Now that I have given you the facts, let me tell you my story. (Fair warning: Some of this can get kind of graphic. Make sure you have the “stomach” for it.)
It was three years ago, the day before my 47th birthday. It was also my son Brady’s 20th birthday. I hadn’t been feeling good for a couple days. Sort of lethargic feeling. The week before, on Casey’s 22nd birthday, I had taken him to the emergency room after work, as it was too late to get him into the doctor or into urgent care. He had a viral infection. So, not feeling very well, I thought maybe I had the same. I had a big decision to make. Do I take the time to run to the doctor to check it out or not? On the upcoming weekend, Memorial Day, on Sunday I had our annual May (spring, a/k/a April-June) birthday party. I have it every year and it includes both sides of the family, Bob’s and mine. I was looking at approximately 60 people coming to the house. Plus, my sister Suzi and family were coming down from Minnesota and they were bringing their newborn baby, Tabitha, who would be about a month old. She was born a premie, though, and sensing I might have something I figured I had better go see a doctor to get an antibiotic of some sort or, Heaven help me, if I wouldn’t be able to go near or hold that baby. That was just the sort of thing that I didn’t want to go through!
So, in between jobs (at that time I worked for one attorney in downtown Madison from 7-9:45 a.m. and then drove 10 minutes to my full-time job which I began at 10:00 a.m.; my hours, etc., with both places have since changed to something more reasonable) . . . so between jobs I ran to urgent care. I explained to the nurse my symptoms, thirsty, lethargic, and maybe running a fever – not sure – because I just didn’t feel good. But, nurse, the bottom line is I have company coming this weekend, one being a premie, so I really need something to make me feel better so I can be on my way. She went through a list of other questions. Me: nope, nope, nope. Nurse: any frequent urination? Me: Well, yes, but that didn’t start until last night and yes, now that I come to think about it, I was up a few times in the middle of the night, which is unusual, but I think that is because I was drinking so much water. A fever will make you do that, right? She looked at me and said let’s do a quick urine and blood test. Okay, no problem, but then I really need to be on my way, as I have things I need to do and get back to work.
Blood drawn and peeing done, I sat in the exam room. Oh my gosh, I thought to myself, she asked me about frequent urination. Oh, Lord, they know my family history with the diabetes and now with this, they are going to go that route, I just know it, and don’t they understand that Casey had a viral infection last week and I probably got it. They are just going to spend more time than what I have right now on something that is not the problem. A few minutes later, the nurse and a doctor came in. Good, I thought. Me: Okay, so what type of a viral infection is it? Dr.: Nope, you don’t have a viral infection, you are diabetic.
It hit me sort of like an out of control train being derailed. Are you sure? I mean my son was sick. No, that has nothing to do with it. I thought for a moment. Yep, I, of all people, should have noticed the signs, but I was too busy or maybe was it more afraid, to recognize them.
Okay, what is the plan? We are going to set up an appointment for you to see an internal medicine doctor but we can’t get you in to see her until Friday at 4:00. Okay, I thought. I can do that. Today is Tuesday and I had already taken the day off to prepare for the party, but I can do that. It will just take a couple hours out of my day and I can try to get as much accomplished before then as I can.
Friday came and I went to see Dr. Grant. She put me on pills - Metformin. I ran to the pharmacy, got the prescription filled and popped the first one right away. Dr. Grant had said that I will start to feel a little better in about a day after starting the pills. Okay, it better hurry up because I have lots to do. The weather is seeming to get a little better and I have plants to plant, mulch to lie down, food to prepare, cleaning to do.
Friday night came and I didn’t feel good. I vomited once or twice. Saturday morning, more vomiting. Feeling worse, I asked the boys for help. I have stuff to get done, can you help? Sure. More vomiting. Then I asked Casey’s girlfriend at the time if she would drive the Durango and me around as I didn’t know if I had enough energy to drive. Bob: Why don’t you just call off the damn party if you aren’t feeling good. Me: Nope. I can make it through the weekend and then will rest up.
So, off Amber and I went with my itinerary of, first, to New Glarus, to pick up my cocoa bean mulch. Then, next we need to head the other direction to Dodgeville, to pick up the cake, groceries, and I want to get a kiddie pool for the little ones since it was supposed to be nice weather. On the way to New Glarus, (Me:) Amber can you pull over. I’m sorry but I have to vomit. Done and on our way again, we picked up the mulch. On the way to Dodgeville, twice, “Amber can you pull over. I need to vomit.” Then I had to have her come in and help me pick up the cake because it was a full sheet cake and, normally easy to do, I didn’t think I could carry it out. Cake in the SUV, off to the grocery store to pick up the last of the fresh groceries. In and out in record time and then, once again, because I was going to get sick. Me: Amber, please pull over right before we get to Wal-Mart. (More vomiting.) In and out of Wal-Mart carrying a large kiddie pool which we shoved into the Durango on top of the mulch. Okay, it’s getting late. We really need to head home. Heading back, more vomiting on the way home. Once home, the boys helped unload the Durango and I headed for the recliner in the kitchen. Boys, can you help me make some food if I start things. Yep, sure can. All three pitched in to make a huge batch of pasta salad and macaroni salad. While they cut, diced, grated, stirred and drained, (and frankly I am extremely proud of them for being so good about it), I instructed from the recliner trying to see if I could keep down some water.
Bob came in from the barn. Again, he vocalized, this is not normal, there is something wrong, why don’t you call off the damn party. Nope, it is tomorrow and I can make it through this. I’m stubborn when it comes to parties. I love to throw parties and nothing stands in my way when I am planning a party.
Okay, most all the food is done that I need to make. Thanks, kids. At midnight, I dragged myself upstairs and fell into bed, thinking that if I got some sleep I would feel better in the morning and could finish up the last of the stuff then. Shortly afterwards, I was up vomiting again and then back to bed. Two more times again, and crawled back into bed. Finally, at around 5:00 a.m., after vomiting once more, I lay on the bathroom floor. I didn’t have the strength to walk back to bed. I had to crawl. That is when Bob said, “This is it. You have to call off this party.” I finally admitted then, that yes, that I had to. I said I will call the doctor on call to see what they say. Bob got up and went downstairs.
Before I could get up to get the number to call the doctor on call, the phone rang. Who would be calling at this time of the morning? It has to be something of an emergency or bad. I answered the phone. It was my sister, Marci. Me: Hello. Marci: You’re not feeling well, I hear. Me: No, I’m not. Why do you ask me that? Marci: Because Bob just called me and if he is concerned enough to call me at five in the morning, something must be seriously wrong. Me: Yea, I’m not sure, but I’m about to call the doctor. Marci: Call me as soon as you talk to them. Me: I will. In the meantime, I think I have to call off the party today. Marci: Do ya think! I will call Cindy (Bob’s sister-in-law) and let her know so she can tell his side and I will let our family know. Me: Okay, thanks.
Once off the phone with Marci, I called the doctor on call. Still in bed, the doctor on call told me that, “yes, something is seriously wrong, and you should get to the emergency room right away. If you are not going by ambulance, make sure whoever takes you knows what to do because there is a good possibility you may pass out before you get there because you are either hypo- or hyperglycemic. Either way, I will alert the ER that you are coming in and what is going on.” Great! That means I don’t dare have the boys take me. Okay, Marci, you’re on. I called her back and asked can you take me. She said, yes, I have to get dressed and I will be there as soon as I can. After I explained what the doctor said, she was now nervous.
I got up and tried to get dressed in between vomiting. I crawled down the steps and sat in the recliner waiting for her to come pick me up. The boys helped me into her van and off we went with an empty ice cream pail in hand. Marci can be kind of squeamish about certain things; people getting sick and/or needles are a couple of them. The other thing is, I love my sister to death, but when she is driving and on a mission, she stares straight ahead and drives with a death grip on the steering wheel. This was one of those times. She was on a mission. She would only glance at me from time-to-time just to make sure I was still with it.
Me: Marci, pull over. Marci: Why? Me: I’m going to vomit. Marci: Can’t you use the pail? Me: No, because I might get it on the inside of your car. Just pull over and let me hang my head out the door. (More vomiting.) Okay, let’s go. A couple more times of pulling over and I have now fully reclined myself in a laying down position in the van. Thirty-five miles later and we are now in Madison heading up Park Street, just blocks away from Meriter Hospital. A detour.
Marci: Oh, great, now what. Me: Is there a sign or anything? Marci: Yes, it is a run/walk marathon of some sort. Me: Go down a couple blocks and see if there is anywhere to get through. Marci: Nothing. Me: Then find someone to ask, there must be someone directing traffic of some sort, and put your flashers on. Marci: There’s someone. (She stops and asks her if she can get through. They say no, but try up the block farther. Marci, swearing under her breath, backs up, turns around and goes to the next street). Marci: There are two cops on bikes. What do I tell them? Me: Tell them I am a diabetic and I am either hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic and I could very well pass out at any moment. Marci (to officers): I have my sister in the van and she is diabetic and the doctor told her to get to the hospital right away and she might pass out. Officers: Do you want us to call an ambulance? Me: No, we are 2-3 blocks from the hospital, just tell them we just need to get across the path of the marathon and then we will be okay.
Not able to see what is going on, and with Marci using her Vulcan grip on the steering wheel, all I can think of is we are only a couple blocks away and I feel like I am going to pass out. Then Marci starts to laugh. The officers have jumped on their bikes and are giving us a bike police escort to the hospital ER. Marci said she has never seen feet and pedals move so fast. She is going over 30 mph and they are getting away from her. Once to the ER entrance, they jump off their bikes, and one runs in to alert the ER that I am there. The other grabs a wheelchair and helps me out of the van and scoots me inside, only to be whisked immediately into a room. Madison’s Blue at their finest.
Laying there, trying to answer questions, I’m immediately hooked up to tons of machines. Blood is drawn, an IV is hooked up and Marci is looking kind of pale. The doctor says I need to have an EKG done immediately. After all the testing, etc., things finally start to calm down and I am beginning to feel better. The doctor comes in and says that my blood sugar count was around 600 and they are going to be admitting me into the cardiac ICU unit, as they were fearful that I might have a heart attack.
Marci, after being on the phone constantly since we arrived, now informs me that our family has decided that since there is so much food, and Suzi and family are down, that our family is going to gather at Marci’s to try to put a dent in it. Bob is on his way up and Marci is going to leave so she can get home to tend to the rest of the family soon to be gathering at her house for the party I was supposed to be hosting.
Bob gets to the ER and the nurse is ready to wheel me upstairs. Out of curiosity, Bob asked the nurse, if she had ever seen blood sugars that high (as when I came in). She said, yes, and much worse; even as high as over 1,000 which is mostly from diabetic homeless people, who can’t afford any medications, and end up in the ER when blood sugars get out of control. (Yep, this from a country who can afford to give tons of dollars to other countries, but can’t afford to take care of our people here!)
So, begins the week-long journey for me into my new world of diabetes. I spend two days in Cardiac ICU. Once they feel that I am out of the woods for any heart problems, I am transferred to a regular room. While I am in the Cardiac ICU, though, is where and when I begin to become “one” with my diabetes. In the few days prior to my crash and burn, I had come to terms with Diabetes and Me. Growing up with my dad having diabetic episodes (we called then “sweats”) I learned quick and hard what to look for and how to treat it. When I was young, there were many nights when my mom would awaken me to help her with my dad if his blood sugars had gone too low. When my dad had hurt his hand in a farm accident and could no longer push the syringes down when giving himself insulin injections, he would have my mom do it. If she wasn’t available, I would do it. I learned the ropes of diabetes at a young age. I had even said that if anyone in our family should get diabetes, at least I knew how to work with and treat it. Lesson No. One: Always watch what you say. But I did know how and I do know what is what. The only thing now, I had to learn it all for myself, and that was what I was going to do.
So, from Day One in the hospital, I had a notebook and I took notes of everything that happened. I would not let the nurses take my blood pressure, temperature, blood sugar reading, etc., without knowing exactly what it was so I could write it down. I wrote down everything I ate and what happened.
I was admitted to the hospital on a Sunday and on Memorial Day Monday night, I experienced my first low. I remember precisely when it happened and how it happened. My youngest, Brady, had come up to visit. It was about 8:30 at night. I was talking to him as he sat in a chair next to my bed. All of the sudden I started to feel a little strange, I could feel that my neck was getting weaker and that my eyes were having problems focusing. I could see and feel through my own eyes and body exactly what I saw in my dad’s eyes and how he was feeling every time he had a low. It was strange, it was de-ja-vu, it was almost eerie. But I was positive, I knew what was going on. I just didn’t know how bad it was going to get. And, I didn’t want Brady there to experience it - yet. So I told him I was getting really tired and that he should get going as he had to work the next day. He left and I rang for the nurse. She came in and I told her what was happening and it was starting to happen very fast. Yep, my first noticeable low. As I had been fed insulin intravenously at the beginning until things were under control, they had been playing with it a little bit to see how I was reacting to it. This was it. So they tested my blood sugar and gave me some insulin. After a few minutes, thing finally started to get back to normal.
From then on, every two hours I was poked, prodded, pricked, and cuffed (blood pressure) so the doctors could figure out a plan of action. What they said was this didn’t seem normal for type 2. If I was type 2, I wouldn’t have presented like I did. A crash such as mine usually means a type 1. So they did some more extensive testing. And, yes, I was type 1. Odd and very rare that it would happen at my age, but with the family history with my dad, it would be expected.
In life we learn to adjust to things. It was not only difficult for me, it was difficult for others in my family. I give Bob a lot of credit. He hates hospitals (who likes them) and has never spent much time there, even visiting anyone. He was now faced with a situation he didn’t want to be in either. But he came up to see me every day. He knew as well that if I was going to go through this, he would have to go through it with me as well. So he rearranged how he did things on the farm for a week, so that he could make the drive up every day to see me. The one thing he had to contend with, though, was dealing with the cake that I had bought for the party. It was a full sheet cake, enough to feed 60. The boys had taken it to Marci’s but what was left was sent back with them to the farm – all but just a few pieces were taken from it. Bob called me when he got home Sunday night. “What am I going to do with all this cake? If I start eating it, I will end up in a bed beside you.” I laughed and told him to get out cake pans and cut large pieces to fit into all of them. Then make sure they have covers on them and stick them in the freezer. At least, I wouldn’t have to do any baking for awhile!
The boys had to go back to work and, Brady, being closer was able to stop once in awhile. Casey even came from Chicago late one night and snuck into the hospital through the emergency room at 11:30.
Okay, so I know I am a Type 1 diabetic. If I am going to take control of my life again, I need to know how and what I am going to do to succeed with that. So I journaled, journaled, journaled. The diabetes educator and doctors soon took my notes to figure out what was going on as it seemed a better source than what their notes were. From that we learned and tested and learned and tested until we came up with a formula for how much insulin I should take and when.
It is not that I am different than any other diabetic. I am a diabetic just like them. But what people have to understand is that no two diabetics are the same. Each reacts differently to pills, insulin and the amounts of each. Each has to figure out what and when to eat and how to treat their lows and highs. It is all a balancing game.
One big difference that I did learn. Years ago, it was the “law” of a diabetic that you could not have sugars. That is bunk. Carbs are what a diabetic has to have and yet avoid. Sound confusing? Well, it is, but yet it is as simple as can be. For example, I am supposed to eat four carbs per meal. How did we come up with that formula? It was trial and error. But for me, I needed the calorie intake of four carbs. Anything less, I became lethargic. Anything more and I overshoot my “legal limit” of carbs for the amount of insulin I am taking and would have high spikes. Sugars are carbs and there is kind of a rule of thumb on carbs. A small fist is (about) equal to one carb. Pastas, potatoes (starchy foods) are carbs; cookies, cakes, bars (sweets) are carbs; fruits and some vegetables are carbs; some have more grams of carbs than others. One carb is equal to 15 grams. I have learned after some testing that when I go from a normal or high blood sugar reading into a low, I go into a low fast. So when I start to feel a low coming on, I need to treat it accordingly. If I test my blood sugar and it is in the 50-70 range, I can treat it with simple carbs like milk or cheese; but if my low is less than that, I need a glass of orange juice which brings my low up faster, but the rush of that generally makes me sick. Highs and lows are not good for a diabetic. The goal is to keep things consistent. That is always the most difficult part.
At present, I take five insulin injections a day. I also take a statin drug, only because I asked to have one. I have done lots of research and cutting edge technology tells us that it is the future that diabetics should be on a statin to begin with. It is a little extra heart protection, as the heart is one of the organs affected by diabetes, so are the kidneys. Of course, the main organ impacted is the pancreas, which produces insulin. A type 1 diabetic’s pancreas is either not working completely or it is only partially functioning. There is no turning back the clock on that. The objective is to keep it working at its highest potential for as long as possible.
As for me, everyone looks out for my lows and can tell when it is happening. If my eyes start to roll, then know I’d better do something fast. LOL! Usually it never gets that bad. Most of my lows are in the middle of the night. Pongo is the watcher over the lows then. He will crawl under the blankets and curl up by my legs. He can sense when I am starting to go into lows and will crawl out and paw at me to get up. I can still recognize the lows, but he is just my animal alarm clock before I get too low. (This is nothing too uncommon. Studies have shown that some dogs can sense this, just as some can sense an epileptic seizure before it happens.)
I know that I will always be on insulin and cannot change the fact that I am a type 1diabetic. My hope for others is that if they find they are pre-diabetic or a type 2 diabetic, they jump on the chance to rectify it as soon as possible. Most type 2 diabetics can change the course of their future, type 1 diabetics cannot – they can only try to control the situation as best they can.
Given a change in circumstances, I would certainly not want to take the insulin injections that I do and would never wish it on anyone else. I only hope that, on this Diabetes Alert Day, you take the time to take the risk test, and if the end results are not favorable, that you do something to help change that. It is one of the few tests in life that you can take, in which you then get a second chance to take it again after you have corrected the errors from the first time, and you can come out a “winner, winner - chicken dinner!”
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Diabetes and The Facts - Let's Talk
Let’s talk. Have a seat, grab a cup of coffee and let’s have a frank, little conversation for a moment.
Most people may be unaware that tomorrow, March 23, is National Diabetes Alert Day. This is something that is dear and close to me, because as you might or might not be aware, I am a Type 1 diabetic and my dad was also a Type 1 diabetic. My dad took three insulin injections a day, I take five. My maternal grandmother was a Type 2 diabetic. My brother is pre-diabetic, I have a brother-in-law who was also diagnosed as pre-diabetic and now a sister’s significant other has been diagnosed as type 2.
You may ask, what is the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 2 diabetic. In simple terms, it was always termed that a Type 1 was “childhood” diabetes and Type II was “adult-onset.” A Type 1 is insulin dependent whereas a Type II may or may not need insulin, and/or can sometimes control their diabetes through diet, exercise and pills. Sometimes a Type 2 diabetic can reverse the disease whereas a Type 1 cannot.
Facts: Look around you. One in five Americans is at risk for type 2 diabetes. Nearly 6 million more have diabetes and don't know it. In the next 24 hours, 4,384 cases of diabetes will be diagnosed in America.
Chances are that diabetes has touched you or someone you love. Already there are 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes. So, this is a wake-up call. March 23, 2010 is the 22nd annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day. It's the day we want to know "What will you do to Stop Diabetes? Know your risk." It's the day we want you to learn your risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the simple Diabetes Risk Test online. It's the day to ask if your loved ones could be a part of the 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes - and it's the day to share the Diabetes Risk Test with them. It's the day to stop diabetes by taking steps toward prevention.
You can take the test by going on-line, copy the following into your browser and then proceed to take the simple test to see if you are at risk:
http://stopdiabetes.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SD_alert_main&utm_source=ENewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ALERTNSDU032010
Now, let’s talk for a moment about the big differences between Type 1 and 2 diabetes and then I will share with you my story.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.
In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.
You're probably wondering how you get diabetes or you may worry that your children will get it. Unlike some traits, diabetes does not seem to be inherited in a simple pattern. Yet clearly, some people are born more likely to get diabetes than others.
What Leads To Diabetes?
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both. First, you must inherit a predisposition to the disease. Second, something in your environment must trigger diabetes.
Genes alone are not enough. One proof of this is identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes. Yet when one twin has type 1 diabetes, the other gets the disease at most only half the time. When one twin has type 2 diabetes, the other's risk is at most 3 in 4.
Type 1 Diabetes
In most cases of type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk factors from both parents. Studies show that they think these factors must be more common in whites because whites have the highest rate of type 1 diabetes. Because most people who are at risk do not get diabetes, researchers want to find out what the environmental triggers are.
One trigger might be related to cold weather. Type 1 diabetes develops more often in winter than summer and is more common in places with cold climates. Another trigger might be viruses. Perhaps a virus that has only mild effects on most people triggers type 1 diabetes in others.
Early diet may also play a role. Type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those who first ate solid foods at later ages.
In some people, although rare, the development of type 1 diabetes seems to take many years. In experiments that followed relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, researchers found that most of those who later got diabetes had certain autoantibodies in their blood for years before. (Antibodies are proteins that destroy bacteria or viruses. Autoantibodies are antibodies 'gone bad,' which attack the body's own tissues.)
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has a stronger genetic basis than type 1, yet it also depends more on environmental factors. Sound confusing? What happens is that a family history of type 2 diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for getting the disease but it only seems to matter in people living a Western lifestyle.
Americans and Europeans eat too much fat and too little carbohydrate and fiber, and they get too little exercise. Type 2 diabetes is common in people with these habits. The ethnic groups in the United States with the highest risk are African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Pima Indians.
In contrast, people who live in areas that have not become Westernized tend not to get type 2 diabetes, no matter how high their genetic risk.
Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Obesity is most risky for young people and for people who have been obese for a long time.
Gestational diabetes is more of a puzzle. Women who get diabetes while they are pregnant are more likely to have a family history of diabetes, especially on their mothers' side. But as in other forms of diabetes, nongenetic factors play a role. Older mothers and overweight women are more likely to get gestational diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes: Your Child's Risk
In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100.
Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.
There is an exception to these numbers. About 1 in every 7 people with type 1 diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome.
In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland. Some also have other immune system disorders. If you have this syndrome, your child's risk of getting the syndrome including type 1 diabetes is 1 in 2.
Researchers are learning how to predict a person's odds of getting diabetes. For example, most whites with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4.
If you and your child are white and share these genes, your child's risk is higher. (Suspect genes in other ethnic groups are less well studied. The HLA-DR7 gene may put African Americans at risk, and the HLA-DR9 gene may put Japanese at risk.)
Other tests can also make your child's risk clearer. A special test that tells how the body responds to glucose can tell which school-aged children are most at risk.
Another more expensive test can be done for children who have siblings with type 1 diabetes. This test measures antibodies to insulin, to islet cells in the pancreas, or to an enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase. High levels can indicate that a child has a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Your Child's Risk
Type 2 diabetes runs in families. In part, this tendency is due to children learning bad habits eating a poor diet, not exercising--from their parents. But there is also a genetic basis.
In general, if you have type 2 diabetes, the risk of your child getting diabetes is 1in 7 if you were diagnosed before age 50 and 1 in 13 if you were diagnosed after age 50.
Some scientists believe that a child's risk is greater when the parent with type 2 diabetes is the mother. If both you and your partner have type 2 diabetes, your child's risk is about 1 in 2.
People with certain rare types of type 2 diabetes have different risks. If you have the rare form called maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), your child has almost a 1-in-2 chance of getting it, too.
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.
The most common symptoms for Type 1 Diabetes: frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue and irritability. Common symptoms for Type 2 diabetes: any of the type 1 symptoms, frequent infections, blurred vision, cuts/bruises that are slow to heal, tingling/numbness in the hands/feet, and recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections. But, often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms.
As I told you, I'm a Type 1 diabetic. My symptoms didn't start until a couple days before I was diagnosed. A1C blood tests can determine only as far back as three months prior to the test how long you have been diabetic. My tests determined that I was diabetic at least three months prior. Because my dad was a type 1 diabetic, I have always had my blood tested every year when I have my annual physical. Nothing has showed up prior to this. My cholesterol is excellent, my blood pressure before this was fine, my weight was fine. What happened to me was shortly after I was diagnosed (which at first I was misdiagnosed as a type 2), I crashed. Literally and figuratively, I crashed and burned. It was like the race car hitting the wall and exploding into flames, but having the driver emerged from the wreck shaken up and with a few small cuts and bruises here and there. Scared at first, but after going through it, you want to know what happened and why. That how I feel after having gone through this. I wanted to know why and what caused it. So I wanted to share this with you, so that you, too, can be aware of some of the most important aspects of this disease. I have seen the devastating effects it had on my dad, a type I diabetic, who developed the disease in his childhood and after three heart attacks in his 30's, the fourth finally took him in his 50's. I saw what it did to a client, type 2 diabetic, who wasn't given a replacement to allow him the time to attend to doctor appointments. During the course of his litigation, he lost his first leg and after taking it as far as the Seventh Circuit Court, who still denied he was disabled, he lost his second leg. Three years later, he was finally diagnosed as being disabled. A little too late, but he is still alive, if that is any concilation.
Now that I have given you the facts, let me tell you my story. My story follows in the next post entitled "Diabetes - Crash and Burn (My Story)."
Before you go to the next post, do me one small favor. Take the Diabetes Risk Test. If not for yourself, do it for me, do it for those that you love, because they are the ones that need to know just as much as you do. It takes just a moment to do and you will be taking one step toward possibly correcting something that you never knew was wrong with you. And if you pass with flying colors, it is all more the reason to feel even better about yourself today.
Most people may be unaware that tomorrow, March 23, is National Diabetes Alert Day. This is something that is dear and close to me, because as you might or might not be aware, I am a Type 1 diabetic and my dad was also a Type 1 diabetic. My dad took three insulin injections a day, I take five. My maternal grandmother was a Type 2 diabetic. My brother is pre-diabetic, I have a brother-in-law who was also diagnosed as pre-diabetic and now a sister’s significant other has been diagnosed as type 2.
You may ask, what is the difference between a Type 1 and a Type 2 diabetic. In simple terms, it was always termed that a Type 1 was “childhood” diabetes and Type II was “adult-onset.” A Type 1 is insulin dependent whereas a Type II may or may not need insulin, and/or can sometimes control their diabetes through diet, exercise and pills. Sometimes a Type 2 diabetic can reverse the disease whereas a Type 1 cannot.
Facts: Look around you. One in five Americans is at risk for type 2 diabetes. Nearly 6 million more have diabetes and don't know it. In the next 24 hours, 4,384 cases of diabetes will be diagnosed in America.
Chances are that diabetes has touched you or someone you love. Already there are 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes. So, this is a wake-up call. March 23, 2010 is the 22nd annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day. It's the day we want to know "What will you do to Stop Diabetes? Know your risk." It's the day we want you to learn your risk for type 2 diabetes by taking the simple Diabetes Risk Test online. It's the day to ask if your loved ones could be a part of the 57 million Americans at risk for type 2 diabetes - and it's the day to share the Diabetes Risk Test with them. It's the day to stop diabetes by taking steps toward prevention.
You can take the test by going on-line, copy the following into your browser and then proceed to take the simple test to see if you are at risk:
http://stopdiabetes.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=SD_alert_main&utm_source=ENewsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ALERTNSDU032010
Now, let’s talk for a moment about the big differences between Type 1 and 2 diabetes and then I will share with you my story.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.
In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.
You're probably wondering how you get diabetes or you may worry that your children will get it. Unlike some traits, diabetes does not seem to be inherited in a simple pattern. Yet clearly, some people are born more likely to get diabetes than others.
What Leads To Diabetes?
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both. First, you must inherit a predisposition to the disease. Second, something in your environment must trigger diabetes.
Genes alone are not enough. One proof of this is identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes. Yet when one twin has type 1 diabetes, the other gets the disease at most only half the time. When one twin has type 2 diabetes, the other's risk is at most 3 in 4.
Type 1 Diabetes
In most cases of type 1 diabetes, people need to inherit risk factors from both parents. Studies show that they think these factors must be more common in whites because whites have the highest rate of type 1 diabetes. Because most people who are at risk do not get diabetes, researchers want to find out what the environmental triggers are.
One trigger might be related to cold weather. Type 1 diabetes develops more often in winter than summer and is more common in places with cold climates. Another trigger might be viruses. Perhaps a virus that has only mild effects on most people triggers type 1 diabetes in others.
Early diet may also play a role. Type 1 diabetes is less common in people who were breastfed and in those who first ate solid foods at later ages.
In some people, although rare, the development of type 1 diabetes seems to take many years. In experiments that followed relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, researchers found that most of those who later got diabetes had certain autoantibodies in their blood for years before. (Antibodies are proteins that destroy bacteria or viruses. Autoantibodies are antibodies 'gone bad,' which attack the body's own tissues.)
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has a stronger genetic basis than type 1, yet it also depends more on environmental factors. Sound confusing? What happens is that a family history of type 2 diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for getting the disease but it only seems to matter in people living a Western lifestyle.
Americans and Europeans eat too much fat and too little carbohydrate and fiber, and they get too little exercise. Type 2 diabetes is common in people with these habits. The ethnic groups in the United States with the highest risk are African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Pima Indians.
In contrast, people who live in areas that have not become Westernized tend not to get type 2 diabetes, no matter how high their genetic risk.
Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Obesity is most risky for young people and for people who have been obese for a long time.
Gestational diabetes is more of a puzzle. Women who get diabetes while they are pregnant are more likely to have a family history of diabetes, especially on their mothers' side. But as in other forms of diabetes, nongenetic factors play a role. Older mothers and overweight women are more likely to get gestational diabetes.
Type 1 Diabetes: Your Child's Risk
In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child getting diabetes are 1 in 17. If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100.
Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.
There is an exception to these numbers. About 1 in every 7 people with type 1 diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome.
In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland. Some also have other immune system disorders. If you have this syndrome, your child's risk of getting the syndrome including type 1 diabetes is 1 in 2.
Researchers are learning how to predict a person's odds of getting diabetes. For example, most whites with type 1 diabetes have genes called HLA-DR3 or HLA-DR4.
If you and your child are white and share these genes, your child's risk is higher. (Suspect genes in other ethnic groups are less well studied. The HLA-DR7 gene may put African Americans at risk, and the HLA-DR9 gene may put Japanese at risk.)
Other tests can also make your child's risk clearer. A special test that tells how the body responds to glucose can tell which school-aged children are most at risk.
Another more expensive test can be done for children who have siblings with type 1 diabetes. This test measures antibodies to insulin, to islet cells in the pancreas, or to an enzyme called glutamic acid decarboxylase. High levels can indicate that a child has a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes: Your Child's Risk
Type 2 diabetes runs in families. In part, this tendency is due to children learning bad habits eating a poor diet, not exercising--from their parents. But there is also a genetic basis.
In general, if you have type 2 diabetes, the risk of your child getting diabetes is 1in 7 if you were diagnosed before age 50 and 1 in 13 if you were diagnosed after age 50.
Some scientists believe that a child's risk is greater when the parent with type 2 diabetes is the mother. If both you and your partner have type 2 diabetes, your child's risk is about 1 in 2.
People with certain rare types of type 2 diabetes have different risks. If you have the rare form called maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), your child has almost a 1-in-2 chance of getting it, too.
Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.
The most common symptoms for Type 1 Diabetes: frequent urination, unusual thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue and irritability. Common symptoms for Type 2 diabetes: any of the type 1 symptoms, frequent infections, blurred vision, cuts/bruises that are slow to heal, tingling/numbness in the hands/feet, and recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections. But, often people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms.
As I told you, I'm a Type 1 diabetic. My symptoms didn't start until a couple days before I was diagnosed. A1C blood tests can determine only as far back as three months prior to the test how long you have been diabetic. My tests determined that I was diabetic at least three months prior. Because my dad was a type 1 diabetic, I have always had my blood tested every year when I have my annual physical. Nothing has showed up prior to this. My cholesterol is excellent, my blood pressure before this was fine, my weight was fine. What happened to me was shortly after I was diagnosed (which at first I was misdiagnosed as a type 2), I crashed. Literally and figuratively, I crashed and burned. It was like the race car hitting the wall and exploding into flames, but having the driver emerged from the wreck shaken up and with a few small cuts and bruises here and there. Scared at first, but after going through it, you want to know what happened and why. That how I feel after having gone through this. I wanted to know why and what caused it. So I wanted to share this with you, so that you, too, can be aware of some of the most important aspects of this disease. I have seen the devastating effects it had on my dad, a type I diabetic, who developed the disease in his childhood and after three heart attacks in his 30's, the fourth finally took him in his 50's. I saw what it did to a client, type 2 diabetic, who wasn't given a replacement to allow him the time to attend to doctor appointments. During the course of his litigation, he lost his first leg and after taking it as far as the Seventh Circuit Court, who still denied he was disabled, he lost his second leg. Three years later, he was finally diagnosed as being disabled. A little too late, but he is still alive, if that is any concilation.
Now that I have given you the facts, let me tell you my story. My story follows in the next post entitled "Diabetes - Crash and Burn (My Story)."
Before you go to the next post, do me one small favor. Take the Diabetes Risk Test. If not for yourself, do it for me, do it for those that you love, because they are the ones that need to know just as much as you do. It takes just a moment to do and you will be taking one step toward possibly correcting something that you never knew was wrong with you. And if you pass with flying colors, it is all more the reason to feel even better about yourself today.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Sharing A Trip And A Treat With Grandpa
Some of you know that a lot of the time I write some of my posts in the middle of the night when I have a diabetic low and don’t want to go (or can’t go) back to sleep right away. It gives me something to do to pass that time, and since my legs are usually too wobbly and I’m a little shaky to do anything else constructive, I either read or take to the computer to do what I do best – type and talk!! Hahaha —what a combination!
The other night something sparked a memory of my Grandpa and Grandma S. and their visits to our farm. I loved to sit and listen to the "older" folks talking, but Grandpa always liked to go fishing when he came to our place. With the Pecatonica River running right through our farm and just below our house in the pasture, it always made for a good little fishing excursion. I liked to go fishing with Grandpa but he, of course, hated that I always wanted to talk while we were fishing. He would bring a couple fishing stools, his pole, I would bring mine (my brother Gary and I had cane fishing poles at the time), his tackle box and always a snack or two which my Mom and Grandma prepared for our little outing. We would get all set up and I would talk, talk, talk and Grandpa would shush, shush, shush.
One morning as we were fishing, I had my pole in it’s station, wedged in and resting on a makeshift holder waiting for a fish to come along and tempt fate with a bite of my worm. I was behind Grandpa practicing my dance moves (I was in ballet at the time) all the while yack, yack, yackking away. Grandpa had just caught a fish, added it to the pail, and had rebaited a worm on his hook. He stood up to cast away, scolding me he was trying to catch another fish and I should be quiet. As he held his pole up and yanked it back to cast out into the river, the line flew back and when he snapped it forward, off flew the worm. Yep, you guessed it – right into my open, yackking mouth. Oh my Lord, I gasped and choked and swallowed the worm. It is just amazing that I didn’t die of choking on the worm at the time because Grandpa would never have been able to save me. He was practically rolling on the ground laughing. Of course, he did add in something about "that’s what I get for keeping my mouth open when I was told to keep it shut." The worm never had a chance of finding a muddy little home again because when I gasped, it was one swallow and he was gone.
I ran up to the house crying. Not much sympathy there, either. Everyone seemed to think it was funny and told me I had nothing to worry about as the worm would travel its course like any other food that is digested.
When Grandpa made his way to the house and was outside cleaning all the fish he had caught, I went out to see if he was mad at me. He still had to chuckle some but said he would expect that I would still go fishing with him. I am sure he thought a lesson learned here would mean a quieter fishing experience the next time. Well, he was wrong. I was still the same yacker, because the lesson I learned was just to make sure I did not sit or stand behind him while I was talking.
I know a couple people said that they wanted some more of my recipes and since I had another throw together this last weekend, I thought I would share it. Although, I have to confess that most of my meals/dishes are throw-togethers, I own a lot of cookbooks (and subscribe to a few food magazines) plus I have put together a whole set of cookbooks of my own which include a lot of recipes from magazines and others that offer me inspiration for dishes. My wish is to copy each volume (binder) for my family but I don’t know if and when I will get to that. It will have to be another one of my "first day of the month" projects to get started. That will involve a lot of scanning, copying, printing, etc., because I have literally thousands of recipes and each category has their own binder. Casey is already designing the covers for each of my binders. He is, of course, using the logo he designed for this blog.
Anyway, back to that recipe -- which to go with my story -- is a fitting fish recipe. Here’s my quick take on Tuna Noodle Casserole that I have devised since my husband is so picky. It contains no peas but still looks great without them. (He hates them; I love them). My husband does not like mushrooms so if using cream of mushroom soup, he gives me the evil eye. I am tired of using cream of chicken soup, so I made up my own recipe. Yes, it seems like quite the wild mixture of spices and flavors, but they do marry well together in the end product. This is the kind of mixture that even my picky sons would eat.
Shari’s Tuna Noodle Casserole
Noodles (Approx 1/2 bag)
1 lg can tuna (I prefer Chicken of the Sea in water), drained
Sauce:
1 cup milk
1-1/2 to 2" of American cheese slices, torn into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
4 T. Ranch dressing
1 tsp Garlic/Herb seasoning (Durkee’s)
1 T. Garlic Powder w/parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
Topping:
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
paprika
1 cup(+) of rolled potato chips crumbs
Cook the noodles in large pan with salted water until done; drain. While noodles are draining, in the same (now empty) pan on medium (to medium-low) heat, add milk, seasonings and then whisk in the ranch dressing and sour cream before the milk gets too warm; gradually add the cheese slice pieces. This mixture will be a little soupy. Once the cheese is melted stir in the tuna and be sure that you pull apart the chunks as you stir it in. Then add the drained noodles. Stir good. Next pour the noodle mixture into a 13x9 buttered (or use Pam) Pyrex dish.
Once the noodle mixture is spread out into the pan, prepare the topping. First I sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the mixture, then do the same with the Romano cheese and then shake some paprika over that (not heavy, just lightly). Last, I go for my bag of potato chip crumbs* and sprinkle them over the top. Cover with tin foil and put in a preheated 375 degree oven for a half hour. (Note: if the noodle mixture is soupy, don’t worry – it will bake out nicely. If it is dry, then add 1/4 cup more milk to the noodle mixture before putting in the Pyrex dish).
If you haven’t read my other posts, then you probably don’t know about two things that I love: (1) Pyrex dishes and (2) *saving my potato chip crumbs. To refresh your memory (or enlighten you), when my potato chip bags get empty and there are just crumbs or the stuff in there that no one wants to eat because you can’t pick them up very well, I dump them in a large ziplock baggy. This goes for all kinds of potato chips (sour cream & onion; BBQ; Ruffles; Wavy Lays, etc.). They just give the whole mixture a little extra flavor. When I want to put a little crunch layer on a dish, I take the baggy out and roll over it with a rolling pin (open a corner first or the bag will pop). Then I dump out how ever much I want for a topping; close the bag up and save it for the next time. As long as I didn’t put any holes in the bag, I keep adding more to it. Waste not, want not!
I served this with some homemade garlic cheese bread and some buttered/peppered green beans . Did you notice the dairy theme going on here!! Well, come on, we are dairy farmers, remember!!. Bottom line, Bob had on a happy face. It also makes for good food on a Friday during Lent. Hey, he’s Catholic; I’m not. But either way, that would make his mamma proud with the thought that he was attempting not to eat meat during Lenten Fridays.
As you have noticed, this is not fresh fish from the Pecatonica (which I was never fond of anyway), it is canned tuna which suffices my tastes. I have fond memories of fishing with my Grandpa on the Pec River on our farm. I also loved the special homemade tastier treats made by my Mom and Grandma that we had on those fishing trips. It was the fresh "earthy" snacks made by Mother Nature that creatively landed where they were never meant to that which I am trying to stay away from. (There's just not a whole lot of protein in them!)
The other night something sparked a memory of my Grandpa and Grandma S. and their visits to our farm. I loved to sit and listen to the "older" folks talking, but Grandpa always liked to go fishing when he came to our place. With the Pecatonica River running right through our farm and just below our house in the pasture, it always made for a good little fishing excursion. I liked to go fishing with Grandpa but he, of course, hated that I always wanted to talk while we were fishing. He would bring a couple fishing stools, his pole, I would bring mine (my brother Gary and I had cane fishing poles at the time), his tackle box and always a snack or two which my Mom and Grandma prepared for our little outing. We would get all set up and I would talk, talk, talk and Grandpa would shush, shush, shush.
One morning as we were fishing, I had my pole in it’s station, wedged in and resting on a makeshift holder waiting for a fish to come along and tempt fate with a bite of my worm. I was behind Grandpa practicing my dance moves (I was in ballet at the time) all the while yack, yack, yackking away. Grandpa had just caught a fish, added it to the pail, and had rebaited a worm on his hook. He stood up to cast away, scolding me he was trying to catch another fish and I should be quiet. As he held his pole up and yanked it back to cast out into the river, the line flew back and when he snapped it forward, off flew the worm. Yep, you guessed it – right into my open, yackking mouth. Oh my Lord, I gasped and choked and swallowed the worm. It is just amazing that I didn’t die of choking on the worm at the time because Grandpa would never have been able to save me. He was practically rolling on the ground laughing. Of course, he did add in something about "that’s what I get for keeping my mouth open when I was told to keep it shut." The worm never had a chance of finding a muddy little home again because when I gasped, it was one swallow and he was gone.
I ran up to the house crying. Not much sympathy there, either. Everyone seemed to think it was funny and told me I had nothing to worry about as the worm would travel its course like any other food that is digested.
When Grandpa made his way to the house and was outside cleaning all the fish he had caught, I went out to see if he was mad at me. He still had to chuckle some but said he would expect that I would still go fishing with him. I am sure he thought a lesson learned here would mean a quieter fishing experience the next time. Well, he was wrong. I was still the same yacker, because the lesson I learned was just to make sure I did not sit or stand behind him while I was talking.
I know a couple people said that they wanted some more of my recipes and since I had another throw together this last weekend, I thought I would share it. Although, I have to confess that most of my meals/dishes are throw-togethers, I own a lot of cookbooks (and subscribe to a few food magazines) plus I have put together a whole set of cookbooks of my own which include a lot of recipes from magazines and others that offer me inspiration for dishes. My wish is to copy each volume (binder) for my family but I don’t know if and when I will get to that. It will have to be another one of my "first day of the month" projects to get started. That will involve a lot of scanning, copying, printing, etc., because I have literally thousands of recipes and each category has their own binder. Casey is already designing the covers for each of my binders. He is, of course, using the logo he designed for this blog.
Anyway, back to that recipe -- which to go with my story -- is a fitting fish recipe. Here’s my quick take on Tuna Noodle Casserole that I have devised since my husband is so picky. It contains no peas but still looks great without them. (He hates them; I love them). My husband does not like mushrooms so if using cream of mushroom soup, he gives me the evil eye. I am tired of using cream of chicken soup, so I made up my own recipe. Yes, it seems like quite the wild mixture of spices and flavors, but they do marry well together in the end product. This is the kind of mixture that even my picky sons would eat.
Shari’s Tuna Noodle Casserole
Noodles (Approx 1/2 bag)
1 lg can tuna (I prefer Chicken of the Sea in water), drained
Sauce:
1 cup milk
1-1/2 to 2" of American cheese slices, torn into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
4 T. Ranch dressing
1 tsp Garlic/Herb seasoning (Durkee’s)
1 T. Garlic Powder w/parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
Topping:
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
paprika
1 cup(+) of rolled potato chips crumbs
Cook the noodles in large pan with salted water until done; drain. While noodles are draining, in the same (now empty) pan on medium (to medium-low) heat, add milk, seasonings and then whisk in the ranch dressing and sour cream before the milk gets too warm; gradually add the cheese slice pieces. This mixture will be a little soupy. Once the cheese is melted stir in the tuna and be sure that you pull apart the chunks as you stir it in. Then add the drained noodles. Stir good. Next pour the noodle mixture into a 13x9 buttered (or use Pam) Pyrex dish.
Once the noodle mixture is spread out into the pan, prepare the topping. First I sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top of the mixture, then do the same with the Romano cheese and then shake some paprika over that (not heavy, just lightly). Last, I go for my bag of potato chip crumbs* and sprinkle them over the top. Cover with tin foil and put in a preheated 375 degree oven for a half hour. (Note: if the noodle mixture is soupy, don’t worry – it will bake out nicely. If it is dry, then add 1/4 cup more milk to the noodle mixture before putting in the Pyrex dish).
If you haven’t read my other posts, then you probably don’t know about two things that I love: (1) Pyrex dishes and (2) *saving my potato chip crumbs. To refresh your memory (or enlighten you), when my potato chip bags get empty and there are just crumbs or the stuff in there that no one wants to eat because you can’t pick them up very well, I dump them in a large ziplock baggy. This goes for all kinds of potato chips (sour cream & onion; BBQ; Ruffles; Wavy Lays, etc.). They just give the whole mixture a little extra flavor. When I want to put a little crunch layer on a dish, I take the baggy out and roll over it with a rolling pin (open a corner first or the bag will pop). Then I dump out how ever much I want for a topping; close the bag up and save it for the next time. As long as I didn’t put any holes in the bag, I keep adding more to it. Waste not, want not!
I served this with some homemade garlic cheese bread and some buttered/peppered green beans . Did you notice the dairy theme going on here!! Well, come on, we are dairy farmers, remember!!. Bottom line, Bob had on a happy face. It also makes for good food on a Friday during Lent. Hey, he’s Catholic; I’m not. But either way, that would make his mamma proud with the thought that he was attempting not to eat meat during Lenten Fridays.
As you have noticed, this is not fresh fish from the Pecatonica (which I was never fond of anyway), it is canned tuna which suffices my tastes. I have fond memories of fishing with my Grandpa on the Pec River on our farm. I also loved the special homemade tastier treats made by my Mom and Grandma that we had on those fishing trips. It was the fresh "earthy" snacks made by Mother Nature that creatively landed where they were never meant to that which I am trying to stay away from. (There's just not a whole lot of protein in them!)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A Little Cow Poop Never Hurt Anyone
I wrote yesterday about the farmer’s plight with milk prices and the current unstable market. That just reminded me more and more about my love of the farm I have had since I was a child.
My siblings and I grew up on a farm that had been in our family for over a century. My younger sisters didn’t get to enjoy the “large” farm life as much as my older brother and I did. Family farm life has sort of gone by the wayside. There isn’t as much of a “whole” family on the farm any more as it used to be. Most farm wives/mothers have to work off the farm in order to supplement either income or health insurance.
Growing up on a farm has many pluses but it also means you learn a strong work ethic from the time you are little. My brother and I had to help hay from a young age and learned how to cut wood. We learned how to help milk, do chores, feed the farm animals and found out about the dangers of the farm, too. Our family was probably more over cautious than some, though. My dad was a Type I diabetic (since age 14) so everyone kept watch over him for diabetic reactions (“lows”). We called them sweats because, as I have now learned from my own experiences in being a Type I diabetic, that he would begin to sweat sometimes in more unusual places (arms, legs). That was a tell-tale sign along with slurring of words when the low got more advanced. My brother, Gary, and I would usually be asked to run and check on Daddy just to be sure everything was okay. That would sometimes mean jumping on our bikes to run out into the field. Safety on the farm is a must because of all the potential hidden dangers but when you add in another factor there becomes more of a heightened awareness.
Things on the farm, though, were not all work and no play. From a young age, Gary and I would ride our tricycles and, later on, bicycles in the barn, more so in the summer when the cows weren’t in the barn all the time. We always had one calf pen that was clean that we would play in. That pen would later be used as a “day care” pen of sorts when my sisters came along. Riding your bike in a barn is fun. You can zip up and down the barn alleyways and the driveway, but you always had to be mindful that there might be manure in the gutter and the trick is to play Evil Knievel and still avoid a tumble into there. Sometimes that doesn’t necessarily always work out.
When you are young, there is always a birthday party. For my 6th birthday, I had a party. I was all dressed up and while we were waiting for relatives and my friends to arrive, my brother and I decided to take our bikes for a ride on our “motocross” race track – the barn. We ran over our course a few times gaining speed as we went, zipping here and there. Then all of the sudden off the track I went, plunging into the gutter – and it wasn’t empty! I dove in headfirst and came out head-to-toe covered with manure and in my new birthday clothes, too!! Gary, in between fits of laughter, ran to get my mom. She came out of the house in time to see me waddling toward the house crying my heart out, all the while blaming my brother (whether he was guilty or not, we always blamed each other, just to make ourselves feel better!!).
This was the end of May and, luckily, the weather was nice because my mom saw only one way to handle the situation – the garden hose. She hosed me down and put me in the little shanty we had by the house. The shanty was where we stored our bikes, outside toys, gardening tools, etc., and sometimes it was our hideout and playroom. Today it was my changing room. I undressed in there and, after carefully searching my body for any stray gobs of manure, Mother wrapped me in a towel to take me into the house for a bubble bath and good cleansing. My dad had the duty of going to the barn to rescue my bike which was also covered with a little cow poop. He hosed that down in the milkhouse and it was good as new. By this time friends and relatives had begun to arrive to start my party without me.
After a thorough scrubbing, I was good to go again; to play, rump around the yard and get dirty again. It took awhile before the smell of manure was completely cleared from my smell, but then again, when you live on a farm you are used to that smell all the time.
There was a good lesson to be learned that day -- you need to be careful on the farm. But then again, if you are kid on a farm and you don’t get hurt doing something -- only a little dirty -- sometimes that lesson has to be learned a few times over and over. That would not be my last fall in the gutter, because racing in the barn on our bikes is a fun thing to do. When you are a kid and it is fun and, yes, even if you end up a little dirty, you will keep doing it again and again. You just learn to make sure that if you take that dip again, you keep your mouth shut!
My siblings and I grew up on a farm that had been in our family for over a century. My younger sisters didn’t get to enjoy the “large” farm life as much as my older brother and I did. Family farm life has sort of gone by the wayside. There isn’t as much of a “whole” family on the farm any more as it used to be. Most farm wives/mothers have to work off the farm in order to supplement either income or health insurance.
Growing up on a farm has many pluses but it also means you learn a strong work ethic from the time you are little. My brother and I had to help hay from a young age and learned how to cut wood. We learned how to help milk, do chores, feed the farm animals and found out about the dangers of the farm, too. Our family was probably more over cautious than some, though. My dad was a Type I diabetic (since age 14) so everyone kept watch over him for diabetic reactions (“lows”). We called them sweats because, as I have now learned from my own experiences in being a Type I diabetic, that he would begin to sweat sometimes in more unusual places (arms, legs). That was a tell-tale sign along with slurring of words when the low got more advanced. My brother, Gary, and I would usually be asked to run and check on Daddy just to be sure everything was okay. That would sometimes mean jumping on our bikes to run out into the field. Safety on the farm is a must because of all the potential hidden dangers but when you add in another factor there becomes more of a heightened awareness.
Things on the farm, though, were not all work and no play. From a young age, Gary and I would ride our tricycles and, later on, bicycles in the barn, more so in the summer when the cows weren’t in the barn all the time. We always had one calf pen that was clean that we would play in. That pen would later be used as a “day care” pen of sorts when my sisters came along. Riding your bike in a barn is fun. You can zip up and down the barn alleyways and the driveway, but you always had to be mindful that there might be manure in the gutter and the trick is to play Evil Knievel and still avoid a tumble into there. Sometimes that doesn’t necessarily always work out.
When you are young, there is always a birthday party. For my 6th birthday, I had a party. I was all dressed up and while we were waiting for relatives and my friends to arrive, my brother and I decided to take our bikes for a ride on our “motocross” race track – the barn. We ran over our course a few times gaining speed as we went, zipping here and there. Then all of the sudden off the track I went, plunging into the gutter – and it wasn’t empty! I dove in headfirst and came out head-to-toe covered with manure and in my new birthday clothes, too!! Gary, in between fits of laughter, ran to get my mom. She came out of the house in time to see me waddling toward the house crying my heart out, all the while blaming my brother (whether he was guilty or not, we always blamed each other, just to make ourselves feel better!!).
This was the end of May and, luckily, the weather was nice because my mom saw only one way to handle the situation – the garden hose. She hosed me down and put me in the little shanty we had by the house. The shanty was where we stored our bikes, outside toys, gardening tools, etc., and sometimes it was our hideout and playroom. Today it was my changing room. I undressed in there and, after carefully searching my body for any stray gobs of manure, Mother wrapped me in a towel to take me into the house for a bubble bath and good cleansing. My dad had the duty of going to the barn to rescue my bike which was also covered with a little cow poop. He hosed that down in the milkhouse and it was good as new. By this time friends and relatives had begun to arrive to start my party without me.
After a thorough scrubbing, I was good to go again; to play, rump around the yard and get dirty again. It took awhile before the smell of manure was completely cleared from my smell, but then again, when you live on a farm you are used to that smell all the time.
There was a good lesson to be learned that day -- you need to be careful on the farm. But then again, if you are kid on a farm and you don’t get hurt doing something -- only a little dirty -- sometimes that lesson has to be learned a few times over and over. That would not be my last fall in the gutter, because racing in the barn on our bikes is a fun thing to do. When you are a kid and it is fun and, yes, even if you end up a little dirty, you will keep doing it again and again. You just learn to make sure that if you take that dip again, you keep your mouth shut!
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