Thursday, June 23, 2016

Best appointment EVER!!

After fighting all night with blood sugars that wouldn't come down despite multiple injections, I finally got a reprieve in the morning when they smoothed out.  I figure my high protein meal after 8pm is what kept them higher than normal, so I won't dwell too much on that.  You can only do what you can do...it is what it is.

I got up and got ready, had a fat bomb for breakfast and headed over to the office.  I prayed on the way, asking God to bless the appointment, for the NP to be agreeable, and for me to not be too disappointed with my A1C results.

I checked in, handed my meter in so they could log my numbers and my Dexcom records so they could make copies.  The wait was only 5 minutes or so, then they took my weight and vitals.  No mention of ketones, or other blood work, so I figured everything was normal.

The nurse asked the usual questions about my insulin doses and logged my answers, then left saying the NP, Ty, would be in shortly.

When she came in, she introduced herself and mentioned Carrie and her new baby, then went on to hand me the lab results.  "Your control is awesome, your A1C is 5.6% (114 mg/dl, which is 5.4% by Dr. B's chart).  I was looking over your Dexcom reports and it doesn't look like you're having many lows, so what you're doing is awesome."

I was floored!  5.6?!  Really?  Thank you, Jesus!  My face was all smiles as I told her I'd been working so hard to get it down that much.  She asked if my Dexcom was a help in achieving good control, and I said "Yes, it's been a lifesaver."  She went on to say that she wished more of her patients were on the Dexcom, because it's such a great tool and so advanced compared to the other brands on the market.  I told her I'd had it since August 2014 and wished I had known about it sooner, but I'm so thankful to have it now.  She then went on to say that my control is awesome, and said I'm "awesomeballs" for taking charge of things.  She asked about my diet, and I told her that I was eating low carb, high fat, moderate protein and that too was a huge factor in my good blood sugar control.  I mentioned some of the foods I eat, and Dr. Bernstein's book, which helped me turn things around last year.

She asked about my ring, married or engaged?, I said married and explained how I'd been in denial and depression upon my diagnosis 20 years ago and that getting married and preparing for childbearing was a big motivator for me to get my blood sugars under control.  Without that motivation, I wouldn't have started looking for other alternatives to my care.  She mentioned a patient a few years younger than me who is struggling and looking for help and support, so I gave her the name of my Facebook support groups and told her she could give the girl my name.  I could totally relate to the girl; she sounded like me. 

She noticed I'd lost a little weight (about 6 pounds) and said she was trying to lose weight herself.  Ty joked about me adopting her and letting her stay at my house so she could eat all the yummy foods I eat.  :D  She was completely supportive of the low carb way of eating and completely understood when I mentioned that I don't eat much fruit because of the natural sugars they contain, and that I have to bolus for protein because of gluconeogenesis.

She checked my feet, my heart, and lungs, and said she was thrilled to have met me and I said likewise!  I was so overwhelmingly excited that I could share all of my info with her without feeling put down.  She told me I didn't have to come back for 6 months and that I'd see Carrie at my next appointment in December.  I have to admit, I would love to see Ty again!

YES!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, LORD!!!

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised." - Psalm 48:1    

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Next appointment coming up!

I've been prepping in anticipation for my next appointment this Thursday.  I've been trying to hard to keep my numbers down, but today and yesterday determined to prove difficult for me.  After dinner last night my number spiked up to 170 and today it's fighting me again in the 140s.  Arg!  My A1C is going to reflect that and I'm not happy.  I just hope it doesn't go up any higher than it was last time, although since I'm going by Dr. B's A1C chart it will still be relatively lower than my endo's.  So I can take comfort in that, but still...

My numbers have seemed to trend lower and steadier, so hopefully that will help, and I'm happy with my ability to maintain good numbers for the majority of the time.  Last night was not fun, though, as I spent most of the night fighting the highs that were determined to plague me. 
Numbers from June 15 - June 19

Anyway, I'm going in on Tuesday to get my blood work done for my labs, and then Thursday is my appointment.  I'll be seeing a different nurse practitioner than Carrie, since she's still on maternity leave.  I'm hoping this other NP will be just as nice as Carrie.