Howdy from Texas!

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

I am a 36-year-old mommy to a six-year-old kindergartner who is the light of my life as well as my best friend. She had successful heart surgery on November 16, 2007, for Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome and quickly gained 22 pounds and 13.5" in the year following her surgery. She is now off of her Atenolol, and her energy has fully rebounded, keeping Shawn and I tired from watching her and jealously wishing we could bottle it up and drink it, lol. My husband (Shawn) and I celebrated our seven year anniversary this past year (November 10, 2008). I also have a stepdaughter, Kelsi, who is 15 and lives with her mom, her half-sister and her grandparents.

On October 30 of 2008, my world turned upside down when I was placed into the ICU on an emergency admit. I was diagnosed as a type-one insulin-dependent diabetic, despite losing over 110 pounds during the past two years. I currently take 20 units of Levemir at night and three to ten units of Humalog with each meal. I also take five units of 70/30 Humulin at bedtime and use Humalog for a sliding scale prn.

With the support of my primary care physician (PCP aka Mike), I was practicing a 1400 calorie/35g carbs/25g sugar high protein diet. I need to lose another 50 pounds now to help stabilize my blood sugars and regulate my metabolism; they are the most stubborn pounds I think I've encountered in my life! Thus, I've now dropped down to an 800 calorie/day diet and am temporarily ignoring the carbs and only paying attention to the calorie intake each day. My blood sugar readings did drop drastically after I obtained permission from Mike for my original diet plan, except for unexpected spikes that I believe are brought on by pain and other symptoms of my fibro/CFS/IBS diagnoses.

I have recently been (re)diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS) and irritable bowel syndrome(IBS). (My initial diagnosis was about 15 years ago.) The pain from my fibro has been overwhelming and causes me a lot of anxiety. I take 600 mg of Neurontin three times daily as well as 100 mg of Elavil, 10 mg Flexeril three times daily and Lortab 7.5 mg four times daily to help with my fibro. In addition, I take 2 mg melatonin at night to help with sleep issues and take Bentyl four times daily and Reglan four times daily for help with my IBS. I recently switched from MiraLax to Konsyl to help raise my daily fiber intake in hopes that will help with my IBS as well. I also have prescriptions for acyclovir for repeated fever blister/cold sore outbreaks and take 20 mg Lasix prn for fluid retention. I have undergone acupuncture therapy, chiropractic adjustments and gotten massages and plan to continue these on a regular basis when our budget allows for them. They have helped to knock my pain levels down from unbearable to tolerable as well as helping me to sleep more soundly and be more relaxed.

During my spare time (and when I feel good), I enjoy playing with photography, reading, spending time with my family and friends, and playing with our three cats, three dogs, my new puppy and our horse. I also enjoy learning all I can about diabetes, CFS, fibro and IBS in hopes that I can lead a healthier (and happier) lifestyle. When possible, I love volunteering in our community - I've been a volunteer 4-H adult leader for about 13 years now and recently began volunteering with the Brownwood Reunion Celebration, Keep Brownwood Beautiful and as an ambassador for the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.

During the spring and summer months, I enjoy gardening and yard work - and bird and butterfly watching, as my yard seems to be a magnet for them. The caterpillars are already munching down on my newly emerged passion flower vines - Pais took some to school, and they are in their cocoons now. She and her classmates are eagerly awaiting for them and the monarch butterflies caterpillars supplied by her teacher to emerge. Also, my hummingbirds have returned and are sucking my feeders dry as often as they can - I've got to get some birdseed next time I think about it, as my mockingbirds, doves and finches have returned as well.