Wife, mommy, diabetic....my sanity is missing!!!

This came in the mail today. I instantly started smiling.

For those who follow me on Twitter or are fairly close to me know how much this means to me. I've been waiting to see if I could possibly switch from OmniPod to the MiniMed Paradigm Revel since the MM's reservoir is 100u's bigger than the OmniPod's 200u Pod capacity. Fellow Army wife, diabetic,  and friend, Cherise, told me that TriWest would gladly approve it because they dislike the OmniPod system. She was right :) Now the suspenseful wait begins as the when I actually receive my new pump.

This week is going to be a long one. I waved my husband away to the sandbox for a second time. The first time wasn't that hard. I had my family and his family to keep me calm. This time I'm almost 3,000 miles away from our families. That's the hard part. My daughter will be out here mid April. My mom will be staying a week or two and then all of them are flying out for the girls spring break. For those that don't know, my grandma, who happens to be 64 years old, adopted 3 girls from a bad home. They are amazing and I couldn't imagine not having them in my family. The good thing are this deployment is that we will pay down a lot of our bills. And it rained. Yes, I'm happy that it rained on his leave day. Why? Because everytime he left for anything Army related, it has rained. That's our sign. If it hadn't have rained, then I'd be a total basketcase.


My best friend's husband is coming home later this week. I'm uberly excited for her. I see the love that they have for each other and I looked at my husband and I. We are truly blessed to have the greatest men in our lives.


My house is officially in order. McKenzie's room is all done and decorated for her arrival. I decided to put Tinkerbell decals as a border around her walls. I think she will love it.


I'm also toying with the option of being a SAHM(stay at home mom). We can afford it. That's not the issue. I need to focus on school 100%. Plus the cost of daycare for my husband's income bracket would cut into the amount I would be possibly be earning. There is a job fair Friday that I'm going to go to and see what's out there. I'm also afraid of putting my daughter into daycare. The first 2 years of her life she has been watched by family while I worked. A friend I met here, Tia, has talked with me about it. She's got a great head on her shoulders.


My diabetes has been crazy out of control. I stopped wearing my pods only cause my husband would knock them off. I'm going to start back on them today. It took me forever to get a decent appointment time to see someone. Endocrinology Clinic at Madigan was saying a month from now. Fuck that. I worked my ass off to get something sooner. Now I have an appoint on April 5th. I need to get this together.


All in all, I'm going to survive this deployment. Come hell or high water, I will survive.

I haven't blogged in a while cause J is gearing up for a deployment. That alone scares me. His job now is alot more dangerous than it was when he deployed in 2007. He likes to keep me informed but sometimes I think he's keeping me TOO informed, ya know? He has nightmares. He had them last time he left and when he was home on R&R. Last night I think he had one. I was holding him, next thing I know I was awaken by the feeling of my pod being ripped off my thigh. I don't ask about the dreams cause I know what they're about. The other morning I woke before him and told him I was going to watch TV in the living room. These were his words: "Don't leave. They will get me."

We have been arguing over petty stuff. I hate he's leaving but I have to remember that it's part of the reason why we have financial stability. Not to mention the best healthcare there is. And for this, I can't thank my husband enough for choosing to go active.

A factory in my hometown of Dyersburg, TN shut down. Over 600 people are losing their jobs. I can't imagine going through that and having my husband come home and tell me that his last check was the last. My prayers are with everyone that worked there.

The whole stress of this deployment is causing havoc on my glucose levels. I'm never under 200 unless I starve myself. Not happening. The stress is also causing me to eat more than I normally would. I've taken up walking to help with the stress and lowing my numbers. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to talk to my doctor about trying Symlin to help curb my appetite. I am also invited to try out Zumba with 2 other wives who are stationed here. That will be nice to try. Right now, I'm going to help my friend Treva change her blog background. She's a sweetheart and I love her dearly. She's given me so much advice as I have her. I'm blessed to have a few close friends (Andrea, Rain, Treva, Joy, Drea) to be there when I need something. I also have a few new friends from Twitter and a message board of military wives who I can talk to. Even if it's just to vent.

I have been so freaking busy that I haven't had the time to even think of writing a blog post or updating the D365 page on flicker.

Lets start with the moving. I'm officially jobless. It was somewhat bittersweet cause I know I had to quit in order to stay with my husband and our daughter. I visited Fort Lewis, WA for a little over a week. I LOVE it out there. Absolutely gorgeous. Well, when it's not raining. You can view Mount Rainer from every location on the base. We chose to find a place off base in Lakewood. I love our apartment. I't perfect for us and I love the furniture I picked out too. Of course, Jeremy didn't care what it looked like as long as he has a place to sleep and I have a place to cook LOL.

Now on to my diabetes stuffs. My levels have been extra wacky since I'm trying to plan a move and get everything set up. Soon as I touched down in Tennessee, I was planning on getting my bloodwork pulled for my A1C check. Since I've been on the pump for almost 3 months now, I wanted to see how much it helped me. Let me start by saying my A1C on Dec 1, 2009 was a 9.5. This one was a jaw dropping 7.1!!! I was uberly shocked as was my husband. We celebrated by having pizza for dinner. I've also been getting my medical records together for the move. I visited my family doctor that I've been seeing since 1999. My diagnosis date is November 16, 1999 and my fasting glucose level was 335 and my A1C was a whopping 15.1!!!! 15.1!!!!!!! Can't wait to get them officially in my hands so I can read more about this stuffs.

I'm going to have to leave my bebe McKenzie in Tennessee with her grandma. She'll be excited but i'm gonna miss her butt. My mom and her are going to fly out right before Jeremy deploys (ooops I left that out huh?).

About that deployment, the lovely hubs will be getting shipped off the Afghanistan in a few weeks. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this. I'm gonna be in a new city and won't know anybody. Only time will tell......

DISCLAIMER: Excuse me if this blog post is all over the place. So much stuff in my mind and it's hard to separate it all.


Well I just recently got back from Fort Benning Georgia seeing my husband gradutate from re-classing into infantry. The ceremony was great. A few weeks before graduation, my husband got orders to Fort Lewis, WA. I fly out Saturday morning at 07:00 to go out there and set up housing and whatever else I need to do. This will be my second plane trip. I must say I'm excited yet nervous. This is my very first Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and I want to make sure I do everything like it's supposed to be done.

I had to go the endo on Monday. He had to up my basal rates during the day and at night. I was still a little bit higher than I wanted to be. I had to go back into the office today to get a letter for when I get to the airport so I don't have any issues when it comes to my pump and supplies. I also had to get a bottle of Apidra to hold me over til I can call and get the updated prescription filled. I should be able to do that Monday and have it shipped while I'm in WA.

Tomorrow I am going to get my nails all prettified and designed for Valentine's Day. The hotel has been book, flight booked, and the car has been rented. Now comes the lovely wait....

I've been waiting to do this blog post for almost a week. I've been waiting on a phone call from my husband to tell me he's past his final PT test and that he has orders. Even with all his injuries during this, he's passed everything with flying colors. He has no idea how proud of him I am. I wish his mom was here to see him graduate again. But I understand God chose that it was her time to go Home. Thanks to her I donate every chance I can to cancer foundations. So on February ND, McKenzie and I will be making an 8 hour drive to Fort Benning to attend my husband's graduation. If you could only see my smile right now. I have been planning and plotting on making this trip great. Oh, I guess I better mention where we are PCS'ing to.......Fort Lewis, WA!

My OmniPod trainer FINALLY called me. Two whole weeks after I got the darn thing to set up a day for her to show me how to use it. Sad to say, I already know but I'm still gonna attend. Here's the bad news. The exact day that we scheduled on meeting, the weatherman predicts of an ice storm. Quarter inch of ice and five to ten inches of snow. Just freaking lovely. I have to call her and see what she wants to do now.

My bestie's husband is in Haiti helping with the search and recovery. I ask that you pray for him. Not just him though. Pray for all the troops who are there. I've made my donation for Haiti, have you??

So my last post mention that I got my OmniPod insulin pump. I received it on the 14th of January. Now here comes the kicker. I've been calling Insulet (OmniPod's parent company) to try and get in touch with a training coordinator, to no avail. I think I have called them every freaking day since I got the darn thing. Left multiple messages with no call backs. I must say I'm not a very happy diabetic right now.

To love a diabetic is to be a doctor. It means helping her to remember her medications. It means driving her for an hour to the only 24 hour pharmacy when she’s gotten the flu and can’t take the Nyquil in the refrigerator. Or driving her to the hospital when the simple flu turns into bronchitis and her blood turns acidic.

To love a diabetic is to be patient. It means knowing that some days she won’t feel good for no visible reason. It means canceling long term plans when suddenly she doesn’t feel well enough to go on a trip. Or waiting to go to bed while she injects her bedtime insulin.

To love a diabetic is to be a priest. It means consoling her when she’s tired and feels like she can’t do it anymore. It means listening and not passing judgment while she tries to figure out her new dosages and makes mistakes. Or, during those tough times, listening to her burial wishes- just in case.

To love a diabetic is to be a guardian. It means standing up for her when strangers accuse her of being a drug addict. It means discreetly asking her friends to keep an eye on her when she’s testing new medications and doesn’t know the reactions to her body yet. Or staying up with her through the night because she’s too afraid to fall asleep where a coma can find her.

To love a diabetic is to not be superficial. It means seeing her bruises as beauty marks. It means caressing the scars across her stomach. Or kissing her dry lips when she is hooked to IVs.

To love a diabetic is to be understanding. It means knowing that she doesn’t mean to get hot tempered when her blood sugars are too high. It means listening to her when she asks to start a family soon. Or donating time and DNA to sciences you don’t fully understand just because she asks you to and because it promises to cure her.

To love a diabetic is to be smart. It means researching new medications even though she never asks you to. It means listening to her explain her new findings in terms that aren’t typical language. Or making her smile when she desperately wants to scream.

To love a diabetic is to be selfless. It means going to a restaurant based off the carbohydrates menu instead of the atmosphere. It means going without dinner when money is tight because you can buy her medication with it instead. Or testing your blood sugar on her new meter to make sure it’s working properly even though you’re terrified of needles.

To love a diabetic is to be brave. It means keeping your chin up while she talks about those scary moments. It means not allowing her medical mistakes to colour your relationship with her emotionally. Or keeping positive spirits even though all of the websites and gatherings tell you she won’t statistically make it past her 40s.

To love a diabetic is not easy. It means putting her medical needs before any other finances. It means worrying every moment that she is properly cared for even when you can’t see her. And it means trusting her life in the hands of so many doctors who don’t understand the full complexities of the disease.

Thank you for loving a diabetic.
www.FightingTheUnseen.com
by: Katherine Marple

Wow!! I can't believe I haven't posted in over 2 weeks. Well yes I can and I have good reason. My husband was home for Christmas Exodus *does happy dance* Nothing major happened during those 2 weeks. McKenzie's bday gathering, gambling in Tunica, and bring in the new year on Beale Street.

I went to see my endo earlier this week. He has ordered me to lose 20 pounds by this summer. He wants 10 of those pounds gone by my next visit in March. I can do it. I just have to buckle down and get in the groove of visiting the gym and eating right. I really would love to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I know I can get there too. He prescribed me some Actos, Metformin, Aprida, and Levemir. When I lose weight, I won't need as much of those. I've also had to choose a new glucose meter and I chose a Contour. Although I've had to make more than a few phone calls to Tricare's Mail-Order Pharmacy, I must say they are very prompt and have good customer service. My endo's office had to give me another pen of Apidra until the MOP processed my order.

Now on to friends. I am meeting lots of new females thanks to Twitter. Alot of them are diabetics and a few are military wives. There is one friend, who shall stay nameless. I'm not sure how much of my feelings of this person that I want to put on here. Let's just say this, a friend shouldn't abandon their friend when their husband is around them. Plain and simple. I understand that your marriage comes first, as does mine. But I have never put a friend on the back burner of the stove unless I HAD to. HAD=EMERGENCY. End rant. LOL

I miss my husband something serious. 2009 was a VERY hard year for him and I. And we both vowed that 2010 would be lots better. I will admit that I haven't been the best wife that I could've been. I haven't been by his side 100% like I should have and I acknowledge that. It took a major obstacle in our lives for me to realize just how much my husband means to me. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me and I want him to know that everyday. I can't imagine him not being in my life. Yes, he may be short and he may always look like he's mad, but I promise he's the happiest man in this world right now. Why? Because I support him and his decisions. Fully and completely.

I think that covers everything that's been going on here lately. I might even feel like writing another post tomorrow. Only time will tell.

I realized I haven't blogged in a while....Too long and now I have too much to talk about. Lets start with the bad stuff: Diabetes.

I had my very first endo visit on 04Dec2009. I must say my endo is very nice..and it helps that he's good looking too but I digress. He ran a shitload of tests on me. and I went back a week later only to find out that I'm not Type 1 anymore. I've been shooting up on insulin for the past 8 or 9 years. Now it turns out, I make insuilin. That's some shit ain't it??? Anyways, he gave me Apridra to inject right before meals and also gave me Actos+ Met to take as well. My levels are still higher than I'd like them to be but the pills have to get into my system for a week before I'll see a major change. He also informed to to keep taking my Levemir morning and night and to come back in a month to check me out again. Lovely :)

Now on to the good stuff: Everything else aside from Diabetes lol

My husband comes home tomorrow! TOFREKINGMORROW!!! I'm excited as if you can't tell.

My daughter's 2nd birthday is tomorrow too. I can't believe she's 2 years old already. She's growing so fast on me *sad face* I'm NOT ready for another one right now. Gotta finish school first.

I'm ALMOST done Christmas shopping. THANK GOD!! I hate shopping for everybody else cause I never know what to get them.

Today I'm going to see my PCM for a healthy cooter visit. Hopefully everything is still intact and in working order lmao

My Thanksgiving was great. Would have been excellent if my husband was here but I will give up Thanksgiving since he will be here for Christmas *does happy dance* I spent a few hours at my patients house. I was "technically" off but I still helped him with eating and whatnots :) his mom extended and invitation so I took McKenzie up there to  playing with the other kids her age. After that I went to my grandma's house and spent the rest of the day there. My cousin had the nerve to ask me to let him use my SUV for him to take his driver's test in.....Seriously???? My husband called me today as well *does another happy dance* He's alright but his ankle is swollen. He tricked me into telling him a little bit of his Christmas present *mumbles* slick rascal

since today is Black Friday, I guess I'll blog a little about that. I haven't ventured out on Black Friday since 2007. I just HAD to go to Best Buy and get this HP laptop/printer combo. It was fun and packed. Did I also mention I was 36 weeks pregnant?? :)

now on to my diabetes. Yesterday was bad for it. I had 40 units of Levemir and I still had BG's(blood glucose) over 200. did I mention I hate Levemir and that my body no longer likes it?? I can't wait for December 1st and 3rd.

later today we are supposed to be going to Blytheville, AR to see Christmas lights. I'll make sure I take pictures and post them. I guess I need to get back to my schoolwork *grabs headphones and starts music again*