Hi all, I've only recently joined the Diabetes forums, and have been asking a few questions that were worrying me so up to now I didn't make time to introduce myself, well it's about time I remedied that.
My name is Fran, my online 'handle' is FranOnTheEdge.
I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic on about the 29th Dec last year (2015).
I'm now on a controlled release form of Metformin because the first lot gave me the dihorios, this lot do too, but not quite so often. It makes it kind of hard to know if it's safe to go swimming at the local leisure center, but swimming is the only exercise I can do because I also have Arthritis in every joint - some more so than others, so any impact producing exercise like running (can't remember the last time I could run anywhere) or pilates which wanted me to spend most of the time balancing on the damaged vertebra in my back - are out, swimming on the other hand is actually enjoyable, and afterwards I can sense my body feeling like it's humming and actually working a bit, and my breathing improves too.
I am vastly overweight but have been able to reduce that (partly me and latterly partly with help from Slimming World) so that since September last year (pre-diagnoses) I have now lost 2 stone 3lb 12 ounces. I feel pretty proud of that, would never have thought I could do it, but I've got a long, long way to go yet.
But none of all that is really ME, there's more to me than that health stuff.
I feel that my core self is as an artist, I have tested out many different types of art, and currently I work in Grunge Art, Texture Art, and Acrylic Painting, and use polymer clay, plaster, stencils, gels, crackle paste, gesso, tinfoil, shells, sand, garden seedheads, stones, found objects, kitchen implements, greenhouse shading, old pen tops, mesh, hessian, lace... almost anything I can think of a use for, to create my art.
I have 2 kids, both girls: one has a daughter, and the other has 1 daughter and two sons, and my husband is my best friend.
I like watching Pointless - we cheat, and watch recorded episodes pausing while we think. Lol!
Time Team, Midsomer Murders, other Archaeology progs, sciensy progs, (love Professor Brian Cox,) QIXL, Red Dwarf, real crime like Forensic Detectives (where they catch the baddies - not so keen on the unsolved ones) stuff about Neanderthals, not so keen on David Attenborough progs, simply because sooner or later some small baby animal will get torn to bits - gives me nightmares, and I have enough of my own worries for that. I like David Attenborough himself though.
Absolutely canNOT STAND those ghost finding progs, and most of those dancing progs make me want to punch someone, but we're all different, aren't we?
I once wrote a complete whodunnit book, but I've never had anything published. (I'll admit I didn't really try very hard.) plus a lot of unfinished writings, including some poetry. Hmmm, sometimes I think it's okay, sometimes I don't.
I have a bouncy Collie dog, who sheds like mad and whom we recently took up to Cumbria to visit one daughter taking the other with us - dog was amazingly well behaved, I was very surprised and so proud of him.
I love buying gadgets, bought a soupmaker that gave me lukewarm bitty soup with a raw onion taste - should have been smooth and hot - wasn't. (Sent it back as faulty) I still like the idea of a soupmaker, but it's priority has moved way, way down the list.
I've bought a spiralizer, but haven't found a recipe that uses it which I actually want to make yet.
Bought an AirFryer, it sat on the cupboard for a long time, but I'm finally starting to use it more.
Can't think of anything else, which is a good thing, 'cos if anyone read all this, by now they'll be fed up with me, so that's all folks!
So if you have got this far, please say hello...