Diabetes Update

Today is three weeks since I was formally diagnosed with diabetes. Tomorrow before supper marks three weeks since I started insulin.

The past three mornings my blood glucose is finally under 130. The max for a fasting blood glucose is 130 to be considered OK. It has had a marked improvement in how I feel and my energy levels. This in turn improves my motivation to do other things.

To help figure out what works best for me to control my blood glucose levels, I have eaten mostly the same foods. I’ve already figured out if I want a sandwich, I can have one. That is, two pieces of bread for lunch. If I have two sandwiches then my glucose is high when I check it before supper. I eat whole wheat bread. I hate commercial white bread, it’s texture and taste is just wrong.

I have not been measuring my food, but I have mostly eliminated carbs except for the complex carbs of oatmeal for breakfast, two pieces of bread for lunch, and whatever carbs are in the fruits, vegetables, and nuts I eat. I was told that corn, peas, and potatoes are the worst for carbs, so I have avoided them. I have increased protein and am much more intentional about it.

I try to further motivate myself fixing food at home because of the savings. I had greatly minimized how much fast food and take out I was eating over the past year. That left more money in my accounts. So improved finances plus improved health and energy help me maintain that focus.

There are no feelings of being deprived or missing carbs. I went on a low carb diet at the suggestion of my doctors about eight years ago and I lost weight and felt great. Had I maintained that diet, I would be at the weight I want and not be diabetic.

TRANSITION TO REGULAR INJECTIONS

I don’t like needles. It is mostly IVs in the bend of the elbow or back of the hand I dislike the most. I can deal with shots, like for immunizations.

I always thought I’d have a tough time injecting myself. My Dad had the bottles in the refrigerator and the single use syringes. Now the insulin is in injector pens. You screw on a new individually sealed needle for each injection.

Personally, the written instructions for the glucose meter and its device to poke your fingers, and the insulin injector instructions were the most confusing. For example, the device to poke your finger has a spot you put a single use needle and twist off the safety end. It is spring loaded so you don’t have to physically jab your finger. After several days I realized that there is an ejector feature to remove the used needle to avoid re-poking yourself to remove it. I had a flat piece of copy paper in the trashcan and it stuck in the paper.

Also, I had been pushing the power button to turn on the glucose meter. One day I happened to insert the test strip before turning it on and it turned on. I’m like, “Really?”

It took nearly two weeks to get the hang of putting the drop of blood on the test strip. You need a big enough drop of blood to cover the entire width of the test strip on a narrow band maybe a millimeter wide. If you don’t get the blood on there right the first time, you get and error and have to get a new test strip. I went through two and sometimes three test strips for one test.

I finally realized that one should rely on capillary action and only touch the drop of blood to the proper area on the test strip. I’m getting better at that. There were a few times I didn’t get a big enough drop of blood so had to turn the depth dial from the factory setting of 3 to a 4. Now that I’ve gotten better with placement of the blood sample on the test strip, I may be able to change that.

The other thing with needles that bothered me was shots in the abdomen and thighs. Since I take one shot before each meal and one before bed, I have to rotate. At first, until I got the hang of it, I just rotated around my abdomen. I then started using my thighs. The other day I finally did an injection in my left arm. I’m right handed and that went well. I then tried my next injection in my right arm. I did fine until I manage to move wrong and bent the needle. While it didn’t feel good, no damage to me and I didn’t break it off.

These needles are flimsy. I’m not totally incapable with my left arm, but I don’t think I’ll be doing another shot with my left hand.

I’m up to 38 units for my bedtime insulin. It is a slow acting medication. It leaves a bump on my thighs after injection. Pinching the skin and underlying fat around the injection site masks any pain from the stab of the needle.

TRACKING THE NUMBERS

I started using a notebook to track each glucose test. After three weeks, I learned how I need to organize it. I started on a spreadsheet where I can track the date and time for each glucose test and how much insulin.

For my bedtime insulin I had to increase it two units ever day that the 3 day fasting glucose average was over 130. I didn’t achieve that until two days ago. Since I need to track all these numbers, rather than have to manually calculate the averages, I can build formulas in a spreadsheet to just spit out the average. I don’t have it fully ready for my use, but once I get it working, I will share a copy. I tried looking at other spreadsheets for tracking things and none fit my situation.

Diabetes is so unique to each individual and how one responds to insulin or other medications, plus diet, exercise, and other health issues that there probably won’t be a one size fits all. But if my spreadsheet can help others, I will be glad to share it.

PHYSICAL SITUATION

In addition to losing muscle mass that caused my skin and fat to hand off my arms and abdomen, my vision was affected. I expected it to get better with my glucose being under control. I just got new glasses in November. My vision is worse than when I needed a prescription change in November. Small print is a killer. I’m going to have to increase the print size on my work computer as I can’t see it. I hate to do that as everything I need to do for my usual workflow fits just fine.

Since diabetes affects blood flow and nerves I’m sure it is also affecting my efforts to recover from my prostatectomy. Loss of muscle mass logically includes bladder control muscles. I’ve had issues and need a pad more than I did. Now that things are under control with my blood glucose, Kegels should help re-build those muscles. That’s probably why sexual function hasn’t returned. I don’t have a girlfriend so I guess it doesn’t really matter. But it does. Before I had my prostate removed I never had any issues.

VIDEO PLAN

I think it will be helpful to do a video of the process of checking my glucose and doing an injection and explain what I’ve figured out that wasn’t clear from the folded up tiny print instructions in each box.

I don’t know when I will get to that, but I will post here on the blog and the Twitter and Facebook page when I do.

CONCLUSION

I’m not going to let this beat me. I plan to get things going in the right direction so I can get off insulin. I don’t want to go blind. I’m already blind enough without my glasses, but at least I can see things up close.

My plan is to be here a long time. I’m not going to let my poor food and exercise choices of the past prevent me from a long and healthy life into the next fifty+ years. In the 5th grade it was the bicentennial. I decided I wanted to live to see the tricentennial. I’ll be 111-112 years old in 2176. I wanted to live past that to 113 years old. I’m just over halfway there since I’ll be 57 in September. 56 plus years have gone by so quick. I’m sure I can do another 56. I don’t have to do puberty again and I know a heck of a lot more now than I did then.

Technology is improving devices, treatments, and medications. As long as humanity doesn’t wipe itself out before then, I have good odds to make it. Here’s to another 56 years and about 4 months.

Answers to Low Energy  – Diabetes Update II – Diabetes Update III – Diabetes Update IV