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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

diabetes

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Filed Under: Diabetes, My world Tagged With: blood, blood levels, blood numbers, checking blood, diabetes, diabetic, food, living with diabetes

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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!

Filed Under: Diabetes, Health, Living with Diabetes, My world Tagged With: a1c, blood sugar, diabetes, fasting, getting healthy, glucose, health, healthcare, living with diabetes

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Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to ha Tis a dreary and rainy day. What better than to have a cup of tea in my new mug, which was a birthday gift from my nephew/godson Cameron!
Live life the best you can. Have experiences. Smil Live life the best you can. Have experiences. Smile. Love the world. 

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Saturday was national dog day… posted on Faceboo Saturday was national dog day… posted on Facebook, but forgot here! Harper was spoiled all day!
How could we skip this? North of the border this How could we skip this? 

North of the border this weekend to get away and hit a few caching events and geocache. Dinner tonight was at @harpersburgers, especially with outdoor seating and dog friendly! @harper_dublin got to enjoy a little of my #burger, of course. And, yes, I got poutine, duh! Great service and great food! Went back later for a spiked shake. This one was a Malibu Colada (malibu rum, dark rum, vanilla ice cream, and pineapple juice) … yum! 

Good times! Looking forward to another event and caches on Saturday before heading home! 

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My newest #pathtag came in! A great design by @geo My newest #pathtag came in! A great design by @geofoxandthehound! This one, of course, is connected to @harper_dublin ‘s Instagram account. It won’t be easy to get! 

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Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He g Haircut day! I got mine done, as did Cameron. He got some waves for when he goes to the shore next week! One shot of me getting the straight razor too! Nice job @studio11chris at @studio11barbersuite ! 

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Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio h Part one of the backyard work is done. New patio has been installed ... (the rock garden area is basically done, too ... but i need to put a few things up with it). The guy who did my patio did a great job... looks cool. 

I think Harper approves. 

One more step and we'll be set to really enjoy it back there with some shade!

Working on a few other landscaping things, too.
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Waggin’ Wednesday at the @swbrailriders was a lo Waggin’ Wednesday at the @swbrailriders was a lot of fun! Hot night, but very enjoyable! 

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As a @sunydelhi alum, and local, I still love walk As a @sunydelhi alum, and local, I still love walking around the campus. It’s especially nice in the morning when college isn’t in session as it’s quiet and @harper_dublin can sniff and explore her surroundings (if in session, she will want to stop and meet every student etc.). I know a lot of people local walk the campus, and it’s really nice that we have something like this in our community to be able to do so. 

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Ok folks… barbershop experience is good times. H Ok folks… barbershop experience is good times. Hair, tend to the beard … you get it. In Oneonta, check out @studio11chris at @studio11barbersuite ! Tell him I sent you! 

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A video looking at my first year and a half of owning a golden retriever, my first dog. It's had its ups and downs, but I've truly loved the ride and look forward to the future. 

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I hate being in front of the camera, but also realize sometimes it's not the worst thing in the world. So, I'm getting better with it. Week 4's theme was all about us and having us in front of the camera, so I tried to come up with a creative way to do it. 

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