Another Grand Weekend

Hey, Everyone!

So, I got to see my friend Steff on Friday. I've been trying to make an effort to be more social this year... Unfortunately, I only saw her for an hour. We were supposed to have the whole day together and go out and do all sorts of fun things, but she and her pen pal (who was visiting her from Chicago) got stuck in traffic on the way here from DisneyLand/California Adventure, and by the time they got here, it was nearly time for me to be back home to take care of the cats. Oh well. Next time.

Then, yesterday, Ramiro took me out to Descanso Gardens (we hiked around the grounds for 5 hours!!) and then to the Slender Sweet Shoppe to get me a nice sugar-free treat! Mmmm.

Then, when we came home, we saw this:

Ziggy. On the roof.

She was like "Mew mew mew!!!!!!!!!" and running around on the roof like "How'd I get up here?!" It took us over half an hour to get her down again.

We were surprised that this happened to Ziggy. She's always been the smartest/most savvy of our cats--and she loves to climb trees!--but she was stumped by that roof.

Robert got stuck on the roof once. That was expected though. Robert's pretty dumb. He's a sweetie-pie though and was fairly easy to get back down. He's such a happy lil guy...soon as he saw me climb up the ladder he was like "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!! I'm being rescued!!" He only started flipping out when I lifted him up off the roof and into my arms (and he saw that he was up in the air), but even then it was fairly easy to get him down. With Ziggy, she started freaking out just when she got near the edge of the roof.

Anyway, we got her down. And, if she has the same reaction Robert did to his roof adventure, we're hoping she never goes up there again.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and that you all have a good (or at least bearable) Valentine's Day tomorrow! I'll probably be writing again Wednesday or Thursday.

--Lauren*
http://littlezotz.webs.com

Jack in the Box VS. Burger King

Hello, Everyone!

As you can imagine, with all my food allergies (soy & fish) and hypoglycemia diet restrictions (no sugar or white flour), it's pretty hard for me to find places outside of our home to eat at.

Last night, Ramiro and I found out that Burger King has discontinued their sourdough bun. Not only is it the only bun without "white" flour, but it was also their only bun that doesn't contain soy flour. So...just like that, the one thing I could eat at Burger King (Whopper w/ a sourdough bun) was no more!

Anyway, Ramiro and I did some research today for half an hour or so and found some things I can eat at Jack in the Box: the sourdough steak melt, the sourdough jack, and their curly fries. I had the sourdough steak melt today and it was delicious.

And, I must say, even though most of Jack's food contains soy, fish, and MSG, they are very up front about it. They are not secretive about their ingredients lists at ALL. I really respect that. With Burger King, it was a big hullabaloo trying to find something I could eat there--and then they discontinued it!--but at Jack, all we had to do was go online and it was all RIGHT THERE. And we found THREE things I could eat. Beautiful.

Anyway, on the off chance there's someone else like I am out there, I wanted to let this information be known. Go try that steak melt! And even if you aren't like I am with a million food issues, try it anyway: it's really tasty!

Until next time...

--Lauren*

More of the Same

Hey, Everyone!

I haven't written in a while, so I thought I should so an update. You haven't missed much.

• I didn't get the job at Game Stop. They hired a guy instead. I took a day off to bawl and then got back to filling out applications... I applied to that particular Game Stop back in March. Maybe one of the places I'm applying to now will call me in another 3 months for an interview.

• Just for fun, I also applied to be on the game show Minute To Win It. And they're the place that ended up calling me back! Anyway, I went down to the audition and got to play some of the games (like "Stack Attack"), but I didn't get chosen. They were more interested in people who came as a team/couple. They put a mark on my application and said they "might" call me back if they need more single players, but I'm not going to count on it.

• We weren't able to catch Robert's Mom. We had to return the trap to FixNation. We actually haven't seen her in a couple weeks. We think she went somewhere and had her kittens. If she turns up again, we'll get the trap back from FixNation and try again.

• Since I don't have a job or a whole lot else going on, I've been working even harder than usual to stay on top of my health. My hypoglycemia was still pretty much under control, but I was starting to get lazy in some areas, so I've been re-reading my books. I have several books on the subject, but my favorite is Hypoglycemia For Dummies. Not only is it the easiest to use for reference material, but it also says this on page 107, "Recent research appears to show that soybeans may be a bit of a mixed bag." That's what made me really fall in love with it. The first book I got on hypoglycemia was written a long time ago and really pushes soybeans as a substitute for everything. It's pretty enraging because a.) I'm allergic to soy! and, b.) soy isn't really good for anyone! (you've all read my report by now, right?). So yeah. Good stuff.

• I've also re-joined "Body By Glamour." I don't use the recipes or anything, but having an online Food/Exercise journal is very handy. I'm able to log in my meals and see if I'm getting enough of what I need and make adjustments accordingly. I've used their website in the past for this purpose and it was quite helpful and I looked and felt better because of it.

I guess that's about it. Ramiro and the cats are doing fine. Hope you're enjoying the Memorial Day weekend!

--Lauren*

For Dummies

Okay, so I'm a bit sick right now. Haven't been feeling my Smurfy best for the past couple days. Not sick enough to stay home from work mind you (threw up, but no fever = usually not contagious to others), but sick enough where I feel pretty darn crummy by the time I get home from work.

On the other hand, not feeling well always has the advantage of slowing me down enough to catch up on my reading. Here's a list of what I have read or am currently reading as of late:

• THE LOW BLOOD SUGAR HANDBOOK by Edward and Patricia Krimmel
• HYPOGLYCEMIA THE CLASSIC HEALTHCARE HANDBOOK by Jeraldine Saunders and Dr. Harvey M. Ross
• THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA by Roberta Ruggiero (she's super nice--she sent me an e-mail not too long ago!)
  
• SUGAR SHOCK! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life-- and How YouCan Get Back on Track by Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C, with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
• HYPOGLYCEMIA FOR DUMMIES by Cheryl Chow and James Chow, M.D.

Okay, I'm going to stop for a minute. That last book is by far the best in that list. I was very skeptical about the "For Dummies" series of books, but they are honestly fantastic (or at least the ones I've read so far have been!). They have good information and are written in a way that can usually make me laugh, or at least stay in a relatively good mood. This is important since most of the books I've gotten from them are about very "serious"/hard-to-deal-with subject matters (which some books make relatively depressing). In fact, the "For Dummies" book on Hypoglycemia is so good that's it's actually referenced in a couple of the other books on that reading list of mine!

I also have/read:

• BIPOLAR DISORDER FOR DUMMIES by Candida Fink and Joe Kraynak
  
• SPANISH FOR DUMMIES by Susana Wald
• SPANISH FOR DUMMIES AUDIO SET by Jessica Langemeier
  
• INTERMEDIATE SPANISH FOR DUMMIES by Gail Stein, M.A.
• STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR DUMMIES by Allen Elkin, Ph.D.
• BACK PAIN REMEDIES FOR DUMMIES by Michael S. Sinel, M.D. and William W. Deardorff, Ph.D.

Those last two came in the mail just earlier today. I read a few pages into each of them and so far they're both pretty good. I have high hopes.

Speaking of back pain, I treated myself to an early Christmas (maybe birthday?...since my family isn't exchanging Christmas gifts again this year) gift: A back massager for my chair. With heat!

As I write to you, I currently have a ThermaCare heat wrap on my back. Which is fantastic. But, I got to thinking: with all the money I spend on disposable heat packs, I may as well invest in something a tad more permanent. And, hey, bonus!--Maaaaaaaaassssssssssaaaaaaaaaage. I can't wait.

Ever since my back sprain last summer, my back hasn't quite been the same. I try to be vigilant about the exercises the Physical Therapists gave me, but it's hard. They're so time-consuming! But I try to at least do the twisty one for sure and maybe one or two of the other ones before I head off to work each day. But, lately, I've been having a lot of back pain in spite of things. So much so that it wakes me up at night. Hurts.

In other news, I'm working on a short black & white comic. It's going to be only about 4 or 5 pages long. It's "creepy." It may be for something or it may not. I don't know yet. But I'm having a lot of fun doing it and I'm sure that you'll get to see it either way. (Though don't expect it any time soon since they've increased my work hours and I don't have a lot of free time anymore...and what free time I do have, I'd rather spend with Ramiro).

Until next time...

--Lauren*

Another Hypoglycemia Post

Okay, so the doctor got the full panel of results back today.

Everything from yesterday still stands. And I got the note to give to Del Taco that says to "please excuse Lauren to take a five minute break every two hours to eat something due to her medical condition." So that should help...

I was also told today that I'm at EXTREME HIGH RISK for diabetes. Apparently my pancreas is being "grossly overworked" (and, yes, my pancreas ACHING is the cause of the mysterious painful stitch I get in my side sometimes--omg). I was told that I will get diabetes, but depending on how well I take care of myself, it could be in a year, in 10 years, or in 50 years. I just have to keep up with my food diary (I write down everything I eat and how I feel after it) and monitor any changes and go in for check-ups and so forth.

I need to eat SMALL, frequent meals. I had the frequency right. And the type of meals right, but I was eating too much. Which is why I would sometimes feel really sluggish and have to lie down after eating. My body simply cannot process large meals. It's even been strongly recommended to me that if I ever go out to eat, to have the cook put half of my meal into a doggie bag before I even get started. I must "never" overeat.

Also, apparently, if I don't watch my weight, it could be the straw that breaks the camel's back so to speak. As soon as I get "fat," that'll most likely be what triggers the diabetes to officially start up. O_O Jeez! (Looks like I trimmed down just in time!!)

So... There ya go then. I have to eat ultra small meals every 2 hours, I need to exercise & stay trim, and all that stuff.

Thank you again for all the support.

--Lauren*
PS: If I was ever mean to you because I was going through a blood sugar crash, I am very VERY sorry.

Hypoglycemia

Okay, so a few of you know that I've been having some troubles with my health lately...

• Exhaustion/fatigue
• Headaches
• Irritability/temper flare-ups
  
• Insomnia at night
  
• Confusion/trouble focusing/indecisiveness
• Severe PMS
• Depression
• Nervousness
• Vision problems (blurring, spots, aching eyes)
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness at random (which comes with excessive yawning & sighing)
  
• Joint/muscle pain, even with little to no activity to "cause" it
  
• Numbness
• Constantly cold hands & feet
• Ringing in ears
• Indigestion & internal tremblings
• Light & noise sensitivity
• Cold sweats

This is partly why I've been even more anti-social than usual lately. I haven't felt good in a long time now.

There are a few of you who know that I'm hypoglycemic. Well, a few months ago, I ended up having a really bad "attack" in Ramiro's car--I went into an angry fit, a crying jag, an anxiety attack, and nearly passed out. It was at that point that Ramiro (poor guy!) went "You have GOT to get yourself under control."

It was at that point that I finally started taking my hypoglycemia seriously. I was first diagnosed with it when I was 15, but for years I was in denial. Then, when I started dating Ramiro, I began to take things more seriously, but I didn't really know how to handle it other than eating frequently (which I had tried for a stint in high school but eventually gave up on). Sooooooooooooooo... I bought a bunch of books, went online, talked to people, etc. and really researched it. And my diet was all wrong! I ended up changing my diet to what was essentially a "Diabetic Diet"--so NO SUGAR and NO WHITE FLOUR--and ended up feeling better than I had in YEARS! (Not to mention I lost 15 pounds and 10 inches!)

But then, I started working at Del Taco (and we get no breaks!--it's absurd!), and then I sprained my back, and then I had my period...and then everything went to crap.

It was a pretty fast decline after that.

Ramiro finally convinced me to seek professional help. I put aside my beefs with doctors and went to get some tests done. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that my glucose tolerance test is today.

Basically, I bombed my test.

The lowest anyone's blood sugar should ever go is 75. Mine was at 34.

So... I don't just have hypoglycemia. I have SEVERE hypoglycemia. The doctor called me up to give me my results and was just...marveling... He didn't even want to think about how low my blood sugar might go (or may have gone!) if I weren't on my awesome hypoglycemia diet. And frankly I don't want to think about it either.

And, on a side note, Glucose Tolerance tests are really Hellish. This was the 3rd time I've had to take one. They're awful. I hope that none of you have to take one ever. You know the part in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Dumbledore has to drink that stuff to get the locket?? It's like that. Only I had to get a bunch of blood drawn on top of drinking something painfully bad (it felt like it was burning the back of my throat). Ramiro could barely watch. I was so glad to have him with me though. Especially after it was over (the test takes 3 hours). I was very queasy and dizzy and had a bunch of spots in my vison. Terrible. And then I came home and ate 2 sandwiches, a peach, and a bunch of sunchips all in one sitting. haha. I hadn't been that starved since my first black belt test!

So, basically, it's "imperative" that I eat "small frequent meals." I'm going to be getting a note to give to my boss that FORCES Del Taco to give me breaks to eat some snacks. And if they won't comply, I'm going to have to quit (yes, it's that important).

It's also been recommended that I see a "lady doc" for my "lady parts" to get my periods/PMS under control (probably with pills) at least for a little while until I can get my blood sugar levels back to something resembling normal.

So that's the good news, I guess. While I'll always have hypoglycemia and it'll always have to be taken care of (much like my allergies to soy & fish!), it CAN be controlled.

So...there you go then. That's what's been going on with me lately.

And, if anyone out there reading this has Hypoglycemia or knows someone who has it, please take it seriously.

Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive. And special thanks to Ramiro. I love you.

--Lauren*