Not alone...

So last week, Nick and I attended a formal reception aboard the HCMS Juan Sebastion Elcano--an old Spanish Naval Training Ship that was in town for a few days. Nick introduced me to the captain of his ship who has Type II diabetes. For some reason I had pictured him as this out-of-shape middle age guy, but he was not. I had thrown the stereotypes of a Type II diabetic upon him, even though I myself hate those stereotypes. I still constantly internally struggle with a sense of guilt--that I am at fault because it's Type II. To my surprise, his captain was not only quite fit, but was diagnosed in his early twenties like me. We're a rare breed, so it was nice to find someone with whom to commensurate.

On a non-diabetes note, the rest of the evening went really well. It was quite fun and I got to meet all of Nick's shipmates. To my surprise, Nick invited me to come to Austin with him in June for a family wedding. So all in all, I had a great evening!

Foot Ulcers and Ugly Reminders...

So at work on Friday there was a patient in the ER with a diabetic foot ulcer...it's the kind of horrifying thing I prefer to sometimes stay in denial about, but on Friday it was exactly what I needed to see.

Over the last few weeks I've let my carbohydrate intake whirlwind out of control (and my exercise routine for that matter...). It starts with a glass of wine over dinner, a single french fry there, a nibble of chocolate here, a yummy chocolate desert over a romantic date (yes, romance has a way of causing you to shut off your brain sometimes)...and pretty soon my weekly blood glucose average has jumped from 125 to 140....all in all, really not good since I am trying to get my A1C to below 6%.

So, the ugly thought of having my feet amputated when I am 60-years-old totally freaked me out and threw me back on track again. Uk...even now this picture gives me the shivers and I don't usually have a weak stomach...

Wacky Blood Sugars and Hormones!

So recently I have been experiencing a string of "What the heck" blood sugars. I woke up this morning at 180, so I washed my hands and checked again...178. Even on a bad morning when I've snuck a few sweets the night before the highest I've ever woken up at is around 140....mmm...again after moderate carb lunch of a pear and a half a cup of cottage cheese...185...I just don't get it sometimes!

I haven't been paying close attention to how my female cycle plays into all this, but perhaps it does more than I give it credit for...I hardly ever miss a pill and being on the interview trail has made me a little more forgetful than usual, which ultimetely lead to a last minute weekend "date" to the pharmacy for Plan B after, well um, my backup method failed [yes, Mom I am grown adult and I am at least I'm being responsible]...so I am just going blow all of this off as higher than usual levels of estrogen floating around in my body...

Thankfully, I have my endo appointment this week, so maybe then I can get to the bottom of this...

To Tell or Not to Tale on the Interview Trail...

So things have recently been looking up for me and I finally started on the interview trail for medical school. Two interviews in two weeks and I don't even have to leave the state! As I walked on to the campus of Loma Linda I had the same rush of feelings as when I first exited the cab in Florence, Italy six years ago and took in the city. A flood of emotions came seeping through as I stood over the famous Good Samaritan sculpture at LLU and faced the hospital. I feel like my life is progressing and new and exciting things are awaiting around the corner. Things are finally coming together...interviews are rolling in, I am dating someone who every week just seems more wonderful...I guess it's true that all good things come to those who wait. In addition, I just feel really healthy right now and more centered than I have in a while.

But now my one concern....during my homestay, I was chatting with two of the medical students that lived in the house about my diabetes, why I wanted to go to LLU, and other med school related things. I said that I would never bring it up in an interview, but one of the many reasons that I wanted to attend LLU was because of their strong promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Studying medicine there would make it easier for me to manage my diabetes. The students in 100% unanimity insisted that I mention it in my interview because it would highlight my specific interest in LLU even more. So when I was really connecting with my second interviewer and the time was right I mentioned it to illustrate a point that I was trying to make...The interview seemed like it was going really well and the doc even showed me pictures of her kids towards the end of the interview...let's cross my fingers and hope this doesn't keep me out!

Next week I am interviewing at another great school--UC Davis, but I am more inclined to keep my health private...