Wednesday, July 13, 2011

My Diabetes Turned 21 and All I Got Was This Lousy A1C

Yesterday, I went to my endocrinologist.  She's a very lovely lady.  This is only the second time I've seen her, but I do like her.  She is quick and relatively thorough.  The first time I went to her office, which is in a big medical office building near where I work, I felt like I was going to see some kind of endocrinology celebrity.  There was a HUGE poster in the front lobby with her picture and her credentials on it.  She was down-to-earth and truly listened to my concerns.  You don't get that kind of treatment from a lot of doctors with larger than life pictures, I can tell you that.

We went over my test results, of course.  Kidneys are normal.  Liver and thyroid are also normal.  Always a relief.  LDL cholesterol is slightly elevated (should ideally be 100, it's 120), but that's nothing a little exercise and a healthier diet probably can't fix.  The big issue, the thing that is hardest to admit, is the A1C score.  But hey, to show you that I am just a young woman struggling with diabetes like the rest of the world, here's the number:

9.8.

That's right.  There it is.  It ain't pretty, and yet I'm not really afraid of it.  I feel empowered knowing the truth.  I feel like I'm going to work to fix this, and the tool I'm going to attempt to bring this thing down with comes in a pen:  Symlin.  I haven't used Symlin in a couple of years, but I am willing to give it another go.  When I was using it, it was really working for me.  Using it forced me to pay attention to my blood sugars and also everything that I ate every day.  I had the lowest low I've ever had while taking Symlin: 32 mg/dl.  I was very alert (albeit seeing a few spots) and able to get myself glucose tabs to bring myself back up, but it was enough to let me know that I need to keep an eye on myself at all times. 

And that is precisely what I need right now.  A kick in the pants that says, "Hey you, Type 1!  You gotta work on that shit, remember?"  I really want to remember.

I think my dia-versary was officially sometime last week.  I've never known my exact date of diagnosis--it was pretty traumatic for the family, and my poor mom's memory for the date is foggy. 

My little Type 1 has turned 21!  I propose drinks to celebrate it being legal.  If you think you'd be down for a little d-meetup 21st birthday dinner for my diabetes in the greater Philly area, send me an email:  nrrdygrrl-at-gmail-dot-com.  I'm not celebrating my crappy A1C.  I am celebrating the fact that I am alive, well, and still trying to stay positive and get healthier. 

13 comments:

  1. Attitude is everything, you know...

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  2. Thanks for sharing, Hannah. Particularly the A1C and your doc's response to it. One thing the DOC has taught me over time has been to look at it as a progress report, a way to look forward and know what needs to be done. Not a judgmental look to the past. You're on your way. And happy dia-versary! A celebratory cupcake your way!

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  3. Thank you for such an honest post Hannah. I admire you for being real. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to do better. Happy Diaversary, now you're legal!

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  4. Those are good things to celebrate!

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  5. I can't celebrate with you, but I did celebrate my 21st last year. And even though I didn't have anything to do that day, it was exactly what I had wanted to do! Have fun in your celebrations!

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  6. Congratulations to the grown-up D. You deserve a drink to celebrate exactly as you said: 21 years of living with D and being here to tell your story as it is, A1cs and all. Wish I were in the Philly area to celebrate you with you! :) Good for you.

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  7. Wrong A1C, Right Attitude.
    Way to go!

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  8. Hannah, I hate HbA1c as a "measure" because a) although lower HbA1c's can reduce the incidence of complications, they cannot ELIMINATE that possibility completely (not even the DCCT showed this!) -- some with great HbA1c's get complications, and some with horrible HbA1c's don't and b) the number does not measure the amount of EFFORT that patients put into managing things -- in fact, that doesn't show up in the numbers ANYWHERE! I like the title to today's post, BTW ... and I think the way you're handling it is tremendous. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Andrea Wrape2:44 PM

    Congrats on the Diaersary! I know you will wrangle that A1C down. I am going to retry Symlin myself (hopefully) Good Luck!

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  10. I will have a drink for you... is it okay to drink by myself??

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  11. Anonymous10:31 AM

    I know it it tough when you get those uncool numbers, but trust me you have the right attitude. My numbers changed when I made a conscious decision to look better and even named it "operation sexy man". Exercize sucks, but not having a tummy rocks, and my A1C keeps going to better levels. Don't set the goal as I have to get my A1C down to prevent complications, rather set your goals as I want to look good and feel better, the other things just fall into place. Keep up the good work, you are doing great.

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  12. I enjoyed reading your blog for the first time today Hannah! Even though your diaversary was 6 days ago, Happy Diaversary girl! You sound positive and courageous and I applaud you. I will be celebrating my 43rd this October - such a wonderful anniversary to celebrate.

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  13. I'm so glad you shared this, we all have our ups and downs with the D but that's part of the journey. Hang in there, like my doc always reminds me, this is a marathon not a sprint. There are going to be rough patches or patches we're less than thrilled about :) Sending hugs your way and so glad I found your blog.

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