9/25/14

Big Changes



Well a lot has happened since my last post. It got to the point that I could not get my prescriptions renewed unless I actually went in and had a checkup with the doctor. It had been that long since I had been there last. It was probably a little over two years since I had been there last. So I scheduled an appointment and saw the doctor in October last year. And that is when the poo hit the fan. It turns out when I had my A1C tested it came in at a whopping 12.3, which was a reading of about 385. Obviously I was not really doing anything to take care of myself. My doctor told me that I needed to see the endocrinologist. In all the years since my diagnosis this was the first time I had been told this. Needless to say I was a little concerned.

I had no idea what to expect when I went to see the endo for the first time. Lucky for me they were very nice and thoroughly explained everything to me. She explained all my options and by the time I left the office I found myself on insulin for the first time in my life. I was more than a bit shocked and uneasy at this point. I had always said to myself that I would never let this happen to me. It helped some that the endo explained that being on insulin doesn’t necessarily mean I failed. She explained how everyone is different and sometimes people just can’t get things under control with oral meds. So I left there with a sample box of Lantus and instructions on taking the insulin before bed every night.

In the month that followed, where I made sure to actually take all my oral meds and the insulin, there was some improvement in my numbers. Oddly after my initial fear of the injections, I found that actually having to take the insulin was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I had a one month follow-up with the endo and while she was pleased with the decrease we were already seeing in my numbers, she thought it could be better. So she put me on another insulin, Humalog, to go with my high carb meal of the day. It was a little daunting, but I was ready to really fight this stupid disease.

At my next appointment to get my A1C checked both my endo and I were very pleased. In just four months I had gone from a 12.3 to a 7.2. Actually taking my meds and being on the insulin had made a significant change so far. At my next appointment my A1C had bumped up to 7.3. While we had a pretty solid treatment plan in place, I am still struggling a little. The big problem is that, while I am trying, I can’t seem to lose any weight. And I really need to lose the weight. At this point I could probably stand to lose around 60-70 pounds. But nothing seems to be working. And we discussed this at my last appointment. My endo and I decided that during this next four month period I will focus at doing my best to focus on diet and exercise. And if there is no change in my weight situation, then we will discuss my options there.

And so we end up in the present. My weight is a big thing, in more than one way. If I can get my weight under control, then that will increase the odds that I will be able to be weaned off or take off some of the meds and/or insulin. But I need to lose the weight for that. So I have been working exercise into my routine more and more each day. I tried counting calories, but that seemed to have no impact. It really is a struggle for me. At this point I am actually up from what I weighed at my last endo appointment. So it looks like we will be discussing possible medications for weight loss at my next appointment.

At least I have come to terms that this is something I will have to deal with for the rest of my life. I can’t just stick my head in the sand and ignore it. So I am just taking it one day at a time and doing the best that I can.


~ current daily steps: 5133

8/4/13

Busy, but quiet

Well the last month was a little on the busy side. My brother's wedding was happening and I had volunteered to make some things for it out of duct tape. I am happy to report that the wedding took place last weekend and was great. Now that i am not worrying about that, i can get back on track with other things, including my me time. I have slacked off the last week or two in my walking, but now is the time to get back on track. Just today I went with my husband and my brother and his family to the Baltimore Aquarium. On a day where I would struggle to get 5000 steps in, I have 7553 in so far. Pretty darn good for me. Things are slowly progressing. I have a group of friend with whom I do a weight loss challenge and am excited to say that i have won the last two challenges! I am on the downward spiral of my weight loss in a good way. I had been stalled for a bit, but made the change to counting carbs for a few weeks. While i am unhappy to say there really wasnt much change in either weight or blood sugar, once I stopped counting carb and went back to eating semi-sensibly and walking a lot the pounds starting coming off again. Now I just nee to step it up and get back to the gym! And to end this on a good note, this new t-shirt should help!

7/8/13

A little squee inside

So as I have mentioned before, I am doing a lot more walking now since I bought a fitbit. I walk at work on both breaks and my lunch break. And usually the walking is done inside just up and down the hallway. So I am sure some people think I am weird. As I was just finishing up with my AM break I had someone who I do not know comment to me that all the walking must be paying off because I look like I am losing weight. That just made me feel a little bit happy on the inside!


~ current daily steps: 3195

Location:Thea Dr,Harrisburg,United States

Carbs vs. Calories

So apparently my body is not a fan of carb counting. I had thought to start doing this as a way to get my diabetes under control. However after trying it for a month or so there was very little change in my blood sugar. So I thought to myself why not switch to calorie counting and see how that goes. Well I forgot to check my blood sugar before I ate, but I did see some change. After counting calories for just one week I dropped two pounds already. And we all know that losing weight helps with controlling the diabetes! So go me!


~ current daily steps: 2504

Location:Thea Dr,Harrisburg,United States

6/27/13

Getting in those steps

It looks like this is going to be one of those weeks. It is a struggle getting in my steps. let alone hitting my goal. I know part of my problem, other than being lazy, is the heat. I do not tolerate the heat well and it has been almost 90 out every day so far this week. As a kid I used to get really sick when it was too hot out. I have slightly grown out of it, but I still hate it.
It really also doesn't help that not only am I working to get all those duct tape flowers made, but a new exspansion pack for the Sims 3 came out this week. So I am addicted to getting as much game time in as I can! It also doesn't help that neither my husband or I are morning people so we don't end up getting into work until the last possible minute and with our overtime we don't get out until late. It leaves little time to do much of anything else, which is why I am struggling to do everything with limited time.
Like right now i know i will get at least 10,000 steps in today so i am not worried about that. But I am sitting here trying to decide if i want to spend the little time i have tonight making flowers or playing Sims! There needs to be more hours in the day for fun!

~ current daily steps: 3369

Location:Thea Dr,Harrisburg,United States

6/24/13

Weekend blahs

Well the weekend did not go so well for counting steps. Saturday I just plain forgot to put my fitbit on. Could be because it fell under my bed an I forgot about it. Then Sunday I just didn't do much in the way of walking since I was trying to recover from all the activity of the previous three days. Today is another story. It may be off to a slow start, but I am determined to get back on track.
This next month is going to be crazy. My brother is getting married in a month and I have a lot I duct tape flowers to get making. I have a set schedule for the flowers that I will have to stick to. Plus I have other terms to make as well. It should be interesting to see how well I fit all this extra work in with making sure I get my steps in each day!


~ current daily steps: 1350

Location:Thea Dr,Harrisburg,United States

6/19/13

6/16/13

6/15/13 steps

5,220



~ current daily steps: 7,123

Numbers don't lie

It really is amazing to see my progress in terms of numbers. Since I purchased my fitbit on January 6, 3013 I have tracked the following:


Lifetime steps: 879,955


Lifetime distance: 392.47 miles



It is crazy to see those numbers. Especially knowing that they could be much lower if it weren't for my having purchased the fitbit. I never used to take as many steps a day as I do now. Owning the fitbit has really made me more active. I highly recommend it!!





~ current daily steps: 6922

Location:Harrisburg,United States