Doc Says I'm Doing Great ... but .........

I couldn't stand it any more and made an appointment to see my Diabetes doctor earlier than scheduled. I've been so frustrated by so many test results that were more than he had told me to aim for that I felt like something surely could be done to improve things.

So, we went to the doctor Thursday, and he bragged on my 1200 calorie diet and thought I was "doing great" with my glucose numbers. (THAT certainly surprised us both!) But ... in the very next breath he DOUBLED my dose of Glucophage! He said I could cut back on the blood testing to 3 times a day, too. Since the test strips are so expensive this is a big help. Medicare pays for 50 strips a month, and the rest has to be paid out of pocket, since my insurance doesn't cover the test strips.

So far so good on all the testing I've done since doubling the dose of medicine, so I'm feeling optimistic that I will lose the weight and eventually leave this diabetes diagnosis behind. Right now I've lost right at 20 pounds!! Considering how ravenously hungry I was all the time before being diagnosed, when my glucose was out of control, this is great news!!!

Blood Sugar Aggravations Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Well, I'm aggravated, and that's the only word that fits. There have been way too many days this month when my blood glucose level was higher than my doctor wants it to be, and with only a few obvious exceptions, I have absolutely no idea why.

I was scheduled for an appointment with him at the end of July, but I changed the appointment to this week.

I'm trying to read through the Atkins book for Diabetics, but it's very detailed and is slow reading. It's extremely well written, but I am taking it in in small increments. I've read quite a bit of what is presented from other sources, but this book seems to put all the puzzle pieces together quite well. I'm really not finding anything that I am currently doing incorrectly, so I don't understand why I still keep getting so many high readings.

My biggest problem with reading something this involved is that I keep falling asleep. I plan to ask my Diabetic doctor if one of the meds he put me on causes daytime sleepiness, because that has been a real problem for me for some time now. I'm sleeping soundly all night long now, so it's not because of insomnia that I'm falling asleep so easily. I feel like I need to apologize to our preacher, as I nod off during almost every sermon! LOL!!

I've been trying to "get a life", too, and not spending as much time on the computer. There's this book that I'm very interested in learning as much as possible from, plus we are both trying to learn how to sing Sacred Harp shape note music. And I've gone back to working Sudoku puzzles, as I felt my brain needed more stimulation. Now that the television is all digital we have lost some of the stations we used to watch, so we have more time for other endeavors.

I continue to lose weight slowly but surely, and it's beginning to show up with clothes that are too loose. That's encouraging. At the rate I'm going I could possibly lose 50 pounds by the end of this year! I'm doing pretty well at resisting sweets, enjoying fruit instead. And we continue to emphasize low carbohydrates in our diet where possible. Hubby's losing weight, too!

So, I'll continue to read my book, exercise daily, and watch what I eat. Hopefully he can tell me what else I need to do to stop all the high test readings and possibly make a prescription change that will help me stay awake.

Glucose Test Results Have Been High

I've been very discouraged lately by a large number of glucose test readings coming out higher than my doctor wants me to have. The frustration comes, because I really can't pinpoint anything I'm doing or not doing that is causing the higher than normal readings. I even checked the meter to be sure it was working correctly. My fasting tests first thing in the morning, as well as tests during the day, have been high more often than not for quite a few days this month, and almost every time for the last week.

I put in a call to my doctor's office, but their system doesn't give me a chance to speak to his nurse. I get put straight to voice mail, and then she usually answers the next day. I really don't like that system. I end up staying close to the phone for way too long, and then, like Friday, I'm not home when she calls back. She said she didn't understand what I wanted, so my message was a complete waste of time. That's certainly adding to my frustration. I was impressed with the doctor, but I'm sure not impressed with his office system.

I'll call the office again tomorrow and try to get an appointment, since trying to deal with it over the phone is so difficult. He may say there's nothing to be concerned about, or he may want to change my prescription to a higher dose or add a different med. All I can do is wait until tomorrow and hope I can actually speak to his nurse. Otherwise, I make an appointment for no telling when.

This is bad enough. I hate to even imagine how frustrated I would be if President Obama gets his way, and we have nationalized health care!! I've written my Representative and Congressman expressing my concerns about the quality of care available under a universal health care system. There was a story on the news not long ago about the VA not properly handling colonoscopy equipment and causing 28 people to contract HIV or hepatitis, or both!!! The VA is a perfect example of what national health care would be like, except it would be worse!!!

I'm continuing to log in everything I eat, and I'm managing to stay pretty close to 1200 calories a day, plus exercising, so the weight continues to ever so slowly drop off. I estimate I'm losing a little less than a pound a week, which hopefully means I will find it easier to keep it off. It might even mean a little less flabby skin when I finally lose the 50 pounds I have set as my goal for next summer. I've lost 17 so far, and I'm very pleased with that.

New Shoes, Working Puzzles, and Brain Fog Blues

I came home with my new pair of Diabetic shoes last Thursday, and in some ways I like them and in some ways I don't. I chose a Velcro closure, which I have never worn before, and that, in hindsight, was probably a mistake, since lace up shoes allow for more adjustment across the ball of the foot.

Even though my foot measured as average width, I am finding it difficult to adjust to the tight feeling across the widest part of my left foot. I've been patiently breaking them in, but getting a little discouraged. So, I took the amazingly comfortable special insoles out and put the original insole back in. Those are not as thick, but the shoe feels much better. Maybe after I've worn them for awhile I will be able to put the super cushion ones back in.

Medicare and my supplemental insurance paid for them, plus enough insoles to change them out every quarter. I figured since I couldn't get much help with the testing supplies I'd save the money for a new pair of shoes that I needed anyway, and use that savings on test strips.

I continue to lose weight a little at a time, and I'm very pleased with that. I've lost 16 pounds since mid April, the first weight I've been able to lose since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's and put on those meds. The change from PD meds to Essential Myoclonus meds didn't help that problem, either. As my weight climbed I was more and more at risk for diabetes, particularly since it runs in my Daddy's side of the family. It was not until my glucose levels were under control that I was able to lose weight, no matter how hard I tried. Adding the discipline of checking blood glucose levels 5 times a day on top of my already busy medicine schedule has just meant more to remember, but it's pretty much routine by now. I still forget occasionally, but considering how bad my memory is, I think I'm doing quite well.

I guess my brain function is the real problem I continue to deal with. I have spells of being extremely forgetful, plus hubby and I have come to realize that I don't process visual information very well any more. He will see a bird outside, tell me where to look, and it will often be a very long time before I can finally "see" it. I can't really explain it, but I do know it's not normal. I've made a few mistakes sending out stuffed animals or dolls that were similar to the one someone had ordered, not noticing the differences until they wrote to say they did not get the right toy. Very aggravating - and it costs us money!!

This Sunday I saw a name on our prayer list, immediately thinking it was someone in our Sunday School class who was having surgery. I embarrassed myself in front of everybody asking how she was doing. Of course she had no idea what I was talking about. I know both of these ladies very well, but for some reason my brain just ignored the last name, as if I didn't even see it at all. I recently had my eyes examined, so I know it's more a processing glitch than a vision problem.

Things like this seem to be happening more and more often, and I'd be lying if I said it doesn't bother me. My mother had Alzheimer's and my Granddaddy probably did, too, so it's disconcerting, to say the least.

Well, that's enough whining for one day. Let me get back to something more optimistic. I am very proud of my weight loss and the efforts I am taking to learn more about proper eating habits and diabetes in general. I just need to keep my eye on that 50 pound weight loss goal, and I know I can do it!

I've gone back to working Sudoku puzzles in an attempt to help with my strange brain glitches. I've also been playing with an old Rubic's Cube we still had, too. And I plan on finding some more brain puzzles I can work on the computer.

Normal Days Continue ... Well, Almost

For the most part I am continuing to have what I think I remember normal days were like ;). It's been so long, way before we started taking care of parents, that I'm not really sure I would recognize a normal day if I saw it. LOL!!!

I am continuing to check my glucose levels 5 times a day, but I've had more high readings of late than I did last month. I've even had a lot of morning fasting readings that were high, before I've eaten anything for the day. I have been trying to eat more of the meals that I really enjoy, and I'm finding that even when I think I'm cutting portion size and being reasonable with my choices - my glucose reading says I have not succeeded.

I am continuing to lose weight slowly but surely - down 13 pounds from when I found out I was diabetic back in April. I have a long way to go, and expect it to take until Summer of next year to reach my goal. I continue to use FitDay to log in my food intake for each meal, plus keep track of my activity level. I'm very impressed with this site, as I have a graph of my Weight Goal, and I can follow along to see if I am on track to meet the goal I set to lose 50 pounds. The graphs make it easy to see that I am doing just what I wanted to do, and that's encouraging. It's so much easier to stay motivated when I can find some areas that I am doing well on. It makes it easier to make myself be careful with my eating habits, too. Obviously this is not a short term diet I am on. I want to lose it slowly enough so that it will stay off, and if I'm lucky, I won't have as much loose skin, either. I have plenty of time to get my eating habits in line with what is the most healthy for me.

I have an appointment this week to get my first pair of diabetic shoes from my Podiatrist. Medicare will pay for one pair a year, which helps to offset the pitiful amount they pay toward all the glucose test strips I'm having to buy. I needed a new pair of shoes anyway, although these are not in a style I would have chosen on my own. If they feel good, and I stop ending up with the huge callouses I've had trouble with for years, plus take the pressure off the tops of my big toes, I'll be happy with the trade-off between style and comfort.

We're supposed to get our car back this week from the body shop, and we're both hoping it will be sooner, not later this week. These last few weeks having to use the van (AC does not work) has not only been Alabama hot, but it's taking its toll on my muscles, climbing up each time I get in. There have been a few yard sale stops that I just stayed in the van and let hubby go look, just because I was too tired to haul my heavy self back up in the seat. LOL!!!

I continue to read everything I can find of interest about diabetes, but I've probably read most of the important stuff by now. And, since I don't cook, I'm not interested in the recipe stuff, which is most of what is out there. Hubby takes care of lunch when we eat at home, but our meal consists mostly of a large raw spinach and vegetable salad, with canned beans and hard boiled eggs as our protein sources. We're not vegetarians, as we eat meat when we eat out, but we don't each much meat at home. That helps us keep our food shopping budget in good shape, and makes it easier to always have lots of fresh fruit in the house. We have added black beans and kidney beans to our diet as a result of reading a diabetes article about how they have a low Glycemic Index and lots of fiber. I do still try to get a lot of fiber each day to help with my elimination difficulties.

The Glycemic Index of foods gives a measure of how much a food will raise the glucose level, and how quickly it will do it. Every food that has been tested with real human beings is compared to the rapid glucose increase when pure glucose is eaten. It's a complicated process to get the numbers, but, once the numbers are available for a food, it is very helpful in making food choices. For instance, white potatoes have a high Glycemic index, which means blood glucose levels will jump quickly after potatoes are eaten. So ... no more white potatoes for me. The better foods in the list have a Low Glycemic Index, and don't jump the testing readings up much at all. Most raw vegetables fit that category, although a few starchy ones, such as corn and potatoes don't.

So, I'm continuing to read and learn, trying to develop healthy eating habits that I can continue from now on, and learning which foods send my glucose readings too high. I'm committed to taking care of myself, and I expect to be diabetes free within a year.

Wonderful AVERAGE Days

The last few weeks have basically been unremarkable, and that's a wonderful thing. It seems like I've been on a roller coaster now for several years, going from one diagnosis to another, with changes of medicines happening all the time. Then the added learning curve of living with Diabetes to add to the mix. But the last few weeks have been basically NORMAL! I think that calls for a celebration!

I have an eye exam tomorrow afternoon, and, other than a PT appointment late in June, my calendar is empty. I've read and re-read all the Diabetes magazines we could find at the Thrift Store, bought a couple of calorie and carb counting books to help keep me on track with food when we eat out, and I'm exercising pretty regularly now. I even have 3 pair of diabetic socks, so I don't have to keep turning my old socks inside out to wear them in such a way that they don't irritate my toes.

We had a nice Date Day Friday, and once again I forgot to take the cane with me. Luckily, only one home had any slant to speak of to their driveway, and I managed it OK. That's a direct result of the time I've been spending on the recumbent bike, for sure. We still don't have our car back from repairs after the wreck, so I did get tired quickly from climbing up into the van over and over again, but hubby didn't have to push me in, at least.

My jerks are still well under control, although every once in awhile I will get small jerks, just to remind me it's still there I guess. And, as I had hoped, the Glucophage, which lists diarrhea as a possible side effect, has helped me with the constipation problem. I'm not having to take all the meds I was previously to stay comfortable.

I've checked my blood pressure a few times here at the house, and that has been very good, too!

So, I thank God for giving me normal days, and I look forward to a wonderful day today and week to come!!

Looking Forward to an Enjoyable Date Day Today

This should be an interesting Date Day today. We had a wreck last Friday coming home, when someone we knew hit us from the rear going at a high speed. Turns out he was high on prescription drugs. Anyway, the car is the worse for wear, but we are OK, with no ill effects. So today's travels will be in our van, which is much harder for me to get in and out of ... but nowhere near as difficult as it was to climb up and then get down from the wrecker cab. That was a hoot, as I have so little strength, but I made it. We'll be going to one of those huge neighborhood sales this morning, one we went to last year when they had their big sale day. Should be fun!

I've started back exercising twice a day with the weights and stationary bike, but the improvement seems to be coming so slowly. I worked with the compost heap yesterday for the first time in several months. It's been a shame to put so much good garbage in the trash can, but with the strep throat, horrible cough, and adjustment to 3 new meds all at once, plus having a toenail removed, I just haven't been up to taking care of the yard. It just about did me in to work out there for about an hour, with several breaks to sit for a spell, so I don't know how much longer I'll be able to work on the compost.

We have some beautiful black soil from last year's efforts, and it looks like a little bit of the centipede grass that I planted last year may have survived the winter. I am proud of the fact that we only have a partial white trash bag to put out for the garbage truck each week, too. We recycle so much of our household trash that we make a contest out of seeing how little we can send to the landfill each week.

I am continuing to lose weight, which I'm very pleased about. I fully expect to be able to stop taking the diabetic meds, and maybe even the high blood pressure and cholesterol meds, too. "All I have to do" is get my weight down to where it should be. I've lost about 8 pounds so far, and that's the first time my weight has gone down in several years. Judging from the last time I lost weight, way back before I was even diagnosed with Parkinson's, I hit a plateau about this same weight, so it's up to me to keep on watching portion sizes and keep working at it.

I'm not on a particular diet, just counting calories and trying very hard to control the number of carbs I get at each meal. I'm using a free online program to keep track of my food intake and exercise routine, and that helps to motivate me. I also bought a book for diabetics giving nutritional information on a large number of franchise restaurant and fast food menus. That has helped me to make some wise decisions about what to eat when we eat out on Friday and Sunday. I was even able to have a very small amount of Cookies n Cream ice cream last Sunday, without elevating my blood sugar.

I am having one problem that I need to call the Diabetic Specialist about, and that's a nagging tickle that sets off coughing spells. I remembered my mother having the same symptom, and someone at church, too, so I looked it up. And sure enough, ACE inhibitors can cause a cough. There are other kinds of high blood pressure meds he can prescribe, so hopefully it's just a matter of changing from one to another. It's a very insistent cough, usually leaving me frantically tearing open a throat lozenge wrapper to get it stopped. And the cough comes out of nowhere ... even wakes me up from sleep ... very strange. It's definitely not the cough that GERD causes, as I've had that cough before. That comes from stomach acid irritating the throat, and I'm not having any trouble with that right now, as I take my GERD into account in planning meals.

So I plan to deal with the cough today and have a fun day, too. I'm pleased with my weight loss program, and hopefully I'll continue to exercise regularly, with no interruptions. I see the Physical Therapist next week, and I want to be ready for him. Maybe he'll even decide it's time to up the intensity of my workout a bit, so I can regain my strength. This old lady ain't ready to quit yet!!!

It's Finger ... Finger Prinkin' Time

I'm pretty much in the routine now of checking glucose levels, and there have only been a few times lately when the result was outside of my target levels. I had a really stressful day yesterday, but my test results right in the midst of the chaos were good, and I'm pleased with that for sure. You see, not only eating carbohydrates will raise blood glucose levels, but also eating until you're stuffed, even when it's healthy foods, and also stress, can make the glucose levels high.

I'm doing a pretty good job of sticking to a fairly low calorie diet. I'm aiming for 1200 calories a day, and I'm close most days. The Metformin, or Glucophage as the brand name is known, is supposed to suppress appetite a little, so that is helping. Another side effect that about half the people on it get is diarrhea. For me, that's a welcome change from the constipation I normally fight. For now, anyway, I'm getting a nice balance, with little problem eliminating.

I went to the Podiatrist Monday morning and had a toenail removed from one foot and a corn I didn't even know I had removed from the top of the big toe on the other foot. My toenails are so badly deformed with fungus that I hadn't even noticed it, but I sure knew when he cut it out!! The toenail had to be taken off, because I had stubbed my toe back a couple of months ago, and it never healed. Turns out, there was an abscess under the nail. With reduced feeling in my feet from the Diabetes, and the possibility of future problems if I'm not careful, I guess I've added my Podiatrist to the list of doctors I'll be seeing on a regular basis.

It's really gotten comical. This year already I have seen my Neurologist, General Practitioner - several times, Dermatologist, Gynecologist, Podiatrist, Diabetic Specialist, Dentist, had a chest X-ray and Blood Glucose Tolerance Test, and I'm going for Physical Therapy about once a month!!! The only one I haven't seen is my Gastroenterologist. And hubby?? ... the Dentist. Not that he doesn't need to go, but we've been so busy going back and forth to my appointments that I've gotten nowhere with trying to get him to make one for a good annual checkup.

I'm still reading everything I can about what I can do to eat properly and hopefully diet my way out of needing the Metformin. My Diabetic Specialist thinks I can go off the medicine if I lose the weight. And now that I'm not ravenously hungry all the time I feel confident that I will get back down to a good weight. I need to lose a total of 50 pounds, and that's going to take awhile. I'm trying to change habits, rather than going on some weird diet. The only "diet" I have ever tried was Atkins, and I did lose weight on it. But when the cravings and weak feelings hit I gained it all back and then some.

We continue to do well with our plush sales, and that keeps me busy when I'm home, as does the Lost Toys Search Service we run. People thank us for helping them, but it does us good, too, knowing that someone has been touched by us when they needed help.

All in all it's been a good week, and with no doctor appointments on the calendar for next week, I look forward to a good week next week.

It's Official - I have Type II Diabetes

I had the appointment with my GP today and asked a ton of questions about where I stand with Diabetes. I asked him point blank if I had pre-diabetes or actual Diabetes, and he said I have Diabetes. I hastened to assure him that that did not upset me, that I just wanted to know, so I could read more intelligently about topics related to Diabetes. This diagnosis is a walk in the park compared to being told I had Parkinson's, so it doesn't upset me at all.

He stressed the importance of following a good Diabetic diet, and we explained that we have been eating very healthy diets ever since dear hubby was operated on for colon cancer. Add that to the fact that we both have Alzheimer's in our family history (mother and grandfather for me), and that I have a Neurological disorder, so we have been consciously eating as many Super Foods as possible for several years now.

The biggest difference for me now is that I must exercise portion control (I have lost some weight already!), and I can't have chocolate. Of course, he said I could have a little, but he laughed when I explained that I don't know how to eat just a little chocolate. For me it's going to have to be all or nothing. Other sweets I'll be able to take in small amounts probably, but not chocolate!!

He tested the bottom of my feet for feeling, and I am definitely not feeling as well on the bottoms of my feet as I do in my palms. My A1C test came back as 5.5%, which is very, very good! That means I've done a good job of keeping my blood glucose under control, and it hasn't been spiking for very long. They sent off a urine sample to check for albumin levels, which is a measure of kidney health. He has now run every test I know of that is recommended for diabetics.

He looked over my Blood Glucose testing results for this month and was pleased with the numbers. So he suggested that I could test before breakfast and 2 hours after Lunch and Supper every 3 days, unless I was feeling weird. That means a whole lot less finger pricks, and a bottle of test strips will last a lot longer. Those things are VERY expensive!!

I also asked his reasoning for putting me on Glipizide instead of Metformin. He said he chose Glipizide, because he was afraid of the gastrointestinal side effects of Metformin. But I would welcome a medicine that tended me toward diarrhea! I could stop some of my other meds if I did get help in that direction from the Metformin. So he gave me a prescription for it to try, taking only one pill with supper until I see how I do on it.

Since I have an appointment this Thursday with the Diabetes specialist, I'm not going to change anything until I get his view of things, but I was very pleased with the time that my GP took to examine me and answer all my questions. My GP is faxing all the information about my tests, etc., to this specialist, so that will make the appointment even more helpful.

I feel very good about the information I received today. I understand the diagnosis, and I know what I have to do to stay healthy. I am confident that I will be a good patient and will take care of myself, now that I know what needs to be done.

Looking Forward to a Busy Week This Week

I feel really good today, and that's something to celebrate! I didn't even have to fight to stay awake in church today, the way I have for some time now. I think my body is adjusting to the steady level of glucose in my system, or at least a lot more steady than it used to be.

I continue to read everything I can find about ways to improve my diet and keep my blood glucose level in a healthy range.

Not that every day has been as good as today has been. We had our usual Date Day Friday, and the weather was gorgeous. That made for some pleasant yard sale shopping, but it meant we were stopping at a lot more sale signs than we have since last spring. Somewhere around lunch time I just ran out of energy. I ate what I thought was a reasonable lunch, but had the highest glucose reading I have measured so far several hours later. And to add to the general fatigue and yucky feeling from too much glucose in my system, my hands and feet were noticeably swollen. By the time we got home I was really very uncomfortable, and did very little Friday night or yesterday, either. Thank goodness that rough patch is over for now.

I'm looking forward this week to seeing my doctor to ask him about my test results from the Glucose Tolerance Test, go over my log of a month's worth of glucose readings with him, and get an A1C test done. Oh, and I should tell you that I've been pleasantly surprised that all the finger sticks (for right now I'm testing before and 2 hours after every meal) aren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be.

Here's my understanding of how the A1C test I will have this week works. Every time a person's glucose goes too high, the red blood cells are changed, as they react with the excess "sugar". Once the glucose level comes back down, those changed blood cells do NOT change back to normal. So, for the life of that red blood cell, there is a chemical marker that the A1C test can read. If I have had lots of episodes of high glucose over the last few months then lots of my red blood cells will have this chemical marker in them. This test is almost like a diary of the last two or three months worth of sugar levels. It's the last step in the diagnosis process to decide whether or not I have pre-diabetes or actual Type II Diabetes, as I understand it.

Then, later on this week I have my first appointment with an Internist who specializes in Hypertension and other Diabetes related problems, particularly Kidney problems. Don't get me wrong. I am not having any trouble with my kidneys now, and I want to keep it that way! He comes highly recommended by my Gastroenterologist, which means he will be someone who can coordinate with my Gastro about my diabetic diet and my digestive problems and elimination difficulties.

I feel like this is going to be a very important week for me, and I am anxious for it to get going! I would appreciate your prayers!!!

Coughing, but OK

Well, I'm still coughing, and the x-ray came back all clear, which is what I expected. I was a little concerned that it might be asthma, since it was worse in the mornings and at night. That fit those symptoms. But the doctor's nurse said it's allergies and sinus drainage pooling in the main bronchial tube.

So, I put myself back on an OTC antihistamine that I've had good luck with before, and it's just wait the stuff out now.

I've gone back to exercising as much as I can. And we went on our Date Day yesterday. We had to quit a little early, though, as I was exhausted. I'm back in that de-conditioned state again. It will be awhile before I'm back up to the level of exercising I was doing before I got sick. I'm thoroughly enjoying the recumbent bike, and hubby is using it too. It's sitting in the middle of our living room, so we can watch TV and bike at the same time. Not high decorating style for sure, but right now I just don't care. If we have company it can be moved temporarily.

I'm pretty much in the habit of taking the glucose readings now, and I'm using FitDay to log in my food intake and exercise minutes. I found this site when our daughter was on a feeding tube, and we needed to keep track of her eating. It's really a good way to monitor not only calories and carbs, but all the major nutrients.

I'm going to postpone my Physical Therapy session due for next week. There's no point in going right now, as I am weaker than I was last time. I'll just keep working on what he has already given me. I do have my annual OBGYN appointment next week, and I'm anxious to see how my bone density is coming along. I've been on Calcium now for 2 years, so hopefully I've improved some. I don't drink carbonated beverages, and we get lots of nutrients from the raw spinach salad we eat almost every day.

So, we continue to do what we can to keep our health level in as good a shape as possible. I continue to read everything I can get my hands on about diabetes, too. We had a leaky water pipe out in the yard that got fixed today, so all in all I've had a great day.

Still Coughing, but Talking Better

I'm still having bouts of this horrible thick cough, mostly at bedtime and on getting up. I don't smoke, and never have, but it makes you wonder what I must be allergic to to set off these spasms. I called the doctor's office again yesterday to let them know the cough syrup just wasn't working at all. This was the one that was supposed to knock me out, and other than feeling a little woozy the first day, I couldn't even tell I took it.

So, he sent me off yesterday to have a chest X-ray. I've had pneumonia too many times not to know what that feels like, so I'm sure it's not going to show up that way. This is more like mucus is stuck in the main bronchial tube, and no matter now hard I cough it just stays there. I took the last antibiotic today, so we'll see what develops.

I'm getting pretty good at pricking my finger and testing my blood glucose. There have been a few times that I felt shaky and hungry the way I was feeling. Those always came on low glucose levels, but none were low enough to be concerned about. I've been very good about keeping track of everything I'm eating and trying to keep my carb intake to around 45g per meal and 15g for snacks. I'm also watching the calories, as I really do need to lose weight. I figure if I could lose about a half a pound a week I could be at a good weight in two years. So far I've lost a pound. It took me a long time to get this heavy, and it's going to take awhile to get it off and keep it off. I certainly don't want any kind of crash diet, on top of all the other health issues I deal with.

I'm finally caught back up with posting requests for help finding lovies on our Search Service. I got way behind when I felt lousy. I'm back to working on my exercise program, doing about half right now, just to ease back into it. My legs got pretty weak the last few weeks. High powered antibiotics do that to me, besides being sick.

I've been reading everything I can find about pre-diabetes and diabetes, until I'm finally beginning to absorb what's involved. There are still a lot of numbers to get stuck in my head - below 70 is low blood sugar, anything over 140 before meals is too high - that sort of thing. But I'm working on it, and have cut out a few particularly helpful articles to add to my health binder. I started that when I was diagnosed with Parkinson's, added articles to it when the diagnosis was changed to Essential Myoclonus, and now I'm added information about Diabetes. I'm beginning to feel like a doctor!!!

I do feel better today than I have since this laryngitis cough strep mess all started.

Hack Cough Wheeze

Well, we went back to the doctor yesterday, since we did not want to go through the weekend with no improvement in sight. The strep is better, with no sore throat any more, but the horrible congestion in the bronchial tubes that causes spasms of severe unproductive coughing has not budged at all. So, my doctor changed my meds AGAIN. Now I'm on Leviquin, a very high powered antibiotic and Tussionex, a cough syrup with some antihistamine in it. He said I would be very sleepy, but I haven't been. I did sleep through until about 3AM before a coughing fit woke me up, so that's some improvement.

I can tell that my legs are wobbly today, which shouldn't be a surprise, considering how much meds I've had and how little moving around I've been doing. I've spent much of the last few days researching pre-diabetes and diabetes. I've gotten fairly adept at the finger sticks, so I'm not wasting as many test strips as I did at first, and I have a pretty clear idea of how my normal diet effects my glucose level. There's no need to waste the strips, and I can't see that any purpose is served by continuing to test before and after every meal, so for now I've put the test kit aside.

I thought I had lost a pound, but now it appears to be showing up again. That means I need to cut back on my portion sizes a bit more. I'm still counting carbs, and until I'm told otherwise, holding it to somewhere in the 150 - 175 grams a day range, with meals around 40g each. I'm trying to hold snacks to 15g of carbs from fruit. And I have not touched anything sweet since the tentative diagnosis of diabetes was first given to us. I say tentative, because the numbers were at borderline level, and I won't see the doctor about the diagnosis for a couple of more weeks yet.

I know that diabetics can have sweets in moderation, but I know me, too. It's much easier for me to stay away from them completely than to use moderation! I can't imagine me being able to quit after just a piece of chocolate!!! Ain't gonna happen!!!! Besides, we have strawberries and cantaloupe in the fridge, and they are plenty sweet enough.

I'm encouraged to see that the myoclonus has not acted up while I've been battling this infection.

The one negative note is that my doctor told me I probably should not take penicillin again, since I had a localized reaction to the shot for the first time in my life. It's still hot, red, and swollen after almost a week. I'm sorry to have to add Penicillin to my allergy list, as I know how useful an antibiotic it is for a wide variety of ailments. But, there are plenty of other antibiotics available these days, and they will do just fine.

As usual, I have some good things to say, and some not so good. But I work to stay in a positive frame of mind, knowing that worrying about any of this is not going to help one bit, and can even be hurtful. Instead I choose to learn all I can and stay in a positive frame of mind.

Still Puny

I'm still quite sick with the strep infection, with lots of hacking coughing and laryngitis. I've spent most of yesterday and this morning dozing in the chair, doing my best not to talk at all. I called the doctor's office yesterday to see if I was being unrealistic to think that I should be seeing some improvement, and they called in an oral antibiotic and something to quiet down the coughing.

If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

Well, what can I say. I woke up Friday with a scratchy throat, and spent the day sucking one Halls after another, trying to keep the sore throat at bay, as I did not want to ruin our Date Day. We did have a nice time together, but by the time we got home I was feeling rough. By Saturday morning I was really sick. Hubby's Easter Cantata was Sunday morning, so I went to church, even though I probably should have stayed home.

By Sunday night I was running a fever, and I felt even worse by Monday morning. So, I went to the doctor with my suspicion, and the test came back positive, as I had suspected. Strep.

I've had strep throat so many times over the years that I can almost tell when I'm getting it again. I still have my tonsils, and when it hits it hits hard and fast. None of this week of a cold that doesn't get better ... no, Mr. Strep hits full force from day one.

He gave me a shot, and hopefully I will be feeling better in a few days.

His nurse asked me if I was checking my blood glucose levels, which came as a surprise, as nothing had been said about doing that when they said I was borderline diabetic and put me on Glipizide. So, we stopped at Walmart, and I bought the testing kit that had the cheapest strips. They really do cost a lot!! The one I bought has strips that cost about $.50 each, while most were more than a dollar a piece. I read all the directions and tried to take a test reading before lunch and another two hours after lunch. Assuming I did it right, the blood glucose level was 90, which is smack dab in the middle of the normal range.

I had such a hard time finding anything I thought I dared eat at our local Chinese buffet on Sunday, I am looking forward to being able to quantify that food's effect on my blood sugar, so I'll enjoy eating there more.

Of course for now, there's no exercise program going on. Aggravating! I was doing really good, too. But it wouldn't be a good idea to stress my body right now. I'm still counting carbs and reading everything I can get my hands on about pre-diabetes and diabetes. I'm keeping a daily detailed log of my food intake, with carbs totaled. And I've learned a whole lot about diabetes, too.

I'm feeling much more knowlegable and in control right now, so now I just need to get my throat and all the post nasal drip settled.

On a brighter note, we mailed more packages yesterday than any other single day ever.

So, I continue to read everything I can find about diabetes, I'm learning to use the testing kit, and I'm getting as much rest as possible, while I wait for the Strep to go away.

Can't Blame Everything on Movement Disorder

I've been dealing with intermittent periods of extreme weakness for quite some time now, and have pretty much been blaming it on the Primidone, the medicine I take to control the Essential Myoclonus. My Neuro gave me a prescription for Physical Therapy to develop an appropriate exercise program, and I've seem him twice now, about one month apart. I was not pleased with myself, because after about 2 weeks of following his routine, I reached a point where I would feel so weak that I didn't want to do anything. Even my voice sounded weak.

So, I decided it was time to get an overall checkup at my Primary Physician's office. He listened to me try to describe how I've been feeling, and I was very frustrated, because it's so hard to put into words how I've been acting. Anyway, he ordered a complete blood panel of tests, and I got the results back the next day for most of them. My blood sugar was high, so he ordered a Glucose Tolerance Test, where I had to fast beforehand, have my blood drawn, and then drink a sugary sweet drink. They drew blood two more times at hour intervals, to see if my system handled the sugar overload correctly.

Well, I got the results today, and I was within a few numbers of what is considered to be diabetic. So he wants me to start treatment, and I'm to get a set of brochures about living with diabetes.

I shouldn't be surprised at this, as I am 66 years old now, and my Daddy and Grandmother both were diabetic. Neither one used insulin, but controlled it with medicine. I'm assuming that's what he will have me do, too.

The more I read about Type 2 Diabetes, the more I realize that I really have been behaving in ways that are consistent with this diagnosis. I have dry skin that itches, I get shaky weak at times, my energy levels are unpredictable, and I have been constantly feeling hungry. I have had this feeling that if I could just eat the right thing I would get my energy back. Mostly I've been filling that need with chocolate. LOL!!

So I instinctively wasn't too far from the truth. My cells are not getting enough glucose, probably because they have become what is called insulin resistant. So, with too much glucose swimming around in my bloodstream, my cells were screaming for more sugar!!

I'm not the least upset with the diagnosis. Just as I was relieved to find out I had a Neurological Disorder, I am relieved that my doctor was able to pinpoint the source of these strange feelings I've been having.

I've spent a good bit of time today reading everything I could find online about diabetes nutrition, and thinking about the changes I will need to make in my diet. I know I need to lose a good bit of weight, and now I have the incentive I needed to stop eating chocolate and watch my food portions better.

We've been consciously eating Super Foods for several years, so mostly I just need to lower my carbohydrate intake, cutting out all but the occasional the sweets (chocolate).

I look forward to talking with my doctor and getting this under control.

I've Been Trying, Honest!!

Yes, I've been trying very hard to stick to the exercise routine the PT set out for me, and I've done it in the mornings almost every day. But I've been nowhere near as good at getting the afternoon set done. I don't quite know how to describe the weak feeling I get some days. Sometimes I wake up feeling that way, and on other days it progresses as the day goes on. Whatever is causing it leaves me just limp as a rag.

I've been wondering if maybe the stomach ulcers are acting up again, as I always feel hungry when I'm weak like that, even though I may have just finished a meal. The only other thing I can think of, other than the probable Primidone side effects, is that I'm having some kind of heart trouble. I do know even the least amount of exertion leaves me breathing hard. Well, to be completely honest with myself, it's likely because I'm about 50 pounds over weight. Somewhere in the mix of all those possibilities is the answer.

I've gone back to eating something with each medicine dose, which should help with the ulcer and hunger possibilities, but I am trying to eat fruit, instead of bagels. I had thought a bite or two of a bagel would protect my stomach from the meds, but by the end of the day I'm adding over 300 calories in just one bagel. So we'll see how half an apple does for awhile. It should help with the constipation, anyway, as apples are high in fiber.

I'm in good shape keeping up with the new requests for help on our Lost Toys Search Service, but I'm way behind on getting lovey duplicates we have already listed put in the correct storage box. I can hardly move in one bedroom, thanks to all the plush toys in there.

I still have bouts of really bad brain fog at night when I get really tired. I start each day with so much hope, but seem to end many days exhausted, even though I have done little physically.

We do get wonderful reunion stories from people we have helped, and that always lifts my spirits. And Spring is here in full force now in Alabama, even though we had a significant snow fall just a few weeks ago. Hopefully the pretty weather will help to get me more energized.

Sinuses Are at it AGAIN

I started getting the sinus gunk in the back of my throat again yesterday. It makes swallowing harder and less comfortable, and invariably sets off a wave of spasms of the throat muscles. I can even hear the click that I've read about as part of Palatal Myoclonus.

"Palatal myoclonus is a regular, rhythmic contraction of one or both sides of the rear of the roof of the mouth, called the soft palate. These contractions may be accompanied by myoclonus in other muscles, including those in the face, tongue, throat, and diaphragm. The contractions are very rapid, occurring as often as 150 times a minute, and may persist during sleep. The condition usually appears in adults and can last indefinitely. People with palatal myoclonus usually regard it as a minor problem, although some occasionally complain of a "clicking" sound in the ear, a noise made as the muscles in the soft palate contract."

http://neurology.health-cares.net/myoclonus-types.php

I didn't realize until after I started researching Myoclonus that the difficulty I had swallowing when my throat was irritated was not the way everybody's throat reacted. I didn't make the connection and didn't describe these symptoms to my Neurologist or the Movement Disorder Specialist I went to, either.

I took Benadryl last night, which helped me sleep, and I've been on "non-drowsy" Sudafed today. Well, it's supposed to be non-drowsy, anyway. I've already dozed off this morning trying to work on the computer. I just got up from a nap, so maybe I can stay awake for a little while and get something accomplished.

I did my morning 2 pound exercises, except for walking outside. As woozy as I felt that didn't seem like such a good idea. I'm not sure if I will do the 3 pound sets this afternoon or not, but I sure don't want to push too hard.

I hate it when I feel yucky like this! It took me til 2:00PM to process all the emails I had received yesterday while we were gone on our Date Day. Kind of hard to get ahead at that rate, and now I have a few requests for help finding lovies ready for me to post as well. I wouldn't trade that day we spend together for anything, but I sure wish I could put the rest of the world on hold on Fridays, if you know what I mean.

I had computer trouble again yesterday out of the blue, and that added to my stress level. Who knows, that may have caused the throat problem. Anyhow, I left it on all night long running a trouble shooting program, allowing it to fix all the registry errors it found, made a new copy of a file I suspected had become corrupted, and all is working again now as it should. Keeping my fingers crossed!

So at least I have something positive to say about the day ... I still remember enough geek stuff to get my computer to behave itself for the time being.

Well, I've whined enough for one post, so I'll let this be it for today. Now to go get some of those Toy Search posts up...

It's Supposed to Take 21 Days to Make a Habit ...

I've been working really hard to get some routines going in my life that I can do without having to think about them so much. I'm doing my morning breakfast, dish washing, tooth brushing and mouth wash gurgling, and putting lotion on my hands in exactly the same order every day. That may sound like a dumb thing for a 65 year old to be practicing, but it's something I have to think about each day, or I forget to do half of it. I'm not ready to make a list and post it, so I'm hoping by doing them in the same order each day I can turn the whole routine into a habit.

I've been very faithful to do the exercise sets that the Physical Therapist planned out for me. Now for that, I did make a list, and I check each time to see what the next step is. No, I can't remember them all if I leave it up to memory, so the list is necessary. I'm not going to bother to try to memorize it anyway, because he will be changing it near the end of March.

I'm still trying to find a good substitute for the 10 minutes I'm supposed to spend on the exercise bike. On pretty days I can walk around the house a few extra times and make up for it. On rainy or raw cold days (hey, we had SNOW on Sunday!) I've been walking around inside the house, but I doubt if I am doing as much inside as I would outside.

Our driveway goes from the front around to the side of the house, where a sidewalk connects to the patio along the whole back side of the house. And there's a sidewalk from there all the way back around to the front of the house. So I have a ready made "track" that I can walk on, without having to worry about traffic. Plus, the slope from front to back of our lot gives me a chance to walk up and down hill, too.

I'm wearing a pedometer and recording my number of steps each day. I figure I'll average them together from this week and try to beat that average from now on.

My mood has been good, and I'm feeling confident that I can improve my mobility and stamina. I still spend the majority of my day working at the computer, trying to stay caught up with our Lost Toys Search Service and taking care of our online sales. I've had to slack off on adding to our catalog momentarily, as I got behind on requests for help when we went to Huntsville a couple of weeks ago. It's kind of a two steps forward and one step back kind of thing, as I get new requests constantly, while I am trying to take care of the old requests. But it feels so good to be able to help people when they are so miserable that the Toy Search has a lot to do with my being upbeat. I wouldn't want to stop it, no matter how much of my time it takes. It's certainly a better use of my time than watching TV!!

Went to Physical Therapist Yesterday

I'm very pleased with the outcome of seeing the Physical Therapist yesterday. He asked questions, tested various positions of hand, arm, and leg strength, and had me give him a detailed explanation of the exercises I have been doing. He asked about my daily routine, and from all that conversation showed me how to modify some of the moves I was doing wrong, showed me how to do some additional exercises, and made a plan for me to follow for the next month.

Instead of doing all my exercises in the morning, he wants me to do 12 sets of everything in the morning, plus 10 minutes of the bicycle and a couple of turns around the outside of the house. Then I am to do it all again in the afternoon, but only do 8 sets. He did say I was doing too much at one time, the way I had been doing 3 sets of ten.

He completely changed the way I had been doing squats and lunges, and made some suggestions to slightly modify a few of the upper body sets. He seemed very confident that he could help me, and appeared to be ready and willing to see me monthly to monitor my improvement and suggest changes as appropriate.

Medicare has a limit of about $1800 and 15 visits a year, and my Blue Cross only allows 15 visits, but I don't think they put a price limit on it. So seeing him once a month for the rest of this year should work just fine.

He did veto the idea of getting a treadmill, saying it was too dangerous. He showed me how to sit behind the exercise bicycle and use it almost like a recumbent bike, so my coccyx wouldn't flare up again. My tail bone is still tender from my efforts on our bicycle at home.

Our exercise bike at the house has a big fan like rear flywheel. It's too big for me to be able to use our bike the way he suggested, so I pulled out the little portable foot and arms exerciser I had bought to use with my mother after she broke her hip, and I may be able to make do with it.

We will have to buy some ankle weights for one of the exercises, which is specifically for Myoclonus! That was quite a shock!! I can do it just fine barefoot, but we'll see what happens with a little weight resistance.

I've done my set of 12 this morning, with two sets of Tai Chi, about 5 minutes on the foot cycle, and walked around the house 3 times. The foot cycle is very awkward, and it doesn't take long for my legs to start hurting, so I'll have to work at that.

I'm quite excited about being able to take charge of this aspect of my treatment, and I'm looking forward to the positive results of increasing my activity level.