For some reason my blood sugar spiked significantly over the weekend and the past couple of days. So much so I had to take time off to contact my care team and get things under control. The highest reading I got was last night at bedtime and that was 456. I suppose for some people this would be diabetic coma stage, but I wasn't quite that bad. I felt like crap for the most part, totally drained and tired, not to mention peeing a lot. Now I'm the first to admit that I don't do very well eating healthy meals and managing my diet, but nothing in that regard has really changed. I didn't all of a sudden decide to jump into a vat of salted caramel or anything like that. For the past couple of months the highest reading I had was just a hair over 300. At first I thought maybe I caught a bug because I know glucose levels increase in the presence of infection, but I haven't had any symptoms indicating this might be the case. While I did have a headache that started Thursday of last week and I had on and off since, and I had one day that my stomach was just a tad upset, there weren't any other signs that I was coming down with anything in particular. Prompted by one of my friends with some medical knowledge, I checked the possible side effects of one of my medications and, sure enough, high blood glucose levels appeared on the list. Interestingly enough, I went back through my monitoring log and found a gradual but fairly significant increase in my readings just after I started on that medication. I also learned that, while it can cause drowsiness and somnolence in some people, others experience restlessness and insomnia. Again, thinking back to when I started it, my sleep difficulties also appeared and got worse around the same time. I know I shouldn't self-diagnose, but under the circumstances I thought sure we found the answer. It's felt a bit like doing an intricate dance trying to stay on top of it all, but mastering the steps isn't an option, it's a must!
I called two of my doctors and we mutually decided to discontinue the offending medication immediately and increase the dosage on both my oral diabetic medication and insulin. It has already come down significantly and I think the measures taken will be effective. I have follow up appointments with both providers on December 2nd to discuss any other changes that might be needed, but for now things seem to be more under control. This episode has reinforced the necessity for better adherence to a more healthy diet. I know I'm never going to be perfect, but I do need to start making some better choices at least. I don't want to end up back in the hospital with another leg infection, possibly more surgery, or the ultimate consequence of losing an appendage. I know that sounds extreme and I'm certainly not at that point, but I realize if I don't buckle down and take better care of myself it could be a real possibility. I just don't seem to do well on my own, but I'm going to have to learn to or else suffer the negative outcomes. It's times like these that I so wish I had a partner, or even a roommate, someone to provide some motivation and keep me accountable and on track. Of course smoking is also the next great hurdle to overcome as well. I did obtain a really nice vapor unit that I like and have cut down on regular cigarettes in the process. It remains to be seen if I'll be able to quit entirely, but that's the goal. Like everything else, I'm just going to have to take it one day at a time. I have realized that quitting smoking is the key to other goals being achievable. Exercise, for example, is very difficult because of my breathing and total lack of any sort of stamina. I think this could be significantly impacted if I were smoke free and built up better lung function. It's not going to be easy by any means, but this is the common denominator that must be conquered in order to proceed to other needed changes. Ultimately it looks like my dance card is getting full and once one dance is mastered it's on to the next. Where is Arthur Murray when you need him?
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