CynW's Page

(My profile photo was taken in May 2007, along the kora at the Ganden Gompa (monastery) in Tibet!My dance with diabetes began in the Spring of 1983 when my OB-GYN diagnosed gestational diabetes... at that time, he/they told me I would be fine after the babies (twin boys) were born. No long term consequences. Sixteen years later, in 1999, I went to my family doctor for fatigue. Result was high blood sugar. She told me to change my diet and get some exercise; she'd check me in 6 weeks. I pulled out my old diabetic menus and carb- & exchange-counting information from when I was pregnant, and managed to lose 20 pounds by the time I returned. She was pleased, I felt wonderful, and she only did some minor tests.
    We moved to Mississippi 3 months later, and over the next 7 years I slowly gained it back. So, Friday, April 6th, 2006, I was at the doctor's for a physical (required by the university before an international study program). Before I could get home, his nurse called to tell me he wanted to see me on Monday; my blood sugar was "dangerously high" and he wanted to put me on medication immediately.

    I was really scared. He put me on 500mg of Metaformin per day, and told me to eliminated all carbs from my diet, get some exercise. A week later when he checked my FBG it was 95! He was flabbergasted and asked me what I had done. Only followed his instructions. He said the med could not account for that much change, that I was "diet-sensitive" -- I must admit that at that point in my life more than half of what I consumed was carbs in one form or another.

    He wasn't happy with the drop in my AC1 by mid-May (8.9%, FBG 105, BP 116/71), and put me on 1000 mg of Metaformin per day. Over the next couple of weeks, I lost an additional 20 pounds, which made a total of 30; the first 10 were result of the high BG. By September it had dropped to 5.9%, and to 5.2% when tested in January 2007!! In April 2007 it was back up to 5.9%, and the most recent test (10/31/2007) was 5.4%.

The doctor dropped me from two 500mg per day of metaformin/glucophage to one. He kept talking about my "good control" but I know many days I fall short of eating (& living) the way I should for the greatest long-term benefit. It's a battle every day. And it's tiring. So support like one finds here is essential. Thanks, everyone!