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Category: Living Normally with Diabetes

As if a Diabetes Diagnosis Wasn’t Enough, We Bought a House!

As if a Diabetes Diagnosis Wasn’t Enough, We Bought a House!

Chris Stocker

Before our daughter’s diagnosis, my wife and I were discussing our living situation and were thinking about buying a new house. We knew that we had another child on the way, so we decided to start looking at homes.

I’m a Realtor, so I know that once people start looking, even if it’s just online, it’s tough to stop that feeling of wanting to move into a new home. So, once we started a looking, I knew it would just be a matter of time.

We were renting at the time because we had moved from Florida back to PA and were in a brand new rental unit. We were the first people to live in the apartment and we quickly loved the idea of being the only people to ever live in a place, so we knew a new build was what we wanted.

We started to look at some new build communities online, but nothing serious. That search was put on hold once she was diagnosed. We decided that we needed to put all of our efforts and thoughts into this new way of life, rather than dealing with the building of a new home.

That didn’t last too long.

Before our daughter's diagnosis, my wife and I were discussing our living situation and were thinking about buying a new house. We knew that we had another child on the way, so we decided to start looking at homes. Click To Tweet

After about a month we finally found the community we wanted to build in and what style of house that we were going to build.

We started the process in March and initially expected the house to be done in September. We also knew that our new daughter was going to arrive in June or July, so nothing to stress about right?

It was definitely a lot of added stress.

In July, it became very stressful.

We had a newborn, a 4-year old with Type 1 Diabetes, in the end stages of building a new home with building timing issues, final mortgage issues, and being in a new profession for only 3-4 months.

The stress was becoming unbearable. I was having almost daily panic attacks from one thing or another.

This is when I really started to work on meditation and breathing exercises and making sure that I was getting a good amount of sleep.

After it was all said and done, we ended up closing on our house in mid-September and it was even more stressful moving in and trying to get things unpacked and situated with a newborn.

When our first daughter was born, we moved a month before she was born, so we seem to have some sort of fun moving near child birth.

If you’re enjoying the blog being back, please leave a comment or share on Facebook. Feedback is what keeps this thing moving along.

creating habits to create change featured image

Creating Habits to Create Change

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

The only way to create a change in your lifestyle is by creating good habits. I’m tired of saying:

✅ I want to lose weight.

✅ I want to have better blood sugars.

✅ I want to be more successful.

✅ I want to buy a Tesla.

✅ I want to buy a new home.

✅ I want to run a 5k.

✅ I want to do a lot of things.

I’m not going to lose weight by just “going on a diet.” Because what happens when I go off of the diet? I put the weight right back on.

Having better blood sugars, meaning, having my time-in-range be in the 90% mark like I want requires a lifestyle change, not just a simple tweak.

How to Create Lifestyle Changes

So, how do I create these lifestyle changes?

By creating good habits, actually great habits.

I’ve read so many different books, articles and listened to plenty of podcast episodes about some of the habits of the most successful people in the world. And there tends to be a lot of things in common.

The most common thing amongst all of them is that they create the habit the same way.

Just keep doing it over and over and over.

I’ve written here in the past about using a method called the Diabetes Power List, where I write out 5 things that I need to do every single day to help me achieve my goals. These are not tasks for the day, but much more of macro items.

For example, wake up at 6 am. Eat less then 75g or carbs a day, etc.

By waking up every single day at 6 am for 15-20 days, it will become a habit. There are a lot of theories out there for how long you need to do something before it becomes a habit. But, this is what I am talking about when I talk about creating good habits.

Must Stick with It

Sticking with something for 2-3 weeks, every single day and then it eventually just becomes a habit. It becomes part of your daily routine and your life. For example, when I finish taking a shower, I brush my teeth, it’s just a habit, it’s just what I do.

So, what are some of these habits that I want to create in order to help me achieve the wealth, health and mental goals that I want to reach?

  1. Wake up every day before 6 am.
  2. 20 minutes (minimum) of cardio before morning coffee
  3. Meet 3 new people every single day
  4. Create 1 piece of content every single day
  5. Do not go over my daily carb goal (I’m not putting the number here, because I don’t feel like having a carb vs no-carb discussion here.)
  6. Dedicated family time, no phones, no emails, no distractions.
  7. Go to bed before 11:30 pm.

Life throws curveballs at you all the time, but habits are just that, habits. You do them without even thinking about it. It’s not something that you make an excuse for, as to why you can’t do it. You just do it because that’s just what you do every single day.

Here’s to creating better habits.

Why You Should Not Hold Off on Getting Your Flu Shot

Why You Should Not Hold Off on Getting Your Flu Shot

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Spoiler Alert – I do not have the flu.

But, I thought I did.

Sunday Morning

starbucks medicine ball

It all started on Sunday morning when I woke up with a bad sore throat. I assumed this was mostly due to the fact that I had a sinus congestion

issue Saturday night. So, I did what I always do when I have a sore throat, go get a Medicine Ball from Starbucks. If you don’t know what aMedicine Ball is from Starbucks, then order one the next time you have a sore throat or cold and you can thank me later.

I had to attend my niece’s birthday party at a bowling alley that day, so I made sure to give pounds instead of hand shakes and hugs. Which, if you’ve ever met me in person, you know that I like to give pounds, not hugs or handshakes.

I took a Claritin D-12 on Sunday evening and everything was great.

Monday Morning

Monday morning, I woke up and my throat was still sore, but nowhere near as bad as Sunday. This was probably due to the Claritin clearing me up throughout the night and not having to be a mouth-breather while I slept all night, drying out my throat.

I followed the same thing on Monday night, lots of fluids and a Claritin D-12 and Tuesday was getting even better.

Until it wasn’t.

Tuesday Evening

In the afternoon on Tuesday, I started to feel very achy and my muscles were sore and I just wanted to sleep. My initial thought was ketones, so I tested for ketones, nothing there.

My second thought…..the f&cking FLU!

Now, let’s backtrack a little bit here.

I have never had the flu shot before.

Why?

diabetes flu shot

I don’t know, I thought it was a scam. I’ve seen people get the flu shot and still get the flu. I also never had the flu, so I figured, why bother?

Well, this year, after moving back to PA in the cold, I said I was going to get the flu shot, next week.

Well, maybe next week.

Well, I’m busy today, so I’ll go in a few days.

Come back to Tuesday night, and I still never got the flu shot.

So, Tuesday night, I started to feel a little warm, so I took my temperature and it was 100.5.

Ooohhhh yea, it’s the flu for sure I told myself.

So, I ran out to get Tylenol, because like any other responsible adults, we didn’t have any in our house.

I asked the pharmacist if I could take the Tylenol along with the Claritin D-12 since I already took that for the night and she said, yes. She then asked my symptoms and I told her and she said:

Aww, I’m sorry honey, but it sounds like you have the fly.

I knew it! I knew I was going to get it because I kept putting it off!

I have anxiety problems, so when I thought in my head that I had the flu, that was it. My heart rate increased, I started thinking that about the stories I’ve heard of people with diabetes dying from the flu and this is what’s going to happen to me and now that my heart rate is so high, I might just have a heart attack instead.

So, when I got into my car, I sat there for a few moments to collect myself and do my breathing exercises to bring down the heart rate and calm my anxiety.

I took the Tylenol and my fever went down over night.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, I had a low-grade fever. It ranged from 98.9 – 99.5, but I decided not to go to the doctor just yet.

Thursday

Thursday morning came around and the fever was completely gone, but I wanted to go see the doctor just to figure out what was going on.

The good news is that I didn’t have the flu. The bad news was that the sinus congestion did make it’s way down and I have the early stages of bronchitis.

Antibiotics it was.

The story doesn’t end there.

Allergic to Amoxicillin, Maybe?

I am allergic to ceclor, or maybe not anymore, but I was when I was a kid. So, there’s a little less than 10% chance that I could have an allergic reaction to amoxicillin.

So, when the pharmacist explained that I would need to go straight to the ER if I broke out in hives, I’m sure you can imagine what happened with my anxiety.

I didn’t really have much of a choice but to use this antibiotic.

So, I did, and nothing happened.

Bringing this post back to full circle.

Get your damn flu shot.

Even though I didn’t end up with the flu, it could have been. And it could have potentially been avoided if I just didn’t keep pushing off the flu shot. And while you’re at it, get yourself the pneumonia vaccine as well.

 

Diabetes in a Cave

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Even though the title may sound like I was trapped in a cave with type 1 diabetes, that’s not the case. Although, that would be one hell of a movie, if Hollywood could get it right of course.

Anyway, we decided to take a family trip to Crystal Cave out near Kutztown, PA with myself, wife, daughter and my brother’s family, including my niece who also lives with Type 1 Diabetes.

I have never gone into a cave before, so I was not 100% sure what to expect.

I was told that the tour would take about 45 minutes in total, so I assumed a lot of walking. Because of that, I wanted to keep my BG at about 200 before entering the cave that way I would hopefully not have to correct while I was on the tour.

Start of the Tour

We were starting the tour around 12:45 and I did not eat lunch yet, jut breakfast and decided to have a few of my daughters chips before heading into the cave for the tour.

The tour started with a 10-15 minute video explaining the history of the cave and how the cave was formed and what some of the things we will be looking at inside the cave are. Once the video was over, it was time to head into the cave.

I knew going into this that the cave was going to be cold, and it was. It was a constant 54 degrees, which that’s actually not cold to me, that’s perfect temperature.

For me, the heat drives my BG straight down, so I knew the cool, damp climate inside the cave would not be effecting my blood sugar.

The tour was slow, meaning that we walked about 20-30 feet and would then stop at the next station for them to explain what we were seeing. During this time my blood sugar was staying around 200-220 and pretty flat and steady.

The walking part of the tour lasted about 20-25 minutes and when I walked out of the cave my BG actually went from 200 to about 245, so there was no drop at all from the activity of walking through the cave. Grant it, there really wasn’t any steps or much walking uphill. There was only one section that we could opt-in to walk up to the highest point of the cave, which was maybe 30-35 feet high.

As soon as we got out of the cave, I asked my sister-in-law what my niece’s blood sugar did while in the cave. Her answer, “stayed flat”. Exactly the same that my blood sugar did.

Lunchtime

It was then time for lunch and I was hungry and started eating before I took my insulin. Actually, I finished my entire meal before I took any insulin.

What happened next… I’m sure you can guess that.

A straight shot up like the mountain we were standing on. And that BG of over 350 lasted for several hours and made me feel like crap.

Luckily, after the cave, we went to pick strawberries and it was getting hot, so that helped bring the BG down a bit too.

I’ve been doing much better at pre-bolusing and this was an example of exactly why the pre-bolus is so important.

All in all, the cave adventure was fun. Check out some of the photos below.

Going to the Dentist With Diabetes

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

Let’s be real. Not many people like to go to the dentist. And I am one of those people.

I have not been to the dentist in a while, so I knew that it wasn’t going to be a fun appointment. Going to the dentist with diabetes requires a bit more planning than when I went to the dentist before I had diabetes.

I always have a fear of my blood sugar going low while at the dentist. I also didn’t want to wear my Dexcom because I knew that I was going to be getting x-rays done and I didn’t want any issues with that.

My BG was about 210 when I went into the office and I was fine with that. I didn’t want to be on the lower end of things and then go low during the appointment. 210 was perfect.

Once at the appointment, it’s always important for me to tell the dentist that I have Type 1 Diabetes. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to matter much because not many dentists know anything about it.

diabetes and the dentistThis particular dentist had mentioned that I “must have been diagnosed as a child” since I have Type 1. Mentioned that I am overweight and that can help with the diabetes and gum disease.

I didn’t get pissed off at the comments because I understand that the disease is extremely misunderstood, but I did try to educate him a little bit about what diabetes actually is and what it is not, more importantly.

After all the discussions of gum disease and how poor oral hygiene can actually cause Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and other medical issues, it was time for the cleaning…..we will leave that part out.

During the whole appointment, I did not feel like my sugar was going low. In fact, it actually crept up because when I left it was 290.

After I got home from the appointment last night, I went online and bought a brand new electric toothbrush.

As I get older every day, I realize and understand how important it is to take care of every aspect of my life and health. Losing weight, exercising, eating healthy, taking care of your teeth, taking care of your feet, get your eyes checked, get your yearly checkups, keep blood pressure under control.

It’s a full-time job my friends, but it’s not a job I’m willing to get fired at.

Replacing Coffee with La Croix

Chris Stocker

If you know anything about me, you know that I love coffee. I love coffee too much. I’ll drink it from McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, or my favorite, local coffee shops, especially a cold brew. I used to drink a lot more coffee. Like, a lot more. But, my doctor scared me enough to realize that I was drinking too much coffee and I needed to cut back a bit.

I started to cut out my afternoon coffee, but I still needed the caffeine, so I was drinking a soda. The soda I was also trying to cut out because I was trying to lose weight. And I don’t care what studies say on either side of it, when I drink diet soda, it makes me gain weight, bottom line.

I needed an alternative.

I love water, and I drink a lot of water, but I needed something “special.”

Well, just as I was going through this time period of figuring out what I could substitute the afternoon soda with, I was walking through the grocery store and I saw it. There it was. On sale. BOGO. Buy One Get One Free.

La Croix sparkling water has replaced my afternoon coffee and changed my life! Click To Tweet

La Croix, Naturally Essenced Sparkling Water

I put it in the fridge and got it nice and cold and….. “EWWW” this stuff is disgusting. It was like I was expecting something super sweet like soda because it was carbonated, but it didn’t give me that flavor.

But then, I stuck with it. And now… you can’t separate me from my La Croix. I am now drinking 1-2 cans of La Croix everyday and I love the taste. I love the flavors that they offer.

And most importantly, it has replaced my afternoon soda, which replaced my afternoon coffee. I am not getting the caffeine that I needed, but giving myself the caffeine was just putting a band-aid on the wound, it wasn’t actually fixing the problem, which was, breaking the caffeine habit.

 

So, this is to you La Croix.

13 Years with Diabetes Today

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

So today marks 13 years since being diagnosed with diabetes. There’s always a debate about whether it is April 2 or April 3, but since I don’t have the official hospital discharge papers, I always go with April 3.

I went to the ER on Friday, April 2, 2004 but by the time the doctor said to me.. “you have type 1 diabetes” to was after midnight, so it’s April 3.

I still remember that entire day like it was yesterday. I’ve told the story so many times, which is why it probably sticks in my head.

I used to do some sort of celebratory event on this day every year, but now, it’s just like any other day. A business to run. A family to take care of. And a disease to manage.

So, here is to 13 years with diabetes.

And many more to come.

This is Not an April Fool’s Joke – I Am Back

Chris Stocker

This is not an April Fool’s Joke. I am actually posting something today. Let’s first talk about why I haven’t been posting lately on my site. There are several reasons, so here we go.

Facebook Attention Spans

Facebook (as well as Snapchat and Instagram) has created digital attention spans that last for about 8-30 seconds. After that, it’s just scroll on to the next thing. And in most cases, the 8-30 seconds is being very generous. It’s more like 2-3 seconds.

Because of this, I started to feel like people just weren’t reading blog posts like they once were. People were more interested in video, especially native Facebook video. So, I decided that I was going to do more video. Well, I’ve made a few, but nowhere near the amount that I planned on. That’s changing this month to as I am participating in a Vlog Every Day in April challenge #SSSVEDA

You can check those out at my Chris Stocker You Tube Channel

Politics, Politics, Politics

I am not one to typically let political talk affect me. In fact, it barely does. But these past couple of months have been draining. It’s not so much the stuff happening in DC (which a lot of irritates me), it’s just been the massive amount of content created around it. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, because we have to use our platforms to speak our voice. It’s just that, it’s all I was consuming. Every day it seemed to just be the same stuff, different angle. Which in the times we are living in now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, I am a firm believer that I am the one who is in charge of creating the life I want. This is why I don’t spend too much time on political issues or talking about them. I will if it’s something that I am extremely passionate about, like Pre-Existing Condition coverage. I am a proud supporter of DPAC and everything that they are doing and I will continue to promote and share their content until the cows come home. But, I don’t write about those issues because I can only write what I know about and what is top of mind for myself. Like I said, I will promote it though.

Because of all of this, I stopped writing. I felt like maybe this is all people want to read about now. They just want to find out about the next march or protest or other way to contact their local reps.

If so, then I don’t feel like I would have enough to contribute.

Business Development

As you may now, being the CEO of a CSI Marketing Solutions, a boutique digital marketing agency, is what I do for a living. This takes up majority of time. More than my wife would like for sure. This blog is more of a “side hustle” thing. Over the past few months, my business has been growing. Adding a few assistants, some larger clients, additional services and it has required more of my attention to be hands on during this process.

We all have 24 hours in a day. So the 1-2 hours that I had once put towards this blog during the day was now being used elsewhere. Which meant that this blog was put to the side.

But then over the past couple of weeks I’ve received an insanely high amount of emails coming from the site.

“Where have you been?”

“Is everything ok?”

“My son is in college and I always share your articles with him.”

And many more of the same type of emails.

And then I thought to myself. A long time ago, you set out to do this and you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. But then you started to hear from people how a post changed their life or mentality or living with diabetes and you just knew you had to keep going to help inspire people. And you let them down.

I don’t mind failing. I do it all the time. But one thing I don’t like to do, is let people down. Especially people who rely on me.

So that’s why, starting today, I am back. I have audited my day and my time and I’m back. And I’m putting this out on the internet to hold myself accountable. I will be here 7 days a week. If I’m not, call me out.

Every day missed is a missed opportunity to inspire or help someone living with diabetes.

Top Posts in 2016

Chris Stocker

Here are the top 10 most read posts in 2016. Some of these were written in before 2016:

  1. Dario Review
  2. Diabetes in Dunkin Donuts
  3. Fired Up Friday: Diabetic Supplies vs Durable Medical Equipment
  4. JDRF vs ADA
  5. How Low Can You Go?
  6. Contour USB Review
  7. Medco Pharmacy and Tier 3 Drugs
  8. Josh Bleill Motivational Speaker
  9. You Down with PPO or HMO?
  10. OptumRX Strikes Again

Some of these posts may have opinions that may have changed over the time. A lot of these are based on issues that I had that it seems a lot of people have.