Health Update

Mine, that is.

I'm fine.  Just fine.  But I have my stuff to deal with as I get older, like most of us.

First of all, I'm diabetic, Type 2.  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with my 4th pregnancy. Everyone thought my problem with diabetes would go away when I delivered but, that didn't happen.  Nope, I'm Type 2.

So let me back up a bit on that.  Most women in our country don't have 4 full term pregnancies, much less 8.  If I had NOT gotten pregnant with my 4th child, it is very likely that I would still be an undiagnosed Type 2 diabetic.  I don't fit the profile well in that most Type 2's have a higher than optimal weight. I'm thin, and always have been. Right now I'm 135 lbs, and I'm 5 foot 8 inches tall.  This is my normal adult weight.  

I'm probably diabetic due to a genetic problem.  My mother is diabetic, her only sibling is diabetic, my great-grandfather died of the disease.  It's out there in my family line, in spades.

Diabetes is rotten.  Most people don't "feel bad" for quite a while.  It isn't like the blood sugar goes high and the person feels terrible.  Actually, most Type 2's can go along happily for years and even decades with high blood sugars and without obvious symptoms. But all that time, the high blood sugar is damaging body systems. And when the piper finally gets paid, its ugly.  Blindness, amputation of limbs, kidney failure, and a host of other unpleasant options can strike an out of control diabetic.

I'm one of the lucky ones in that once I did maintain lower blood sugars, I felt much better.  I used to have hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) episodes ALL THE TIME.  I didn't know that was what was happening, mind you.  I didn't have a blood sugar meter so I didn't know I was dropping low.  I would eat a lot of high carb food, my blood sugar would go high, and eventually my body would catch up and release too much insulin. Then my blood sugar would crash and I would feel shaky and miserable and like I was dying of hunger. That happened so much that I thought the shaky feeling WAS hunger!  Once I started testing my blood sugars, I realized that feeling shaky was a result of low blood sugar, not actual hunger.

I've been eating a lower carbohydrate diet for almost 9 years now.  I feel much better on it than I did when I was in my 20's and early 30's.  I've always been quite self controlled about food and once I made the adjustment to a low carb diet, I've done well in keeping my blood sugars down.

Last week, I went in for a diabetes checkup.  My doctor checked my feet to make sure there are no signs of diabetes damage there, as feet are often the first body parts to experience damage.  Eyes get hit early too, and I had a full eye checkup 2 weeks ago.  Both feet and eyes are fine, praise the Lord.

 She also ordered some blood work to check my A1c.  A1c is a measure of the average blood sugar level over a period of about 3 months.  I also got a cholesterol check...my cholesterol was very high 8 months ago, but I had just had Daniel and was nursing and I knew that my numbers probably weren't normal.  I am not convinced that high cholesterol is as serious as the medical establishment says it is, but my doctor was concerned and I knew we might have the dreaded "you need to be on cholesterol lowering medication" talk soon.  Not that I'd take a med I've decided I don't need, but I 'd rather not argue with my doctor.  I really like her.

Anyway, the good news is that my cholesterol had plummeted to below 200, so my doctor is happy.

The bad news it that my A1c is higher than it has been since my diagnosis 9 years ago.  It was 5.8, up from 5.6 a couple of months after Daniel was born.

A non diabetic has an A1c of about 5, give or take a few tenths.

5.8 is considered by most doctors to be great for a diabetic.  But...there is evidence that even 5.8 isn't really safe.  It means some of the time, I'm hitting moderately high blood sugars.  My OB was not happy with anything above 5.6 during pregnancy.  I realize this is controversial in that, as I said, 5.8 is usually considered fine.  It used to be that an A1c of 7 was considered Ok for a diabetic.  Now some docs are saying no, it needs to be below 6.5.  Am I being obsessive to say 5.8 isn't all right?  Maybe.  But I think not.  It is NOT a normal blood sugar level, and there is a decent argument for trying to keep blood sugar levels close to what a non diabetic experiences. 

I know why it is a bit high.  I've gotten lazy.  I am TIRED of this.  I'm tired of avoiding wheat and white rice and potatoes.  I'm tired of avoiding candy.  I'm tired of never eating doughnuts. I'm tired of having to watch how much fruit I eat.  I'm tired of eating coconut bread all the time.   I'm tired of it.  I just want to be normal!

Now if I WAS eating normally, I'd have an A1c substantially higher than 6.   I'm still eating quite carefully, but I've been cheating more than usual.

I've also been having some tummy upset off and on, and Kevin suggested I stop eating dairy for a few days.  I did, and I felt better.  Yesterday I had some yogurt (sweetened with stevia) and felt worse again.  That's just a few data points but I may have a lactose intolerance problem.  So now maybe I can't eat my homemade yogurt with stevia.  That restricts my food choices even more. 

While I was thinking about all this a couple of days ago, the story of the Israelites in the desert came firmly to mind.  They were out there in the desert, the Lord provided manna, and they WHINED.  They whined and whined and whined.  "We're tired of this manna!"  "We want to go back to Egypt."

Well, I could go back to Egypt. I could go back to eating "normally" and mess up my body in the process and having hypoglycemic episodes again.  I could eat like I want, and experience serious diabetes problems in my 60's, if I really wanted to be grumpy about this "eating well" thing.

Or, I can be thankful.  And I am.  We live in a country and in a time when I can buy broccoli and salad any time of the year.  I can buy coconut flour and make coconut flour banana bread. I can use stevia for a sweetener.  I can buy dark chocolate for a treat. 

So I'm giving myself a talking to, and I'm going to climb back on the wagon. I'm going to start eating more carefully again. I'm going to make sure I take my metformin (I've often forgotten the second dose in the last few months as dinners around here are busy.)  I'm going to be thankful to have food that I can eat.  I'm not going to whine.

In closing, I'm linking to a blog post written recently by a friend and fellow diabetic. She's been exercising hard, eating very carefully, and has lost 30 lbs in the last few months.  She feels much better and is an inspiration to me, particularly in the exercise department.  She has great things to say about the barriers to eating well and exercising, with some encouragement about how to make it happen.   Go, S.B.!

http://growingforchrist.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/blogging-through-the-alphabet-d-is-for-diet-and-e-is-for-exercise/