The days are going by faster than I expected them too, but perhaps that is because I want to get to the point where I can have this surgery so bad that I can taste it, and yet, I have a lot of things to achieve before I get there. Some days I look at what I have done in the last few months, what I have achieved in such a short time frame, and I feel like I SHOULD be proud of all that I’ve accomplished so far, and instead, I’m just upset with myself for not being able to do it ALL.
Let me get you guys up to date a bit. I went to the pre-op work up appointment on the 14th, so that’s just a little over two weeks ago now. The weighed me in at 395 which was a little depressing because my scales at home were not weighing me that high, but the good news was that I’m 5’4 and ¾! That ¾ of an inch might seem silly to most people but what that means to me is that I’m actually considered 5’5 which means my BMI is a little lower that I expected and also means that the goal I need to get to in order to get my BMI down to 60 which is the requirement for surgery is not 50lbs away but 35lbs away. This is all pretty good news.
Now the bad news – and boy there was a lot of it. My hemoglobin A1C was 8.2!! From what I understand a normal test is between 4-6 but from what I have read the goal for people with diabetes is a hemoglobin A1c less than 7 – so this was the first thing that the doctor beat me up about. I HAVE to get my blood sugars under control before surgery. This has been the bane of my existence for the last two weeks. I’ve been trying, note I say trying, because believe me, remembering to do it difficult, but I’ve been TRYING to check my blood sugars 4 times a day since my appointment. The good news is that my blood sugars are A LOT better. My blood sugar this morning when I woke up after exercising and before eating was 98!!
The other good news is that in just two weeks, between the difference in what I’m eating, the exercise and the consistence maintenance in regards to my blood sugars I’ve already vastly reduced the amount of insulin I am taking. My hand to god, ( As my Aunt Bev would say ) before I started this I was taking 60 Units of 70/30 insulin 4 times a day, plus taking R insulin on a sliding scale depending on how high my blood sugar was. Last week I started having problems with hypoglycemia. That’s where your blood sugars get too low, which in my case, is a result of taking too much insulin. So last week we started tapering down the amount of insulin I was taking until we could find a happy place, right now that happy place seems to be at about 30 Units of 70/30 insulin and I have only had to take Regular insulin on the sliding scale 3 times in the last 7 days, and even then, my blood sugar hasn’t hit 200, in 10 days. That’s a HUGE difference in my blood sugars that were running at about 300-350 on a normal basis, and this has all happened just 2 weeks into a life change where I am eating healthier foods, exercising on a regular basis, and checking my blood sugars on a regular basis.
Other than my diabetes, and of course, my needing to lose weight, the only other negative thing the doctor had to tell me was that I had a yeast infection under my tummy that needed to be addressed. I tend to get a rash under my tummy and between my groin and thigh area in the summer time a lot, even though I am showering every day, so she gave me some medicated powder that cleared that up in like two days, I’m using it religiously though, after every shower, because I’m going to do exactly what they tell me to do to try to make sure that I can have this surgery as soon as possible and that when I do, I get the best results I possibly can out of it.
Oh, she also told me that I have a vitamin D deficiency which is pretty normal in patients that are morbidly obese. (I hate saying that, it makes me sound so terrible, but perhaps if I stop sugar coating things, that will help me remember where I started and keep me moving forward.) For the Vitamin D deficiency I was put on a large dose of Vitamin D that I have to take once a week, a 50,000IU Capsule.
So really, I’m doing pretty good here, since March, just 4 months ago, I have quit smoking, given up soda, given up caffeine, gotten my blood sugars under better control, reduced the amount of insulin that I’m taking, and start exercising. Now if those pounds I need to come off in order to be ready for the surgery would start coming off I would be a VERY happy camper.
People keep telling me that I’m in a race to get to the finish line and that I need to slow down because the things that I am doing along the way are just as important. That’s easier said than done though, I’ve got a goal, and I’m working towards it and in my mind, nothing is good enough until I get there.
I have more to tell you guys about the last two weeks, but I’m going to call it good for now and get my breakfast. Greek Yogurt and a peach are on the menu today. Then it’s time for me to get to work and start my day, re-adjusting my schedule to something that truly works for me and works for work, is proving to be a rough task, but I’m working hard on it.
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it