Possibilities

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted. Lots has happened in that time. My work has been overwhelmingly busy and challenging. I'm a child therapist and every day I am horrified at the things that children are forced to endure. At the same time, I'm amazed at the resilience of children. I kind of hate the word resilience because it seems to get thrown around as if we don't have to worry about child abuse because kids are naturally "resilient" and will be fine. Yes, there is unbelievable resilience in many children and it's amazing but the things that children have to endure, resilient or not, is not okay.

In other news, I took a weekend trip to California to see family and meet my newborn niece Natalia. She is sweet and beautiful and has a light in her eyes that makes my heart melt.

 Natalia Ann, age 10 weeks

On to health news. I continue to work out like a maniac. Swimming has become an intergal part of my week and I am now swimming 5 miles a week. Finally figured out my freestyle stroke and am doing half a mile of freestyle and half a mile of breast stroke at every work out. I'm amazed at my own swimming capacities and I think I love it!

I saw my endocrinologist last week for the first time since my diabetes diagnosis in December 2011. My endocrinologist is a specialist in thyroid disorders (why I see him every 3 months) and is also a specialist in diabetes. The good news is that my massive thyroid is shrinking. The Endo has an ultrasound machine right in his office and was able to measure my thyroid right then. My blood levels are also "perfect" which is a big part of the energy I have to swim and exercise so much. I've likely been hypothyroid for at least 20 years, quite possibly my entire life. It's amazing how much better I feel now that my thyroid is actually working. No wonder I felt like I was trying to move through molasses for most of my life!

The Endo was very surprised that I was diagnosed with diabetes. He was unhappy with the medication my primary care doctor had me on. One med is very very strong and bad for the pancreas. That medication makes it impossible to lose weight (probably why I've only lost 12 lbs despite all my healthy exercise and eating over the past 3 months) and nearly everyone on it ends up gaining weight. Yikes, that's no good, especially since in order to get off the meds I have to lose weight!

And then the craziness happened. The Endocrinologist told me that he doesn't think I have diabetes! That's right, friends, the diabetes specialist isn't so convinced I'm a diabetic. He thinks the bladder infection and prednisone (for URI) I was taking 2 weeks prior to the go-to-the-hospital-you-are-about-to-fall-into-a-diabetic-coma incident could have made it look like I have diabetes when I actually don't! I don't know if that's the case. My PCP definitely thinks I'm a diabetic.

Either way, I'm taking good care of myself and now have the possibility at a second chance- making lifestyle changes to PREVENT diabetes rather than manage it. 

The Endo took me off the crazy diabetes meds and upped the not so crazy meds (metformin). Since I've been off the crazy meds, my blood sugar has been completely normal. Completely. Normal.

It's only been a week so I'm curious to see what happens in the next few weeks. I get so excited when I am waiting for my glucose meter to tell me my blood sugar levels, I think partly because when the numbers are normal I still have hope that I am not diabetic!

Next PCP appt at the end of April. Next Endo appt in June.