D-Day - Type II: Better Living Through Chemistry

Yeah, it's been awhile since I've done one of these posts and even longer since I updated the other blog that they appeared on (just don't have time to maintain multiple blogs right now, hopefully that will change in the near future but that's a topic for another time). So let's catch up...

Until last fall (in 2016), I'd been able to maintain a sub 150 blood glucose reading and a 7.0 A1C score fairly easy with diet and exercise alone. Then, I was hit with a double-whammy.

First, I neglected to get a Flu shot and came down with a bout of it late November.  That put my system out of whack and my liver tried to overcompensate and lost it's calibration for awhile.  My numbers shot up to over 200 and over 9 for the A1C.

Just when I was managing to get those numbers to inch down again, I came down with a nasty cold in January which had the same effect.

I couldn't get those numbers down fast enough for my regular check up in March so the doctor put me on metformin, pioglitazone, and a statin. Suddenly, I was the one with all the prescriptions at the pharmacy (I already picked up a monthy supply of test strips, needles, and lisinopril for my blood pressure) and another date with the doctor in two months to see how the new medicine routine effected me.

One thing that concerned my was the pioglitazone. First, most diabetics start off with just metformin, why the extra pill? Second, my doctor said the number one side effect was weight gain.  I'd fought pretty hard to lose 25 pounds and didn't look forward to adding a medication that promised to wipe that out.

So, I faithfully followed instructions and by June my daily readings dropped down to the 150-160 range and A1C to 8.4 plus I had gained 4 pounds.  My doctor advised that I start insulin injections and lose weight.  I told him I wanted to hold off as long as my numbers were trending downward and we made a date for September to check progress.

After that visit and the weight gain, I was a little beside myself, especially with the weight gain that I'm sure was a result of the pioglitazone. To test that theory, I stopped the pioglitazone for a week. At the end of the week, I was down four pounds.

That seemed like some progress.  That same week, I started seeing news about the promising effects of broccoli sprout extract on blood glucose readings in studies. It was easy and cheap to order some via Amazon so I thought "what the heck" and ordered a bottle to see what happened.

Taking the broccoli extract did wonders. Along with the metformin but without the pioglitazone, taking it brought my daily readings down to the 100-140 range. At the September checkup, my A1C was back to 7.1 and I'd lost another pound, bringing my post pioglitazone weight loss to five pounds.

While the formal studies are ongoing, my experience with it seems to support the general thesis that it does work very well in helping to reduce glucose levels. It has also allowed me to stop taking the pioglitazone for now, which only seems to make me gain weight.

Another thing I've noticed is that the metformin in particular, and with the broccoli adding to the effect, is that I cannot eat as much food as I used to. At first, I have the same appetite but if I eat a full portion like I used to, I will get physically ill.  After several episodes, I'm learning...and my body is learning...that smaller portions keep me feeling better.

I'm hoping this effect will also help me peel off a few more pounds. It also means I'm taking quite a bit more leftovers home from restaurants so it helps me save money as one meal turns into two.

While type II diabetes is a progressive disease, so far it seems like I'm able to keep it down with the current medication, diet, and exercise routine (I walk at least 10,000 steps a day and work out two days a week).

This year, I made sure I got my flu shot early and am working hard so that the next check up in January will show some more concrete results.  We'll check back after that to see.

(DISCLAIMER: This series about Type II diabetes is not meant to apply to everyone. This is what works for me, you need to consult with your own medical professionals to find out what will work for you.  My goal here is to simply give you hope that once you're diagnosed, life as you know it does not have to end...you can still enjoy life and the treats it offers.)

Darryl
Copyright 2017 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

D-DAY: The Journey of Thousand Miles Starts with Ten Thousand Steps

I kind of look at diabetes management as a triangle. Sort of like the fire triangle where you need three sides...heat, oxygen, and fuel.

For diabetes, I see it as food, exercise/weight loss, and monitoring.  I've talked about food and monitoring in the last couple of posts, today it's exercise.

I go to the gym twice a week for weight training. My doctor has told me to ease back on that and replace it with a more aerobic exercise. If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that my biggest form of aerobic exercise is walking.

My wife's a runner.  She loves it. Me? Not so much but I do like walking.  I've been walking daily for a few years now.

At first my minimum walk was a mile a day, which could be accomplished by doing a creative lap of the office complex where I work. Didn't seem like enough, so I started branching out.

Now, I do the 10,000 step regimen where I try to make sure I do a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, which works out to about 3.5 miles. 

One problem is that I get bored easily with exercise and I need some motivation.  Each day, I like to strike out from my office in a different direction.  For the motivation part, I like to take pictures as I go along and post them to my Facebook.

There's not much more to it, just walking and shooting.  I can tell it's helped. I feel healthier and I've lost 25 pounds in a year.

In the meantime, I've been assembling quite a portfolio of life in downtown Los Angeles, as you can see by some of the examples in this post.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

D-Day: Life After the Diagnosis

God works in mysterious ways. After years of good to very good checkups and starting this food blog, I get the news.

Just before Thanksgiving, my doctor's note comes in the mail. Dianosis: Diabetes Mellitus. In other words, I'm now a Type 2 diabetic.

First order of business is to attend my health plan's "Diabetes 101" class where I receive some basic nutritional information and a blood glucose monitor.  After that, it's another four week advanced class for diabetes management.

Now, I'm officially on the program.

Actually, it's not a bad thing. Probably one of the better things to happen for my health because now I have an almost instant read (2 hours later) on how my last meal affected me.  I'm getting to know what I can eat (a carne asada sope with a chile relleno works real good for my glucose level) and what I can't (white rice is a sugar bomb for my blood but that's ok, I don't really care for it anyway).

What's that mean for the blog? Well, I'll now do occasional D-Day posts spotlighting foods that work, those that don't, and other highs and lows of living with Type 2 Diabetes.

For me, so far, I've been able to keep within the range of 100-150 on the reading of my monitor, which is exactly where my doctor wants me to be. I've had two big spikes...once when I had a beef bowl from a local teriyaki place (B-Man's), where I learned that white rice is not my friend...and when I had a burrito wrapped in a huge, flour tortilla that spiked me up to over 200.

That was a bit harder to take than the rice but smaller flour tortillas don't affect me so badly. Corn are even better and I still need to try the wheat variety to see how that will be.

I'm not much for candy or sweets, though I do occasionally like to have them, so it's been pretty easy to cut back on them.  I am a fan of butter, which doesn't pump up the sugar but does contribute to other things that don't go well with diabetes, so that will be a little harder to put down.

My goal is to stave off having to take medication for as long as possible. So long as I'm range and pay attention, I should be good for awhile. 

We'll see...my next blood work appointment is next month.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved