Got a letter from my doctor yesterday
It was actually a handwritten note. How many doctors take that kind of time? Attached to the note was a copy of my latest blood test results.
For the past few months, my whole system has been out of whack with my allergies going haywire. After 5+ years, my body decided Benadryl was candy and the hives stopped responding to any of my standby medications. My doctor gave me some new combinations, but even they couldn't stop a particularly nasty reaction to a cold medicine that I've taken frequently over the past few years with no problem. I ended up in the emergency room where they pumped me full of steroids to stop my throat from swelling.
The next day, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist to see if we can deal with the hives by dealing with my auto-immune issues (still waiting on test results there). A few days later the nurse called and said some of my bloodwork came back wonky and they wanted me to see my regular doctor. The steroids from the hospital explained the high white blood cell and glucose, but considering my family history, he agreed to redo the test, which prompted the note.
"You are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes." It seems my glucose is still on the high end of normal, so now I have to do something about it. Sigh... His advice is to "loose" weight. I'm hoping that was a momentary lapse because no matter how good he is, I might have to find a new doctor who can tell the difference between "lose" and "loose". He offered a couple of medications to deal with appetite and metabolism in addition to advice about lowering carbs and increasing protein. My problem has been 5+ years on strong antihistamines. If you've ever taken Benadryl, you know how tired that makes you. Now imagine spending years taking it. What would your energy level look like? It's not so much over-eating as it is always being too tired to move.
On the positive side, I have not had a single hive since that midnight emergency room visit. Not one moment of uncontrollable itching. My skin is so very happy. I'm still on antihistamines, but they're in a different family and not the kind that drags you down. Maybe MAYBE I can actually be successful in "loosing" this extra weight. From the moment I got the letter yesterday, I've been working on it. Smaller portions, fewer foods, a really long walk, planning how to change things around here to make it easier to eat better and exercise.
So that's what my new focus has to be on. The girl who hates talking and reading about diet and exercise has been motivated to do it with one sentence threatening diabetes. As much as I hate exercise, I hate needles even more.
For the past few months, my whole system has been out of whack with my allergies going haywire. After 5+ years, my body decided Benadryl was candy and the hives stopped responding to any of my standby medications. My doctor gave me some new combinations, but even they couldn't stop a particularly nasty reaction to a cold medicine that I've taken frequently over the past few years with no problem. I ended up in the emergency room where they pumped me full of steroids to stop my throat from swelling.
The next day, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist to see if we can deal with the hives by dealing with my auto-immune issues (still waiting on test results there). A few days later the nurse called and said some of my bloodwork came back wonky and they wanted me to see my regular doctor. The steroids from the hospital explained the high white blood cell and glucose, but considering my family history, he agreed to redo the test, which prompted the note.
"You are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes." It seems my glucose is still on the high end of normal, so now I have to do something about it. Sigh... His advice is to "loose" weight. I'm hoping that was a momentary lapse because no matter how good he is, I might have to find a new doctor who can tell the difference between "lose" and "loose". He offered a couple of medications to deal with appetite and metabolism in addition to advice about lowering carbs and increasing protein. My problem has been 5+ years on strong antihistamines. If you've ever taken Benadryl, you know how tired that makes you. Now imagine spending years taking it. What would your energy level look like? It's not so much over-eating as it is always being too tired to move.
On the positive side, I have not had a single hive since that midnight emergency room visit. Not one moment of uncontrollable itching. My skin is so very happy. I'm still on antihistamines, but they're in a different family and not the kind that drags you down. Maybe MAYBE I can actually be successful in "loosing" this extra weight. From the moment I got the letter yesterday, I've been working on it. Smaller portions, fewer foods, a really long walk, planning how to change things around here to make it easier to eat better and exercise.
So that's what my new focus has to be on. The girl who hates talking and reading about diet and exercise has been motivated to do it with one sentence threatening diabetes. As much as I hate exercise, I hate needles even more.