Warning: this post will contain expletives. It’s been that kind of a month.
I’ve been hinting about a health issue my husband was faced with in my last couple of posts. It’s nothing major – well, I guess it is, but my reasoning is that it could have been a LOT worse. At first we weren’t sure exactly what was going on. Sitting in bed one night he started losing feeling down his left side – it only lasted for 5 minutes, and it was terrifying. We were worried it was a mini-stroke, we were worried it was a tumor. Your mind very quickly goes to the terrible when something like that happens. He’s only 34.
After a shit ton of tests (like, ALL the tests, because that’s the only way I could sleep at night), every major concern came back clean. The numbness was chalked up to an abnormal migrane. Bo had one earlier in that day, and the pain from it had gone, but apparently in rare cases, temporary left side numbness can occur afterwards. Insane, and also fucking terrifying. I hope that NEVER happens to him again.
Then we got a phone call that there was something off with his blood work, and back to the doctor he went, where he was slapped with Type 2 Diabetes. It really is a slap too, the kind of thing that hits you by surprise, and shocks you into doing what you need to do to keep going. Having three kids at home who rely on you helps with the motivation too.
It’s been a few weeks now. Bo accepted and dealt with the diagnoses better than I thought anyone ever could. He cut out the worst offenders cold turkey – gone were the way too many cans of coke he was drinking every day, along with the oversized combo meals. He did everything perfectly, but maybe a little too perfectly, because having just a bite of something now weighs him down with overwhelming guilt.
Being diagnosed with any kind of disease is a mind fuck, especially one that you realize you’re stuck with for the rest of your life, no hope of a cure (at least not yet, come on science!!). In Bo’s head right now it means he can never again enjoy a slice of my chocolate cake on his birthday, or a handful of candy at the drive-in. Now, I know both of those things aren’t true, because treats are ok in moderation (so say that mountain of books I’ve been reading). Bo’s not there yet though.
This is turning out to be a tough road to navigate.
Diabetes runs rampant on his father’s side of the family, and after going over all the history with the doctor, it turned out Bo had a 75% chance of getting it at some point in his life. For most people it comes on later, he just wasn’t that lucky. Thankfully, his cholesterol is perfect, and his numbers aren’t that elevated, so we shouldn’t have an issue getting it under control with some dietary changes, and more exercise. Hopefully sooner rather than later, so we can get him off the pills completely for now.
This is a major learning curve though. I mean, I’m a food blogger. I love things cooked the way they’re “supposed” to be so that they taste the best. I like a steak with a pat of butter on top, a five layer cake covered in buttercream, and nothing beats homemade bread warm from the oven. I’m not saying goodbye to any of that, but I am having to change the way I cook on a day-to-day basis. “My” way of cooking will be for the treats and the kids. “Our” way of cooking is now going to be focused on finding healthier ways to make the foods we love.
I have spent the last three weeks pouring over every book about Type 2 Diabetes that I can get my hands on. I’ve bought every healthy cooking cookbook that I’ve been able to find on sale, and I have been scouring pinterest for resources and ideas. It’s a lot of pressure to put on someone. I’m the one that cooks every meal our family eats. I do the grocery shopping, I stock the fridge and the cupboards with the snacks. My husbands health now rests completely on my shoulders, and it feels like I’m walking into a burning building blind.
I’ve always been a quick learner, but this is different. Because diabetes is different – every food affects every person differently, so while the books are helping to guide me (especially in the beginning), there isn’t a perfect answer or solution right now.
So, with the hope that at least some of you have been down this path, with yourself, or with someone you care about, I beg you to leave me any advice, resources, or favourite recipes or products. I’ve already got the sugar free BBQ sauce down pat (recipe coming soon)! You can follow along with our families journey with type 2 diabetes by clicking here, or through my menu up top under “life”.
If anyone else stumbles upon this having just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and are curious about what books I’ve chosen so far, here are the links to them:
The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
This is by far my favorite book to read – it took a lot of the panic out of the diagnosis for me, and dispelled a lot of the myths.
Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies
Diabetes Cookbook for Dummies
I really love the “for Dummies” series. Everything’s written in a way that I can understand, and the books are laid out logically. They are the sole reason I can use my camera, lol.
Outside of that, I’m just ordering a bunch of generic “healthy cooking” cookbooks, trying to find some tricks to apply in all my cooking. The problem is the carbs though.
Damn delicious carbs.
Kim