That's a picture of me the day before Christmas. Take 20 some odd pounds off that and you have me today. Maybe I will have Sue take a pic of me tomorrow so you can see the difference. The gut is what is really going away. But according to experts, diabetes causes guts to grow expotentially. In fact, it's one of the symptoms experts in the field look for when diagnosing Type II diabetes.

My blood sugar average for the last 3 months pleased my doctor on my visit Thursday. Apparently the Byetta is really working. She's happy, I am happy. I lose weight, my eye sight came back, it's all good right? Well, actually, yes, it really is all good. I feel better than I have in years and I weigh less than I have since I was 19 years old.

She has been giving me B-12 shots the last couple of visits. I asked for them because taking B-12 sublingually sucks big time. I honestly cannot tell the difference when she gives me the shot. Sometimes I think it's a placibo shot. My ass sure hurts after the shot, but that is all I ever feel so far. It seems I cannot absorb B-12 like regular humans, hence the sublingual and shots. I came up with a serious deficency of B-12 in that barage of tests I took back in January (I think I may actually have those paid off now, but I am not sure). My iron was good, but my B-12 was bad. I guess they have something to do with one another in some way so that when you are low in B-12 on a test and not iron, they can tell it's your ability to absorb it in your stomach. Mine apparently is fucked up and doesn't absorb B-12. I knew I wasn't perfect, I just didn't know in which way I wasn't perfect. Now I do. <grin>

I am rattling on right now because I don't want to feel. A friend of ours is gravely ill and has been sent home from the hospital to die. He's the sweetest person you could ever know. It's Kaitlyn I am concerned about. Sue and I know about death. Kailtyn, despite the thousands of pets she has endured the deaths of in her 8 1/2 years, still has yet to experience the death of human being she actually knows and loves. Kaitlyn adores Shalom. She doesn't understand that he will probably not be able to respond to her because of the severity of his stroke. Sue and K are going to see Shalom tomorrow. K doesn't understand that he cannot see all the beautiful pictures she drew him because his eyes cannot open because of the stroke.

But he will know she is there. What a sweet, gentle and loving being he is... K will miss riding on his motorized wheel chair with him. And telling him her stories that he so patiently sat through. I will miss him sitting through my boring stories too. What a patient soul he is....

He won't be there this summer helping out at EK. His spirit, but not his body. It just wore out and it was his time. I am not sure what his kids are going to do with him. His life partner Carolyn died several years ago. He has no family members here to make the decisions about what will happen to him or where his remains will be taken. I am not sure, but I know that he will probably not care what is done with his remains. Shalom wouldn't put up much of a fuss about what happened to his body after death. It's us who will put up the fuss about saying goodbye. And we will do it up Eureka style. Whether there is a body there or not.

We'll say goodbye in a most fitting for Shalom manner. It will probably be more of a celebration of life than anything else. Because that is the way Shalom would want it... celebrate his remarkable, loving life. And just life in general.

Catch you late Shalom, be good man!