Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Die, Diabetes, Die

A few months ago, I went in for my normal, post-labs, state-of-the-union doctor appointment. I was going pretty regularly, to monitor my liver and my blood sugar, in addition to a few other more minor issues. Both levels had seemed pretty intent on staying elevated.

This was the first time my doctor and her nurse had noticed my somewhat-dramatic weight loss. I'd taken off my bulky sweater before weighing in and was wearing a pretty form fitting t-shirt underneath, so it would have been tough not to notice. I got a good pat on the back and everything looked like it was headed in the right direction.

It appeared as though things were finally getting toward being under control. Being mid-February, my doctor said, "Your annual physical is coming up in June. I think it's safe to just schedule your next appointment then, since you're obviously going in the right direction". February to JUNE?!! Wow. That was a huge boost of confidence.



A few weeks ago, I went back in because my right arm kept going numb. Being newly-diabetic, any numb appendage was frightening. It's new territory, so I didn't know it was virtually impossible that it was related, due to timing, location, etc. It turns out it's just a pinched nerve. Whew!! That was a few tons of stress removed.

While I was there, my doctor weighed me (not unusual). I was down a few more pounds. She commented that I was doing extremely well and she liked what she was seeing. Great! She also said, "So, do you think you're going to beat this thing?". I replied, "What, diabetes? That's certainly a goal". She said, "I think so, too".

Wow.

Wow, wow. This is something in my head, of course, that I'd thought, but hadn't ever said out loud. After all, once you have it, is it really beatable? Being something that runs in my family, I haven't seen anyone reverse it. Apparently (with Type 2), it's possible. And, apparently, she thinks I have it in me. It's nice to draw on that in moments of weakness. I can use as many people in my corner as possible. Go me!

My fasting sugar levels have been in normal range for several days now, without so much as a blip. I've definitely landed in a good zone. Today, I'm getting more spinal injections, which is what aided in getting my glucose levels so elevated in the first place, but hopefully with some hard work it will just be a minor hit for a couple of days. Fingers crossed!!

We didn't discuss my liver at my last appointment. I've been very careful, though, and halved my headache meds (which is rough to tolerate at times, but it's reeeeeally hard on my liver). I'm hopeful that being as kind as possible to my internal organs will pay off, too.

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