The Sweet Diabetic

My Diabetes And The Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 ESV ...

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I often feel this way with diabetes. Many believe the Apostle Paul perhaps had a speech impediment, was hard of hearing and or had bad eyesight. Whatever it was, he kept sincerely asking God to take it away from him. He pleaded and pleaded and God taught him that he needed to rest in His grace and live with it.

 

If you are anything like me, you've been on your knees so many times asking for your diabetes to be healed that you have callouses. Obviously, God can heal absolutely anything He chooses to. So, why are some of us left out?

 

There are people who have told me that I could heal myself if I just checked my emotions. I was even told I had anger issues and was passive aggressive … because I didn't have the power to heal myself. I'm human. I know that was said to hurt me, but it did cause some inner reflection. I pray for God to heal me each and every day. I don't throw a fit with God. I do get frustrated with myself on a regular basis because “I” can't fix it.

 

Perhaps that's the real problem.

 

God needs all the glory. He is the great “I am”, not this chick.

 

Perhaps, like the Apostle Paul, I wouldn't be doing what God wants me do without this diabetic thorn in my side. I wouldn't be reaching out to others who feel the same pain of affliction as I do if I didn't have this struggle. Perhaps He needs me to reach that one person that needs help and He wants me to be his helper. Perhaps without diabetes, I would never connect with that person. Maybe it's you or the next person who reads this post after you. Who knows?

 

I have to realize that this dis-ease in my life is much bigger than my wants.

 

As much as I don't want diabetes to be my purpose in life, what if it is?

 

I try to eat right.

For the most part, I do what my doctor tells me to do.

I meditate every day to try and keep my frustration on the lowest possible threshold.

Many times I fail.

 

Is God making His power known through me by my weaknesses?

 

I have been saying out loud to God everyday in recent weeks that His grace is sufficient for me.

 

Normally, I am not an angry person. However last week it welled in me at fever pitch until it spilled over into a couple of friendships. I believe it was God giving me a final push to end my consulting with people who believe in Him in principle but not in His salvation. I believe I was being pulled from the path He wants me walking, my purpose. I was letting it happen. I have been feeling I should let go for some time. It was only through this anger, that I have no doubt was spot on, that I was able to take the action I didn't have the bravery to do before. God gave me a strong intuition and it rarely fails me.

 

Today, after taking that action and through many tears of release, that anger is gone. Poof.

 

I'm not the holy person of God, the Apostle Paul was. No, far, far, far from it. I think God knocked me over the head with my rarely felt emotion of anger to get me to do what I had to do so he could bring to pass some of the other prayers I've been praying. A cure for diabetes would be a plus … but maybe he needs to reach others through me.

 

Maybe I need to live like His grace is sufficient for me by surrendering. Maybe that is the place my miracle will come from.

 

Stranger things have happened.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 Sherry Stoll lives on a farm in Northwest Missouri with her husband, pets, and farm animals.  She's been writing about her personal journey with diabetes since 2007.  You can read more of her story at her blog, The Sweet Diabetic .  She also writes a blog about life on the farm, her love of crafting and essential oils at Sherry Stoll Living .

What Is Your Attitude About Diabetes ?

Today I went to Web MD to see if I could find a reason for why I've been so overly tired this week. After answering a series of questions, the site suggested the highest probability was that it was something viral. That kind of surprised me because I always assume that anything wrong with me is diabetes related. Always.

 

That made we realize that I've defined my whole life as diabetic. All roads lead to diabetes in my mind. I'm thinking that it's a habit that I need to turn around. I've given this condition too much power over my life. I know that Web MD is not the same as consulting a doctor, but it really made me think about my attitude about my health.

 

Intuitively I really feel that there is a mind/body connection regarding my health. People have always referred to me as “sweet”. I've even been called “too sweet”. Well, now my whole life revolves around sugar. Isn't that ironic? I'm thinking maybe not. I happen to believe that thoughts become things. Maybe I believed I was too sweet and so I became that.

 

I keep going back to my favorite book by Louise L Hay, You Can Heal Your Life. She tells us that what we believe about ourselves is what we create. If I keep thinking, “Has the diabetes caused this? Or “How's this going to affect my diabetes?”, I can be pretty sure that if I blame it on it, I'm creating that result. Sometimes our thinking is so ingrained in us that we don't really realize we're doing it. Think about it though. If we change our thoughts we can change our circumstances. We can create a better result.

 

I'm going to start saying this affirmation to myself every day.

 

“I love and approve of myself. My blood sugar always hovers around 140 or below. I feel rested. I have energy to do everything I want to do. Joy fills my heart. Success follows me at every turn. And so it is.”

 

What is your attitude about diabetes?

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Sherry

 

 

 

Other Blogs By Sherry:

http://sherrystollliving.blogspot.com/

http://www.thesweetdiabetic.com

 

 

See Sherry's Handcrafted Items:

http://www.sherrycreates.com

 

Sherry Has Jewelry:

http://www.sherryhasjewelry.kitsylane.com

 

Young Living Essential Oils

Sherry Stoll, Distributor 607119

https://www.youngliving.org/sherry23331

The Leptin Diet

Leptin is a protein hormone and its primary purpose is to monitor fat levels and signal your brain when you're full when eating. When leptin levels are out of whack, this can disrupt your metabolism. The Leptin diet works to help help keep hormone balance. .

The main claim of the Leptin diet is that it claims you will utilize the same amount of energy from a smaller amount of food as you would from a larger amount.

Although the Leptin diet has been touted as a great way to manage Type 2 diabetes, it is universal enough so it can be utilized by anyone… even those who do not need to lose weight.

The Leptin diet consists of five simple rules

1. Never eat after dinner. 

2. Eat only three meals per day. 

3. When you eat, don’t eat large meals. 

4. Make sure breakfast includes protein. 

5. Reduce your carb intake. 

While the Leptin diet might not be for everyone, it offers an additional method for helping control Type 2 diabetes.

There's more information on The Leptin Diet at http://diabetes-living.com/articles/the-leptin-diet/

***

My thought is that eating less makes less food to metabolize, so there's less room for higher spikes in our blood sugar. So, I don't this is a “breakthrough” kind of diet. It's more of a common sense attitude toward eating. I have personally found that the less I obsess about food, the better I do.

I have had a love/hat relationship with food my entire life. I'm certain it's gotten me on this diabetic path that I'm on. It does no good to beat myself up it, but sometimes I still do. I do think this Leptin Diet has some good basic guidelines. I've learned the hard way not to hang my hat on any one diet. Weight loss is a lot like diabetes as there is no cookie cutter approach.

I take Byetta as part of my arsenal of diabetes medication and I think it works like this diet does to tell me I'm full with less food. The difference is that it works in my brain to do that.

Please be sure to discuss any plans you have to change your diet with your doctory. How, what and when you eat will affect your blood sugar.

Be well.

Sherry

Other Blogs By Sherry:

http://awesomelimitlessthinking.blogspot.com/

http://sherrystollliving.blogspot.com/

http://www.writersguidelinesforyou.com/

http://www.thesweetdiabetic.com

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/blog/SherryCreates

 

See Sherry's Handcrafted Items:

http://www.sherrycreates.com

 

Sherry Has Jewelry:

http://www.sherryhasjewelry.kitsylane.com

We're Sorry, We Can't Insure You

I was pretty bummed earlier this week.  My husband changed jobs after the first of the year.  Before he left, I got a three month refill on my prescriptions.  It's a good thing that I did because his new job doesn't start its insurance coverage until after 90 days.  We thought that might happen, so it wasn't a surprise.  For the interim, we went to our local insurance agent where we have all of our other insuarnce for a temporary short term health insurance policy.  Everything was going well and we were about to be signed up until I said the magic word, diabetes.  Our company used to cover diabetics for the short term as long as you weren't insulin dependent.  Now it's "We're sorry, we can't insure you."  We walked out of there with my husband covered and me swinging alone in the breeze.

It left me with a feeling that I was being punished for trying to take care of myself.  Yet again, diabetes gave me that outcast feeling.  I think it was a pang of sorrow, hurt and anger all rolled into one.  I also felt a bit embarrassed like I was an untouchable lepper.  Although I am managing this invisible condition to the best of my abilities, it's just not good enough for the insurance industry.

It was possible to go ahead and apply for full term coverage.  Then they would scour my medical records and attach a rider to my policy.  I was told that I still wouldn't be guaranteed coverage and it would take weeks to process.  The premium would be very high.  By that time, my husband would have completed his 90 days at his new job.  I would still go all that time without coverage.  So, what's the point?

So, I'm sort of playing the lottery with my health until April which is totally not what I prefer to do.  My husband and I joke that I need to be wrapped in bubble wrap until then.  Thank heaven I had the forethought to fill my prescriptions.

We have been assured that my husband's new insurance will automatically cover me since we are in essence going from one group plan to another.  I hope that's true, but I'll believe it when I see it.   

I have a great disdain for this diabetes lurking inside me and this doesn't help that feeling in the slightest.

Cherish your insurance coverage, my friends.

Sherry

 

Other Blogs By Sherry:

http://awesomelimitlessthinking.blogspot.com/

http://sherrystollliving.blogspot.com/

http://www.writersguidelinesforyou.com/

http://www.thesweetdiabetic.com

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/blog/SherryCreates

 

See Sherry's Handcrafted Items:

http://www.sherrycreates.com

 

Sherry Has Jewelry:

http://www.sherryhasjewelry.kitsylane.com

 

Baked Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

40 10

Publish Date: January 17, 2013

•  

  10 jalapeno peppers

• 3 / 4 cup KinniKinnick Foods Bread Crumbs Panko Style

• 1 / 8 teaspoon Swanson Organic 100% Certified Organic Paprika (Ground)

• 1 / 8 teaspoon Swanson Organic 100% Certified Organic Garlic Powder

• 1 / 8 teaspoon Swanson Organic Certified Organic Chili Powder (Ground)

• Swanson Ultra Himalayan Crystal Salt, to taste

• Simply Organic Black Pepper, to taste

•  

  5 ounces light cream cheese

•  

  2 ounces low fat cheddar cheese, shredded

• 3 tablespoons Swanson Organic 100% Certified Organic Chives

• 1 / 4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

• 4 1 / 4 teaspoons Ener-G Foods Egg Replacer

•  

  6 tablespoons warm water

•  

  non-stick cooking spray

Wash and dry peppers. Wearing gloves, cut a slit in the peppers about ¾ of the way from base to stem. Scoop out the seeds and membranes. In a bowl, combine panko crumbs, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, using a spoon to make sure the seasoning doesn’t fall to the bottom of the bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, chives and sharp cheddar cheese in a bowl. Using a small spoon or spatula, fill peppers with the cheese mixture.

Dredge peppers in flour. Mix Ener-G Egg Replacer with the warm water. Dip peppers into the egg replacement, then coat with panko mixture.

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. You can also spray the peppers with a little cooking spray. Place the jalapenos on the pan. Bake at 350° F for 20–25 minutes, until golden and cheese oozes out. Serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings. Serving size 1.0 jalapeno popper.

Nutritional Breakdown (per serving):

 

Calories 85, Protein 4 g, Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 0.7 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.05 g, Carbohydrates 15 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Sodium 297 mg

How Often Should You Test Your Blood Sugar?

I thought I would share with you what my doctor advised me to do recently. 

Tips And Natural Remedies For Colds and Flu

NEW REPORT

Flu season typically peaks  

during January and February according to U.S. Department   

Of Health and Human Services.

My Byetta Transformation

I've been using Byetta since March of this year.  I was at my breaking point because I just couldn't seem to lose weight and my blood sugar was getting away from me.  I asked my doctor if there was something I could take that would help me lose weight.  I had been fighting the idea of

Drugs That Affect Blood Glucose Levelsbr / Type 2 Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Everything Diabetes

Here's a link that will take you to a list of drugs that may be raising your blood sugar.  If you see one of your prescriptions on the list, please discuss it with your doctor.  You can make an informed decision together.

Stay well my friends.

Drugs That Affect Blood Glucose Levelsbr / Type 2 Treatment Type 2 Diabetes Everything Diabetes.

Blister Freak Out - A Diabetic's Fear

Last Wednesday I wore a new pair of canvas shoes shopping.  They felt great on me feet until about the time I was ready to go home.  My little toes on both feet were feeling like they'd  been rubbed.

In my mind I began freaking out!