Archive for the ‘Supportive Partner Woman’ Category

Going to make it…

Posted: August 1, 2012 in Exercise, Physical activity, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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I woke up this morning with a nasty kink in my back. My normal reaction would be to kind of hang around and bitch about said kink until it went away.

I’m a changed (ing) man.

My response today was to try and stretch it out as much as possible and I’m headed to the gym to try and work it out. This is a big week for me… I’m going to try to make it for five straight days. I have an appointment with Ryan on Friday (8 AM… gack!), so today and tomorrow are the tough ones. I think I can do it.

Yesterday’s session had a little drama. I woke up and for once had a decent blood sugar reading. It was 139. I took my insulin, ate a bowl of cereal with skim milk, and headed right out to my appointment. The bariatric fitness center’s policy regarding diabetes is iron clad… you check your sugar when you start, you check it afterward. If it falls below 80, you’re done. Simple and clear cut. When I got there, my reading was 100. I hopped on the treadmill, did 10 minutes, then went to the elliptical and did another 10 minutes. I then moved onto the weightlifting portion. I got through the rows, chest presses and pulldowns, but on my second set of squats and shoulder presses, I couldn’t manage more than 6 reps. I can normally do 12. I noticed the shakiness and fatigue, so I took another sugar reading and stuck a 71. Not good. With the staff being so on top of things, well, Ryan sat me down and made sure I took a glucose tablet. In about 10 minutes, I was good to go.

These sugar lows are a scary thing. While 71 is nothing near my low, it’s scary enough especially when being physically active.

So today’s workout was pretty good. Got my cardio in and worked legs and some crunches. Trying to do something about my keg (note I didn’t mention a six-pack) and trying to build some core strength.

I still haven’t asked about the yoga. That’s maybe on my to-do list on Friday.

One good thing from today is that I’m wearing a t shirt I haven’t been able to wear since soon after my hospital stay. It’s a shirt from the Alzheimer’s walk that SPW and I participated in back in 2010. Its not as baggy as I prefer, but I don’t look like a sausage in it, either. Tangible results! Yay!

I’m working on something special. I don’t want to say any more right now just because the video might not work too well. Until next time!

When the real world intrudes

Posted: July 28, 2012 in Exercise, Stress, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Haven’t been particularly into it these past couple of days. No real reason except work is getting a little stressful. Not so much the work, but the incessant chatter of certain coworkers. I’m all in favor of having a good time while working, believe you me, but I really don’t need to hear your entire life’s story from DNA up until that afternoon. I ESPECIALLY don’t need to hear it every day and at volumes that could be easily heard over a Rush concert. It’s days like these that I really wish my headphones went to 11… I just want to go and do my job and go home. Is that too much to ask?

Ok, mini rant over.

Seriously, though, I’ve kind of been feeling blah the last couple of days. I’m not quite sure why… I think it’s going back to the dietitian appointment. I know logically that it’s no big deal, but emotionally, I feel like I’ve already failed. I’ve thought long and hard about why I get these feelings at the slightest bump in the road… And I’ve never come up with an adequate answer.

That’s not me at all.

I think one thing I really need to do is just learn to relax. I remember when I was a kid seeing a poster or sign and on this sign there was a picture of an old man and it was captioned, “Sometimes I sets and thinks, and sometimes I just sets.” (sic) I remember thinking that was kind of stupid… Why would you just sit? The older I get, the more sense that makes. I never learned to just sets. Probably explains why sleeping in is never an option for me. Once I wake up, my brain is going a million miles an hour. Even when we go on vacation, I am usually up and raring to go and obsessing over time and what we planned to do. (Note – I did some research and the quote is actually from baseball legend Satchel Paige)

In other news, also adding to the stress level, Supportive Partner Woman and I recently closed on a refinance of our home. Reduced the mortgage interest some 2.5%. Or at least we THOUGHT we closed. Turns out when the gnomish little notary guy came to the house yesterday to sign the paperwork, well, he forgot one. He called, frantic, and since I was at work last night and SPW was visiting her parental units, he agreed to come back over this morning at 10:00. It’s now 11:30 and no sign of him. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but this does not make me happy. Sigh. If I don’t hear from him by noon, I’m going to call. Hopefully nothing untoward has happened.

So, how to learn to relax? I suppose I could learn to meditate, but my sister in law gave me another option. Yoga. She found a DVD that she thinks would be useful and she swears it helps to relieve stress. I’m concerned that if I try to do some of this stuff, I’ll spot weld in whatever downward facing dog pose I’m trying. But the DVD sits there, tempting me to try. I think I will need to consult with Ryan on Tuesday and see if he thinks it’s a good idea for me to try. I need to try something because I’m getting closer to falling back into the old habits. I do not want that to happen again.

Point of the matter is, it’s just a scale. A collection of sensors and electronics that could have been having a bad day itself. Maybe the humidity level threw something off. Maybe my shoes really do weigh 7 pounds more than my other shoes. Maybe I needed to use the bathroom. I don’t know. Whatever the cause, reason, I was NOT happy and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give up. I’ve gotten this far… I’ll get farther. My usual M.O. of trying for a bit then giving up isn’t going to cut the mustard. At the same token, I’m human and nowhere near perfect. I’m going to stumble. I’ll probably stumble a lot. Just need to keep moving forward.

One day, one meal at a time.

The old saying…

Posted: July 12, 2012 in Supportive Partner Woman
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I’ve often heard the saying that “Behind every man is a good woman.” That’s a load of malarkey, if you ask me. The best women are the ones who are not behind, but right alongside.

I’m lucky in that respect. It took me awhile, but I found the right woman for me in, of all places, the Yahoo! Personals section. Yup… Supportive Partner Woman (best thing that’s ever happened to me!) was an internet find.

See, the time was late 2002. It was the first holiday season after my dad passed away and I was really in a bad place mentally. I used to get these email updates from Yahoo that would tell me that these profiles matched mine. The first time SPW (best thing that’s ever happened to me!)’s profile appeared, it was in the middle of summer when we were dealing with my dad’s cancer and while it looked interesting, I wasn’t in any position to deal with a relationship at the time. Periodically it would show up… this headline that read, “You’ve Got to Live! Live! Live!”

Finally, as I was sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, I got the email again. This time, I looked into it. The cost to join was $25 for a month and I thought I’d try it and if it didn’t work, well, it was $25. Truth is I spent a lot more money on many failed relationships, so this was pretty much a bargain. I took a chance and replied.

I didn’t hear anything for a while, as I recall, nearly a week. Then I got an email from this woman and we started a correspondence that lasted several weeks, until we decided to meet. We agreed to get together for dinner at a local seafood restaurant, I got there first and headed inside. A few minutes later, the door opened and the woman who would become SPW (best thing that’s ever happened to me!) fell into my arms. Literally. The door had a bit of a sill and she tripped on it and I managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

We had a great time, closing down the restaurant, and we made plans to go out again the following weekend. Mother nature intervened, so we tried again a couple of days later. From that point on, we were pretty much inseparable. We still are.

From our first vacation together… or when she turned me into a Disney geek. And yes, that is the camera I sold her when we met for the first time for the first time.

I’m taking the time to write this, though, because SPW (supporter of the first order) thinks she should be doing more to support me on this journey. Just the fact that she’s been hitting the gym and going to appointments with me means more than I can ever express. If I had to do this by myself, I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have. I would fail miserably. I’d say she’s my rock, but that’s not true, because a rock will drag you down. Same thing with an anchor. Instead, she’s my foundation. She’s where my strength comes from. She’s not behind me but marching right alongside. Plus, good is only a beginning to describing her character. She’s so good, she makes good look bad. And she’s my wife… the one I have forsaken all others for.

I’m a very lucky guy.

I love you, Laura. You’re my missing piece, my humanity. You make me want to be a better person. I couldn’t ask for more. And know this… when you ask what you can do for me and I tell you nothing, it’s because you’ve already done it by being in my life. I just wish we had taken better notice of each other when you bought that camera so many years ago.

Not a total waste

Posted: July 10, 2012 in Cooking, diabetes, local markets, produce, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Crowds gather around the produce.

So Supportive Partner Woman (eater of big ole salads!) and I managed to make it to Root’s Market today. The place was hopping, pretty much as expected. There’s a certain beauty of the Root’s complex. Interspersed among the various produce stands outside are people selling all manner of goods, some of which are probably hot. It seems this kind of market is pretty well-established in central Pennsylvania. Discounting the real farmer’s markets and roadside produce stands, you have Root’s, the Green Dragon and Saturday’s Market. Of the big three, SPW (peruser of markets!) and I prefer Root’s. It seems to be more focused on the local fresh produce and dairy, and it’s physically the closest to us. Green Dragon, located in Ephrata, is not as nice as it used to be. There’s a lot more vendors coming in from out of the area to hawk whatever it is they are selling. Saturday’s is our least favorite. Again, it’s not as neat as I remember it being way back in the early 90’s. Lots of people selling junky stuff and not enough fresh, local fare. That’s important to me… if I can, I prefer to support the local economy.

Most baked good stands have an amazing variety of tasty offerings.

So, Root’s. We managed to find yellow zucchini, cucumbers, eggs, celery, tomatoes and passed up a tempting variety of cheeses, meats and baked goods. Oh, and we passed on the (likely) counterfeit sports jerseys too. There are a few pointers I can share, though. First off, bring a bag or two. Most stands will gladly provide you with plastic grocery bags. They are fine, but after an hour of walking around with 37 bags, you start longing for nice, wide canvas handles. We usually take an insulated grocery bag along with a cold pack, depending on what we buy. If it’s a quick run, like today, we’ll leave that bag in the car and load the groceries in it rather than lug the bag around.

Sugar free chocolate selections

Sugar free candy options

One thing I was very pleased to see, though, was a stand offering a large selection of sugar-free candies and chocolates. Given the obesity epidemic and the instances of diabetes in the US these days, it’s nice to know that even in an area known for such offerings as sticky buns and shoo-fly pie, the availability of sugar-free items is becoming prevalent.

In short, Root’s is a great place to obtain nearly any food you desire, many times for less than what you would pay at a grocery store. For example, the local Weis Markets likes to advertise green bell peppers at 10/$10.00. I got lovely peppers at a Root’s stand at 3/$1.00. That’s a 66% discount.  In addition, most of the food is locally grown on family farms, rather than mass-produced and shipped in. These markets are great places to find apples in the fall, peaches in the spring/summer and delicious meats and cheeses all year round. If you live in a place like Lancaster, surrounded by farms, why buy stuff shipped in from some other state, incurring the shipping costs, the chemical treatment and the fact that it’s often picked too early.

The bad news for the day is that I didn’t make it to the gym. I had a bit of a headache early and just needed to relax. I did manage to at least get my squats in, so the day wasn’t a total loss and I will take a lunchtime walk as well. I think we all have days like this and despite our best efforts, we just don’t get the work in. As a lot of people will say, “Keep moving forward.”

In a future post, I hope to discuss our first ever visit to Lancaster Central Market, as well as a return visit to Hoover’s Farm Market outside of Lititz, PA. Hoover’s has a nice selection of produce, as well as a great pumpkin selection in the fall and is home to crazy-huge potatoes. I also want to talk about the proliferation of Mennonite delis and markets, all of which seem  to thrive in the Lancaster area.

Hope you all have a great night!

Monday, Monday…

Posted: July 9, 2012 in Exercise, Supportive Partner Woman, Walking, Weight loss
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I’m in pain. Or, as the old saying goes, “I hurt. But it’s a good hurt.” It’s that kind of welcome ache that comes along with being active.

Had a productive day at the gym. I changed my appointment time from 10:00 to 11:00. The purpose is twofold. I have a better chance of making sure that Supportive Partner Woman (pursuer of a healthier lifestyle in her own right!) is able to get to the gym. The other was that it seems to be a less crowded time slot, which gets me a little more attention from Ryan and Cory. Yes, it’s all about me, or at least it is in this case.

It’s not that bad. Really!

It’s funny, though. When I started, my vision of exercise sort of meshed up with Gary Larson’s. In two weeks, I’m already looking to spend more time at the gym on days when I don’t need to go. I find that while I ache, I feel so much better. I have more energy and while I’m not sleeping longer, I’m sleeping more soundly.

Because I’m also apparently a glutton for punishment, I even took a walk during my lunch break. I didn’t set a distance record, just got outside for some fresh (if a bit humid) air and walked around the shorter side of the retail complex. This was just bonus cardio today.

So tomorrow there’s a few things on the schedule. First, I want to hit Hempfield Rec for some cardio and some leg work. Then, after getting a shower so I’m not 100% stinky, SPW (eater of salad-y goodness!) wants to hit Root’s Market. This is a Lancaster County tradition, a large market selling pretty much everything under the sun. We like to go there for the produce and whatever else we can find. There’s usually someone selling counterfeit sports jerseys and  that sort of thing. The auctions include poultry and produce and can be rather interesting.

Not only is there a huge amount of items for sale, there’s a huge variety of food stands. These can range from French fries to subs to baked goods to seafood. My only tip would be to carry an insulated bag or two with freezer packs when going in the summer.

So, that’s going to about do it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a Root’s report.

Upcoming challenges

Posted: July 6, 2012 in Bariatric surgery, Exercise, Supportive Partner Woman, Weight loss
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Upcoming challenges… it sounds a lot worse than it is.

Let’s look at what’s coming up.

First off, its tomorrow’s picnic and the abundance of picnic food. Especially as I have a cousin who invariably brings a tray from the Philly Pretzel Factory. Pretzels have long been a weakness for me… especially soft pretzels. In the bad old days, I’d eat an entire box of Superpretzels in one sitting. The ironic thing is that I wouldn’t use the salt packets… guess I was trying to be healthy or something. Probably something. I’m lucky in that I’m not a huge fan of potato salad and the like. Not quite enough carbs, I suppose. Not sure what’s on the menu, but I will do my level best to stay the course.

Next week I’ll be struggling to do five days a week at the gym. I know I’m going to have motivation issues… I always do. Luckily, Ryan has pointed out a little fact. If you tell yourself you’re just going to do a little, you more times than not will wind up doing the work you normally do. And besides, even if you do an abbreviated workout, you still have done more than you would have done otherwise.

Speaking of workouts, I did get to the gym today, as did Supportive Partner Woman (queen of the crossramp!). There were a few changes to the facility, but the equipment is still where it was. I started on a CrossRamp with fixed handlebars. I’m not a huge fan, but the ones with moving handlebars were occupied. I did five minutes as a warm up, then went to the arc trainer for another five. I noticed that the regular ellipticals were open and did another ten minutes before moving over to the weight room. I worked my chest and shoulders, but managed to throw in some back and leg work as well. All told, about 50-60 minutes and it felt pretty good.

Afterward, SPW (and I headed home and I watered the plants outside, then threw together a couple of veggie pizzas for lunch. These are so easy to make and they are pretty tasty. I take two of the FlatOut Italian wraps, some pizza sauce, a little mozzarella, and cut up some Roma tomato and green pepper. Put the flatbread in the oven for five minutes at 350, take it out, spread two tablespoons of sauce and around 1/4 cup of mozzarella. Sprinkle with the cut vegetables and throw it back into the oven for five more minutes. You have a tasty lunch coming in at around 200 calories. Not too shabby. Actually, between that lunch and my bowl of cereal and banana for breakfast, I was at negative calories for the morning. Oddly, I didn’t feel too hungry.

This brings me to the final challenge. As many know, I’m pretty addicted to Diet Pepsi. I managed to get from six bottles a day down to two. I’m going to try to wean myself off of it completely in the next couple of weeks. See, Dr. Ku and Dr. McPhee mentioned that studies have shown for whatever reason, both Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke seem to stimulate the appetite. Not saying that’s my only issue, but it’s worth a shot. Until I can get to total water, I’ve been drinking Propel Zero and little pouches of 4C. I love these things and have recently turned SPW (drinker of caffeinated beverages!) on to the half and half. Between that and the Propel, I’m doing better on my beverages, plus, since the 4C is sweetened with Splenda, I don’t need to worry about the aspartame melting my brain any more than it already has.

Anyways, that’s all I have for you this evening. Hope to report back over the weekend on how my face off with the picnic food went.

Have a great weekend

Vacation prep

Posted: July 3, 2012 in AllEars.net, diabetes, Disney, Disney Food Blog, Supportive Partner Woman, Travel, Weight loss
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One of the biggest challenges someone trying to embrace a healthy lifestyle can face is vacation. Now, Supportive Partner Woman (bearer of plentiful camera equipment!) and I aren’t going anywhere until the end of September, but I’ve started thinking ahead.

Primarily what kills me is the meals. I tend to embrace the “calories don’t count on vacation” philosophy. That’s obviously not true, but I did tend to go overboard on what I was eating when we’d go away. We’d sit down at a nice restaurant and while I might order a “healthy” option, it would be bathed in a cream sauce or some other preparation that would pretty much kill me.

Many of you know that SPW (owner of the original geek vest!) and I go to Disney World on a regular basis. This is good and bad, as there’s a lot of lousy options to choose from. If you’re willing to do a little research, you can make some decisions ahead of time and lessen the caloric collateral damage.

My first stop when I need to check Disney facts is All Ears. For more that 15 years, All Ears has been the authority for Disney info. It’s a fine site run by one of the best people I am privileged to call a friend, All Ears offers every fact you could conceivably want to know about Disney World. Curious as to what a typical room might look like in a given resort? Check All Ears. Reviews of restaurants, resorts and attractions? All Ears. Curious as to what a menu looks like at a particular restaurant? You guessed it… All Ears. Deb and her team have most of the facts and if it’s something they don’t know, they find out.

Healthier items in blue, not quite-so-healthy items in red.

It’s the menu section I visit most frequently. Used to be so I could drool over the latest offerings, but nowadays, it’s to see where the sensible choice might be. In addition, the menus give pricing (current as of when the menu was dated), ingredients, and other useful information.

Disney has made a lot of strides over the years of serving diners with food allergies and restricted diets.

‘Ohana Fruit Bowl (photo courtesy of Disney Food Blog)

As a diabetic, when I make a dining reservation, I let Disney know of my condition. When I arrive at the restaurant, a chef will come to the table and go over what is low in sugar and carbs with me. Often times, the chefs will go the extra mile and create something special. For example, when dining at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, the family style meal includes a bread pudding with bananas and caramel sauce. When I asked if there were alternatives, the chef came out, said he could work with this and brought me a lovely bowl of fresh fruit served in a hollowed out pineapple. Not only was it a great presentation, the fruit was very fresh and quite tasty.

To summarize, it’s possible to eat healthy when you’re away on vacation. It might take a little more effort and research, but it can be done.

Other places you can go for information and reviews of Disney restaurants include the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, by Len Testa and Bob Sehlinger, available on Amazon in both book and Kindle format, Passporter’s Guide to Walt Disney World, available at Amazon, and Passporter’s Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line. This has not been updated in a few years, but has a lot of specific information useful to travelers with challenges.

If you are looking for other web-based resources, Disney Food Blog has a great section regarding special diets, ranging from kosher to vegan to gluten-free to diabetic to low-carb/South Beach.

Not much of a reader? In addition to having her own podcast, AJ from Disney Food Blog makes semi-regular appearances on the WDW Today podcast. Listen for her reviews and tips on dining throughout the World.

I’ve concentrated on Disney because that’s where we’ve been vacationing the most, but the same principles apply anywhere you travel. Even cruise lines have gotten into the act. Royal Caribbean has a low-cal section to their dinner menus each night and offers a sugar-free or no sugar added desserts. You can continue to make better choices as to what you put in your mouth while you’re on vacation and not lose out in the taste department.

How many times?

Posted: July 1, 2012 in Lego, Supportive Partner Woman, The Management, Wegman's, Weight loss
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Greetings!

Supportive Partner Woman (builder of Lego sets!) and I decided to beat the heat yesterday and take a drive to the King of Prussia mall. See, we have many pseudo-nieces and nephews and one of them, Ian, recently had a birthday. Ian has a bit of a Lego problem, too, but whereas I’m particular about which sets I buy, he will build darn near anything. So, since we needed to get him a birthday gift (late, but that’s how we roll), we felt a visit to the closest Lego store was in order.

Sopwith Camel

The Lego store at K of P is pretty sizeable. It should be, seeing as it pretty much serves most of eastern Pennsylvania and south Jersey. There’s also one at Christiana Mall in Newark, DE that is about the same distance away, but takes about 30 minutes longer to get to. Beside the point. We wound up buying a Lego Werewolf set and a couple of minifigs for the boy, and a Sopwith Camel set for us. Yes, for us. This will actually be the first non-architecture set that The Management will be building. She acquitted herself well building the top wing assembly all by herself. It’s a big achievement when you realize that she never built a Lego set as a child.

 

Save the Clock Tower!

So, after leaving the store we decided to pay a visit to the new Wegman’s, also in King of Prussia. They were having plenty of in store tastings, they even had a guy shilling the VitaMix blender. Our last visit to the K of P Wegman’s was a bit of a letdown… but I think it was because of the time of day… see, we stopped after the Neil Diamond concert. They really did redeem themselves. We managed to score a nice piece of sockeye salmon. It’s not Copper River, but the color is still a vibrant red and it should roast up beautifully.

Every time I’m in one of these stores, I can’t help but compare it to the big national grocery chains, like Giant. The selection, the cleanliness, the friendliness really make me want to never set foot in a Giant again. So, until such a point as they put a Wegman’s in cow country, I will be forced to shop at the same old boring stores, because it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to driver 45 minutes to grab a gallon of milk. I have hopes, though, of someday soon seeing a clock tower rising above the farm fields and retail power centers of Cow Country.

Other than the lovely salmon, we departed with some cherries, strawberries and bananas, a few other items, and some poultry sausage. That was recommended to me as a healthier alternative to boring old pork sausage. I look forward to trying it.

After leaving Wegman’s, we went in search of sustenance. My sugar had started to fall off and, well, we were hungry. We headed up the Turnpike and decided to make a return visit to The Drafting Room in Exton, PA. This is a lovely taproom and grill that SPW (drinker of many beers!) and I had last been to on my birthday. Perhaps not the healthiest choice, but considering the time, we were able to get seated right away and have food in belly soon after. SPW (avowed carnivore!) went with their hot roast beef sandwich while I decided to go with a burger topped with some Vermont cheddar. We both opted for a crab and corn chowder as an appetizer. The soup came, topped with a spicy, smoky jalapeno bacon, and it was delicious. If we would’ve been there alone, I might’ve licked the bowl. It was that good.

Sorry Mom, not a clean plate

The burger came and after a few bites, I was starting to run out of gas. Then it’s decision time. Ask yourself how many times you got the starving children speech when you were growing up. Or, as my very Catholic mother would tell us, it’s a sin to waste food. According to the psychologist I saw, that actually contributes to weight gain. We’re taught to clean our plates, but the portion sizes are insane these days, as a result, we wind up consuming way more calories than we should. A good idea when confronted with a huge portion would be to ask for a box first, and pack up half of your meal for later. That’s not really an option with a burger… they usually don’t reheat well, so I did the next best thing. I ate the rest of the meat and the garnishes while leaving the vast majority of the fries (I think I had two or three) and half the roll.

So today’s lesson… just because it’s in front of you, doesn’t mean you have to eat all of it. You can save some for another day or eat the portions that are better for you (protein and veggies, for example)

Son, be a dentist! People will pay you to be inhumane!

Posted: June 29, 2012 in Cleaning, Doctors and Dentists and Nurses... oh my!, Supportive Partner Woman, The Management, Weight loss
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So, Supportive Partner Woman (she who is flossing-challenged!) and I went to the dentist today. It was my second first visit with this particular dentist. You might be wondering how that can be, well, it’s like this.

A few years ago, I had a toothache. As it turns out, I had a plastic container fall out of the cabinet and hit me in the lip. It must have hit the sweet spot, because it pretty much killed a tooth. So, seeing as I didn’t have a regular dentist in Cow Country at the time, I let my fingers do the walking. I came upon the dental offices of one Frank Carano, DDS. I called and they were able to fit me in. Dr. Carano, a gnomish little man, told me I would need a root canal. We scheduled it, but Carano wouldn’t be doing it. He did, however, take the time to plug the custom color match service they offered, for an additional $125.

Doogie Howser DMD?

Carano’s associate, Dr. Kingston, actually did the procedure. He seemed awfully young but very competent. He even managed to pull off the second part of the root canal without any anesthesia. At the time, we didn’t have dental coverage, so I just let the cleanings and exam go by, even though I know that dental health is very important because of The Beetus. It just wasn’t a priority.

So fast forward and we noticed that Doogie the Dentist* had opened his own office, away from the gnomish Dr. Carano. We hemmed and hawed and eventually made appointments for exams and cleanings. We set them up for today and, of course, we almost forgot about them. The appointments were at 10:30… I woke SPW (sleeper of great soundness!) up at 10:14 and we managed to make it there by 10:44.

We get checked in and I get called first. The hygienist, Shannon, comes and takes me back to the exam room, which is dominated by a big-ass monitor. She does a load of X-Rays (surprised I’m not glowing), takes pictures of fillings and the like, and does some sort of laser test on my teeth to check hardness. I was sure that the laser would slice part of my jaw off… I’ve seen the movie, but I’m just fine.

The final score is that I have my second cavity of my 41 years. I also need to have an old amalgam filling replaced. It’s served me well, seeing as I got it when I was 13 or 14, so it doesn’t owe me anything. Finally, I have six (now four) teeth that need to be sealed. I also should have a crown done, but we can wait a little on that. The important thing to take away is that being attentive to dental care is as important as taking care of everything else when you have diabetes. It can really help your long-term health. So, pick up the floss, or as Shannon suggested, the dental picks. I know I have a long way to go with flossing, but like every other change I am making, I’ll get there.

Oh, and not once did Dr. Kingston attempt to sell me anything like my former dentist, Dr. Beefyhead. Dr. Beefyhead (not his real name) was convinced that all health problems were caused by my jaw being out of alignment and for only $13,000 (financing available), he could break may jaw and fix the alignment, curing me of all maladies.

Riiiiight.

* Please note that this is not meant to sound derogatory in any sense. Dr. Kingston strikes me as a fine clinician and his staff is first-rate. I am quite pleased with his work and would gladly recommend him to anyone. If you are in the Lancaster, PA area and are seeking a dental professional, check out  his website.

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