DIABETES UPDATE

In August of 2010 I wrote about my personal journey with diabetes. After being pre-diabetic for several years, I was officially diagnosed as having diabetes. I was put on medicine and continued to watch what I ate and excercised six days a week. But no matter what I did I could not get my blood sugar and A1C numbers down to where they needed to be. So last fall my doctor put me on an additional diabetes medicine to see if that would work. After several months of taking 2 medicines, exercising even more and continuing to watch what I ate and taking various nutritional supplements, the numbers were still not where they needed to be.

So on last Thursday, at 2:22pm in the doctor's office I took my first shot of insulin! It looks like I will be on insulin the rest of my life. Apparently what has happened is that my pancreas has basically just about shut down. It might be producing a little insulin but nothing like I need. So I have to take the shots. And at this point it doesn't really matter what I do as far as diet and exercise. The pancreas isn't working and the blood sugar numbers are not going down without the shots.

The main reason for my diabetes is genetics. As I wrote last time I inherited it from my father and the doctor said it was a good thing I have been doing what I have been doing all these years-exercising, watching what I eat, etc or else I would be in bad shape. If I didn't take my blood sugar every morning I would not know I have diabetes. I have none of the other symptoms-feeling tired, thirsty, bad circulation, poor eyes, gaining or losing weight, etc. My blood pressure is normal, all my cholesterol numbers are better than average, blood results of the kidneys are normal, my eyes are perfect based on my most recent eye exam, etc.

So I am managing the disease and can live with it. I just have to do all this the rest of my life. Taking the shot is no big deal. It is painless and it is just something to do at night when you brush your teeth. The whole process of taking the pen out, putting the needle in, swabbing the spot with an alcohol rub, adjusting the dosage, and taking the shot, is less than a minute. After a couple of days it is routine. So I hope this works. The worst case is if I can't get the numbers down, I will have to take another shot in the morning. But I am hoping it never gets to that. My blood sugar has dropped 85 points in a week.

I have put together a presentation on my journey with diabetes. Its what I have gone through, what my father went through, some background facts on the disease and what we, as individuals and as a country, can do to try and get this disease under control. I would be glad to talk to any community groups, hospitals or individuals. It is a moving, inspirational and informative talk and reflects my personal approach to this disease-- I am going to keep fighting this until hell freezes over, and then I am going to get out the ice skates, and keep fighting!

I would be glad to coordinate a Diabetes Support Group where we can meet, exchange thoughts, ideas, our frustations, and bring in speakers to update us. I will be also be glad to meet with any individuals and help you get through this. We can meet for coffee-my treat, just no doughnuts though! Contact me at franlarkin@comcast.net You can also watch my talk which was filmed by the good folks at Port Media. Go to http://www.franlarkin.com/

Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time! Regards, FRAN

GREAT NEWS! This morning, March 13, my blood sugar was 85! It has been around 100 or below each day, for the past week. So the insulin is working!!!

"Home" For the Holidays

I think another key component of living a healthy live, both physically and mentally, is having a sense of "home." And home can manifest itself in many ways. It can be where we grew up, where we currently live, whether its in a house, apartment, or condo, it can be a state of mind and in most cases, its the place we go to at the end of the day.

When I was still working I couldn't wait to get home at the end of a long day and a long commute. Home for me was a nice house and yard, a beautiful wife and 3 wonderful children waiting. And a couple of cats! After dinner in the winter, I would crank up the fireplace, read the papers and the current book I had on the coffee table. And when we went away for the weekend or on a vacation, it was always good to get "home " especially after a long trip.

And maybe its that place we grew up. Where we live now is our current home, but there is always something special about that place we grew up in. I grew up in Harwich, on Cape Cod, and whether I was in college or married and living in other places, every time we went to the Cape and I crossed the bridge I was "home." And I still feel that way. Home here in Newburyport is great but there is always something special about crossing that bridge. I have that feeling every time. I was there last week and had that tingle when I crossed the Sagamore Bridge.

When I was a freshman at the University of Mass in Amherst back in 1964, I didn't come home until Thanksgiving. That was the longest I had ever been away. I was dropped off in front of the old high school. Our house was just a quarter mile away, so I wanted to walk that short distance and take it all in. When I got to the edge of our property, there was an old pine tree and a path that went across the field to the back door of our house. I had told my parents I would be home around 6pm and to have my dog Horton sitting on the back steps. I had a special whistle I used to always call Horton. When I got to that tree, I whistled. I didn't hear anything. I whistled again and then I heard the jingle of his dog tags, getting louder and louder. I whistled again and there he was! He recognized me and jumped about 4 feet in the air, like he was trying to give me a hug. Then he ran circles around me, barking and yelping. I patted him through moist eyes and we ran to the back door. Inside Dad, Mom, my 2 sisters and a nice home cooked meal of breaded pork chops was waiting. With Horton by my side, I walked in the back door. After a long two and a half months, little Frannie Larkin was "home" at last!

Wherever you are this holiday season, I hope you all are "home" for the holidays. And I hope you have the wonderful memories of "home" that I do. Happy holidays to everyone. Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time, FRAN

Living The Healthy Life

I think a key component of living a healthy life is living in an area that supports, encourages and is conducive to living a healthy life. And we are fortunate to live in Newburyport and the surrounding towns. I think just about everything we need to live a healthy life, both physically and mentally, is right here! And its one of the reasons we retired here over three years ago.

I am always amazed that we can drive a mile or two away from downtown Newburyport in three directions and find so many farms. And they are loaded with fresh, locally grown, organic and natural produce. And some of them have their own meat, turkey and pork, all raised as healthy as possible. And there are several farmers markets that make it so easy to purchase locally grown produce and products. I love going to the one in Newburyport, walking to it after walking the Rail Trail and then along the waterfront. And its open from May to December.

Any many of these farms provide CSA shares (Community Supported Agriculture) where weekly you can pick up fresh veggies and fruit in season. And there are usually full shares, half shares and even quarter shares available, depending on the size of your family. And I love fresh bread! We are fortunate to have several bakeries in the area, where they make their breads and rolls from scratch, and use only the freshest and natural ingredients. And we have several seafood markets that feature fresh caught fish, with many varieties. And there are some that have their own version of the CSA, where you pick up a container of fresh fish weekly.

And for folks who don't have the room for their own vegetable gardens, we have a Community Garden at the First Parish Church in Newbury and efforts are underway to expand these gardens in the area. And we are fortunate to have groups like Transition Newburyport that promote living this type of lifestyle.

And living a healthy life is not just eating well, but exercising on a regular basis and we certainly have the facilities and the options to do that. We have walking and hiking trails in abundance. I love to walk all around Maudslay, the Little River Trail, the Rail Trail, the Salisbury Rail Trail, the Amesbury Rail Trail, Old Town Hill, walk the Great Beach on Plum Island, or just walk around town and look at all the historic buildings and unique architecture. And we can also bike on many of these trails and we can bike from downtown Newburyport to Plum Island and to Sandy Point and back. And I love the backroads of Newbury, quiet and peaceful, with beautiful views. And many of these same trails are great for snowshoeing in the winter.

Ands when we can't get outdoors in the bad weather, we have indoor exercising options like the YWCA and all the other fitness centers and health clubs. There is certainly no excuse for not eating right and exercising regularly!

And when I walk around town, I love having a cup of coffee with me. And boy, do we have plenty of coffee "shops." There is something for everyone and it seems like every time I walk around a corner, there is a store selling fresh coffee. So if you see this tall guy walking around, with an Adironondack walking stick in one hand, and a cup of joe in the other, that's probably me!

And if we ever do get sick, or aren't feeling well, we certainly have the medical facilities in the area. We have a great hospital and so many wonderful doctors, nurses, PA's, etc. that will get us healthy again and out on those walking trails before you know it.

And part of living a healthy life is staying healthy and active mentally. We have so many authors, artists, and musicians in the area. There are numerous service organizations, clubs and non profits to join and volunteer opportunities to fit every background. These will help keep us stimulated and engaged.

So if you can make one change in your life, make sure you live in Newburyport and the surrounding towns! And I hope to see you along the trail! Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time, Regards, FRAN

AND THEN SOME MORE!

My book is titled 5 Words and Then Some. The "5 Words" section has chapters full of advice and wisdom on how to succeed in life. The "And Some" section covers topics like Volunteering, Public Speaking, Reading, setting your own Vision and Goals and much more. And in the very back is another chapter called "And Then Some More". I have received some positive feedback on this and thought I would share some of them.

* Always say "please"
* Always say "thank you"
* Always hold the door for the person behind you
* Always write thank you notes (hand written)
* Always write a sympathy card with a personal note when a friend or co-worker loses a close
family member
* When making a turn while driving, always use your signal light well in advance of making the
turn
* When you are out walking around town or on a hike, always pick up a piece of trash. Imagine
if we all picked up 2 pieces a day? Thats 730 a year times 17,500 people in Newburyport!!
* When someone moves in near you, bring them a bottle of wine or champagne, with a card,
welcoming them to the neighborhood.
* Say "hello" or "good morning" to everyone you meet, or pass and smile when you do
* Don't use your cell phone in public places or while driving and don't be talking while you are
in the checkout line at the supermarket and ignore the cashier
* Don't be rude or inconsiderate to anyone. There is too much negativity around as it is
* Pay for a meal at a restaurant for someone you don't know
* Do something nice for someone and don't tell them or anyone else
* Give someone a compliment or congratulate them on something nice that happened in their
life
* Grow a garden
* Recycle
* Start a compost pile
* Vote

You get the idea. Feel free to send me some of your own, and I will try to put them in the next
edition of my book. Send to franlarkin@comcast.net. Thanking you for your time, this time,
until next time, All Good Things, FRAN

Guess What Came in the Mail?

Last week I got my Medicaire card in the mail. Yikes! Can it be? I am going to be 65 in December? Holy cow! It just seems like I was in high school. And my wife and I have been on Social Security for almost 3 years now. It always seemed like "old people" were on social security and medicaire and now I am one of them.

My father died when he was 66 and my father in law also died at 66. And I had grandparents die in their 60's. That always seemed so far away and now I am at that age. But my father and father in law both smoked 3 packs of non filter cigarettes a day! And I have never smoked. Its interesting how the circle of life works. My parents are gone, and all my aunts and uncles have passed on as well as my grandparents many years ago. And now I have become the aunts and uncles and this fall I will be a grandparent for the first time.

But I don't feel old, whatever that means. If you asked me to pick an age that I feel, I would say 28. I don't have an ache or pain anywhere. I feel great. I have been going for annual physicals since I was 35 and have had all the appropriate tests and procedures at the proper times and have had no issues. As I have written about before I have Type 2 diabetes, but if I didn't take my blood sugar every day I would not know I had it. I take medicine and its under control.

But I often wonder why me? I have never been in a hospital overnight except to be born. I know many people younger than me who have passed on and I have friends and relatives with all kinds of health problems and aches and pains. Why them and not me? Is it luck, genes, or what? And why do bad things to good people? Entire books have been written about that. I think about this a lot.

I have tried to eat right, exercise several days a week, have a positive attitude, be enthusiastic about everything and give back to the community. I will try to do that the rest of my life. My goal is to live in retirement as many years as I worked-35. That will get me to 93. I am also shooting for 100. I wonder if the government sends you some type of card if you reach that milestone! So Medicaire, bring it on! I hope to hardly ever use you!! Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time! Regards, FRAN

Reading

I think a key component of living a healthy life is reading. Yes, reading! A book, a magazine, newspapers, an e-book, whatever. And holding a real book in your hand, a Kindle or a Nook. It doesn't matter. I don't know what I would do if I didn't read. Some of my earliest memories are going to the local library with my mother and going into the Children's section and seeing all those books and checking out as many as you wanted. I can still see the two ladies that worked there-Mrs. Doane and Mrs. Ford, sitting behind the desk and checking me out. They are long gone now but not those wonderful memories.

And I loved reading all those Hardy Boy books in junior high. Some days I would take a book home, lie on my bed and read the whole book and return it the next morning. I don't know when I did my homework that night. And I used some of my lawn mowing money to join a Sports Book Club where I would get a different biography every month.

One of life's pleasures is just walking into a book store and walking around, browsing all the books. I love history, biography and thrillers. We are fortunate to have 3 book stores in Newburyport, including one used book store. And how about the Newburyport Library? I think its a national treasure. The people that work there, the programs, the features, and all those books. Wow. What a place!

Former President Truman's daughter Margaret was once asked what her father's definition of Heaven was. She said something to the effect it was having a stack of new history or biography books on the table, next to his favorite chair. I think I would agree with him! Just add a cup of coffee and a fireplace to go with it!

And former Prime Minister of Israel, Shimon Peres, said, " I know there are good books and bad books. It can be fiction or nonfiction. It can be philosophy. It can be history. Really, when it comes to books, it is its value, its depth. You make an acquaintance with a book as you do with a person. After ten or fifteen pages, you know with whom you have to deal. When you have a good book, you really have something of importance. Books are as important as friends and maybe more so. Because all of us are living in very limited circles, books enable us to run away from them." Great advice!

Many of us waste too much time each week, watching television or surfing the internet. Skip a tv show and read a book. Try keeping a book by your bedside table and read 15-30 minutes a night before you go to sleep and read a few hours during the weekend. You will be surprised at how many books you can finish this way. I read about a couple of dozen books a year this way.

I hope to see you browsing the shelves in the Newburyport Library. Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time. Regards, FRAN

THE LAST RIDE!

A few weeks ago I had a pretty emotional experience. I had received a recall notice on my pickup truck. There was the possibility of rust on the frame. The truck was 13 years old. I looked underneath the truck, at the frame and thought I would see a little rust, like you see on a pipe. To my surprise there were holes in the steel frame, and pieces of the frame were peeling off! Yikes! This is the main frame that runs from the front to the back and supports the entire truck. I knew this did not look good. I called the dealer and made an appointment for an inspection. I drove over to Haverhill and arrived in the service area at 8:46am. If the truck failed the inspection, they would take it off the road and buy it back from me, for much more than the blue book value. I had a feeling this could be the last ride!

As I got out of the truck I patted the passenger seat. That's where my mother used to sit when we went for rides around the Cape and when we lived in Danbury, Ct. My brother in law's dog would spend a month with us in the summer- we called it summer camp for the dog! I used to drive around with him sitting there in the front seat, sticking his head out the window, ears flapping in the breeze. My oldest daughter who is now in Texas would sit there as we went for rides in the countryside while renting a cottage in Maine during the summers. I thought of all those memories as I walked around the truck and looked at the bed. That's where we carried our kayaks, mountain bikes and the huge lobster pot when we went to Maine for 2 weeks every summer. 13 years in that truck,

My wife and I hang on to our cars. 13 years for both of them. They become part of the family, just like our pets and houses. One of the most emotional times I ever had in my life, was when we sold our house in Danbury 3 years ago and moved to Newburyport. We lived in that house for 22 years-all the holidays, cookouts, family gatherings, a wedding, showers, all the pictures taken in front of the fireplace, the vegetable garden, the whiffleball games, all the fires I had over the years, etc. Driving down that driveway in the truck for the last time, stopping at the bottom of the hill, and looking back at the house for the last time was tough!

And the 3 cats we had over the 22 years were all buried in the wildflower garden. So many memories with them as well. And when I was growing up we had a dog for 17 years, who grew up with me. From junior high, college, marriage, and almost to the first baby. And he was a part of the family too. I don't think a day goes by where I don't think of him and all his antics!

And so it is with cars and trucks. 5 minutes after I got into the waiting room-hadn't even had a chance to drink my coffee, the service manager came in and said he had bad news! The rust was too bad for the truck to be driven. There was a possibility the frame would just break as I was driving and could cause an accident. So they gave me a free loaner until I decided what to do. Well, I bought a new truck. With the buyback I got a brand new truck at basically 60%! Not bad. So this week I went over to the dealer to pickup the check. The old truck was sitting out back of the dealership, all by itself, under some trees.. It had lots of dust on it and the bed was full of leaves. It still looked pretty good. I was going to hang onto it for 3 more years and hit 200k in mileage. They told me it was going to be towed to Boston, they would recycle what they could and then crush it I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I walked around it one last time, touched it, ran my hands along the outside, thought of all the wonderful times and walked away with moist eyes. As Bob Hope used to say, "thanks for the memories."

But I walked to the other side of the dealership, got into my brand new pickup and will start a new set of memories. The kayaks, mountain bikes, and the lobster pot will be going in it 2 weeks from today as we head off to Long Lake in Maine for 2 glorious weeks. Let the new memories begin!!

Thanking you for your time, this time, until next time, I remain "sentimental" FRAN