Helpful new read

Hi Friends--

Whether you are recently diagnosed or a diabetes veteran, pick up a very helpful book: "The Ultimate Guide To Accurate Carb Counting" (The Marlowe Diabetes Library). Written by CDE and diabetes author Gary Scheiner (who wrote the forward to my "Insulin Pump Therapy Demystified"), this guide breaks down the nuances of carb counting with clear explanations that will benefit us all. From how to accurately read lables (did you know to subtract the Fiber listed from the total carb count?)to understanding the glycemic index, Gary Scheiner gives us true guidance to tighten up our carb counting and so improve our diabetes control, while actually giving us a few laughs along the way. Spread the word and add "The Ultimate Guide To Accurate Carb Counting" to your bookshelf. For more info on the Marlowe Diabetes Library, go to www.marlowepub.com/diabeteslibrary.

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It's been a busy time in my kitchen, as I've been eliminating gluten and casein from all of my cooking because of allergies that my son is having. That means no wheat/white flour, oats, barley and rye...as well as no dairy. It's actually been a healthy way to eat--I'm using more brown rice, corn tortialls, lots of fresh vegetables, protein and fruit. My son is still going through withdrawl from bread products and not all of the gluten-free substitutes do it for him. But we're committed and are experimenting to see what works. The best news is that this new approach to cooking and eating is helping my bloos sugars to stay more stable--brown rice pasta, for example, works much better for me than white pasta. And it's actually good! If white flours cause your BG to spike, it might be worth trying the gluten-free path...

Peace,
Gabrielle

January 2, 1982

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of my Type 1 diagnosis; it came on the day just after New Year's when I was ten years old. I can still remember everything about that morning in clear detail...peeing into a cup at home, my Dad (a doctor) taking it with him to work, getting into the car with my mom and riding to the hospital, meeting my dad in the cafeteria where my parents explained what was going on before we went upstairs to the pediatrics ward.

Of course, I couldn't grasp that morning the dramatic effect that diagnosis would have on my life to come. But I do remember just wondering, in the midst of learning about insulin and practicing injections on an oragne, if my life would ever be "normal" again. What did it mean to have a disease? Was I going to grow up and be healthy and go to college and fall in love and have kids and all of the other things that my 10-year-old self dreamed of?

I wish I knew then what I know now--that in fact, my life has been better than normal, that the challenge and hurt of living with diabetes has opened my heart and I think has largely made me into the sensitive, compassionate person that I am. I wish I knew that growing up not taking mortality for granted could be an incredible gift--that because I had a sense that life is not a given, I have always been open to living fully, taking chances, and loving freely with all of my heart.

On the other side, I'm glad I didn't know about my struggles, about my years of rebellion, of not eating well, of being like every other college student and drinking too much, of ignoring my diabetes. I'm glad I didn't know how often I would be struck with pure terror during my pregnancies, desparately afraid that my children wouldn't make it out of my womb alive.

But in the end, living with diabetes for me has been all of the above and I can't imagine what my life would look like now if I hadn't received that diagnosis that day. But I do know that I am ready, fully open to record that other day, the day yet to come, when I recover, the day that I am cured of diabetes, do not need to take insulin by pump or injection ever again. What a day that will be. And it's coming. I don't know when. But I believe it is...

A happy, healthy New Year to you--
Gabrielle