Diabetes 101

Well, I hope that you will continue to "humor" me.

Since I'm on the rant about diabetes I thought I might educate you a bit.

I met a lady the other day that used to work at one of the area hospitals. She was the diabetes educator and I was telling her our story and we were commenting on how amazed we were that people really don't understand or know what diabetes is or what it isn't.

So, I decided I would spend a few posts talking about this, since it is something that has touched our family, something we have become well educated on (not because we wanted to but because we had to) and something that I feel really needs to be more understood.

I will start by explaining what diabetes is and then talk about some common myths.

Diabetes: The word "diabetes" is borrowed from the Greek word meaning "a siphon." The 2nd-century A.D. Greek physician, Aretus the Cappadocian, named the condition "diabetes." He explained that patients with it had polyuria (a lot of peeing) and "passed water like a siphon." When the word "diabetes" is used alone, it refers to diabetes mellitus. The word "mellitus" means "sweet". There's a lot of interesting facts here, but one I found fascinating is many years ago before they had meters to test blood sugars or even dip sticks to test the sugar in urine, they discovered that the urine of diabetic persons would attract ants. I guess because of the excess sugar. Interesting...

Anyway, there are two main types of diabetes mellitus -- insulin-requiring type 1 diabetes and adult-onset type 2 diabetes. These two conditions are distinct and different diseases in themselves. There is also a gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy but this would still fall under the category of type 2 diabetes.

Okay, so what are the differences between these two diseases? First off, Diabetes Mellitus is a disease that affects that body’s ability to produce insulin and/or the body’s ability to use it. Insulin is a hormone that is made by the pancreas which helps the body store energy (glucose) for later use. Like all hormones, our body needs to keep these levels balanced to prevent damage to other organs. Current acceptable blood glucose levels should be between 80 and 120 before meals. Unfortunately with untreated diabetes, these levels can get extremely high and become life-threatening.

The difference between the two - Type 1 diabetes is where the body no longer produces insulin at all. For some reason, (doctors and scientists do not know why) the pancreas does not make insulin at all. This can be caused by a number of factors which are unknown, but there are theories. The most popular theory is that there is a virus that attacks the insulin producing cells in the pancreas (called the islets of Langerhans) and destroys them - an autoimmune process. But for whatever reason, the pancreas does not produce anymore insulin, therefore blood sugars rise to dangerous levels. There are many things I find interesting here: many juvenile diabetics (another term for Type 1 diabetes - because many who are diagnosed are young) are diagnosed at around 6 or 7 years old. Why is this? I have wondered if it's related to immunizations. Is something causing the body to attack itself? Oh well, that's another topic altogether, isn't it??

I'm not going to bore you with all the details of this process and what happens to the sugar in the body and how the cells can't function, etc...; it really is quite fascinating how it all works. But suffice it to say, Type 1 diabetics do not make insulin, period. This is what Kendall, our son, has. Type 1 diabetes is not curable.

Type 2 diabetes is altogether different. Type 2 diabetics do not make enough insulin to support the body. Usually the reason is being overweight. Their bodies just do not produce enough insulin to be able to circulate throughout their system and keep the blood sugars normal. While still a dangerous condition if left untreated, it is curable. Type 2 diabetics can usually take medication to make their pancreas produce enough insulin; and if they lose the excess weight, they can become non-diabetic again.

One more comment here: Why do diabetics pee so much and get so thirsty? Well, it's because their bodies are not able to use the sugar they've taken in and so it passes right out through the kidneys. And because the kidneys are working so hard to get rid of all those toxins the excess sugar produces, they are working extra hard and wanting more fluids to flush it all out. Makes sense! Our bodies really are amazing!

Now the myths:

1. We've gotten this question a lot - especially when Kendall was younger. Will your son grow out of this (kind of like asthma)? NO! Remember, I said that this disease is not curable; once the pancreas stops producing insulin, it can never recover. Unless God heals him.

2. So, Kendall cannot eat any sugar, right? No, that's not true either. Because if Kendall couldn't eat sugar, well, he couldn't eat much at all. This is an area that I would like for people to understand better. Much of what you and I eat turns to sugar once it enters our bloodstream. All starches and carbs turn into sugar, even healthy stuff. Breads, vegetables like corn, peas, legumes, carrots. All fruits turn into sugar. The key is converting these sugars into energy that the body can use. That's why God created insulin.

3. Kendall got diabetes because he ate too many sweets, right? No. That's not right at all. In fact, what he ate had nothing to do with his developing diabetes. They don't know why some people develop it and why their bodies attack their insulin-producing cells. (Interesting thing, there are infants who are born with Type 1 diabetes - figure that one out!)

4. When Kendall is feeling a "low" (low blood sugar) you need to give more insulin, right? This is a common misconception. NO, please don't give the person more insulin. When a person is experiencing a low blood sugar, it means, for some reason that they have too much insulin circulating in their bodies. The best remedy for this is to give a high sugar snack or fruit juice to raise their glucose levels and counteract the insulin. If not, they can go into a diabetic coma and die.

It's a very touchy balancing system. We've had a couple of these low sugar episodes where we had to take Kendall to the emergency room to get glucose in an IV. Very scary, indeed!

5. Diabetes is genetic. It can be, but not always. My dad had type 2 diabetes, because he was overweight and did not take care of himself, but we have no Type 1 diabetics in our family. I have become acquainted with many Type 1 diabetics who had no diabetes in their family.

Okay, well that's enough for this time. Hope it wasn't a total bore!

What a Difference a Decade Makes!

Yes, I did say "decade". I know the old saying is really "what a difference a day makes" but I hope that you will humor me here.

10 years ago our son, Kendall, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Many of you already know this information and you're like, "yeah, whatever, big deal". Well, really it was a BIG DEAL for all of us and especially for me, the over-protective, watchful mom.

I'll never forget the day or the events that transpired. It's like one of those most cemented events that is placed in a person's psyche.

Kendall was 6 at the time and was not feeling well. As a matter of fact, he had not been feeling well for days, and was really starting to worry me. We had noticed weeks before a pattern of "tee-teeing" frequently and drinking to beat the band, but that was about it. Didn't think much about it, although I will have to say I did ask a good friend that had some nursing experience if they thought it could be diabetes and they said "no". So, I dismissed it.

We were preparing to make a trip up to D.C. to see my mom. All three children and I. Hubby was in a new job and couldn't go, so we were getting packed and ready. But Kendall just didn't look right to me. I don't know if you want to call it mom's intuition but I would say that the Lord nudged me inside. I called the doctor's office to make an appointment. And we were on our way to Athens within the hour. When we got to the pediatrician, he looked Kendall over and immediately suggested we go see an endocrinologist. In my mind, I was not thinking anything serious. Looking back, I really don't know what conclusions he drew, but he must've thought something or did a blood test or urine test without me knowing, but at this point, I still had no clue.

The next part of the story is not a memory I cherish; as the endo. that we saw that day is what I would call "crude, rude and socially unacceptable." This guy seriously had no "bedside manner" about him. In fact, we went into the office, sat down, he took Kendall's blood sugar and immediately looked at me and said "your son has type 1 diabetes." No "I'm sorry", "I know this is difficult", etc... They immediately gave Kendall a shot of insulin and told us to proceed to the hospital. All the while, I'm still kind of in a brain fog, not knowing what is really going on. Poor little Kendall, he's just following along without a care in the world. (Note, I have other stories about this endo. and his very uncaring attitude to us during the weeks and months that followed - but I won't bore you!)

The next few weeks were quite a whirlwind for me. I am not trying to paint a somber picture for you or one where I want pity, I'm just telling you how it was. I took all of this quite hard and at different points along the way was asking God why He would allow this to happen to my son.

Ten years later, here we are. Kendall is healthy (as healthy as a teenager can be with diabetes) and does just about anything and everything he wants. He eats what he wants and acts like a normal teenager. (How do normal teenagers act, anyway?)

But God taught me a lot along the way. I learned a trust that I could never have fabricated on my own. I learned that there are other people out there that care and that want to comfort and show their support. I learned perspective; meaning being thankful for what we have and not comparing to others. Someone else has it worse than we do. I learned compassion. I learned that God really never does take us through anything where His grace does not go before us and sustain us. I learned thankfulness and gratefulness and contentment. And I've watched God fashion a young man before my eyes; a young man that loves Him and has a heart for Him and a young man that has diabetes. But diabetes does not identify who Kendall is. Diabetes is just a characteristic, just another mark that makes him unique and uniquely able to have compassion and the ability to minister to others with similar frailties.

God's still teaching me. I'm glad to be able to say that. I worry for the day when I am not supple, soft or pliable; when I no longer am teachable and able to receive correction and remodeling.

So, this post is really a thank you note to God. Thanks for seeing us through a difficult decade. But thanks also for allowing Your grace to be our bulwark. Thank you for giving us the gift of a son and all that entails. Teach us not to question but to rely on You completely. For, as I've told Kendall several times, since that day of diagnosis, I believe that You, God, did not cause this condition, but You allowed it for a reason. We may never see the reasons while we live here on this earth but there is a purpose, there is a reason, there is a destination.

A Case of the Blahs

Did you know that the word “blah” is actually listed in the dictionary? Webster defines it as “a feeling of dullness, boredom, lethargy, likened to a winter’s day.”

I guess that sums up the way I’ve been feeling lately. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what the problem was. I just knew that I wasn’t my usual self. I hate using the word "depressed" cuz it just sounds "depressing", but if I felt any way in particular, that about sums it up.

I have to admit: sometimes the blahs just seem to creep into my life unannounced. I’ll be going along just fine when, all of a sudden, it feels like my engine begins to run on less than all cylinders.

I know one thing: I am very thankful that my Lord understands and doesn't condemn me or reject me when I'm feeling this way. (I wonder if Jesus ever faced the blahs....)

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in everyway, just as we are-yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Amazingly though, there is one thing that always, always takes away the blahs. And a lot of times, when I can almost start feeling them coming on, I realize I haven't spent any quality time with the Lord. It amazes me how it's such a temperature gauge for me. But when I start feeling "yucky", I can almost always trace it back to not taking that time that I need with Him.

I allow the "tyranny of the urgent" to steal away those precious moments with the only One who can bring balance to my life. The Lover of my soul. I know it and yet I still do it, over and over again. I choose the urgent in place of the REFUGE! Why do I do this? Why?

Oh wretched man (or woman) that I am! Who can deliver me? Jesus can!! Jesus can!! Jesus can!!

One of my all time favorite songs by Matt Redman goes like this:

When my heart runs dry
And there's no song to sing
No holy melody
No words of love within
I recall the height from which
This fragile heart has slipped...
And I'll remember You
I will turn back and do
The things I used to do
for the love of You
Lord, I'll remember You
I will turn back and do
The things I used to do
for the love of You

You are my soul's desire
You are the hope within
You bring my heart to life
You make my spirit sing
I recall the height from which
This fragile heart has slipped..

And I remember You.

Love Without Wax

Romans 12:9 (NIV)

^9"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good"

I love this verse because Paul is not only telling us how to love but also how to discriminate in our love. We need sincerity and goodness and we need to shun the evil.

I love studying word etymologies and this is one of those times when we can understand the text much better after we have looked at the words carefully. The word “sincere” comes from the Spanish words sin cera, which means “without wax”. The phrase comes from a practice where artisans would hide the cracks in cheap pottery with wax in order to pass the pottery off as being worth more than it actually was. Quality products were often stamped with the words sin cera to show it had not been doctored. It would be similar to those products today that are stamped, “all natural” or “100% pure”. Paul is telling us to love in a way that is pure and genuine.

The Greek word translated “sincere” in the NIV is the word Anupokritos. The last part of the word is our word hypocrite. The prefix “an” means “without”. So the Greek word actually means, “without hypocrisy”. In classical Greek the word “hypocrite” meant someone who wore a mask in a play. Once again we have the picture that Paul says the true believer should love without a mask. The love should be real and not pretend. It should be without a hidden agenda.

Why does Paul state it this way? It is because we are much better at claiming to love someone than we are at actually loving them. We all learned the fine art of pretending very early on.

• We tell someone we will pray for them, but don’t actually do so.
• We smile while someone is talking but we aren’t really listening.
• We tell someone that we forgot to do something they asked us to do, but in truth, we just didn’t want to do it.
• We tell someone to call “anytime” but when we see their number on our caller ID we won’t pick up the phone.
• We say positive things to a person in front of them but when we are away from them we speak critically.
• We say “we’ll keep in touch” even though we know we won’t.

Ouch! Sometimes, the truth hurts and it's doing a number on me right now. But I know God is calling me to be better at loving. Better at loving Him and better at loving my fellow man. Not just Christians, either. He has called me to love my brother (Christians) and to love those who are lost.

Help me to be a person that loves "without wax"!

What You CANNOT Do!

AMEN!

Merry Christmas

A friend sent this to me with this message: "I am celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ."

The message also went on to say: "Maybe we can prevent one more American tradition from being lost in the sea of 'political correctness'."

"Merry Christmas" therefore, is a wish that you will find joy in the event of Christ's birth. The announcement of the Angel to the Shepherds in the Gospel of Luke clarifies the sentiment behind "Merry Christmas": "…the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

So, Merry Christmas everyone.

Starting New Traditions

New Traditions - it's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? I mean a tradition is a customary behavior and you can't have customs if you're starting something new, can you?

But, anyway, our family is having to face the daunting task of starting a new tradition. Let me explain.

My dear mother-in-law (Mee Mee) passed away last Friday. Thankfully, we left on the Monday before and had some wonderful time with her and ample opportunities of expressing our gratitude and love. It was bittersweet, for although, I knew she was at peace and was spiritually ready for her next and final destination, saying goodbye is never easy.

They say that saying goodbye is always harder on those that are left behind. How true it is.

We have spent the last 26 years with Mee Mee for Christmas. (We've been married for 26 years.) This includes a few days before with loads of family and a special gathering on Christmas Eve with Mee Mee's sister, Aunt Bea and her husband, Uncle Tom. I know, it sounds like something out of a story, and, in many ways, it really was. It's really all my kids know and love of Christmas.

Let me give you an idea.... we would pack our bags and pack our car with presents and drive to Mee Mee's house; which was in El Dorado, AR in early years, but for the past 20 plus years has been in Shreveport, LA. We would come a few days early and maybe do some last minute shopping, but one of our highlights was Christmas Eve dinner at Aunt Bea's house. This would include our family and all of Uncle Tom and Aunt Bea's children and grandchildren( as time went by) special neighbors and a extra special friend that could play the piano like no one's business. Her name is Suda. After dinner we would gather around the piano for Christmas carols and maybe a story or two and sometimes a group game. It was always fun and always different and always extra special. Aunt Bea bought a special present for every guest and had it wrapped and placed at their table setting. There were just a lot of special things like that. Then on Christmas morning we would have our Christmas with Mee Mee. Over the last few years we had bought Mee Mee a stocking and stuffed it with lots of little goodies and we had such a great time with this. Mee Mee has bought our children a pair of pajamas for Christmas every year since they were born. Special little times, special little moments. Then we would head to Aunt Bea's again for Christmas brunch. This was another scrumptious meal followed by more fellowshipping. Then on Christmas night we would head to Uncle Sam and Aunt Teresa's house for more gift giving with their family.

I'm just trying to figure out how to replace all of that. How can you replace it? I just don't know. I do know that nothing happens that the Lord won't bring us through and Mee Mee couldn't live forever and this day was bound to come, but I am caught off guard. I am praying that even though we can never replace what we had with Mee Mee, God will give us creative ideas for new traditions. New ways of celebrating and enjoying our family and becoming closer to Him and to each other. After all, that is what Christmas is all about.