I had a very nice time this weekend sweating it out at the sweat lodge. I had a few concerns that were diabetes related, but in the end everything went very well and I learned a lot. I arrived at the location where the sweat would take place feeling prepared for an event I had no way of knowing how to prepare. The experience will never be forgotten and one that I will always be proud of. Ultimately the lesson I was reminded of this weekend is that you should never let diabetes stop you from trying anything that you want to do no matter what anybody else says and that preparation is always key to a good time.

I walked up to the sacred fire which was slowly warming the lava rocks which would be used to create the steam that would fill the lodge we would soon be sitting in. People had different expressions on their faces ranging from love and happiness to spiritual seriousness. The energy of the place felt very warm and welcoming. There were two women in dresses singing and playing the drums and there were also two men that were Native American performing rituals as well. This was the real deal and although I thought about it, it was too late to turn around and go running back to town. I was trying not to let the thoughts of, "what in the heck have I gotten myself into this time" get into my head and prevent me from going through with it.

So before we proceeded to enter the man named "Raven" told me to remove my shirt and I crouched down and crawled into the darkness. There I was sitting in the cold with nothing but shorts and a thing of glucose on me. The door was pulled shut and the only thing I could see was the faint glow of the "grandfather rocks" that the "water pourer" would began pouring water over. The next 4 and a half hours would turn out to be one of the neatest, most authentic and spiritual experiences of my entire life. A lot of events took place inside that I could spend hours talking about but I think I will just keep that stuff to myself.

In the end I crawled out and tested my sugar, chugged some water, and ate more food at one time then I would have ever thought possible. I tested my sugar later that night before going to bed, it read "149". Basically it was the perfect end to a magnificent experience that I am very thankful for and a perfect reminder that diabetes shouldn't stop you from doing the things you desire.

Thanks for reading my blog today and as always please feel free to leave a comment below. I would especially like to hear about some of your interesting experiences or individual accomplishments as a person with diabetes. Thanks again, -Andy.