lonemagpie

Back from diabetic appointment. They weighed me (twelve stone two in indoor clothes and shoes - rdead centre of the healthy weight for my height), saw that three-month blood sugar reading was bang in the middle of healthy normality ( 48 is diagnostic level, at the beginning of the year it was 42, and today it was 45. And now a third Consultant confirmed that my eyes went off a cliff this year because of getting that too well too quickly - though I was able to read the control-test Buffy book in my pocket while waiting, which I couldn't do three weeks ago) and remained a littl confused about how long the diabetes had been there. Given the options of a couple of decades according to my eyes versus a year or so according to my liver, they split the difference and opted to fill in some forms with "eight to ten years" because they had put something, but admitted basically "we just can't fucking tell with you" (not in those exact words, but...)

I repeated that unusual runs in the family.

Anyway, so they decided that they they reckon I've got it firmly nailed with diet and exercise (to some surprise and impressedness) so have this plan: Halve my insulin dosage for a week, because they're very very convinced I no longer need it, then talk to them next Wednesday, and if mytesting averages haven't shot up (which they say they'd be exceptionally surprised if they did), they'll then stop it entirely for a week. If all goes well and my averages still stay level, they'll sign me off as controlling it rock steady with diet and exercise (which means I'll lose my prescription charge exemption when it expires in 2020, but I feel guilty having one anyway), and if the numbers do anything a little weird they'll prescribe tablets rather than insulin.

So, there we go... Touch wood, all being well, they reckon I won't need actual treatment for the diabetes after another week or so. Though obviously I will still be getting lots of eye surgeries and injections, and they'll still want to shove a camera down me every few months.

So, the diabetes is Type 2, and apparently a relatively recent development. They reckon that - well, they reckon everything about this is unusual, and I was able to confirm that there's a history of "unusual" in the family, not a history of diabetes. Anyway, yeah, they reckon that I'd been pre-diabetic, in danger of it, for years, but not actually diabetic yet because I'd (quite coincidentally in a general attempt to stay fit and healthy) been controlling it. Until this year, when there was a lot of stress (which raises blood sugars), illness ((which raises blood sugars), injury (which raises blood sugars), allergic crap (which... you get the idea) and a course of steroids for that (which *really* raise blood sugars). And then in order to get toe most recent couple of books done, I'd trashed all that controle, skipped meals all over the place, fuelled on cola and cornflakes, and basically... Well, Boom.

However, this means that it too has sort of been caught early - so it and the liver both decided to launch all-out attacks before they were ready and established, which is always a losing move.

Anyway, so they looked at my glucose test record, and declared I've got it under "rock steady" control (the most common number I see is 7.4, down from 9ish last month), and asked if I wanted to a) try switching to tablets, but that the tablets are more for overweight pateints which I'm not, and that they probably actually wouldn't necessarily be right for me. (Unusual, remember). Or, b) stop taking the insulin and see what happens - well, no, cos I don't want any repeats of the bleeding to death on the operating table thing - or c) my preference, dial down the insulin dosage and see what happens. To be on the safe side, they're booking an appointment for the New Year so that the consultant can decide what to do next. Until then I'm to continue with the insulin since I don't want to "see what happens", and if the glucose numbers drop to the 5s and 4s give them a bell to get a lower dosage determined.

They also said I could just do glucoe tests on alternate days if i want, but I actually like seeing an objective run of how the system's functioning, so I'm happy to continue.

FWIW, apparently one particular blood test gives them the sugar reading for three months. When I went in, it was 58, which was just above the diagnostic band for diabetes. Today it was 47, which is *below* the diagnostic score for diabetes. Since there's no actual cure for it, I'm assuming either, a) the insulin is keeping it down, but can probably do with the dosage being reduced, b) it's some kind of false reading since by November 3rd none of the blood in my veins was actually mine, so I dunno if the continuity really works - but they probably thought of that, or c) the new regeneration cycle is working a little too well...!