I have a really good piece of advice for you. Google yourself. Google your name, google your email address(es), see what comes up. It might surprise you.
I google myself every couple months to see what shows up. I don't like it when websites post my home address or info like that, and if I see it show up, I email them and ask them to remove me from their site, which they always do.
It's also funny to find out that others have the same name as you and interesting stuff comes up. Tonight I found out that a porn star shares my first and last name. THAT was interesting.
What was also interesting when I googled my name is that I found a link to a book that my story is going to be in: http://books.google.com/books?id=7E9sFW2eBZMC&pg=PT234&lpg=PT234&dq=nikki+coar&source=bl&ots=1sTwgsPnfr&sig=qp2d3vjoIt3T3TXaCdfT_2DSKeA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Sy7JUOiTPKaoywHIzID4DA&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBA
Only parts of the story are shown. I can't wait to see the whole story when the book comes out. And I can't wait to read about other's stories. It's a book about eating well with diabetes, but I contribute how to eat with diabetes AND celiac. When you have both it can be a little challenging.
Pretty cool!!
Sorry this is short. I just finished the tweetchat on #dsma tonight. I get so pumped talking with others with D; it's pretty awesome.
More tomorrow...
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Dating with disease.
Yes it's late and yes I should be in bed right now deep in a slumber in preparation for tomorrow's workday but I just can't sleep. I just finished watching this Hallmark Channel Christmas movie that I recorded earlier and it's put some questions in my head. While I must admit that these movies shamelessly bring me joy, the one I watched today got me to thinking about something.
In one part of the movie, a man (presumably in his late 20s/early 30s)is trying to find his perfect match and finds a girl he thinks is cute but he finds out she is vegan and decides not to ask her out because as he put it "where could I ever take her out to eat? Too much work." and moves on to the next girl. Anyways, I felt this twinge in my stomach because I believe his feelings and his statement ring true- that perhaps a woman with "food issues" IS too much work and not worth pursuing. I wonder if that is how others perceive me? Do my "food issues" due to celiac disease and type 1 diabetes take me out of the running? Will no man pursue a lifelong commitment with me because of these things? I know I've brought up my questions about being loved as someone with medical conditions in a previous blog where I blatantly wondered if I could be considered lovable.
This all stems from my own embarrassment/insecurity from having these illnesses, and recognizing the hassle they will cause the person I could have a relationship with and/or marry someday, even though I know these diagnoses are not my fault but still I feel a little like damaged goods. And watching that scene in the Hallmark Channel movie made me think that even more! Why would they joke about it if it weren't true?
I'm just beginning to believe that finding a person who will see past my diseases, or "food issues" is just not a big possibility.
At least I have my dog and she loves me no matter what <3
Thoughts/opinions? I would really appreciate everyone's raw thoughts on this.
In one part of the movie, a man (presumably in his late 20s/early 30s)is trying to find his perfect match and finds a girl he thinks is cute but he finds out she is vegan and decides not to ask her out because as he put it "where could I ever take her out to eat? Too much work." and moves on to the next girl. Anyways, I felt this twinge in my stomach because I believe his feelings and his statement ring true- that perhaps a woman with "food issues" IS too much work and not worth pursuing. I wonder if that is how others perceive me? Do my "food issues" due to celiac disease and type 1 diabetes take me out of the running? Will no man pursue a lifelong commitment with me because of these things? I know I've brought up my questions about being loved as someone with medical conditions in a previous blog where I blatantly wondered if I could be considered lovable.
This all stems from my own embarrassment/insecurity from having these illnesses, and recognizing the hassle they will cause the person I could have a relationship with and/or marry someday, even though I know these diagnoses are not my fault but still I feel a little like damaged goods. And watching that scene in the Hallmark Channel movie made me think that even more! Why would they joke about it if it weren't true?
I'm just beginning to believe that finding a person who will see past my diseases, or "food issues" is just not a big possibility.
At least I have my dog and she loves me no matter what <3
Thoughts/opinions? I would really appreciate everyone's raw thoughts on this.
Sunday Funday.
Well Thanksgiving is over and it's now 'Tis the season. Today I joined a gym so that I can walk on the treadmill; the only exercise I have permission to do. It's cold here in Minnesota; there won't be any walking outside for this girl.
Last week I had blood work for my endo appt. All my numbers were great, including my cholesterol which is a blessing considered last time it was checked it was really high. I've never had high cholesterol in my life but then in the last 6 months I had this crazy idea to go on an egg diet where I basically ate eggs all day every day (protein) and the blood work showed my stupidity. My doctor asked "what happened in the last few months" and I told him about my egg idea and he put the kabash on that straight away. Put me on a limit of 2 egg yolks a week (unlimited egg whites) and voila, my cholesterol is back to being very low.
A couple of numbers didn't come back awesome- my white blood cell count and my thyroid test. No big deal tho; a tweak to my thyroid medication should take care of both of those issues.
But the number I always dread is the A1c. I knew it wouldn't be great because after my spinal cord repair let's just say that keeping my blood sugar in line wasn't exactly a priority. My A1c went up .4, from the previous 6.3 to now 6.7. Not horrible but still a disappointment because I have this goal of getting it down to 6 or lower. I guess I want it that low because then I feel I have a "cushion" for when things go awry (like spinal cord surgery!) and it goes up. But if you are already starting a little higher, then it doesn't give as much of a cushion for it to go up and be in a range that I feel happy with.
The other number that needs a little work is my weight. My forced sedentary lifestyle put some extra fat on me and I am on a mission to get rid of the extra weight by the end of the year or at least by the end of January. My goal weight is 118. That is where I look and feel my best. I'm 125 now so I think a 7 lb goal is attainable. I'm very small boned and a small amount of added weight on me gives me a muffin top AND a double chin. I know that sounds ridiculous but after some recent pictures taken of me I almost fell off my chair. I looked horrible. Everyone has a weight that they look (and feel) their best and mine is 118-ish.
I started the Paleo way of eating last week and so far it's been great. It's not a big change from how I was eating prior, except that it cuts out grains. I can't say I'll never eat grains again but after reading a lot on the Paleo's claims that grains cause inflammation and a host of other issues, I'm curious to see if I feel a difference when not eating them. So it's more of an experiment for me. If I don't feel different after about 2 months, I will reincorporate healthy grains back into my diet. I thought now would be a good time so then I won't feel as left out at the holidays when I can't eat any cookies or pies. Having celiac disease sort of ruined the holiday eating for me, so at least eating Paleo I can pretend THAT is the reason I'm not eating any of those beautiful desserts that are around me during the month of December.
Last night I went to the natural food co-op and ended up introducing myself to someone in the freezer aisle that I could tell was struggling with making a decision on a gluten free bread selection. I seem to always end up doing this when I go to this store; it seems to be a haven for celiacs, especially that frozen food aisle where all the GF frozen goods are. I like helping people and after her and I talked for a while, I found out that she, her 3 kids, her brother and her brother's daughter all have celiac disease. One of her children becomes violently ill when he ingests gluten and must be hospitalized. I suggested that she take advantage of the Mayo Clinic's Celiac Clinic right here in Minnesota, where they offer top-notch care and cutting edge research for celiac disease. We are so lucky to have the Mayo Clinic just one hour away. What a blessing that is.
I was up early today because as you know Sunday's are my chop & prep days for food for the week. I'll be making a chicken curry dish in the crock pot (from a paleo cookbook), chopping up lots of veggies for snacks, cleaning chicken for a chicken stir fry later in the week and chopping up lettuce for salads. Oh and of course I need to boil about a dozen eggs to have on hand for last minute breakfasts or snacks. And yes, I'm only eating the egg whites :)
Then back to the weekly grind tomorrow...
Last week I had blood work for my endo appt. All my numbers were great, including my cholesterol which is a blessing considered last time it was checked it was really high. I've never had high cholesterol in my life but then in the last 6 months I had this crazy idea to go on an egg diet where I basically ate eggs all day every day (protein) and the blood work showed my stupidity. My doctor asked "what happened in the last few months" and I told him about my egg idea and he put the kabash on that straight away. Put me on a limit of 2 egg yolks a week (unlimited egg whites) and voila, my cholesterol is back to being very low.
A couple of numbers didn't come back awesome- my white blood cell count and my thyroid test. No big deal tho; a tweak to my thyroid medication should take care of both of those issues.
But the number I always dread is the A1c. I knew it wouldn't be great because after my spinal cord repair let's just say that keeping my blood sugar in line wasn't exactly a priority. My A1c went up .4, from the previous 6.3 to now 6.7. Not horrible but still a disappointment because I have this goal of getting it down to 6 or lower. I guess I want it that low because then I feel I have a "cushion" for when things go awry (like spinal cord surgery!) and it goes up. But if you are already starting a little higher, then it doesn't give as much of a cushion for it to go up and be in a range that I feel happy with.
The other number that needs a little work is my weight. My forced sedentary lifestyle put some extra fat on me and I am on a mission to get rid of the extra weight by the end of the year or at least by the end of January. My goal weight is 118. That is where I look and feel my best. I'm 125 now so I think a 7 lb goal is attainable. I'm very small boned and a small amount of added weight on me gives me a muffin top AND a double chin. I know that sounds ridiculous but after some recent pictures taken of me I almost fell off my chair. I looked horrible. Everyone has a weight that they look (and feel) their best and mine is 118-ish.
I started the Paleo way of eating last week and so far it's been great. It's not a big change from how I was eating prior, except that it cuts out grains. I can't say I'll never eat grains again but after reading a lot on the Paleo's claims that grains cause inflammation and a host of other issues, I'm curious to see if I feel a difference when not eating them. So it's more of an experiment for me. If I don't feel different after about 2 months, I will reincorporate healthy grains back into my diet. I thought now would be a good time so then I won't feel as left out at the holidays when I can't eat any cookies or pies. Having celiac disease sort of ruined the holiday eating for me, so at least eating Paleo I can pretend THAT is the reason I'm not eating any of those beautiful desserts that are around me during the month of December.
Last night I went to the natural food co-op and ended up introducing myself to someone in the freezer aisle that I could tell was struggling with making a decision on a gluten free bread selection. I seem to always end up doing this when I go to this store; it seems to be a haven for celiacs, especially that frozen food aisle where all the GF frozen goods are. I like helping people and after her and I talked for a while, I found out that she, her 3 kids, her brother and her brother's daughter all have celiac disease. One of her children becomes violently ill when he ingests gluten and must be hospitalized. I suggested that she take advantage of the Mayo Clinic's Celiac Clinic right here in Minnesota, where they offer top-notch care and cutting edge research for celiac disease. We are so lucky to have the Mayo Clinic just one hour away. What a blessing that is.
I was up early today because as you know Sunday's are my chop & prep days for food for the week. I'll be making a chicken curry dish in the crock pot (from a paleo cookbook), chopping up lots of veggies for snacks, cleaning chicken for a chicken stir fry later in the week and chopping up lettuce for salads. Oh and of course I need to boil about a dozen eggs to have on hand for last minute breakfasts or snacks. And yes, I'm only eating the egg whites :)
Then back to the weekly grind tomorrow...
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