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