Every-bloomin'-time!

Yes folks.. a1c time is coming.

And up until last week I had *fannnnntastic* control. I was soooo heading for that a1c in the 5s. Proud as punch, was I, knowing I had a great hold on things.

But we know diabetes much better than that, don't we...

Last week things went belly up. Lows here & there, highs there & here. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll still have a decent result, but I know that the last few weeks have the strongest influence on the a1c so I wont hold my breath.

Now, really, does it matter? *I* know that I have had great control. *I* Know that this is just a small hormonal hiccup thanks to early menopause, and a little to do with being inactive (it's winter after all - and the weather really stinks), and a little to do with the fact that I've had my favourite chocolates to much on... and they're hard to stop munching *blush*. I know that it'll all settle down in a few days. I know I can get control again and make it all better.

But I'll still be a little bummed if 2 and a half months of great control is wiped out with a week & a bit of crappy control.

I can't even do the usual trick of delaying the blood test (shhh!) - I have to have it done next week without fail because the results are needed for an appointment with my Endo and yet another appointment with my doctor. But that's ok...

It's all OK, it's just a pain in the butt!

I've been trying to get a result in the 5.5 - 5.9 range for what seems like forever (in reality it's about a year or a bit longer). This was gunna be it!

Crossed fingers, maybe I can get back into this smooth sailing thing again, perhaps it's just time for a little adjustment. Either way, I know it's no biggie - I'm already doing quite well in the low 6s, but boy would it be great to see a 5. *sigh*

And wouldn't it be nice if just for once my numbers didn't go mad for the few weeks just before an a1c test? It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

UPDATE: The results are in - and even with the crappy numbers over the last few weeks I managed a 6.3. Sweet - though I still have a plan to reach the high 5s without hassle - without extra lows. In other words, tight-as control! I have the knowledge, I have the ability, but I also have carb cravings lol. (Pass the chocolate will ya?)

Little meows and BIG meows =^..^=

Little meows:
Our little (HAH!) cat family has grown. The kitties' dad now lives with us full time.
He's been visiting for a very long time, and I always wondered if he had a home - he seemed to be outside all day every and didn't look like he was fed regularly.

A couple of days ago the poor lad was hurt, it looked like he had a broken leg so we took him to the vet. Thankfully it wasn't broken, but he needs some rest and some pills for a few days. The vet thinks he's homeless and needs to stay with us, so that was all the arm twisting I needed!


Even if it does mean we now have 7 cats. *gasp*

The mad cat lady strikes again.

Here are 5 of them soaking up some sun on my bed (you even get to hear my kiwi accent on this one, I forgot to mute it!):


Big meows:
You may need to have tissues in reach when you watch this...


*sniffle* is that fantastic or what?!
.

A visit to my future

I've been thinking lately about how I've changed. Where I was 5 or ten years ago, where I am now... and where I'll be in another 5 or 10 years.

Tonight I stumbled upon an old post of mine on Tudiabetes, where I said:

Ever heard of an older diabetic with complications saying they wished they'd look after themselves better? I've seen that a lot. I'd like to be the one that says 'I'm glad I looked after myself' while I'm sitting out on my rocking chair, enjoying the sun on my feet, on my 99th birthday.

I never once heard a diabetic say "I wish I let it all go and didn't worry about complications, carbs are better than keeping my feet/kidneys/eyes"

I'd love to think that I will be sitting out in the sun on my 99th birthday, having done a good job of looking after myself, and surviving with all my body intact. I'm still in one piece so far. Only another 66 years to go! I'll report back then!

What I'm wondering now is, what kind of life will there be in 66 years?
In 10 years, even?
What's happening with the price of gas, and the gas putting up the price of food and other things?
How is this going to affect our futures?
Will we, as diabetics, be damaged by all this?

In these circles (diabetes blogs & forums that I follow) I haven't seen any mention of what's happening to the world at the moment, and what's going to happen. The whole Peak Oil thing. Are you familiar with the idea? Putting it simply in my own words: We all need to re-learn those old-fashioned ideas - become more self sufficient, grow our own vegetables, learn a survival craft and live off goods from our own communities, etc, because the lack of available oil and the sheer price of what we have left is going to make even the basics hard to afford, if we can get them at all.

It's depressing, really, but it seems to be a plain fact. Unless someone comes up with a really great replacement for oil - one that not only can run vehicles of all shapes & sizes but can also be used in all the other ways oil & petroleum are used, then we're a fair bit stuffed.

Who'd have known we rely on oil for so much in our every day lives? I didn't. What I don't know is how this will effect me as a diabetic. Will my insulin double in price since it has to travel from another country? Same with my test strips / meter / glucagon / pens & needles? I might be safe from this regardless, seeing as the government pay for my medical supplies (ah, how I love New Zealand). But I may not be.

What if the world went truly belly-up? What if I couldn't get insulin at all? What if only the strong will survive? I'd be pooped. However, this is extreme thinking and I don't believe this is going to happen - it's just a paranoid thought. I'd be one of the fastest to fall off the planet if it ever came down to survival of the fittest.

So I'm putting this out there and wondering what you all think. Are you aware of 'Peak Oil'? Where do you see yourself in 5 years - and have you considered the lack of gas, the price of gas, the availability of all things that aren't made locally, and the outrageous prices we might see in anything that needs to travel to get to you? Do you worry about the availability of your insulin and other things necessary to our survival?

I don't plan to spend the rest of my days worrying, (hell no - live for today!) but I do think it's worthwhile considering options and perhaps stocking up a little, just in case. If I'm prepared, then I have little to fret over.

Then again, knowing me (Procrastination is my middle name) I wont do much about this until it's a little too late.
*sigh*

nom nom nom

If I ever get a pump
...which is really very unlikely...
I shall name it:
COOKIE MONSTER.
And it will certainly help me eat lots of cookies :D

Seems to me one of the hardest things about getting a pump is finding a good name! So I'm half way there.
Now to come up with many thousands of dollars to actually buy the thing.
Hmmmph.

Bath time for kitties

The kittens are nearly 6 months old and still totally adorable.
And still here!
I don't have the heart to give any of them away. So we're still a 6 cat family. Which I really do love, right up until it's time to buy the cat food - oh how my wallet complains. Next week Noodle (mum cat) and the three kittens are going to the vets for (da da da DAAA) the snip. *cringe*

Here are the twins showing some sibling love :)

I don't think I'd have ever done that for MY sister.