As you guys know (because that's about all I've been blogging about), I've been bitching and moaning about some lower back and leg problems for the last 10 months or so.
Some of it (joint pain and fatigue) was probably caused by fibro, and some of it
(aching legs and neuropathy from the waist down) was probably caused by the
deefed out disc in my lower back.
This has been getting progressively worse---and I actually fell down a
couple of times. Seems my legs didn't want to obey the signals from my brain
and did their own thing instead. The nerve blocker I was taking wasn't really
helping, and Advil just wasn't cutting it any more. I was exhausted and overwhelmed all the time.
So I went back to the family doc a couple of weeks ago, and he said,
"when's the last time we did a blood sugar on you?"
It had been about a year. So we did some tests. Oy.
I guess maybe I should have known something was up when I was able to lose
weight quite easily in the last year. I figured I wasn't that hungry in the
past few months because of the pain.
Well. About that.
The next day I was nearly hospitalized when the tests came back. My blood
sugar was 450.
I've got diabetes.
I've been practically asymptomatic. Fruity-smelling urine? No. Blurry
vision? No. Pee a lot? Well yes, but I take diuretics for my heart condition,
so of course I pee a lot. Fatigue? Yes, but that could have been explained by
the fibro. Neuropathy? Yes, but that could have been explained by my injured
disc.
For the past 10 days we've been trying to get it under control. I've been
taking oral meds and avoiding sugar and starches like the plague. Lost another
10 pounds that I really didn't need to lose---which is ironic. I've spent my
adult life trying to keep weight off and suddenly I'm trying to keep it on
before I become a stick figure with boobs.
One good thing that has come of this is that the neuropathy is completely
gone, at least for now. It doesn't seem to have done any permanent damage, and
the relief from the muscle pain and weakness is wonderful. I'm not tired any more and can sleep without all those jabs and electrical shocks along my nerve paths.
I guess the moral to the story is that as we age, it's important to get
regular check-ups and blood work done.
My blood sugar still isn't under control, so I'm going to take off a few
weeks to learn how to manage it. If it doesn't improve any more, I'm going to
have to switch to insulin, and I really, really don't want to have to do
that.
I didn't want you to think I was disappearing on you. I'll catch up with
you all soon.
xoxox
ATM
