So, it has been nine months since my diagnosis. It has sunk in somewhat. With the medication, I have seen my bg come down. I don’t eat as much as I used to (which was recklessly). And now my bg sits at around 120-130 avg. I read everywhere that it is important to find a routine and stick to it. But I don’t eat breakfast usually. I eat lunch and dinner. My doc has me doing fasting bg checks. That is, before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But since I don’t eat breakfast, do I really need to check? By the time lunch rolls around my bg check is like 80-90. I start freaking out. And interestingly enough I notice that I feel more short tempered, headache-y, “on edge”, and tingly all over. Some sugar, and I immediately feel a little better.
I asked my doctor about something that I have been aware of for quite some time, but only just recently thought to ask him about, considering my “condition” now. I only recently learned that it has a name, Sleep Apnea. When I indicated to my doc that I thought I might have it, he asked me why I thought I had it. I told him that I constantly feel tired, I have found myself drifting off while driving for long periods of time. My Mom had mentioned to me in the past that I stop breathing when I sleep, my wife says the same thing, etc. He said, “Yep! You most probably do…”, then mentioned that he would have his front counter people get me in for a sleep study. At the same time, indicating that I need to get in for another A1C. The front counter people told me that they would call me when they had an appointment scheduled. I went in for my A1C on Aug. 2nd, and then just sat around for the call to let me know when my sleep study appointment would be.
One week went by, two weeks, three weeks! Finally I called to find out what the deal was. The person on the phone told me that she saw the note in my chart, but no appointment had been set! WHAT!? So during the shock of that, I didn’t even think to ask about my A1C results. Later that day, I received a voice mail at work that my appointment was scheduled for Sept. 18th.
I went to that appointment, and I was surprised at the detachment I felt from the doctor. He came in, listened to my chest and lungs with his stethoscope, and then asked me, “So what brings you here today?” Why do you think that, yada yada. He explains the sleep study, shows me the rooms, etc. Tomorrow I get to go sleep under someone’s watchful eye, hooked up to a machine with sensors all over my head, chest, and ankle while they monitor, brain waves, respiratory, heart, etc.
I may end up with a breathing machine and mask that I get to go to bed with. But, my Wife might actually get some sleep too, heh. The weird thing is, Sleep Apnea is usually attributed to people who are overweight. But I have apparently had this issue before I gained all my weight.
He tells me that once I am on a CPAP machine, I may find that I will start losing weight and get my irritablilty under control. That studies have shown that lack of a complete nights sleep contribute to rise in appetite and temper. We’ll see.
Then yesterday, I recalled that I still didn’t know what my A1C was from Aug. I called my primary, and the front counter person placed my on hold while she went to retrieve my chart. When she came back to the phone, she informed me that the last A1C they had was back in March. WHAT!? I told her that could not be, that I was just at the lab on August 2nd! She looks through my chart once more, informing that there are two other places she can look, and wahlah! She found it. 6.8, down from 7.7 back in March. Yea!
But it concerns me that twice it seems like they have dropped the ball.
When my doctor first droped the big “D” word on my in January, he told me to get on the Internet, looks stuff up, etc. etc. Sent me home with a meter.
I know I need to change my eating habits, exercise, etc. But he has not set me up with a Dietitian, or otherwise hooked me up with any sort of diabetic life-skills education program. I feel lost! I freak out any time I feel a pain in my chest, or numbness in my arms or legs.
I like my doctor, but I feel like he could be a little more forthcoming with me on what I should be doing. He did say that I would become my own best doctor but damn, we don’t just give our kids some clothes and send them off packing!