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Spring has sprung and Charlie has hung up his ice skates and has picked up his baseball glove. This morning he had his first practice. A thick fog hung over the infield.

As I do with any new coach, when we arrived at the field, I mentioned that Charlie has type 1 diabetes. And yes, I make a point to say "type 1 diabetes," not just "diabetes."

I let the coach know that from time to time throughout the season, Charlie will run off the field to get his blood sugar checked. He might mention that he feels low, I added.

And soon after this first practice started, he did just that. He left the kid he was having a catch with and ran toward me.

"I think I’m low," he said, shedding his glove and sticking his finger out.

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I've often mentioned that my diabetes role models in someways mirror the "dos" and "don'ts" of "proper (Type 2) diabetes management". When we are presented with a "what not to do" scenario taken from a real person, in real life, we often call that an "object lesson". 

While our original plans for last Sunday were to head into the City (New York City, for those who care) to meet up with other members of the Diabetes Online Community, the combination of short finances and The Other Half's ongoing issues with foot pain and the aftermath of his sciatica attack made those plans a "no-go".

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Well, the test strip canisters have been polished, the needles have been sharpened, the sensor has been freshly inserted and calibrated and the meter has been waxed and detailed.

It’s the first day of school.

Despite the great blog material it generates, we have decided that it would be in Charlie’s best interest if we ended my traditional first day of school diabetes discussion and book reading to the class. We feel we need to salvage what little street cred Charlie has left.

I will miss some of the wonderful questions from Charlie’s classmates.

"Can Charlie drink beer?" was a classic last year.

Of course he can!

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My numbers have been a horrid mess lately. I keep complaining about them, blogging about it, and staring at them on the meter screen. But nothing seems to change.

I'm not talking about the kind of mess that's like "Oh yea I'm waking up high or man those 200s won't come down." I'm talking about easily sliding into the high 200, 300 and even 400 range. I'm talking about my body just being riddled with the after effects of all these highs. I'm talking about a constant battle with torrential numbers.

I just can't seem to find the middle ground with my diabetes lately. Well, to be honest, with my entire life. I still haven't found a job. I haven't made any new best friends. More often than not, I am sitting in my apartment reading or watching TV with the cat. More often than not, I'm distracting my loneliness and my stress with food, inactivity, and general bad habits.

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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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I'm really trying to stay on top of my exercise routine and I'm proud of myself so far. I'm walking for at least 30 minutes at least three times each week as well as working with handweights for at least 15 minutes at least three to four times each week. I'm pushing myself each time I put on my tennis shoes. I'm not losing weight yet though. And my blood sugars are back up in the 200 range despite an initial round of lows.

I know it's just a deadly combination at the moment leading to the higher blood sugars. It's hotter here, which means my insulin needs are up already. I'm struggling with my weight which can mean just five pounds adds more need for insulin. Plus my stress levels are through the roof.

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If you have diabetes and you're on Medicare, call now to get the new talking meter. These new meters are more accurate, they're easier to use and the best news is, you don't have to prick your fingers anymore.

The commercial actor, an older man with grey hair in a pastel sweater, holds up all ten prick-free fingers for emphasis.

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You may have noticed that I haven't been writing a whole lot about diabetes lately. There are two reasons for that: First, sometimes life with diabetes is just the same old same old. Sometimes there's just nothing all that spectacular to write about. Sometimes it's just lather, rinse, repeat. Second, life is about more than diabetes *I* am about more than diabetes. And we've been encouraged to write about other aspects of our lives, which of course all interact with diabetes. So that's why you've been getting a lot of posts from me about photography. My second love.

Since my first love is writing I am making an effort to write more, even if it has little to do with diabetes. Yet, when you think about it, it sort of all has to do with diabetes.

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