Or not.

Tee asked how I lowered my A1c and for those that don't know what an A1c is I'll tell ya. It is a blood test that measures or averages out your blood sugar level for the last three months. When I started this journey I had so many issues with my medication (Actos) because it wasn't doing squat for my sugar levels and my A1c was literally off the chart. I think it was a 12.4. Yeah, I know. Don't judge.

After my heart attacks I sought out an Endocrinologist, yay Dr. Leonard - love you!, and he changed around my medications and added an injectible (Byetta) to my drug regime. While it isn't insulin it still does a really good job of keeping my levels in line and has a bonus appetite surpressant. The first few weeks of taking it though were total hell. I was SO sick and dizzy but he said I needed to try to get through the initial shock of it all and after a few weeks I was just fine.

I have also started seeing a dietician doctor and within the first three days of my new eating plan I had lost two pounds. The diet has been a challenge but I am really doing my best not to cheat at all but it is really tough. The diet breaks down into 4 categories.

1. A list of foods I can eat until I burst: salad stuff, most vegetables, sugar free jello and any and all meats, eggs and fish. I am not a big meat, eggs or fish eater - at all.


2. Foods I can have twice a day: 1 slice of specific breads, apples and certain fruits.


3. Foods I can not have at all even if the rapture is coming: potatoes, rice, flour, noodles, sugar, flour, cereal, oatmeal and the like.


4. Foods I can again have twice a day: sugar free chocolate popsicles, Atkins type protein bars and certain ice cream bars that I haven't been able to find.

Make no mistake I did ask why Twinkies weren't on the diet but I think the doctor doesn't have much of a sense of humor. Couple all of the above with the fact that we rejoined the YMCA and have been going 4-5 times a week to play racquetball and me additionally hitting the treadmill for 20 minutes.

I have been hyper-vigilante while exercising to monitor my heart rate and keep it in the range the doctor advised me to be at. My biggest fear is that I am going to have another MI at the Y, or at home, or at work, or heck just about any where.

So that is about it - it hasn't been an easy thing to do but then again it really hasn't been all that difficult either. The hardest part was getting over my death-like fear of needles - I didn't think I would ever be able to give myself an injection. It used to take me 20 minutes to prick my finger to take my sugar level, now it is a piece of cake as long as I don't over think things through and just DO them.

And if you were wondering, the other night my BS was a whopping 84. Eighty-four. Yay, me! I then promptly went out and had a Twinkie. Just kidding. Man what I would give for a Twinkie though.....

~ame

on Friday, June 03, 2011

Labels: Life