[Diabetes-talk] Good News?

Wed Sep 2 20:54:23 UTC 2015

Everett,

Congrats, that's great. I was also diagnosed with type one when a kid; I was
four. So I totally understand the struggle to live through your childhood
and teens with diabetes. and I'm 34, so you, like me,  were diagnosed with
everything was so different. Like what you could and could not eat, and
taking insulin and having to stick to a strick carb count or else, smile. So
much has changed with diabetes management, especially for type ones, in
particular, with the advent of insulin pumps. I'm also a pump user, and for
me personally, I've had the best control since going on a pump.

They now know it's not so much about how much sugar you eat or do not eat,
but it's about carbs. Theoretically, for insulin-independent diabetics, once
you count your carbs, you take the designated amount of insulin for your
carb/insulin ratio, and your glucose levels stay consistent. Obviously, it's
not perfect, and lots of things can affect glucose levels-- activity,
stress, illness, etc.-- and some carbs can affect you differently, but it's
still so different than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago and more.

My doctor prefers me to sit around 7.0 for my A1-C's, because when they are
lower, it means I'm constantly low, which sucks. I actually had the best
A1-C's when pregnant, go figure, grin. But I tend to be around 7.0,
sometimes it can go up to 7.5, depending on what's been happening with my
numbers, but in general, it's consistent.

Keep working on it. You can continue to drop that A1-C. It can be
inconvenient at times, but the more control you gain, the better your
health.

Congrats again, and go for the gold, smile.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Everett Gavel via Diabetes-talk
Sent: Wednesday, September 02, 2015 1:56 PM
To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Everett Gavel <everett at everettgavel.com>
Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Good News?

Hello All,

I just realized that, while I've recently begun sharing a little more about
my personal situation with my diabetes publicly on some 'blind diabetic' 
lists, I've yet to share it here on my original and most favorite, most
read, bestest list of them all for blind diabetics. Please forgive me for
that.

I do have some good news to share. Good for me, at least. A week or two ago,
my doc told me my a1c was 8.0. Now, that may not be all that great, but try
to understand, I'm pretty sure it's not been that low, personally, since I
was a young teenager, and possibly even before that.

I got diabetes when I was 10, and all through my teens and 20's, and I'll
admit, even into my 30's truly, I was as stupid, er, stubborn as they come. 
At least in regards to my diabetes. I pretty much ignored it as much as I
could without bringing on a quick death. About all I did for the first
couple of decades (I'm 45 now) was to take my insulin once and for a while
twice a day. That's it.

I never cared what my a1c was on those 3-month appointments I sometimes kept
with my docs. But a few years ago I started smartening up a bit. 
Little by little I tried taking better care of my diabetes. I finally gave
in and got a Medtronic pump about 1.5 years ago.

Today, I can say I finally made the mental switch and gave into the need,
the smarter choice, to actually monitor my glucose levels regularly. 
Nowadays, if I don't test at least 4 times a day, I feel wierd. Maybe it's
some kind of guilt or something, I don't know. But I *like* that it feels
wrong to not test at least 4 times a day, these days.

So, all that being rambled on about, while I realize it may be along the
lines of too little too late, I'm hoping for the other cliche to be more
true, where it says, better late than never. 
;-)

So my BS levels are 8.0. Well, okay, my 'BS' (and
sarcasm) levels are often far higher than that, but, my blood sugar levels
are now most often under 200, and for me, that's great. For decades, my
average has been between 300 & 400 when I'd test it. I've been clocked more
times than I can count, back in the day when the Joslin Diabetes Center was
where I went for my 3-month check ups as a teen, at over 700. These days, I
can't seem to find a monitor that doesn't quit counting around 599 or 600,
seems like. But I don't test em out like that too much anymore either, so
who knows? I'm glad I can say I don't know that for sure, actually.

Anyway, I'm newly inspired by my 8.0 a1c. In 3 months, my new goal is 7.0.
I'm not just counting carbs and taking insulin to cover, now. It's a
challenge, and I love a good challenge. So I'm actually (gasp) paying
attention to what I'm eating, and not just counting carbs. I'm actually
focusing on, go figure, EATING BETTER.

So, I just wanted to share my small bit of good news and new inspiration.
You all, here, have been inspiring to me over the years, and I truly
appreciate all that you share.

Strive On!
Everett
In Colorado Springs, USA

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