my first d meet up!!!

yeah that's right. i met people. awesome people of course.

we talked about babies, diet coke, pumps, pods, meters, schools, work, food, kids, insulin, doctors, diagnosis, nutella, peanut butter and jelly in the same jar (nothankyou), blood sugars, DSMA, traveling, pictures (did you really think i wouldn't take any?), d-police, greys anatomy, ... and oh yeah, cupcakes.

these awesome people were there:

and this drooly adorable little guy came with his mommy and kept us entertained:

and we ate these:

and there were presents (i always like a surprise)!! thank you mike!:

i'd say it was a pretty successful meet up!!

a little social media education

for the past two days i've been at a 'fundraising using social media' conference at the center of philanthropy at IUPUI. we talked about all realms of social media ... facebook, twitter, blogging, youtube, foursquare, linkedin, regular web sites ... i learned a lot. seriously, it was an amazing conference/seminar/whatever you want to call it. (see also: jeff stanger is an amazing instructor on this subject)

but i also ended up contributing a bit, which was a little unexpected. before we went, i wasn't sure of what it was going to be like. i didn't know if it would be a HUGE room filled with hundreds of people, or maybe 50 people ... or would it be small? winner. ten people. it was nice. i liked the small group, i got to know some of the other people and their organizations, and learned new things that i can use at work.

i found myself sharing some knowledge about a few things. people were at different places in their social media lives; at my job, i have already set up a facebook page (as well as my own - and if i don't know you, don't ask me to add you. nothing personal, don't be offended.), and i have a personal twitter account, as well as this little 'ol blog here.

when we got to the topic of blogging, the question asked was: 'who reads a blog on a regular basis? whether it is work-related or not?' i raised my hand. he called on me first. he asked what the blog was. 'well, i read quite a few but it started with sixuntilme.com.' 'what drew you to this blog, and why do you go back?'

i explained that it's something i relate to because i am diabetic. i told him how i was linked with other bloggers and it led me to eventually start up my own blog. it's a big loving circle of diabetes life because i include a blogroll of related blogs that i read on mine (look to the right).

and then he asked me to share my blog site, you all. and please, like i would shy away at a chance to spread the word of awesomeness, glitter and unicorns? (again, look to the yellow button on the right if you are confused). please. although i don't know that anyone really wrote it down. that's okay. :)

later, we talked about twitter. i explained how i didn't used to be 'into' twitter but that blog led me to twitter, and to a whole online community. i explained #dsma, i helped explain hashtags. i felt kinda smart. i felt like i represented my organization well, and i threw in some shoutouts to the DOC as well!! win/win for everyone!


#andtheremayormanynothavebeensomelonghashtagtweetsduringtheseminarthatmighthavebeenthelongesteverinthehistoryoftwitter
#ifyoudontunderstandthesetwosentencesimnotsurewhattotellyou

excuse me...

i'll be in my diabetes nerd corner reading for a while.

wanna read my awesome DOC friend ginger's book? go here to order your copy.

photo flashback friday

my dad and uncles put in our pool when i was that little (it's in-ground, although it doesn't look like it here) hehe. i was a chub. dad's rockin' the M*A*S*H shirt. i think this is 1984?

i'm ready for the pool to be open for the summer!

JDRF magnets!

look what i bought at the local JDRF chapter last week? each color has a different saying ... the red one (it says A child, the flash covered it) for my parents and sister, the green one for me and my man - two of each, mine is already on the fridge (because i don't do car magnets. don't get me started.)!

 if you're interested, you should contact your local JDRF office for more info and see if they have them too!

DSMA march blog carnival

exercise does a body good

at first i wasn't sure how i'd be participating in the blog carnival this month. and then i realized, get real, you are not the only person in the world having a hard time getting your ass off the couch.

plus, the whole exercise theme was a good motivator to get moving! now, i am in the very beginning stages of becoming more active, but i plan to keep writing about it here and there and let everyone know how i'm doing (all 11 of you who read this). last week i started by going for a walk. a good walk, a long one. and i even tried to jog a bit - and my shins reminded me of what it felt like before. no running, fine. i can live with that.

sunday, my man and i spent almost the whole day trimming branches and overgrown weeds in his yard. i knew my body would feel it the next day, and it sure did. my thighs and back were hurting - but it was that good, familiar hurt that you have after an awesome workout.

my favorite types of workouts are the ones that don't feel like exercise. the walk was nice because i was enjoying the weather. the yard work was good for the yard and me ... and my choice for last night was fun and something i'll keep doing! :)

i think that sparked something for me, because sitting at my desk on monday, i was thinking about what i could do for exercise when i got home after work. decision: bike ride! i got my bike out of my storage unit, dusted her off, put air in the tires and off i went.

i brought along my camera because i was excited about the little signs of spring i've been seeing around ... so here is my first exercise story, in pictures (and some captions, of course)!

pumpin' up my tires (you like that pump pun? you know you did.)

and we're off! yay for the weeping willow's green blooms! oh shit. the geese. have i discussed my issue with the geese? they're jerks. these seemed to leave me alone...

THEY. ARE. EVERYWHERE. as i rode through these geese, they all yelled at me. but they stayed away. 

HUGE bed of bright flowers. so cheerful! :)

check out my new shades. love 'em. (no mom, i was not riding and photographing. i stopped for this one. it was super windy and felt great!) 

i remember picking these as a kid ... making necklaces, coloring the sidewalk with the yellow of the petals... and i remember mom hating them in our yard. haha 

LOVED this tree! and my cute bike. with a basket held on by a ribbon until someone buys me a real bike basket (hint hint people, hint hint.)

baseball practice has started ... i can almost taste the rainbow sno-cones! i haven't had one in YEARS. might need to make a special trip this year.

that sign should have GEESE on it. not ducks. ducks are friendly and don't chase you. (i didn't take pictures of the two meanies at the end of my ride that started FOLLOWING ME and yelling at me after i rode by them)

This post is my March entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you'd like to participate, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/march-dsma-blog-carnival.

calculating questions

as you all know, i use an insulin pump. animas ping - love it!

image from www.animas.com

when i take a bolus - for those who don't know and want to learn, bolus is basically an extra dose of insulin for food - for a meal (or ya know, a cupcake/snack), for YEARS i just left the ratio on 15:85, or 20:80 if my blood sugar was a little higher, to be delivered over one hour. - that means, 15 percent of the amount i dosed would be delivered at that moment, and the other 85 percent would be delivered over the next hour.

why? because i don't know how/when to change it. what circumstances? why would i do half now and half later, or just 20 percent now and 80 percent later? should i give 50/50 depending on what i'm eating? should i extend the delivery time past one hour if i'm having pasta? or mexican? or what if i'm just having a sandwich? what about ice cream? or a cupcake?

the amount of time it takes for my body to react is different depending on what i am eating. i have been experimenting with the options lately, trying a higher percentage now, and a smaller percentage over time, or making the time it's delivered over a longer period, or a shorter period, etc.

basically, DOC pumpers, i need some help. what do you all do? how do you decide what your percentages should be? how do you decide how long to have the second half of your bolus delivered? i want to learn, i want to have tighter control after my meals.

can you help me?

diabetes haiku

a friend of mine is a big fan of the haiku. she often writes them about nature, but when she saw kristen's guest post, she was inspired and sent me a few.

Diabetes SUCKS,
but it will never stop her!
Life to its FULLEST!

Diabetes SUCKS.
Yes, but it's not an excuse.
Meredith proves that!

so of course, i wrote one (hey, i'm no poet.):

insulin, needles.
blood sugar meter, oh yeah.
they keep us alive. 

a haiku is a traditional form of japanese poetry. haiku poems consist of 3 lines. the first and last lines have five syllables and the middle line has seven syllables. the lines rarely rhyme.

example: 
i am first with five
then seven in the middle
five again to end. 

what's your diabetes haiku? post it in the comments! :)

haha 

ps. happy st patrick's day and happy anniversary to my best friend & her hubby!

thanks walgreens.

on sunday, as i got in my car from the grocery, i felt low. it hit me out of nowhere. i pulled my meter out and tested. 59. awesome. luckily (i was totally proud of myself at this moment for being prepared), i had a BRAND NEW bottle of glucose tablets that i had just bought last week in my car.

brand new = still shrink wrapped. low blood sugar + shrink wrapped glucose tablets = not a good combination.

not only were they shrink wrapped, they had this fun little advertising booklet on top of the bottle, asking me if i was prepared. oh yes, i am prepared! yay me! i'm low and have grape (aka delicious) glucose tablets! score! let me take you step by step through what happened. 

i tried to pull back the top of the shrink wrap using the perforated holes on top ... oh wait, i couldn't GET to the top edge of the shrink wrap because it was UNDER the awesome booklet asking me if i was prepared.

after i got the not at all annoying awesome advertisement peeled off, i was able to pull off the shrink wrap and pop open the lid.

oh YAY! the safety seal. so glad they have that seal. with the stupid piece of thin plastic that you are supposed to stand up straight and pull - and the rest of the seal is supposed to just magically come off with it, right? NOT WHAT HAPPENS. my shaking-low-blood-sugar-hands were NOT cooperating. the damn thing wouldn't budge.

i took my keys and stabbed the seal. not once, twice or even three times. it took FOUR. KEY. STABS. to get a hole in the damn seal. then i had to try to rip a hole big enough to get a tab out. i was so annoyed.

really walgreens? do we need that many safety seals? NOT HELPFUL in me being prepared for my low blood sugar. yeah, i could have had it already opened and ready to go, but let's be honest. who really does that right when they buy a bottle? (if you do, i don't want to hear about it. consider this your gold star!)

of course i took a picture!

good thing they were grape.

photo flashback friday

two summers ago, my mom, sister and i went to mexico ... i want to go back. or at least somewhere similar and tropical with hammocks on the beach. :)

diabetes burnout.

we've all had it. (well, everyone in the DOC. they know what's up.) sometimes it lasts a day, sometimes it lasts a few days. you're just OVER it. whether it's being tired of counting carbs and calculating insulin, or tired of checking your blood sugar, or tired of seeing numbers that are higher than you want them to be, or tired of eating over and over to keep correcting lows, it happens to all of us.

that was yesterday for me. one of those days when your first blood sugar check in the morning is three digits and the first digit is a THREE. and it sucked that it happened on a wednesday, because i was in no mood to participate in the dsma chat. then i felt bad ... but when i logged on to twitter about halfway through the chat, to let everyone know that i was having a burnout day and wasn't in the mood, i felt better. because they get it. they know what it means, they didn't make me feel bad, they just said they understood. that's all i needed. they just said 'talk to you tomorrow,' and i moved on. no asking questions about why, what does diabetes burnout mean, what caused it, why can't you just get over it, nothing like that. i got my shower, checked my blood sugar for the millionth time, took insulin yet again, and went to sleep. it was just one of those days.

and it was one of those days where i was mad at myself. i wasn't mad because i didn't know why my blood sugar was so high, i knew. i didn't calculate correctly. which just made me more angry and then i didn't want to wait to eat because my blood sugar needed to come down some. those days are a vicious cycle, and i'm glad i don't have them a lot, but still, they happen to all of us.

so now, i move on. my blood sugar was 139 before breakfast this morning, and i'm shooting for numbers in the 100s ALL DAY. self control, good food choices. i'm all over it.

found in a google search and it made me laugh.

suck it, burnout.

mmm ... cookies.

it's that awesome time of year right now. GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME. they're at the grocery, stalking you on the way in and out. they're good, those girls. with the sweet faces, smiling and asking if you'd like to buy some cookies. um, yes i do. thank you for asking so nicely! you take a check? even better, i'll buy MORE boxes!

i waited a few weeks before i bought my favorites (thin mints and samoas, duh). i  bought two of each because they are my man's favorites also, so that's our allotment for the year (or until we decide to buy just one more box).

now i had talked to my sister last weekend about the cookies, she already had hers. she said that the girl scouts have a new baker this year, and she said the samoas taste a bit different, and the thin mints have a scalloped edge. WHAT? why change a good thing??

when my man got to my house on monday (ya know, the same night that i had no insulin, i bought cookies. awesome timing), i was making dinner and he opened the box for a samoa. i told him what my sister said, and as he bit into it, he said it tasted the same but it was smaller. SMALLER? but the same price? what a rip. (like that would ever stop us from buying them, please.)

exhibit A:  

they are a smidgen smaller. i bet they're going to keep doing that, just like cadbury eggs get smaller every easter.

now on to the thin mints. when we looked at them, we noticed no scalloped edge. (different baker for different parts of the country? no way.) but we DID notice the sleeve was A MILLION TIMES SMALLER. WTF? seriously, it used to be the length of the box, and had that really thin plastic that kept ripping so you'd just have to keep eating them down to where the tear ended. um, look how much we're not getting now:

YEAH. people, try to tell me that is not LESS. and i think the cookies are thicker. so thicker cookie but LESS of them?? this is ridiculous. but oh so delicious. so we won't stop buying.

maybe we can work on serving size though, FOUR thin mints have 22 carbs. for real? can it be like, 10 thin mints have 22 carbs? that seems more realistic.

oh wait, i forgot, i have diabetes. i shouldn't be eating those. thanks diabetes police.

that's a first.

i change my infusion set every three days. last night was one of those times. so i got all my stuff out, went to fill my cartridge and when i pulled the insulin bottle from the box, it was empty. empty. people, IT WAS EMPTY. annnnd then i started panicking. why? because on friday, i opened the last 'new' bottle of insulin and was throwing out the empty one. my new prescription has been sent to my mail order pharmacy company, and it is on it's way, just not here yet. and guess what i did? for the first time in 10 years ... i. threw. away. a. full. bottle. of. insulin. and kept the empty one. sigh.

i remembered that i had changed my site at my man's house. i called him, knowing that he was about to come to my house for dinner, HOPING he was still at home. i told him what i did, and of course, that trash had already been taken out and picked up. sigh again.

i was trying to figure out what to do, and i called my doctor's exchange line. told them what happened, and they said he'd call me. i had never done this before, i felt really dumb. my phone rang just a few minutes later, and OF COURSE i hit the wrong button and sent him to voicemail. fail again. he left a voicemail, saying 'this is dr. awesome, returning your page.' i called the number back, and left a voicemail (i probably sounded like a crazy panicking person) telling him what happened, asking for a prescription for one bottle at the local pharmacy. the exchange said if i hadn't heard from him in 30 minutes to call back. i waited for him to call back, and he hadn't, so i called the exchange again. they got him on the phone and he said he had called it in. WHEW. safe.

when i got to the pharmacy to pick it up, i found that it was novolog ... i have always used humalog. (humalog and novolog are fast-acting insulins that are used in insulin pumps - but not just insulin pumps, they can be injections also) i thought they were the same, but just to be safe i asked a few friends in the DOC. they all confirmed, they act the same, some people might have different reactions so just pay attention. ...so far so good, my numbers aren't any different.

photos from insulindirect.com and diabeteshealth.com

hopefully that doesn't happen again in the next 10 years. or 20. or ever.

guest blogger: stephanie b.

stephanie is one of my best friends. we've known each other since freshman year of high school, and i remember sitting in her kitchen at her birthday party while her friend who was type 1 diabetic checked her blood sugar before we had cake ... and i was fascinated. ahh, irony. steph's sister is also T1, so i know that she always 'gets' it and i've never really had to explain anything to her - just freshened her memory about some things when she asks, she is a teacher and this year has a student with T1 (who i want to go hug because i hate that he has to go through this as a kid, as you all know, i didn't.) oh yeah, she hates ketchup. i feel this is important information to share. because i find it amusing. :)


My first experience with the stupid D word was when I was 9, and my sister diagnosed with type 1.  I won’t go into her diagnosis story, but it DID involve a routine trip to the pediatrician, that turned into missing a family day trip to Mammoth Cave. Bummer. Family- we never made that trip up, ya know.  Maybe it’s time? This turned into a weeklong stay at the children’s hospital, where I’d roam the halls for countless hours (I thought I was hot stuff with that much freedom, and I’ll never forget where room 521 is located!), watch my sister practice shooting up oranges from her hospital bed, and in general, think of how cool it must be to have everyone fawn over you for a week.  I mean, we are talking a LOT of flowers and balloons, people!  I knew that diabetes was serious, but it was never presented to me as a life changing issue, but more as a fact of life.  She had this now, and this was how to keep her healthy.  It meant that meatimes were at set times now, and carbs and sugar grams were counted always.  I knew which were "free" foods, and I knew when it was better to take my candy or other sweet treat into my room or outside to eat it, because she couldn't have it right at the moment.  I knew where glucose tablets were (and how they tasted- YUM!), and what insulin was, and what to do if she went low and Mom and Dad weren’t home.  I never got to squeeze the icing into her cheek, but boy I would have been able to squeeze like a pro if needed!  I also learned very quickly what to do if her blood sugar was high - STAY THE HECK AWAY!!!!  (Love you, sis!) 

Flash forward and now it’s the summer of 2000.  I’m at home and the doorbell rings, and Meredith is standing on my front porch.  “So … I have diabetes,” she says calmly.  I don’t really remember what happened next.  (Did you come inside? Did our moms chat? Why don’t I remember this?) meredith's note: i have no idea. i remember standing on the porch for a while, and then going inside, your mom was showing my mom the binder of nutritional labels, i think we were in your room doing teenager-y things. but I do remember thinking that it all made sense.  Of COURSE she was diabetic- DUH!!  Why didn’t I realize that before?  I also remember thinking “WHY ARE YOU JUST WALKING AROUND??  WHY AREN’T YOU IN ROOM 521??”  ok maybe I didn’t really think that last part.  I was shocked that she was just, like, walking around free though.  Oh, how times had changed already!  

in st. louis, about a year before i was diagnosed

 So fast forward again.  Now it’s my fifth year of teaching, and I have a third grader with diabetes in my classroom.  At the beginning of the year, I was talking to his mom and I mentioned my sister, and how I had grown up learning about type 1.  She basically stopped giving me the “diabetes speech” and told me how relieved she was that he’d be in my room.  I kindly reminded her that I still needed the speech. I certainly didn’t know everything about the devil diabetes and I wanted/needed to hear how it affected her child specifically. 

I tell you all of this to tell you that Meredith has been a great sounding board this year with any questions or problems I have with this sweet boy’s not so sweet D.  It’s such a crappy disease but I am grateful to have so many people in my life who handle it beautifully and make it look effortless!  Kudos to you all.

 december 2010, my annual tacky sweater party (i already took mine off)!

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY!

tonight my sister and i threw a surprise party for my parent's 40th anniversary ... it was quite a success if i do say so myself.

happy anniversary mom and dad! thanks for all you do for me. (including tomorrow when you take back your old couch to make room for my new one!) love you both!

steph, dad, mom, me and my man at the party

exercise.

yeah, about that.

i need to.

i can list the reasons ... all the reasons we already know why exercise is good for you. feel better (physically and mentally), look better, better blood sugar, helps with cholesterol, blood pressure ... the list goes on and on.

but ever since my injury, i've found it really hard to get myself going. my ankle is still sore on some days, it still hurts to jump, i am terrified to run because i don't want to hurt myself again (and i don't want to risk more shin splints/leg fractures), and i just need to ease into it. i know that with exercise my ankle will start to strengthen up and feel better, i just need to start moving.

i've noticed that my ankle is still swollen, or maybe just has a new shape, ever since that whole thing. i noticed this most last week when i was at the mall trying on these awesome boots. the left one slid on just perfectly. YAY! went to put on the right one but the angle of the boot, lack of zipper and the width of my ankle made for a bad combo. i couldn't get the boot on. i tried for at least five minutes, got pissed and left the store. determined, i came back to that store on my way out of the mall and MADE my foot go in the boot (hey, they are CUTE BOOTS. and i have been CRAVING slouchy brown boots since like, november.)

ginger has good things to say. inspiring things that make me wanna get off my ass and go do something, but then that fear overcomes me. i used to LOVE to go to zumba. it was a good workout, fun, and time with my friends a few nights a week! but i don't think my ankle can handle it just yet. and i'm not the kind of person who can go and 'take it easy' and half-ass it until i feel better. i feel like i'm wasting the time/money if i'm not going to REALLY work out.

until then, i guess i just need to put on my tennis shoes (and my ankle support, it will help, i know it but i don't want to depend on it) and start walking. take it easy, but still get active.

maybe i'll be a mall walker ...

but then i'll just be tempted into buying more boots.

that time i hurt my ankle. and leg.

i've mentioned my leg injury before, but never really gotten into it. when i started to write a post about exercise, i realized i need to explain what happened first, because if i post it all together, no one will ever want to read that novel.

last summer, i decided i wanted to run the susan g. komen 5k with my mom and my man the day after my birthday in october. my mom is an avid runner. she runs in almost all the races in town, she has been running over half her life and she can outrun many people my age. i mean, she won a bronze medal in the senior olympics a few years ago. she's not playing.

so i started training (not straight up running, i had a plan that i was following) about two months before the 5k. my struggle was the same as it had been any time i ever tried to start running routinely. shin splints. people told me they would go away, my legs weren't used to running. stretch, ice, etc. so i kept on.

they seemed to get a little better, but my right leg always hurt more than my left after runs. i'd have to walk around for a long cool down because my right leg always felt like it was tight as a rock and on fire. pleasant. but i was determined to run that race, no matter how slow, so i never gave up.

in september i decided maybe i should try out new shoes. like, the more expensive kind where you go and have them look at your feet and how you walk/run and recommend shoes you should buy. so i got a recommendation (and found them cheaper online because i live on a budget), and they were here and ready to go the week before the race. well, i got to train in them twice. because the second time, bam. injury.

the tuesday before the race i was going out for my usual run, but decided to take a different route to mix it up (around the same area, just a different direction - i was getting bored with my runs). my cousin was living with me at the time, and as i was leaving, i jinxed myself jokingly said if i wasn't back in an hour to come look for me. HAHA right? wrong.

on my way home, i was loving my music and feeling really good about my run, i had gone farther than before and had only stopped to walk once! i remember the exact song that was on. 'eff you' by ceelo. (yeah, yeah. censored, the one on my ipod was not.) 

my left earbud fell down and out of my ear. i slowed my pace as i pulled the cord back up to pop it back in my ear, and noticed the squishy end piece wasn't there. i stopped, turned to look for it on the ground, and as i turned my ankle rolled and i felt and heard the loudest POP i had ever heard from my own body. oooohhhhh the pain. typing this is giving me shivers because i remember how awful it felt. i had never had an ankle sprain, injury, anything like that to my legs (fractured left wrist and broke right arm in 7th grade, story for another day). i was scared to look at my ankle, but i did. i was afraid it was going to be just hanging there. it wasn't, but my ankle was HUGE.

sitting there, i looked up because i remembered seeing a young guy walking toward me, and he was coming over to me to see if i was okay. i told him i wasn't and asked if he had a cell phone. he said he didn't (i remember thinking, what teenager doesn't have a cell phone?) and i asked if he could help me wave down a car or find someone with a phone. - oh yeah, i was running past the YMCA, so that was a little helpful - he asked if he could help me walk, i said there was no way i could stand on it. he said his friend was close and had one and he'd go get him. and then he said, 'don't go anywhere.' right, cuz i'm going to get up and run off. this is all a fun joke.

he came back with his friend and i called my cousin - who just happened to answer my phone because on this day, we were waiting for the gas company to come turn our gas on after they worked on the lines that day, and they had my number to let us know when, ... so she had my phone just in case while i ran.

i told her i fell and hurt my ankle really bad and i needed her to take me to the ER and told her where i was. she came and got me, and off to the hospital we went. my mom met us there, ya know, for moral support.

ewww

  so happy

i got my xray and some pain meds, and was told it was just a sprain. i remember thinking it certainly felt worse than a sprain, even though i had no injury to compare it to. they fitted me with crutches and a brace and i was on my way. the crutches themselves were a workout. ugh. (surprisingly, my blood sugars stayed in range during this whole ordeal, i thought for sure they would be out of whack from the injury and stress)

stupid splint that did nothing

the er doc told me to take it easy for a few days then start putting pressure on it as i felt comfortable. so i did. crutches for my birthday, and the following morning i hobbled on the crutches while mom ran the race. after the race i went to a picnic with my man's family, and kept my leg up most of the day.

taking it easy at a picnic with my man's family ... i sat in that swing almost all day

 by sunday i was hobbling with one crutch. it still hurt a bit but i was so over the crutches that i was toughing it out. monday i used one crutch, and tuesday i went without, but kept them in the car.

that night i was really concerned because my ankle still seemed really swollen, and i had been following the RICE rules. i showed some friends in the medical field a picture and they all thought i should follow up with someone.

yeah, it looked like this a week later. cankle alert. and green/blue foot.

i called my orthopedic surgeon (yes i have one, don't you? okay, he's a friend of the family but we also go to him for these kinds of injuries) and asked if i could come in. i had gone to the hospital and gotten the xrays in hopes of not having to pay for more. i'm glad i did that, because when he looked at the xray, he immediately said that he could clearly see multiple small fractures at the end of my tibia. WHAT? why didn't the doc in the ER see this??

i was irritated but glad at the same time. i got an awesome boot that i had to wear for three weeks, followed by a horrible brace for two weeks that didn't work with any of my shoes (i mean tennis shoes, not fancy shoes).

the week before thanksgiving i was boot and brace free. my wallet was also money free, thanks to all these unexpected medical costs. as if i need more of those, thanks diabetes.

after talking to some friends in the medical field, and one who was a trainer for a college football team, i found out that the fractures in my leg could have come from the shin splints that never got better, the pressure just made it worse and then the bone split (gross). this would explain why my right leg always hurt worse than my left. makes sense. i still have some pain sometimes, and some days i notice swelling, i can tell that i walk down the stairs differently and i wish i didn't, but all in all i am doing a lot better.

just goes to show that clearly i should not run because my body breaks when i do. oh well :D

wordless wednesday*

try and act like you don't love my new boots.

*captions don't count. haha