I'm still feeling good and my blood sugar has been holding steady in the 90s and low 100s. My energy has increased and I've been sleeping pretty well.
I had another blood test this morning. It was a lot quicker than the last; it doesn't seem as if the nurse took as much blood this time around. I'm feeling a lot more optimistic about my upcoming doctor's visit, which is next Thursday. I think my numbers will be better; we'll see. I'm confident that my blood sugar will be okay, but am curious what my other stats -- cholesterol, lipids, etc. -- will be like. I've been paying so much attention to my blood sugar that I've sort of put these other issues on the backburner. But as of my last test, my cholesterol and triglycerides were high and I was suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome. Not good. I'm hoping that as my health improves in general that these numbers will improve, as well.
I'm also wondering what my current weight is. I actually attempted to weigh myself, but we need a new scale; either that or ours doesn't go high enough for my weight, which is entirely possible in my case. But I hope I've lost a few pounds. I think I have; people keep on commenting about how I look thinner. Still, I won't get the entire story until I step on my doctor's scale.
I'll be very disappointed if I haven't lost weight or have even gained weight (which again is entirely possible given my history). I've been training for my upcoming walk and am definitely getting stronger, and I've been eating really well. I could stand to exercise more, but am fitting it in when I can and can feel the difference. One of my friends even noted that I walk a lot more steadily now and that he can see how much stronger I've become.
Meantime, I have another week to (hopefully) knock off a few more pounds. We'll see. I'm just praying that all of this work I've been doing to take care of myself will start paying off...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Subconscious Thinking
I've mentioned before how the insulin gives me weird dreams almost every night. Well, now things are getting a little meta for me because I've been dreaming about my insulin!
I've had a few dreams where I've taken my blood sugar or have felt a "low" while performing some task. But last night, I actually dreamed about giving myself the insulin shot. It would've been even more bizarre had my dream insulin given me a weird dream WITHIN my weird dream ... sort of like the Inception of diabetes management!
I guess my diabetes is on my mind a lot, as it should be. That's what is keeping me healthy, that I'm trying to be mindful and responsible. And I have been thinking about the insulin because I might be going off of it in a few weeks. I see my doctor in early October and if my numbers hold up, she'll start me on my way to being insulin-free.
Truthfully, I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously, it would be great if my body can function sans insulin shots and I can stay healthy by eating well and exercising. But I'm nervous that going off the insulin will cause a setback. I don't want to feel sick and run down again, or thirsty, or experince blurry vision. I like feeling energized and happy. I've been taking care of myself, but the insulin is my lifeline. It's what kept me from having to be hospitalized back in August.
I guess if my numbers don't stay in a good place, I can always go back on insulin. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, not if it helps me sustain my health. I guess I should discuss these fears with my doctor.
Meantime, I'll continue to exercise, eat well and watch myself ... and if that includes minding my health in my dreams, so be it.
I've had a few dreams where I've taken my blood sugar or have felt a "low" while performing some task. But last night, I actually dreamed about giving myself the insulin shot. It would've been even more bizarre had my dream insulin given me a weird dream WITHIN my weird dream ... sort of like the Inception of diabetes management!
I guess my diabetes is on my mind a lot, as it should be. That's what is keeping me healthy, that I'm trying to be mindful and responsible. And I have been thinking about the insulin because I might be going off of it in a few weeks. I see my doctor in early October and if my numbers hold up, she'll start me on my way to being insulin-free.
Truthfully, I have mixed feelings about this. Obviously, it would be great if my body can function sans insulin shots and I can stay healthy by eating well and exercising. But I'm nervous that going off the insulin will cause a setback. I don't want to feel sick and run down again, or thirsty, or experince blurry vision. I like feeling energized and happy. I've been taking care of myself, but the insulin is my lifeline. It's what kept me from having to be hospitalized back in August.
I guess if my numbers don't stay in a good place, I can always go back on insulin. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, not if it helps me sustain my health. I guess I should discuss these fears with my doctor.
Meantime, I'll continue to exercise, eat well and watch myself ... and if that includes minding my health in my dreams, so be it.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
WTF Is With All The Frying?
Good news! My endocrinologist told me that my blood sugar is stable and that I no longer have to fax her my numbers each week. I'll next see her in about three weeks and we'll then see if I can start using less insulin.
Meantime, I'm still navigating the "real world" of eating as a diabetic. By real world, I mean eating in those places where I have less control, like restaurants and parties. I've been doing pretty well, but I still get annoyed when I encounter unpleasant surprises.
Last week, for example, my husband and I decided to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, which is a small Indonesian place in Hell's Kitchen. I know their menu pretty well and was confident that there would be some diabetes-friendly dishes on it. I figured I'd get my old stand-by: grilled satay chicken, with the sauce on the side and no rice. However, when I got to the restaurant I felt like trying something new so I ordered the chicken with vegetables and black bean sauce. I looked forward to having a healthy stir fry with plenty of veggies and protein-rich beans.
What the menu DIDN'T say, though, is that the chicken pieces are breaded and fried ... and that the "veggies" consist of onions and small pepper flakes. Needless to say, I was annoyed. I suppose I should've stayed with what I know, but at the same time, I trust that the menu is going to give an accurate description of the dish. Other dishes were listed as being fried or breaded and this was not.
I didn't want to send it back because it wasn't as if they messed up my order, so I ate a few bites (it was tasty, if not really healthy) and gave the rest to my husband. I then ordered a salad with tofu, cucumbers and carrots. This was safe, I thought; I mean, it was basically a standard salad, right?
Wrong. Again, the tofu pieces were fried and there were crumbled bits of something starchy in the dish (pork rinds, I think?). So now I had to pick these things out before I got to enjoy the salad. It was fine, but not the most satisfying meal. I ended up having cheese and yogurt when I came home. I don't fault the restaurant at all. I just wish they'd included more details on their menu.
As a diabetic, I'm learning that I really have to take care of myself, especially at restaurants. I've made a point to ask for things on the side or for certain items to be left out of dishes, but I realize that I also have to ask specifically how dishes are prepared.
Meantime, I attended a party this past weekend so I got to see what it was like dealing with a big, catered event. It wasn't bad at all. My friend suggested that I bring my own snacks since he was basically having hero sandwiches, so I brought some hummus, pita, yogurt and cheese. But it turned out that I didn't even really need to eat that. I had salad, pickled veggies, fruits and even a sandwich; I just removed the meat and didn't eat the bread. Later, a large tray of cookies was placed on our table, but it didn't bother me. I thought that I'd crave them, especially with them being right in my face, but I had some coffee and was good to go. Plus, bees kept hovering over the treats so they quickly became unappetizing.
as each day goes on, being diabetic is becoming more of a norm for me. Eventually, I'll be able to eat how I'm supposed to without having to think about it so much.
Meantime, I'm still navigating the "real world" of eating as a diabetic. By real world, I mean eating in those places where I have less control, like restaurants and parties. I've been doing pretty well, but I still get annoyed when I encounter unpleasant surprises.
Last week, for example, my husband and I decided to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, which is a small Indonesian place in Hell's Kitchen. I know their menu pretty well and was confident that there would be some diabetes-friendly dishes on it. I figured I'd get my old stand-by: grilled satay chicken, with the sauce on the side and no rice. However, when I got to the restaurant I felt like trying something new so I ordered the chicken with vegetables and black bean sauce. I looked forward to having a healthy stir fry with plenty of veggies and protein-rich beans.
What the menu DIDN'T say, though, is that the chicken pieces are breaded and fried ... and that the "veggies" consist of onions and small pepper flakes. Needless to say, I was annoyed. I suppose I should've stayed with what I know, but at the same time, I trust that the menu is going to give an accurate description of the dish. Other dishes were listed as being fried or breaded and this was not.
I didn't want to send it back because it wasn't as if they messed up my order, so I ate a few bites (it was tasty, if not really healthy) and gave the rest to my husband. I then ordered a salad with tofu, cucumbers and carrots. This was safe, I thought; I mean, it was basically a standard salad, right?
Wrong. Again, the tofu pieces were fried and there were crumbled bits of something starchy in the dish (pork rinds, I think?). So now I had to pick these things out before I got to enjoy the salad. It was fine, but not the most satisfying meal. I ended up having cheese and yogurt when I came home. I don't fault the restaurant at all. I just wish they'd included more details on their menu.
As a diabetic, I'm learning that I really have to take care of myself, especially at restaurants. I've made a point to ask for things on the side or for certain items to be left out of dishes, but I realize that I also have to ask specifically how dishes are prepared.
Meantime, I attended a party this past weekend so I got to see what it was like dealing with a big, catered event. It wasn't bad at all. My friend suggested that I bring my own snacks since he was basically having hero sandwiches, so I brought some hummus, pita, yogurt and cheese. But it turned out that I didn't even really need to eat that. I had salad, pickled veggies, fruits and even a sandwich; I just removed the meat and didn't eat the bread. Later, a large tray of cookies was placed on our table, but it didn't bother me. I thought that I'd crave them, especially with them being right in my face, but I had some coffee and was good to go. Plus, bees kept hovering over the treats so they quickly became unappetizing.
as each day goes on, being diabetic is becoming more of a norm for me. Eventually, I'll be able to eat how I'm supposed to without having to think about it so much.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
One Month "Anniversary"
It's been exactly a month since I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. So far, things are ... okay. My vision has cleared up, my blood sugar is somewhat stable and I'm definitely feeling a lot better.
On the other hand, I still have a lot of weight to lose, which can be frustrating -- especially because I now feel like I'm going against the clock. I know that losing weight will make it easier for me to control my diabetes in the long run, but I'm 37 years old and my already sucky metabolism is slowing down. I just hope that I can improve my health more quickly than the disease progresses.
Today, for the first time in a month, I was really craving sugar. Perhaps the little bit of sugar I had yesterday did it? It really is an addiction. I managed to beat the cravings by having sweet, but not sugary things. I had some orange herbal tea and a plum ... and one Andes mint that they gave us with the check in the restaurant. After that, I was alright. Still, it surprised me that I was suddenly wanting the sweet after going for a month without.
I'm wondering if I can satisfy my sweet tooth by having sweets in other ways. I'm going to do a little experiment and buy some chocolate and vanilla bath soaps and see if bathing in sweetness -- but not eating it -- will work for me. I mean, if I can't really enjoy the luxury of having a cupcake with swirls of chocolate icing, I might as well pamper myself with it, right? I'll let you know if this turns out successful .... or if I end up eating the soap.
All told, though, I'm proud of how I've done this past month. I've taken all my meds and have stuck to my eating plan about 98 percent of the time. Now I just have to do this next month ... and the month after and the month after that, and so on. I really want to make it to 40 and still have a good quality of life.
On the other hand, I still have a lot of weight to lose, which can be frustrating -- especially because I now feel like I'm going against the clock. I know that losing weight will make it easier for me to control my diabetes in the long run, but I'm 37 years old and my already sucky metabolism is slowing down. I just hope that I can improve my health more quickly than the disease progresses.
Today, for the first time in a month, I was really craving sugar. Perhaps the little bit of sugar I had yesterday did it? It really is an addiction. I managed to beat the cravings by having sweet, but not sugary things. I had some orange herbal tea and a plum ... and one Andes mint that they gave us with the check in the restaurant. After that, I was alright. Still, it surprised me that I was suddenly wanting the sweet after going for a month without.
I'm wondering if I can satisfy my sweet tooth by having sweets in other ways. I'm going to do a little experiment and buy some chocolate and vanilla bath soaps and see if bathing in sweetness -- but not eating it -- will work for me. I mean, if I can't really enjoy the luxury of having a cupcake with swirls of chocolate icing, I might as well pamper myself with it, right? I'll let you know if this turns out successful .... or if I end up eating the soap.
All told, though, I'm proud of how I've done this past month. I've taken all my meds and have stuck to my eating plan about 98 percent of the time. Now I just have to do this next month ... and the month after and the month after that, and so on. I really want to make it to 40 and still have a good quality of life.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A Scary Moment
Right now I'm on vacation, the first I've taken since I received my diabetes diagnosis. I'm doing the best I can to monitor my food, though it's been hard because we've been eating out for every meal, my schedule is different and I'm trying to balance my husband's needs.
My husband is one of those people who can get away with eating one meal a day. I cannot. So I often have to remind him that I NEED breakfast or lunch, or want to eat dinner before 8 p.m. However, we went to the Poconos Garlic Festival today, so our breakfast plans turned into a debate. I wanted to stop at a diner and have something substantial because I wasn't sure what kind of food would be available at the festival. He didn't understand why I wanted to eat before going to a food fest. I tried to explain how I need a balanced breakfast to keep my blood sugar even, and we finally compromised by stopping at a little general store along the way.
Unfortunately, it was slim pickings as this store was nothing like the delis back in NYC. They had cereal, but all of it was sugary -- no Total or Kashi or plain Cheerios. The only fruit they sold were bananas. I settled for ordering whole wheat toast, but the guy looked at me like I was nuts as he asked, "Is this ALL you're having?"
I ate my toast as we headed to the garlic fest and figured that they'd at least have SOMETHING I could eat -- some roasted veggies with garlic, some garlic chicken, maybe a salad with some garlic dressing. But when we arrived, I soon realized that they did not have one healthy item of food. There were garlic funnel cakes, garlic ice cream, garlic fries ... even the mushrooms and artichokes were fried. Everything sweet and salty and greasy and fried, fried, fried. Blech. I got some cheese curds because I could tell that I needed some protein and they wouldn't serve them to me unfried. I had a few and they were so gross -- I guess I'm just no longer used to the grease. I then had a garlic pickle, which wasn't bad, and a small piece of raw garlic dipped in dark chocolate (it's as bad as it sounds). My husband got the garlic funnel cake and a garlic chocolate chip cookie, so I had a small piece of each. The sweet was just too sweet for me ... I really have lost my taste for sugar.
We walked around the fair for a couple of hours, looking at the shops and then enjoyed a juggling show. It was getting pretty warm out, so I had a diet Coke, even though I've tried to cut those out. I tested my sugar and it was decent, especially considering the fact that I had samples of some not-so-great items.
The heat was getting to me, though, and I began to get irritable. Jon kept asking if I wanted to try this or that and I snapped at him that I can't. I was annoyed with him for even asking and he was annoyed with me for not being too much fun at this fair.
Finally, we headed out around 2 p.m. and began the long drive from the Poconos to Tanglewood in the Berkshires, MA. I told Jon that I'm going to need to stop along the way to get some REAL food as I hadn't had a substantial meal all day.
We drove for a while and I began to feel lightheaded, but otherwise OK. Still, we saw a sign for an IHOP, so we pulled off. I knew they have omelets, so I figured they'd be a good bet for a decent late lunch. As I got out of the car, though, I felt as if I were going to faint. I hurried into the bathroom and tested my sugar -- and it was 60! I couldn't believe that it was so low and my now, my hands were shaking so badly, I could barely zip up my purse. I hurried back to the table and told the waitress, "I'm having a low diabetic episode, I need orange juice right away." To her credit, she returned with a glass about 10 seconds later.
Finally, I had an acceptable meal: an egg white veggie omelet with cheese, a salad and some melon, and I felt loads better. My sugar was back in the 100s after, so the OJ and good food did the trick. But it freaked me out that my bs dropped so low so easily. It also pissed me off that here I was, trying to avoid overdoing the unhealthy food and my body was punishing me for it! I think Jon felt badly because he promised that we'd stop for a real breakfast tomorrow and make sure that we have plenty of snacks.
I'm still learning how to control my sugar, so I suppose I will make a few mistakes along the way, either going too high or low. I'm just glad that I caught this when I did and that it didn't end up being as bad a situation as it could've been.
My husband is one of those people who can get away with eating one meal a day. I cannot. So I often have to remind him that I NEED breakfast or lunch, or want to eat dinner before 8 p.m. However, we went to the Poconos Garlic Festival today, so our breakfast plans turned into a debate. I wanted to stop at a diner and have something substantial because I wasn't sure what kind of food would be available at the festival. He didn't understand why I wanted to eat before going to a food fest. I tried to explain how I need a balanced breakfast to keep my blood sugar even, and we finally compromised by stopping at a little general store along the way.
Unfortunately, it was slim pickings as this store was nothing like the delis back in NYC. They had cereal, but all of it was sugary -- no Total or Kashi or plain Cheerios. The only fruit they sold were bananas. I settled for ordering whole wheat toast, but the guy looked at me like I was nuts as he asked, "Is this ALL you're having?"
I ate my toast as we headed to the garlic fest and figured that they'd at least have SOMETHING I could eat -- some roasted veggies with garlic, some garlic chicken, maybe a salad with some garlic dressing. But when we arrived, I soon realized that they did not have one healthy item of food. There were garlic funnel cakes, garlic ice cream, garlic fries ... even the mushrooms and artichokes were fried. Everything sweet and salty and greasy and fried, fried, fried. Blech. I got some cheese curds because I could tell that I needed some protein and they wouldn't serve them to me unfried. I had a few and they were so gross -- I guess I'm just no longer used to the grease. I then had a garlic pickle, which wasn't bad, and a small piece of raw garlic dipped in dark chocolate (it's as bad as it sounds). My husband got the garlic funnel cake and a garlic chocolate chip cookie, so I had a small piece of each. The sweet was just too sweet for me ... I really have lost my taste for sugar.
We walked around the fair for a couple of hours, looking at the shops and then enjoyed a juggling show. It was getting pretty warm out, so I had a diet Coke, even though I've tried to cut those out. I tested my sugar and it was decent, especially considering the fact that I had samples of some not-so-great items.
The heat was getting to me, though, and I began to get irritable. Jon kept asking if I wanted to try this or that and I snapped at him that I can't. I was annoyed with him for even asking and he was annoyed with me for not being too much fun at this fair.
Finally, we headed out around 2 p.m. and began the long drive from the Poconos to Tanglewood in the Berkshires, MA. I told Jon that I'm going to need to stop along the way to get some REAL food as I hadn't had a substantial meal all day.
We drove for a while and I began to feel lightheaded, but otherwise OK. Still, we saw a sign for an IHOP, so we pulled off. I knew they have omelets, so I figured they'd be a good bet for a decent late lunch. As I got out of the car, though, I felt as if I were going to faint. I hurried into the bathroom and tested my sugar -- and it was 60! I couldn't believe that it was so low and my now, my hands were shaking so badly, I could barely zip up my purse. I hurried back to the table and told the waitress, "I'm having a low diabetic episode, I need orange juice right away." To her credit, she returned with a glass about 10 seconds later.
Finally, I had an acceptable meal: an egg white veggie omelet with cheese, a salad and some melon, and I felt loads better. My sugar was back in the 100s after, so the OJ and good food did the trick. But it freaked me out that my bs dropped so low so easily. It also pissed me off that here I was, trying to avoid overdoing the unhealthy food and my body was punishing me for it! I think Jon felt badly because he promised that we'd stop for a real breakfast tomorrow and make sure that we have plenty of snacks.
I'm still learning how to control my sugar, so I suppose I will make a few mistakes along the way, either going too high or low. I'm just glad that I caught this when I did and that it didn't end up being as bad a situation as it could've been.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)