Tuesday, May 26, 2009

My Progress

It has been a little over a month since I started going to the gym (April 22, 2009), and I still have had no major weight loss yet. The scale varies, sometimes it says I’ve lost 4lbs. and sometimes it says I’ve lost 2 lbs. BUT, I measured myself on May 6thth, and then today (May 26, 2009) and I have lost inches!!!

I’ve lost:

1 inch on upper arms
1 1/2 inches on chest
1 inch on waist
½ inch on thighs
½ inch on calves.

So I’ve lost 4 ½ inches total … GO ME!!!

I try to workout everyday, but I started when I was in school and was studying for finals, so I missed a week for that, and then I have missed several days from time to time for reasons beyond my control (gym was closing early, company coming over, not feeling well, etc.) So I would guess that I have really only went about a half of a month, so I think I am doing very well considering.

It was helpful that I listened to a CD my sister burned for me over the 7 deadly sins, and sloth and gluttony really convicted me. Our society is really pushing people to be gluttons with biggie size food and buffets. We should only be eating normal serving sizes, and not until we feel full. It is ok to leave food on our plates, really it is!

Overeating is a major cause of illness in this country … Diabetes is linked with it (type 2 that is), heart disease is linked to it, and vascular disease is linked to it, and high cholesterol and high blood pressure too, as well as other diseases, so maybe we should STOP overeating!!!

Have a great and glorious day!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

[Insert Witty Title Here]

It has been a week since Austen started using his insulin pump, and things are going very well. I am thrilled at how well it is working and how Austen has taken the initiative in taking care of himself. I know how to work his pump, but he has been doing it all himself.

This is my first week of no school and I guess I am enjoying it ... it would be better if I weren't a tad under the weather with allergies, but it is better than driving to Paducah everyday. Although, I have had to drive to Mayfield for Austen's doctor appointment, and will have to again tomorrow to see the dietitian so she can adjust his insulin rates if necessary.

I have started Professor Grant Horner's Bible-Reading System, where you read 10 chapters of the Bible everyday. It is set up so that you are reading Proverbs and Acts completely through in a month, and you are also reading both the Old and New Testaments, which I like. I read my first 10 chapters last night, and plan on doing today's 10 here in a little bit.

God is good all the time, and I am always amazed and in complete awe of how he works!

ALSO, if you would be so kind to check out my sister's blog, she needs some help with getting to the Living Water's Ambassador's Academy that she was accepted into, so if you would like to donate to help her, please visit her blog. You can pay by PayPal or by credit card.

By donating you are entering in a chance to win a great book!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Insulin Pump - Day 1

Well Austen's first day on the pump was uneventful. He seems to be learning the ropes really well. (Good thing because mom doesn't know how to use it, but I am learning on my own, just in-case) His numbers weren't bad yesterdy, except for one, and that was because he took it off to do some exercise at the BCC and then misread the glucose reading and thought he was low and didn't cover for the food he ate.

They told us Monday night to only get half of his long acting insulin, and then eat breakfast Tuesday morning and not take a shot. Once we arrived at the hospital, she went through the teaching and then he checked his blood sugar and then he put on the pump and gave himself a bolus of insulin. Here are his numbers for day one: (May 12th)

2 hours after breakfast 222
Before lunch 176
2 hours or so after lunch 152 (he thought it said 52 so he ate while at the BCC)
After he got home from BCC 431 (around 8 PM, took a bolus of insulin with the pump)
Bedtime 220
1 AM 209 (May 13th)
3 AM 213
6 AM 186

Because of his age and hormones, they want him to be between 100-140. Once he becomes an adult, they will change that to 100-120.

His monitor that goes with the pump is so cool. As soon as he checks his blood sugar, it sends it straight to the pump without having to do anything. And the bolus wizard calculator on the pump keeps track of all of the bolus' he gets and keeps him from stacking insulin and going too low. It tells him how much insulin was for correction, and how much was for food, and how much is active. It is really a neat invention! Thank God he finally has it. I think Austen will take better care of himself now, because it is easier with the pump.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

God Does Answer Prayer

Today at 9:30 AM we go to JPMC in Mayfield to meet with the Dietitian/Diabetes Care Center Coordinator to have Austen's insulin pump hooked up. It took 5 years of prayer, but God finally answered.

I have plenty of snacks and juice cartons just in case we need them, and I have his Glucagon kit in case of emergency. I need to stop by the store today and get some icing in a tube to keep in my purse. If he is unable to swallow but still conscious, you can put icing in their cheek and it will absorb and keep them from going into a coma.

Austen will love it if he constantly has to eat to keep his blood sugar up, I will be ready to admit myself into a mental hospital ... but that is the difference between a mom and a kid I guess. Kids don't realize how scary this disease is, but as long as you are educated and know what to do, then it helps to be more comfortable. I just don't want him to go so low in the middle of the night that he slips into a coma, that is really all I am worried about.

I know it will be a little scary at first. I will be getting up during the night to make sure he doesn't go too low, and I will be a nervous wreck until he gets leveled out, but it's worth it. God has protected him from eye and kidney damage thus far, so I wonder what God has in store for him.

Please pray that Austen stays in a normal range so that both him and I keep our sanity :) Have a great, glorious, and blessed day! Oh, and don't EVER give up on something you have prayed about, keep praying because God might say yes in His time!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Thank God It's Friday!

I don't know why I am TGIF for, I have to study this weekend for my lab final in medical micro. I think I'm running out of creative names for my posts :)

I've been going to the gym since April 22nd, and one week I had to miss because of studying for nursing exams and finals, but as of today I have lost 4 lbs!!! I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it is spot on where I should be, as you are not supposed to lose more than 2 lbs. per week.

I have changed the way I eat. Right now I am just trying to keep my calories under 1500. That means no seconds, and no real fatty foods or junk food. But other than that I am eating what I want. I'd really like to be eating healthy, but eating healthy is expensive. Those changes will have to be made slower. I consider it great progress to lower my calories and go to the gym everyday to work-out ... AND drinking a lot more water than usual :)

PLUS, I've been in God's word everyday since Saturday, which helps to get me spiritually in shape. I know I need that more than being physically in shape. Especially right now, when even though I know I have been forgiven by God and the people I hurt, I feel like there are some who have not forgiven me, and only a few people knew what was going on so that has me puzzled. I am trying hard not to take it personally, and will be praying for God to work in those situations as well. Maybe it's me, I don't know. God got a hold of me and showed me where I was wrong, so I know he can fix anything.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Waiting To Exhale ...

I have my last final exam on Monday, May 11th at 8:00 AM. It is the lab exam for Medical Microbiology, and it consists of being assigned an unknown bacteria and applying different stains and doing different procedures to find out what bacteria it is. EXCITING! [enter sarcasm here]

I have a very busy week this next week, so please keep me in your prayers. My son gets his pump on May 12th, so he will need your prayers as well since it could cause him to become low at first, and is very scary. My birthday is May 14th (I'll be 35) ... I sometimes feel much older than that. Then on May 15th I have a renewal CPR class. After that I have the summer to rest and recuperate. :-)

Starting in August, I will have one semester left of nursing and then I will be studying for state boards. I cannot wait! I've been in school now for two and half years, and I'm ready to be finished and working in the hospital. It's almost over! Thank God!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Bible Says ...

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:31-32

A lot of people told me that it took a lot of courage for me to get in front of the church and apologize to someone I had hurt. I only did what God commanded of me to do. But, in my opinion, it took a lot of courage for the person I hurt to forgive me, because forgiving someone that has hurt you is very hard.

This scripture makes it clear that we are not to be angry, and that we are to love one another, and yes, forgive others the way God forgave us.

Have a great, glorious, and blessed day!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Update On Obeying God

As mentioned in my previous post, God made it clear to me yesterday morning that I was to apologize to a brother in Christ. I did not know how exactly I was going to do it and at the last minute came up with a plan. I told the person I wanted to talk to them after church, but, I had a deep feeling that I was supposed to go down during the invitation and make a public apology. (something I really did not want to do, and I was trying to improvise) God said uh-uh.

Our Pastor preached on obeying God ... is that not a God moment? ... I was like "OK, I understand, I will do this, just please help me do it graciously." I wanted to do it, I needed to do it, I was just scared to death!!! At the time of the invitation my first thought was to just ask the person to come down with me so that I could apologize to both him and the Pastor (another way to improvise), but again, God said no, he had other plans ... I did not have a plan of what to say ... I just asked God to take over and help me do it.

I ended up making a very public apology in front of the whole church, and afterwards hugged my brother in Christ and apologized again. He apologized to me too, which I had not expected and would have been fine if he hadn't of, but it assured me that God had gotten to us both, and that now everything would be OK.

The only downside to this is that I don't think I apologized to my Pastor, and I had intended to, but once I was put in front of the church with a microphone in my hand, I almost forgot my own name ... I don't speak well in front of large groups. Anyway ... Wednesday I plan on making sure to apologize to my pastor as well.

We felt very welcomed back to our home church. I was hugged by tons of people, and it blessed my heart to know that even when you do wrong, your brothers and sisters in Christ will forgive you and love you anyway! God is good, and all I know is that even when it's tough and not the way you want to do something, listening to God is always the best way. I feel so much better now, and I know that both God and my brother have forgiven me, and now I can be back into fellowship with them both!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Obeying God

Yesterday I was thinking about how God has not given us a clear answer about where to go to church yet. I picked up my In Touch magazine and started to read the daily devotionals and then read some in my Bible. I prayed last night, again, for God to give us an answer we would see. This morning we were watching Faith Center on TV, and then Charles Stanley came on and talked about anger, and how it doesn't matter what someone does to us, we must let go and forgive. Then he told a story about a man that stayed out of church for 5 years over something that Charles Stanley said that made him angry.

I felt so convicted, like God was telling me that in order for me to be forgiven for letting my anger keep me out of my church, I needed to apologize to someone, even though I feel they should apologize to me. I know I have said and done things that have hurt them, and so how can I expect them to do the right thing if I don't? It doesn't matter if they do the right thing or not, I have to do what God says regardless.

I don't know if this means we go back to our church for good, I know the kids really like Pathway, and if it gets them to listen and get fired up for God, than that's fine, but I don't feel like Pathway is home to me. And we have been less involved in church since leaving our home church.

Anyway, I have deleted all of the posts that I made that could have been hurtful to the person I need to apologize to, and if I see more, I will delete them too. I guess I was fooled into thinking that it was OK as long as I didn't mention names, but God knew who I was talking about... I have been very emotional all day since watching Charles Stanley, and even everything that Pastor Mike said seemed to enforce what Charles Stanley said, even though he wasn't saying anything even close ... so I know God is wanting this. Now I just have to swallow my pride, humble myself, and do the right thing ... and that is the hardest part. Please pray for me!

Friday, May 1, 2009

3 Semesters Down, 1 To Go!

Well today was my last day of nursing 203. We had a potluck dinner and it was delicious! Everyone passed this semester, no one failed, THANK GOD! These people are like family, we spend more time with each other than we do our own family's, and so when we lose one it's hard ... but we didn't, so that's great!

I still have Medical Microbiology until May 11th, May 12th Austen gets his insulin pump installed, then May 14th is my birthday, and then the 15th I have CPR renewal. But after that I am done until August 17th, so I can relax and study 2-4 hours a week to keep up on everything.

I am tired, no I'm beyond tired, I'm suffering from severe information overload. I'm going to go take a nap and then head to the gym ... I haven't been able to workout all week, and I'm ready to burn off some stress!