Attitude Adjustment

photo by Charles Earl

It's a few weeks until my next A1C test. As you may recall, the A1C is the test of blood sugar levels over three months. 6.5+ means diabetes. In March, mine was 9.5. In May it was 8.1. If it is 7 or higher in August, I will have to go on medication. I have completely changed my diet and increased my physical activity. I monitor with a glucose meter once a day now, as opposed to several times a day with the continuous glucose meter I was using to help me learn how my body reacts. I know now what causes uneven levels and how to even them out.

In the last while, I have been focusing on my emotional and mental health. On the advice of Adam Brown, the author of Bright Spots and Landmines: The Diabetes Guide I Wish Someone Had Handed Me, I have started to do daily gratitude journaling through The Five Minute Journal. At the start of each day, I note what I am grateful for, what would make the day better and write a daily affirmation. At the end of the day, I note the highlights and what I have learned. I am not always the most positive person in the world. Ha! Understatement! Focusing on the good things and keeping track of them reminds me daily how lucky I am and what's good in my life. I know these things but recording them seems to help remind me, and after writing the morning pages, I find I have gratitude in mind all day.

It's part of taking care of myself to take the time to reflect about good things. I also read the journal out loud to Charles and we both enjoy that. I have to say I am really enjoying having more rituals in my life. There are several routines I have to do as part of my diabetes management, such as the glucose monitoring, eating my meals at specific times, physical activity. I call them rituals and they help make my day better along with improving my blood sugar levels and therefore keeping me in a good mental and physical state.

In the meantime, I've had to go to hospital for three days for a bowel obstruction from July 12-14. I have been dealing with a bacterial infection on my feet. These things are difficult but my mental and physical states are in good shape, which contributed to making them not too awful. I am so much calmer and less anxious now. I don't stress the small things that go awry as much as I did.

Charles and I had our 4th dose of the Covid 19 vaccine on Friday. There are groceries in the fridge. We're doing our laundry. Tomorrow I see my doctor to follow up with the bacterial infection and possibly get more anti-biotics. This afternoon Charles will make another delicious omelet for our lunch. I feel peaceful. I have a lot to be grateful for, including dear friends.

Comments

Holding Pattern

I am one month away from my next A1C test. I am trying my best not to feel too hopeful that I will have a blood sugar level below 7.0, the target my doctor set for my not having to go on medication. I try to bear in mind what she said: that my 9.5 result in March means it is pretty likely I will require some assistance in the form of medication, but fuck oh fuck oh fuck, I do not want to have to take anything. My brief fling with blood pressure medication was awful. The unsteadiness I felt all the time prevented me from doing as much physical activity as I wanted/needed: not only to lower my A1C level, but also because it makes me feel better now to do a lot of physical activity. I am at the end of the extra FreeStyle Libre 2 sensors we purchased after I tried the Libre 1 and Libre 2 sensors for free. While the trial versions seemed great and taught me a lot about how to manage my diabetes, the purchased versions were awful. Compared with the One Touch glucose monitor, which requires

Dancing to Unsweetened Jams

Yesterday I had my follow up appointment with my regular doctor about my diabetes diagnosis. Today I had the follow up blood tests at the DinoCare (actually Dynacare, but I couldn’t resist) lab that the temp doc wouldn’t let me have when I saw her back on March 29. My regular doctor also prescribed blood pressure meds. I’ve been monitoring my blood pressure with a wrist cuff since I am not able to use the regular arm cuff without my blood pressure going sky high. But even with feeling more comfortable with the wrist cuff, I still get hypertension 1 and sometimes 2 numbers, so I need to lower it. Tomorrow I’m starting PERINDOPRIL, which may have me fainting from low blood pressure and vomiting. Hey, let’s hope not. Don’t read the side effect stuff on the web. The pharmacist said well, you have to take it , right? So yeah. As long as the symptoms are minor, I’ll be ok. ?! The supremely kind and helpful staff of the Community Diabetes Education Program Ottawa (CDEPO) rigged me up wit

ongoing dizzy tizzy

the 4g of Perindopril Erbumine blood pressure medication the doctor put me on was making me too dizzy to be able to take my daily walks without shortening them severely. the doctor halved the dosage a week ago and I’m still experiencing the dizziness when I walk and also in the shower. it’s very frustrating along with being petrifying because I’m terrified I’ll fall. I’ve tested both my blood pressure and blood sugar levels when I’ve felt like this and they haven’t been out of range. I’ve tried taking the meds before breakfast and before dinner. Still dizzy. I feel like my attempts to lower my A1C levels are being sabotaged. today I had a bit of a cry when I was sitting outside on a bench in the sun. I love walking and the weather is beautiful. I want to be outside and enjoy the day. Instead I’m home and feeling like I’m not doing everything I can to manage my diabetes. I told my darling husband who has been walking with me after work when he gets home, holding my hand. He will do

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