Thanks! (and Mr. Sandman)

Before I actually post anything, I'd like to thank everyone for the amazingly positive response that my last post, Liar, has received. Stephen at Happy-Medium.Net wrote a post for D-Blog Check day that stressed the importance of writing, even if your words only touch one person (even if that person is yourself). This is a philosophy I wholeheartedly subscribe to, and I have been delighted every time I make a connection with even one person on my own little personal blog. Sometimes, though, it's even better to connect with over a thousand people! I have no idea what it's actually like to "go viral" (of course, writing about a chronic illness, I'd hate for it to actually "go viral"), but it's been a lot of fun to read all the comments, see my stats counter go berserk, and really, truly feel part of an enormous community for the past week.

Of course, this means that I'm paralyzed with fear about what to post next, now that people are actually looking at me!  I was going to post something about my current steps in healing from injury and moving forward with exercise, but I think I'll do that next time; last post was so serious that I think I'm going to go a bit lighter.

Music is a big part of my life, as well as theatre. I'm in a nerd-rock handbell group called Pavlov's Dogs, and a serious semiprofessional choir, the Amadeus Choir (you can listen to our performance of Bach's B-Minor Mass, recorded by the CBC (Canada's national public radio and TV broadcaster, here - I'm next to the pulpit in the photo, with a music stand because of my broken elbow at the time). Recently, though, I've also started singing with a five-woman a cappella group (no name yet), and it's been a lot of fun. The other day, we were practicing a version of the old standby, Mr. Sandman (original version, by The Chordettes, here). A couple members of our group do burlesque, so I wound up writing a burlesque version of the song on the way home (what else could Mr. Sandman bring?) that I won't post here. After I finished it, though, I thought: if Mr. Sandman could bring us dreams, a guy, and various other things, why couldn't he diversify, and, like a medical Santa Claus, bring me a new pancreas? This is all a long preamble to present my diabetes version of Mr. Sandman, performed by 1950s singing group the Diabeats:

Mr. Sandman, (bring me a) pancreas please

Let me deal with carbs with devilish ease

Remove this blight that tries to erase us

And keep me constantly in homeostasis

Sandman, I’m so alone

Can’t process sugar just on my own

You know test strips don’t grow on trees

Mr. Sandman, pancreas please

Mr. Sandman, pancreas please

The pump is nice, but control’s still a tease

You know I just want to stay alive

I’m sick of glucose tabs and Error Five

Sandman, give me a rest

This regimen's got me feeling oppressed

When I wake I want perfect A1cs

Mr. Sandman, pancreas please!

Mr. Sandman, pancreas please!

I'm like an engine, without any keys

When I am cured, I won’t be a boaster

I’ll just cheer when I step off that glucoaster

Sandman, a dream’s what you make

But nighttime lows kind of keep me awake

If you want me to catch some “Zs”...

Laugh at insurance companies...

Have time for more fun, less disease...

Mr. Sandman, pancreas please!

(And make sure it works this time!)

So, finally, happy Blue Friday, everyone! Here's my special Blue Friday dress:

Stylish *and* awareness-raising!

-Ilana