Our youngest daughter has been home from her week in Japan for four days now. And things have yet to settle down to what I could call normal. By normal, I mean the way they were before she left.
Something happened while our youngest was away those eight days. Not only did she undergo a transformation–this was her first time away from the family for more than a night or two–we did as well.
Externally, I ate voluminously. Some of this I can attribute to having resumed taking an iron supplement. I am terribly anemic and in the face of feeling terribly exhausted all the time, I took our eldest daughter’s advice and began taking iron. This, despite my taking Garcinia cambogia, and increased my appetite.
In short, I have gained ten pounds. And blood tests indicate my Hgb A1C which normally runs around 5.7 is now up to 6.3. I am diabetic, like my maternal grandmother. Stress makes me hungry and crave foods I should not eat, those with sugar and carbohydrates such as ice cream, cookies, tiramisu. You get the picture.
Internally, I have been writing on this thing I must admit is my weak attempt at crafting a memoir.
It is stressful.
The iron supplement has left me terribly constipated, as it always does. Eager to regain my energy and strength, I have been taking three iron pills daily instead of one or two.
That I attribute to my Jupiter in my second house and my Scorpio ascendant. I do not simply do something. I do it big. Overexertion.
And speaking of overexertion, my bout with sciatica has left my back and lodged the pain in my left calf. So I am limping. This is hard.
Diabetes can and does contribute to nerve damage in arms, legs and toes. I ate a lot of potato chips while our youngest was away, the salt and vinegar ones.
I was worried as we all were. I do not know that it is a mother’s job to worry. We just do. We care.
The disappearance of the Malaysian Flight 370 has brought home once again, just how fragile and precious our life is and those of the ones we love.