Tuesday, October 16, 2007

A Word for Us Diabetics....

Me, Before

Hi All!!

Tonite, I am tired!! Good tired, but tired nonetheless! I weigh in next week and so far I have lost 5 pounds! Woo Hoo but I want five more off!! So, I have gone back to walking on my lunch hour and again in the evening, along with weight training. I think I overdid it, cuz tonite I am sore. Soooooo.....I'm going to listen to my body tonite and rest up a bit. I wanted a chance to catch up with y'all anyways!


Got some really good news from my doctor last week! As you all know, I have Diabetes that I control by my diet and pills. My type of Diabetes has less to do with the pancreas and insulin and more to do with the sugar my body takes in not tranferring from the cells to the muscles.

Now, I have one of those in- your -face doctors. I honestly think that he is a fat-a-phobic because everything that is wrong with me is because "You're Fat". Not overweight, not carrying a bit too much weight, but "fat". According to Dr. Sensitive, if I would stop drinking the soda, stop eating all the sugar and breads and donuts etc., and FOR GOD'S SAKE get some exercise, I wouldn't have :

Constantly blurred vision
Fatigue
Yeast Infections
Blotches (they are called Diabetics rash and form on your neck and back)
An urgent need to go to the bathroom at least twice in the night

And.....if I took care of myself now I could completely avoid:

Blindness
Kidney Problems
Problems with Circulation
Heart Attack and Stroke
Premature Death

For two years, I laughed at this man and did not take him seriously, because I did not feel that bad. And for two years he kept on telling me that it is only going to get worse, but keep on because my insurance company pays him whether I listen to him or not. Charming and blunt!


Well, I hit 40 and the bottom fell out! Suddenly, I started needing my "reading glasses" more and more, and I felt tired all the time. After a nite of eating and drinking the wrong stuff, my eyes would be bloodshot red, and I had a constant yeast infection. And worst of all, I was getting so big!! I couldn't pull off "thick" anymore. I was deep in "fat-assed" territory. (see pic)
(don't laugh!) (ok, you can laff just a little). And worse than that, the only man that was even remotely attracted to me was the dishwasher at Bob Evans!! The one with the brown teeth! Eww. At that moment, I decided that I needed to do something about the situation.

So anyhoo, I went back to my doctor, and told him that I would like to try the Atkin's diet since it would cut down on my sugar and carb intake. If the man could have kissed me, he would have.....

Since I started the diet in August, Dr. Killjoy has been monitoring my blood sugar, cholesterol etc. We also have been adjusting the dosage of medicine that I take. Now for those of you that don't have the big D, I will explain blood sugar levels. When your body is functioning as it should, your blood sugar levels should be around 85-110. When I was diagnosed with Diabetes, my level was at 502. And for two years I fluctuated between 190-300. Oh, I could get it down to 110 by not eating for a couple of days, but when I was "safe" again, it was back to the soda and candy. This is the phase in my life that I call "Being a Stupid Ass". My doctor agrees with this (of course).



Well, I am happy to report that since I have been on my diet and exercise regimen, my blood sugar has not gone over 112...that is almost normal. I have lost over 14 pounds, and three dress sizes. My eyesight is loads better, yeast is gone, and I sleep thru the nite! I have a ways to go before I get the total stamp of approval from Doc. Tellitlikeitis, but even he is kinda sorta happy.

Ladies, I realized finally that this was not going to get any better and decided to make a change for the better...... before I had a stroke or heart attack or my kidney's failed. Don't let your love for cake and soda put you in an early grave. I have only been doing this for a short period of time, and while I hurt tonite, the rewards are outweighing the inconveniences.

Diabetes is a silent killer - by the time you start showing symptoms of being sick, the damage has been done. Nothing is worth your health or the precious time that you have on this earth!
So, you have this disease, please take care of yourself....YOU CAN DO IT!!

Cya

Tracy

2 comments:

Healthy Living 101 said...

You look AMAZING from where you started. CONGRATULATIONS! Yeah my mom recently found out she's a diabetic and has been slowly chnaging her life.

Well keep it up!

Tracy said...

Girl, thank you!!

I guess I am a work in progress!

My mom has been a diabetic for about 35 years now....thru changing her diet and finally getting her to get some exercise in, she has lost over 40 pounds (and rubs my face in it), no longer shoots insulin, and is off of half of her medication.

Tell your mom to visit this site, it has great info on diabetes, its treatments, and health and fitness!

www.diabetes.org

It is the American Diabetes Association. They even have a BMI indicator / calculator for those starting out.

Tell her I said God Bless, and this is not a death sentence, but a lifestyle change for the better!

Weigh in is next Friday - will be hella busy!