Researching Life

As I've shared before on this blog, I'm a diabetic. Seemingly a Type 1 diabetic, although I was diagnosed at age 28 with this disease. But why did I say "seemingly?" Simply because of a few articles I've read that say what I truly have is Type 1.5 or latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood (LADA) simply based on the age of onset. I do know that my body makes antibodies against my islet cells. That if I stop taking my insulin, my blood sugars will spike & I will most likely die or at the very least end up in the hospital - not a good thing.

I do know that my first endocrinologist was very surprised that I was making antibodies & gave me the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. Simply put, I have to take insulin for the rest of my life because my body no longer makes it.

For the first year, I took daily insulin injections which really is a misnomer. I took injections four to five times a day. I was happy when a new insulin came out called Lantus. Lantus is a 24-hour insulin that does not peak. I took one shot each night before bed & it stayed at a steady rate all day long, helping to keep my blood sugars low between meals. Prior to that I took an insulin called NPH which lasted about 6-12 hours so I had to take two shots of this. But I could mix it with my insulin for meals. Lantus can not be mixed so it added a shot to my daily regimen.

Then I started on my insulin pump by Medtronic. I used their Minimed Paradigm pump & loved it. It made my life so much easier & the control of my diabetes was tighter. My quarterly HgBA1C was lower. HgBA1C stands for hemoglobin A1C which is a blood test that gives your "average" blood sugar for the last three months. It's the most accurate way to determine this since you can't lie about what your sugars are - blood tells. The docs like to see if below 7%.

Of course, you all know how this turned out. If not, click HERE to read what happened when I switched pumps a year ago.

So now that I am back on "daily" insulin shots, I'm finding that my control is horrid. My average blood sugar is well over 200. The normal range should be 70-100. I'm finding that a sugar in the low 100's brings on hypoglycemic symptoms even though my sugar is fine. I'm finding that I'm starting to have neuropathy in my toes again (sharp pins & needles feelings that HURT). This is NOT good. Not good at all.

However, it's serving as a large wake-up call.

I know that I need to loose weight. I've known this for a very long time. I joined Hot for the Holidays to keep me motivated & accountable. It's working to some extent. I've lost a whopping 1.5 pounds since I started - four weeks ago. At this rate, I'll meet my goal in about 17 years - if I did my math right.

I know this is more than just a weight issue. It's more than just a food issue. It's even more than just a health issue. It's a heart issue. So very much a heart issue.

I know that I need to make some major changes around here. I need some major "stick-to-it-ness" to move forward. I need an attitude change as I tell my children frequently.

So I'm spending some time tonight while my boys are watching mindless TV too late at night (I know but it's Star Wars: Clone Wars & they have to put it on late & we have no way to tape it & it's just me & the two older boys right now so I'm letting them) I'm spending some time researching my life.

I'm looking up stuff about the glycemic index. I ordered some new workout DVDs off eBay (Zumba). Before I go to bed tonight I plan to have an eating plan written out for tomorrow as well as an exercise plan. I'm recommitting to this goal I have. I even took a quiz on Spark People about my motivation. It said I was at this point in my goal searching. I'm ready to make a difference in my life.

I'm tired of being fat. I'm tired of having out of control blood sugars. I'm ready to be healthy. I'm ready for a change in my life. I'm ready.