April 14, 2021

Blood Glucose Battle


It started the end of October 2020.

I should have known it was going to happen at some point - my mother has been a Type 1 diabetic since she was 16 years old.

She's been fighting the blood glucose battle for sixty years.

I now fight that battle as well, but unlike her, I am hoping to control mine with diet.

My doctor really wanted me to start on medication, but she agreed to give me time to see what I could accomplish on my own.

Six months of testing my blood three times a day has helped me gain insight into what foods affect my readings.

And just when I think I have it figured out, it all goes awry again.

An app on my phone helps to track my foods and numbers.

I was never a big sugar or processed food eater, so I thought it was going to be a fairly easy task to get the glucose levels down.

But it was not to be - those carbs do not fight fair.

The grains, veggies, and fruits don't always behave as they should, even when they are included with the proteins and fats that help to offset them.

And it's not only about diet and food.

Exercise and movement play a big part with the numbers as does fluid intake.

 Carrying around access weight has a negative affect for those with Type 2 diabetes.

So it has been a battle of weight loss, correct food choices, exercising regularly, and learning during these last six months.

Those blood glucose numbers are not where I always want to see them even though all the correct food choices were made.

There is nothing easy about this - there's a lot of frustration, and I will continue to try to make it work without the need for medication.

My mother has dealt with several daily insulin injections her whole life.

She had no choice as her pancreas stopped working all those years ago.

With the changes I have been making, I will try to keep mine functioning as long as I can.