Devil in disguise - my favorite caramel roll cake…
I am a sweet lover… No, not the ’sweet lover’ as in ‘jeepney driver, sweet lover’ LOL! If you live in the Philippines, you will know what this allusion means - that of jeepney driver being a sweet lover. But that is getting off the main topic of this entry already. I’ll just blog about the ‘jeepney driver lover’ some other time. 
I am a sweet lover in the sense that I love sweets! For me, a meal is not complete without capping it with a sweet dessert of any form. Leche flan, ice cream, yema, halayang ube, halo halo, or even just a chocolate candy. I think my taste buds were so trained to be inclined towards sweets because I grew up with these delicacies. When I was a child, my aunt used to make ‘pastillas’ which were so creamy and milky. They tasted so good especially because they were spiked with lemon or calamansi zest that made them more delightful. I remember hanging around in the kitchen in my grandparents’ house during afternoons when everyone would be having siesta or busy with personal business, as I pretended to be busy tinkering with my doll - so I could freely indulge in those creamy yummies when no one else was around. Then of course, as we had a poultry before, my mother would every so often (almost everyday!) whip leche flan with the cracked eggs that were considered rejects by the Chinese woman who came to our house to pick up poultry supplies from us. So there, my taste buds were conditioned early on towards sugary delics. Thus, the craving.
Lately however, I have started to shun away even from my favorite caramel roll cake. I was prompted to do so because I have been feeling a bit awry these past days with some sensation of discomfort from somewhere I can’t pin point in my body. I just sense something is ailing me. Wanting to know what’s wrong with me, I then searched the net if the uneasiness I have been feeling point to any kind of disorder or looming disease. And voila! this is what I found:
Some of the common ‘early warning’ signs of diabetes are:
- The first symptom of diabetes is often excessive thirst (unrelated to exercise, hot weather, or short-term illness)
- Excessive hunger (you know you’ve eaten “enough” but are still hungry all the time)
- Frequent urination (often noticed because you must wake up repeatedly during the night)
- Tiredness and fatigue (possibly severe enough to make you fall asleep unexpectedly after meals), one of the most common symptoms of diabetes.
- Rapid and/or sudden weight loss (any dramatic change in weight is a sign to visit a doctor)
I’m positive with the first four warning signs, most particularly the first one.
Then, I read on:
If diabetes is suspected, tested for, and diagnosed when those symptoms first start appearing, other more serious symptoms of advanced diabetes can often be prevented or have their onset significantly delayed through diet, exercise and proper blood sugar management.
However, often the ‘minor’ symptoms of diabetes go unrecognized, and physical and neurological problems may arise, resulting in some of the following symptoms:
- Blurred vision (diabetes can lead to macular degeneration and eventual blindness)
- Numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy, a symptom of diabetes, causes nerve damage in the extremities)
- Slow healing of minor scratches and wounds (diabetes often leads to impaired immune system function)
- Recurrent or hard-to-treat yeast infections in women (another sign of impaired immune function)
- Dry or itchy skin (peripheral neuropathy also affects circulation and proper sweat gland function)
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms on a regular basis, or you recognize these symptoms in a child or relative, they may be signs of untreated diabetes. A doctor’s appointment should be made as soon as possible, so the individual experiencing the symptoms can — if diabetes is diagnosed — take the steps needed to prevent more serious health problems.
Now, I don’t want to wait until I become positive with the fifth warning sign or any of the more serious symptoms. (Actually, I think I am positive already with dry, itchy skin and slow healing of minor scratches and wounds.) The last time I had my blood sugar checked was last year, and it yielded normal results. But a year is a year and within this period, I might have consumed more sugar than my body could take to maintain its normal sugar level. Oh, didn’t I have more than enough servings of buko pandan, fruit salads, crema de fruta last Yuletide…? I know, I know - I’m such a sugar pig. But enough of it. So goodbye, sans rival, goodbye, black forest, goobye brazo de mercedes, goobye sylvanas, goobye Swiss chocolates… oh, such a teary goobye, but it’s better to say goodbye to these goodies than to say goodbye to the world. Hey, I still want to live and see my grandkids!
Next step: a medical check up.
same here, we must be one of a kind. just yesterday, i bought the family’s favorite choco-caramel at cravings (how the prices have increase! it’s now about P700 for a whole cake).
and yes, the blood sugar…the count…it should not go up! thanks for reminding.
Welcome back. Hope you are feeling okay now.
I agree with you, the next best step is medical check-up. At least this will settle the matter of speculating whether you have it or you do not have it.
Another thing you have to check is whether your family has a history of diabetes, that is almost always a good indication of susceptibility to the ilness.
Oh my, I have a sweet tooth too. I am so sorry you have these symptoms — but glad too you got an early warning. Hope it’s a false alarm. But even if it is, you, we need to slow down on those yummies that we sometimes describe as ‘to die for.’ No, they’re not worth it. haha
Please … off to the doctor you go. (I wonder if they’d give you a glucose overload, too. It’s like — swallowing a gallon of syrup, and then they get some of your blood hour on the hour to see how your system eliminates the substance. That wasn’t too bad, though it was kinda tedious.)
Welcome back. Miss talaga kita.
That caramel roll cake looks yummmmmyyyy!!! But a word of advice: better see the doctor right away.
I’m not much of a sweet tooth; but occasionally I do indulge in chocolates and candies!
(:
I like yema
but seriously, better be early on those symptoms to avoid further complications.
I’ve got a sweet tooth too, but I try to control it especially in front of the kids, he he
I agree with them all… better see the doctor, before you get more symptom
wish you well
My aunt in Subic also had a poultry farm; hence, lots of leche flan.
She was the only one in our family (both sides) afflicted with diabetes. I, too, have a sweet tooth like you, but knowing diabetes can be acquired, I try to be cognizant of my sugar intake. However, almost everything has sugar added to it nowadays.
Dine, we have the same faves! Yes, prices of cakes have gone up. P700 for a whole cake.. Now, I wonder how much birthday cakes cost nowadays.
Thanks, Myepinoy. Yup, I’m much better now. I will see my doctor once hubby gets home from a week long business trip in Manila.
Snglguy, as far as I know, my grandmother had diabetes and now, my mother also has it, though already treated. Their diabetes was one acquired in old age. But I’m not that old yet, hence, I worry.
Anna! Glucose overload? What is that????? Ugh. Makes me cringe. Parang ayaw ko na tuloy magpa check up..
Kathy… I have to avoid passing by my favorite bakeshop to resist temptation! lol!
Kyels, chocolates? Ah, who can say no?
Dimaks, the yema I like is the one that melts in the mouth.. mmmmm….. Yup, will go see doctor - definitely! Thanks.
Pining, you try to control your craving for sweets in front of the kids.. paano pag nakatalikod na sila? Haha! Sometimes, I would hide chocolates from my kids, para masolo ko. Grabe, anong klaseng nanay ako? Haha!
Eric, that aunt of yours, I believe, was the one who turned your pet pig to lechon de leche?
Yes, you are right.. so many foods with hidden sugar. The only way to avoid it is by preparing your food yourself. But the busy people we are, we don’t have much choice.
Hi rhodora,
Better see the doctor right away then.
I’m afraid I have all these symptoms. Not only do I love cakes and chocolates, I am addicted to soda too, esp. Coca-Cola.
Thank goodness your blood test yielded negative results. I used to be like you when I was so much younger, eating lots and lots of chocolates and confectionerries and my teeth did detoriate for that. Now I wear some false teeth na.
My father had such a bad bout with diabetes that he succumbed to it last year. My grandfather too had his feet amputated and suffrered serious diabetes. Our family doctor says it might run in the family and we members will be prone to it mostly. So I have to be careful like you.
I believe moderation is the right form of shield against it.
rhodora, just to let you know you have been missed. luckily, am not much on sweets. i just like to nibble a bit and throw the rest in the trash…hehe. i am wasteful, am i not?
yes, it is time for a check up and hope nothing is wrong.
hi rhodora
i believe it’s better to see the doc early. i think you are aware of the complications diabetes may bring. my dad suffered from a stroke 3 years ago because of diabetes but he didn’t get it from being a “sweet lover” (i am the one who is) but from excessive smoking, good thing he recovered and since then, stopped smoking, drinking and eating fatty foods altogether.
now its my turn to do the same, i don’t smoke but i drink (but can manage), the hard part is trying not to be tempted by that sans rival waving at me or that bunch of chocolates displayed in almost every corner at the grocery, but i am trying and i think there’s some development (as i did not eat the entire chocolate bar i have in fridge, only a “small” part)… good thing i dont like softdrinks. 
Hi, Major Tom! Yes, diabetes is hereditary kaya, ingat-ingat..
Belle! Thank so much. I missed all of you guys too. Kaya naman pala you are so sexy, you don’t have a sweet tooth.
Yes, Zherwin.. thanks for the concern. Diabetes really is the root of all complications - most serious of which is kidney ailment. Try to be cognizant of your eating habits too as diseases start manifesting even at younger age.
Thanks for dropping by!
Soloops - come on, join me in my crusade! Being mothers, we have to take good care of ourselves so we can have the energy and stamina to look after our children.