Monday, October 6, 2008

I am a Scrabble board.

While I was awaiting the call for my liver transplant, I remember making a series of top ten lists; in my case, the "Top Ten Ways To Know You Have Been Living With Liver Disease Too Long." Among these little amusements was:

"You think that your blood test names (ALT, AST, CREAT, HbG, etc.) are perfectly acceptable words when playing Scrabble."

Let's face it: when you live with any form of chronic disease, whatever it is, your life tends to be reduced to these acronyms, from time-to-time. These days however, I've needed to learn a new one: HbA1C. (Gycosylated hemoglobin A1C.) Since I became a diabetic last year, this is an important test that I get done every six months, and is a better indicator of how well my blood sugar is being maintained, especially since I am on insulin. Today I went to my primary doc for my six-month check-up, and all is hunky dory. My A1C is right where it should be, and he is pleased with the way I have been controlling things. So, while I hate sticking myself with needles, it has been a good way to keep things as they should be. Small sacrifices, I suppose.

Now, the one thing that I have been trying to overcome is the disease of procrastination. I suffer from an extreme form of this disease, and have been desperately trying to overcome it for some time. To that end, a colleague at the conference I attended a week or so ago recommended this book:

I am starting it today, as in right after I finish this post...if I don't procrastinate about it.

6 comments:

BenefitScroungingScum said...

I am also a terrible procrastinator-perhaps it's linked to the chronic condition gene?! I'm very glad all your tests had good results. BG x

gemmak said...

I'm glad your bloods are all hunky dory :o) As for the procrastination...I seem to be two extremes, I either procrastinate unendingly or I jump off the deep end without any suitable consideration....never do I manage a sensible mid point! Ack.

Mr. Nighttime said...

BG - Thanks, and yeah, I think you're right, LOL.

gemmak - "I'm glad your bloods are all hunky dory :o)"

I guess I was in a David Bowie "I am a DJ, I am what I play" kinda mood. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I'm pleased to hear I'm not alone putting off doing something ;-)

As a matter of fact, I dropped all the "difficult" words when I first took English, convinced that "procrastination" was a prostate condition :-)

Glad your A1c levels are stable. I knew you had induced diabetes as a medication side-effect after your successful transplant, but I didn't know you were on parenteral Insulin since last year.

Anonymous said...

Me too! I've had to learn the Scrabble acronyms, for the sake of my dogs! Well, I knew them before, but since having greyhounds, I'm become far more familiar with them. Greyhounds run slightly different blood values as normal, you see, and many vets dont' seem to remember that.

Greyhound owners are always getting told 'the WBC is rather low' or 'the PCV/HbG/RBC is rather high' or 'the creatinine is elevated' when in fact all these are normal for the breed.

I'm glad your blood sugar is under control! Good news. :)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

The procrastinator's creed: Why do it today when you can put it off for tomorrow?

I am learning to work with a list, it helps me to not procrastinate. The minute I don't have a list, I slip.