Great news...

I had my second fasting glucose levels test done late last week and went to see Dr Hyper feeling very smug....

A picture tells a thousand words... Cop a squiz at this....

The yellow zone is the target area!!!! HE is impressed at the results and I am as proud as punch at having achieved it!!

The great news is that I now have to go and see an endocrinologist and make sure that I can get perioperative / post operative care regimes in place to ensure that my blood sugars are kept stable when I get my surgery done.

Anyway, I have a bit to do to get ready. I need to sell the Jayco van (Anyone want a Jayco camper van??) to ensure a cash reserve and see the dietician and then it will be all systems go!!!

Realistically I am probably looking at early January for the surgery, after all who wants to be in post operative mode over the holiday period??? Not me..

More later....

Tags: Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

Blue Meanies

This whole change to my life has been a bit of a downer...

I have been working hard at reducing the processed sugar intake and so far the BSL has been dropping everyday with only a couple of hiccups along the way.

I guess the thing that has been hitting me most is the effects this is having on my vision. From a month a go when I could see the screen, I am now at a stage where I cannot focus on the screen without strong glasses and the reading glasses I got are now being worn everyday for normal seeing.

The good news is that the issue should normalise soon.

Anyway, after the bit of a downer and chatting to some friends and the diabetes educator, I have straightened up and am looking at stuff in a very positive manner now.

Onward and upward...





Tags: Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

Glucose levels dropping

It has been a bit of a while since I posted.

I have spent much of the time getting my head around what diabetes is, how I have to manage it and ensuring that it is not what is going to define me.

I have spent 10 days on a low dose medication to see how I would react with it, and so far the news is good. I have dropped my glucose levels a fair way, but there is certainly room for improvement.

I noted over the last couple of weeks that my vision was not up to par, so I went to the optometrist. Good news is that there is no damage to the retina (no bleeds, no scarring) and I am clear of glaucoma and cataracts. The correction is probably due to age. This morning I got very concerned. Even with the reading glasses, I could not read much on the page. I have to admit to a small degree of panic as my vision has always been good. Off to the optometrist again, and another set of pictures and comparing to last week. No change.
All he could put it down to was the diabetes.

I had an appointment with Dr Hyper to follow up on a blood test. This test looked at the blood sugar levels and would show the average over 3 months. Good news! It seems to be that we have caught this in the short term, prolly a month or so after the glucose spiked.

What does this all mean???

Well, blood sugar levels are being stabilised, which means that I can continue with the gastric banding some time soonish, and all the advice that I have got is that when I lose the weight, there is a high probability that the diabetes will not be an issue for me in the future. I can only hope that is true, and redouble my efforts to get the weight off.

This morning I was lower than whale excrement, tonight, back to my usual self.

More soon.








Tags: Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

Quit Smoking, Sir Romnor's way

Sir Romnor, hereafter known as "Sir Romnor, The Extinguished" has decided to write about his stop smoking experiences.

Here is where he has written his tome. If he continues in the same vein, it should be a good read.









Tags:
Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

Gadget alert: Accu-chek Integra

Those of you who know me will not be surprised to know that when I selected my glucometer I went for a gadget intense version.

This is not withstanding the discussions I had with Jaybee in the week before when he was bemoaning the fact that he should update his glucometer for one with automated strip placement.

This is the tester I went for...

And of course I did have to buy the computer link reciever and software to go with it. This I shall be able to share with Jaybee. I asked Jaybee to come with me when I purchased my glucometer, and when we left the pharmacy, he had a new one as well. He is a gadget freak as well, but I have to say, this one is easy to use, has bucket loads of features thatjust make it too easy to use.







Tags: Diabetes Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

Diabetes support in Australia

The past few days have been a bit of a whirlwind.

I know about the basics of diabetes and what causes it (particularly in my case) but going through the processes of getting glucose monitoring equipment and signing on the the National Diabetes Support Scheme (NDSS) and just getting my head around having to watch what carbs I eat, has been a hell of a load to run through.

The good news is that my Blood Sugar Level (BSL) has progressively been trending downwards. It is still too high, by a long shot, but heading in the right direction.

I am not sure if I am feeling any better, but I am not feeling any worse.

I must admit to a certain annoyance at not being able to proceed with my surgery straight away, but as they say, good things come to those who wait!







Tags: Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales

News: I am diabetic

How do I feel today?

This morning I woke up feeling like crap. Nothing physically, just emotionally low.

I did wake up F and tell her, she did absorb it and we spoke this morning (a bit). I was not really feeling like conversation.

I called my parents to let them know what was happening, as I did not want them finding out on this blog. Dad and I spoke for a bit and as Mum was out walking, I rang her later...

I also rang my GP this morning, first thing, and was doubled in for an appointment as soon as I could get there. I really like my GP (hereafter known as Dr Hyper), as he is bloody good and he speaks to me at a level that I can understand and appreciate the nuances.

This new event has been pretty confronting and he did as he usually does. He provided good info, did not pull punches, reassured me that this was not the end of the world, prescribed the treatment for the next week or so, arranged followup and cheered me up and arranged for the BSL test (that came in better than last night) along with followup pathology in the short term, then gave me his (almost goofy) grin as I went on my way.

I now feel like I have some control over the situation, and generally, upon reflection, realise that this is OK in a weird sort of way.

If I want to beat this, it is all up to me (and the gastric band)...

You know, I am alright with that!





Tags: Surgery Obesity weight+loss Personal Diet Lap+Band Journey Scales