Type 2 Diabetes – Testing. Testing.

I have recently gone on medication for Type 2 Diabetes. It has been just over a month and my stomach problem due to the new pills is getting much better. It happens every few days but only lasts an hour or two.

Today I had a call from my pharmacist to tell me that my glucose monitor, lancets, and test strips are ready for to pick up.

I need to know when to test and track my glucose levels. I am sure there is an app for that which I can use on my new iPad Air 2.

*****

My visit to the pharmacy was very informative. The pharmacist took about 15 minutes to set up the monitor, explain everything to me and then watch as I did my first test.

To tell the truth I was a bit nervous.

First you get a lancet which is like a needle that is enclosed in a protective case. I inserted the lancet into the monitor and then I got out a test strip and inserted it into the monitor. That turned the monitor on. The prompt came, “Add blood.”

I then loaded the lancet by pushing forward on a button. I placed the pad of my thumb over the opening and pushed a white button to activate the lancet and get a drop of blood. I applied this to the side of the test strip and then waited for my reading.

In Canada, the results are shown as mmol/L. In the US measurements are expressed differently.

My result was 7.3 mmol/L.

Ideal numbers would be 4.5 – 6.5. But 7.3 is pretty good. It is in the “range”. Six weeks ago my number, after fasting for 12 hours, was 8.4.

The pharmacist told me to test only 2 or 3 times a week, and to keep a record of the results to show my doctor. The monitor will show you your average for a couple of weeks and will alert you when a “high” trend is noted. For instance, if you have tested high at a certain time of day, you would be alerted so you could perhaps change your diet.

The cost for all this? $4.99. I thank God that I live in Canada where our medical system provides such good care for such a low cost.

I will be seeing a nurse and a nutritionist in a couple of weeks, which is good because I still have a lot of questions.

By the way all the Apps I have seen so far have measured results in American measurements, so I am still looking for a “Canadian” Blood Glucose Logbook.

Thanks for coming with me on my next step in this journey. Have a good day!

 

 

 

Advertisement

– 5

No, – 5   does not refer to the temperature, although here in Canada we have often had that kind of weather at this time of year.  However, today it is sunny and about 11C  (52F).

The -5 refers to pounds!!!  Yes, I am down five pounds.  It has taken me quite a while but I did it.  My goal is to lose 25 more!!!

On September 1, I gave up French Fries!  I said for four months but of course it will have to be longer.  I told one of my daughters and my husband, so I would be accountable.  Before you think that I must have been eating a ton of fries, let me tell you that is not the case.  I had them once every week or two.

But this is what happened.  Since I had given fries up, I began to think more about what I was eating and my choices became more and more healthy. 

By September 21, I was again on the telephone with my daughter and I told her that I felt ready for the next step.  No more junk food!

That is, no more sweets, ice cream, or desserts except for fruit and yogurt.  I am becoming a more mindful eater.

As of yesterday, the end of September, I had lost five pounds.  I am not dieting, but I am eating better, with more fruits and vegetables added to my usual diet.  I feel better and I feel happier.

Nine years ago, my husband had a serious medical emergency and I began to slowly gain weight.  In the last few years the stress and pain of osteoarthritis has slowed me down and I had to give up my gym membership.  More weight gain.

Hubby has recovered very well and with retirement the arthritis has really calmed down.  So, the next step is to “up” the exercise routine.

My friend Roz will be babysitting her baby grandson for the foreseeable future and she and I are going to walk for an hour a day.  Good weather – outdoors.  Bad weather – indoors at the local mall.  I am already a Sneakers mall-walker member and will continue to do that.  If you want to see my progress since the spring, check out my blog page, My Walk Across Canada.  There should be a new update in the next few days.

It is only 5 pounds but it means a lot to me.  I am doing it my way and it is working for me!

 

Will That be Cash or Credit?

Do you have a credit card?  Uh huh!  Me too.  I was thinking today about weight loss and I came up with an analogy to credit cards.

I was talking on the phone to a friend, Sherry, and we were on our favourite topic – how do we even begin to lose weight and eat as we should?  It seems that very few plans work and even fewer work for the long-term. 

If I think of friends who have lost weight, I would have to say most of them have gained it all back and more.  Nothing seems to work over time.  Weight Watchers? Jenny Craig? Dr. Bernstein? Herbal Magic?  The menace of the “gain-back” is lurking in the background with all of them.

Do you know anyone who has let credit card debt get out-of-hand?  Maybe it has even happened to you.  You are going to use it only for emergencies.  You are going to pay the balance every month.  And then you aren’t able to pay the balance and you begin to have  interest payments to pay every month.  It is a slippery slope!  Soon you are not able to handle the interest payments and then a real emergency comes up and you are not able to handle it.  It is the same with weight loss.

When you begin to gain a few pounds, your clothes still fit and you go along happily.  But the day soon comes when your pants are too tight and you can’t button your blouse.  One time I planned to wear a specific “little black dress” to a party, slipped it on and was about to go out the door when I decided to sit down for a minute to see how comfortable it was.  I COULDN’T SIT DOWN!!  I was having trouble “making the monthly payments”.

If you have ever tried to pay off your credit cards and get control of your finances, you know it is not easy.  It hurts.  You have to say NO to yourself.  Maybe you even take the scissors to your credit cards.  And it takes time!  It doesn’t take long to get into debt, but it certainly takes a lot of time to get out of it.  But it is so liberating!

 It’s the same way with weight loss.  You have to say no to yourself.  It will hurt for a while.  No matter what plan you follow, whether it is one where you go to meetings or one you create for yourself, you will have to eat LESS than you want to.  When you finally reach your goal, you will have to monitor yourself closely, to ensure you don’t begin to gain again.  Be prepared to cut back for a time to stabilize your weight.

Once you are in control of your finances, you can begin to  use your credit cards again.  Every month, when your credit card bill arrives, you will monitor yourself.  Are you able to pay the balance?  If not, it is time to cut back on the spending. Now. Before it gets out of control again.

When you are at your goal weight, you can eat a piece of cake on your birthday. You can have a treat once in a while.  But stay alert.  Weigh yourself.  If you regain more than 3 – 5 pounds, cut back and get back in control.

If you are trying to lose weight and get fit, I wish you well.  But stay alert!!!