Monthly Archives: June 2007
The residents of the kitchen counter.
There you are, just sitting there. On the kitchen counter, overshadowing the bowl full of red potatoes, onions, and garlic. Not to mention the much smaller prescription bottle of a month’s worth of levothyroxine.
You – that large metformin bottle are making your presence known, but you are still unopened.
Me? I’m just the blood glucose meter, attempting to reassure you, the metformin bottle, that you need to be there for her. Fastings regularly over 130, post-prandials regularly over 180.
No matter how much the little mp3 player fights its case, that she is going out on walks or using the elliptical for 30, 40, 50 minutes at a time – metformin has to be there for her. For now.
She is using every excuse in the book – work troubles, diet troubles, already exercising enough – you need to convince her otherwise, I tell you! She is one of the great procrastinators of the world, after all. Tell her that everything else can wait – her health is most important.
This time, I think she’ll listen.
The wall.
169. That is what the meter read at 3AM.
The morning after spaghetti alla carbonara and the endocrinologist appointment that changed my diabetes care regimen.
169. That is what let me know I had made the right decision with regards to the metformin prescription. Those without diabetes diagnoses wouldn’t get readings at 169 in the middle of the night, right?
The A1C result wasn’t bad, only 5.7, only a little bit higher than my results in 12/05, 7/06, and 12/06…all which were 5.4. It was the deviation that concerned me for months before this appointment – headed towards 250 some mornings after breakfast, 200 after dinner.
Even with the excitement of the dLife gig, there were some personal disappointments that caused great stress. Even with increasing exercise and trying desperately to stay away from the tempting sweets around my office, I couldn’t work past those deviations in blood sugar readings or lose the weight I’d gained. No amount of exercise, no amount of diet adherence helped, and my thyroid levels were about as perfect as they could be.
Sure, I could have changed to a strict, low-carb diet with more exercise. But I knew that wasn’t realistic. I work an 8-5 job along with my fledgling writing career and don’t have the extra time for strenuous exercise or cooking three meals a day. I’m doing the best I can, but it just isn’t good enough right now.
So, here I am. Mostly because there are constraints surrounding the day job this coming week, I am waiting until next weekend to begin the metformin. I wanted to be prepared, to combat the possible side effects from all angles and have the option to stay home for a day or go home early if the side effects become too treacherous.
There were other options – Januvia and Byetta to be specific. I opted against Januvia because of the uncertainty surrounding a new medication on the market; Byetta still seems open to me if metformin doesn’t work or doesn’t agree with me.
I don’t have to be on metformin forever. 6, 9, or 12 months of it may provide the oomph I need to continue with the diet & exercise regimen further on down the road.
I haven’t failed. I hit a wall in my diabetes treatment regimen and I need a little help to move ahead.
Where I value my health over my day job.
I had already reached my destination when I realized what I had done.
My thought process follows:
This is Wednesday. It is 11 AM. Don’t you have a staff meeting?
Nah, I won’t worry about it. I already walked the fifteen minutes over here. They’ll understand. Besides, when I told people where I was going, no one said a word. No one objected.
Sit around and wait. Sit around and wait. THEN my name is finally called.
Oooh, some young eye candy is going to help me. Don’t mind me, I’m just a 31-year-old woman about ready to reach her sexual peak of 32. Yeah, that’s the ticket. But you’re still eye candy…and much younger than me…and I’m married.
Finished already? You did that all without any problem? I’m shocked. That’s never happened before.
***
Oh come on sickos, I had my blood drawn in preparation for next week’s endo appointment. The eye candy used a butterfly needle as soon as he saw the veins he had to work with – I didn’t have to say a word. Got the vein with the first try, without pain and very little bruising. (You rule, young eye candy!)
And no one seemed to mind that I had a major brain fart and skipped out of the weekly staff meeting.
Must read this book.
I wish I could put a copy of Know Your Numbers, Outlive Your Diabetes: 5 Essential Health Factors You Can Master to Enjoy a Long and Healthy Life in every diabetes clinic. Better yet, in the hands of every person with type 2 diabetes.
Richard Jackson, MD and Amy Tenderich provide a realistic guide to diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, with this book. The focus is on the results of the five tests that determine diabetes health (A1C, blood pressure, lipids, microalbumin, and eye exam) and the importance of physical activity rather than providing another lecture about weight loss and forbidden foods. Countering fears about insulin is another important aspect of this book. If someone needs insulin to keep good results coming on the five key tests, they should not fear it – they should embrace it as a way to curb future complications.
I might not be able to provide a copy to every person with type 2 diabetes…or even every diabetes clinic, but I can lend my copy to those interested in learning more about their own or their loved one’s condition.
