A River Runs Through It

I’m looking at my CGM aka Bowie, and seeing a good number for a change of pace.  In the area I like it to be.  It’s difficult to attain that perfection in both the blood sugar zone and A1c that seems to plague many of us with diabetes.  It’s not easy, with dealing with other aspects of life that make things go up and down, just like a roller coaster ride.

Since having the surgery last September that resulted in having one of my ovaries removed due to it acting funky wonky, along with removal of fibroids that I knew would eventually shrink down due to menopause without under ongoing surgery … well … that pretty well upset the balance of my body.

Meanwhile, I was still playing around with sorting out the earlier diagnosis in 2014 with a sluggish thyroid aka Hashimoto.  This is something that seems to plague many diabetics since it’s another autoimmune condition.  I thought at that time, I would be put into a looney bin with how that affected my mental health … and along comes menopause!

I just did a months trial to help with the hot flashes that made knowing whether I’m having a low blood sugar or not abit easier.  I can’t say enough about EstroGel (see note below)!   After a few weeks, I was actually experiencing normal sleep, not waking up with a river running through my girls.  Because it feels the same as having a low blood sugar being all clammy, my body has been trained over the past ½ century of having diabetes to wake up and save itself from going too low. 

That’s where the CGM has been helpful, in alarming when it is an actual low, provided that the sensor is behaving (it’s pretty accurate most of the time with lows, not so much when in the higher areas – which luckily isn’t too often).  Still, it’s hard to break out of the habit of waking up, it’s been built into me, but having 1 full week of no waking up was like the best holiday I’ve had in awhile, and I didn’t go to any exotic location except home sweet home.  People who know the value of a good sleep will be nodding in agreement, it makes or breaks you, and as a diabetic, it also effects how your blood sugar readings will be.

It’s a wicked circle – sleep – hormones – everyday life – sometimes taking care of diabetes can be overwhelming.

Sadly, I’m no longer on the EstroGel due to my gyno being abit concerned with the breast cancer aspect of being on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  I’ve knew the possible side affects of heart attacks, strokes, or blood clots with using the gel, but didn’t realise the cancer bit.  Because of having had diabetic mastopathy, where my breast in the end had to be removed due to unawareness of the condition at the time, he felt that being on hormones might aggravate the condition in the other.  

So, in order to help with the hot flashes, he’s put me on a month’s trial of a low dose antidepressant (I didn’t know this at the time, until getting home and having a mind seizure reading what the drug was supposed to be for since I’m not depressed).  It’s called Paroxetine, and I’ve been given the lowest dose possible of 10 mg which is supposed to help with the serotonin level of your sponge brain, and help with elevating hot flashes and improving sleep.  It takes about a month to take full affect, and I’m only into my 2^nd week.   And so far, the side effects of the drug which scared the bleep out of me, aren’t happening.   There are other similar drugs out there that the pharmacist I spoke to after I flipped out said were more common, but I’m going with what my gyno has recommended that I try out in the meantime.

UPDATE:  Since starting this blog (and exploring some of the aspects of the EstroGel ) I’m realizing that maybe it’s better to stay off of it.  Reports of gaining weight (which I have seen with an increase in my stomach and legs, despite it making for better real estate for injections) along with possible mucking up thyroid, hmmm.  I think the anti-depressant is the better option to be on as long as it works.  So, the original plan that my gyno and I were doing together with investigating how the HRT affects diabetes mastopathy is not going to be an issue that I’m going to look any further into. 

Random thoughts during a heat wave from a diabetic on legal drugs

This is a long intro … the diabetes stuff comes in a afterwards …. I normally post at Diabetes1.org ... but wanted to take a break from that ... and post here for a change of pace (and bigger screen to read my words on as well ).

I’m temporarily a bachelorette; while my DH (darling husband) goes off on a last minute work trip that cut our holiday’s abit short where finally we were getting things unpacked from our move back at the end of June.   I had him take Sock Monkey (SM) with him … so at least SM can enjoy the various “ports of call” that the Challenger 650 is taking them to across the pond.  You can check out the whereabouts of SM at my Flickr account!

Sock Monkey hanging out on the wing of the Challenger 650 he's travelling in

 While I am missing my DH, especially while coping with my little black cat Mia, who underwent a large cyst from her tummy (who I just discovered now is pulling on one her 20 stitches … she made a strange cry … and I leaped out of my chair to see what she was up to).  She now will be forced to wear her Elizabeth collar for the remaining 10 days … sorry kitty kat … but I didn’t fork out almost $800 to bring save you from using 1 of your 9 lives.   Between giving her meds, and like just now, watching/listening to her (I’m a wanna be Cat Whisperer did you know that?) – things are pretty busy.  I am now realising that handling both diabetes and motherhood and everything else that entails having “kids” … I’m not sure if I could have done it.  You were right Mum to tell me to “never have children” … no wonder you started going grey before your time!! I caused it.  Waaaahhhh.

Don't I look cute in my Elizabethan collar or what?

(WARNING - the above paragraph contains A LOT of fun You Tube videos besides silly dribbles of info that is coming out of my adult company starved brain.  Please watch at home in case you are at work … I don’t want you to get the boot out the door).

Now to get onto my main reason for putting my thinking cap on and getting around to a dblogging again since life will eventually settle down in new town, pussycat, etc.  

Yesterday, on a hot and humid day (we currently have a high heat warning) … I ventured out, not by bicycle/foot as I normally do, but via stinky machine … 4 wheel car.  I’m lucky that I don’t really need a car to get around, that was one of the reasons for moving here.  Everything can be walked to / cycled / skateboarded – the benefits of living in a small town.

Now you think you’d see a lot of fit people here? Right?  Sadly, not so.  It’s kind of scary coming from Montreal where I lived it wasn’t something I saw much of.

Of course, where do I go, to escape abit of the heat and humid and duties at home?  WalMart.  The place I swear I hate to frequent if I don’t really have to since they’re forcing a lot of the local businesses to close up.  Sigh.  So, in this case, no malls to walk around in that aren’t an hour’s drive away means … I have to do my “window shopping” in a big box store.

I wonder up and down isles, looking at things to pass the time (hey I need a break from the "kitties").  Talk to a woman who moved from BC to here, and her distaste of the water we have here where we both live (I was looking at the SodaStream at the time, and asked her and her sons about it … the things a question can blossom into).  The water here is highly chlorinated / fluorinated (but I’m researching that with no answers to ascertain oui/non/maybe so).

I then proceeded to look at the various foods contained behind the freezer doors.  Remember, I do not eat prepared/mass produced food too often.  It’s a novelty for me to look at the percentages of fat/carbs/salt in these foods.  I was amazed at what I saw, and thought “OMG … no wonder some folks here are the way they are … this food is EVIL).  The one thing is, food costs here are less expensive than in Montreal … so I don’t really get it.  Even worse, I am seeing so many overweight people or folks using electric scooters, etc.  Some of it is due to the aging population here or perhaps health reasons that mean they cannot walk properly, but I see young folks using them, scary stuff.

Next it was the baking isle.  I still haven’t found the time again to bake my own bread since moving, and the cost of a nice baguette is $1.00 (we go thru’ 1 a week – we aren’t big bread eaters) and is actually a lot less than in Montreal … so factoring in my time, electricity to bake the bread, it’s sadly cheaper to buy mass produced. 

I noticed a woman, probably about my age, looking at baked goods.  Like her, I was overwhelmed by the choices.  I was looking at the carb count and just about fainting.

I said to her, “There’s too much to choose from!” (my mind whirling at Red Velvet cupcakes)

Her reply, “I know, and I’m a diabetic”.

And I said, “So am I, but I can cheat, I’m on insulin!”

From there, I found out she is on insulin.  She only takes it when she has to so she doesn’t go low.  Her doctor told her to keep her blood sugar (#BGNow) levels between 10-13 mmol/l (180-234 mg/dl) and she was used to having readings in the 30’s (540).

I tried to stay calm, as I told her about my CGMS (and the cost just made her eyes go HUGE when I told her along with my 5.1 / 92 #BGNow reading … too low for her) and also showed her Ziggy my insulin pump.  She had never heard/seen these devices.  I started to think a) how long has she been diagnosed; b) who the heck is her flipping doctor; c) I wish I could take everyone I meet into my home and help them. Sigh.

It’s really tough for many of us, when we come across folks like this.  And where this really hits me today, was reading David Edelman’s latest dblog promoting the book “Thriving With Diabetes” that he’s co-written with Dr. Paul Rosman .  If I could hand out this book to everyone I see that needs to take action with their diabetes health … I would (in my dream world I’d be a philanthropist and a CDE and a ….).  

So?  My next book I'm putting into my reference library here at home?  Need I say more!!!