Travel

Blaming Diabetes For My Bad Day

3 Comments

I had a terrible day on Friday, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself blaming diabetes for it.

I touched back down on my home turf late on Thursday, exhausted. I got home and unpacked most of the clutter from my hand luggage. My diabetes supplies, headphones, cables, laptop, glasses, Krispy Kreme donuts, Diabetic Living magazine, BridgeClimb certificate and toiletries. I climbed into bed, switched on my laptop and played a few episodes of Under the Dome before falling asleep.

On Friday morning I went to grab my camera, wondering where I’d put it. I searched through my top desk drawer, where it’s normally kept. Not there. I grabbed my now empty travel bag, furiously unzipping every compartment feeling around for it. Not there. I checked my toiletries bag. Not there. I ran out to the car, sticking my head inside the boot and under the seats. Not there. I desperately went rummaging through the suitcase, even though I knew there was no way it could be in there. Through all the clutter strewn around the suitcase. Nope, not there.

I had carried it around in my hand luggage the whole trip home. I had barely taken it out the day before. The last thing I could remember was at the hotel, just moments before we were about to leave. The sky was black and I had a pretty good view of the storm that was brewing. My only possible explanation was that I’d put the camera on the bench as I grabbed my jacket and bag, and forgot to pick it up again.

DSC01089

I was furious. And for the first time in a long time, I really hated my diabetes for it. Maybe, just maybe, if I didn’t have to carry around all of that crap in my bag. My meter. My insulin pen. My lantus pen. My insulin boxes. My test strips. My needles. My marshmallows. My sharps container. Have I forgotten anything? If I didn’t have all of that crap to remember to take home, I might have remembered to pick up my camera on the way out the hotel door. The camera that was not very old. The camera that I’d paid a lot of money for. And the camera that carried all of the photos I’d had so much fun taking over the last two weeks.

Perhaps if I didn’t have diabetes, I wouldn’t have had to waste my whole Friday looking for this camera. I wouldn’t have had to spend my Friday stressed and unable to laugh with everyone else at lunch time. And I wouldn’t have had a leisurely day at home taken away from me.

I rang up the hotel, with no luck. I was convinced that there was no chance of it being anywhere else, but Mum encouraged me to cover my bases. I rang up the car company that drove us to the airport. I called Sydney Airport security and left a message on their lovely automated system. And finally, I called Qantas Baggage Services. “It’s a black Sony pocket camera in a black velvety LowePro case.” I said to the woman on the phone anxiously. “This sounds exactly like the one you’ve described sir, a Sony Cybershot digital camera in a LowePro case. It was found in row 46.” 

I was extatic. The camera was there the whole time, in the very last place I thought it could be. And all of a sudden, I was my happy holiday self once again. I didn’t care about having to make another trip to the airport. I didn’t care that I’d wasted the whole day. And I wasn’t angry at my diabetes anymore. I was just so happy to be reunited with my camera.

Thanks, Qantas. It’s nice to know there’s still some goodwill in the world.

Hypo on the Harbour

4 Comments

I’ve been wanting to do the BridgeClimb ever since I got to Sydney, and Tuesday’s spectacular weather looked like the perfect opportunity to do so. Everyone else wanted to come down to Sydney Harbour one last time before we left, so we decided to head down together for lunch beforehand.

DSC01045

The steak burger I ordered for lunch came on a plate piled with way too many chips. I knew that I probably shouldn’t have eaten all of them. I knew that I was already feeling full after I was about halfway through. And I knew that amount of chips would probably send my blood sugars through the roof. But that plate looked so irresistable, and I was on holiday. In anticipation of that surge in my Blood Sugar Levels, I dialled up a generous dose of Insulin to cover it, and downed most of the plate.

After lunch, I separated from the others and headed off to book my climb. I still had well over an hour to kill before my 3.25pm climb, and decided to set off down a familiar walkway that I’d wanted to venture last time I was here. This walkway was situated directly under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and took me right across to the other side. On the other side of the bridge was the Town of Kirribilli, a densely populated area in the northern part of Sydney. There were lots of apartment buildings, small streets, some vintage buildings and a train station called Milson’s Point. I really wish I’d taken some photos!

DSC01068

Although I was carrying a shopping bag with all of my supplies, I had completely forgotten to bring some sugar for the BridgeClimb. There was a small Pharmacy there on that quiet street, and I was debating whether to go in and buy some jellybeans. I talked myself out of it, thinking that there was no way I’d go hypo after that lunch I’d had. I’d just be stuck with a packet of jellybeans to finish, something that I am absolutely sick of using for hypo treatment.

I headed back to my side of the bridge, and made my way back to that deserted street where the BridgeClimb building was located. I found some steps to sit and have a rest, and pulled out my meter to test. As much as I just wanted to sit there and rest, my meter forced me up again with the news that my blood sugar was 4.0. Just 4.0 less than two hours after eating lunch. Yikes. It must have been that long walk. I knew I had to get moving. I knew I had to find a shop of some sort to buy a drink from. And boy, oh boy, that street was dead quiet.

I started walking along, desperately searching for some sort of a shop. I really didn’t want to have to walk all the way back over to the busy Harbour area. But all I could see were high walls, deserted town houses and a few pubs. I really did not want to have to walk into a pub in that situation, either, but it might have to be a last resort. I found a modern looking building that stuck out in this old, quaint looking area. And there were signs of life inside. Nope, it was just an indoor basketball court. Walking a little further down, and I finally found a shop, where I grabbed an overpriced bottle of Solo.

I found a shady park bench outside and sat down under it. I cracked open the lid, and skulled down half the bottle. That cold, sweet liquid entering my mouth was the perfect thirst quencher after that long walk. I sat there for about 15 minutes. The calm slowly began to return to me, and I was able to get my breath back.

I walked into the BridgeClimb building and took a seat in the waiting area. I pulled out my meter, proudly held up the 6.2 post-hypo result, and decided to take a #BGLSelfie for National Diabetes Week. Because even a bad hypo wasn’t about to ruin my day.

https://instagram.com/p/5GtqwTA_RL/

 

Sunny Saturday at Sydney Harbour

Leave a Comment

Seriously, Sydney is one of my favourite places in the world. Don’t get me wrong, Canberra was great. But as I was sitting in the taxi on the way from the airport to my hotel, my spark had well and truly returned. Drinking in the views of all these familiar places flying past me, I began to recall all of those awesome memories from last time I was here. And I was damn excited. Excited that I would be spending another week in this awesome city. The city that has by far cemented itself as my favourite city in Australia.

And this is just one of many reasons.

DSC00963

Seriously, I reckon a day at Sydney Harbour can fix just about any problem in the world. And if it’s a sunny day, that’s just an added bonus. The sunshine, the hustle and bustle, and just soaking in the beauty of it all. Its amazing. There’s just nothing that even comes close to this back home in Perth. Its another one of those places where life just seems to come to a standstill. And with diabetes, we need all of those moments we can get!

When I was in Canberra, my BGL’s were pretty good by holiday standards. And most mornings there I woke up to pretty decent levels. But it is a LOT harder to avoid temptation here. There are so many amazing places to eat. And then there are those places that I just want to go to every day and stock up while I can.

Like for instance, the Cannoli at Rossini Cafe.

https://instagram.com/p/4-wUfvA_U4/

 

One thing that I regretted not doing last time I was here was a tour of the Sydney Opera House. So, naturally, it was the first thing I wanted to do when I got here. After racing to the top of the stairs and attempting to open just about every door around the building, I finally realised that the proper entrance to the Foyer was tucked in about halfway up the stairs. I got my ticket, sat outside and did a quick check of my BGLs while I waited. A perfect 5.2.

The tour started, and we were treated to some more beautiful views, this time inside the building. There’s this reception room inside that’s been designed to make you feel like you’re on a cruise ship.

DSC00929

And this theatre with its ‘donut’ ornaments on the ceiling.

DSC00941

And an exclusive “side on” view of the building iteslf.

DSC00914

When the tour finished an hour later, I was slightly hypo. 3.9 I think. Perfect excuse to head over to Rossini’s for another Cannoli!

Sydney Harbour is bloody amazing. It was just one of those picture perfect days that I’ll remember forever, and it was great to finally be able to tick the Opera House off of my list.

Finding a Moment Away From Diabetes

7 Comments

DSC00875

I’m sitting here, right now, staring out at the most beautiful view of the night sky. It’s incredible. It’s breathtaking. And I’m not even perched at the top of a windy lookout tower. I’m watching from the comfort of my hotel living room, thanks to its height and magnificent floor to ceiling windows. I could actually sit here for hours and hours staring endlessly at it.

I’m watching the headlights and break lights of cars illuminated in the night sky, trying to follow them with my eyes along those roads winding out of the city. Building lights and corporate names jump out at me among the sea of bright, colourful city lights that stretch for miles and miles. Lights that get smaller and smaller the further out that I look. Lights that start to twinkle when I focus my eyes on them, like the streets at Christmas time.

Down there is the rest of the world. The world that I’m usually a part of. A world where diabetes is ever present by my side. The streets that I walk each day, with my meter and insulin pen tucked safely in my jeans and jacket pockets. The day job that I try and focus on doing between the hours of 7 and 3, whilst my mind is caught up in the “I wonder what my blood sugar levels are” game. The foods that leave me with insulin dose and carb counting questions to answer. And the pillow that I can never rest my head upon at night with total certainty.

And then there’s here. Here, up above, I feel like I’m in my own little world. Tucked away in my corner, looking down and taking it all in. Right now, in this very moment, it feels like time has stopped. It feels as though, albeit temporarily, I get a break from that great big world. And from my friend diabetes that follows me around like a heavy backpack on my shoulder (sometimes).

Right now, I get a special moment. A moment where I don’t need to check my blood sugar. A moment where I don’t need to dial up an insulin dose. And a moment where I don’t need to correct a hypo. Its the closest I’ll ever get to being free from diabetes. In this one special moment, I can just sit here with my cup of tea and take it all in.

And it’s bloody amazing.

DSC00873

DSC00976

Since When Did Restaurants Become Dictators?

2 Comments

It really annoys me how arrogant restaurants are getting these days. Gone are the good old days where you could ask for what you wanted and businesses would happily cater to you. Here in Canberra, and even more so back home in Perth, the culture seems to be more and more of “this is what we’re giving you, take it or leave it.”

Hell, some of them don’t even seem to care whether you stay or leave. And a lot of them seem keen to kick you out the minute you’ve finished eating, quickly whisking away the plates and asking if you want to order desert. 

And last night’s dining experience in Canberra would have to top them all. The restaurant where we went for dinner with the family was one of the most bizarre places I’ve ever eaten in. Some of the things I had to hear in that restaurant were beyond a joke.

We wanted to order some bruschetta for a shared entrée, and my brother asked the waitress how many serves came on the dish. “It doesn’t really come in pieces. Its just one big piece, it’s not meant for sharing,” she replied. We got it anyway, figuring that we could just cut it up.

I overheard the large table behind us requesting a jug of soft drink, to which the waitress replied “we don’t do jugs, we only serve soft drinks by the glass.”

My sister also ordered a Pasta dish, and specifically requested it without Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, as she normally does. “Is that because you’re allergic?” The waitress asked, to which my sister replied “No, I just don’t like it.”

When I thought about this bizarre question my sister was asked, I remembered something odd that I had seen on the front page of the menu. I had struggled to understand what it meant up until then. It read something like:

“We will cater to allergies, but otherwise menu dishes cannot be changed.”

I could really empathise in this situation. I don’t significantly restrict my diet choices when I eat out. And I think a big part of that reason is because there aren’t a lot of restaurants that make me feel comfortable enough to ask for special requirements. It’s a big part of the reason why I’ll opt for table water rather than asking if there is a sugar-free beverage other than diet coke. And it’s a big part of the reason why I’ll shy away from sandwiches rather than asking if I could have multigrain bread.

Look, I’m not asking for a huge diabetes-friendly-carb-free-sugarless menu here. Part of the reason I do go out is to enjoy some of the foods I don’t get to have on a daily basis. But it would be nice if they could make an effort with some of those smaller things. Things that I know other health conscious people would appreciate, too. It would be nice if I could just ask a simple question without getting the third degree.

Melbourne seems to have the right idea. Walk into any of their laneways. Walk onto Lygon Street. You’ll quickly be greeted by a sea of restaurant owners vying for your business. They’ll ask you what you like, and they’ll make you some of those too-good-to-refuse offers. Like a free glass of wine, or a three course meal for $30. It’s a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I feel comfortable, I have a great time, and I actually want to go back there.

But when I see restaurants who make a big deal over silly things like dinner condiments and drinking glasses, it makes me more inclined to stay home. And if that’s what eating out has become, then I’m sorry but I’ll have to leave it.