Timelies all!

I have a cat on my lap. At least she's being quiet....

I think it was G.K. Chesterton who pointed out that most booze is vegetarian ... vegan even.

I have been unexpectedly (timing-wise) moving to Mom's house and many things out of mine. There have been many boxes taken to my old house because it's a cul de sac, less than ten minutes from the Marine Corps base and that seems the ideal place to have a garage sale that might get more than two people. Many interested in used items for cheap.

Yesterday every single box or crate that I'd worked to get over there and a few pieces of furniture came back. This was not what was agreed to at all.

I spent 16-18 hour days doing my job the last 4-5 weeks, going through Mom's things and in general having everything along one wall ready to have a yard sale this weekend. Except I can't because everything is here, 17 miles away and I'm fucking furious.

To make it better, the guy clearing out of my old place is one of my superiors. Who needed a place to live while the military messed up his move. I am going to preface this with he has good intentions.

Yesterday, I got the random desk, a nice wooden chest and a rocking chair removed. Got my washer and dryer back but realized last night that the dryer won't dry and I either dry on cold or smell gas. Realized today that every single bit of shit I made myself get rid of is back in the garage.

I'm angry and I am so mentally pissed off that I put myself through all of that for nothing. At best, this takes me two months to fix. And I'm tempted to rent a dumpster at each house and just say eff it.

I'm home. Went in for severe abdominal pain, came out a diabetic with a fatty liver and severe spinal degeneration at L5/S1 that currently doesn't bother me at all.

My sugar when I went into the ER was 300. It dropped to 165 yesterday before lunch, but my A1C is 7.9. They put me on Metformin 2x a day. I don't want to take the drugs, but I don't appear to have much choice in the matter. I wanted to try diet and exercise first, but I was discouraged. So now I have to figure out how to like breakfast, and eat on a regular schedule.

I'm a little overwhelmed, and worried that I have to really give up pasta. I want to get the numbers down as quickly as I can though. Not sure I have the right words for how I'm feeling at the moment.

Oh Maria, that is a lot. How do you manage L5/S1 without agony? That's my worst joint. I hope you can come to a long-term resolution that combines some meds if you need them but also control through diet and exercise. Feel better.

{{{|Maria}}} you have all my empathy as another Italian-American who has had to do a diabetic diet. I strongly suggest a big batch of oatmeal that can be heated up as needed for breakfast or Cheerios. I could still have a cup of pasta as part of a meal with the diet I was on if there were no other carbs with it, but I don't know the specifics they gave you. My email is in my profile if you want to talk.

{{{Maria}}} That's a lot to take in an try to cope with.

I'm so sorry, Cass. Doing all that work and having it undone, what a nightmare

was just coming in here for Maria~ma, and still sending it to you - just on the other diagnosis side. All the hugs -- and hoping you'll start to feel better soon.

Oh Cass, I posted without seeing the nonsense happening to you. I'm so sorry.

They want me to try a constant carb diet. The hospital used exchanges but I don't know how reasonable that will be for me in the real world. I'd already pretty much limited myself to only eating pasta when my father cooked it, but now I truly have to pay attention to portion size and timing.

I'm liable to do a cup of cereal dry and two hardboiled eggs for breakfast. I'm lactose-sensitive and I hate skim milk so I'd rather eat the cereal dry.

Thanks again for the ~ma, everyone. It helped keep me calm every time they came in to tell me something new.

Maria, that's a lot, and a big change! It's probably good to get your sugar back to the normal range with meds, and then later potentially go off the meds and manage it with diet and exercise. But put a pin in that for now while you adjust to the meds.

I'm a little overwhelmed

Yeah, it's a big new thing to deal with, on top of this hellscape of a year in a global sense and a personal sense (I'm thinking of the graffiti at the restaurant that you posted on FB). This advice might sound like bullshit, but when you feel overwhelmed, try taking a few deep breaths and blowing them out slowly, just to dial down the overwhelm.

and worried that I have to really give up pasta.

I mean, maybe pasta can become an infrequent thing for now, but added back more often later? It would probably be a good idea to meet with a dietician* to talk about this stuff, including how to get used to breakfast.

*A registered dietician (RD) is the one who has credentials; just about anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, so look for an RD.

(Also, I apologize for launching into problem-solving mode if you wanted commiseration. So, in 100% genuine commiseration, I'll also say: that fucking sucks. Like you needed one more thing to deal with. It's bullshit.)