Somebody stop me!

Okay, so I didn’t find anything educational to do, but I found some more really good shopping! I got a few more clothing items and was finally able to find a new bathing suit. I really really needed one so I am happy about that. I also got a Coach purse, as I am going to have to start carrying one all the time. I just can’t carry everything I need in my pocket anymore! Anyway, I spent more than I should have, but I guess we all do that on vacation right? The problem is, this was just a few days at the beach. In less than two weeks I’m going on my real vacation to the Florida Keys. Oh well, at least I have all my clothes for the trip and the trip itself is already paid for!

Right now I’m in the hotel room playing on the internet as it looks like it might rain soon. Hopefully it will pass and we can go lay out on the beach for a while.

Sun and Shopping

We are having fun on the beach. Well, Daphne is having fun laying on the beach and I had fun shopping yesterday. I went to get some new clothes because a lot of mine have gotten too big. I got all girl tops, shorts, and flip flops (except for two pair of boat shorts) and they all look really cute! I got a size 12 in all of my pants/shorts, and even though I got extra large in the ladies polo shirts, I fit into them! I first started taking both 12’s and 14’s into the dressing room hoping some of the 12’s might fit. I finally just started bringing the 12’s! I am so excited as my hard work really has paid off and I will  hopefully get some help losing some more weight with some medication for my insulin resistance.

I also got some really good deals. I went to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Foley, Alabama, on the way to Orange Beach. They have several new stores now, including a Tommy Bahama. If you’ve never worn their clothes, you have really missed out. They are very comfortable, very stylish, and last forever. Consequently, they are very proud of their clothes and they are quite expensive. I hit the sales just right and got a great pullover half-zip sweater, two long-sleeved button-down shirts, and a pair of shorts for just over the regular price of one of the shirts! I was very happy with my purchases. Of course I also had to hit Alvin’s Island (several of them) and I have so much fun everytime. Found me some really cute girl shorts, some flip flops, and a really cute dress for Daphne. I got a little carried away and got two more pairs of boat shorts for diving, but they are so inexpensive there I get them whenever I’m in Florida.

We went to Pensacola yesterday and tried to go to Fort Pickens but it’s not there anymore. At least the road to it isn’t passable. The street was closed off and you couldn’t really see the street very well, it was all covered with sand. It was closed off so far away from the fort that we couldn’t tell if it was still there. I guess the hurricanes have really taken their toll. We went to Pensacola Beach and hit the strip shops there. I got two nice dressier tops and Daphne found her the cutest bathing suit! Of course I hit the Alvin’s there too, and found a cute pair of plaid shorts and some crop pants.

All in all it was a fun day. Daphne got in some beach time, I got in lots of shopping, and we both tried to get in some historical sight-seeing as well! I’m going to investigate this morning while Daphne is on the beach and see if there is something educational we can do around here to keep me out of the stores….hehehehehe!

Blood Test Done, Florida Bound!

The blood test was done this morning and will take two weeks before they analyze everything and get back with me. I can’t say it was bad, but it wasn’t fun either. Fasting since midnight, they take a four viles of blood, then make you drink this sugar stuff. Then another blood test in thirty minutes, another one in thirty minutes, then the last one an hour later.

The nurse practitioner doing the tests (at my OBGYN’s office) suggested a book called “The Insulin Resistance Diet” and I started reading it. Holy cow! There was a list of about 20 symptoms, and if you have three or more you are likely to be insulin resistance. I had almost all of them! Reading further, I found it also affects your ability to process uric acid and high insulin levels can cause kidney stones. I’ve only had about 15 stones in the last 10 years! I can also make you more susceptible to heart disease, coronary artery disease, stroke, and of course Type II Diabetes. The book also said it was a genetic predisposition that is aggravated by our current dietary tendencies toward readily available carbohydrates. It can’t be cured, but it can be helped with medicine, which you can be weaned from as you improve how you eat your food and with better physical activities. But thank goodness, I should be able to reduce my current level of exercise which is 5-6 times a week for an hour! The second part of the book is a simple linking system of how to eat and when. You can have what you want, but you have to combine protein with carbs and take advantage of the body’s time table in processing what you eat. I haven’t read that part yet but it sounds enticing and close to what I have been doing anyway.

I’m leaving for Pensacola for a few days tomorrow and I’m excited. The dive trip was cancelled, but we’re going anyway just to hang out and do nothing. I’m going to bring a couple of books, some cross stitch, and maybe even the Nintendo Wii for when we are hanging out in the hotel room.

Myron had another surgery yesterday and has a few more to endure. I was told they might bring him out of his medically-induced coma and I hope to find out some good news today when I get to work. I was going to mow the yard before leaving today but just as I got home from the doctor it started raining. Whew, that was close! hehehehe

Light at the end of the Tunnel!

I went to the doctor yesterday to begin testing to see if I am insulin resistant (IR). Although I haven’t taken the blood test yet (Thursday coming), she is certain that I am resistant. Basically, insulin resistance is the opposite of diabetes. Where diabetics don’t have enough insulin, people with IR have too much insulin. For whatever reason, the body is less sensitive to insulin levels, and when the liver should be telling the pancreas that insulin levels are good, it tells the pancreas secrete more. Once the insulin enters the bloodstream, if it is not used up to combat sugar, it is stored at FAT! It also confuses the body’s metabolism, causing the body to go into starvation mode and lower the metabolism to conserve fuel (AKA FAT!).

So what does all this mean to someone that is insulin resistant? It means that they will crave sugar and foods high in simple carbohydrates (to supply more sugar to combat the increased insulin). It reeks havoc on the metabolic system, slowing the metabolism which slows energy use and encourages fat storage. It makes weight loss extremely difficult, even in light of proper diet and exercise. It can also cause a sudden cessation of menstruation, increased hair production in places women should never have hair (like six-inch whiskers on your chin that appear over night), skin tags, and a craving for something sweet after a meal.

Since I exhibit every symptom listed above, the nurse practitioner is certain that I am insulin resistant. I never thought I would be happy to find out I am “sick”! I guess I should re-phrase that. I feel relieved. Relieved to know first of all that it is treatable with medication. But I feel so relieved to know that all these years of difficulty in weight loss wasn’t due to lack of motivation, will power, or effort. And even better, I have been able to be somewhat successful in spite of this medical roadblock! Make no mistake, I’m not blaming all of my weight troubles on insulin. I know that I contributed to my size with poor diet and long periods of limited or no exercise. In fact, I take the majority of the blame. But now that I am armed with this information, I have a renewed sense of motivation and my emotions now match the information I had in my brain!

So anyway, after all the rambling, I will take the blood test this Thursday before leaving for a few days for Florida. It will take a couple of weeks for the results to come in and be evaluated but I am excited about my future health and weightloss possibilities!

Update on shooting

As of yesterday, they have still been unable to close up Myron’s abdomen. They found more bile in his abdominal cavity, so that required continued irrigation. He is in a medically-induced coma and will stay in ICU until they are able to close his abdomen. Please continue to pray for his recovery and for his wife and children.

Another Shooting

Two officers on my department were shot on Friday, June 20th, at 11:20 p.m. One is a good friend, Myron Daniels, who is on staff at the Police Academy. He was shot three times, once in the shoulder, once in the leg, and in the stomach. The round went between his bullet-proof vest and his gunbelt. He has lost part of his colon and part of his small intestines and is in intensive care in guarded condition. The other officer, Brannon Ogden, used to work for me when I worked nights. He was only with us on Friday nights, but I’ve had lots of long talks with him and consider him a friend as well. He was shot in the forearm and was treated and released that night from the hospital. What no one heard on the news was that during the active gunfight, with bullets flying around, other officers came in to drag Cpl. Daniels out of the apartment to get medical help. How’s that for heroes? Sgt. Cody also works at my district and was my co-sergeant when I was on nights. Although he’s been working here 23 years, he’s still out there with his guys, still in the fight.

While I call them both my friends, they are both my brothers. It is so painful to continue to see police officers attacked, beaten, shot, and killed almost every day in this country. Every 54 hours, a police officer dies in the line of duty in the United States. Not just during times of war, not just during an insurrection, but day in and day out, year after year after year. Think about us when you pray.

Time Flies!

Man, I haven’t been here in forever! I have been working a lot trying to pay off some bills and save up for a couple of dive trips this summer. I have travelled a bit in the last couple of months. Spent almost a week in Mississippi fishing and having fun with my folks, sister, brother-in-law and his family, and my cute nephew William! I also spent a week in Atlanta/Augusta/Fort Jackson South Carolina with my family as we went to watch another nephew Tyler graduate from Army boot camp! It’s been a full few months and no signs of stopping any time soon! Next week I’m going to dive the Oriskiny (huge sunken aircraft carrier) in Pensacola Florida and spend a few days hanging out on the beach. Then in July I’ll be off for 10 whole days to the Keys for a week of diving and fun with my friends!