Diabetes

Living with Diabetes: Showing awareness during November

November 10, 2014

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.

I’ve known this for several years, dating back to when I started geocaching. Though the campaign was actually a couple of years old, Groundspeak (the owners of geocaching.com) partnered with Unite for Diabetes to manufacture and distribute 20,000 trackable tags. When I see these, I still pick them up and move them.

In 2007, a geocoin to commemorate the first United Nations World Diabetes Day (Nov. 14) was released and there were many of these coins delivered. You can now actually purchase these coins (of which I own one).

Back then, though, I never took my own diabetes seriously.

diabetesmonth

It’s been a while since I’ve updated here about my battle. I’m doing this on the blog and in a more public setting, as I’ve noted in past posts, to keep myself honest and to have accountability about taking this a tad more serious than I’ve done in the past.

So far, it works out well.

In fact, at my last doctor’s appointment, my A1C, which is the long-term look at my numbers was a 5.9, which is extremely solid compared to what I had been in the early part of the year. That allowed my primary physician to lop off one of my medications, which was super awesome to me.

However…

It’s changed a little recently and I’m wondering where to go with it. As I read more and more about daily numbers and things like that, it seems like the goals doctors give patients differs. I have a hard time finding definitive numbers to aim for, so I can only go by what the diabetes educator I see says, as well as my primary. Those numbers are basically an 80-140 before a meal, and anything below 180 a couple hours after eating. That should, theoretically, get be to 7 or below on my A1C.

Now, that being said, there was a sign at the place where I go for my appointments that showed the following:

Fasting: 80-120

2-hour post meal:

Age 50 and younger: <140
Age 50-60: <150
Age 60 and older: <160

What this didn’t say, however, was if this was for a person without diabetes (who might be on the border) or if this is what diabetics should aim for. Because if these numbers are where I need to be, then I may have to go start taking that other medicine again.

See, my goal always has been to avoid any thought of insulin. So, if I need to try that other medicine again to keep me level, so be it.

As of the last day or so, according to my glucometer, I’m about 80 percent in range, and 20 percent high. That is alarming to me, as I had been in the 100 percent in-range category. My average reading is 126, which is higher than it was a month or so ago, when I was down in the 110-115 range. Now, these are also the numbers averaging the past 14 days, so it can and will go up and down, depending on the day and week.

The mornings have been the real culprit. I’ve been as high as 155 (Nov. 3), and I’m not eating a ton of stuff the night before. I’m keeping within my dietary limitations and following what I am supposed to be doing. However, the past week or so I’ve been pretty sick. So add some cold medicine and everything else into my body, and it’s possible that is playing games with things. But that’s for the past week.

If you go back to Oct. 1, I’ve been high (so above 140) at my morning check 18 times. That’s way too much for my liking.

It’s not that I haven’t been high in the mornings before. Look at Aug. 10-Sept. 10 and there were six instances of having a high count in the morning. However, they were not bunched with others and seemed to be kind of abnormal hits.

Now, when I get them, they are a bit more grouped, say 3-4 days in a row of high counts.

I’ve discussed this with my health care folks and they’ve explained different aspects of why this can – and does – happen. It has to do with some things I don’t fully grasp, but basically it’s something your body does to get glucose when you go an extended time (so sleeping) without eating etc. I am on a eating six times a day thing now, so I have breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and an evening snack. I count the carb servings and all that.

A few things to note – as softball has ended, my activity level is OK, but not as much. So I need to start getting more and more active, even if that means just going out for more walks. Also, if you look at the rest of my readings (I usually check 3-4 times per day), and starting at Oct. 1 again, I had one number that was out of the normal range. So it seems like I am staying on the right path, but need to figure out the morning readings a little better.

I plan on having a few more posts about diabetes this month as I have been figuring other things out. It’s all a learning process for me and as I continue to push forward, I know there will be things I continue to work on. I won’t be perfect, that’s for sure, but I have goals and things I know I need to work on. The best I can do is keep plugging along and working toward a better result.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Living with diabetes: The highs and lows of blood tests

September 3, 2014

Recently, I had blood work done.

And, for the first time probably … ever, I was looking forward to the results.

See, this was the latest check of my A1C.

For those who don’t know, the A1C test is one that provides info about somebody’s average blood glucose levels over the past three months. It’s a way to see how I’ve been doing in regard to the diabetes, now that I am actually trying to take care of this.

This has been quite out of whack since earlier this year.

The health network I use is part of many who have this setup where I get results quick and can access them via a phone app and website. What’s really nice is being able to see past results and compare.

Basically, the ranges tell you where you stand in the big scheme. Here’s what the website/app shows:

4.0 – 5.7           Non-diabetic
5.7 – 6.4           Pre-diabetes
6.5 – 7.0           Diabetes, Good control
7.1 – 7.5           Fair control
7.6 – 8.5           Poor control
8.6 – 9.5           Very poor control
> 9.5               Extremely poor control

Now, I knew all about these ranges before. But I rarely paid attention. Again, I was in a bit of denial. I thought I had it under control. Maybe not so much, though.

Here’s a grouping of tests over the first part of the year. Now, remember, I dealt with foot surgery and some other stressful things over the first few months, so things were high but there were things that could be factored in. It still didn’t take away the fact that I was fully out of control.

Jan. 21: 7.8
Feb, 3: 7.8
March 19: 9.4
May 1: 9.8

As you can see, I got steadily worse. I went from poor control to very poor control. Keep in mind I was on some heavy antibiotics for a couple of months and my stress level was through the roof.

It was at this time that my primary physician noted he would like to consider insulin. He asked me what I would say if he wanted to have me start it that day and I said “find a different option.”

It got bad… but the A1C is getting better.

So he gave me six weeks to improve.

On June 10, I had another test done and came back with an 8.2. Definitely not where I wanted to be, but my daily numbers were vastly improved and going down. I was eating better and learning what things do to me. I saw a diabetes educator.

I kept going with it.

I read labels now and understand what they mean. I know what I should eat and what I shouldn’t. I understand portion size.

The best part? I feel better. I think I look better. I’m not as tired as I once was. My daily numbers have been amazing. Then, with another meeting with the diabetes educator coming up, I had another blood test. The number that came back floored me.

5.9.

I was floored when I saw it. This is a level I didn’t expect so far. Therefore, I must be doing something. I’ve figured out an eating pattern and I’ve worked within it. And I’m doing better because of it.

Still, that’s not to say there haven’t been a few things that caught me off guard, such as one night when I got the sweats for no reason.

It wasn’t a particularly hot night or anything and I wasn’t doing anything strenuous. All of a sudden, I felt a little woozy and started sweating. Even by aiming a fan at me, I couldn’t stop sweating. So I found my glucometer and started to test … and I was shaky.

The reading came back 66.

That’s low. It’s probably good for me to be about 80-140 or so and, preferably more like 85-130. So this took me off guard. I found the book that shows what to do and I gulped 4 ounces of orange juice, waiting 15 minutes and tried again.

65.

What the hell? How was this possible? So I gulped another 4 ounces. The testing after that was 89. I then had my snack and was OK.

That one was somewhat explainable as I played some softball that day and it was extremely hot. Maybe I did things a little different. I don’t know. But there’s some sort of explanation.

What happened a week or so ago is baffling.

I had work, picked up a friend and went to a baseball game. I ate normal, took my medicines and thought all was fine. At the game, I had a couple of hot dog, a quarter cup of fries (I dumped them walking to my seat) and then I risked it and went with ice cream.

Then driving home, I got the same symptoms. As I exited the highway, I stopped to check and… this spooked me – I was at 55.

Thankfully, there was a convenience store close by and I went and chugged half an orange juice. I felt better soon after and when I checked 15 minutes later, I was at 91.

Still, it was alarming because it came out of nowhere.

I went to the diabetes educator a few days later and she said maybe I’m on a little too much medication, so we’re going to monitor and see. That would thrill me to cut something else, but we’ll see what they do. Second, I need to start carrying glucose tablets or Starburst to make sure I have a fast-action sugars to give me a boost.

This is all part of the learning aspect of keeping this under control.

A few times over the past month or two, I’ve spiked on the higher side. It wasn’t anything crazy, but the diabetes educator is solid in explaining things and keeping things in perspective. What it’s doing, though, is helping me figure out what my body does with certain foods. This is something I’ll be doing through life, so it’s good to keep up on what things can do to me.

I’ve learned a lot by reading and listening. I totally understand sizes, servings and what the carbs mean. I still have work to do, but I am where I want to be now and continue to push forward to get better and better.

This is part of an ongoing series of posts about me living with diabetes and what I am doing to try and improve my situation. I’ll try to post these updates once or twice per month. You can read past posts about this by clicking here.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Living with diabetes: Taking the next step to keep improving

July 21, 2014

There’s one thing I have finally realized with this whole diabetes thing – it’s a lifelong battle.

See, when I was first told I was a borderline diabetic, I didn’t take it seriously, which is probably why it continued to escalate. That’s not to say I wouldn’t be where I am even if I had done something, but at the same time, who knows?

But I kind of laughed it off. It wasn’t full-blown, I told myself. And, despite going to a workshop of sorts and meeting a few people who didn’t take care of it and what it could do (one guy also taking the class, to learn how and eat better, had said he once went as high as like 600 on his blood reading and was blind – yes blind – for a few days), I still thought I had it under control.

Despite a spike a few weeks back, things keep improving, as seen here.

I was younger and dumber then. In fact, I don’t even know when that was, but it was after college, so I was probably right about 30 or so, give or take.

Checking blood was done sometimes, but I often shook it off. Or I said I had, and I hadn’t. I was completely stupid about it and I’m probably quite lucky nothing major happened.

Let’s fast-forward a few years to current day. I’d love to be able to go back and time and swat myself in the face and say to take it seriously. I’m really lucky that I don’t have any serious complications right now with how I let things go. I’ve written about how things have gone and how I’m getting back on track.

From medication to watching my diet to seeing what other things do to me and to adding in more exercise, I’m starting to push forward.

However, it’s time to take the next step.

The one thing I keep learning is you don’t have to knock stuff like this out of your life — you need moderation and understanding of what it does.

See, diet and such can work for a while. But you need to be active. There’s no secret that I’m not in the best shape in the world. So I need to move to the next level and start doing more to make sure I keep improving.

What’s that mean?

First, in regard to diet, I need to now start watching calories and things like that. As I’ve gotten things under control, I have watched what I eat and what it does. And though I’ve slowly cut some calories away, I probably haven’t been doing as much. But, I’ve also noticed I don’t feel the need to snack as much.

That’s a start – making sure I am eating right and also making sure my portions continue to shrink as I’ve slowly been doing. That will help as I keep looking to shed some pounds.

One thing I also have to realize is though the weight isn’t always coming off, sometimes the fat portion of the body is. I’ve definitely lost some inches (my pants don’t fit as well anymore) during this span, but the weight comes off slower.

Then, there’s the exercise factor.

For starters, softball season is ending soon. That takes away twice a week where I get out and am moving more than other days. So I need to replace that with something, as well as add more items.

Going to the gym, as of now, isn’t an option for me. I buy a membership, go for a little whole and then piss away the money because I never use it. So I have to find ways to do things without the gym. (Honestly, the winter is what scares me, because if it’s cold, I don’t want to really venture outside to exercise).

Therefore, I’ve come up with these goals, which I am slowly starting to implement:

Walk more (which is going to mean starting to add in strolls at times I usually might not, such as at night etc.)
Start riding my bike again (I can go out for an hour-long ride, cover several miles and burn a lot of calories)
Getting back into disc golf (a truly great sport where you are moving a lot of the time and always walking)
Geocaching more in areas where I can go on small hikes
Trying to get out and find places to take photos, where, again, walking is better.

The activities part of this is just making it so I get out and go. Things like disc golf aren’t easy because there isn’t a course too close. This will likely be my replacement for softball when the season ends. I’d like to get to a weekly league a friend runs. That’s about an hour or so from where I work on Tuesdays, so it’s possible to pull off if I plan right.

My FitBit has helped me push a little extra for exercise. And badges don’t hurt, either!

With the walking aspect, I have a hard time just going for a walk – so I need to make sure I have things to do when walking. Maybe it’s taking some photos. Maybe it’s running errands.

For example, I am going to be getting some of my personalized postcards made again and get back into Postcrossing. It’s truly a fun hobby. How does that help? If I send a postcard out each day or two and force myself to walk to the Post Office to mail the card, it gives me a reason to get out and walk.

I’m also trying to find some spots around my areas with some trails where I can go and place some geocaches. The idea, of course, would be so I can get out, hike and hide and then maintain the caches. There are some trails and public lands around, so I just need to find the best spots for them. I have plenty of containers, too, so I am ready to go.

In the end, it’s fully up to me to make sure this continues going in the right direction. Hopefully these ideas will help me do just that.

Recent look:

Since my last report, I’ve been pretty steady on my readings. I had two or three spikes, which, of course, dropped my 100 percent in-range readings down (I was at 96 percent during that time). But, that changed in the last day or so as I’m now back in the 100 percent range. Those spikes, too, weren’t too crazy, but enough to pretty much piss me off as I’ve worked hard. But, I realize there will be setbacks.

Numbers can jump, but in recent weeks, things have continued to improve.

I’ve had a couple of lows, once being a 76 at one point over the weekend. I think the key to maintaining is making sure I have that eating six times a day thing under control and making sure I actually do it. It’s hard during the weekends, sometimes, as I attempt to sleep in a bit more and that sometimes messes up my schedule. I need to learn to adjust it some so I don’t go extended times without something.

Here’s one thing I’ve noticed, too: my fasting levels were kind of higher. I finally figured it out. I know the amount of carb servings I’m allowed and thought I was in that. However, one of the proteins I was adding also had nearly a full carb serving, so I was basically having an additional serving each time. Now that I’ve adjusted that, the numbers (for the most part) are coming down even more. Score one for me!

In the end, I can’t complain. Compared to where I was a few months ago, this has been nothing short of amazing in my eyes. I meet with the diabetes educator again at the end of August, so hopefully I’ll have a better snapshot and ideas of other things I can do to make sure I keep moving in the right direction.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Living with Diabetes: Hard work nets good results

June 18, 2014

As I look back over the past few months, and as my health gets better after several battles, I look at April 24 as a turning point.

If you read my blog, you may have seen my proclamation of being diabetic not too long ago. It took me several years and the threat of insulin to really wake me up and take responsibility for it. I’ve always been one who says people need to take responsibility for their own decisions and I am no different.

See, I was once told I was borderline, then diabetic … but I never took it too seriously. I checked and all, but never did the right thing to get educated.

If you match this up with my original post, this is an insane improvement.

The April 24 came.

The morning started with a reading of 328. Then before lunch, I was at 398. Over the next 60 minutes, two more readings went 391 and 364. In the middle of the afternoon, I was 361 and then down to 274 before dinner. But at night, I was 325.

That scared me quite a bit.

I panicked; I didn’t want to eat to stay away from everything.

Let’s turn back time a little though. In January, as all of these foot issues were taking off, my A1C (long-range blood sugar) was 7.8. Not great, but workable. On February 3, it was the same. Then all hell broke loose. On March 19, I was up to 9.4.

Then – after this April 24 scare – I had my blood taken on May 1. My A1C was up to 9.8. My fasting glucose that day was 318.

If you read my initial post, you know the practitioner I go to wanted me to go on insulin. I fought it and bought myself some time. I am glad I did because I proved a person could really push forward and do it right.

This is my first – of likely many – updates. It helps me by keeping me accountable and I’m sure there are plenty of others out there in this situation – or have been.

Since this all happened, I’ve really improved. I watch what I eat. I check my blood. I make sure I see what things do to me.

So, I was somewhat excited to see what a new blood test would do. I got blood taken on June 10 and the results were amazing.

Believe me, I still have work to do, but to think where I was a little over a month ago and where I am now is truly amazing to me.

My lowest number over the past couple of weeks came before lunch on June 12.

My A1C is down to 8.2, which is a solid drop. I want it, obviously, to keep dropping. But with it being a long-range test, it still is taking some of the crap that was in my system over the past few months. My fasting glucose, though? 130. I’d even like that lower, but I realize it takes time.

My diet hasn’t changed a ton in what I eat, rather how and when I eat. I definitely don’t eat as much bread as I once did, and I haven’t had a candy bar in more than a month. I found some low-carb wraps that I use and am trying to make sure I eat better and smaller servings.

I’ve also extended to eating six times a day and I understand why and also what it does to me. On days I miss the “in-between” meals/snacks, I have seen the numbers actually bump a little. When I am eating on the right schedule, it works out well.

Here’s the thing, too — I’ve lost about five pounds over those six weeks. I know it’s not a ton, but it’s losing. That, to me, is key. That shows something I am doing is right. I understand what things are doing to me and what I can do. I also have made sure my serving sizes are much lower than they had been. And I feel better because of it.

This improvement is awesome. I’m definitely stoked and excited. But there’s plenty of work still to be done and I don’t anticipate me going off this path anytime soon, outside of adding more exercise.

What I’m seeing, though, is amazing. I feel better. I have more energy. I have more stamina. I’m sleeping better, too, which is really nice. And, it seems others notice as I’ve had people note a seem to have more pep and my face seems to be looking better and not drawn out.

That’s good.

I also, since doing this, haven’t eaten any candy and I’ve avoided a lot of other things. After the initial shock to the body of not having these items, I’ve been quite fine with it.

I was at the doctor’s last week and got two thumbs up, also knowing I had to keep working. I’m not out of the water. But, the improvement has shown I am serious and I am trying to make things better. Now I don’t have to be back there for two months — though a blood test is needed in one.

As I’ve noted before, however, this is a long-term thing. It’s not going away. So I need to continue to work and keep trying to get healthier. I’ll keep posting updates here every three or four weeks, which is a way for me to make sure I am keeping myself accountable for everything I am doing.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Coming clean: The battle with diabetes isn’t an easy one

May 28, 2014

It’s time to come clean.

Maybe if I do it here, I’ll stick to what I need to do. But I don’t want this to be some sort of crazy “oh, my” party, either. Realize this — it’s my fault and I accept and take full responsibility for where it’s gotten to.

I’m diabetic.

This has become very important to me.

This is not a shock to many of my friends or family. Many already know. But, it’s not as cut and dry as that. I let it get to the level it is.

Several years back, before my one doctor retired, he told me I was borderline diabetic. Basically, my numbers were on the fence. I needed to lose weight, get more active and watch what I ate. I also needed to take blood samples to watch the numbers.

No problem.

I did it for a while. Then I started realize what did and what did not spike my blood sugar levels. So, I figured I had it all under control. Turns out just because you know what’s working then doesn’t always work.

Fast forward a few years and my doctor is now retired and I’m going to a new person. The numbers are a little higher and now this guy is insisting on medicine. As much as I hate to accept it, I do so. It seems to work. I’m doing OK.

Then I lose my job.

That span of nearly two and a half years was tough. I had no insurance, so doctor’s appointments and such came out of my pocket. During that time, my blood sugars spiked at times. I got lazy on checking it. I sat in front of the computer or television too much (unfortunately, part of that is with work now, too, but I get up and walk as much as I can). I definitely didn’t exercise as much as I should have, which is crazy because I actually had time to do it. And, despite actually losing weight over that time, my blood tests weren’t great.

So things got upped in regard to medication.

The good news came late this past fall. I got a job. There was insurance. I started going to see a doctor. Things were getting better controlled. Heck, my A1C (long-term blood test) was getting close to where it needed to be. So, it seemed I was mixing what I needed to do.

But then that foot thing happened.

For the next three-plus months, my body went through a whirlwind with antibiotics, surgery, worries and everything else you can think of. I had more stress over that time than I had dealt with for a long time – and that includes unemployment.

The progress has been outstanding.

Add all that up and my blood sugar levels were going nuts. Higher and higher it seemed. All I wanted to do was get off everything and get back to normal and see what the heck could be done. But it had gotten bad. Mixed with the antibiotics and everything else, I was tired often. I dragged. I had no energy I fell asleep in odd times. I just wasn’t me.

Soon after getting off the antibiotics (six weeks home IV stuff), I had an appointment with my main person. He mentioned the “I” word (I won’t write it here… part of the mental mantra… time to fight it!), but I balked at it based on I knew what my body had been through. I needed time to see if I could right this wrong. So, he made me a deal that I would take a second medicine, up my exercise, eat better and try and lose weight. I’ll return to him in six weeks to see how things are going and we’ll decide from there.

Challenge accepted.

Though I always knew what I had, I think I secretly denied it. I always acted as if I knew exactly what I needed to do. In reality, I didn’t control it one bit, barely checked my numbers and kept hanging on that word used way back in the beginning – borderline.

Now, I had hit rock bottom and it was the wake-up call I truly needed. I understood, for whatever reason, that this was extremely serious. I needed to do something. And, so I have. Sometimes in life, one really does need to hit rock bottom before they can get better. I hit it and I hit it hard.

Since getting off the antibiotics, I’ve seen a diabetes educator. She helped me see how to plan meals and what to eat. Different foods do different things to people, which I am seeing. She also told me I should be eating like six times a day – far different than how I was doing things. And that’s a good thing – because now I am feeling like I keep energy in my system for longer periods of time. It’s not just me dragging. And I’ve also had the chance to see what things do to me and in certain situations. I’m making positive changes in my life.

If you understand blood readings, you know the normal range for people with diabetes is something along the lines of 70-140. During this whole episode, I was ranging in the mid-to-high 300s.

Yes, that’s scary.

It was quite frightening at one point when I got to the 390s. I contacted my primary provider. Thankfully, the numbers came down. And though I’ve made serious strides, I am not out of the woods yet. Heck, I may still have to worry about the “I” word yet. Alas, my goal is to avoid that and the educator is helping me work on that. There’s never guarantees, that’s for sure. But I’m working at it.

I’ve invested in a better glucometer, for one, one that syncs with my phone so I can see patterns and know what I need to do. The one downfall to it is it only keeps the past 14 days. A computer program is supposed to be able to connect to save everything, but I can’t seem to sync up. So I am going to have to go old school and just set up a Word file or something to keep track of everything.

Alas, one thing is known – I have seen a dramatic decrease in my numbers over the past few weeks. It went from the 300s to the 200s. It’s been more than two weeks since I was in the 200s and I’m at the point now where all the crazy readings are going away. I like that because it shows I’m doing what I am supposed to do. I check 3-4 times a day, usually, and am getting a strong understanding of what things do to me.

So something is working. I feel better, too. I seem to breathe better (shocker), I have more energy and I am sleeping better. That’s all good!

My goal is to obviously have 100 percent in range… but this has been massive progress.

With many things in life, they often say you need to hit rock bottom before you can improve yourself and climb back up. I reached that breaking point. And then I realized I don’t have to stop eating things I truly love, I just need to learn what things do to my body and how I can counteract, if needed. It’s all about moderation.

This road is a long one. It’s a journey of life to try and improve myself mentally and physically. It won’t be easy, but I plan on doing things to force myself to stay on the course. Of course I’ll be blogging about this journey, too, as it’s a way for me to kind of keep myself on track and make sure I do what I need to do.

Life is a wonderful thing. It’s also precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Things like this really show you how delicate life can be. But at the same time, it makes me smile to know that I’m at an age where I can still battle this and live life normally.

Now it’s time to push onward and keep getting things to how they should be.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!