Even though I only had my A1c done a month ago I had it done again today because I had some other bloodwork done as well, so my doctor just put it down.
I was kind of hoping it would be a point or two lower than it was before. I know I wouldn't expect it to be hugely lower, but I have kept up decent control for the past month. I was kind of disappointed that it came back at 7.4%. I find it sooooooooo hard to stay motivated when my efforts don't result in any improvement. :( But of course I will keep it up ...
It also kind of ticks me off that I woke up with a blood sugar of 5.6, but by the time I got to the lab an hour and a half later my fasting blood sugar according to them is 8.1. I was also 7.7 in the middle of the night. So I think my basal rates are off, but I really don't understand it because other nights I have been lower in the middle of the night and higher when I wake up. I don't know how to adjust things when I'm getting different results like that.
I was also REALLY disappointed that my cholesterol has gone up! For two years my endocrinologist wasn't happy with my cholesterol and wanted to put me on medication if it stayed high. Well, I asked him to wait a year and a year later (last year) it was heading down so he was quite happy. Well, now it's back up again almost to its high point. I thought eating lower carb was supposed to help cholesterol, not make it worse. My HDL cholesterol has also been creeping downwards which I don't like, although I don't have to worry much about it because it was fairly high to begin with. But I really do NOT! want any cholesterol medication.
I don't think my cholesterol numbers are that bad but they used to be much better a few years ago (higher HDL, lower LDL and total cholesterol and lower triglycerides although triglycerides aren't high) and I would really like to get them back there. I would also really like to get my A1c down below 7% but it is seriously discouraging to put in 110% effort and not see a change. I will get my A1c done again in about two months for my endocrinology appointment and it would be great if it could be at least a FEW points lower by then, just for my own motivational sake!
Also, the slow, slow weight loss I was managing to do seems to have stopped and reversed its progress this past week, which is also super discouraging. I don't know anyone else who puts so much effort into things and gets no results. I have a friend (non-diabetic) doing pretty much the same thing as me to lose weight and she has lost 3x the weight in half the time. So discouraging. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just missing something really obvious in terms of what I'm doing. (Also because I know someone will bring it up, I had my thyroid checked and everything there is in range.)
Oh well. Very discouraging day but I'll just keep plugging away. *sigh* I see my GP next week to go over the bloodwork so maybe he will make me feel better about things.
I hear you on taking statins & don't want them either. Too risky.
It's not lower carb, but low carb that makes a dramatic improvement in lipid profile. Did for me & for many others.
Know you said you've been you've been tested for hypothyroidism. Low thyroid has a huge impact on serum lipids. Did your endo do a full thyroid panel, including Free T3, Free T4 & Reverse T3? The problem is that many go undiagnosed & untreated because doctors tend to only test TSH & that is useless in determining thyroid function.
Mostly I don't want medications because I'm 30 and don't want to feel like a 60 year old (no offense to those of you who are 60!). I was on BP medications for a while but my BP is sort of up and down so doesn't seem to be truly hypertension, so we've stopped them for now.
I'm currently eating just over 100 grams of carbs a day. This is much lower than I was a year ago (250-300g/day) so I am just disappointed things have gone backwards.
My GP tested TSH and Free T4, which were both normal and not anywhere near out of range. A thyroid issue would definitely explain a lot of the problems I've been having, though.
Low carb does help cholesterol, but not always right away. In the first few months of low-carbing, the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood stream often increases because the body is burning fat. I don't know if that's happened to me because I haven't had my cholesterol checked since the fall and, in any case, I know my thyroid was very low, which also causes elevated cholesterol. Wait it out. Your cholesterol levels should drop beautifully in awhile. Give it 6 months before you do anything else. And please, please, please don't let anyone talk you into taking statins for elevated choletterol! The evidence is overwhelming: they don't do anything. That is, they've never yet been shown to make a difference to mortality from any cause. They DO make a lot of money for drug companies! They also have some very serious and potentially fatal side effects, including muscle damage. Statins also promote insulin resistance, which is the last thing we need! Jenny Rhul points to some very important studies on her website, Blood Sugar 101.
If you're finding that you're losing weight more slowly than you think you should be, you might consider cutting back on the amount of protein you're eating. Dr. Bernstein tells people to reduce the amount of protein they eat at one meal by 30%. If you do that at lunchtime every day for a few days, you should see some change in your weight. If not, he says to cut back protein by 30% for a different meal, in addition to the first one, and see how that goes.
Also, ironically, if you're not eating enough fat, your metabolism can slow down a great deal. Increasing the amount of fat can speed it up again. It seems that our bodies may interpret lower fat intake as a sign that we're starving and so they do everything they can to stop losing weight. Michael Eades--one of the authors of the Protein Power diet--has some good articles on his blog about this. Here's one about starting or re-starting a low-carb diet.
Thanks for all that information, I will check it all out. I think I will cut out more carbs rather than protein if I don't start losing weight again soon. That would also let me lower the amount of insulin I'm taking.
You really should have Free T3 & Reverse T3 tested to know what's going on. The assumption is that if you have sufficient T4 it's ok because T4 converts to T3, but with impaired thyroid function enough isn't converted. Due to numerous factors, Reverse T3 levels can be high. RT3 doesn't get into cells & is the way excess T3 is cleared from the body. Once FT3 & RT3 are known, there's a ratio. Depending on the ratio, there are different treatment routes. Thyroid problems are harder to deal with diabetes.
Thanks for the information. I have never heard of Reverse T3 but will ask about it at my next appointment. Do you know of any website or other resource with information about this stuff in case my doctor has no idea what I'm talking about (wouldn't surprise me, really)?
Most docs don't know about RT3:) Had mine tested & my doc said it was fine, but it wasn't because the ratio was horrible. Yea, you'll probably have to teach him. www.stopthethyroidmadness.com is a great resource. Not the easiest site to navigate, but worth it for the info.
I have high cholesterol too, and am one of those who seem to make cholesterol on their own, without the help of all the sausage that I eat. I wouldn't be afraid of the latest in cholesterol fighting meds.
I am on statin drugs for the problem, because it needs to be controlled, and I don't know what I can do, because our collective diet is so limited. There is going to be some fat an most proteins, and because of carb restrictions, there is little choice in foods. I know cost can be an issue, but cardiovascular health is much more important, especially as we age. I take 80 mg of Lipitor daily and another medication called Zetia, and it has cut my cholestrol levels by about 90 percent, bringing them to levels that are far more acceptable than when I was not taking those drugs.
I know that as diabetics, we take a lot of meds, and wonder sometimes if it is all worth it. In my case, it is. Since the cholesterol meds, Plavix, metformin and insulin through the Animas pump, My life hasn't been this good in a long time. There is no need to be afraid of this. It will do you well.
Thanks Brian. I think if my cholesterol were really high I would be more open to medications.z But by "high" I mean barely borderline high ... like, if I wasn't diabetic I don't think there would be talk of "high cholesterol" at all. So that, combined with the fact that I am fairly young, makes me MUCH prefer to try and avoid medication, especially because it doesn't need to come down by much.
Several years ago,I was prescribed a statin by my endo because I was black, diabetic, and middle aged. My cholesterol wasn't even borderline high. He just wanted the bad cholesterol under 70, which he said was "impossible" without statins in a woman of my demographic.No other reason. I took the lipotor, then Zocor and felt awful( low blood pressure, headaches, muscle pains and fatigue; stopped taking them after 6 weeks. I was told I was non-compliant. I researched the options and started taking 1000 mg of Omega-3 in the big gel capsules 2x daily, at breakfast and dinner. I got the bad cholesterol to under 70 in 6 months, good cholestorol to great levels. My doctor saw the results ( I visit him quarterly) and he confirmed that I do not need to take the statins. My c-reactive protein level, which tests body inflammation,( at a high level such inflammation tion is a precursor to heart disease), remains in the "optimal" range. So give it a try. I find that the brand name really does not make a difference as long as you take at between 1600 and 2000 a day. It is ok to take suopplements and drugs if they help you Jen. Do NOT get discouraged. My a1c is very slowly cominmg down from my pre-reitrement high of 7.8 I am now at 7.2 and I am pushing for 6.6 to 6.8 by the next quarterly visit in March. Slow and steady wins the race...I also have had bummed out days, even weeks where I do not even want to test my blood sugars multiple times ( the inexpicable blood glucoses get to me infrequntly, I bolus or treat the low bgs and keep going) sometimes the CGM is on the blitz and I say why bother to do all this work? Because I matter!! and I can see how I am feeling better with exercise and with lower carb ( no more than 45 a meal, except on weekends when I go out with friends to eat, usually Sunday dinner). I also eat fairly non-traditional meals , as I will have a salad with cottage cheese and an omelette for breakfast this mornng. I use Olive oil as a dreing and I have not found that my cholesterol nor BP rises from such meals. I feel completely full and have energy.
I know I have encouraged you to not measure yourself against the A1c or the particular weight on the scale. We all struggle against our condition. The true measure of your progress is in the changes that you have made. And you have made very significant changes. It does seem that you are fighting against something, it is holding you back. You may think that because your A1c did not drop that your efforts didn't matter. But I ask you to really think about this. What do you think your A1c would have been without all your efforts? Yes. It would have been higher.
After hearing so much of your journey, it does seem like there is something more going on with your health.
I would advise you to read the book by Gary Taubes "why we get fat" makes a lot of sense to me. I have ben on a very low carb diet for 11 mo. my last a1c was 5.8. lipids ar great.
I read that book a few months ago on the recommendation of some people here, and it's actually why I started lowering my carbs to begin with ... I'm eating around 100 grams per day and will probably go lower, but I am taking it slowly so that I will actually stick with the changes. I am disappointed that going from 300 grams per day to 100 grams per day hasn't had any impact on my blood sugars, weight, or cholesterol, I would have expected it to have at least some positive impact. Oh well ... Today I redoubled my efforts and ate 79 grams of carbs (51 grams if fibre is subtracted) so I will try to stick to this and see if it had any effect in a couple of months.
Hi Jen, I've really enjoyed following your progress and I thank you for sharing your story. I've been struggling myself over the last year due to female hormone changes. I think you're doing a great job of making the appropriate changes and continuing to look for things that will work for you.
Is it possible that even though your A1c has not dropped yet (because I believe it will) that perhaps your trend lines are flatter anyway? That's what I've found with my own struggle. My last A1c had not dropped as I wanted either (so I know your disappointment) but I had at least managed to eliminate almost all lows without my A1c increasing so that's an accomplishment too. Look at your numbers a little closer and look for those incremental improvements to keep you going.
I just know that your next A1c will show improvement as you keep making adjustments. ;) And we look forward to celebrating that with you!
