This and that

Thursday night. This is pure insanity. How could you not know that your kid was on a plane to Kuwait? Oh my gosh, if I'd ever have even thought of such a thing my behind would have been surgically bonded with the counterpane on my bed because I'd never leave there again. I'm sure the boy in question had good intentions but I swear that I'd have gone over there myself if Alcott had done it. My boy in a war zone? Heck, yes, I'd be there with TCB's flak jacket and as many sailors and Marines as I could get my hands on. Sheesh, such a scary thought!

Moving on to more important things like a recap of my Christmas experiences. The eating started on Friday when my former team had a potluck in conjunction with the Secret Santa gift exchange (of which I was a part). One of their seasonal employees made this awesome broccoli casserole with a layer of Cream of Mushroom and a crispy topping of breadcrumbs and Durkee onions. Omigosh, just to die for! I've never voluntarily eaten that much broccoli in my life. In any case, lots of eating followed by sandwiches with my current team (we're bringing in lunch every Friday between last week and February just because everyone's so busy). Stuffed to the gills, I waddled home.

Saturday was my day with Alcott, his siblings, Genevieve (the other CASA on their case, and the foster family of one of his siblings. As a matter of fact, that foster family ordered an entire Christmas dinner for 15 from the supermarket, paid for it themselves, got gifts for each of the kids, and then went with us when we left to visit two of the kids who weren't allowed to come out with us at their group home. Let me tell you, it's not easy cramming 17 people into a 5'x5' room but we did it.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear and I knew that I'd better wear a twinset because I'd be taking the cardigan off once I got to TCB's - I loathe being warm and it was in the high 70s. We had sausage, cheese, and crackers out before dinner as well as some wonderful hand-made olives and various chocolate treats. TCB cooked the ham, his mom made stuffed shells in Marinara sauce, and we had broccoli on the side. Oh, and let us not forget the garlic bread! No dessert other than the chocolate goodies, but who needed it? So full and then I got leftovers to take home, too. Gifts included a cashmere sweater (in bright blue heather), a cute, little fleecy hat, and Neil Diamond's latest CD. Yes, I did very well for myself.

Eating everything in sight continued throughout the week because, well, why not? Yes, Denise, why shouldn't you eat anything you feel like? Diabetic? Nah, I'll pass on that, thanks. Yeah, right. [Note to any men or squeamish people reading: Stop right here and skip down to the next set of brackets.]

So, I've been fighting a yeast infection for a while now. I've tried the over the counter stuff (single dose, three pack, AND seven day) and then finally gave up and called the doctor to get Diflucan last Thursday. Great. Relief for about four days and then - welcome back! - the itchiness started right back up yesterday. Miserably so. Disheartened and near desperation, I headed to WebMD to see what might be up and discovered something called recurrent or chronic vaginal yeast infections. Whoopee!!! And what might, pray tell, cause such a thing? Gosh, right up there on the list of possibilities is diabetes. Gosh, when was the last time I checked my blood sugar? Hmmmm, I have a bad feeling about this. There are various suggestions as to how to rid yourself of this problem, several of which involve changing your eating habits, which started me thinking about...yes, you guessed it, eating properly and getting regular exercise! *Sound of heads slapping as readers yell, "DUH, DENISE," simultaneously*

[OK, you can start reading again.]

So, I'm all fired up now. I took a 20 minute walk this morning, drank a Glucerna shake for breakfast, ate reasonably well for lunch, and am planning to go home for another 20 minute walk tonight. I won't break any land-speed records but it's going to put me on the road back to better health and that's the important thing. I've got my healthy, prepared meals ordered and they'll arrive on Sunday, so I'm feeling pretty darned good. Which is good.

For the immediate future (a few weeks), my only goals will be to get at least 20 minutes of walking in every day and to eat reasonable amounts of food while trying to avoid eating junk. Seems simple enough, right? The eating disorder will, no doubt, challenge me, but I've got a recurring, weekly appointment with my therapist anyway, so let's bring it on.

Comments

Go for it, Denise! You know too well that diabetes is nothing to mess around with. At least you'll have plenty of company this time of year with all those New Years resolutions being made (I gave them up years ago, myself).
I think a recurrent yeast infection could motivate me to do alot of things...yikes! Hope you've gotten some relief by now.

That broccoli casserole sounds soooo good. My mom made a broccoli casserole that had chicken and mushrooms in it. I passed on it simply because I despise mushrooms. I think everyone else liked it but me lol

Hope you've had a happy Christmas! Here's to a wonderful and healthy New Year!
Anonymous said…
Ahh don't worry about eating over Christmas - everyone over indulges. USe the New Year to start again. I KNOW you can do it. Diabetes is an insidious thing isn't it? I had it both times I was pregnant, so am a candidate for it later (read: now! if I don't lose weight!)
Shannin said…
Even at 37, if I up and left for a solo trip to Iraq, my parents and husband would kick my ass into next week. Seriously. Well, it's something to tell the grandkids, that's for sure.

As far as the diet - you know what you have to do. You know what's right. You cannot let this disease control your life. Not only does it cause yeast infections, but more serious conditions. I hope you know I am saying this because you are my friend, but a man joined our WLS support group who has diabetes and is legally blind. I don't want that for you. I want you to be happy and healthy.
Anonymous said…
HAPPY HOLIDAYS DENISE. For some reason, I love that fleece hat you got, it's so cute. Now on to boring things, I was thinking of trying the 20-30 minutes of exercise a day route too. I've never given that a shot, and I find trying to do 50mins to 70mins a few time a week a bit of a time guzzle.
La said…
Happy New Year, Denise!

Although I haven't had one myself, I've also heard that yeast infections can be passed back and forth between partners, so maybe TCB needs to be treated, too (unless you always use a condom).

20 minutes is a very achievable goal, so no reason you won't be able to do it. Good luck!
Anonymous said…
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Gary said…
It's a good thing I'm having lunch righ now, because all that delicious food you mentioned would make me hungry.

BTW,what la said is true.
Anonymous said…
I'm diabetic, as you know and am plagued by *sigh* frequent yeast infections and almost constant itching. Not fun. I have found that wearing a pantiliner helps a lot, plus I found some stuff from the Netherlands that I order online called Bioclin Actigel. It's terrific. (http://www.multigyn.com/article_info.php/cArticlePath/3/articles_id/10)

TMI? Sorry!

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