I just posted this on Facebook:
Fabulous visit to the doc today!! Hgb A1c is 6.1 (was 10.6), which is pretty much normal even for non-diabetics. Cholesterol is 126 (was over 400). Triglycerides 112 (had been over 400). BP is so low I'm cutting my med in half now (was about 170/110 a while back, now 110/68). I've lost a total of 48 pounds since 3/3/10. Woohoo!
Woohoo indeed. For every 1 point decrease in A1c, there is a 10% increase in cardiovascular health. So, I've had over a 40% increase in cardiac health since March.
I went to the doc today with every intention of leaving on Victoza. But, basically, I've done so well without it, it is not worth the annoyance of a daily injection or the risk of side effects. So, I will remain on my Glucophage (metformin) as my only diabetic medication.
It made me feel so good to see those numbers today. As soon as the nurse saw me, she just went on and on about how much I'd lost. When my doc walked in, he said "Thank God! Finally a patient who listens!" He was so happy that I'd done so well. But, believe me, no one was as happy as me. Holy cow, I never would have believed I could do this. But, like I told my doc, if you wanted to scare me, you pulled the right bogey man out of the closet. Diabetes terrifies me. I guess it is because it screws up so many different things, in so many different ways. So, lots of things to fear!! I'm just glad that the fear worked!
So, I'm going out sometime this weekend to celebrate. I had a half of a slice of cookie cake today right after I left the doctor. Used to, I would have bought 3 pieces and eaten them all. Even in sinning, I sin smaller now! But, I also realize that an occasional indulgence is just that. I don't have to use it as an excuse to say, "I failed. Screw this." and jump off into the deep end of bad habits. I just enjoy it and then think "Well, that's enough of that."
I appreciate all the kind words and especially all the lavish praise and cheering at every small milestone. You may think that posting "Way to go" for me on the blog or FB note is nothing. But, sometimes it is what gets you past the cupcake temptation and into a salad. So, believe me, you guys have made this possible. Thank you!!!!!!
Now, I am off to a Crystal light popsicle. Only 5 calories!!!!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Updates and a visit tomorrow...
OK, yes, I suck. I haven't put a thing about the class and I really need to do so. It was an awesome class. An RN and an RD (Registered Dietician) taught the class. Both were CDEs (Certified Diabetic Educators). The class had GREAT materials, but some of the best things I picked up were easy explanations of what Diabetes is. Why it happens, how it works, etc. In my head, I know all this stuff, but how to put it into every day words was escaping me. So, I was able to learn some great ways to explain my new disease to others!
I also learned some great tips for my medication. Some of the side effects (hello, nausea and frequent potty trips) and the "dawn effect" (my AM blood sugars run a little higher than they do at night... unusual), can be counteracted by taking my larger dose of Metformin at night and my smaller in the morning. Tried that and it's been smooth sailing.
Also found out the news I'd been dreading... I'm not supposed to get pedicures. We sweet folk do not heal well and the further away from the heart something is, the harder it is to get it to heal. So, our feet tend to have issues. So, naturally, getting nicked or getting an infection on the piggies is bad. So, if the sanitation is not great, you are at risk.
To that, I say phooey on you. I will take my own tools and tell them to be careful. And, I will keep on getting my piggies dressed up all nicely.It's my illness, but no one is taking away one of my great joys. I will simply be careful. By the way, Opi nail polish now has a collection of nail polishes based on the colors from Shrek. One is even SHP shirt green. It's called "Who the Shrek are you?" I will be purchasing it.
During the class, we also covered various other medications from insulins on down to the various oral meds. I found out something VERY exciting... there is a relatively new drug (went into use at the beginning of this year) called Victoza. It is an injectable medication that is similar to Byetta (for anyone who knows about it). It has lower side effects than Victoza and it is only taken once a day, at any time, so long as you take it close to the same time every day (Byetta had to be taken right before you ate and had some serious issues with nausea and vomiting).
Basically, the Victoza makes your body produce more insulin. Since it is your own insulin, and is inside your body (rather than the type that comes in a bottle), it works better. Also, since you can inject it at night, you sleep thru most of the side effects. Of course, there is always a downside. It is about $325 per month. Grrrreat! I'm sure I have that just laying around in my change jar.
So, tomorrow, I have an appointment with my doctor. It's my over 3 month checkup (would have been 3 months, but he was on vacation, so we had to put it off until now). I will find out what my Hemoglobin A1c (the measure of how my sugars have been doing over the past 3 months or so) is running and how my other labs are doing. Since I have lost 48 pounds since I was diagnosed, I believe he will be pleased. If he isn't, I may wrestle him to the ground and give him a wedgie. Just sayin'...
I intend to ask him about Victoza and pray that he has samples. I love samples. Keep your fingers crossed!
I will update you tomorrow!!
I also learned some great tips for my medication. Some of the side effects (hello, nausea and frequent potty trips) and the "dawn effect" (my AM blood sugars run a little higher than they do at night... unusual), can be counteracted by taking my larger dose of Metformin at night and my smaller in the morning. Tried that and it's been smooth sailing.
Also found out the news I'd been dreading... I'm not supposed to get pedicures. We sweet folk do not heal well and the further away from the heart something is, the harder it is to get it to heal. So, our feet tend to have issues. So, naturally, getting nicked or getting an infection on the piggies is bad. So, if the sanitation is not great, you are at risk.
To that, I say phooey on you. I will take my own tools and tell them to be careful. And, I will keep on getting my piggies dressed up all nicely.It's my illness, but no one is taking away one of my great joys. I will simply be careful. By the way, Opi nail polish now has a collection of nail polishes based on the colors from Shrek. One is even SHP shirt green. It's called "Who the Shrek are you?" I will be purchasing it.
During the class, we also covered various other medications from insulins on down to the various oral meds. I found out something VERY exciting... there is a relatively new drug (went into use at the beginning of this year) called Victoza. It is an injectable medication that is similar to Byetta (for anyone who knows about it). It has lower side effects than Victoza and it is only taken once a day, at any time, so long as you take it close to the same time every day (Byetta had to be taken right before you ate and had some serious issues with nausea and vomiting).
Basically, the Victoza makes your body produce more insulin. Since it is your own insulin, and is inside your body (rather than the type that comes in a bottle), it works better. Also, since you can inject it at night, you sleep thru most of the side effects. Of course, there is always a downside. It is about $325 per month. Grrrreat! I'm sure I have that just laying around in my change jar.
So, tomorrow, I have an appointment with my doctor. It's my over 3 month checkup (would have been 3 months, but he was on vacation, so we had to put it off until now). I will find out what my Hemoglobin A1c (the measure of how my sugars have been doing over the past 3 months or so) is running and how my other labs are doing. Since I have lost 48 pounds since I was diagnosed, I believe he will be pleased. If he isn't, I may wrestle him to the ground and give him a wedgie. Just sayin'...
I intend to ask him about Victoza and pray that he has samples. I love samples. Keep your fingers crossed!
I will update you tomorrow!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Excited about Learning!
Tomorrow, I am taking a half day off! Not to laze around the house, not to catch up on errands, but to learn.
I am going to Diabetic class. It's being taught by a Certified Diabetic Educator who is also a Registered Dietician. It's a 2 part class. 4 hours a day, 2 days this month. So, in total, I'll be getting 8 hours of diabetic education. I am really excited.
As I've said before, I graduated nursing school 14 years ago. And, I've never worked in a doctor's office setting, so I never really had to teach a "new" diabetic. I always dealt with them post-diagnosis and usually long enough after diagnosis that they had complications and that's why they were in my hospital or nursing home (or jail... well, that's not why they wound up in jail, but it is why they wound up in my medical department). So, the last intensive "learning" I did on new onset diabetes was 14 years ago. I try to keep up with new information in nursing, but I'm sure there is a lot I've missed. A lot of new things I do not know.
I have made it a point that NOT tell the people teaching the class that I am a nurse. I want them to teach me from the ground up, just like they would if I had no medical knowledge. I get to take a "care taker" with me, but since I am my own caretaker (well, for the most part... because honestly, my friends and my hubby have been wonderful to take care of me through this new experience), so I'm taking Dad. I figure he's had some high blood sugars in the past (way better than mine, but still...), so it can be a learning-fest for him, too.
I will report back what I learn tomorrow! So, stay tuned! I will share my cool new knowledge!
I am going to Diabetic class. It's being taught by a Certified Diabetic Educator who is also a Registered Dietician. It's a 2 part class. 4 hours a day, 2 days this month. So, in total, I'll be getting 8 hours of diabetic education. I am really excited.
As I've said before, I graduated nursing school 14 years ago. And, I've never worked in a doctor's office setting, so I never really had to teach a "new" diabetic. I always dealt with them post-diagnosis and usually long enough after diagnosis that they had complications and that's why they were in my hospital or nursing home (or jail... well, that's not why they wound up in jail, but it is why they wound up in my medical department). So, the last intensive "learning" I did on new onset diabetes was 14 years ago. I try to keep up with new information in nursing, but I'm sure there is a lot I've missed. A lot of new things I do not know.
I have made it a point that NOT tell the people teaching the class that I am a nurse. I want them to teach me from the ground up, just like they would if I had no medical knowledge. I get to take a "care taker" with me, but since I am my own caretaker (well, for the most part... because honestly, my friends and my hubby have been wonderful to take care of me through this new experience), so I'm taking Dad. I figure he's had some high blood sugars in the past (way better than mine, but still...), so it can be a learning-fest for him, too.
I will report back what I learn tomorrow! So, stay tuned! I will share my cool new knowledge!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Yet another lesson in label reading!!
For about a week and a half, my blood sugars had been in the 150s when they are usually in the 120s to 1teens. So, I was a bit confused. I thought I'd been doing pretty good, but I had been eating some whole wheat bread, so I cut that out completely. And, it did not help. Hmmmm...
Then, 2 days ago, I got a total surprise. It was my diet drink. I don't know what made me think to read the label (boredom, perhaps) on my Diet Orange Crush, but imagine my surprise at its number one ingredient.... high fructose corn syrup.
WHAT??? That's killer carbs from Hell!!!! How did that get in my diet drink?? It's the only diet drink I have ever seen that has calories, let alone carbs. And, oh, did it have carbs. 4 per serving. And, how many servings? 2 per bottle, that's how many. So, for one bottle, I could have eaten 1/2 a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Or, 1/4 cup of frozen yogurt. Now, considering that I usually drink about 4 bottles a day, and you begin to see where my elevated blood sugars came to be. Siiiigh.
I have to admit thinking that it was such a great drink, because it didn't taste like diet at all. Yeah, well, guess I know why now!!! So, I switched to drinking Diet Sunkist, which is almost as tasty (and carb/calorie free, as a diet drink should be), and suddenly, my blood sugars are much better! So, even if common sense says that I should be safe eating something, I will rely on label reading from here on out!!!
As a side note, I have found a great diabetic magazine in "Diabetic Living". It has some great articles on everything from side effects of common meds, new research, recipes, new meters, etc. I have definitely sent in my check for my subscription and made a couple of recipes from it already!
I also found a lousy magazine called "Diabetes Self Management." It had a 4 page article on whether or not diet drinks are linked to diabetes that basically concluded "we don't know" and an article written by a type 1 diabetic that basically implied everyone with Type 2 was fat, slovenly and brought it on themselves and everyone who had type 1 hates type 2s and wishes no one would help us. Hey, that's the way to handle a disease, folks, turn the 2 types of people that have it against each other. Helpful!!! So, needless to say, my one free issue to that one is the only issue I'll be reading. It was truly just a craptastic useless magazine. Oh, well, at least it was free.
Then, 2 days ago, I got a total surprise. It was my diet drink. I don't know what made me think to read the label (boredom, perhaps) on my Diet Orange Crush, but imagine my surprise at its number one ingredient.... high fructose corn syrup.
WHAT??? That's killer carbs from Hell!!!! How did that get in my diet drink?? It's the only diet drink I have ever seen that has calories, let alone carbs. And, oh, did it have carbs. 4 per serving. And, how many servings? 2 per bottle, that's how many. So, for one bottle, I could have eaten 1/2 a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Or, 1/4 cup of frozen yogurt. Now, considering that I usually drink about 4 bottles a day, and you begin to see where my elevated blood sugars came to be. Siiiigh.
I have to admit thinking that it was such a great drink, because it didn't taste like diet at all. Yeah, well, guess I know why now!!! So, I switched to drinking Diet Sunkist, which is almost as tasty (and carb/calorie free, as a diet drink should be), and suddenly, my blood sugars are much better! So, even if common sense says that I should be safe eating something, I will rely on label reading from here on out!!!
As a side note, I have found a great diabetic magazine in "Diabetic Living". It has some great articles on everything from side effects of common meds, new research, recipes, new meters, etc. I have definitely sent in my check for my subscription and made a couple of recipes from it already!
I also found a lousy magazine called "Diabetes Self Management." It had a 4 page article on whether or not diet drinks are linked to diabetes that basically concluded "we don't know" and an article written by a type 1 diabetic that basically implied everyone with Type 2 was fat, slovenly and brought it on themselves and everyone who had type 1 hates type 2s and wishes no one would help us. Hey, that's the way to handle a disease, folks, turn the 2 types of people that have it against each other. Helpful!!! So, needless to say, my one free issue to that one is the only issue I'll be reading. It was truly just a craptastic useless magazine. Oh, well, at least it was free.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
NYC with Diabetes... Easy Going!!!
Well, Springtime in New York is the best time for Diabetics!! Holy cow, it has been super easy to "be good" here. First of all, the walking.... you walk everywhere here and exercise is like the anti-diabetes. It lowers your blood sugars. So, I've walked probably 5 miles or so each day.
Then, you add in Vitamin D. Recent studies have shown that Diabetics have very low levels of Vitamin D. They think that may cause lower abilities to correctly process sugars/insulin. So, I'm out in the sun on the double decker bus and walking and getting my Vitamin D!
Then, you add the food. Okay, sure... I've passed 200 bakeries and thought about throwing a temper tantrum in front of a cheesecake place today. But, with all the other food here... bread can kiss my tushie!!! In Chinatown, I brought a super cold, freshly cut up mango that was literally so perfectly ripe it dripped juice all over me (worth every shirt stain). The street vendors have kebabs, shwarma, kosher dogs, etc. Every street corner has a fresh fruit/veggie stand. Healthy food is everywhere!!!
The funniest thing has been trying to find Diet sodas that I like. I am addicted to fizzy drinks (although drinking much less of them than I used to), but I hate the taste of diet cola. So, I usually drink either diet orange soda or diet root beer. I couldn't find either one here for the first day. But, found a 2 liter of Diet Sunkist, so I've lugged that back to the room and am going to town on it!!!
On a side note, the absolutely GORGEOUS and perfectly, wonderfully functional meter case I had made on Etsy is doing a GREAT job and has garnered many a compliment. So, good to know!
Even after erratic sleep on the way up here, and meals at odd times yesterday, my blood sugar was only 130 this morning! I was very pleased! I will be interested to see what it is tomorrow. I had several pieces of fruit today. And, even though it is healthy sugar, it's sugar none-the-less. So, we shall see.
On yet another side note... Mom has been eating almost healthy while we are here. She is diabetic and is so non-compliant it is not even funny. But, she did only eat half of her bagel this morning and has drank all diet drinks! Probably because I am the one who ordered them, but hey... whatever works. Right?!
Well, off to take a shower, take some glucophage and take a nap. LOL!!!
Then, you add in Vitamin D. Recent studies have shown that Diabetics have very low levels of Vitamin D. They think that may cause lower abilities to correctly process sugars/insulin. So, I'm out in the sun on the double decker bus and walking and getting my Vitamin D!
Then, you add the food. Okay, sure... I've passed 200 bakeries and thought about throwing a temper tantrum in front of a cheesecake place today. But, with all the other food here... bread can kiss my tushie!!! In Chinatown, I brought a super cold, freshly cut up mango that was literally so perfectly ripe it dripped juice all over me (worth every shirt stain). The street vendors have kebabs, shwarma, kosher dogs, etc. Every street corner has a fresh fruit/veggie stand. Healthy food is everywhere!!!
The funniest thing has been trying to find Diet sodas that I like. I am addicted to fizzy drinks (although drinking much less of them than I used to), but I hate the taste of diet cola. So, I usually drink either diet orange soda or diet root beer. I couldn't find either one here for the first day. But, found a 2 liter of Diet Sunkist, so I've lugged that back to the room and am going to town on it!!!
On a side note, the absolutely GORGEOUS and perfectly, wonderfully functional meter case I had made on Etsy is doing a GREAT job and has garnered many a compliment. So, good to know!
Even after erratic sleep on the way up here, and meals at odd times yesterday, my blood sugar was only 130 this morning! I was very pleased! I will be interested to see what it is tomorrow. I had several pieces of fruit today. And, even though it is healthy sugar, it's sugar none-the-less. So, we shall see.
On yet another side note... Mom has been eating almost healthy while we are here. She is diabetic and is so non-compliant it is not even funny. But, she did only eat half of her bagel this morning and has drank all diet drinks! Probably because I am the one who ordered them, but hey... whatever works. Right?!
Well, off to take a shower, take some glucophage and take a nap. LOL!!!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Holy Hooters, Batman! My diabetes may save my girls!!!
Well, for once, there is good news about a drug!!! Usually, I get on a medication and 2 years later they find out that it causes some hideous infection (oh, that's where that came from...) or possibly a third eye (preeeeetty...). But, for once, it would seem that something positive may come from the medication I am on to treat my Diabetes!!! It may reduce my risk of breast cancer! YAY!!! Here's the link to the article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36691860/ns/health-cancer/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36691860/ns/health-cancer/
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Time away
I have been curious lately as to how I would do if I were kitchen-less. Meaning, could I control my blood sugars as well if I were to be out and about, not able to take my food with me, not able to cook everything on my own, etc. It is a little harder to control blood sugars when you are not the one cookin'.
So, off we go. Every meal this weekend was out somewhere. The only thing I "brought" to the party was my own yogurt for night snacks, a bag of beef jerky for snacks and several bottles of diet drinks.
I figured rather quickly that the order of the day was... custom order. So, instead of the hamburger on a kaiser bun that came on the menu, I got just the patty with some cheese added. NO BREAD. And, instead of chips, I got a 1/2 order of sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes, but still, you need to watch your intake). I have found that most places think if you ask for a smaller portion, they think you are expecting the food cheaper. When I tell them to bring me half an order of fries, I've learned to clarify that I do not expect to pay less for them. They are more than happy to comply after that.
Also, I had fajitas, and just did not eat the tortilla wraps that came with them. Kebabs, but only ate a small amount of the rice that they came with and asked for baba ganoush (eggplant dip) instead of potatoes. A sirloin with steamed veggies instead of fries. Nowhere did they have problems with my special requests. As a matter of fact, several places realized I was trying to avoid carbs and even offered some other choices that were not on the menu (I got a GREAT greek salad with feta as a side at K-town Kebabs in the West Town Mall in Knoxville).
The hardest part of eating out is not asking for substitutions or figuring out what to eat... it's the freebies!!!! Would you like a basket of bread? Chips and salsa? A sopapilla with honey, perhaps? Free ice cream with your meal! Those are the ones that are just killin' me!! I have learned to just tell the server ahead of time that I don't want the extras. Bless them, some of them are so entrenched in people hounding them for the rolls (Logans, anyone?) that they try to bring them anyway, but stop themselves or laugh at themselves when they realize what they have done.
With a weekend of eating out, I was terrified that I'd lose sense of portion control or miss my snack times and have my blood sugars yo-yoing. Or, gain some of my weight back. But, I am happy to report that my highest sugar all weekend was 133, which is totally acceptable. And, I actually lost a pound!!! Of course, we also hit the pool 2 nights so we were able to get some exercise in! So, that didn't hurt!
So, I guess what I am saying is that at least my travel is something that diabetes did NOT take away from me. I packed my glucometer and glucophage and hit the open trails. Or, the malls at least!!
So, off we go. Every meal this weekend was out somewhere. The only thing I "brought" to the party was my own yogurt for night snacks, a bag of beef jerky for snacks and several bottles of diet drinks.
I figured rather quickly that the order of the day was... custom order. So, instead of the hamburger on a kaiser bun that came on the menu, I got just the patty with some cheese added. NO BREAD. And, instead of chips, I got a 1/2 order of sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes, but still, you need to watch your intake). I have found that most places think if you ask for a smaller portion, they think you are expecting the food cheaper. When I tell them to bring me half an order of fries, I've learned to clarify that I do not expect to pay less for them. They are more than happy to comply after that.
Also, I had fajitas, and just did not eat the tortilla wraps that came with them. Kebabs, but only ate a small amount of the rice that they came with and asked for baba ganoush (eggplant dip) instead of potatoes. A sirloin with steamed veggies instead of fries. Nowhere did they have problems with my special requests. As a matter of fact, several places realized I was trying to avoid carbs and even offered some other choices that were not on the menu (I got a GREAT greek salad with feta as a side at K-town Kebabs in the West Town Mall in Knoxville).
The hardest part of eating out is not asking for substitutions or figuring out what to eat... it's the freebies!!!! Would you like a basket of bread? Chips and salsa? A sopapilla with honey, perhaps? Free ice cream with your meal! Those are the ones that are just killin' me!! I have learned to just tell the server ahead of time that I don't want the extras. Bless them, some of them are so entrenched in people hounding them for the rolls (Logans, anyone?) that they try to bring them anyway, but stop themselves or laugh at themselves when they realize what they have done.
With a weekend of eating out, I was terrified that I'd lose sense of portion control or miss my snack times and have my blood sugars yo-yoing. Or, gain some of my weight back. But, I am happy to report that my highest sugar all weekend was 133, which is totally acceptable. And, I actually lost a pound!!! Of course, we also hit the pool 2 nights so we were able to get some exercise in! So, that didn't hurt!
So, I guess what I am saying is that at least my travel is something that diabetes did NOT take away from me. I packed my glucometer and glucophage and hit the open trails. Or, the malls at least!!
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