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I'm a self-proclaimed adventurer. I love to try new things, go to all sorts of places, and I'm always up for a challenge. So college seemed like it'd be one huge adventure in life. But three years ago, I sat down to apply to colleges and had no idea as to what I wanted. Plus there was one major issue looming over me: my health.

I've always known that diabetes would keep me a little more cautious than most. But I've never let it stop me. I played sports, I took trips, I even went zip-lining through the jungle last year. Diabetes means that I plan much more than the average person, that I don't just pick up and leave without extreme consideration. I never thought it would hold me back.

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I despise politics -- political or office or otherwise. First I don't really understand much of it and second I just don't see why people have to act like high school all the time.

It's only been recently that I paid much attention to the presidential election. I remember voting in my first presidential election; I was a senior in college and voting by absentee ballot. I felt it was my civic duty to vote, but I couldn't figure out what the real issues were because there was so much mud slinging. The guy I voted for won, but I remember thinking "He hasn't done such a bad job the last four years, so he's probably the lesser of the two evils." Yes, that's seriously what I based my vote on.

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There's a lot on my mind lately. Some good, some bad, some neutral. Mostly, it's confusion and decisions. And mostly, it has to do with my health...of course.

I started a new prescription called Spironolactone (or Aldactone) on September 1 to help with the side effects of my PCOS. It's supposed to take about three months to truly see results, but I feel like I'm already seeing some effects. My skin, although still breaking out, is not nearly as bad as it was a few weeks ago. Granted, I'm using tea tree oil and Mederma religiously. So I can't really say if the "Spiro" is helping for sure, but it obviously isn't hurting in that area.

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This morning, I went for a second opinion on my current reproductive status. Back in late August, my Well Woman Exam turned into a possible endometriosis diagnosis. So I decided to go for another opinion before pursuing further treatment options.

And I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the doctor. New doctors are always interesting, especially those related to gynecology. But this doctor reinforced the idea that doctors can actually be helpful, understanding, and interested in what you actually feel or need.

So his opinion was that endometriosis is the likely choice as to the causes of some of my reproductive issues. Since I've tried most of the obvious treatment choices (NSAIDs, birth control pills, and pain management), the next step for a woman my age is surgery.

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Last month, a friend of mine had to build a website for a class project, and the site focused on people with diabetes who had multiple health problems.  I was really struck by the title and slogan that she came up with for the project; it was "Diabetes Plus: because it's rarely just diabetes."

Those words rang true for me, as I know they do for many people, because I'm a person with type 2 diabetes, and I have several other health problems, too.

On top of diabetes, I live with congestive heart failure and related issues, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, acid reflux, a hiatal hernia and other gastrointestinal issues, migraines, and sinus/allergy problems.  There may be something I'm forgetting, but you get the idea.

And there's an equally crazy list of medications that accompanies that list of health problems.  They are as follows:

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There's an old saying about leading a horse to water but not being able to make him drink. I've been trying to make a certain horse in my life drink water for some time now.
 

I recognized the signs a long time ago. I knew she needed to see a mental health professional. I begged, I pleaded, I guilted. I tried to reason with her. But it's hard to do that long-distance. And over e-mail.
 

I consider myself a good listener. Someone who can listen to someone non-judgementally and offer advice. But there comes a point when experience isn't good enough.
 

It's hard to watch other people suffer. And this person was suffering. There were so many issues that need to be addressed and she always said she was too busy. It's even harder to watch someone suffer when I have experienced the benefits and relief that come from professional mental health help.
 

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When I first moved away for college back in early 2007, my health was really at its worst. We still had no idea what was going on with me...just a list of symptoms and doctors who couldn't tell me what was wrong. So I moved out on my own into a 1 bedroom apartment a little over an hour from my mom's house and less than an hour from my dad's house.

The first semester was extremely rough. I had several breakdowns on my bathroom floor, several moments of desperation, several calls home that left my parents worried. I tried to stay on top of things, but the stress made it nearly impossible.

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I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to come fully back to the blog quite yet, but there is something heavy on my heart tonight. Something that I know only you guys can understand so I've decided to break the silence and post it here. We'll see if the coming days prove to hold more words for this site or if I'll recede back into the quiet.

As I drove home from work this evening and had my usual phone call with my mom, we got onto the topic of work and money and responsibility. Right now, my situation is that I work part time (24 hours per week) and I planned to attend graduate school for the next two to three years. On that arrangement, my dad generously offered to help pay the rent and supplement my part time income while I finished graduate school.

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