Diabetes Awareness Month, No Shave November, Least Favorite Local Athlete Commercials (2 athletes make it twice)

No Shave November

We are in the month of November and nothing says November like not shaving.  I happened to shave both my face and head on November because I was Freddie Mercury for Halloween (In the second picture I'm the one on the right in case you couldn't tell).

I dyed my hair and facial hair black and with my skin being so pale, it was best for me to shave my head and face.  Unfortunately this was on the first day of a tradition I have done for years which is to participate in "No Shave November."  I am a day behind but each day I will be taking a picture of myself, then placing all of the pictures in a video to show you all the progress of my hopefully beautiful beard.  My head hair is slow growing nowadays so I do not anticipate very much hair by the end of the month.  I know what you're thinking: "Yes! More David selfies."  You are welcome.  

Diabetes Awareness Month

November, on a more serious note, is also Diabetes Awareness Month.  Of course this is something near and dear to my heart as if you don't know by now, I have Type 1 Diabetes which is a very different disease than Type 2.  My girlfriend, Amy, brought to my attention two pictures that perfectly explain to people how different they are:

I heard this in one of the billions of Spiderman movies once or maybe even in the cartoon back in the day, "With great power comes great responsibility."  Well, my power is being diabetic.  I have this disease for a reason.  I believe in God, and God gave me this for a reason.  It taught me to be disciplined and patient.  It taught me that some things are just out of your control, but you can still contain.  I am also given this disease because I have a voice.  This will be my 142nd entry on this blog site and I have over 17,000 views so someone out there must be reading.  My responsibility is to reach out to you guys and let you know some facts about this disease.  I will start with some my sister posted yesterday:

Diabetes follows Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and yes breast cancer is an awful disease, and it kills an alarming number of people a year.  Type 1 Diabetes is a different kind of killer.  I look normal.  If I didn't tell you I had diabetes and you didn't see my pump connected to my body, you wouldn't know.  Every day though, this disease attacks me.  There have been no off days since I was first diagnosed at the age of 12.  It's there on the best and worst days of your life.  It makes its presence felt too.  If you are stressed, your blood sugar rises.  If you take certain medicines, your blood sugar rises.  Sometimes it rises for reasons you don't even know.  So what, you are thinking?  What's the big deal about high blood sugars?  Here are the effects:

High Blood Sugars

• You can get DKA, which is described below from the Diabetes.org website:

What if it Goes Untreated?

Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if you don't treat it, so it's important to treat as soon as you detect it. If you fail to treat hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis (diabetic coma) could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when your body doesn't have enough insulin. Without insulin, your body can't use glucose for fuel, so your body breaks down fats to use for energy.

When your body breaks down fats, waste products called ketones are produced. Your body cannot tolerate large amounts of ketones and will try to get rid of them through the urine. Unfortunately, the body cannot release all the ketones and they build up in your blood, which can lead to ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is life-threatening and needs immediate treatment. Symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Breath that smells fruity
• Nausea and vomiting
• Very dry mouth

Talk to your doctor about how to handle this condition.

- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html#sthash.Cs2G96DJ.dpuf

• You can develop neuropathy, which is something that has happened to me.  You begin to get numbness in your hands and mostly feet.  They begin to tingle and also very sensitive to heat or cold.  In severe cases, it can attack your organs.
• It can cause a coma.
• Kidneys can shut down or begin to not work properly.

These are just a few of the many effects high blood sugars can cause, especially over time.  Doctors moderate your blood sugar levels through a blood test called a hemoglobin A1C which shows basically an average number your blood sugar was over a 3 month span.  Speaking of blood sugar levels, a normal person's blood is between 60 and 120.  I diabetic person's levels would come in higher than that.  High blood sugars have a long term effect on you and in Lehman's terms, eventually kill you.  Low blood sugars also can have a very negative effect on you short term.  If you over correct with insulin, your body could get sweaty and shaky.  I know I sweat like a monster when I'm low.  My eyes also have trouble seeing things in real time.  I have also passed out twice from low blood sugars.  Many people go into seizures from extremely low blood sugar levels.  

This is why it is so difficult for us diabetics.  There are consequences if you go too high or low, but we are human.  There are good days and bad days.  Sometimes we don't feel like doing it that day, or sometimes we forget to program in a meal or we don't feel good, but we suffer consequences for those days.  Diabetes is a serious and fatal disease that needs just as much awareness as any cancer or AIDS or any other disease.

My favorite charity for Type 1 Diabetes is JDRF and here is their website: http://jdrf.org/.  You can show your support by making a video on their site which I will be participating in and also changing your profile pic on any social media site to this below:

Read more about my struggles with diabetes at the below links:

• http://davidbrooks1985.blogspot.com/2014/09/20-things-only-juvenile-diabetics-will.html
• http://davidbrooks1985.blogspot.com/2014/05/diabetes-my-battles-please-donate-to.html
• http://davidbrooks1985.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-have-peripheral-neuropathy-and.html
• http://davidbrooks1985.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-first-week-with-diabetes-and-price.html
• http://davidbrooks1985.blogspot.com/2011/11/patrice-oneal-his-battle-with-diabetes.html

Least Favorite Local Athlete Commercials

Now that all the serious stuff is out of the way, here are my top 5 least favorite local athlete commercials...this list was compiled after talking with a coworker about how horrible the local Elk and Elk commercials were and it spawned into talking about Carson Palmer's John Morrell commercial which, in turned, made me come up with this list, but first here are father and son, Elk and Elk and their famous comb-overs:

5. Carson Palmer//John Morrell-Carson may have left us in Cincinnati for greener pastures in his eyes, but Carson left us this gem of a commercial that will live in this city forever.  Check out the referees.

4. Pete Rose// Kool-Aid- There terribleness of this commercial was saved by the Kool-Aid man (I have a soft spot in my heart for him) when he bursts through the wall.  Pete is ridiculous in it though.

3. Bronson Arroyo//Champion Ford- Bronson makes cheesy comments but even worse, he cusses in the commercial.  Did this actually air?

2. Pete Rose//Muenchens- Pete and his trophy wife try to help sell some furniture.  His acting and hat....both bad.

1. Bronson Arroyo and Chris Welsh//J.T.M.-The lyrics are bad; the acting is worse.  I actually like both Arroyo and Welsh but when you are first of all promoting J.T.M. which is awful with a bad song, and an awkward mustached sad man, you get to be my least favorite commercial.

20 things a new Bengals fan should know....

Well everyone, we are in the heart of the NFL season, and we are also two days away from Halloween, so I figured I would do a fun little blog about the orange and black Cincinnati Bengals (that's the closest I could get to a Halloween theme on this one). The gif blog I posted last time about diabetes was such a big hit, I decided to do, the 20 things a new Bengal fan should know.  I was only 5 when the Bengals last won a playoff game in 1990.  I hardly remember it.  Most of my years as a fan, I've encountered very few ups before the Marvin Lewis era.   The 1990's and early 2000's were a disaster.  We suffered through the bad draft picks of Kijana Carter, David Klingler, and Akili Smith.

We had fun with Shake n Blake and the return of Boomer.

Even the bright spots, however, were still bad years. Until Marvin arrived, most of the years were rough. Marvin was a savior when he first arrived he could do no wrong in the eyes of most Bengals fans.  He would be the sports equivalent to a messiah if he could just get the team to 8-8, and I'll be damned if he didn't do that.

He flirted with making the playoffs in his debut year of 2003, but ultimately fell short.  That year, he did draft Carson Palmer, who learned on the sidelines, and in 2005, Marvin took the Bengals back to the playoffs.  That became the Kimo Von Oelhoffen game where the 3 seed Bengals were upset by their rival, and ultimately the Super Bowl champions, Pittsburgh Steelers.  Von Oelhoffen, a former Bengal, actually rolled over the the leg of Palmer, tearing up his knee after he completed a 60+ yard pass to the late Chris Henry.  The Bengals since that game, have gone back to the playoffs in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013 losing in their first game each time.  During the Marvin era, we again had fun with Chad Johnson's celebrations, and TJ's tds, but that faded into disappointing seasons and Carson decided to leave.

With Dalton and Green drafted in the lockout year of 2011, their luck turned right back around where they made the playoffs for three straight years, but still as I stated earlier, lost each time. Sorry about this long intro to the list.  I could have actually written for hours longer, but I'd like to get to my list, so without further adieu, here are the 20 things, in gif form, a new Bengals fans should know:

20. Your team will draft superb athletes (sarcasm), like Andre Smith in the 2009 draft.

19. Your team will get used to left handed throws from their quarterbacks, like Gus Frerotte's left handed interception (he's right handed) to the rival Browns.

18. When you finally have hope a former teammate, playing for the hated Steelers, will come and crush your dreams of winning a playoff game.

17. Don't ever get used to your team getting a big-name free agent.

16. Get used to players showing up more on your police scanners and arrest sheets than in the stat sheets, unless of course, it's missed tackles.

15. Don't watch games when Bengals play in prime time, because we all know they don't show up for big games. Just ask Kevin Huber, who got his collarbone broken in a 2013 Sunday Night Football game where the Bengals got routed by the Steelers.

14. Speaking of punters, you better have a good one, because when your team isn't turning the ball over they will be punting, especially in the late 90's.  Field position baby.

13. Plan on your team disguising how bad they are by proposing to cheerleaders after scoring.

12. Be ready for your most famous fan to be the legendary Bootsy Collins.

11. Be ready for heart break season.  Some say it's before Christmas.  Not in Cincinnati, they break your hearts on Wildcard Weekend in January.

10. Get ready for everyone to refer to your team as the Bungles. Yes it's old, yet people still think it's funny and original.

 
9. Especially in the 90's this one was the case.  Expect to do something else when the Bengals' play at home on Sundays.  The game will be blacked out.

8. Expect that they will never fire the messiah, Marvin Lewis. No matter how bad he does, he is still better than before--- on the bright side.

7. Expect gray hair....trust me on this one.

6. If your like me, expect to be angry all week after a tough loss (one of the many problems with there only being one game a week, you sweat a loss wayyyy too long).

5. You will be excited when you realize they at least aren't the Browns or Steelers (sorry for the cliche piss on Browns image).

4. You will have glimpses of glory when players like Corey Dillon break records (and then they leave angry at the organization, but we are only focusing on positives).

3. Get used to players quitting on your team.

2. Your team will ruin superstar athletes' careers like Bo Jackson, and ignite other superstars like Brett Favre.

1. When all else fails, we have to rely on a ginger to attempt to lead us to the promised land.

Those are my 20.  And I know over the years there will be more, and after all of this, I am still a fan and I root for my team through thick and then and I love the Bengals.  They do frustrate me from time to time but I wouldn't want to be a fan of any other team.

20 Things Only Juvenile Diabetics Will Understand

Hello everybody, I've seen a few of these types of lists floating around the internet, so I thought I'd do my own.  This is for only diabetics to understand, specifically type 1 diabetics.  If you are not one, maybe this will help you understand our frustrations better.

1. When your blood sugar is feeling low.

2. When your blood sugar is high.

3. When someone tells you what you can or can't eat.

4.When putting in your site hurts.

5. When someone doesn't know the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

6. When you need sugar bad.

7. When others stare at you while changing insulin in public.

8. When you are happy your blood sugar is in range.

10. The lazy days where you don't feel like being diabetic.

11. When people say diabetes isn't that severe of a disease.

12. The day you are diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

13. When you forget to set your bolus.

14. When it's time to see the doctor and you know you will get yelled at for not checking your blood enough.

15. When your blood is high and you are dying of thirst.

16. When you don't feel well but want to act normal.

17. When people tell you repeatedly to check your blood and you don't feel like it.

18. When someone acts to be an expert on diabetes when they are not.

19. Every morning you wake up after having diabetes for a long time.

20. When people say Diabeetus instead of Diabetes.

I'm very angry: The Archdiocese vs The Ice Bucket Challenge (ft. Stem Cell Research)

For the most part, I don't like this blog to deal with serious issues. I write blogs mostly for fun and to make people laugh, but sometimes things just get to me.  ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease is one of the most awful diseases on this planet.  It crippled baseball's first iron man (who played in the most consecutive MLB games ever until Cal Ripken Jr. broke his record) until it ultimately lead to his death.

Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech.

The disease is cruel it deteriorates those who were once healthy-seeming beings and turns them into nothing more than mush.  It is hard to see some go through it.  Those who have the disease eventually become totally paralyzed due to the lack of muscle nourishment.  You can read more about the disease at the ALS website, http://www.alsa.org/about-als/what-is-als.html.

I knew about Lou Gehrig's disease before, but it didn't hit me hard until former Saints player, Steve Gleason announced he had the disease in 2011.  This guy, like Gehrig was a hero.  Sure he wasn't one of the greatest Yankees of all time, but he blocked the famous punt in the game that reopened the Super Dome after Hurricane Katrina hit.  I learned about the disease through various NFL feature stories on his life and I saw the effect it had on one's body.  You can learn more about Gleason at his website, http://www.teamgleason.org/.

                                       Steve Gleason before ALS                                             Steve Gleason with ALS

I bring this up because, like many critical diseases, no cure has been found as of yet. That doesn't stop many doctors and scientists from trying to find a cure everyday.  As many of my readers know, I have Type 1 Diabetes or Juvenile diabetes.  I am too looking for a cure.  My pancreas doesn't work.  Imagine this:  A vital part of your body just not working. That's what happened to me in 1997 at the age of 11.  My doctor told me in my lifetime there would be a cure.  What do cures take? brains, time, thinking outside the box, effort, and most importantly, support (money).  My disease luckily has the JDRF which raises a lot of money towards curing diabetes and they have a major fundraiser called The Walk to Cure Diabetes which my family walked in this year.  I'm happy to say with the help of my friends and family, my team The Walking Diabetics raised over $3,000.

(Above) The Walking Diabetics

ALS also has several good organizations to raise money for a cure to an awful disease.  The #IceBucketChallenge was started on social media to raise awareness and money for ALS.  And it did its job, former presidents, celebrities, and athletes including the great Michael Jordan participated.

How it works is you dump a bucket of ice over your head, if challenged, within  24 hours or you donate to an ALS charity of your choice. No one SHOULD have a problem with that right?  Check out this fact below from Mike & Mike's facebook:

The challenge has been spreading quicker than I spread marshmallow fluff on a piece of bread when I'm hungry.  All well and good until I read this article about how my religion feels about the issue, http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/08/20/ice-bucket-challenge-cincinnati-archdiocese/14342977/.

"The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has asked the principals at its Catholic schools not to encourage students to raise money for the ALS Association as the ice-bucket challenge becomes an internet sensation.

The challenge itself is fine, said Dan Andriacco, spokesman for the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese just doesn't want fundraising to be sent to the association, which funds at least one study using embryonic stem cells, Andriacco said.

"(Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a terrible disease," Andriacco said, a day after an email was sent to principals from Superintendent Jim Rigg.

This news inspired me to put this up as my status on facebook:

I know stem cell research (If you don't know what stem cells are read more about them here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/stem-cell-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117)  has been linked in there with stances on abortion and things like that when it comes to politics and the Catholic Church is also doing so, but does any of that really matter when it comes down to it?  This is about saving lives.  This is about improving my damn life expectancy and how I feel on a daily basis.  I was 11 years old the last time I felt physically and mentally 100%.  The people in Washington D.C. and the people running the church don't know how I feel.  They don't know how Steve Gleason feels.  Their lives aren't slowly deteriorating.  Juvenile diabetes is a struggle every day of my life.  It gives me no breaks.  There have been several breakthroughs where they get closer each day to finding a cure, and I'm sure raising all of this money for ALS will help them in their fight too, but this issue is a no brainer for me, use stem cell research to help cure diseases like diabetes and ALS.  Until someone lives with a disease like these, one can not begin to imagine what we go through.  I can't imagine how someone with ALS feels, just like most of you cant begin to imagine how I feel.  I want these opponents of research can look in their hearts and see what it feels like to have hope for a disease. I am ashamed to say I am Catholic today.  Jesus would not call this a sin.  He would call it a miracle.

The day that they come out with a cure to diabetes, I will cry my eyes out.  I will not think of whether or not it was derived from stem cell research.  I will just thank the person who came up with it, and be forever grateful to have a working pancreas again.  If I died from my disease tomorrow, the truth is I wouldn't be here to support my religion, so how can they be against it?  How can anyone?  If you are against it, you don't understand this world.  Do you see how ALS took one of the best baseball players ever and turned him into someone who couldn't tie a shoe?  Do you see how diabetes has messed up my nervous system to where my hands and feet tingle constantly and are very sensitive to hot and cold?  How can a religion watch its own followers suffer all because they don't support modern science?  I am of the belief that no one can be against such an issue if they have something so horrible that can be cured only with the help of stem cells.  I don't care how religious you are, when it comes down to it, you are going to want to survive as long as possible.  To make that possible, ideals can't be coming from 2,000 years ago or even in the dark ages.  You have to change and be willing to change.

To anyone who is against stem cell research, I will quote someone Catholics will just love, Charles Darwin, who said: “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” 

I will be taking the challenge tonight for ALS as I was challenged by my father, and I will flip off the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and I will be proud to do it.

Dave Brooks Sr. takes the #IceBucketChallenge and challenges me.

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Update below: My Challenge