I’m pretty much in the finger prinkin’ routine now of checking glucose levels, and there have only been a few times lately when the result was outside of my target levels. I had a really stressful day yesterday, but my test results right in the midst of the chaos were good, and I’m pleased with that for sure. You see, not only eating carbohydrates will raise blood glucose levels, but also eating until you’re stuffed, even when it’s healthy foods, and also stress, can make the glucose levels high.

I’m doing a pretty good job of sticking to a fairly low calorie diet. I’m aiming for 1200 calories a day, and I’m close most days. The Metformin, or Glucophage as the brand name is known, is supposed to suppress appetite a little, so that is helping. Another side effect that about half the people on it get is diarrhea. For me, that’s a welcome change from the constipation I normally fight. For now, anyway, I’m getting a nice balance, with little problem eliminating.

I went to the Podiatrist Monday morning and had a toenail removed from one foot and a corn I didn’t even know I had removed from the top of the big toe on the other foot. My toenails are so badly deformed with fungus that I hadn’t even noticed it, but I sure knew when he cut it out!! The toenail had to be taken off, because I had stubbed my toe back a couple of months ago, and it never healed. Turns out, there was an abscess under the nail. With reduced feeling in my feet from the Diabetes, and the possibility of future problems if I’m not careful, I guess I’ve added my Podiatrist to the list of doctors I’ll be seeing on a regular basis.

It’s really gotten comical. This year already I have seen my Neurologist, General Practitioner – several times, Dermatologist, Gynecologist, Podiatrist, Diabetic Specialist, Dentist, had a chest X-ray and Blood Glucose Tolerance Test, and I’m going for Physical Therapy about once a month!!! The only one I haven’t seen is my Gastroenterologist. And hubby?? … the Dentist. Not that he doesn’t need to go, but we’ve been so busy going back and forth to my appointments that I’ve gotten nowhere with trying to get him to make one for a good annual checkup.

I’m still reading everything I can about what I can do to eat properly and hopefully diet my way out of needing the Metformin. My Diabetic Specialist thinks I can go off the medicine if I lose the weight. And now that I’m not ravenously hungry all the time I feel confident that I will get back down to a good weight. I need to lose a total of 50 pounds, and that’s going to take awhile. I’m trying to change habits, rather than going on some weird diet. The only “diet” I have ever tried was Atkins, and I did lose weight on it. But when the cravings and weak feelings hit I gained it all back and then some.

We continue to do well with our plush sales, and that keeps me busy when I’m home, as does the Lost Toys Search Service we run. People thank us for helping them, but it does us good, too, knowing that someone has been touched by us when they needed help.

All in all it’s been a good week, and with no doctor appointments on the calendar for next week, I look forward to a good week next week.