Doctors, Gyms, and Computer Programs

In May they told me that I had diabetes because my blood tests showed a 7.5 on a scale that measures long term "sugar."  I haven't wanted to dive into figuring out all the jargon though I should.  I'm not measuring short term "sugar."  I am convinced that by next year I will be in a totally normal range, not taking Metformin, and eating normally in a veggie, whole foods sort of way.  You see yesterday I went to the Doctor.  This time my M.D. was the cutest, youngest looking physician I have seen to date.  She looked to be the same age as my daughter who is 21.  Argh.  They all look like babies!

Anyway she shared some good news with me.  On top of losing 10 lbs.,  I have also brought whatever it is that was 7.5 down to 6.8.  My other short term blood-sugar score was 108 which is apparently good.  By the next medical visit in 3 to 4 months I plan to be in good enough shape to have them let me officially go off the oral medication and control everything through diet and exercise.  The glycemic index seems to be the central good thing I've found out about. 

Now that I'm sleeping well and awakening rested after having my septum fixed, I plan to reintroduce the gym to my life.  I will beat this crap.  I will be GREAT again. 

If I'd have had the surgery a couple years ago and began breathing and sleeping better before these problems fully presented themselves, I am convinced I wouldn't have gained weight so readily and then developed the non-alcoholic fatty liver and diabetes. 

Anyway, things are moving in the right direction.  I've also found something called Perfect Diet Tracker that seems to be a great food monitoring program that calculates everything for you, is well rated, contains information for almost 90,000 foods, and is easy to use.  While it isn't for diabetes monitoring as such, it does help see sugars and carbohydrates, fats, proteins, calories, percentages, and totals. 

Fear and Snoring in the Old Pueblo

Posting everyday when there is no stock pile of emergency blog entries built up is a bit stupid.  So call me dumb and dip me in rum and roll me in sugar.  I have so much I wanted to convey in the preceding three days of entries about virtual worlds, but I'm trying to get so much done before this Friday that I'm writing things that I should have been ready to post in the morning 10 to 15 hours later in the evening and my writing has suffered.  I will revisit the topic but only when I can do it justice. 

So today, tonight, I write from my gut rather than my brain and promise nothing.  I'm scared.  I have surgery to correct a deviated septum on Friday.  I can't breathe through my left nostril and my right one dries out and causes nose bleeds.  I end up breathing through my mouth.  I hate being a mouth breathing idiot.  I'm sincerely hoping that after surgery and the coming week of hellish recovery when my whole facial and dental structure will be terribly sore, I will only be able to have liquids, and I will only be able to breathe through my mouth.  I may have headaches.  That is the down side. 

The up side is that will just a little bit of luck, this will be the beginning of an upward spiral.  I've been on a downward one regarding health for several years now.  I should be able to breathe and have a much better sleep experience with greatly reduced apnea.  Once I'm healed fairly well - by the end of summer - I will be able to have a sleep study done to see where I'm at per stopping breathing during the night.   Then I will have my dentist work with the apnea specialist to make a mouth piece that holds my jaw forward and keeps my airways open during sleep.  Once this is done I should feel better in many ways because I will be getting deep sleep for the first time in many, many years.

Getting sleep will give me more energy.  Getting real sleep will also get hormone production related to sleep normalized.  Leptin and cortosol are the hormones involved with sleep and sleep apnea stress that also regulate hunger and create a desire for carbohydrates and fats.

Not sleeping well makes a person not only tired but also hungry and desirous of exactly the wrong foods.  If you a person is tired, and hungry, the motivation to exercise is usually diminished.  Without enough exercise, even more weight is gained and sleep quality worsens.  It is a vicious cycle.

In the past I loved working out.  Elliptical cross-trainers and weights were my friends. But in the last few years it has been harder and harder to work out. I got a bum trainer who did not understand a foot and ankle problem I had and had me on a program that injured me.  I lost my trust of the gym and when management wouldn't work with me I became angry and disillusioned. 

By this fall I plan to be hiking at least once a week and working out 3 or 4 times a week.  I expect the diabetes I have been diagnosed with to be totally manageable with diet adjustment by the end of the year, if not sooner.  I also fully expect to have lost at least 20 to30 lbs by the end of the year too.  The weight loss will also lessen the severity of the apnea and in turn I will have more energy.  By next year at this time, I expect to be pretty healthy and much less heavy.   This path all starts with Friday's surgery.   I will overcome my fear and regain my health.

Wish me luck and hold me to it.