Friday

I went to the doctor this morning for my 3 month checkup. Sigh. My A1C was 7.2, which averages a 170 blood sugar for 3 months. My dr was very encouraging and didn't scold me. He said since I have been so ill the past 2 months that is probably it.

He did change my medications. I am now taking Janumet, which is a combination of metformin and sitagliptin (Januvia.) I did take glipizide when I was first diagnosed and only had to take it for about 6 weeks. After that the metformin controlled my blood sugar levels.

He also changed the triglyceride med from Lovastatin to Simvastatin. I'm stopping Lovastatin right now and will wait to start simvastatin (I have to get my meds via a mail in pharmacy.) If my blood sugar numbers drop, then I'm not taking any statin. I'll eat lettuce and chicken to keep the blood sugar and triglycerides down. My overall cholesterol is 192, but the good cholesterol is a little low and the bad cholesterol is a little high and my triglycerides are a little high. Thus the tricor and simvastatin. I'll just experiment (I can hear the drs out there shuddering.)

I am able to control my blood sugar through the diabetic exchange diet and exercise. Since I have been on Lovastatin, the numbers are through the roof. I have been researching on the Internet and there are cases of blood sugar being unmanageable with the statins. Also, it says in the patient inserts that statins can cause blood sugar to go up. We'll see.

The dr also put me on lisinopril to protect my kidneys. I guess he does that to all of his patients with diabetes. My blood pressure was 128/90 (it has been 122/75.) So not too bad. I feel like a walking pharmacy.

Now I have chest congestion. My mom has bronchitis and that is what I thought it was. But the dr said that it is asthma, I am wheezing big time. So now I have an inhaler (Symbicort). He also wrote a prescription for a Z-Pack for me to have in case I cough up colored mucus with a fever. So far just a tight cough and wheezing.

Let's see, what other exciting things did I do today? I am testing out the portable oxygen unit to see how long it lasts. I had a bit of a problem filling it this morning, it ran out after about 20 minutes. I did have a big ole green tank in my car, so I was OK. As soon as I got home I refilled it again and it lasted about 10 minutes. So I called Praxair.

They were very nice. George told me when I filled the portable tank to press down on the top of the unit until it is full. I wasn't doing that. And it worked. That was at 12:15 pm. It is now about 8:45 pm and it is still going strong. I'd like the unit to last at least 11 hours. I'll be testing it tomorrow when I go up to SLC. Of course I will have the big ole green tank along just in case. 11 hours will get me to work and back home (I plan on an hour to and an hour from work, with 8 hours of work and a 30 minute lunch. I may have to plan on an hour lunch initially.) We'll see. The best part is that I have had the unit at 2 liters per hour. I am usually at 1 liter per hour, but the wheezing is making my lungs unhappy.

I also got the pulse oximeter today. Excitement city. Of course I played with it. With the oxygen set at 2, my blood oxygen is between 94 and 96. The next experiment was to take off the oxygen, go to the bathroom, get my blood testing kit, and then take the blood oxygen. It was 80. Oops. Way too low. The good news is that my blood oxygen does go up to 90 after about 45 seconds after putting the oxygen back on. I guess I will be on the oxygen for quite awhile.

I then walked with the oxygen on at 2 and my oxygen level was 88. Not good. I'm pretty sure it is the wheezing causing these problems because on Tuesday the numbers were much better.

My next experiment is to turn the oxygen down to 1 and see what my blood oxygen is. I lead such an exciting life. However, the pulse oximeter will help me keep on track.

I almost forgot. I asked for a handicap sign for my car. The only time I plan on using it is at work. The building is set an at odd angle. There are no parking places in front of the building for the employees. However, there are 3 handicapped parking stalls. For the winter I am going to use it. The cold air does a number on my lungs. I also hate to trudge through the ice and snow in the parking lot. I can even ask for 2. I do plan on walking everywhere else because I need the exercise.