If you haven't kept up with what's been going with me for the last year or so, you really need to read my August 22 post so you'll understand what's going on. Go ahead, I can wait.
Caught up now? Good.
Things went along okay for a while, then started getting worse around the first part of December when the weather started getting colder. My feet and legs began to hurt more, and my feet and ankles began to get uncomfortably puffy. My doctor said I was probably suffering from peripheral neuropathy and possibly arthritis, but only gave me medication for the arthritis and some new medicine to help bring my blood sugar down.
By the end of the year, I was starting to have more trouble walking and more trouble sleeping. By the middle of January, my feet were so puffy that walking was very awkward and uncomfortable, and wearing any kind of shoes was usually out of the question, never mind getting out of the house to do any driving or run any errands. I was housebound for a couple of months and had to rely on my brother and my friends to run errands for me (and I'm extremely grateful to all of them for being loving and supportive and helping me out as much as they could). Another doctor I visited back then confirmed the diagnosis of neuropathy and suggested I might have some other problems as well, and recommended I see an endocrinologist to have some tests done to find out what exactly might be wrong with me. In the meantime, the only thing he could do to help me sleep was prescribe some Vicodin for a month, which helped immensely.
Which brings me to the present . . . I'm doing a lot better and getting around more. I'm not currently on any medication for my blood sugar or anything else, but I suspect that will change very soon. I'm keeping my blood sugar down with diet alone (not quite as low as I'd like it, but not too bad, either) and I'm finally losing weight (I'm currently hovering between 190 and 194, which is the lowest my weight has been in a long time). I finally figured out that the swelling problem was mainly due to fluid retention (which I seem to have been prone to for a long time) and got into the habit of drinking a lot more water, tea, coffee, diet soda, etc., to keep it under control. I'm getting around better, feeling better, and able to wear shoes (suede loafers) for longer and longer periods of time, which allows me to get more house work and even some yard work done. I still hurt a lot if my blood sugar gets a little too high or the weather turns cold and/or rainy (and it's been doing a lot of both around here for the last several weeks). I'm sleeping better most of the time, and rely heavily on chamomile tea (and/or occasionally Dramamine, but NO Vicodin) to help me relax during those rare bouts of insomnia.
I'm due to see an endocrinologist in three weeks to have some tests done. I would have liked to have seen her sooner, but almost all of the endos around here work out of one clinic across town, and she was the only there one who's seeing new patients right now. On top of that, the appointment was originally scheduled for May and had to be rescheduled twice because she kept having to be out of the office on the days I supposed to be there. (Keeping my fingers crossed and rubbing a rabbit's foot and hoping it doesn't happen a third time, and hoping as well that there isn't too much wrong with me.)
More on this after my endo visit in three weeks. In the meantime, any prayers, happy thoughts, warm wishes, etc., would be much appreciated.
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