(no subject)

[willowisp]

Today I went for my first diabetes checkup in six months, and also my first with this new doctor. They do things a little differently there -- they take a blood sample first and process HA1C while you wait for the doctor. Today's was really bad -- 7.7. Diabetics are supposed to aim for 7.0 or lower. I don't think she actually believed me that my last one was 5.something. Everything was running high today; fasting blood sugar of 147 (it should be closer to 100), temp of 98.6 (I'm usually 96.8) and blood pressure of 127/71 (usually closer to 110/70).

I'm not sure what's going on with the HA1C. I've been exercising more regularly than ever, and not eating more than before. I do have one or two guesses. Dr Vimmerstedt had me start taking all three Metformin in the morning since I kept forgetting to take them, and maybe doing so doesn't keep enough in my system for the whole day. Or maybe it has something to do with my being so tired recently. Last time I was this tired was when I couldn't keep any food in me, and my body went haywire blood-sugar wise then as well.

I'm not just going to sit back and theorize, mind. I'll be taking my blood sugar multiple times per day and watching for any trends. If I do notice it getting higher at night I'll try to remember to take the Metformin in two doses, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I'll try to walk faster, and watch what I eat. Hopefully before I see the new doctor again in June I will have my blood sugar down to the 140s after a full meal rather than while fasting. I'm just stunned that the HA1C was this high.

Most of the day was spent mulling over this morning's news and sleeping. I need to find out why I've been so tired recently.

Comments

[mycroftca.livejournal.com]

Worst hemoglobin A1C that I've seen yet in my practice was 15.9, so you are doing much better than some. Keep working at it, it's worth it in the long run.

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

Could be the metformin-all-at-once, depending on how it washes out of your system after you take it, leaving you with too little at night. Luck.

[tyee.livejournal.com]

You also might look at what you've been eating lately. When you were first diagnosed, you were being very careful about simple carbohydrate intake and making desserts with malitol or other sweetners that don't cause spikes in your blood sugar. Lately you've mentioned in your journal lots of things like cinnabon clones and cake with sugar and sugary frosting, and eating a bunch of the blood oranges and such. I'm not saying you should *never* have those things, but you need to be careful. I'm glad you are going to monitor your blood sugar more closely through the day again.

[tyee.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you've been exercising regularly -- that's a really wonderful change in your lifestyle that you've made. And taking the metformin throughout the day, rather than just in the morning is a good idea. If you have trouble remembering it, why not set a timer when you take your morning dose to go off 4 or 5 hours later when you need your afternoon dose?

But honestly I think the problem is less the metformin and more what you've been eating. You have a great resource in this journal to go back and check. Just skimming through your last twenty entries, you talked about jellybeans and peeps, ice cream with whipped cream and hot fudge on top of brownies, and oreos in sweet cream ice cream. And it's not that you can never ever have this stuff, but there are better choices to make. Order some sugar free jellybeans and eat those. Buy sugar-free or low sugar ice cream at the store and chop up low-carb chocolate or other candies to go in it. Choose a brownie or ice cream, rather than having both in one sitting. And when you are deciding whether to have a sweet treat, think about the fact that you are choosing between a sugary snack that you like and the possibility of damaging your vision and your kidneys and your heart. I care about you and I want you to be happy and healthy for a long time to come!