Pillz, I haz dem...
I have another doctor's appointment a week from Monday (never discover an illness during the holidays, it really fucks up your ability to get an appointment). But that's good in a way, because I have even been able to talk to my insurance company yet to find out what brand of blood testing strips I need a script for. (It seems that each insurance company usually has a deal with a particular company and they'll give coverage on their particular product. It doesn't matter, they're pretty much alike.) So I still haven't been able to test my blood. I'm not on medication yet either.
But I have re-lost the 2 lbs I gained back from holiday gluttony. So I'm still at 10 lbs lost.
Besides the diet, I did a considerable amount of research (books and online) and I've begun a regimen of supplements (vitamin, mineral and herbal). I've been very careful to steer away from anything iffy and stick to medium dosages until I talk to the doc and the diabetes education people. But man, it's still a shit load of pills! I have little snack baggies marked with the days of the week and loaded with my daily doses. 17 pills and capsules, plus a second helping of 2 of them at night. And man, most of those suckers are the big horse-pill variety. I used to be able to swallow great handfuls of vitamins when I was younger (my mother got on a health kick for awhile) but now it takes me 4-5 batches to get them all down, depending on my throat's elasticity. I fear my dreams of a deep-throating porn star are shattered. *G*
Too bad about the porn-star side gig, too, because those supplements (12 of them so far - and I'm still missing a couple) are damn expensive. About $70 bucks for those. I'll try online where I can probably get them cheaper.
On a brighter note, my brother will be happy to know that he did give me a Christmas present - his cold. The sore throat started yesterday afternoon. Made swallowing those vitamins a real joy this morning, I can tell you! I couldn't get sick during the last 2 days that I had off, could I? Nooooo! I close tonight and tomorrow and it's going to be busy. Kids are still home for the holidays, still spending Christmas money, plus it snowed early, early this morning. Only about 2 inches, but that's enough to make people feel frantic and closed in. Terrified they might have to interact with family without the distraction of outside entertainment. *sheesh*
Speaking of snow, just a minute ago I thought it was snowing again. But it turns out to be the powdery snow being dislodged from my balcony roof. Every time this huge pigeon makes a play for my hanging bird feeder, he's rebuffed by a handful of tiny sparrows that have taken up squatter's rights. It's hilarious to watch! Oh, now there are 2 pigeons, enough to take on that pack terrorizing sparrows.
For a couple of days I fell off on my water consumption (and I didn't really drink enough to begin with) but my blood sugar is still high enough to make me pee like a horse, and rather frequently at that, so I got dehydrated enough that the palms of my hands have begun peeling. My fingertips were looking pruney and shrunken, even without being immersed in water. This is rather amazing because I've been a hand lotion junkie for years. But drinking at least a gallon of water for the last 3-4 days seems to have slowed that particular symptom to a near stop.
*sigh* Two more things I have to get used to thanks to the diabetes: I've never had problems with being cold, and my core temperature is still pretty warm, but due to the impaired circulation, my hands and feet get cold. Plus, my skin has always been on the oily side. Of course, that's tapered off just with advancing age, but in the last few months with the onset of the diabetes, I'm having to actually moisturize or walk around clawing at my skin.
After the beginning of the year I'll join a health club and start swimming again and light weight training. With my weight and the arthritis, walking isn't really practical right now. and with my hands bearing the brunt of the arthritis, free weights are probably out, but there are other avenues to explore. That should help with my circulation, too.
So, I'm off to bake low-fat bran muffins. Fiber! Delicious, delicious fiber! Oh yeah, and water.
Stupid cold.
But I have re-lost the 2 lbs I gained back from holiday gluttony. So I'm still at 10 lbs lost.
Besides the diet, I did a considerable amount of research (books and online) and I've begun a regimen of supplements (vitamin, mineral and herbal). I've been very careful to steer away from anything iffy and stick to medium dosages until I talk to the doc and the diabetes education people. But man, it's still a shit load of pills! I have little snack baggies marked with the days of the week and loaded with my daily doses. 17 pills and capsules, plus a second helping of 2 of them at night. And man, most of those suckers are the big horse-pill variety. I used to be able to swallow great handfuls of vitamins when I was younger (my mother got on a health kick for awhile) but now it takes me 4-5 batches to get them all down, depending on my throat's elasticity. I fear my dreams of a deep-throating porn star are shattered. *G*
Too bad about the porn-star side gig, too, because those supplements (12 of them so far - and I'm still missing a couple) are damn expensive. About $70 bucks for those. I'll try online where I can probably get them cheaper.
On a brighter note, my brother will be happy to know that he did give me a Christmas present - his cold. The sore throat started yesterday afternoon. Made swallowing those vitamins a real joy this morning, I can tell you! I couldn't get sick during the last 2 days that I had off, could I? Nooooo! I close tonight and tomorrow and it's going to be busy. Kids are still home for the holidays, still spending Christmas money, plus it snowed early, early this morning. Only about 2 inches, but that's enough to make people feel frantic and closed in. Terrified they might have to interact with family without the distraction of outside entertainment. *sheesh*
Speaking of snow, just a minute ago I thought it was snowing again. But it turns out to be the powdery snow being dislodged from my balcony roof. Every time this huge pigeon makes a play for my hanging bird feeder, he's rebuffed by a handful of tiny sparrows that have taken up squatter's rights. It's hilarious to watch! Oh, now there are 2 pigeons, enough to take on that pack terrorizing sparrows.
For a couple of days I fell off on my water consumption (and I didn't really drink enough to begin with) but my blood sugar is still high enough to make me pee like a horse, and rather frequently at that, so I got dehydrated enough that the palms of my hands have begun peeling. My fingertips were looking pruney and shrunken, even without being immersed in water. This is rather amazing because I've been a hand lotion junkie for years. But drinking at least a gallon of water for the last 3-4 days seems to have slowed that particular symptom to a near stop.
*sigh* Two more things I have to get used to thanks to the diabetes: I've never had problems with being cold, and my core temperature is still pretty warm, but due to the impaired circulation, my hands and feet get cold. Plus, my skin has always been on the oily side. Of course, that's tapered off just with advancing age, but in the last few months with the onset of the diabetes, I'm having to actually moisturize or walk around clawing at my skin.
After the beginning of the year I'll join a health club and start swimming again and light weight training. With my weight and the arthritis, walking isn't really practical right now. and with my hands bearing the brunt of the arthritis, free weights are probably out, but there are other avenues to explore. That should help with my circulation, too.
So, I'm off to bake low-fat bran muffins. Fiber! Delicious, delicious fiber! Oh yeah, and water.
Stupid cold.