I haven’t been up to writing. The holidays were a lovely gift of indulgence. Indulge I did…it was a veritable orgy of all the wrong foods and all the wrong drink…ah well…chalk it up to human frailty. It was such a wonderful time I didn’t want to write about hemochromatosis let alone think about this disease. I guess in an, unhealthy, way I wanted to prove to the hemo that I ruled my life and it didn’t rule me.
But the sad fact that I have to face is there has been an uptick of symptoms. I can’t help wonder if I had a blood test today would it show an increase in my iron levels? It’s fairly sobering to realize that I only have myself to blame. I wonder do people with other diseases go on these type of binges? They must. People every once in awhile just want to go on with their lives even if their lives and the way they once lived them were not particularly healthy.
I now understand the smoker’s cravings…kind of …sort of…to a degree. But even more, I understand my Gram. Gram has diabetes. For awhile I believed that diabetes was my problem too. First of all, I wanted to rip every sweetie out of her hands as they completed their journey up to her mouth…hence her diabetes became my problem. Secondly, when I first started having symptoms I just knew I had diabetes too…I mean why not almost every female over thirty on my maternal side has diabetes. Why not me?
Now I know my issue is too much iron and not too much sugar. And now I also know that know when I see my 86 year old Gram eat dessert (I am not thrilled, but) I can empathize. The past two weeks all I wanted to eat was bread, bread, bread, and noodles and beef and pastries and then to wash it all down with a huge Guiness stout! Yum bread and beer…heaven! However, most bread is iron fortified as are noodles…and alcohol in large quantities isn’t good for anyone. So there you have it…how can I the pot call my Gram’s kettle black?
