It has been two years since I have blogged! So much has happened in that time. My husband underwent rigorous tests and discovered that his heart is actually normal for his age, which is great news! That was a scary time for us both.
I had big plans to do a section of the Northern Route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain in June 2020. Then Covid hit. And everything changed and slowed. The Spain trip was cancelled. My cousin, Kelley, and I made 2020 summer plans to hike part of the PCT from Rainy Pass to Stehekin. Then an insane heat wave struck and we cancelled those plans, too.
School started in September completely virtual, then in February we switched to hybrid with half sized classes and then in April we switched to regular school 4 days a week with everyone wearing masks. I was able to get my Pfizer vaccine completed in March and when John finally was able to get his vaccine in April life began to feel a bit more normal.
But with Covid and lockdown we both gained weight. In October 2020 I went for a yearly check up and my cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar were all elevated. I decided to get checked again in 3 months. We went into Thanksgiving and Christmas, still eating poorly and then the day after Christmas I started a Whole 30 which I completed at the end of January. Then two weeks later, after indulging in a post Whole 30 binge for 2 weeks I had my blood redrawn. Despite having lost 6 pounds and 30 days with absolutely no sugar, all my numbers were worse!! Yikes! I was officially considered prediabetic.
Diabetes runs in my family, but I always thought that my pear shaped body (instead of apple) and my activity would spare me. Apparently my Covid inactivity tipped the scale (literally) for me. I decided I needed to make a real change and I began to follow a mostly Mediterranean diet as well as intermittent fasting once a week. I walked the track at school every day and once I was vaccinated I returned to my gym 2-3 times a week. My weight began to drop and since Christmas I have lost a total of 32 pounds.
I also bought a blood glucose monitor in April and began to take daily blood readings with finger pricks. And I discovered that everything I thought I knew about diabetes was wrong. My blood glucose remained slightly elevated despite losing weight and not eating any sugar. I realized that I needed more information and began to research diabetes and how to reverse it online.
I read about how a man had reversed his type 2 diabetes through intermittent fasting and using something called a continuous blood glucose monitor. https://diatribe.org/imagine-288-fingersticks-day-power-cgm I looked into it, but it is a prescription only device. In June I returned to my doctor again after another blood test. She gave me an A+. My A1C had gone from a 6.4 to a 5.7, now technically in the normal range. My triglycerides had gone from 158 to 82, cholesterol from 228 to 178. Fasting glucose from 137 to 111. Except for my fasting glucose, all my numbers were now in the normal range.
Now, probably most people would say, "You're normal! You've reversed it!" But my fasting glucose shows that I still have work to do. I asked my doctor to prescribe me the Libre 14 day continuous blood glucose monitor so I could get more accurate information about what causes my blood to spike and what causes it to go down. I also asked her to refer me to a dietician. She did both. I am paying for the Libre myself because my insurance won't pay for it since I "technically" am not diabetic.
This is the frustrating thing about this whole journey. I have had to advocate for myself and ask for the things that I need, in order to learn how to stop myself from developing full fledged diabetes 2. You would think that insurance companies would find it way cheaper to pay for a continuous blood glucose monitoring system for someone trying not to advance to diabetes. Diabetes costs them much more money for Metformin prescriptions, insulin supplies, kidney and eye problems, neuropathy problems, which are all effects of diabetes. Honestly, I am befuddled by the lack of logic. Fortunately, I am in a position financially where I can afford to buy the $100 meter and $80 a month for 2 sensors. But lots of people can not afford this.
What I love about wearing the continuous glucose monitor is that I can take my blood every 5 minutes. It does not hurt to wear it once I put it on and I don't have to stick my fingers all the time, although occasionally I still do if I am not sure the sensor is correct. I have been shocked to see the power of a simple 10 to 15 minute walk to bring down my blood sugar. Sometimes even as much as 60 or 70 points!
And conversely, sitting around raises my blood sugar. Long car rides, working online, sitting and watching TV for hours are not good. Now I take TV breaks and go walk the loop around my back yard a few times. I try to stop on a long drive and take a short walk. Teaching online, sitting at my desk for hours was the worst thing I could have done. Now that we are back in person I walk the room, monitoring students. If we go back to online I will come up with a way to teach standing or even get a treadmill to walk on.
I have also been able to see what foods I need to avoid. Rice! BAD! Macaroni and Cheese - horrendous! You hear that you should avoid white rice, white flour, etc., but when you actually see the numbers that they cause they lose their attractiveness. I have learned to have a single square of 85% dark chocolate when I am craving a treat. I am making fruit crisps sweetened with maple syrup instead of fruit pies. Little changes like that can make a big difference in my blood sugars.
I have also seen the impact of a fasting day. For several days after a fast my blood sugars remain mostly in the normal range. And surprisingly, it has been fairly easy to fast. I try to stop eating on Sunday by 5:00pm and then I eat when I get home from work on Monday around 3 or 4 pm.
I am hopeful that when I go back to my doctor in September that I will have brought my fasting glucose to below 100. And of course, I want to lose some more weight. Because it all helps!
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