-Navy football game . . .

I saw an older gentleman outside the post office today with an Army sweatshirt and camouflage mask on. I rolled down my window and congratulated him on the football win yesterday. I said it wasn't Navy's year, but at the end of the day, EVERYONE wins -- the USA wins. He agreed. He told me he served 28 years. I thanked him for his service, which he appreciated. I told him my father was retired Navy and Philadelphia Police. He said to thank my dad for his service -- twice. He also told me his father and brother were both Navy men. WE ARE ALL FAMILY. GOD BLESS AMERICA. 🇺🇲❤🤍💙😊

Breaking Benjamin

OK, I feel really silly posting this. It's like I'm a 12-year-old middle school girl. But it IS my blog, right? No judgement allowed? So I will do it. There is a great hard rock band called Breaking Benjamin. I absolutely love their music. Probably more importantly, they are probably some of the nicest people on the planet. They love each other. They adore their wives and families. They cherish their fans. I am so into this band right now, they seriously make my days brighter. The following is something I posted in a Breaking Benjamin fan Facebook group I am in. Thank you in advance for reading. 

** LONG POST ALERT -- I apologize in advance but I felt the need to share this with this wonderful group. ** I am usually good at putting words together – Hell, I was a journalism major, after all, and I still think I'm a good writer.  But I feel like I might start rambling here, so I'm sorry.  I am new to this group. I love hard rock music.  It’s what I listen to in my car.  It’s what I listen to at the gym while most people around me are probably listening to hip hop.  Recently I started listening to a lot more Breaking Benjamin.  I always loved their music, but something sparked a bigger interest in learning more about this band. First of all, I keep discovering songs I have never heard before and I really like them and keep listening to them because I'm hooked. I know this band has a lot of interesting history, including, of course, the lineup change.  I like the original band’s music as much as the music the newer band has made. I will be honest, sometimes I wonder if it's "okay" to like the older music so much since the only original member is Benjamin.  But then I see the current band members who love to play the older stuff as much as the new music and I figure it's OK because they are so passionate about what they do.  I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but whatever.  I’ve been watching a lot of interviews the band has done in recent years, both together and individually.  Has anyone seen the “50ish Questions" interviews done with Aaron, Keith, Shaun, and Jasen?  Really cool stuff.  Each one of these men is so interesting in his own way.  I also found a “NEPA Scene” podcast interview from 2019 with Aaron.  I loved hearing his story about how he hooked up with Ben.  I love hearing these men talk about each other. They truly love each other and are brothers.  Their friendships are beautiful.  I also love hearing them talk about their families – especially Aaron and Jasen.  Listening to Aaron talk about his wife seriously makes me cry -- she sounds like an amazing woman.  And then, of course, they really love their fans.  I know all bands do, but these men are passionate about the people that support them.  Are these men for real? Can they really be this nice? They sure can.  These men are truly inspiring.  I work in healthcare where I help people every day.  I have an 83-year-old father with health issues who lives with me and my boyfriend, and Mike and I both try to help him so he is comfortable and cared for.  I am a Type 1 diabetic diagnosed when I was almost 36 years old and I do my best eery day to take care of myself so I can try to live a "normal" life.  Lately I've been doing better with my own health.  I’ve been going to the gym a lot (listening to lots of Breaking Benjamin, of course) and trying to eat better and I’ve lost about 10 pounds recently.  I know this might sound cheesy, but this band inspires me to BE BETTER AND DO BETTER in my own life.  It’s not just the music, it’s their unbelievable spirit and love for life and each other that are contagious.  Does this make any sense?  2020 has been crazy.  I am grateful to Breaking Benjamin for putting some sunshine in my daily life.  Sadly -- please, don't judge -- I have never seen them play live.  Can you believe this – I work in Allentown, PA, in a medical office in the building attached to the PPL Center arena where they played with Korn January 23rd of this year.  I DID NOT GO TO THE SHOW! WHY? What a dummy I was.  I have no doubt I’ll get to see them play in person – after all, the band’s roots are of course here in PA and they love playing here. They will be back, and I will be there.  We just need a damn COVID vaccine so there can be live music again!  Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this. And again, thank you for letting me be a part of this group.  Love to all! 💖

OUR CAT

OUR CAT

My family has THE BEST CAT IN THE WORLD. Sure, I know everyone says that. But seriously. My cat is amazing. Her name is Gabby. She is a beautiful -- black and white and very fluffy and she talks (meows) all the time! Gabby is actually my boyfriend's stepmother's cat. She has a brother named Rascal who she couldn't live with in peace and harmony because Rascal is a little too rambunctious for Gabby. So Callie asked Mike if Gabby could come live with us. It turned out perfectly for all involved!

Gabby is very sweet and kind and affectionate. She loves being petted and snuggling in bed. She is also hilarious. In addition to being extremely vocal, she also does other funny things. Sometimes she runs around the house for absolutely no reason meowing loudly. She will do this anytime, even late at night or early in the morning. She likes to lie inside boxes and laundry baskets and closets and on top of things. She loves plastic bags -- getting inside them, lying on top of them -- I think she likes the rustling sound.

In addition to being goofy and very vocal, Gabby is also very sensitive. She seems to know when someone is having a rough day or feeling sick and she is extra attentive and affectionate with that person. 

Gabby's tail is naturally up in the air and it wags all the time. She is a very friendly, happy cat and makes everyone around her happy. She makes our lives brighter!