Al's Big Update 2010 #4 - Health
I was diagnosed with diabetes in the summer of 2008, and I made tons of progress at first. My numbers came way down at the 3-month checkup, a little more at the 6-month checkup, and a little more at the 9-month checkup. I had been doing so well that I was told I could come back in 6 months instead of the usual 3. Between scheduling conflicts and the fact that there was a while when they wouldn't let me schedule an appointment (because I still owed them for my previous appointments), it was actually closer to 8 months before I made it back in. That was in early December, and for the first time, I took a step backward. I knew that would be the case. If anything, I was suprised the news wasn't worse, because I knew I hadn't been following my regimen well at all. My A1C (the measure of my blood sugar over the previous 3 months) is supposed to be under 7. When I was diagnosed, it was 10.9. By the 9-month mark, it was down to 6.2. In December, it was back up to 7. Still on the border, and the doctor agreed there was no reason to change the treatment plan. I just needed to be better about following it. I wasn't.
I was back to having to report back in 3 months, though that was partly because my doctor is leaving the state to take over a practice in Michigan. So, I went back one more time just so I could see him before he goes. That was a few weeks ago, and my A1C was up to 7.5. Again, I was suprised it wasn't worse. Not only have I not exercised in a year, I had been binging on junk food like crazy. The regimen was totally out the window. I am usually really good about at least taking my medication, but I lost the bottle over the holidays and went a full week without taking a pill I am supposed to take twice a day. So, like I said, I'm surprised the news wasn't worse. At one point, I was down almost 25 pounds since diagnosis. Now I am a few more pounds than I was at diagnosis, so I've gained close to 30 pounds in the last 6 months or so.
Now I have a new appointment in a few weeks, only 6 weeks or so since I was last there, so I can get things going with a new doctor. That won't be enough time to bring my numbers down as far as I would like, but I am finally being good about the diet again. I still really really really need to start exercising again, but I just haven't had the energy.
I have no problem keeping appointments and stuff. I just finished a play, with a typical rehearsal and performance schedule. But when I don't have to be somewhere, I never want to do anything. For months now I feel like I could sleep all the time. When I'm home I just lay on the couch. My apartment is beyond messy. It's an absolute disaster. A healthy person would not live the way I've been living for months now. So, I asked the doctor for a psychiatric referral so I could see about getting on anti-depressants. I'm not sad. I don't sit around and cry or anything, but I really think this extreme lethargy is one manifestation of depression. In any event, I think it's worth a try. The doc gave me a referral, but also wrote me a prescription on the spot, so I've been taking Prozac for almost 4 weeks now. After about a week, it only exacerbated the problem and I was sleeping constantly, but I think I am shaking off the side effects now. Still, they say it can take 6 weeks before you reach a therapeutic dose. So far it doesn't seem to be providing any discernible benefit, but I'll at least wait until it's been 6 weeks before I make any decision about whether it makes sense to continue taking it.
My psoriasis stuff on my legs is still way out of control. I also got a referral to a dermatologist. I go in sometime next momth. I'm skeptical, because in 20 years, nobody has ever been able to treat it effectively accept the doctor I went to in high school. She is still in practice, and I've gone back to her any number of times, but she is also 80 miles away, so I am going to try one more time with someone local. Not that I can afford any of this, but what the hell.
My eyes got signficantly worse last year, though I think that's partly due to not controlling the diabetes as well as I should. I got a new prescription, which was much stronger than my old one. Then I started being better about my diet, and after a few weeks I was getting headaches because the prescription was too strong. So I went back in to get retested. My eyes are still worse than they were a year ago, but not as bad as they were when I was tested earlier.
I know the diabetes stuff is a lifelong commitment. I did so well at first, then continued to do well for a while even when I wasn't as careful, so it got easier and easier to slack off. I am really taking steps now to get things under control again. Hopefully soon I will be exercising regularly, not so tired all the time, slimming down and taking care of myself like I need to. I'm trying.
EDITED TO ADD: I forgot, I also need to take Zyrtec every night to keep from breaking our in hives. It doesn't always work, but it suppresses them for the most part.