Seriously considering returning to Xanga on a regular basis. Facebook is just making too many changes for my comfort level. One of the reasons I left Xanga was I was spending too much time here trying to keep up with my friends posts. I had originally gotten mad at Xanga because they made changes that afforded non-paying members benefits I got from being paying member, but then they have also added things to help me keep up with my most favorite friends here. Problem is, most friends have also jumped to Facebook.

Sooooo, keep watching. You may see me back here on a more regular basis.

I realized this morning that it has been nearly 7 years since by diabetes diagnoses. I was talking to a newly-diagnosed diabetic yesterday, and we were discussing the signs that led us to believe we had a problem. The doctors believe I was diabetic for years before we discovered it. I was showing many of the signs, but they were brushed off as side effects of cancer treatments. So, in hoping to help someone else out, here are some signs that you might be diabetic:

1. Frequent urination. This is one most people are familiar with. Your kidneys are trying to flush out the extra glucose in  your bloodstream, causing you to have to urinate more often.
2. Increased thirst. Another symptom most people are familiar with. Because of the more frequent urination, you get dehydrated faster, causing you to be thirsty more and to have a dry mouth.
3. Unexplained weight loss. Yeah, this never happened for me. I just ate more to make up for the fact that my cells weren't getting enough glucose for the energy.
4. Increased hunger. As I said above, this one I had. Again, it's because your cells are being starved of the glucose they need, either because your pancreas isn't making enough, or in mose cases of Type II diabetes, your cells have grown resistant to the glucose and aren't accepting enough of it.
5. Foot pain and numbness. I was having foot and leg cramps, especially in the middle of the night, before my diagnosis.
6. Slow-healing wounds. These can be as little as a small cut or a bruise that heals very slowly.
7. Frequent infections. Both yeast and bacteria multiply when blood sugars are high.
8. Blurred vision. At the time of my diagnosis, I was just thinking I was needing new glasses. Some days they seemed fine and other days they were really blurry. The blurry vision is especially prevalent with the rapid changes in blood sugar that occur with uncontrolled diabetes.
9. Mood swings. I went through terrible mood swings for years right after my cancer treatments. The doctors blamed it on anxiety from dealing with the cancer at first and gave me a stronger anti-depressent, and then they blamed it as a side effect of the Zolodex they were giving me to shut down my ovaries. It turned out to be from the extremes between high and low glucose. I still have days when my mood swings quickly, especially if my sugars drop very low, but this doesn't happen very often since I started controlling my blood sugars better.
10. Acanthosis nigricans. (Say what???) This is a fancy doctor term for skin changes due to high glucose levels. The skin in soft areas like the back of your neck, crook of your elbows, behind the knees, under arms, groin, etc., because a darkened color with a more velvety texture. I had this sign, too, especially on the back of my neck along my hairline, but it got blamed on a skin rash that I get almost every year when the seasons change from hot to cold or back. This is more common with darker complected people, especially blacks and Hispanics.

Only two more weeks until Thanksgiving. I cannot believe it is here already. I'm not ready for the Christmas season yet. My heart is ready to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, but I'm not ready for all of the commercialism that comes with it. I feel like I get engulfed by that commercialism every year because I own a retail store front. No matter how hard I try to avoid it, the busy-ness of the season overwelms me. Please be in prayer for me as I struggle with keeping my focus on where it belongs this holiday season.

On a more upbeat note, only two more weeks before I get to see my mom and siblings. YEAY!!! I love having a family Thanksgiving with them. It's been over 18 months since I've seen most of them, so I am REALLY looking forward to the visit.