Diabetes.

Instead of being in bed now and sleeping the sleep of the innocents and the unworried, I am up being slightly agitated. Only a minimal amount, but just enough for me to feel wide awake and not feel like going to bed yet.

I told you that I was so thirsty all the time and that I had to go to the toilet so often. Well, another thing was, that my eyes had been bothering me, but I thought that might have been allergies, but now I think differently about this.

I have taken 6 glucose tests over the course of the evening and I'm afraid that my diabetes is back. I tested it especially two hours after I had eaten and drank anything and all times my glucose levels were way too high. Now I have to test myself sober in the morning and see what it is then and also weigh myself, so my GP will know what my weight is, because if my fasting glucose level is up, I will call and make an appointment right away.

I'm sure my eyes are bothering me because of the diabetes and that scared me so much, that I immediately put on my glasses and I will be wearing them from now on. I haven't had diabetes in more than two years, I think, and it is surprising that it is coming back now, but with advancing age it can, if you have that tendency. I hope it can be treated with pills, because I'd rather not start using insulin again, as that was a real bother and I was using so much of it in the end.

I'm lucky I still have the glucose meter and the test strips to go with it and the pen to prick my finger. I bleed easily enough, so that was no problem. Your fingers do get sore after awhile from poking all those little holes in them, although I have a special pen to ease the pain.

I can deal with physical problems, it's just the complications of diabetes that I worry about, so I have to get this under control as quickly as possible. I stick to my old adage: when there's a problem, you think of the solution and go and apply it, hopefully it will work as easily as that now.

I'm getting tired now and need to go to sleep. I've already taken my medication, including my sleeping pill, so I should be out cold soon. Tomorrow I have creative therapy and I will be working on my second painting. That's something to look forward to. I will have to make an appointment before I leave the house.

Most of you will be asleep now, but those of you who aren't I wish a happy evening. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Ciao,
Nora.

Hurray, oh hurray!

It's Tuesday, so it must be apartment cleaning day. Let me think about that and see how much of it I actually want to do. Is the Queen coming over for a cup of tea? Nope! Well that makes everything a lot easier. That means I only have to do superficial cleaning, or cleaning the French way, as we call it here.

See, my French ancestor's genes do show up in me at times like these when I need them. Jacques La Maitre was his name. Of course, he was a man and what did he know about house cleaning anyway?

My great great grandmother was called Hendrika La Maitre and that's when the name ended in my branch of the family. I never knew her, though I did know her daughter, my great grandmother, very well.

She wore black dresses with a little floral print and little round glasses and her gray hair in a bun. She loved to eat candy and always had a secret stash, which we would try to discover every time we were at her house and beg for. She died when I was seven years old, but I remember her so well, it is as if I knew her my whole life. That's how much of an impression she made on me.

My great grandfather had a head full of white hair and sat in a chair next to his aquarium and his spittoon. He had goldfish in his aquarium and real plants and he used to go to the countryside and catch real waterbugs to feed to his fish. He didn't say much and I never knew him very well, but he was a kind man and wouldn't have hurt a fly. He was a baker and kept the whole street alive during the winter of '44-'45, by baking bread that was made from supplies stolen from the Germans. It's a long heroic story that I'll tell you some other time.

Anyway, it all started with cleaning the apartment, which I do have to do some of, apart from the grocery shopping, and I'm almost getting used to drinking black coffee. The emphasis is on almost, because I know I will be very happy when I have milk in the refrigerator again.

I am getting used to not eating porridge, because I ran out of that 2 days ago and I missed it very much at first, but now I think I'm so much better of not eating it. I was getting an overdose of sugar as a result, because I like my porridge very sweet. For someone who had Type II Diabetes, this is a bad idea, of course. I must remember to check my glucose levels today.

Amazingly enough, the Überhund, who has had his breakfast, is not nudging me to go outside yet. I know he will soon and it isn't raining yet, so I will have to take the opportunity when I can and also do the grocery shopping. I haven't made a list yet, but I've got one in my head and will have written it down in a minute, after I check the master list on the board in the kitchen.

So, you're just getting a very short post from me this morning, but it will have to do. I will write a longer one the next time and bore you with all the minute details of my interesting life.

Have a terrific day. Pray for no rain!

Ciao...