Friday, November 30, 2012

alligator skin*

(*thank you to my good friend becca for saying her hands felt like alligator skin because they were so dry. credit to you for titling my post.)

so, one of the perks of diabetes is dry skin. yippee! during the summer it's not much of an issue for me, but when the temperatures start dropping this time of year, it's torture.

my legs having been itching like crazy, because of, you guessed it! dry skin. and that's really the only dry skin issue, my legs! lotion is the itch relief for me. the problem i'm having ... which lotion is the best? i've tried multiple brands and types, and i'm wondering what works for everyone else.

here's what i've been using lately.


A: equate intense therapy dry skin lotion. the bottle says: 'skin treatment for severely dry skin. gently exfoliates rough, flaky skin to smooth and soften. dermatologist tested.' 

well that's lovely, except my issue with this lotion: it's THICK. it is such a thick lotion, it's like paste on your skin. i'm sure that's no big deal to plenty of people (and some people probably think i'm nuts), but ugh, i feel slimy for a few minutes after putting it on my legs. eww. i mean, it works really well, but i'd like something that works really well without the eww factor. OH - a perk! the bottle lasts FOREVER.

B: eucerin daily protection moisturizing body lotion. the bottle says: 'moisturizes and helps protect against daily UV exposure that can lead to sunburn.'  that's a free sample i got in the mail. SCORE!

umm... ok well clearly i've never read the bottle closely before. i'm not going for sunblock here. my legs aren't really seeing the light of day in the winter. i do like this one, it's not thick and i feel like it's pretty moisturizing, the issue for me is, a few hours later, my legs feel dry and itchy again.

C. four points by sheratin 'clean' lotion - the back of the bottle says 'CLEAN.' really big.

so, this is one of those hotel lotions that i got about a month ago, and i pretty much finished it off but it was AWESOME. smells good, not slimy, moisturizing ... but the same issue, a few hours after i use it, dry itchy legs again. so it's a good thing i'm not able to buy it because it doesn't really do anything special. (yes i googled to see if you can buy it)

so tell me, what lotion is your favorite? are there any out there that aren't really thick (ya know, like the diabetic foot cream that is totally thick but totally works - yeah i don't like those either) that are really moisturizing?

you don't have to have diabetes to contribute! everyone needs a good moisturizer, especially when it's freezing outside. (but of course not freezing here, because we're expecting 60s and 70s in the next week. really december?)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

i'm back!

well, technically i didn't go anywhere ... except on a honeymoon!

now that the wedding has passed, we're settling into married life and diabetes never left us. yippee.

here's the quick summary of what you may have missed (with pictures!):

our photographer is amazing, i can't wait to see all her pictures!


i got married! to a wonderful man and i'm so excited to share this life with him ... starting with the most wonderful time of the year! 


and we went to montego bay for our awesome honeymoon...



i still have the dexcom seven plus ... haven't moved up to the g4 world yet. any of you have it? do you like it more? i AM, however, starting week three of this sensor - that is still sticking and has no tape over it. just saying.

i'm about to get a new pump. which was a big decision i wrestled with a bit. i think i'm sticking with the ping. more on that soon, that decision deserves it's own post.

i did manage to squeeze in a visit with dr. awesome among all the wedding festivities, and i was rewarded with a fabulous 6.5 a1c! lowest i've EVER had. amazing. so happy and proud. now i'm just working hard to keep it there.

for now, just living the life of a mrs, excited to soak in the holiday season and get ready for a good old fashioned family christmas!*

*Christmas Vacation, of course.