Diabetes Update: May 2009

May 29, 2009 by Lara
Filed under My Diabetes

Okay so yes, it’s been a bit since I’ve posted an update with this, but here we go…

If you remember from the last Diabetes Update, my blood sugar level was 194, and I’d lost 7 pounds. The doctor had put me on Januvia, and told me that he needed me to lose more weight, faster.

Well, May 27th and my FBS (fasting blood sugar) had dropped 24 points to 170! I was so excited about that, though the doc said it was good, but that had I lost more weight it would’ve been a better number. Yep. The weight thing.

I’m not struggling with the food, I promise you. I’ve been doing very well, not completely excluding anything, but rather focusing on adding the good stuff to replace most (seriously, 99%) of the bad stuff. It’s really, honestly, with head hung in shame… the exercise.

So I bought Core Rhythms. Yes I did. I’ve been ridiculously busy and haven’t had time to try it for more than 15 mins since it arrived, but I can already tell I’m going to love it. Likely much more than the treadmill, that’s for sure. I feel like a gerbil on that thing.

So anyway, while the weight is steadily at 245 (yes, actually a 4 lb. gain from my lowest since starting this trek) I’m hoping that by continuing the good eating and incorporating the workout DVDs, I should finally start to see some serious weight droppage.

I’m madder than hell at the producers of The Biggest Loser… let me just share that with you. Bitter? You bet your big fat butt I am.

Okay, so my next appointment is mid-July, on the 14th, right before the three-month mark that I’ve been on the Januvia. So that means I’ve got another 6 weeks to do some serious damage control. I know what you’re thinking: “But Lara, more than 1-2 pounds per week isn’t healthy.”

Guess what? The contestants on TBL weigh in every week and a half (10 days, not 7 as the show would make you think), and if they are being medically supervised (as I am) to lose that enormous amount of weight that they do, I think I can handle 3-4 lbs per week without fear. My goal for July 14th is 20 lbs. which would put me at 225. I’ve done it before without even trying, and now I’m going to do it again. I think once I do that, I’ll have a good jump start behind me and I will be able to continue this without giving up.

US$1,000 to tell your Biggest Loser story (dailymuscle.com)
Diabetes Marathon: Crossing the Finish Line (diabetesdaily.com)
Bored With Cardio (strengthandphysique.blogspot.com)

Tags: Biggest Loser, Blood sugar, Diabetes, DVD, goals, health, Motivation, Physical exercise, weight loss

Diagnosis: Type 2 Diabetes. Now What?

March 26, 2009 by Lara
Filed under My Diabetes

7 Comments

March 9th, 2009 will forever go down in my life history as the day my health kicked my ass. No, I’m not dying. I’m actually feeling more alive and motivated and inspired than ever before in my near 32 years.

A Little Back Story

Two days prior to the “Day of Dawn” for me, I’d been sitting at my desk and noticed that my left hand had these weird, jerky twitches going on. Not like your everyday eyelid twitch or that rhythmic thumping twitch, no… it was the fingers on my left hand moving around in strange, unbalanced movements. I got a little weirded out so I called the doctor’s office and they set me up for a 2pm appointment.

Now, I need to explain here that prior to all of this mess, I’d never EVER been much of a breakfast eater. I’d wake up around 6 or 7 and drink coffee with 2% milk and equal until about noon-thirty before actually putting something in my mouth that required chewing. I had a feeling they were going to draw blood, so I didn’t even eat that day until after the appointment.

So by the time I got to the doctor’s office and the subsequent lab for a blood draw, I had gone 21 hours without anything but that day’s coffee in my gut. More on that thought later…

The next day I get the call that my doc wants to see me to go over the bloodwork results. Okay, so there’s clearly something wrong, since if everything were okay he’d have called to tell me that and told me to keep an eye on the twitching stuff and let him know if it gets worse or more frequent.

diabetes Diagnosis: Type 2 Diabetes. Now What? I go into the office and the PA comes in and asks me why I’m there. (In case you’re wondering, I’m not a big fan of any of the PA’s at this office, but whatever…) So I tell her and she leaves and comes back with that finger pricker thing but never says a word. I see her putting it together and I mention that I really hate it. Like, I have a ridiculous reflex against it, have since I was a kid. It’s uncontrollable by myself alone, so I’m hoping she can hold my hand steady enough.

She couldn’t. Or rather, she didn’t even bother to really try. She kind of cupped my finger in her hand like she was holding an egg.

I wound up with an inch long gash on my finger that wouldn’t stop bleeding for hours after I left the damn office.

Doctor comes in and tells me that my cholesterol levels are “perfect”, my proteins and all that other stuff are normal, but my blood sugar was really high, at 183. This slash test just now (also about 18 hours since the last time I’d eaten, by the way) showed 186. He was sending me for a Hemoglobin A1c, which tests for the percentage of sugar bonded to proteins in the blood, and which is a defining test for Type 2 Diabetes. He said that 6% or lower was normal, 6-7% was borderline, and 7% and above was definite T2.

So back over to the lab I go, pulling up the sleeve of the other arm and since I know the hematologist, having a discussion with her about how I’m now officially nervous.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

I came home and my mother came down to spend time with me. I made a stir-fry dinner with brown rice and we talked about all the things the doctor said. Basically what he told me was that right now, regardless of the test results, the only thing he wants me to focus on is a 1200-1400 calorie per day diet, low in carbs and zero refined carbs, and 30 minutes of exercise every day. Heart-pumping exercise that is, to get the heart rate up.

I’m thinking, “Okay, I can do this. I’ve been wanting to do this, and now I have to do this, and I can do this.”

So the next day I get a call from the doctor’s secretary or PA or whatever, and she tells me that my A1c came back at 10.6% and she is going to make me an appointment to see their CDE (Certified Diabetes Instructor). Um, but the doctor said he doesn’t want me on a meter, doesn’t want me stressing over anything at all, just to focus on calories, content, and exercise. I tell her this, and she says, “Well, let’s set you up with the appointment anyway and if the doctor says no, we can cancel it.”

That, folks, is another long story, but the bottom line is that I didn’t see the CDE, and when I spoke to the doctor about it the other day, he was fine with it.

So Here I Go

I’ve been tracking every morsel that goes into my body with SparkPeople and have really tried to get on the treadmill every day. I’ve not succeeded, but every single morning I tell myself that I’m going to do it. It’s been over two weeks, and I’ve lost 4 pounds thus far.

I’ll be writing about this whole process in great detail of course. My next appointment with the doctor is on April 21, 2009 but don’t worry, I’ve got lots to say even before then… ;)

Diet rich in beans, nuts better for blood sugar control: study (cbc.ca)
Qnexa Reduces Hemoglobin A1c By 1.6% In 56 Weeks (medicalnewstoday.com)
In Patients With Diabetes, Low-Glycemic Diet Shows Greater Improvement In Glycemic Control Than High-Fiber Diet (medicalnewstoday.com)
FDA Announces New Recommendations On Evaluating Cardiovascular Risk In Drugs Intended To Treat Type 2 Diabetes (medicalnewstoday.com)
SimpleGlucose.com – Control Your Diabetes Easily (killerstartups.com)
Exercising Smart with Type 2 Diabetes (diabetes-treatment.suite101.com)
Avoid or Control Diabetes with Low Glycemic Foods (wamfitandwell.wordpress.com)
Diabetes Alert Day: Do You Need to Know? (sixuntilme.com)
How Can Obesity Impact A Person Wellbeing? (healthlifestyleforever.com)

Tags: Blood sugar, Conditions and Diseases, Diabetes, health, lifestyle, lose weight, Motivation, Physical exercise, Treadmill, Type 2 Diabetes, weight loss

Tools to Life Review

January 22, 2009 by Lara
Filed under Emotional Health

2 Comments

Image representing Tools To Life as depicted i...

Image via CrunchBase

“Change” has been a huge buzzword lately, what with the election of US President Barack Obama, the new year with resolutions abound… I think 2009 is going to be called “The Year of Change”. That said, I’d like to talk about a website that features self help programs to encourage this change within yourself, Tools to Life.

Tools to Life is a 100% free online program that claims to provide you with all you need to help make changes in your life. To “create YOUR best life” according to the site. I do like the fact that it’s completely free – as you know, I’m a huge fan of free!

Sign-up was easy and took seconds. Create a username and password, give your birth date, and you’re in. There’s lots to see and do, but don’t get overwhelmed. You might want to begin by filling out a complete profile. Add your schools, jobs, a photo, set up your notifications, and write a little about yourself.

Once you’ve filled out your profile, check out the inspirational motivation podcasts, or join one of the several life coaching support groups there are. There are lots of challenges you can join too, everything from adding cardio workouts to your daily routine, to keeping a clean house, to avoiding alcohol or fast foods. I love how diverse the membership is on this site! You’ll find people from 16 to well into their “golden years” all working together to support and encourage each other to reach their goals, one step at a time.

Fair warning: The goals and challenges are extremely diverse. You’re going to find people who have addictions to more than just drugs or alcohol. I ran across a couple challenges that were sexual (avoiding pornography, for example). Please try not to judge those with issues if they’re different than your own. We all have things we’d like to walk away from and the way I see it, if you’re working on becoming what you perceive to be “a better person”, then good for you! For some it’s a more “PC” addiction like fast food or even smoking, and for others it’s often more “harsh” than that. If it’s not an interest of yours, just skim on past to find something more closely related to your own needs.

There are some great programs on here too. Being that I’m trying once again to lose weight, I joined the Body Makeover program. I’m really excited to join this program, and maintain my “contract” by logging in daily and keeping track of my progress.

All in all, I have to say that I’m really very pleased with the Tools to Life site. It seems a lot more in depth and better organized than some other free sites I’ve seen out there, and I truly encourage you to take a peek and sign up!

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