Doctor week comes to a close...

[hollyking]

Survived the week of doctors, but it’s not over. Let’s be honest it will never be over. What I have has no cure and the best I can hope for is to control my disease and prolong the inevitable complications. I’m not trying to be depressing or negative. I have to face the facts and realize that I have a choice. I can make the changes and control my blood glucose level or I can let it slowly tear me apart and destroy my body. I choose the former.

Dr. Enzmann, my endocrinologist, was great. He was clear with his explanations, firm but not condescending with his recommendations and open to my input. So together we came up with a plan for treatment and the changes I need to make in my life. Those changes being diet and exercise. No big surprise there.

We also went over my lab results. My cholesterol is a bit high at 227 mg/dl (<200 is the goal). My LDL can not be calculated and the HDL was too low. The triglycerides was far too high, at 662 mg/dl I’m getting close to a risky amount for developing pancreatitis. I’ve had that twice before and really don’t wish to experience it again. So he perscribed medication to bring my cholesterol levels under control. However, controlling my blood glucose levels will help with the tryglycerides.

My A1C is 10.3% which is not unexpected. I’ve never experienced low blood sugar and my level during the labs was 310 mg/dl. Since I was fasting my levels should have been around 100 mg/dl. Dr. Enzmann perscribed Metformin to begin getting my sugar levels under control. If I can get my triglyceride level down we discussed switching to Byetta.

The last big issue is blood pressure. At Dr. Lu’s office on Monday it was 160/100 and then 150/90. Tuesday night I checked at Bartell’s and it was 143/88. This morning it was 160/110, 140/90 and 120/88. So Dr. Lu thinks I have “White Coat Syndrome” and wants me to pick up a blood pressure meter and check myself every day. He was going to increase my blood pressure medication, but when I reminded him I had just started taking it three days ago he decided to stay the course for a few more weeks.

Getting more exercise is easy. I like walking and we have trails here at the office so I can do it at lunch. It’s the diet that’s hard. So many things I enjoy are bad for me. I’ll have to make big changes in what we buy and cook. Good thing I actually like veggies. ;)

Comments

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Best of luck man.

Thoughts and prayers.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[torainfor.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you're already on cholesterol meds, but here's Tom's story. I think he got up to 240. The doc wanted to put him on meds, but I convinced him to try changing his diet first. He ate oatmeal most mornings and was careful the rest of the week. He went back in and had dropped over 20 points. He was pretty proud. The doc asked how he did it. When Tom told him it was diet, the doc said, "Yeah, but did you enjoy your food?" When Tom admitted that, no, he did not particularly enjoy the food, the doc convinced him to go on meds.

Less than a month later, his cholesterol had dropped over 60 points.

We also have a friend who's been on it since his 20s.

Good for you working to control your diabetes through diet and exercise. It always impresses me when I hear about people doing that!

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll be starting medication tonight. I'm also going to try and eat a lot more fiber. ;)

[irgth.livejournal.com]

If you are going on any kind of statin, I strongly suggest that you take a large dose of Coenzyme Q10.

I only have anecdotal evidence to support this, but CoQ10 seems to be keeping me from having weakness/tiredness that I had the first time I took atorvastatin.

If all goes well, I'll have an interactive statin/CoQ10 model available online in the not too distant future.

[dakotaluna.livejournal.com]

Best to on all of this. My mom is in a similar boat (similar levels). Hang in there.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Sunday?

[dakotaluna.livejournal.com]

Yes. When and where?

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

1pm and I don't know. Do you have any suggestions for vegetarian options? I'm not sure where you live so I don't know what area would be a good middle meeting ground.

[dakotaluna.livejournal.com]

I live in Kenmore. You're in Redmond?

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[dakotaluna.livejournal.com]

Brunch, maybe? You ever been to Brown Bag? Original Pancake House in Kirkland is really good, too. I know you need some healthy options, too.

Oh, and Red Robin always works.

I should email you my number. I gotta run to an appointment right now, but I'll do them when I'm back.

[tylik.livejournal.com]

You're redmond local, yes? They have an *excellent* farmer's market - it's the kind of place that makes stuffing your face with fresh veggies indulgent pleasure.

If you don't yet know her, you might check out lilituc's journal - she's probably one of the most knowledgeable and proactive folks I've ever met in terms of managing diabetes. (Which I particularly mention because the level of management that most doctors recommend is less than the level of management that has been shown to most benefit one's health.)

Good luck. I've been going through a prolonged bout of remembering that even when I have long stretches where everything works pretty well, the spine injury hasn't healed, mostly likely never will really heal, and if I don't stay on top of things all the time it will randomly ambush me from dark corners and fuck up my life. Bleh. Denial is so fun. (But hey, compared to the 2001 diagnosis of "you have to accept that you'll never live an active life again", I still figure I win.)

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

We live in Redmond for two more months. The Redmond market starts this Saturday. I'm planning on heading down there to grab some fresh vegetables before heading out to have shift on the boat.

I check out that journal. Thanks!

I'm trying to focus on the things I enjoy that I can still have instead of the things I can not. Although it keeps throwing me for a loop. I ordered my standard lunch and was half-way through the sandwich when I realized it came with bacon on it.

[tylik.livejournal.com]

Two months and then? (My LJ reading has been a bit haphazard of late.)

Dietary modification has often been almost an entertainment thing for me, though I resent the dairy, which is the one I didn't decide, so I feel for you. I have found that really intense flavours do a lot to help me not feel deprived by a lack of richness in my food - lots of herbs, fruit juices (especially citrus), wine, vinegars, spices, things that have nice umami components, like mushrooms and pulses... Summer is divine. Fall is bountiful. Winter is a little harder, but a lot of soups and fresh bread help. (Of course I'm also insane, having cut way back on my salt recently for no good reason in particular - my blood pressure, which was kind of low, now hangs out at about 100/60. When I remember to stay hydrated.)

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

We're being forced to move at the end June. Our lease is up and the managers are not going to renew it so they can slap on some paint and a few other cosmetic changes and raise the rent by $600/month.

Fruit juice is bad because it raises the blood sugar so much. I'm going to experiment with more herbs and spices. I'm even going to try and make this black thumb of mine grow some herbs so I'll have them fresh. ;)

[jenk]

Fwiw....

- I find that taking a fish oil capsule a day increases my HDL 15 points and lowers my LDL by 10 or 20.

- It can be easier psychologically to add fruit, veggies, oatmeal, etc than to cut things out. Mainly because if you're adding things you usually will reduce other intake, but you'll do it subconsciously and without agonizing over it.

[irgth.livejournal.com]

Blood Pressure Monitors: I'm using an Omron HEM-712C (http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HEM-712C-Automatic-Pressure-IntelliSense/dp/B00006WNPX), and it seems to work well. You might need to order the extra large arm cuff, or just start with one of their models with a bigger included cuff.

[ragnorokt.livejournal.com]

You might try changing what fats you cook with. I cook with olive and canola oil and a little butter on occasion and my cholesterol is normally in the 180's. Since we have a few physical and genetic similarities this could work for you.

I also try (not doing well at it lately) to have oatmeal for breakfast and eat fresh fruit for snacks during the day, I am particularly fond of Granny Smith apples when Jonathans are out of season (most of the year).

Also I participate in a CSA though my local grocery store. The bring in local fresh produce and meats and cut you a break on the price. There is even a trading table so you can pass on the tofu dogs and get fresh basil instead. Kansas City may not be the hippest place to live, but most of our groceries still have butchers in them.