We Want a Diabetic Alert Dog!

More Than Just a Work Dog, It's A Friend

Long post alert, but it's worth it;)

It has been awhile since my last blog post, and I felt it was past due time to update anyone who may have been following my previous blog posts. In the past I have blogged about a variety of topics, including fitness, nutrition, my time in the navy, as well as my experiences being a mom of a type 1 diabetic.

Do you or someone you love, or know have type 1 diabetes?

Many of you may know that my 6-year-old son, Isaac, is a type 1 diabetic. Type 1 diabetes means that my son's pancreas no longer produces insulin, which requires him to get insulin through his insulin pump that he wears at all times. Insulin is the key to our cells, which allows cells to use the carbohydrates we eat as energy. Without the insulin, and thus, without the energy for our cells, we die.

On September 20, it will have been 2 years since Isaac's diagnosis. It has been a quick 2 years, filled with many good, and many not so good days. We have watched him finally gain weight and height. We have gone from injections, and now are using an insulin pump. It's a little less tedious at times, but still a struggle to change his infusion set every 3rd day (as it still involves a needle).

There have been many mornings where he has woken up with wonderful blood sugars, while other mornings (many of them happening in the past couple of days), in the 50s (his blood sugar range I'd like him to wake up around is above 100, but below 200). It has been rough!

Previously, things were going fairly smoothly with Isaac's diabetes (as smoothly as I could hope, considering). Then, life happens, and it may be (and probably is) a variety of factors that come into play.

Stress, growth, activity, and so much more can affect blood sugar, and boy have we had a lot of stress and activity, but still not a lot of growth. I know that he is growing, and I know that all kids grow at their own pace, but it can be disheartening to see the scale sitting at the same number for months. It is also disheartening to hear this 6-year-old shout 'why do I have to have diabetes?!' For a time, I was checking my blood sugar at the same time that Isaac would check his, and it has helped, but I know that he feels alone in his battle. Yes, I see diabetes as a battle, and what I can do for Isaac is to pray, hope for a cure, and give him my love and support.

Recently, my son attended a 1-day diabetes camp, where he got to spend the day with other type 1 diabetics. They did a lot of fun things like horseback riding, digging for gold, leather working, and hiking. When the day was drawing to a close, parents were invited to meet up with the group at a large park, where we were introduced to some diabetic alert dogs, and their trainer, KC Owens, who is also the founder of Tattle Tail Scent Dogs, which breeds and trains dogs to alert for type 1 diabetics (among other needs, as well).

I got so excited listening to KC talk about the dogs she has trained, and occurrences with her own alert dog. Her passion for these dogs, and the importance of the job that the dogs do made me vow that I would get one for Isaac. Not only are these dogs awesome for catching low and high blood sugars earlier than we could, they are incredible companions! Since they are work dogs, they are able to go just about everywhere.

I truly believe that having a diabetic alert dog would help Isaac in so many ways, not only for his low and high blood sugars, but for friendship! He feels so alone, and depressed at times, and I wish we could afford an alert dog now! Since I'm a student, and my husband works full time (many days he works 12 hours) at a low wage to pay the bills, we are working hard to save as much as we can.

The past couple of months have been the craziest for our family. Not one, but both of our old vehicles stopped working, so we drained our savings to purchase a third, and much more reliable vehicle, all at the same time that we decided to buy a house (since our mortgage will be close to what we are paying now for rent).

Being a Team Beachbody coach has helped me during the past year, but life has a way of allocating my time, so I have not focused on helping others as much as I should. I want to do more! I have goals that I want to achieve, including getting a diabetic alert dog for my son!

I love to help others achieve their goals, and Beachbody can help me to achieve my goals through helping others. I employ you (if you have been touched by my son’s story and our longing for a diabetic alert dog) to step forward if you are ready to commit to your health and fitness.

What are your goals? What do you want out of life? Now, what is holding you back?!

You can help us, while I help to support you, and help you to achieve your goals of losing weight, feeling healthier, gaining confidence, and gaining (or regaining) your health.

Send me a message, friend request me on Facebook (Sarah Biesen (Shull)), or visit my website: www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4. I look forward to hearing from you!

My Fitness Journey: An Update

2012

Since it has been close to 2 years since I began my fitness journey, I decided to update my transformation story.

My serious transformation story didn't begin for any particular reason. I wanted to begin working out. I wanted to get into better shape. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the way I looked. I always felt loved, no matter how much I weighed. My husband never criticized my weight, nor did other family or friends. I was content.

Yes, my clothes were getting tighter, and I did notice the numbers on the scale going up, but I don't remember being bothered by that fact. I thought I was keeping active enough. After all, I had a 3-year-old boy that I was keeping up with. At least, that's what I thought. Looking back at the pictures, I wonder how "active" I really thought I was.

 

You know the saying "calories in, calories out"-well, my calories in were quite a bit more than calories out. Ever since our son, Isaac, was born, we were told he was small, and we needed to see a dietician. Heck, from the day he was born, the nurses were forcing formula on him, because they were concerned for his health! We continued to hear it up until only a few months ago, at the age of 6.

 

Well, my husband and I tried to remedy Isaac's weight gain predicament by feeding him donuts, and quite a few other fattening foods over the course of about a year. No wonder I had gained so much weight-I was eating as many donuts as Isaac. I wasn't the one who had a medical condition that prevented me from gaining weight-Isaac did. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September 2012. His body wasn't able to use all the sugar that we were feeding him. Looking back, we're saddened, because although the sugar wasn't the cause of his diabetes, it certainly wasn't doing his body any favors. If you want to read more about my son's story, you can find it in previous posts, including this one.

 

Since that summer, I've lost close to 40 pounds, and my husband has lost about 20. About 5 years ago, I began using Jillian Michael's at home fitness programs, but I wasn't very consistent. The habit formed, but fizzled out for various reasons. I just wasn't motivated. I moved on to other fitness programs, and then did some month-long challenges. I did a burpee challenge, and various other challenges that focused on different parts of my body, and I slowly trimmed down.

P90X & Focus T25

Sometimes I would be consistent at working out, but I still wasn't motivated. I found my motivational soul-mate workout in P90X a little over a year ago. In fact, I was so motivated by this workout and my Beachbody coach, that I signed up to coach. At first, I didn't really want to coach others, but then I thought about how many lives I could reach, and how many others I could help to live healthier lives.

Nervous about starting Focus T25

After P90X, I began Focus T25, and faithfully did the majority of the workouts at 5:30 in the morning-before my brain knew what I was doing. The workouts were good, but I missed Tony Horton (even though he is a little annoying). I also enjoyed how short the workouts were, and since I was back in school, 25 minutes was a better length of workout.

 

I like my short workouts

 

Clean Eating Support Groups

Around this time, I began hosting clean eating support groups. With these clean eating groups, I provide clean eating recipes, shopping lists formulated from the recipes, as well as providing support, tips, and advice about clean eating. These groups have helped multiple members lose an average of about 1.5 pounds per week just from eating healthier! It's exciting to see lives changed, and healthy habits established. You can learn more about these groups here. You can also check out some of my other clean eating blog posts, including this one, as well as get more healthy awesomeness at my 'like' page, Sarah's Drive, on Facebook.

P90X3

 

P90X3

I decided to try out P90X2, but didn't make it very far before P90X3 came out. My coach had invited me to join another challenge group with her doing either Focus T25 or P90X3, so I decided to snag P90X3 and go for it! Then, a month into the workout, our car decided to retire, and I hurt my back trying to push the car off a tow dolly. So, after a month of recovery, I jumped back into P90X3. And then, one month into Restart #2 of P90X3, my mom surprises me with the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. So, poor P90X3 was postponed for another month before I restarted it. And now, it's safe to say I will finish P90X3 this time...unless some other unforeseen event interrupts P90X3 for a third time.

 

Food for week 1 of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset

Beachbody Ultimate Reset

My journey through the Beachbody Ultimate Reset was a life-changing experience for me. I learned a lot about myself, and the unhealthy relationship I had with food at times. After my Reset, I feel more in control of my eating, and I think before I eat. Nowadays, weeks after finishing, I still don't drink water during most meals. Drinking water during meals dilutes stomach acid making it harder to digest.

 

Another tidbit I've learned, not from the Ultimate Reset, but from the research I do almost daily to become a better fitness and nutrition Beachbody coach, is that you should eat your meat first, and then your salad. This is because it's harder for your body to digest animal protein, and your stomach acids will need to work on that first, instead of being diluted with salad first. You can read about my Beachbody Ultimate Reset journey, beginning with my preparation here.

In the months leading up to my Reset, I had gained about 7 pounds, and I definitely wasn't happy about that! I didn't think I was doing anything differently, except that I was probably stressed, and sitting on my behind more than I should have been. I'd also started having some digestive issues. My mom has always had digestive issues, at least for as long as I can remember.

 

I mentioned the Ultimate Reset to my mom, since it's known for straightening out many of the digestive issues that can complicate our lives. I'd also told my mom about the digestive issues I was having, and how I hoped to, some day in the future, go through the Reset myself. Long story short (you can read about the long story in previous blogs), my mom bought a kit, along with one for me! My mom lost over 15 pounds, and I lost 9 (which was about 7% of my body weight). 

 

Now

Since the completion of my Reset, I took up running again, and do that twice a week in addition to my P90X3 workouts. I recently began using the MyFitnessPal app on my phone to map my caloric intake, as well as output. My husband bought me a heart monitor for Mother's Day, so I've been mapping my calories using that. Unfortunately, that heart monitor was having a few issues, so we purchased another one, so I could continue mapping the calories burned from my workouts.

I've completed P90X3, & have since then completed the 3-Day Refresh, which is a 3-day cleanse (kinda like a mini Ultimate Reset), Chalene Johnson's PiYo (low-to-no impact, but amazing sweat with Pilates, yoga, body weight training, & flexibility), and P90X2.

 Yes, I'm a free coach, and I take helping others seriously!

 

new heart monitor!

 

Do you want support?

If you want help getting started on your fitness journey, I would love to help you! Together, we'll help you make a plan, and find what works for you!

 

www.beachbodycoach.com/iib4

Before the Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis

Before the Diagnosis

Insulin-deprived

Our son, Isaac, has always been a very active boy. He loves mighty machines, trains, planes, dirt, and bugs like most other boys his age. In the past, we've had issues with him biting others, which I've heard is something many children go through. Like many behavior issues that are encountered in kids, they seem to occur because kids want to be understood. When they aren't understood, they try their hardest to find a way to show their unhappiness, or a way to get attention so their needs can be met. "Relieve my pain," "understand what I want" seems to be what they're trying to say. I could put some of the behaviors that Isaac began to exhibit before his type 1 diabetes diagnosis in the "relieve my pain" category. Different behaviors that we had not previously encountered, and ones that we thought were gone for good, began to appear and reappear.

During the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, Isaac began wetting the bed practically every night of the week; he had nighttime potty trained himself months before, so to have it reoccur had us wondering what we were doing wrong. So, because we thought it was something we were doing wrong, we began cutting back his water intake before bedtime. Unbeknownst to us, Isaac's body was trying 24/7 to get rid of the excess sugars that were beginning to overtake his blood. Excess urination is also the body's way of getting rid of toxic ketones, which can build up when the body tries to utilize fat, instead of carbohydrates, for energy. Thankfully, Isaac didn't develop ketoacidosis, which is a common occurrence in the days leading up to diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Ketoacidosis is an emergency, and some of the symptoms that usually progress rapidly over a 24-hour period can include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, cerebral edema (swelling of the brain), which can cause headaches or coma, among other symptoms.

Another behavior that appeared in the weeks leading up to Isaac's diagnosis was his extreme thirst. Looking back, I see now that it was almost like an obsession for water. His daycare teacher brought this behavior to our attention, and as we watched him run around the room, going to the drinking fountain, then returning to the drinking fountain moments later, we realized there was a possibility that something could be wrong. After all, it was fall, and fall is not particularly warm in Idaho. Yes, you can still be thirsty during the cold season, and we thought we were doing alright at keeping him hydrated, but we still wondered why, within a ten minute period, he visited the drinking fountain more than 10 times! A few nights before I called to set up a doctor's appointment, I walked into his bedroom and did a double take! Lined up on his dresser were 12 (yes, I counted) cups of water! He hadn't spilled a drop, and had included a straw in each cup!

A third behavior that we noticed, which may or may not have been linked to his type 1 diabetes, was weird misbehavior. Oh, ya, I'm aware that 4-year-olds know how to misbehave, but we didn't think pooping and peeing outside were things that 4-year-olds would do, especially after his peers stopped thinking he was funny. But, as I said, we're still not certain if these were even behaviors linked to his type 1 diabetes. We do know, though, that his constant hunger can be easily linked to his type 1 diabetes. His body was practically starving, since his cells couldn't use the glucose that was taunting them! Without insulin, which acts as a key to unlock the door into the body's cells, the cells can't get their best source of energy, so the body resorts to breaking down fat for energy, and toxic ketones, as previously mentioned, are produced.

In the weeks leading up to his type 1 diabetes diagnosis, Isaac slowly began to lose weight. I hate to say this, but we had been feeding him donuts for months, sometimes 3 or more times per week, in hopes that he'd gain weight, instead I gained about 30 pounds, haha. Granted this was before we began eating healthier, and before I became a Beachbody coach and lost those 30 pounds. Now we rarely have donuts, although, I'll admit, we still love eating them! Ok, I need to stop talking about donuts and go back to talking about Isaac! Isaac had always been shorter and smaller than most of his same-age peers, so we had hoped to pack a few pounds onto him. A few months before, we had even bought a new car seat, because we were hoping he'd reach the 30-pound requirement for the seat. But, as I said, he actually lost weight before his diagnosis.

Before Isaac was diagnosed, & before we knew what it was doing to his insulin-deprived body

Before Isaac was diagnosed, we knew next to nothing about type 1 diabetes, or about diabetes in general. I'd been tested for gestational diabetes while pregnant with Isaac, but I was only borderline, as many women are during pregnancy. I never had to test my blood sugar or have insulin injections. Also, we knew of no one in either of our family (my husband's nor mine) who had diabetes, at least not type 1. It wasn't until after his diagnosis that we found out that type 1 diabetes is not necessarily heritable. However, the autoimmune gene that causes diabetes can be inherited. There are tests that can be done to see the likelihood of other members of the family developing type 1 diabetes, and one of Isaac's friends has undergone that test. His friend's sister has type 1 diabetes, and he tested positive for a few of the markers, but has not developed type 1 diabetes yet. Also, the chances of having another child with type 1 diabetes increases with successive births, and it's not uncommon to have 2 children with type 1 diabetes.

Prior to diagnosis, we didn't know the signs to look for, but once we got the clue, we began doing research. Don't ignore certain behaviors that your child exhibits. These could potentially be symptoms, and left untreated they can progress to something serious. No, I'm not suggesting that you become a paranoid, overprotective parent, you simply should be observant, as I hope that you already are! Remember these symptoms: extreme thirst, frequent urination, irritability, and weight loss.

I would love to hear from you about your experiences!

An Introduction to my Journey as a Sailor, Mother of a Type 1 Diabetic, Student, and a Team Beachbody Coach

An Introduction...

Military Life

My dad was in the army, and later on joined the airforce, so I grew up moving around a lot. Before I turned seven, our family had moved at least four times, and three of those were out of state moves! We ended up moving two more times before we settled in southern Idaho, where I eventually graduated from high school, joined the airforce for a short stint, but, after a few months, found the navy to be a more desirable choice. Knowing what I know now, five years after being discharged, I'm not sure if I would decide to join again. It was an adventure, for sure, but it was a very tumultuous time of my life, to say the least. On the other hand, if I hadn't joined the navy, I wouldn't have met my husband, and we wouldn't have had our wonderful son, Isaac. In the coming posts, I'll talk more about the navy and my experiences aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Alaska Wedding

Shortly after being discharged from the navy, my soon-to-be husband, our nine-month-old son, and my mom and day jumped on a ferry that was bound for Sitka, Alaska. The majority of my husband's family hails there, and what a beautiful place it is! It was my mom's idea for us to get married on our Christmas time visit up to Alaska, and boy was it an adventure! Prior to our trip, while booking the tickets, I had mistakenly chosen a trip that required us to spend a night on an island, and board another ferry the next morning. My mom has fond memories of that leg of the trip, but because it was my mistake that ended up costing us more money, I don't have such fond memories. Also, I'd mistakenly gotten us cabins (on both ferries) with only one bunk, so the five of us had to sleep two (three, with our son) to each twin bunk! Oops! There were quite a few memories made during our passage to Sitka, and I'll post further about this adventure later on. As the title implies, this is just an introduction ;) We were married on a tour boat the day after Christmas, and two days ago we celebrated our five-year anniversary.

Seascape themed wedding cake made by my mom

Moving Back to Idaho

My husband and I moved to southern Idaho from Everett, Washington in January 2009, so that we could begin attending college, and have a place to live (my mom and dad's house) while we got our feet on the ground. The move was adventurous to say the least! My husband was horribly sick, so I drove much of the 20+-hour trip through snow, ice, and deer infested conditions, while his older sister drove the moving van. We made it safely, and have lived in Idaho ever since, although we've moved two times since. We love it here in Idaho, but don't know how long we plan on staying. Whatever God's will is for us; that's what we'll do, and where we'll go after I graduate with my degree in secondary education. I want to teach middle school science, and we've thought about moving back to Washington or up to Alaska, but we'll see after about eight more classes, and about three, or so, more semesters of college.

D-Mom (The Beginning of My Journey as the Mom of a Type 1 Diabetic)

On September 20, 2012, our son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In the months leading up to our son's diagnosis, we hadn't suspected that there was anything wrong with Isaac. Although he had always been on the lowest end of the growth scale. His first doctor, after Isaac was born, had even informed us that we would need to see a nutritionist, because he was concerned about Isaac's weight, and overall growth. But, as the years went on, Isaac remained in the lower regions of the growth scale, and when many kids his age were already past the thirty-pound mark, we were still dressing Isaac in two-year-old clothes at the age of four! By the time he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he was actually beginning to lose weight. We became even more concerned after his daycare provider brought to our attention the degree of thirst that our son was exhibiting. By law, she wasn't supposed to tell us that we should go to a doctor, but she did hint at the possibility of something being wrong. Isaac also had other symptoms that were pointing us to the possibility of type 1 diabetes, and we found that out after a short stint in the doctor's office that morning of September 20, and about thirty-one hours in the hospital.

Isaac and his insulin pump

Team Beachbody Coach

In addition to being a wife, mom, and student, I chose to become a Team Beachbody coach in May 2013. I've never really struggled with my weight, although I am conscious about it, as I know that many others are! By struggling with weight, I mean constantly watching and trying to maintain it. But, this summer 2013 I was shocked when I saw pictures of what I looked like the previous summer! I thought back to what I remembered my weight being, and realized that I had weighed thirty pounds more that previous summer! Since that summer, I have done a variety of workout regimes, but none of them have inspired me to continue working with them, until Beachbody. Some companies try to create a facade that quick fixes are healthy and great. Sure, they may seem harmless and great at the time, but are they really harmless? How about inexpensive? I don't want to knock on other companies here; I don't know much extensively about other companies, but I know that Beachbody will speak for itself, as I relate my experiences with it. I can begin by saying that I love being a part of this company! I love that I can not only become a healthier me, but I can also be a positive influence to my family, friends, and others that I come in contact with. I desire to help others, and even though I initially joined Beachbody to receive the discount on my Shakeology, I eventually wanted to begin to grow my business and help others. If you want to begin your journey to a healthier you, or if you want to contribute your successes, or your own advice, please feel free to comment. You can also browse, or contact me, through my website, which is linked to the Team Beachbody Coach heading, and you can follow me on Facebook as Sarah's Drive.

It's nice to have a workout buddy!

Purpose

With this blog, I hope to provide entertainment, inspiration, information, and a place to talk about experiences that, among other emotions, make us laugh, make us cry, and place a desire in our hearts to grow and help others! I want to post at least once per week, and would love to hear from you about what you would like to see more, or less of during the coming weeks, months, and, I hope, years! Thank you, in advance, for coming along this recap, and continuation of my (and what, I hope, becomes "our") journey!