Making the numbers count (And boy, do they!)

Lately, my sugar levels have been somewhat tolerable.

My body's been slowly getting used to the addition of the Humalog (Instant Lowering Insulin) that my Endocrinologist put me on a couple of weeks ago. At first, I had only been on Levemir, which is an Extended Release form of Insulin that works its way through the bloodstream over a 24 hour period. It was being taken at 20 units in the morning and then 90 at night, before bedtime. Also, I was taking Janumet, which is a oral medication that is a combination of Januvia and Metaformin. A hybrid if you will. The purpose of the pill is to help 'motivate' the pancreas, into making more insulin to be released into your body to combat sugars. I was taking this pill twice a day.

Well, the doctor had not seen that big of an improvement (my numbers were ranging from 150-80. Normal is 90-120), so he decided to take me of the Janumet and initiated the Humalog. Rapid release Insulin. Spectacular. And let me just tell you, I say that with utter sarcasm.

Why? What people don't know/realize is that, Insulin, although being a lifesaver in reducing sugars in the body, also causes a little backlash to your system. You may be lowering your sugar levels, but the incoming insulin motivates the body to hold onto whatever you are taking in as nutrients that much more. It feeds off of whatever is in you. Therefore, it retains much more of the carbs, proteins and fats that you're taking in. Thus, this leads to weight gain. It almost seems like a farmer injecting the cow with all types of stuff to make them fatter. Great, I'm a bovine!

So, with the increase of Insulin intake, comes the fear of gaining weight and making it that much harder to lose it. So, I have two battles. Making my sugars stay at a certain level, but also making my body's Insulin Resistance become nonexistent. Therefore, you cut to me sitting in my kitchen trying to decide what to make for breakfast, knowing that very well, I'll need to work extra harder that day just to hopefully burn off what my body is gaining anyways. Even if it is just a boiled egg. *merp*

Insulin is such a Catch 22 scenario. I love it so.

Well, the week that I had started on the Instant Release insulin, my body was not taking it very well whatsoever. It pretty much hated me. My numbers did the exact opposite. They started to skyrocket above 200. For 4 days, the numbers never wanted to come down. And I was eating very little. Close to nothing honestly. My nerves were still shocked from the appointments with my doctors that week and I was in constant monitoring mode trying to determine when my sugar would finally make a dip under 200. My eyes were red and sore from so much crying that week. My workouts were coming along, but they weren't helping at all. Finally, that Friday, Nick decided to work from home and I think it was fate that made him do that.

I was pretty useless that day. I didn't want to eat. I couldn't bare to move and do anything. I was unproductive and just felt the need to lay down constantly. My mood dipped and I never felt more melancholy like then. I was giving up. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong and I felt like an utter failure. Ultimately, I started getting dizzy and feeling more and more sick than before. Nick was close to taking me in to the ER when I tested my sugar and it read 315. What was going on?!!?

We called my Endocrinologist and after much talking and speculation, he put me back on 1 Janumet dose. From that point on, everything seemed to start working. It gave me hope. I felt like it restored some faith into my body. That one Janumet pill meant that my Pancreas was not completely dead and unable to produce its own Insulin. Which made me finally believe, "I can do this... I can reverse this..."

It's been 3 weeks now and my next appointment is March 23rd. Nick is actually going to be attending this visit with me. He'll finally meet one of the 'other men' in my life. I say that, because I see him and my General Practitioner on a monthly basis. Both my doctor's receptionists know who I am whenever I walk through their doors. They instantly greet me by my first name and big smiles. Maybe it's because I constantly go in there with smiles, conversation and a good mood to get them going, but it's just a generally welcoming and relieving feeling to get that kind of reaction when you're walking into that nerving of an environment.

My diet lately has consisted of lots of lean meats, fish and under 5g of carbs per serving vegetables. Dairy has also been added in there a lot. The carbs in food affects the Insulin dosage that I give myself before meals. I count how many carbs are in each element of the meal, add them up and do a little math formula to get the number of units I need to cover myself and not let my numbers skyrocket. Eating out is my biggest problem. As a result, Nick and I have been mostly eating in. I mostly cook. My poor husband must be so tired of turkey burgers, chicken and salad. But, I love him so much for being my right hand.

My weight has unfortunately been fluctuating for days. It goes up and down but with no real loss or gain. It's quite frustrating to get on the scale after days of eating extremely light and many workouts, only to see no results. Insulin, you're such a shady lady!

We purchased our tickets for Vegas in June, so I will be making my yearly pilgrimage to the Chanel boutiques to browse, but hopefully, this time with a purpose in mind? I want to pick out the RIGHT bag that I will cherish for life. I'll be channeling Mademoiselle Coco's utter fabulousness for some inspiration into which is my 'baby' to someday take home when I visit Paris.

I'm also looking into start running. Not just on a treadmill, but outdoors. I've never been a runner/jogger. I get out of breath easily. Sorry, I was always the last one to finish those damn Presidential Fitness challenges in grade school. How embarrassing, I know! But, it's something I have always wanted to do. I just don't know how to start on the right foot though. No pun intended. The weather is becoming warmer and its a perfect time to start getting reacquainted with mother nature again.

Till next time...Here's something to Chew on. Or maybe not:

Think that Crispy Chicken Sandwich from McDonald's is a better choice than getting a Quarter Pounder With Cheese? Thank again. According to my Calorie King book, it contains 530 Calories, 20 grams of Fat and 59 grams of Carbs. Whereas, a QP contains 410 Calories, 19 grams of Fat and 37 grams of Carbs. Either way, they're both not good for you!

In my world though, I'll give you this calculation: that Chicken Sandwich would lead me to the need of taking 19-20 units of Insulin to cover it. Normally, right now, on a low carb diet, I usually only take about 2-3 units per meal. Remember, the more Insulin, the more resistance the body builds. As for the QP, I would need 12-13 units!

Scary.. And a normal person's calorie intake per day should be close to 1500 calories I believe? Hmm... Hold the fries, please!