I was formally diagnosed towards the end of October and my A1C at that time was 8.2. I have been working hard to modify my diet, getting more exercise, and testing regularly (at least 3 times per day).
Its now been about 6 weeks and my doctor decided during my last visit that she needed to get my current numbers so that she knows where I am (We hadn’t done a full panel at my first visit). So, she ordered up a full panel of blood tests including an A1C.
I was very curious to see how I was doing, but I tempered my expectations since I had really only been following my diet, getting more exercise, and testing regularly for 6 weeks. I knew that I had been seeing my numbers consistently between 100 and 140 with an average of 111 across all tests.
I also have seen my weight drop over the past 3 months by close to 30 lbs. All of that exercise and controlling carbs was really starting to show results for me!
So, I went in last week and got the full panel done. My hope was that I’d see improvement in my A1C numbers. So, I set my expectations: Anything lower than 8.2% (my previous number) was a step in the right direction. This is a marathon, not a sprint right? I can’t expect to drastically improve my numbers overnight.
So, I got the results back on Monday and the news was good! My A1C came in at 6.4%, which is frankly just awesome! I am stunned that it came down as much as it did. Woohoo! I got some funny reactions when I shared my news with friends:
“That’s awesome! You’re below 7% which is the dividing line for Diabetes. That means you don’t have it anymore, right?”
(Uh, yeah, no. It doesn’t work that way. Its amazing how little people actually know about this disease, isn’t it?)
“Hey, that’s great news. Let’s go grab a big banana split with whipped cream to celebrate!! :)”
(I think my good friend may be trying to kill me. heh heh.)
I know I could have a banana split if its put together right and I fit into my plans and maybe I will at some point. One of the interesting things for me that I have come to realize is that there are things that while they might be desirable to the old me, they just aren’t worth the cost to me. A good example… I still love to grab Mocha Fraps from Starbucks. But honestly, the carbs in those drinks just aren’t worth the cost to me. At least not on the regular basis I used to enjoy 
Now those things are treats.
The big shock so far: I am really making myself step outside my comfort zone with food and eating things that I normally wouldn’t think of as “my choices.” And you know what? I actually like many of those foods! I am not only eating salads on a more regular basis, but I am ENJOYING them. To me, that’s huge. Its making me realize that I am going to be able to adapt and change as a result of my diabetes and I will survive this transition. I honestly thought before this that I was going to have a really hard time with this. It hasn’t been easy, but it hasn’t been the life ending change I thought it would be.
In a way, I feel like I an becoming an “adult” when it comes to my health and food choices. I am now eating things that a good choices, things that model good health for my children. That’s alone makes this a positive thing. If my kids see me making positive choices that ensure that I will be around for them in the future, hopefully they will internalize those habits and lead a long heatlhy life.
Anyway, I am excited, still motivated to keep pushing. I am in a much better place than I was 3 months ago and that’s about all I can ask for.
Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts, stories, and opinions on this site. Your contributions encourage me to post here and share my thoughts.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for reading!