I've been intending to post this for the last week or so, and I finally decided I need to post it today before it becomes old news.
For a long time now, I've been wrestling with an unusual physical problem--my lower legs, ankles and feet are constantly stiff and sore (or sometimes cold and numb), and there's very little I've been able to do to make them feel better.
My brother and several of my friends have been urging me to go to the doctor for a check-up because they suspected that I might have diabetes. I've promised to go several times, but I kept putting it off (I have a phobia about doctors that I'm trying to overcome) until one friend finally threatened to make an appointment for me and drag me there, kicking and screaming, if I didn't take care of it on my own.
Three weeks ago I finally went in for a check-up. The bad news is that I'm definitely diabetic (I have a "touch of diabetes," as the doctor put it). The good news is that she said I should be able to get my blood sugar under control with oral medication (Avandia) and daily glucose checks, along with paying more attention to what and how much I eat and getting more exercise and losing some weight (which are all things I should be doing anyway). The other good news is that my blood tests didn't turn up any other problems, so bringing my blood sugar down and keeping it there is the only thing I need to focus on.
So far things have been going okay--I've cut waaaay back on how much snacking I do and started making better choices when I feel like I absolutely have to have something to munch on. My blood sugar is coming down, but I haven't had any luck in losing weight so far, which means I either need to get more exercise or possibly switch to some different medication (since one of the possible side effects of the Avandia is water retention and weight gain), or maybe both. I'm going to give it a few more weeks and see how things go, and hopefully I'll have something positive to report then.
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3 comments:
Ugh, that sucks. :( Diabetes has recently started showing up in my family, so I'm grateful every time my blood sugar comes back normal. Are you having any trouble with the diabetic diet? My mom found some decent books on the topic. Diabetic Cooking for Dummies was surprisingly good, according to her.
I can totally sympathise with you on medication that causes weight gain, btw. I'm on Lyrica for fibromyalgia and lupus, and in my first month, I gained at least 15 pounds. It finally seems to be dropping, thanks to a better diet and a new Wii Fit.
Here via Colleen Lindsay's blog, btw. I saw "OKC" in your username. Always good to run into someone else from the general area. :) I'm in Broken Arrow, which is boring and needs a yarn store and a Borders, but has the advantage of being nice and quiet most of the time.
Definitely start doing the exercise! Our doctor told us to walk the mall (no shopping) and I know you live very close to one. Or walk the nice (at least it used to be) neighborhood and GET OFF YOUR A#$. Listen to me talk, who sits in front of a computer 12 hours a day and RIDES a lawn mower to cut the grass (I do have 2.5 acres though).
Either way, keep yourself healthy. One day Glenda and I are going to want to visit.
"Are you having any trouble with the diabetic diet?"
So far it's been pretty easy--mostly I have to watch what and how much I eat at meals, keep my snacking to a minimum, try to avoid anything with a lot of salt, and try to avoid junk food, fast food (except for side salads and grilled chicken sandwiches) and desserts (I've been trying to stick with sugar-free stuff like cookies, pies and ice cream). I haven't started checking out any diabetic cookbooks and recipe sites yet, but those are probably next on my list of things to do.
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