It Gets More Challenging

I start back working in a hospital setting tomorrow. The last time I worked in the hosptial, I was newly diagnosed with diabetes. I was not eating healthy - well, I was eating healthy-ish. I was still drinking coffee and diet soda, and would occasionally eat something less than optimal Now I am almost 2 months into whole food, plant based diet, with no oil (or a tiny amount rarely). I am eating completly different now - gone are the sparse days of atkins low carb. Now I eat healthy all day, and often. I don't drink coffee, or tea. Easy enough to do at home. Much more interesting at work. I've packed the snacks in my lunch bag, and written down the carb count so I can dose appropriately. I've counted out my portions. I have a note left out so I don't forget the cold items. Long gone are the days of tossing random stuff in a bag. It is all planned. If I fail to plan, I plan to fail. I've come too far, with too much success, to fall into bad habits. I won't have a lot of time to eat, so I have several quick snacks, along with a healthy lunch. Of course, I have my hospital dedicated water cup to drink water. All day. My new lifestyle continues in a new setting. It is a little more challenging, but I'm up to it!!

Mastering Diabetes: Month 1

Wow.

That pretty much sums up my response to one month on the whole food, plant based diet advocated in “Mastering Diabetes”.

In 30 days, I lost 10 pounds. On my previous low carb diet, my weight did not budge - despite the fact I was walking/running a 5k a day, plus regularly doing yoga, Tai Chi, and toning exercises. I’m wearing the same size pants and shorts as I did in high school.

I’m also taking Amla Green, which they recommend. It is proven to help with cholesterol. I gave blood during this first month - my last total cholesterol (I am on a statin) was 195. It is now 135 - the lowest I have ever seen it. Ever.

My insulin use is already down 30%. Gone are the days of roller coaster blood sugar. My blood sugar is much more stable. Three months ago my blood sugar was in range only 56% of the time - now it’s in range 71% of the time. And climbing!

Prior to this lifestyle change, my blood sugar has always climbed at night, often to over 200. Now, my blood sugar is just above normal when I go to bed. My fasting blood sugar is normal when I wake up - I mean normal as in normal for any human being!

Running is easier. Stiffness has lessened. Aches and joint pain have improved vastly. While I’m still tired, the crushing exhausting has left.

On my low carb diet, my food choices were few and limited. I felt I was eating the same thing over and over.

Now, I’m eating as much as I want of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. I am sticking to mostly fresh produce right now, as it is abundantly available. I find myself having to eat more throughout the day - unprecedented! I love fruit and I’m eating a ton of it. I was previously eating 40-60 carbs a day. Now, I’m eating 300 or more carbs a day.

I have an appointment with my endocrinologist in August, and I can’t wait to see what my lab work looks like.

It is difficult to eat out - but not impossible. I just have to choose restaurants wisely, and be prepared.

I’m thrilled, and I’m just one month in. I can’t wait to watch my own progress!

Day 15

Today is day 15 of my whole food, plant based diet lifestyle.

I’m very early into this. I am following the “Mastering Diabetes” book. I have been eating mostly “green light” foods - foods that I’m allowed to eat as much as I want of. Fruits, veggies, legumes, greens. I eat them in as close to their natural state as possible. I also avoid all dairy and oils.

It has not been a struggle so much - my biggest problem is the oil part. Cooking without any oil, and not putting butter on bread. I’m thrilled to have bread back in my life once a week - sprouted grain bread, and especially the English muffins!

The first week, I had a terrible headache. It started around lunchtime and persisted until bedtime. I am off all caffeine, and of course all sugar.

Oh, but I am loving all the fruit! I’m eating a lot of it! I’ve always loved fruit, and most veggies.

My family is not on this plan, so I cook for me, and eat a lot of leftovers. I’m fine with that. They are eating healthier sides, as my veggies are incorporated into their meals.

So what has changed so far? As of today, I’ve lost 6 pounds. Pretty amazing since insulin put 20 pounds back on me after I had lost over 30 pounds. I could not lose an ounce doing keto.

My last total cholesterol was 195 - on Crestor. Friday, my cholesterol was 135. The lowest it has been my entire adult life!

My insulin use has gone down 25%...and falling.

All of this, at day 15!

I am glad for all the foundational education and habits I had. I already was tracking all my food on the My Plate app. I have been drinking 80-100oz of water a day.

It’s been a journey, but I’m very hopeful that this new plant powered lifestyle will be the one that keeps me the healthiest. I am happy to report that I’m not having the roller coaster blood sugars I have been plagued by in the last three years.

I truly believe this plan could reverse prediabetes and type 2. It’s amazing with my LADA - late onset type 1 diabetes.

I can’t wait to see what my next update will be!

Below is a picture of how many carbs I ate, as well as my other macros. It’s mind blowing! I used to eat 40 carbs a day or less! I was hungry and miserable.

Traveling with Type 1 Diabetes

I just got off a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. We left on a Thursday, and returned on Monday. I believe this was the 12th cruise we have been on, but it is only the second cruise with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

My first cruise with type 1, I was definitely more "stable" as a diabetic. Because I was diagnosed so late in life, LADA or latent adult diabetes of adulthood, there was still some random pancreatic function. My blood sugar was not so labile. I spent six years a "type 2" (misdiagnosed), so my slide into full fledged type 1 took a while. I attribute this to good diet, weight loss, and exercise.

Well, cruise number two was a lot different. I learned some valuable lessons.

I thought I was prepared, first of all - I had a new continuous glucose monitor on (CGM, made by Dexcom). I brought an extra one...just in case. They last 10 days, so my short cruise should have been covered by that.

Lesson #1 - bring extras for your extra.

On the beach in Cozumel, I was removing my cover up when my Dexcom sensor came right off with it. What!!!! This has only happened one other time in the two years I have been wearing a CGM, and it was when I tried to wear it on my leg. I learned that spot is not going to work for me! Since then, I always put the CGM on my abdomen, and I did not expect this to happen - especially considering that I hadn't been in the water at all.

Bummer. I pulled out my spare CGM when we got back to the ship, and in my flustered state, forgot to peel the tabs off. When I pushed the button to insert the CGM, it could not deploy into my belly, as the tabs covered the sensor. YIKES!

Now I had no CGM, and 36 more hours to cruise.

Let me explain why I love the CGM - there is a terrifying thing that diabetics talk about called "dead in the bed". Basically, it means your blood sugar goes so low while you are sleeping, that you die, because you have no way of knowing that it is low. The CGM alerts me when my blood sugar is 70, or when it is quickly falling. It also alerts my husband, and my daughter. That way, if I have a sudden drop and I am in a deep sleep and don't hear the alarm, they will call or text me and waken me so I can save myself by turning off my insulin pump, and taking measures to bring my sugar back up.

Now here I am on a cruise ship with no CGM. I am already out of my comfort zone of being at home. Of course, that night my blood sugar (which I was manually checking frequently, and have the scarred fingers to prove it) tanked. I always have glucose tabs and skittles with me - at home I have icing and juice. OJ works the fastest - when my blood sugar tanked, Chris ran for a glass of OJ from the nearest bar, while I sat in the room eating icing. Between the icing, OJ, insulin pump off, and a few skittles, my blood sugar came back up.

And up.

And up.

I spent most of that night awake, with blood sugars higher than I have ever had. I had brought my ketone strips in my diabetes emergency kit, and the 2+ ketones were not reassuring. I drank water and sprite zero and checked my blood sugars hourly. By morning, finally I had normal blood sugars, and no ketones.

It put the fear of God in me again, though.

The next day, I tried to keep my blood sugars a little higher than normal. I've experienced my blood sugars dropping suddenly, and it is terrifying. More so now that I didn't have a CGM to alert me.

Yes, you are probably thinking, don't I feel bad when my blood sugars dive? Sometimes. Unfortunately, I am already getting hypo-unaware, and my blood sugar can drop into the 40's without me feeling any worse for the wear.

So the night before we docked, I woke up at 0330 with a blood sugar of 124. With a CGM, I would have gone back to sleep. Instead, I ate my snack sized pack of Cadbury Mini Eggs, and that carried me through until morning.

Diabetes is a frustrating disease - the blood sugar is influenced by hormones, stress, illness, diet, hydration, medications, and a zillion things we don't know. Most of the time I am managing well - my last hemoglobin A1C was 6, which is not too shabby, boys and girls!

There are other days when the blood sugar is wacko, despite the controlled diet and life of exercise that I lead.

It's frustrating. I want 1+2 to equal 3, and that is not the way it goes with diabetes.

As I lay there in fear of going into DKA that first night (diabetic ketoacidosis, a dangerous state for a diabetic), I realized my traveling is now somewhat limited.

There will be no travels to exotic locales with no medical care available.

I will continue to take cruises...but I will be bringing a lot more supplies with me. And juice! I am bringing juice!

I will continue to fight for as normal a life as I can have.

Despite this dang diagnosis.....

The Exhaustion

By far, my biggest health challenge isn’t diabetes. It isn’t asthma. It isn’t osteoarthritis.

Way ahead of all three, my biggest foe is the exhaustion.

It is absolutely relentless.

I have queried my ologists about this. They do lab work, and shrug.

I’ve asked people on my diabetes boards about this. They will ask about all the labs I’ve have drawn, that all result normal.

I keep thinking that it’s got to get better.

So far, it hasn’t.

It’s present, to some extent or another, every day. I push through, and live my life.

Once in a while, I hit a wall. That was this past Thursday. I could not function. I pushed to get 30 minutes of cardio in...and spent the rest of the day in bed.

It’s frustrating.

I know there are probably multiple things factoring into this.

I just wish I didn’t feel this way.

Don’t @ me with home remedies and supplements - believe me, I try to eat clean, drink a ton of water, and am drinking Herbalife shakes daily. I take supplements. It helps. I think.

So tonight I’m exhausted. I ate a healthy dinner. I did my yoga and cardio. I drank 108oz of water.

I’m planning on going for a 3+ mile walk with my hunny and the dogs.

Hopefully.

I’m doing the best I can!

Basics

Week one of no excuses, let's do this.

I started over because I have really been struggling with asthma - I'm on two different inhalers, and due for a CT scan this week to see what is going on.

After I had my pity party, I got my plan together.

First of all, goals are very important. I don't have a weight goal - I know what my BMI should be and I am not far from it. I try to focus on making healthy choices every day, and my body will respond accordingly.

First goal - 15K steps a day. Yes, that is a lot. My prior goal was 10K a day, and when I wasn't sick, I could reach this goal. I use a Fitbit, and I am involved in challenges and a private Facebook group, and that helps me a lot.

Now that race season is here, my goal is to run 4 days a week. I am using the Jeff Galloway Half Marathon app, and I originally started with his 5K plan. I am never going to be fast, but I can walk/run a consistent 11 minute mile over a half marathon. My running goals area always the same - have fun, and finish. I have not failed to meet these goals.

I do sign up for races - when I pay for a race, I feel obligated to go. And to run. And to train. This year a bought a package for a sale price, and this helps me pace myself throughout the year. I can knock out a 5K with no training, but anything longer, I must train. So bottom line, this keeps me training all the time.

Someone advised me years ago to get fitted for running shoes - I cannot stress enough how important this is. I run in a shoe I never heard of, and it's two sizes bigger than my normal shoe. But I am not in pain, I don't get blisters. Shoes will make or break you.

Also important is fun, cute clothes to run in. What? Yes, as a woman, this helps! If you are tossing on an old t-shirt and sweats, just stop!! The performance materials keep your cooler (or warmer) and wick moisture, and are much more comfortable. There is an initial cost, but I find that they last a long time. I love putting together my race day outfit!!

If you need to run with a friend or in a group, find one. I am a member of the local running club - but I run alone most of the time. I am still working on getting my husband to do races with me, but he will train with me.

Stay safe! The rates of violence against runners are real, and scary. Have situational awareness at all time. If you run at night, wear a lot of lights and reflective clothing. I run with my dogs if I am alone at night. Carry mace if you have to go through a sketchy area. If you feel you are being followed, change your course if possible - and call for help immediately.

I am going to tai chi, yoga, and a modified yoga stretch class a least 3 times a week. This is helping me out a lot!! I am especially fond of the tai chi. Three times a week is the goal, but going more is awesome. I have a local gym that is less than 2 miles away. This is crucial! If you sign up at a gym that is inconvenient for you, it will just be an excuse not to go. Trust me, I've paid a LOT of money to gyms I rarely went to. I also pay month to month - not having to have a contract is great!!

Water water water!! I have a goal of a minimum of 80oz a day. I usually drink more than that. I didn't get here overnight- my keys to success are to have a 32oz cup I like, and carry it, or a water bottle, everywhere.

Accountability! I meet weekly with my Herbalife coach - yes, I get weighed and measured, but it more to see progress, however incremental. The store is an incredibly positive place to go - I get my shake there once a week instead of making it at home, and I always leave encouraged. Having someone cheering you on is a good thing!!

Logging everything I eat and drink. I do this using MyPlate - another app you can get. It breaks down my meals into protein, carbs, and fat, and being able to see at a quick glance where I am is really helpful. I would say 90% of the food I go to put in the app is already in there - but if I need to add something, it is really easy. Trust me, if you know you have to log what you are eating, it will make you think twice before you eat something.

I carry healthy snacks with me, along with my water. When I am babysitting, I will bring my lunch shake. Once I am streamlined I will replace the lunch shake with a healthy, low carb lunch. Right now I am in jump start mode.

I don't punish myself with food, or because of food I eat. While I can eat whatever I want, there are foods that make it hard for me to manage my blood sugars, even with the most aggressive planning with my insulin pump. This doesn't mean it's all kale and broccoli. I love ice cream and custard and chocolate, and I still have them - in moderation. The morning my blood sugar is more forgiving, so I can eat more carbs then. Night time - forget it. I have learned, and am learning, what works for me.

Read, research, repeat. There are a lot of reputable resources to help you on your journey to health when you have diagnosis that impact you. I have found Facebook groups are extremely helpful - they can point me in a direction I hadn't thought of, or give me advice that comes from their years of experience. OF course I put anything major past my "ologists", but keep in mind, the recommended amount of carbs per day that the ADA recommends is WAY more than I ever eat.

I am sore and stiff today, but I have gotten to 11K steps as of this writing. After my healthy dinner, I am going to take the dogs for a walk, and I am sure I will meet and perhaps exceed my goal.

There will be good days, and some not so good.

The most important thing is to keep going. Having a healthy life is choices you will make every day, for the rest of your life.