Captain's Blog

[substitute]

We're entering the Kreplach Nebula!

I am now down 10 lbs of the 50 I need to lose. This pleases me.

On the minus side, my reading in science! shows that it's very likely that I'm actually diabetic and not "insulin resistance syndrome". The chance that I have a reversible syndrome appears low. Assuming that I really have Type 2 diabetes mellitus, it's likely to get worse throughout my life, and eventually kill me. I can't say this is good news in any way. It's just bad news. Barring a miracle, things are probably going to get more difficult over the years and not less.

However that is in general the Human Condition. I just know one of the things that's going to kill me now.

Had good conversations at D's today, first with "D.Z." who is one of the guys who rebuilds classic cars, and then with Nick. Nick claims that Zardoz is actually a good movie, but I suspect a crush on Charlotte Rampling is the source of this idea.

Tomorrow I mostly have a day off, including a haircut and my second course on how to be sick.

Comments

[burningskyz.livejournal.com]

:(

that having been said....or, rather, expressed....

the one good thing about know what is going to kill you is that you know what you have to fight. of course, type 2 diabetes is no walk in the park, and it is most certainly difficult and debilitating, it is treatable and controllable.

people still go to D's? i'll have to stop by, seeing as i go to school down the street.

thanks

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Coming from you, I know that's not bullshit, too. Definitely not.

I'm at D's. I think I'm the last one, though. Usually I'm there most nights about 8 until closing.

Re: thanks

[burningskyz.livejournal.com]

that last sentence might have made more sense if i'd thrown a 'while' in there somewhere....but i guess you got the point.

i'll have to stop by soon.

[andrewducker]

Diabetes is one of those things I see in the Science! sections every once in a while, usually next to the word "Breakthrough" and above the words "by 2007". There's lots of research into diabetes ongoing, and there are several interesting avenues that may lead to , well, not a cure, but alleviation.

Congrats on the 10lbs.

[foo2rama.livejournal.com]

DZ....

I have known this guy for years. I use to be a regular of Ren Coffee in Tustin Marketplace. It was a great shop as they roasted all their own beans in house. DZ used to go there, knowing him the way i do I am amazed the DMV allows him to have a Lic.

intersting guy though... he is harmless, but it took a long time to realize that.

[trinx.livejournal.com]

things I've learned in all of my great medical adventures:

1. never let them get you down. no matter the news, don't let it ultimately change your view on your own life for the worse. of course, you are sure to initially be knocked down a rung or two. if you weren't, I'd worry about your noggin. only robots are immune to such things, so don't be hard on yourself those times when you are blue.

2. you have the great power of mind over matter. the sooner you believe that, the better your life will be. this goes hand in hand with #1. how you approach things from a psychological standpoint will greatly affect how much they affect you phsycially. this isn't to say you should ignore any potentially harmful physical repercussions from your (possible) condition.

3. you are exactly right. you know one of the things that are going to kill you now. it is likely not the only thing that will kill you. I'll give you a perfect example, my uncle developed type 2 diabetes approximately 17 years ago. he was approximately 150 lbs overweight. diabetes turned out to be the least of his problems. he had a triple bypass last year, and his doctor gives him many many more happy and fulfilling years ahead of him.

it'll only kill you if you let it. then again, you know all of this. I just have a feeling you might need to be reminded right about now.

oh yeah, and I almost forgot. DRINK TEA! :) -hug-

[halfjack.livejournal.com]

He's just trying to trick you into watching that film again. Sean Connery in diapers --- what more do you need to know to judge one way ... or the other.

o_O

[flipzagging.livejournal.com]

You know, on the Enterprise, the science! officer maybe be right most of the time, but still is only second in command.

And congratulations on the 10 pounds! Some good news is better than none.

If your friend's Charlotte Rampling crush becomes too powerful, try to steer him to a viewing of Swimming Pool. Viewings of Zardoz are definitely in the "friends don't let friends" category.

[tuliphead.livejournal.com]

i live with a fairly severe bone disease, called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. if you ever saw the movie Unbreakable, you've probably heard of it.

i'm actually fairly lucky in that i have a pretty mild form of this disease. i've broken relatively few bones in comparison to other OI patients. i'm tall and fairly strong and get around well. on the other hand, i've had a few severe, debilitating breaks. i have reconstructed joints and break-related aches and arthritis that will only get worse with time. there are lots of things i can't do.

when i was young, and before a lot was known about OI, i was told i could expect a fairly young death due to it. or perhaps a childbed death. i've outlived the expectancy i was given a long time ago, but these days, that's not surprising. OI could be the death of me any day of the week, but i could also live a full life and see the kind of lifespan most people in my family have - late 80s to 90s.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that so much of how your health conditions affect you is how you LET them affect you. it sounds like you're well on your way to managing your health and your condition in a smart and healthy way, and that's great. if you can, though, try not to think of it as the thing that is going to kill you, or make your life less full, or make you live life like a sick person. you have a manageable condition that is part of your everyday life now. some aspects of it are out of your control. it may or may not get worse - you may not have any control over that, and that right there is enough to get anyone down. but how you live your life, outside of managing this condition, is still up to you. how you approach living with this condition is up to you.

you probably didn't want a pep talk here, but, as someone with a lifelong health condition who used to only be able to look at the grim side of it, i couldn't resist adding in my $.02. anyway, i'm sending positive thoughts your way..

[frobisher.livejournal.com]

I note that the Zardoz dvd has a commentary by Boorman. I keep thinking of getting it, just to make sure it's just him saying "What was I *thinking*???".