A1C> 7.1

This past Friday I had an appointment with my Endo to go over my 2nd A1C results and to review how things have been going for the last 4 months.

**For my non-D readers, every 3-4 months I see my Endo. About 2 weeks prior I get blood work done which tests my A1C level. This level is a 4 month average of my blood sugars. It's like a diabetes report card. An A1C of 7 is average and is what we typically strive for. Because my body's needs and insulin levels will continue to change throughout my life, these tests and appointments will help me to ensure that my diabetes is being managed well. I've updated my "Glossary" tab to reflect this info.

My first A1C result back in May was a perfect 7.0 . I was more than thrilled with this as it was my first follow up since being diagnosed, back when my A1C was 10.

I was nervous going into this appointment because my blood sugars have been a tad off as of late. I posted back in August (See HERE) about how my blood sugars hadn't really gone back to normal since our little summer vacation. My 30 day average on my meter was sitting at 9.0 mmol/L and I have been having quite a few highs and no lows at all.

Anyway, I was happy to hear that my A1C was 7.1!!! It was a nice relief but I was still worried that without getting on top of these blood sugar issues that my next A1C would be even higher. Over the last 4 months, the first 2 months were REALLY good and I think that's the reason that my A1C wasn't affected as much as I would have expected.

My Endo discussed with me where and when I was noticing the higher blood sugars. I explained that it seemed to mostly be my fasting blood sugars that were most affected, as well as the ones later on in the day.

We came up with two theories for this. The first is the most obvious, and it was that my pancreas was most likely running out of the very little insulin that it had left. That's right non-D folks, us diabetics can/do still make our own insulin however our pancreas does not make enough of it to help balance out our blood sugar levels. As years go by, my pancreas will continue to get more and more lazy which will require me to take more insulin to compensate for this.

Anyway, the second theory has to do with my lack of physical activity as of late. Prior to our vacation at the end of July, I was running 4-5 days a week and was feeling fantastic. I have not been able to get back on track with working out since then. This may be resulting in the higher blood sugar levels.

My Endo suggested that I try and get back on track and see if that does the trick. If not, she suggested I need to try and adjust my basal insulin by 1 unit every week until I get to a level that I'm comfortable with.

October Goal:

Three, 30 minute cardio sessions per week.

Change up!

What do you think of my new design?

 

You may or may not have noticed that I have been randomly playing around with the design settings on my blog. I just couldn't seem to come up with something I really liked. Then I discovered that there are a ton of sites that offer free Blogger design templates so you don't have to stick with some of the boring ones that are offered on Blogger.

I got this one from "The Cutest Blog on the Block". They have a TON of awesome designs for every occasion and style!


I think this one represents kicking diabetes ass!!


And, I promise I will leave the design alone for a while!

A couple things I'm obsessed with right now...

I'm always looking for new foods that I can toss into my meal plans. I'm definitely boring a creature of habit in terms of what I eat. I tend to stick with a lot of the same foods until I'm sick to death of them, and then I start switching it up.

The first thing I'm super obsessed with right now is CINNAMON!!! I've started adding it to all kinds of stuff. I especially love it added to vanilla yogurt, I also toss in some strawberries or kiwi. I love that it adds sweetness to whatever you're eating without the added sugar!



 

 

I've been looking at adding some new staples to my breakfast routine and have rediscovered my love for waffles!! My mom makes the best waffles ever but now I've been stepping up to the plate in my attempt to recreate them. For my birthday I got my own waffle maker so I've been doing up big batches of waffles and freezing them. In the morning I just pop them into the toaster oven for 5-8 minutes and they're ready to go! I've discovered new ways to eat them so it feels as though you're eating something a little different every day. I got a lot of these ideas from Courtney over at The Petite Athleat. This girl puts everything on her Paleo waffles! I just stick to the regular recipes  (switching out the sugar for Splenda of course). I'll put a fried egg and salsa on my waffles, vanilla yogurt with fruit is also a good substitute. And then there's old reliable - butter and sugar-free syrup!

 

Protein shake, waffle topped with fat free vanilla yogurt, strawberries and kiwi!



One of the things that I struggle most with in terms of eating with diabetes is eating on the run. This is almost next to impossible for me now, but I wanted some quick items I could grab and eat on the way to the gym or on the way to work in the morning. Most of the mainstream granola bars at my local grocery store are loaded with sugar and have very little fibre. I came across these great bars at Costco. They're called "Nice & Natural" and there are 24 in a box for about $12. The box contains 3 flavours - Rich Peanut Butter, Pomegranate Almond and Simply Sweet Seeds. They're all natural, low in sodium, 5g each of protein and fibre and only 5-9g of sugar depending on the flavour. They taste really good and work well as an in-between-meal snack. They won't fill you up for long but do the trick.

 

 

 

Next, I wanted to find something quick that would actually fill me up somewhat. Scully over at Canadian D-Gal raves about her Cliff bars so I thought I would give them a whirl. I picked up mine at Costco again because they're quite pricey at Safeway and they only sell them per bar. I got a box of Cliff bars for just under $15. I was originally worried when I bought them because they have on average 20g of sugar per bar. I don't really know how much is too much sugar in a snack but it seemed a little high for me. But, I bought them anyway because Scully seems to know what she's talking about and if she recommends them, then I'm game too.

 

So, it turns out I LOVE these bars!! First off, they taste amazing!!! My box came with Crunchy Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip (to die for) and Chocolate Almond. Second, they fill me up big time! I can have one one my way to work and be good for a couple hours. I would highly recommend them and even with the 20g's of sugar, my blood sugars stay totally stable after I've eaten one.

 

 

 

I'm always looking for new meals and food ideas.

 

 

What are some things that you love tossing into to your meal plans?

 

 

 

 

 

(** Please note; I have not been contacted by any of the companies mentioned in this post and have not been asked to promote their products. I have found these products all on my own after scouring grocery stores for hours on end reading nutrition labels. **)

 

 

September DSMA Blog Carnival

This post is my September entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival. If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2012/september-dsma-blog-carnival-2/

In an effort to blog more, and to get some more original ideas, I've decided to start participating in the Diabetes Social Media Advocacy's (DSMA) Blog Carnival. Every month there is a new topic to blog about and you have the whole month to get it done.

September's topic is "post a picture of your (or your loved one’s) diabetes bag or gear "...So, here it is!!

 

This is what I used to lug around when I was first diagnosed. I used everything the way it was given to me. I very quickly learned that this was taking up way too much room in my purse for more important stuff. So, I decided to downsize and keep everything in one little bag....

 

 

 

 

I managed to snag this little gem at Shopper's Drug Mart. The local store by my place was undergoing some reno's so they were blowing out a bunch of products for dirt cheap in order to make room for their new displays. I got this little make up bag by Quo for $3.00 and now see it for $12.00! I love that it's long, so it fits my insulin pens quite nicely. I also keep my Bayer USB meter, test strips, lancing device (I still use the OneTouch Delica), weekly vitamins (Vitamin D, multivitamin and Metamucil capsule) tucked in there.

 

 

 

I've accumulated a lot of different meters, pouches and supplies. I use this 2 drawer plastic organizer to store all my extra supplies. The left drawer is for all my insulin needs, and the right is for all my testing needs. I could probably do with getting a second one as it's gotten pretty cramped in there!!

 

So, that's just a little peak at how I keep my diabetes management a little more organized!

 



 



A New Look!

About 8 years ago, I had laser eye surgery done on my eyes and had better than 20/20 vision. Then, diabetes came along and mucked it all up!

About 2 months after my diagnosis, I started noticing that my vision wasn't as crystal clear as it normally was, especially later in the day. My Endo said some people are very sensitive to fluctuations in their BG levels. I definitely notice when I eat a meal higher in sugar because my vision can blur quite noticeably. It always tends to go back to the same level of blurry-ness.

So, I finally booked an appointment last week to see an optometrist to have my prescription checked and to ensure that I didn't have any signs of any eye diseases.

 I am happy to report that my appointment went really well! My eyes are very healthy and I have no signs of any eyes diseases. My optometrist gave me a mild prescription for glasses to wear when I need them - so for driving and the odd time while watching tv. I was also happy to learn that as a diabetic my eye exams are 100% free every year!! Bonus!

Today I met up with my very best friend to try out some frames and to get her opinion (she's good at stuff like this). It was a lot of fun trying in different styles and surprisingly after only about 20 minutes I found a pair I loved. About an hour later I had my brand new glasses to take home!

*** On a side note - wow, are glasses and lenses ever expensive!! Thank god for my benefits!

What do you think?