Ups and downs

[shiredancer]

What was really depressing about yesterday was getting bombarded with sad news. Like my best friend calling to cancel our lunchtime walk because she was at her mom's care facility -- and in tears. She didn't elaborate but I'm afraid the news isn't going to be good. Her mom is one of the sweetest women I've ever met, and about a decade younger than my own mother -- but she's been in a stroke-induced decline into dementia (not quite Alzheimer's) and I expect things just got worse. And one of my grad students came in and told me her fiance of two years just dumped her for another woman -- in a really mean way, no gentle let-down -- and she's severely depressed, not eating, barely functioning, but under academic pressure to keep up with her work. Aaaarggghh. I did the paperwork for her to get her out from under the immediate problem, but all I could do was hug her and spout the usual cliches that don't do anybody any good. She was crying and I felt so useless. And four kids from the high school where my sister is the librarian were killed in a senseless automobile accident and not found for two days. One of them might be the son of somebody I went to high school with.

That was about enough bad news for one day. But then one of the faculty was talking about her diabetes, and weight issues, and it suddenly clicked that my husband's *entire* family has diabetes now except him, males and females alike, and my daughter is probably genetically predisposed, and she's been putting on a lot of weight, and now I feel like I've enabled her right into a serious health issue and now I can enjoy a Bad Mother Guilt Complex.

There was supposed to be an "up" side to this, wasn't there? Oh yeah, I had my 50-year doctor appointment today and I'm disgustingly healthy.

Comments

[linaelyn.livejournal.com]

We're starting to think the same things about Midlet;

Ahhh, rats.

We're starting to wonder the same about EK. Heavy protein-based diet seems to put her on a much more even keel. (heh. nautical reference!) My mother's the only one of her generation (sister & 8 cousins) to not be diabetic at this point, and Rachel's been borderline for years. EK's generation of kids has two already with childhood onset diabetes (like age 3 & 4--not the weight-related kind).

Maybe we need to rethink the genetics for the arranged marriage? eep.

Sally, I feel your pain, yeah. Trying to teach healthy eating habits in this society is just really difficult. My friday co-op is meeting at McDonalds today! *sigh*

*hugs* for all the other stuff, my dear. SOmetimes life just throws too many hardballs.

[shiredancer.livejournal.com]

Oh... gosh, this diabetes stuff is *everywhere*!! I'm so sorry to hear about it in your family too. Claire like lots of protein, but she's eating way too many sweets. *Very* hard to fight, with me being such a chocoholic. Basically it gives me two battles to fight.

Well, more power to all of us, and luck, and we'll just have to hide the rum and candy. *Sigh*

*Hugs* and *thanks*!