While we were in Las Vegas over the summer, we ate at this really nice place, and I really really wanted to get a picture while we were there but for some reason I didn't have my camera or my phone on me at that particular point in the trip.
The reason for the picture was that there in this beautiful restaurant, with beautiful place settings and ambient lighting, sitting next to the silverware on the linen napkin, and awaiting the dish of pasta that I was about to eat, was my insulin pen. And it just amused the heck out of me at that point.
So I couldn't title this post Wordless Wednesday. And while this is the opposite of "a picture is worth a thousand words" hopefully my words can draw the picture for you.
..:: a blog about whatever pops into my head ...including but not limited to diabetes, severe weather, cats, food, etc ::..
Showing posts with label Diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diabetes. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Wordless Wednesday (on Friday)
Wednesday the 3rd was “Wordless Wednesday” on the suggestion list for 30 Days of Diabetes Blogging,and their helpful suggestion was to post a pic or a video about the three most important things that help my diabetes management. Its not Wednesday, but does that really matter? :) So here goes!
1.
Obviously my meter is one of my most important tools. It tells me if I should or shouldn’t eat, and what, and when, and how much insulin I should take… etc etc etc 2.
I am a freakishly devoted logger. Even with my meter having nice storage capabilities with graphs and time stamps and all kinds of records, I log everything. Everything I eat goes in there. That way if I remember eating it and can look it up, I can also see how it affected my next reading. Every number goes in there, from BG tests to insulin doses to BP readings while at the docs. One thing that its REALLY done for me is the reason they recommend keeping a food journal. Its shown me what I eat and when so I can see where my problem food areas lie. 3.
And of course, the bestest guy I’ve known (aside from my daddy!). Dustin was already in my life when I was kinda forced to make the big changes to my diabetes care. He learned right along with me about counting carbs and stuff, and of course he’s the one who has to deal with me being super cranky when I get low. So yeah, he’s a pretty important part of my diabetes management :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
a very linky post
Among many others, the Diabetes Research Institute is focused on finding a cure for diabetes. A fun way that YOU can help their campaign is by donating to “Be Part of the Cure”. Not only will you be donating to help find a cure, but with just a $10 donation, you can upload your picture to go on the C-U-R-E banner, which is just pretty cool. You can even search the photos to find yourself or anyone else you might know! If you donate a minimum of $50, you get a mousepad with the CURE mosaic on it. In addition, the first $25,000 will be matched by Animas and Lifescan, so there’s another reason to donate!
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out the video at BigBlueTest.org, developed by the Diabetes Hands Foundation. If they reach 100,000 views, Roche Diabetes Care will donate $75,000 which will benefit Life For a Child and Insulin for Life. What that boils down to is that every view of the video will translate to a weeks worth of insulin for a child who can’t afford it.
AND!
On November 14, Diabetes Awareness Day, be sure to do the Big Blue Test! Help raise awareness about how important testing and exercise are for all diabetics. Here’s what you need to do:
1. On November 14 at 2 pm, test your blood sugar.
2. Get active for 14 minutes.
3. Test again.
2. Get active for 14 minutes.
3. Test again.
4. Go to BigBlueTest.org and input your results.
That’s it! Click some links!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
feelings.... nothing more than feelings....
So I posted yesterday about recently going off of my insulin regimen as an experiment, per se.
One of the things that I thought was really interesting was my feelings while I was doing it. Even though I’ve technically been a diabetic since 2005, I didn’t really take control of it until about a year ago. That was when they wanted to put me in the hospital for severe DKA and instead just put me on insulin. Since then I’ve paid attention to my meds, paid attention to what I eat… all of which means that I’ve complained about testing and shots and carbs and math too.
And yet, something felt wrong. It wasn’t that there was actually something wrong. At first I thought I was just stressed because of my new schedule which included school. But that wasn’t it. I finally figured out that I was missing my regular diabetes schedule.
You may ask (and I was), how can you possibly miss poking yourself 4-5 times a day with a needle and having to count every bite of food that you eat?? And believe me, it wasn’t the poking myself that I missed, it was the routine!
Its strange how quickly we can become accustomed to doing something, even something unpleasant, and integrating it into our daily lives. It was still somewhat of a relief when I gave up my experiment and started taking the shots again. Not only did my schedule fall back into place, but I felt like I had control again, so that was refreshing.
Although, I am more than a little OCD, so it really comes as no surprise that I was glad to be in control :)
One of the things that I thought was really interesting was my feelings while I was doing it. Even though I’ve technically been a diabetic since 2005, I didn’t really take control of it until about a year ago. That was when they wanted to put me in the hospital for severe DKA and instead just put me on insulin. Since then I’ve paid attention to my meds, paid attention to what I eat… all of which means that I’ve complained about testing and shots and carbs and math too.
And yet, something felt wrong. It wasn’t that there was actually something wrong. At first I thought I was just stressed because of my new schedule which included school. But that wasn’t it. I finally figured out that I was missing my regular diabetes schedule.
You may ask (and I was), how can you possibly miss poking yourself 4-5 times a day with a needle and having to count every bite of food that you eat?? And believe me, it wasn’t the poking myself that I missed, it was the routine!
Its strange how quickly we can become accustomed to doing something, even something unpleasant, and integrating it into our daily lives. It was still somewhat of a relief when I gave up my experiment and started taking the shots again. Not only did my schedule fall back into place, but I felt like I had control again, so that was refreshing.
Although, I am more than a little OCD, so it really comes as no surprise that I was glad to be in control :)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
the one that needs a disclaimer...
Disclaimer: I would like to point out at this time that I am NOT a person with a medical degree (yet), or a certified diabetes educator, or anything like that. I am just a person with type 2 diabetes making my own decisions about my health. This does not mean that I don’t follow my doctor’s recommendations and orders, it just means that I might make decisions at times that might make me look like I’m not a good patient.
Now on to my post :)
For about a week in the middle of October I stopped taking my rapid-acting insulin. Don’t panic, it wasn’t a bad thing necessarily. I am a type 2, I have been eating healthy-ish, I was (am) taking not only long-acting (Lantus) and rapid-acting (Novolog) insulin but I was also taking Metformin and Januvia as well.
My Lantus dose was normal (for me), but my Novolog had gotten to the point where I was taking only a little with my meals. One day I ate my bagel for breakfast and totally forgot the shot. About an hour and a half later I remembered and tested, panicked, thinking I would be high, but I turned out to be lower than my fasting BG was. Weird, right?
So I thought about it and decided to do an experiment and see if I could get off the insulin and start being just on the oral meds. I made sure that I tested all the time and paid really close attention to what I was eating and whether I was high or low. And I had plenty of both highs and lows, which was interesting. What I discovered is that at this point in my life I can’t just take oral meds. My numbers never really got out of control, and they actually stayed really steady for the first few days. But then they just started slowly climbing. At the end, I was having only slightly elevated fasting levels, but as soon as I ate something I would be living in the 200’s for the whole day.
That was when I gave up. I mean, I had the means to control it at my disposal, so I went back to it. I have no problem being on insulin. I have very tight control. I am not one of those people that is scared to give it a shot (pun intended). Yeah, I was kinda pushed onto it, and of course if I could get away from it I would. I’d love to lose some of that weight that might be associated with being on insulin, but I don’t have a problem where I’m at today.
And now I actually have an endo and a lot of changes are being made, and I have a ton of appointments in the next couple of months. I’ll be posting more about that in the next couple of posts too.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Diabetes Awareness Month!
Holy moly! I have not posted anything in so long!
I’m sure that my loyal follower(s) have been sitting around crying over my lack of totally fascinating posts, and for that I am truly sorry!

November is Diabetes Awareness Month with World Diabetes Day coming up on November 14! There are all kinds of things going on this month, so be sure to check out other blogs around the community and see what people are doing! Sarah at Sugabetic started SAE Day which is to encourage you to Support, Advocate, and Educate about diabetes. That’s November 1, so I’m sorry I’m pushing it out there a little too late!
On WDD, November 14, be sure to check out and participate in the Big Blue Test to raise awareness for diabetes!
November 9 is D-Blog Day, started in 2005 by Gina Capone. This years topic is: 6 things you want people to know about diabetes. You can find out more by checking out her post here.
November is also NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. The basic idea is to post something in your blog every day for a month. Actually, I think you can try to do it any month you want, but November is the big month and they award prizes and everything! If you’re interested, you can check out NaBloPoMo.com and give it a try.
In honor of World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Awareness Month, and since it is NaBloPoMo, I am going to attempt the 30 Diabetes Blogs in 30 Days. They’ve got some great ideas on their site as to what to post about, and since I’m a slacker at posting sometimes, I’m going to take advantage of any help they want to provide! So here goes!
The suggestion for today is an introduction… “Tell us about yourself! Why did you decide to start a blog or share your blog with us?”
Overall, I’m pretty normal. I’m a geek… I love my World of Warcraft, my chainmail armor, my Stargate TV shows. I am also a student aiming for a degree/certification in medical assisting. I’m hoping to one day be a wife and a mother. I have an absolutely wonderful boyfriend who makes me feel special even when I’m being cranky.
I’ve talked before about my varying degrees of success with having Type 2 Diabetes. I decided to start blogging because my situation as a T2 seemed to be so different. At the time I wasn’t finding many T2’s that were taking insulin, especially, so I wanted to talk!
Anyway, enough about me for the day :)
I’m sure that my loyal follower(s) have been sitting around crying over my lack of totally fascinating posts, and for that I am truly sorry!
November is Diabetes Awareness Month with World Diabetes Day coming up on November 14! There are all kinds of things going on this month, so be sure to check out other blogs around the community and see what people are doing! Sarah at Sugabetic started SAE Day which is to encourage you to Support, Advocate, and Educate about diabetes. That’s November 1, so I’m sorry I’m pushing it out there a little too late!
On WDD, November 14, be sure to check out and participate in the Big Blue Test to raise awareness for diabetes!
November 9 is D-Blog Day, started in 2005 by Gina Capone. This years topic is: 6 things you want people to know about diabetes. You can find out more by checking out her post here.
November is also NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. The basic idea is to post something in your blog every day for a month. Actually, I think you can try to do it any month you want, but November is the big month and they award prizes and everything! If you’re interested, you can check out NaBloPoMo.com and give it a try.
In honor of World Diabetes Day and Diabetes Awareness Month, and since it is NaBloPoMo, I am going to attempt the 30 Diabetes Blogs in 30 Days. They’ve got some great ideas on their site as to what to post about, and since I’m a slacker at posting sometimes, I’m going to take advantage of any help they want to provide! So here goes!
The suggestion for today is an introduction… “Tell us about yourself! Why did you decide to start a blog or share your blog with us?”
Overall, I’m pretty normal. I’m a geek… I love my World of Warcraft, my chainmail armor, my Stargate TV shows. I am also a student aiming for a degree/certification in medical assisting. I’m hoping to one day be a wife and a mother. I have an absolutely wonderful boyfriend who makes me feel special even when I’m being cranky.
I’ve talked before about my varying degrees of success with having Type 2 Diabetes. I decided to start blogging because my situation as a T2 seemed to be so different. At the time I wasn’t finding many T2’s that were taking insulin, especially, so I wanted to talk!
Anyway, enough about me for the day :)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
reprimanding myself...
I feel compelled to clarify some of the things I said in my last post, so that I don’t alienate any of my readers (do I have more than one??) because of my “pain of the moment” writing :)
First, as Mike pointed out in his comment, I suppose I will take back my name calling of myself (although there are some days when I certainly FEEL like a fat cow), however I had a good reason for calling myself an idiot. See, even in my irrational ranting over my unchanged diagnosis, I knew that the things I was upset about were completely ridiculous, idiotic even, because, as I mentioned, why would any rational person prefer MDI’s over or in addition to a healthy diet?
Second, I should have used a lot more “quotation marks” when talking about T1’s vs. T2’s. A lot of things that I said are the common misconceptions that I know I hear from my side frequently. I’m certainly not playing the blame game on anyone’s genetics!
Some of the things that bug me about being a T2, though, are those common misconceptions, even by doctors and especially health insurance companies. With the insurance aspect, as a T2, if I get pregnant and am still on insulin, it will still be difficult for me to get on a pump for tighter control just because health insurance companies tend to feel that they are unnecessary for a T2, no matter what the circumstances.
The same generally holds true with test strips. Since with my old insurance didn’t cover any endocrinologists anywhere near me, I never bothered getting one, but my PCP is very cool and wants me to be proactive with my diabetes. She is the one who helps me get enough strips to currently test about 7 times a day, which is the max for my insurance. That’s a lot better than other T2’s I know who are only allowed to test 1 time per day. But if get married and change insurance again, I may be stuck with the “T2 doesn’t need to test that often” and won’t be able to. I know I’m still a newbie and maybe I will eventually be glad that I can’t test, but personally, I LOVE data. I love knowing what my numbers are. I would love to be on a CGM just to see the trends and know whats going on a little bit more!
And that’s just the stuff from insurance companies. From a personal perspective, I have seen people who should know better sit back and say that at least its not as “bad” as being a T1. And on the flipside I’ve had T1’s actually look DOWN on me, because I’m “only” a T2. So apart from the DOC, that’s what I run into all the time! Another weird aspect that I keep seeing, being near the Detroit area, is surprise that I’m a T2, because that’s something that inner city people get… (???? what????)
So hopefully that clears up a little bit about the stuff I was talking about in my last post. Like I said, I certainly don’t want to step on any toes just because I was upset. Generally I have a pretty good outlook on things, and try to put things in the proper perspective when I’m writing so that I don’t sound biased or anything. Thanks again to Mike for pointing out that I had lost my perspective :)
First, as Mike pointed out in his comment, I suppose I will take back my name calling of myself (although there are some days when I certainly FEEL like a fat cow), however I had a good reason for calling myself an idiot. See, even in my irrational ranting over my unchanged diagnosis, I knew that the things I was upset about were completely ridiculous, idiotic even, because, as I mentioned, why would any rational person prefer MDI’s over or in addition to a healthy diet?
Second, I should have used a lot more “quotation marks” when talking about T1’s vs. T2’s. A lot of things that I said are the common misconceptions that I know I hear from my side frequently. I’m certainly not playing the blame game on anyone’s genetics!
Some of the things that bug me about being a T2, though, are those common misconceptions, even by doctors and especially health insurance companies. With the insurance aspect, as a T2, if I get pregnant and am still on insulin, it will still be difficult for me to get on a pump for tighter control just because health insurance companies tend to feel that they are unnecessary for a T2, no matter what the circumstances.
The same generally holds true with test strips. Since with my old insurance didn’t cover any endocrinologists anywhere near me, I never bothered getting one, but my PCP is very cool and wants me to be proactive with my diabetes. She is the one who helps me get enough strips to currently test about 7 times a day, which is the max for my insurance. That’s a lot better than other T2’s I know who are only allowed to test 1 time per day. But if get married and change insurance again, I may be stuck with the “T2 doesn’t need to test that often” and won’t be able to. I know I’m still a newbie and maybe I will eventually be glad that I can’t test, but personally, I LOVE data. I love knowing what my numbers are. I would love to be on a CGM just to see the trends and know whats going on a little bit more!
And that’s just the stuff from insurance companies. From a personal perspective, I have seen people who should know better sit back and say that at least its not as “bad” as being a T1. And on the flipside I’ve had T1’s actually look DOWN on me, because I’m “only” a T2. So apart from the DOC, that’s what I run into all the time! Another weird aspect that I keep seeing, being near the Detroit area, is surprise that I’m a T2, because that’s something that inner city people get… (???? what????)
So hopefully that clears up a little bit about the stuff I was talking about in my last post. Like I said, I certainly don’t want to step on any toes just because I was upset. Generally I have a pretty good outlook on things, and try to put things in the proper perspective when I’m writing so that I don’t sound biased or anything. Thanks again to Mike for pointing out that I had lost my perspective :)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
at least I know it IS all my fault...
So I had some lab tests done last week to check on various things. They checked my cholesterol to see if the simvastatin I started taking 3 months ago is working, and they tested for GAD antibodies to see if I’m a Type 1.5 (LADA) or a Type 2.
I heard back from the doctor today, finally, and while she was a bit brief in her voicemail, it was because it was all good news! She said my cholesterol looked “beautiful” so the simvastatin is working well, and she said that I tested negative for the antibodies, so I’m just a plain old Type 2. Yay!
Here’s where I become an idiot….
I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed. Why? Why would I be DISAPPOINTED that I might get to forego a lifetime of multiple daily injections or being hooked to an insulin pump? Because basically, its all my fault! Sure sure I might have gotten T2 diabetes just because, but as a T1, you can’t do anything about it. You have no say in the matter. It was going to happen anyway. Finding out that I’m a T2 just reminds me that:
a) if I wasn’t a fat cow then I might not even BE diabetic
b) if I could manage to lose weight then I might be just another person with “diabetic tendencies”
c) if I could manage to lose weight then I wouldn’t be taking insulin, and if I wasn’t taking insulin I might not be a fat cow (vicious circle, that one)
d) that for as long as I AM taking insulin, I will probably never be approved for a pump, because I’m “just a T2”, which means that until I figure out how to lose weight then I’ll be doing MDI’s
e) that I will never ever be able to just randomly eat something again.
That last one, I think, is the kicker for me. At least if I was/am taking insulin, I can eat a piece of bread, or a piece of fruit, and I know that I just need to take a bit of insulin to cover it. But as a T2, the goal is to not be on insulin, and to not be on meds at all, if possible. That means that I’m not allowed to eat anything that I enjoy, ever again.
While I know there is some stuff that is T2 friendly that is absolutely delicious, that means leaving out yummy helpings of fruits, and delicious breads, and bagels, and cereals.
I know that it is absolutely ridiculous to be bummed about the fact that I might have the ability to be injection free. Why would anyone want to take injections multiple times a day, every day, or be hooked up to a pump all the time? Why am I sitting at my desk at work in tears because my doctor just gave me “good” news? Because it just makes everything that much harder…
1. The road to getting OFF insulin is going to be harder because the only way to really do it is to lose weight. Half the weight that’s there is because I’m ON insulin in the first place. So that’s harder right there.
2. Eating healthier is something that I’ve been trying to do for a while now, as well as diminishing the amount that I eat. Both of those things are going well, but I’m not losing ANY weight. Plus, healthy eating doesn’t mean that I have to cut out breads and cereals, just making good choices about them. Being a T2 means that I DO have to cut that stuff out.
3. If I manage to get off insulin, then if I DO eat something “wrong”, I have no way of fixing it. That means that I might have highs that last longer, highs that I can’t correct for, and highs that cause complications that could put me in the hospital or cause long term problems. And I can’t do anything about them, because there IS nothing you can do for them as a T2.
4. I’ll probably be forced to reduce the amount of times I test per day, so I’ll never even know if I’m high.
5. If I go off insulin, the only way that I’ll be able to keep my A1c in range is by losing tons of weight and never eating yummy things again, which is going to take a very very long time, which means that I won’t be able to try and get pregnant if I ever get married, because it will be such a long struggle to get there that by the time I do I’ll be too old to have babies.
Yes, I know I’m an idiot.
I am glad to know that I can make myself be healthy, that its all in my hands. But that also means I’m the only one to blame when I can’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I was already PLANNING on doing most of those things. Like I mentioned in #2 up there, I was already eating healthier and fixing my portion sizes. But now it feels like I’m not the one choosing to do so, I’m going to be FORCED to do so. Its not ME choosing whether or not to eat something I want, its being FORCED to not eat the things I might have chosen to.
So yeah. I’m a little disappointed. I’m glad for the good news, but disappointed about the view.
I heard back from the doctor today, finally, and while she was a bit brief in her voicemail, it was because it was all good news! She said my cholesterol looked “beautiful” so the simvastatin is working well, and she said that I tested negative for the antibodies, so I’m just a plain old Type 2. Yay!
Here’s where I become an idiot….
I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed. Why? Why would I be DISAPPOINTED that I might get to forego a lifetime of multiple daily injections or being hooked to an insulin pump? Because basically, its all my fault! Sure sure I might have gotten T2 diabetes just because, but as a T1, you can’t do anything about it. You have no say in the matter. It was going to happen anyway. Finding out that I’m a T2 just reminds me that:
a) if I wasn’t a fat cow then I might not even BE diabetic
b) if I could manage to lose weight then I might be just another person with “diabetic tendencies”
c) if I could manage to lose weight then I wouldn’t be taking insulin, and if I wasn’t taking insulin I might not be a fat cow (vicious circle, that one)
d) that for as long as I AM taking insulin, I will probably never be approved for a pump, because I’m “just a T2”, which means that until I figure out how to lose weight then I’ll be doing MDI’s
e) that I will never ever be able to just randomly eat something again.
That last one, I think, is the kicker for me. At least if I was/am taking insulin, I can eat a piece of bread, or a piece of fruit, and I know that I just need to take a bit of insulin to cover it. But as a T2, the goal is to not be on insulin, and to not be on meds at all, if possible. That means that I’m not allowed to eat anything that I enjoy, ever again.
While I know there is some stuff that is T2 friendly that is absolutely delicious, that means leaving out yummy helpings of fruits, and delicious breads, and bagels, and cereals.
I know that it is absolutely ridiculous to be bummed about the fact that I might have the ability to be injection free. Why would anyone want to take injections multiple times a day, every day, or be hooked up to a pump all the time? Why am I sitting at my desk at work in tears because my doctor just gave me “good” news? Because it just makes everything that much harder…
1. The road to getting OFF insulin is going to be harder because the only way to really do it is to lose weight. Half the weight that’s there is because I’m ON insulin in the first place. So that’s harder right there.
2. Eating healthier is something that I’ve been trying to do for a while now, as well as diminishing the amount that I eat. Both of those things are going well, but I’m not losing ANY weight. Plus, healthy eating doesn’t mean that I have to cut out breads and cereals, just making good choices about them. Being a T2 means that I DO have to cut that stuff out.
3. If I manage to get off insulin, then if I DO eat something “wrong”, I have no way of fixing it. That means that I might have highs that last longer, highs that I can’t correct for, and highs that cause complications that could put me in the hospital or cause long term problems. And I can’t do anything about them, because there IS nothing you can do for them as a T2.
4. I’ll probably be forced to reduce the amount of times I test per day, so I’ll never even know if I’m high.
5. If I go off insulin, the only way that I’ll be able to keep my A1c in range is by losing tons of weight and never eating yummy things again, which is going to take a very very long time, which means that I won’t be able to try and get pregnant if I ever get married, because it will be such a long struggle to get there that by the time I do I’ll be too old to have babies.
Yes, I know I’m an idiot.
I am glad to know that I can make myself be healthy, that its all in my hands. But that also means I’m the only one to blame when I can’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I was already PLANNING on doing most of those things. Like I mentioned in #2 up there, I was already eating healthier and fixing my portion sizes. But now it feels like I’m not the one choosing to do so, I’m going to be FORCED to do so. Its not ME choosing whether or not to eat something I want, its being FORCED to not eat the things I might have chosen to.
So yeah. I’m a little disappointed. I’m glad for the good news, but disappointed about the view.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
high?
After exercising close to bedtime last night, having a little bit of a snack, and turning in with a respectable BG of 96 (good for me because I have a little dawn phenomena I think), I expected to wake up this morning in an acceptable fasting BG range and pay close attention during the day to make sure I wasn’t starting to head low, since the exercise thing is new to me.
I was NOT expecting to wake up seeing a 149 which stayed there the whole day! When I started getting ready to leave work I tested again to make sure I was still good to go for my drive home, and again, I didn’t need to worry… rocking away at 155, 2 ½ hours after eating lunch.
Now I’m trying to figure out if I’m just a control freak who needs to let go, or what. My A1c is a pretty decent 6.5%, and my meter readings generally agree. So should I be getting all irritated at a 150 that sticks around for the day, or is that just crazy? I’m wondering what other people consider “high”. I mean, obviously a 300 popping up randomly is gonna be high, but that’s just a given. What is a “normal” high? At what point do you stop sitting back complacently and start correcting?
I hope I’m not going to piss anyone off by complaining about a 150 when that might be normal for quite a lot of people. But for me, getting my numbers in that range after being uncontrolled since diagnosis was something I had to work to get to, and I’m glad to be there! I think its just the OCD part of me coming out and getting angry with that number. In all honestly, I’m not too terribly concerned about it, unless it just keeps climbing or something, but it struck me as interesting that I was frustrated with it all day today, and it made me wonder what other people’s opinions were!
Anyone have any?
I was NOT expecting to wake up seeing a 149 which stayed there the whole day! When I started getting ready to leave work I tested again to make sure I was still good to go for my drive home, and again, I didn’t need to worry… rocking away at 155, 2 ½ hours after eating lunch.
Now I’m trying to figure out if I’m just a control freak who needs to let go, or what. My A1c is a pretty decent 6.5%, and my meter readings generally agree. So should I be getting all irritated at a 150 that sticks around for the day, or is that just crazy? I’m wondering what other people consider “high”. I mean, obviously a 300 popping up randomly is gonna be high, but that’s just a given. What is a “normal” high? At what point do you stop sitting back complacently and start correcting?
I hope I’m not going to piss anyone off by complaining about a 150 when that might be normal for quite a lot of people. But for me, getting my numbers in that range after being uncontrolled since diagnosis was something I had to work to get to, and I’m glad to be there! I think its just the OCD part of me coming out and getting angry with that number. In all honestly, I’m not too terribly concerned about it, unless it just keeps climbing or something, but it struck me as interesting that I was frustrated with it all day today, and it made me wonder what other people’s opinions were!
Anyone have any?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I've got it together...
I’ve been feeling pretty good lately!
I feel on track with my future career. I am going to finish school and have this career under my belt. I’m sick of always having something be in the way. Be it class schedules vs. work schedules, or me not being SURE that I’m in the right career path, or me not having the funds to get it moving. I’m sick of waiting for it! I want to be officially doing something that I will enjoy, as my actual job.
And I’m on that path. I start my Business Communications class , which is my final pre-requisite class, next Tuesday, one week from today. I’m also taking a refresher in Medical Terminology (not because I need the class or grade, but because I’d rather have all those terms fresh in my head). I officially start the program this winter, and as long as everything goes on schedule I’ll be finished in June of 2012! Yay!
I feel in control of my Diabetes. I saw my doctor last Wednesday and will be heading in to have my lab work done in a couple of days. Fasting blood work always throws me off because I do better at it if I can do it first thing in the morning. In that regard, I had to wait till a day when we will almost definitely not be busy.
I wasn’t able to get another A1c done because last time I was classified as “in control” because my A1c was under 7%, so my insurance will only cover it after 6 months. I wish I could have known what it was though, since I started the Januvia 2 months ago and the Metformin (again) 3 months ago and I’d like to see how its going. But I guess “in control” is good!
I am also getting the lab work done to see if I have LADA, or type 1.5, or whatever you want to classify it as. If it comes back with positive antibodies, then that’ll be that. At least I will know if I’ll be on insulin forever or if I might be able to come off and just be on pills or nothing.
I’m very happy with my love life. As I posted yesterday, I’m with the man that I know I’m supposed to be with, and plan to be with forever. Even after almost a year and a half, and most of that living in the same place together, I still miss him when I’m not near him, and my heart still flutters when he smiles. I am more content now than I have ever been at any point in my life. Being with Dustin makes me feel safe and warm and fuzzy. :)
So yeah.. I’m doing pretty good, I think :)
I feel on track with my future career. I am going to finish school and have this career under my belt. I’m sick of always having something be in the way. Be it class schedules vs. work schedules, or me not being SURE that I’m in the right career path, or me not having the funds to get it moving. I’m sick of waiting for it! I want to be officially doing something that I will enjoy, as my actual job.
And I’m on that path. I start my Business Communications class , which is my final pre-requisite class, next Tuesday, one week from today. I’m also taking a refresher in Medical Terminology (not because I need the class or grade, but because I’d rather have all those terms fresh in my head). I officially start the program this winter, and as long as everything goes on schedule I’ll be finished in June of 2012! Yay!
I feel in control of my Diabetes. I saw my doctor last Wednesday and will be heading in to have my lab work done in a couple of days. Fasting blood work always throws me off because I do better at it if I can do it first thing in the morning. In that regard, I had to wait till a day when we will almost definitely not be busy.
I wasn’t able to get another A1c done because last time I was classified as “in control” because my A1c was under 7%, so my insurance will only cover it after 6 months. I wish I could have known what it was though, since I started the Januvia 2 months ago and the Metformin (again) 3 months ago and I’d like to see how its going. But I guess “in control” is good!
I am also getting the lab work done to see if I have LADA, or type 1.5, or whatever you want to classify it as. If it comes back with positive antibodies, then that’ll be that. At least I will know if I’ll be on insulin forever or if I might be able to come off and just be on pills or nothing.
I’m very happy with my love life. As I posted yesterday, I’m with the man that I know I’m supposed to be with, and plan to be with forever. Even after almost a year and a half, and most of that living in the same place together, I still miss him when I’m not near him, and my heart still flutters when he smiles. I am more content now than I have ever been at any point in my life. Being with Dustin makes me feel safe and warm and fuzzy. :)
So yeah.. I’m doing pretty good, I think :)
Monday, August 16, 2010
too long to wait!
I’ve been thinking a lot about why I’m so antsy to have Dustin propose and to finally get married.
I think part of it is because I feel like I waited too long to get to be with him. Too many issues contributed to me not meeting him until I was already 32 years old. Too many things held onto by hope, when they should have been let go. I feel like I’m just too damn impatient to get into the life I should have been having all this time. I should have been living all these years married to the person that I love more than anything. We should have been together, moving forward with our lives together, not apart. I should have been enjoying my life with him, with a degree already completed and already well into a career, so that even if it HAD taken this long to be ready to have kids, I would be completely ready to have them now.
I don’t feel like I need to tie him into something, or feel worried that I need to get him attached to me quickly, or anything like that. Honestly, I feel so secure in my relationship, and so sure that this is what it will be like forever, that I don’t even feel like I need to be married. But… the traditionalist in me wants to be married before I start a family. And I want to start a family!
Why this pressing need to get moving on this? First, I’m getting to the age where I’ll soon be classified as “too old”… meaning that I move from a high risk group (with Diabetes) to a further high risk group of old people trying to have kids. I don’t actually feel old. Except that I know the old biological clock is ticking away. I feel like my Diabetes is in control. I feel like my life is in order. I want to lose some weight, but I’m hopefully on the right track for that as well.
The only thing throwing me for a little loop is the school thing. I want to be done, but I want kids more. I don’t want to hold off trying to have kids until I’m done because then I might be too late. I can always finish a semester of school if life throws me for a loop. I may not be able to “always” get pregnant.
I may not be able to get pregnant at all for that matter. What if I can’t get pregnant? I will be disappointed, sure. Hugely disappointed. I will wonder if its something I did, or because I waited so long. And I might never know. But I would be comfortable adopting a child as well. So I know that I don’t want to hurry up and get married ONLY to have kids.
I think I’m just excited to be able to say and know that I’m tied to him. Proud to share his name. Happy to be able to stand with him forever, through everything that life might throw at us. Every little thing that could happen, good or bad, will shape our lives together. I just can’t wait to get started!
I think part of it is because I feel like I waited too long to get to be with him. Too many issues contributed to me not meeting him until I was already 32 years old. Too many things held onto by hope, when they should have been let go. I feel like I’m just too damn impatient to get into the life I should have been having all this time. I should have been living all these years married to the person that I love more than anything. We should have been together, moving forward with our lives together, not apart. I should have been enjoying my life with him, with a degree already completed and already well into a career, so that even if it HAD taken this long to be ready to have kids, I would be completely ready to have them now.
I don’t feel like I need to tie him into something, or feel worried that I need to get him attached to me quickly, or anything like that. Honestly, I feel so secure in my relationship, and so sure that this is what it will be like forever, that I don’t even feel like I need to be married. But… the traditionalist in me wants to be married before I start a family. And I want to start a family!
Why this pressing need to get moving on this? First, I’m getting to the age where I’ll soon be classified as “too old”… meaning that I move from a high risk group (with Diabetes) to a further high risk group of old people trying to have kids. I don’t actually feel old. Except that I know the old biological clock is ticking away. I feel like my Diabetes is in control. I feel like my life is in order. I want to lose some weight, but I’m hopefully on the right track for that as well.
The only thing throwing me for a little loop is the school thing. I want to be done, but I want kids more. I don’t want to hold off trying to have kids until I’m done because then I might be too late. I can always finish a semester of school if life throws me for a loop. I may not be able to “always” get pregnant.
I may not be able to get pregnant at all for that matter. What if I can’t get pregnant? I will be disappointed, sure. Hugely disappointed. I will wonder if its something I did, or because I waited so long. And I might never know. But I would be comfortable adopting a child as well. So I know that I don’t want to hurry up and get married ONLY to have kids.
I think I’m just excited to be able to say and know that I’m tied to him. Proud to share his name. Happy to be able to stand with him forever, through everything that life might throw at us. Every little thing that could happen, good or bad, will shape our lives together. I just can’t wait to get started!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
mmmmm food!
Dustin and I recently discussed that we should start getting into shape. He had gone through and done a whole lot of healthy changes before he met me and wants to get back to them. I had lost a ton of weight, probably because my blood sugar was so high, but it showed me that I COULD lose that much weight if I actually work at it.
So when we went grocery shopping the other day we tried to pick out healthy stuff and lots of fruits and veggies and high protein meats and stuff (ok, mostly chicken). We did a pretty good job, I think! I have some high fiber cereal to take to work with me, along with some salads, so it'll be real good!
This morning, in an effort to eat something yummy yet healthy and D-friendly, I was browsing through my saved emails from Diabetic Living and looking at their suggested recipes. I figure I should be able to come across something that I have ingredients on hand for, and it'll be healthy and D-friendly all at the same time. And wow did I ever!
Fruit Filled Puff Pancakes
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup refrigerated/frozen egg product OR 1 egg
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fat-free milk
2 tsp cooking oil
Dash of salt
1 tbsp reduced-sugar orange marmalade
1 tbsp orange juice or water
1 small banana, sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries or fresh blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat two 4 1/4 inch pie plates, OR 4 1/2 inch foil tart pans, OR 10 oz. custard cups with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl use a beater or whisk to beat egg, flour, milk, oil, and salt until smooth. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until brown and puffy. Turn off oven and let stand in oven for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, stir together marmalade and orange juice or water. Add bananas and strawberries or blueberries and stir gently to coat.
4. To serve, immediately after you remove the pancakes from the over transfer them to plates and spoon some of the fruit into the center.
Makes 2 servings.
Calories: 163
Total Fat: 5
Saturated Fat: 1
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 138
Carbs: 26
Fiber: 3
Protein: 5
(Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1 Other Carb, 1 Fat)
My Notes:
So when we went grocery shopping the other day we tried to pick out healthy stuff and lots of fruits and veggies and high protein meats and stuff (ok, mostly chicken). We did a pretty good job, I think! I have some high fiber cereal to take to work with me, along with some salads, so it'll be real good!
This morning, in an effort to eat something yummy yet healthy and D-friendly, I was browsing through my saved emails from Diabetic Living and looking at their suggested recipes. I figure I should be able to come across something that I have ingredients on hand for, and it'll be healthy and D-friendly all at the same time. And wow did I ever!
Fruit Filled Puff Pancakes
Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup refrigerated/frozen egg product OR 1 egg
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fat-free milk
2 tsp cooking oil
Dash of salt
1 tbsp reduced-sugar orange marmalade
1 tbsp orange juice or water
1 small banana, sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries or fresh blueberries
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat two 4 1/4 inch pie plates, OR 4 1/2 inch foil tart pans, OR 10 oz. custard cups with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl use a beater or whisk to beat egg, flour, milk, oil, and salt until smooth. Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until brown and puffy. Turn off oven and let stand in oven for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, stir together marmalade and orange juice or water. Add bananas and strawberries or blueberries and stir gently to coat.
4. To serve, immediately after you remove the pancakes from the over transfer them to plates and spoon some of the fruit into the center.
Makes 2 servings.
Calories: 163
Total Fat: 5
Saturated Fat: 1
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 138
Carbs: 26
Fiber: 3
Protein: 5
(Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1 Other Carb, 1 Fat)
My Notes:
- You could obviously make this to your liking and just calculate differently. For example, you could use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and that would change your carbs a bit.
- I'm sure you could use any kind of jam in place of the marmalade if you don't like marmalade. If you end up using one that is not sugar-free or reduced sugar, then take that into account too.
- I used an orange-mango-peach juice instead of orange juice or water with the fruit. It was delicious still, but not sure it made a difference in flavor.
- When you make the dough, you will look at it and think that there is NO WAY enough. It only makes about 1/2 cup total, and its very thin and liquidy. Just divide it between the two cups and pop them in. They turned out AWESOME!
- Last thing... I only ended up cooking mine for about 17 minutes before they were brown and puffy and on the verge of being TOO brown. So keep an eye on them!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Type 1 Wanna-Be
A couple days ago I was talking about how disappointed I was that I met my first real life pumper and she was very condescending and acted like I was stupid for being interested when I’m “only” a T2.
I tried to relate this story to a T1 that I know and was amazed at the response. Since this was a fellow diabetic, I was expecting to hear something along the lines of disbelief... instead this person actually responded with a statement about how crazy it is when a T2 tries to compare themselves with a T1.
I believe the line was "its not like they have REAL diabetes!".
I hesitated, trying to put an actual sentence together in my head, and finally said that I was a T2, does that make me not a REAL diabetic? Like counting carbs and trying to exercise, and watching what I eat, and taking meds... that's not REAL? And she said, well, you're not REALLY a T2, you take insulin. I doubt that there are very many T2's who take more than MAYBE Lantus.
Well, that's probably true. And I have no good answer for that. I agree that its odd that I have to do MDI's to have controlled diabetes. My doc initially put me on insulin because I really should have gone to the hospital. I'm sure I was probably supposed to come off of it sometime. And I think that's why my doc put me on the Metformin and Januvia too, to try and help me get off the insulin, or at least the Novolog.
But I guess it seems like the insulin is kinda doing the trick... the pills both help my own body's insulin actually do its thing, and that probably keeps the insulin amounts I inject down a little bit. Which really is odd, thinking about it. If my body IS creating insulin (c-pep test confirmed it), then why aren't the pills alone doing the trick? I'm sure if I came off the insulin I'd skyrocket, even if I ate completely correctly. Is it because I'm overweight? I don't know!
But I digress... I've gone way off topic. I was completely shocked at the response I got about T2's not being REAL diabetics! Maybe as a T2 I'm not as much a part of the community as I thought. I mean, I don't see very many T2 bloggers out there. Its like its not a REAL disease, so why bother blogging about it?
So I will just press on, and blog to my little hearts desire. One day, a newly diagnosed T2 who gets shoved on insulin might need to read something, even if its just to know there is someone else out there.
But that's why sometimes I feel like a Type 1 Wanna-Be. Its like, if I'm going to be stuck with this disease and having to take MDI's, then I'd like it to be for a darn good reason. I want to be able to know that I take insulin shots for a reason, and not just because my doc put me on it because she didn't know any better.
I tried to relate this story to a T1 that I know and was amazed at the response. Since this was a fellow diabetic, I was expecting to hear something along the lines of disbelief... instead this person actually responded with a statement about how crazy it is when a T2 tries to compare themselves with a T1.
I believe the line was "its not like they have REAL diabetes!".
I hesitated, trying to put an actual sentence together in my head, and finally said that I was a T2, does that make me not a REAL diabetic? Like counting carbs and trying to exercise, and watching what I eat, and taking meds... that's not REAL? And she said, well, you're not REALLY a T2, you take insulin. I doubt that there are very many T2's who take more than MAYBE Lantus.
Well, that's probably true. And I have no good answer for that. I agree that its odd that I have to do MDI's to have controlled diabetes. My doc initially put me on insulin because I really should have gone to the hospital. I'm sure I was probably supposed to come off of it sometime. And I think that's why my doc put me on the Metformin and Januvia too, to try and help me get off the insulin, or at least the Novolog.
But I guess it seems like the insulin is kinda doing the trick... the pills both help my own body's insulin actually do its thing, and that probably keeps the insulin amounts I inject down a little bit. Which really is odd, thinking about it. If my body IS creating insulin (c-pep test confirmed it), then why aren't the pills alone doing the trick? I'm sure if I came off the insulin I'd skyrocket, even if I ate completely correctly. Is it because I'm overweight? I don't know!
But I digress... I've gone way off topic. I was completely shocked at the response I got about T2's not being REAL diabetics! Maybe as a T2 I'm not as much a part of the community as I thought. I mean, I don't see very many T2 bloggers out there. Its like its not a REAL disease, so why bother blogging about it?
So I will just press on, and blog to my little hearts desire. One day, a newly diagnosed T2 who gets shoved on insulin might need to read something, even if its just to know there is someone else out there.
But that's why sometimes I feel like a Type 1 Wanna-Be. Its like, if I'm going to be stuck with this disease and having to take MDI's, then I'd like it to be for a darn good reason. I want to be able to know that I take insulin shots for a reason, and not just because my doc put me on it because she didn't know any better.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Disappointed
I went to a birthday party yesterday for my friend’s son.
First, I was very glad to get to see some of my old friends that I haven’t had a chance to hang out for a while. That was a lot of fun!
Second, I realized that since I quit smoking on January 4 (yay!!), I have not faced such a huge challenge as I did yesterday. Almost everyone was a smoker. The habit of smoking with these same people was pushing at me horribly and driving me nuts! I finally at one point went inside to use the restroom because I didn’t want to just stand outside NOT smoking! Grrr… but yay!!! Gotta keep reminding myself of that “yay”!
Third, I met a person in real life who wears an insulin pump! I actually have a friend close by who just got a pump but I haven’t gotten to hang with her in a while and thus have not seen her pump.
Regarding this third point… I was disappointed that this diabetic of 24 years who has been pumping for 12 was not the kind of diabetic I’ve come to know through the online diabetic community, and I was quite disappointed.
I realized that although my mom is a T1 and I know other people who are diabetics, I didn’t truly realize what it all meant until I was almost hospitalized with DKA and started taking multiple daily injections and keeping tracking of my numbers.
Then I found Kerri’s blog and was so fascinated with what I was reading! Even though I’m a T2, here was something that I could relate to. I went all the way back to some of her earliest blogs (yes I did and it was a LOT of reading!). I learned a LOT more about my own diabetes even though it was different, and I found other people who related other things they knew, and then I started my own blog. And although I do state in title that it’s about anything that pops into my head, it ends up being mostly about diabetes. It’s a community that I enjoy being part of.
So even though I sometimes feel like a T1 wanna-be (more on that later), I’m still a diabetic who takes multiple daily injections of insulin and if that’s the way its going to be forever, then I’d definitely consider pumping. And the OCD part of me loves knowing my numbers and would love to know how my BG’s trend and would love a CGMS (really? I would love one? yes that’s a little sad…). So I was kinda excited to meet a pumper! I jumped over and was like WOW is that an insulin pump!?! And what did I get in return? A look. Like, wow, are you two years old? That was the look. So then I felt I had to explain why I thought it was cool. And that’s kind of difficult when you’re a T2 and “shouldn’t be taking insulin in the first place whats wrong with you” (again, more on that later), but I don’t want to stick myself with a needle all the time for the rest of my life if that’s what it comes down to, so I was excited. How disappointing to run into someone who acted like I was an idiot. I don’t really know for sure since I’ve never met any other D-bloggers, but I just don’t feel like that was the reaction I would have gotten.
By the way, I wasn’t actually THAT over-enthusiastic about her pump, but she made me feel like I had been!
First, I was very glad to get to see some of my old friends that I haven’t had a chance to hang out for a while. That was a lot of fun!
Second, I realized that since I quit smoking on January 4 (yay!!), I have not faced such a huge challenge as I did yesterday. Almost everyone was a smoker. The habit of smoking with these same people was pushing at me horribly and driving me nuts! I finally at one point went inside to use the restroom because I didn’t want to just stand outside NOT smoking! Grrr… but yay!!! Gotta keep reminding myself of that “yay”!
Third, I met a person in real life who wears an insulin pump! I actually have a friend close by who just got a pump but I haven’t gotten to hang with her in a while and thus have not seen her pump.
Regarding this third point… I was disappointed that this diabetic of 24 years who has been pumping for 12 was not the kind of diabetic I’ve come to know through the online diabetic community, and I was quite disappointed.
I realized that although my mom is a T1 and I know other people who are diabetics, I didn’t truly realize what it all meant until I was almost hospitalized with DKA and started taking multiple daily injections and keeping tracking of my numbers.
Then I found Kerri’s blog and was so fascinated with what I was reading! Even though I’m a T2, here was something that I could relate to. I went all the way back to some of her earliest blogs (yes I did and it was a LOT of reading!). I learned a LOT more about my own diabetes even though it was different, and I found other people who related other things they knew, and then I started my own blog. And although I do state in title that it’s about anything that pops into my head, it ends up being mostly about diabetes. It’s a community that I enjoy being part of.
So even though I sometimes feel like a T1 wanna-be (more on that later), I’m still a diabetic who takes multiple daily injections of insulin and if that’s the way its going to be forever, then I’d definitely consider pumping. And the OCD part of me loves knowing my numbers and would love to know how my BG’s trend and would love a CGMS (really? I would love one? yes that’s a little sad…). So I was kinda excited to meet a pumper! I jumped over and was like WOW is that an insulin pump!?! And what did I get in return? A look. Like, wow, are you two years old? That was the look. So then I felt I had to explain why I thought it was cool. And that’s kind of difficult when you’re a T2 and “shouldn’t be taking insulin in the first place whats wrong with you” (again, more on that later), but I don’t want to stick myself with a needle all the time for the rest of my life if that’s what it comes down to, so I was excited. How disappointing to run into someone who acted like I was an idiot. I don’t really know for sure since I’ve never met any other D-bloggers, but I just don’t feel like that was the reaction I would have gotten.
By the way, I wasn’t actually THAT over-enthusiastic about her pump, but she made me feel like I had been!
Friday, June 18, 2010
new med!
So I'm going to keep track of my meds a little bit here. Mostly I want to keep a running track of how I'm feeling on new meds.
Currently I am taking:
- NovoLog: rapid acting insulin, every meal at a carb ratio of 1:4 and 1:15 for lowering a high (approximately 50/day maybe)
- Lantus: long acting insulin, 45 units at bedtime
- Metformin: pill, one 500mg pill twice a day
- Simvastatin: cholesterol pill
Today my doc prescribed one 100mg pill of Januvia. From what I can tell from reading the slip, and talking to my doc, and reading stuff online, Januvia is "a once-daily prescription pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes." according to the Januvia website. According to my doctor (I think), it should help my body know when its eating so that it can secrete the right amount of insulin. This is not the same as Metformin which apparently helps my body actually get the insulin moving and doing things, and helps with insulin resistance.
I also found out today that insulin resistance is one of the causes of not being able to get pregnant, and Metformin is prescribed for it. So just in case, when the time comes, I'm all set :)
Anyway... while this pill is supposed to be pretty good, some of the side effects seem to be ranging from really annoying to downright scary. They include headaches (sinus mostly), nausea, diarrhea, constipation, bloating. Those are the ones that I'm not happy about. But the other ones are scarier! Like pancreatitis, or some crazy skin infection that makes your skin fall off. Really!!
Point being... I'm going to be paying close attention to how I feel over the next little while. This stuff is supposed to start working in like 2 days, and is really supposed to be incredible, lowering blood sugars for regular daytime readings by some really good amounts. Not doing much for basal rates, but if I can cut out one insulin and 5 injections, I'm game!
As long as my skin doesn't fall off!!
Currently I am taking:
- NovoLog: rapid acting insulin, every meal at a carb ratio of 1:4 and 1:15 for lowering a high (approximately 50/day maybe)
- Lantus: long acting insulin, 45 units at bedtime
- Metformin: pill, one 500mg pill twice a day
- Simvastatin: cholesterol pill
Today my doc prescribed one 100mg pill of Januvia. From what I can tell from reading the slip, and talking to my doc, and reading stuff online, Januvia is "a once-daily prescription pill that, along with diet and exercise, helps lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes." according to the Januvia website. According to my doctor (I think), it should help my body know when its eating so that it can secrete the right amount of insulin. This is not the same as Metformin which apparently helps my body actually get the insulin moving and doing things, and helps with insulin resistance.
I also found out today that insulin resistance is one of the causes of not being able to get pregnant, and Metformin is prescribed for it. So just in case, when the time comes, I'm all set :)
Anyway... while this pill is supposed to be pretty good, some of the side effects seem to be ranging from really annoying to downright scary. They include headaches (sinus mostly), nausea, diarrhea, constipation, bloating. Those are the ones that I'm not happy about. But the other ones are scarier! Like pancreatitis, or some crazy skin infection that makes your skin fall off. Really!!
Point being... I'm going to be paying close attention to how I feel over the next little while. This stuff is supposed to start working in like 2 days, and is really supposed to be incredible, lowering blood sugars for regular daytime readings by some really good amounts. Not doing much for basal rates, but if I can cut out one insulin and 5 injections, I'm game!
As long as my skin doesn't fall off!!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
sick of it all
Today I am sick of everything.. most of it diabetes related.
I am sick of calculating odd portions of whole foods so that I can figure out how much I'm planning on eating.
I am sick of trying to figure out one portion of 3, or 5.
I am sick of not being able to eat things without a serious amount of thought first.
I am sick of trying to figure out why a type 2 diabetic would have lows.
I am sick of lows.
I am sick of trying to dress professionally at my job when I can't show a speck of tattoo. (yes yes, my fault)
I am sick of trying to decide what might be cool enough to wear to work on a hot day when I have to dress professionally.
And cats peeing on the floor... and dishes... and .. and... and...
Yeah, I think I'm just in an annoyed mood...
I am sick of calculating odd portions of whole foods so that I can figure out how much I'm planning on eating.
I am sick of trying to figure out one portion of 3, or 5.
I am sick of not being able to eat things without a serious amount of thought first.
I am sick of trying to figure out why a type 2 diabetic would have lows.
I am sick of lows.
I am sick of trying to dress professionally at my job when I can't show a speck of tattoo. (yes yes, my fault)
I am sick of trying to decide what might be cool enough to wear to work on a hot day when I have to dress professionally.
And cats peeing on the floor... and dishes... and .. and... and...
Yeah, I think I'm just in an annoyed mood...
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