A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Living with Diabetes

Living with Diabetes: Getting back on track

It’s been a while since I wrote one of these posts. 

It should also come as no surprise, then, that I’ve gone a bit off track. If I don’t hold myself accountable, then I tend to start veering down the wrong road. 

So let me kind of go backward and then move forward again. 

So at one point (October 2018), I hit a point where my numbers were all out of whack. For my first two A1C tests in 2018, things were improving and going down. Then in October, it ballooned. 

Like a lot. 

So it was time to figure things out a bit more. I worked on getting a Freestyle Libre. I actually used this before then, I believe, For those who don’t know what a Libre is, it’s an item you put in your arm (it’s a mini needle attached to a sensor that is about the size of a quarter, though thicker) and you use a reader against the sensor to get your numbers. 

Living with diabetes logo

For me, it was nice because I could check myself a whole heap more, and not have to worry about pricking my fingers. It also went to my phone, so I could see the history a lot easier. 

Alas, there were issues with the Libre. It wouldn’t always stay in my arm. It would get off readings. When it was working, it seemed legit. Any time I matched those readings with the old fashioned way, it worked well. 

But for the price (my insurance didn’t cover it fully), it was tough. 

Then Freestyle switched the Libre from 1o days (on your arm) to 14 days and it really got bad. The sensors wouldn’t stay on, and the readings seemed a lot more wonky. 

During this whole time, mind you, I wasn’t as diligent about checking the old fashioned way. And because the arm was sensitive after a sensor came off, I would wait a day or three to put a new one on. That wasn’t smart. Why? Because I *thought* I knew what everything did to me. 

I didn’t. 

The story of my life with this diabetic journey seems to fall in the same way and I have to figure out how to change the narrative. 

So in January, things seemed to be pointed in the right direction. In May, my A1C went up, but not fully alarming – but enough to say “hey, get back on track.” And with the whole Libre thing really got me off track as well as … I don’t know. Not to make excuses but I thought I had it under control to, at least, keep it status quo. 

It wasn’t and my A1C again went up. 

Obviously, it’s frustrating. But at the same time, I only have myself to blame. So, back to the drawing board I went. 

How to replicate things was my biggest quandary. The old-fashioned checker I use is supposed to hook up to my phone, but for whatever reason it hooks up via bluetooth and then doesn’t get any readings. So, instead, I made a Google sheet to keep track of things. I’ve color-coded things so I can see when I’ve gone high, am in the right zone and all that. 

It’s my hope this will really start keeping me on track. 

That comes down to what I am doing with things, though. I’ve made sure I’ve kept walking, but I think incorporating a second walk daily is probably a good idea. That helps things quite a bit it seems, so it’s just making sure I can do it most days. The other day I even got in a three-mile bike ride, which was also nice, As the fall is upon us, I’ll be more apt to do these as well as the weather is nice for it. 

I’m also going to get back into writing about this whole thing on the blog once a month. I find when I get my thoughts out there, it helps. 

Some things I need to work on: 

– Portion control for meals

– Check my blood better

– Figure out the whole morning thing (numbers OK, then go up and all…I have some things I’ve tried)

– Think about the long-term

When I was at my last doctor’s appointment, he said  – sometimes you can do everything right and it still doesn’t improve. As we age, the body is different. If things don’t show enough improvement, he wants me to think about other options. I am not into the “I” word as I think it can be avoided. But something like a Trulicity might be something I have to think about. 

Hopefully, I can really start losing a bit more weight, stay active, and do what I need to do so it won’t matter. But only time will tell. 

My next appointment is the week of Thanksgiving, so I have about six weeks before my next blood test. Hopefully when those come back, I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day.

It’s an important day for those with this disease, and a day when one should reflect on their battle and how it’s going. Be it Type 1 or Type 2, it’s a day to see where you are and where you have to go.

Not to make excuses, but this past winter when I yanked my back, I fell off the wagon. To that point, for the five months or so previous, I had been doing great work. I was exercising every day, eating (somewhat) better, and my numbers were down and improving.

And then the back.

As the back finally improved, I didn’t get back on the wagon the best I could. I kept sliding. I tried to eat decent, but  it was summer and I wasn’t doing everything I was doing. So it was no surprise when I went to the doctor a few weeks ago that he wasn’t too happy with my numbers as they were higher than they had been in quite a while.

Back to the drawing board.

It’s time to have accountability once again. I need to get back into blogging about this battle, and I need to start paying more attention. Eating better, exercise, and watching things is something that has to be done.

I’ve been working on this process for a couple of weeks now. I’m eating better (outside of this past Saturday), I’m getting out for walks most nights, and I’m keeping track of what I am eating. I am not probably doing all of this to the level I need to, but I’m getting there. I’m pushing myself as best I can and am hoping to keep improving.

World Diabetes Day is an important day as it’s a day for global awareness about the disease. November is also National Diabetes Month, which is time to bring attention to this disease and its impact on millions of Americans.

As I continue to push forward — be it all straight or an occasional fall and get back up — it’s also a time for me to reflect on my journey and where I need to go. I have goals still set and I hope to get to them at some point. But I also know this is a long haul and not a sprint, so I will keep pushing.

For any of you reading — if you battle with this — what kinds of things do you do to keep your everyday numbers and A1C in check?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Living with Diabetes: December/January

It seems like the months got away from me on this one! With everything going on over the holidays, I obviously missed December’s “report,” so I’m going to double up, and there is a lot to report on!

Last told, I made it through Thanksgiving without much of an issue. So, there’s a lot to update on.

Something I was quite proud of was making it through 2017 without having candy over the final three months. That means getting through the holidays without being silly with mass-produced goodies. Yes, a few of the famous caramels done up by my mother each Christmas were had, but outside of that I was good. I stuck to the one soda per week and I was out walking.

Boy was I ever.

Since I started this odyssey at the end of September, I’ve made it a priority to get out and walk. Though I can’t say I’ve never missed a day, it’s highly rare. From early October when I started this, to early January 22 (the day before my latest doctor appointment), I had taken more than 1,218,000 steps.

For some people, that might not be a super ton over that period (though I think it would be pretty good for most people, as that is averaging more than 10,500 steps per day), but for me it was a huge step (you like what I did there?) in the right direction. But looking back to when I first started using my Fitbit again, this is way better. From July 23 until the end of September, I had 457,856 steps. Though the time is shorter in that comparison, it gives a glimpse of what I was doing as compared to now.

Routine is important and I think I am doing well with that.

I make my goal to get to 10,000 steps per day, which is (give or take) about five miles per day. Some of that is done throughout the day as I push myself to walk more during work hours, and then I make up the difference with walks at night. I tend to push myself to make sure I get these steps, as if I don’t, I know I’ll regress.

My eating habits have changed, but I know I have to continue down the right path. I watch what I eat and the portion size is down, but there are times I know I am eating too much of one thing or another. I have had a few pieces of candy here and there, but luckily it doesn’t seem to do a lot to me as I am smart about it. It’s hard at times – don’t get me wrong – but I know how important this is.

Weight wise, I’m down about 8-10 pounds. This is where I know I am doing something right, but at the same time not enough. It might be the portion control and all, but with as much as I’m actively doing, I think I should be losing a little bit faster.

The biggest thing is my numbers.

My daily readings are improved, but my overnight reading and what I take around lunch time is usually higher than it should be. Once I hit dinner, I’m better.

These all fluctuate some, and I do make some positive steps. This all gave me confidence in my A1C, which I knew had to improve.

That thought was fully correct.

My A1C went down a full 1.5, which brings me in line of a better place. I’m going to keep pushing and see how low I can get it. I know I can keep improving and I will. I am looking forward to things.

There are still items I need to work on and I’m trying to figure them out. Blood sugar is a crazy thing, and there are times it just doesn’t make sense to me. I’d like to institute some exercise in the morning, but I just am not sure how to do it with a medicine I have to take in the morning, when I can eat, and how to do both before exercising, yet also make it to work on time. I’ll figure it out eventually!

I will keep pushing forward and working to get healthier and healthier.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

Living with Diabetes: November 2017

It’s the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday, as we all know it.

For me, it’s a good Friday of sorts. I successfully made it through the holiday without gorging. My numbers, too, have been doing much — much — better. To understand all of that — let’s go back to the beginning of October. That’s when I made this newfound pact with myself to finally do something about things.

Actually, let me go back even further — to April’s post. That’s when, in a comment, Denise wrote the following:

“Research now shows that it takes 66 days of consistent behavior change to modify existing habits/establish new habits, so consider printing off a sheet with 66 big squares numbered 1 – 66 and putting a big red X through each day as you fit in some exercise!”

I thought — at that point — easy to do. I could do 66 days to change habits! My numbers back then weren’t that good. I knew I needed to do something and, yet, I didn’t.

Then as I approached my doctor appointment in October, I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let my A1C be really bad.

There were several things I started doing:

  1. Stopped eating all candy (still going strong with that, outside of gum)
  2. One soda (at most) per week)
  3. Walking every night

When I went to the doctor, the A1C number wasn’t very good. In fact, it had gotten worse since June. It went up .6, and that wasn’t something I felt should have happened — so I knew I was crapping the bed.

So, time to fix.

Eating better. No more stupid snacks. Walking. Seems like a simple plan, doesn’t it? I have said for a long time these are the things I needed to do. Then take into account that I’ve received good advice throughout — and still did nothing.

This was the time. And here’s the update.

I haven’t had any candy since September 30, and I’ve stuck to my soda plan. I’ve also kept to my walking regimen, and once habits start — they are hard to break. I have done well with getting out and walking anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 miles per night, often depending on how much I walked during the day.

And the results have shown.

Though my numbers aren’t where I want them (yet), they are vastly improved. Before I started this, my blood checks would often be in the low 200s for fasting, and sometimes throughout the morning. Since this, that has come way down. My fasting sugars are still a bit on the high side (for my liking), but the improvement has been steady and earlier this week was 154. That is way closer to where it needs to be.

The checking of the blood for other times (lunch, dinner, after dinner, other random times) has shown an incredible change, too. The highest points of the day have been around lunch, which still throws me off. But as the day goes on, the numbers get even better. For the most part, I’m staying within my ranges, but the lunch time is often at the higher end, while other times are on par of where they should be.

The biggest win for me was making it through Thanksgiving without overeating and feeling like I would have killed something I had worked so hard on. And that didn’t happen. Not only that, but with two separate walks that day, I covered 2 miles and 3.1 — and that doesn’t include all the other moving around for the day.

I always say things like this are a marathon — everything isn’t fixed and made better overnight. It has been good because I’ve gone out on walks and things like that in a lot of different weather situations so far, so I know I can push myself. I’ve seen some weight loss, too, which helps.

So far, November and Thanksgiving are a hurdle I got over. The tough is going to be Christmas. But, as long as I keep focused and don’t go overboard, I should be able to get through it without too many scars, so to speak. My next appointment is in January, and I’ll be getting an A1C test then, too, so we’ll see how things go!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!

November 14 is World Diabetes Day

I usually wouldn’t put up posts back-to-back of “special days,” but I couldn’t avoid it.

World Kindness Day was important.

And today is World Diabetes Day.

This is, obviously, a day that I relate with. Created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization, it is an official United Nations Day and is the world’s biggest diabetes awareness campaign. The idea of the campaign is to draw attention to the issues in the diabetes world, as well as keep the disease in the eyes of the public.

For me, with how I have been trying to be healthier with my eating and everything else going on, it’s a good day for me to see where I’ve come over the past couple of months.

And I think I’ve come a long way.

I’ve pushed myself with my walking every day. It’s rare that I don’t make my goals for each day and I get out and get moving every day.

That’s a good thing.

I think I’m eating better, too. I’m eating less. I’m watching what is going in so I know what it might do to me.

All of this has meant my numbers have been improving. They aren’t quite where I’d like them to be yet, but they keep getting better.

That is good as well.

On the flip side, there are things I have to continually get better with. I’ll cover the gamut of things in a week or two when I do my normal monthly post.

But a day like this makes me kind of continue to look at how things are and what I am doing myself. I think I am — finally — on the right path.

The reality, though, is that this is a disease that a lot of people deal with in one way or another. There are a lot of things we can do as a society to battle diabetes, which is why days like this are important as they allow a platform for information to be put out and for people to see it.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!