I’m The Operator With My Elephant Calculator

Apologies for that last little bout of self-pity - sometimes you just have to get it out of your system. And, as my stepmom kindly reminded me, at least the bruises are not on my face.

In an effort to focus on the more positive aspects of diabetes, I’d like to start posting more about all the amazing foods I’ve discovered since switching to a lower-carb diet. Last night I took this recipe for Yellow Tail Snapper Baked in a Salt Crust and modified it for fillets by halving the ingredients for the stuffing, placing the stuffing on top of the filets, then folding them over and securing with a toothpick. I omitted the salt crust and instead topped with sea salt and additional fresh thyme, then baked for 10-12 minutes at 450. It was divine, incredibly aromatic, and of course low-carb (assuming you don’t eat all of the lemon slices). I can’t wait to try it again with whole snapper so we can do the salt crust.

Heard back from my PA today. She does not want to try a “regular” insulin, and said that most diabetics don’t cover proteins with additional units, but because I probably eat more protein than your average person, I can try covering any protein/meat over 3 oz, by counting it as 15 carbs per 3 oz equivalent. (Oh joy, more calculations!)

Speaking of calculations, my sweet husband bought me a calculator to keep in my kit. He didn’t even see this when he was buying it, but it has a lovely little splash of Engrish on it that says “Elephant: So Gentle, So Strong” which will surely make me smile every time I use it.

Allie Beatty of The Diabetes Blog posed an interesting question yesterday about whether eliminating the availability of pork insulin from the US was really in the best interest of diabetics. See C-Peptides and Pork insulin vs. Synthetic insulin and the follow-up Is Human Synthetic Insulin a Cock Block?.

C-peptides and Changes Ahead

Sometime soon I will be welcoming something I thought I’d never greet with open arms into my life: Insulin!

While waiting to hear back from the PA, I’ve been doing a little research on Amaryl and a lot of reading and re-reading of the Insulin chapters in my diabetes book. I asked my husband how he feels about me going on insulin and he said he just hated the idea of me having to lug it around everywhere. He asked if it would be possible to do insulin but still have the Starlix as a convenience. I thought that sounded like an excellent idea, so I thought on it for a few days and have come to the conclusion that now really is the right time for me to go ahead and learn how to use insulin. Work is stable, life is stable, my diet is stable, and I still have Starlix to fall back on should things change. Although this decision isn’t just about having kids, I think it will take a certain amount of pressure off us to “hurry up” if we don’t have the getting-on-insulin adjustment period to worry about.

I’m really excited about the idea of being able to do small corrections when needed rather than simply being at the mercy of my own insulin and Starlix, and am even thinking this will give me the freedom to safely try very low-carb meals without any medication or insulin at all because I’ll be able to correct afterwards if I mess up. I know it’s going to be difficult at times, particularly tracking and calculating doses, but I’m ready for the challenge.