I'M BACK!

I've returned from my exciting trip to Washington DC and Baltimore, MD this week. My sister and I spent 8 days there, my first time on the east coast. It was eye opening. We certainly did our share of walking through the town too as we wanted to see all the inner harbor sites near our hotel.





Every morning and evening we walked to breakfast to a different resturant to sample as many different meals as we could (within our tastes).

Fish was prepared so many different ways, crab cakes, fish pasta, grilled salmon salad, fish stew, crab cream soup, and fish pizza to name some of the things we saw or tried.

Inspite of fish being a relatively healthy food, we observed many overweight people. You can make any food high calorie I guess.

I tried to eat new things that were still within my goals, though I made a few allowances for some of the special meals like the buffet dinner cruise on Chesapeak Bay.

On my whole trip, I never saw a single family home, only apartment buildings and row houses.




While my sister was in her conference, I took the opportunity to travel the "safe" tourist line buses and see the city of Baltimore. I was the only tourist I could identify on the bus. Mostly they were filled with ordinary citizens, mom with babies, students, early shift workers and shoppers. It was neat to sit among such a different ethnic group and observe.

We really enjoyed the Baltimore Inner Habor area with it's many beautiful buildings, ships, monument and memorials.

There is a strong Polish and Jewish community there so many landmarks were dedicated to their difficult but enduring hertiage. The Holocaulst Memorial was particularly moving with a reverent feel.

Washington DC was such a sight to see!

Even though we were able to spend just one day there, I saw the Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jefferson and Linclon Memorials up close. We took the first tour of the day inside the nation's capitol, what an historic building.

Well I gained a few souvenior pounds on the trip but my sweet sister and I had a great trip.



I learned a lot. I was able to keep my diabetes in check by watching what I ate and with all the exercise. The extra pounds are coming off now that I'm back to my routine.

LIFE GOES ON!

I must admit that after my fall I felt so limited. It wasn't so bad at first with all the attention, but it got old really fast. Having to depend other people help you dress,
do laundry, drive me around, tie my shoes etc, is a little more than depressing. I sort of threw myself a little pity party every couple days.



There is a silver lining that I have learned from this, and here it is... LIFE GOES ON. I've learned that bad things happen and you just get over it, because life passes you by if you don't.








Look at all these beautiful faces.




I threw a pretty mean Easter egg hunt for all my grandkids on the Saturday before Easter. They all had a great time. I was pretty proud of my effort, not bad for a one-armed Grandma.





I can't do as much as I was doing before, but in an effort to stay positive, I am making the most of what I can do.



Here I am riding my stationary bike.



And the good news is...I've continued to lose weight despite decreasing my activity level a lot. Can't complain about that! It might be a loss of muscle mass, but still...No one complains when the scale tips to a lower number.

I haven't let this deter me from taking my much anticipated trip to Baltimore and Washington DC. My sister Cindy and I leave on May 10th. I'm not planning to just sit around in the hotel either. We have 7 days of tours and adventure awaiting us. I am really excited about that too.




I will be slightly limited for 3 to 6 weeks more, but I am suprised at how well I am doing just three weeks after a broken bone at 62 years old.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been helping with meals, curling hair, shopping, driving, wound care, tying shoes, and etc. You're wonderful!



And a special thanks to my husband who is always near and mostly willing to do anything. He's learned a lot of new skills these last three weeks and is now quite domesticated!

Spinning Forward Falling Down

I'm so excited! I bought a new bike April 8 after looking for the perfect one for weeks. It's true that you never really forget how to ride a bike. What a wonderful sensation, almost like flying! Robert got one too, so you'll see us breezing around town this Spring together. At least I thought you would, until...

Monday morning I went out for a quick zip in the neighborhood. I got to the end of the street. I turned the corner and attempted to mount a driveway to get up onto the sidewalk. I came at the driveway sort of sideways and the bike tire slipped on the lip of the driveway. The bike slid out from under me and I fell flat on my face on the pavement.

My hip hit the ground first then my elbow which jammed my shoulder. There I was, 62 years old, laying in the street. No one around, so much pain and shock and awe. Thankfully I decided to take my phone with me, so I called Robert while I was laying face down on the pavement. He informed me that he had been expecting my call and would be right down to scrape me off the street.

He packed me and the bike in the car and after stopping back at home so he could get dressed, took me to the Emergency Room. Oh my goodness I was in unbelievable pain.
It was 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. I tried my best to hold back my emotions, but I was a total loss.

The hospital staff was very comforting and sympathetic.
They were however, very impressed by my sports related injuries. I guess they don't get many 62 year old overweight diabetic women who come in because of a sports related injury. I was pretty proud of that.

Within minutes Kristin, Scott and Laura (Rick's Wife) were all standing over me at the hospital. It felt so reassuring to have my kids there to help me and to have Robert and Scott give me a blessing.

The doctor's were afraid that it would take surgery to repair the damage that had been done. We were told that it was possibly my hip, arm or shoulder or some combonation of the three. After several rounds of X-Rays and two doses of Morphine for pain, the diagnosis came. I had broken my shoulder.


The good news is that it wouldn't take surgery or even casting to fix. I'd just have to have my arm immobolized in a sling for the next 6-8 weeks. No biggie, but no more riding bikes for the next several months.

I had so much fun on my bike before hand and I DO want to get back on and ride again although I am apprehensive about it. But the bike is in cold storage for the next little while.

After spending the afternoon in the hospital ER they sent us back home with pain pills and a sling. Here I am, still standing after all I had been through.
Nothing is going to stop me from achieving my ulitmate goals of living a healthy, full, fun and adventurous life all while fighting against diabetes.

The main reason I bought the bike was because I signed up to ride in the Diabetes Tour de Cure in June. I along with several members of my family planned to ride in the Tour de Cure to raise funds to find a cure for Diabetes.

We want to help educate and find a cure so that all can live better by overcoming this disasterous disease. I know you will want to help too. Since diabetes effects many of us including me and our oldest grandson, Jeffrey. I want to do all I can to stop this dreadful disease.

I'm afraid the lifestyles we live, along with unexplained triggers, may put many of us in jeopardy for contracting it. Seeing my grandson and his parents learn how to deal with Type 1 Diabetes has been difficult. He was diagnosed it when he was just five. He is now 13 and is doing pretty well thanks to his parents and many advancements in diabetes technology. We are encouraged he will live a full active life.

We thank our Heavenly Father for the research being done to improve his life, mine and tens of millions of others like us. With that background, you may understand why supporting American Diabetes Association is so important to me. Will you help?

I will not be able to participate in the race (this year) thanks to my broken shoulder, but my daughter Kristin and her husband Steve are and still have not met their fund raising goals. Scott and Jeffrey are also riding, but have met thier fundraising goals. Please contribute to Kristin and Steve's ride and help me help them and millions of others fight diabetes. Also, say a little prayer that I will be able to heal from this injury quickly and be able to get back to doing the things I love including riding my new bike.

Donate to Kristin's Ride against DiabetesDonate to Steve's Ride against Diabetes

Updates this week:

Got off my weight loss plateau by losing 3 pounds

The doctor eliminated one of my diabetes medications completely! Yea!

I've found more ways to move including a little running, I don't think my podiatrist will believe it!

ENJOYING NEW FREEDOM IN THE SPRING!

Spring is finally here! I feel a new spring in my step too, literally. My shoes were starting to get loose so I bought a new pair that fit me better and laced up my old shoes tighter.

To underscore my foot changes, I have very little foot pain and no leg cramps as compared to almost constant pain a few months ago. Last fall, I couldn't walk across the uneven lawn because it hurt my feet too much. A walk around the block was too far and was so discouraging. I attribute the turn around to improved new eating habits with lots more exercise.

So here's the latest update on my quest to conquer diabetes

• lost 2 1/4 inches waist measurement
• lost 2 3/4 inches hip measurement
• gained 2 1/2 lbs lean body muscle
• lost 4% body fat
• lost 12 pounds

Yesterday I attended the grand opening of the beautiful Herriman Rec Center with my family. Here are three of my darling grand daughters who ran with me.

I pushed my year old granddaughter around the crazy indoor track, catching up with several family members in the fun run. When we saw them ahead, I started running. I think they were kinda shocked to see I could run and pass them up.


The rec center offered a number of special classes too. Kristin, Leslie and I enjoyed participating in the Zumba dance class. I was overwhelmed to see that I could move along with my girls in such a fun activity. Of course I didn't last as long as they could, but it was really a lively exercise option. We learned how to shake it to the fast paced music!


Robert and I started cleaning up the garden and yard this week. It felt so good to be able to weld around the wheel barrow with ease. I walked up and down our little hill in the backyard, something I had a lot of foot pain doing last fall.



During the week we rode the bikes provided by Kristin and Steve around the neighborhood several miles. We even rode to the nearby bike shop and bought new bike helmets. I made me feel more secure. So fun to breeze all around!



There are nice little things to notice as I make gradual improvements in my lifestyle. The blood sugar numbers are more consistent with only a rare high. I'm hoping the doctor will adjust my medication again, as I have several lows each week now.

Another important change I've noticed is the guilt of not taking care of my health is leaving. I can concentrate on other things because I'm not discouraged about what my body is doing. I promise to keep trying even when I fall short of my goals some days. I pray the Lord will continue to bless me to reach my best self.

It's time for a great new start, IT'S SPRING!

VACATION-Here I Come!

Now for the big test, can I stay on track when I'm off my routine? Even when you have big plans to stay under control, it is still a challenge. We went to St. George for a week to get out of the cold and see the warm sun. We found it!

Before we left, Robert and I stopped off at the Diabetes Expo to get a little more motivation. We met some good friends, Claudia and Gary Danielson,

and stood in lines together to get all the goodies (new monitors) and a free A1C test.

It was exciting to both get lower welcome numbers. So we started our trip with great encouragement to keep trying.

Arriving in Dixie to the spring-like weather with beautiful blue skys and light breezes, was additional encouragement to be active. Thank you so much to our hosts, my brother Kevin and his wife LaRee. They loaned us their bikes to ride as well as use of their beautiful home. (I rode first time in years.)

It felt like I was nine years old again!

I'm hoping to feel comfortable on one soon as I signed up to ride in the 25 mile Diabetes Tour de Cure ride in June. (More about it in a future blog)

We walked all around the subdivision, went hiking in the red rock mountains of Zion and just enjoyed the sunshine. I just felt like moving.

I visited my 86 year old Aunt Erva Miller who lives in a senior village there. She is my new inspiration.

She says she walks 3 miles a day, generally on her treadmill, because her neighbors can't keep up with her in the neighborhood.

She doesn't want to hurt their feelings!

We even found a local health club to work out in.
They also had a morning class for seniors, "Silver Sneakers", that we attended. It was so fun, I'll have to find one here at home too.

When some of my grandkids came on the final day, I ran with them a short way to the playground. I haven't done that for a long time, it was exciting to see that I could do it again, even for a short way.

I put on some of last summer's clothes that were tight when I last worn them, now they are comfortable. Whoo!

Well as a final note, I feel and look more fit than I have in a long time. The vacation was just what I needed to keep going strong!

Week Six - Exercise vs Medical Intervention

So part of my mindset about making the changes in my life to get healthier has to do with all the medical issues coming my way. I told you about my eye damage due to the bigger issue of diabetes. There are also problems with my feet hurting all the time. (I even asked for and got a handicapped license plate.) Sleeping was becoming miserable too, trying to breathe. The doctor ordered a sleep study in January. It showed I had sleep apnea and oxygen levels as low as 60% during the night. The study recommended I be given 3 liters of oxygen with a mask. Wow! That's a lot of issues due to being overweight!

So just think of all the medical costs associated with that. I am on the edge. Do I want to spend the rest of my life fighting my body fat? Going to doctors, taking pills, breathing treatments, unable to enjoy an active life?

NO!

I'm committed to working hard at changing what I can. Exercising and eating better is going to take the place of my former self. I'd much rather make an investment in a healthy lifestyle than seeing the money go down the drain for unnecessary medical costs. Learning how to exercise and do weight training has been really fun so far. I'm looking forward to getting outside and trying new active things. My sister, Tammy is an inspiration to me. She is so cute and looks great!

So here are the little milestones for this week:

• my neck circumfence shrunk from 45 cm to 39 cm this month



• my fingers feel slimmer



• carrying in groceries is easier



• the garbage cans are easier to move around



• I can lift two 8 pound free weights over my chest 30 times



• the eye problem has not gotten worse, the eye doctor said due directly to my efforts



• three more pounds have come off



• I walked down eight flights of stairs this morning at the hospital