When I sat down at the end of last year to create this year’s goals, I had to take into account my health. For the last 7 years, my health has been in a steady decline. Much of it started when my father passed away in 2016. The overall stress of grief affected my body in ways I didn’t expect. Although, I began to understand the result of it all when I began seeing a therapist for my depression. Much of my depression was also a result of stress. It’s amazing how much your nervous system is tied to everything else in the body.
The doctor I was seeing back then began to treat my diabetes. She started with Metformin, then added glipizide, then added Levemir (long acting insulin), and then Humalog (short or fast acting insulin). Then increased the insulins and the Metformin. My body was in a state of constant revolt. My gastrointestinal issues were worsened by the 2000 mg/day of Metformin, and the diuretic affect of the Levemir with the diuretic I took for my blood pressure wiped out my electrolytes to the point where I couldn’t keep up. Still my blood sugar was between 300 and 500. Nothing worked. My weight continued to creep up. I was exhausted and tired constantly. I was sick to the point that if I died, it wouldn’t surprise me.
Then I started to take some interest in what was going on in my body after my doctor told me I needed to start taking iron because I was anemic. (Anemic? Really? I hadn’t had a period since 2001 and no major surgeries, so why anemic?) I bought the iron. I took some, but no change. Once I started doing the research, I realized that my anemia wasn’t normal. It was a B-12 deficiency. So I added some B-12.
The B-12 didn’t work, per se, but I did more research and found that some people needed methylated B vitamins. I bought those and wouldn’t you know, I saw improvement. Not in my blood sugar. That was still bouncing around all over and it seemed like 300 was normal for me. But my blood work improved. And so did my hypothyroidism. I didn’t need the high 112 mcg of synthroid anymore. But the doctor didn’t check that. “I’m more worried about your diabetes,” she said.
My body went into a state of hyperthyroidism because the B vitamins made my thyroid meds work better. I was losing weight, but at what cost? Nothing changed with the blood glucose levels.
When I moved and lost my insurance, I ended up on no meds at all. The hospital gave me a case worker who got me in to see a doctor and got me some insurance support. This doctor realized right away that something needed to be done, but we started out slow. Metformin. Novolog (long and short term insulin combination). Glipizide. We saw the numbers. We discussed what was going on. I tracked carbs. 250 was the norm. We even added thyroid meds at a much lower dose. Not much change.
Then we added Ozempic to the mix. The first time my blood sugar hit below 200 I nearly passed out. No. Literally. My body felt odd. It was used to adapting to those higher numbers. I didn’t know how to respond.
It has been 3 months since starting the Ozempic. I just increased to the 1 mg dose and decreased my Novolog. We’re hoping to be able to be off all of that, eventually. This has been life changing as the highest my glucose has been was 167, and that was due to me being sick and dehydrated. I’ve lost 10 pounds since starting this journey and 15 pounds lost overall. My goal is to get down to at least 200 by the end of this year. I started at 265 (my highest weight last year after adding back my medications: Metformin and insulin).
I know that people talk about Ozempic weight loss all the time, but as a diabetic, the weight loss is just an added bonus. Having energy because my body is able to actually USE the glucose in my body instead of just storing it, is a blessing. I’ve never felt better! I don’t feel sick all the time. I mean, yes, the side effects of nausea with the Ozempic can get bad, but I found that if I stay hydrated, it isn’t bad. In fact, I’ve gotten used to the medication and all of its nuances.
I know, I know. This blog is about my sewing studio, but I will post about this part of my journey, too, as I go along. Probably not weekly, but at least once a month as it pertains to my end of the year goals. So, come along with me for the ride as I give you a behind the scene look at my life in and out of the studio.
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