Wednesday, February 9, 2011

This & That

I found out last week that my A1C went up to 9.9 and there was a likelihood that my legs had lost about 50% of their blood pressure. Not the best news one gets from their doctor but there was very good news as well. My BP was 118 over 74, Triglycerides are 120, Cholesterol is 170, the rest of my blood work is excellent except for my A1C. It kind of befuddles my doctor that I’m 254lbs, diabetic and I don’t have high blood pressure so it’s good to have something in control. I just need to get my blood sugar in control so the doctor has added Victoza on top of the Actos + (pioglitazone hydrochloride and metformin hydrochloride), Onglyza & Lipitor, even though I’m normal in this Diabetics have to be even lower than normal people so the makers of Lipitor make oooodles of money. I also take children's aspirin and 1000 mg of cinnamon.

The Victoza has seen high cancer rates in test mice and is considered something you use when other things have been tried and failed. I could of course improve my diet and I’m working on that. I was at the Hospital most of the day today getting an ABI test and it was a strange test. They have these little cuffs for taking BP from your big toes, they also get an idea if the person being tested has Diabetic Neuropathy.

Diabetic Neuropathies are a family of nerve disorders caused by diabetes. People with diabetes can, over time, develop nerve damage throughout the body. Some people with nerve damage have no symptoms. Others may have symptoms such as pain, tingling, or numbness—loss of feeling—in the hands, arms, feet, and legs. Nerve problems can occur in every organ system, including the digestive tract, heart, and sex organs. Disappointed smile 

I don’t believe I have any Neuropathy so when she activated the cuffs it actually tickled and you could hear the blood flow stop. It was weird listening to my heart beat from different areas of my body, the sound is different in your feet than say in your arms. Thankfully the BP in my feet was higher than in my arms although the technician said this doesn’t mean I don’t have a problem, which I won’t know for a few days when the results will be sent to my doctor.  

To top off last week the cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (initial diagnosis was possible diabetes, we have confirmation now she doesn’t have diabetes) and the dog has 2 different kinds of worms. The cat is going to get a radiation injection that should “cure” her condition at the cost of $1,200.00 so she goes in for this injection and special care on Feb 28th.

We’ll get her back after 3 days I think and then she has to be kept under lock and key for 2 or 3 weeks during which time she will surely drive me insane in the membrane begging to be released from her bedroom. Well, it will be her bedroom for about 3 weeks and she will meow 24x7 for you guessed it, 3 weeks and trust me, she can meow non-stop endlessly. Disappointed smile

The dog keeps finding new ways to get infused with varieties of worms and we get her cleaned out and she goes and gets infected… again… Hey, maybe I can move into the RV during this period, nah, the storage facility will surely frown upon that.

The cat will hopefully be cured because the injection, if it doesn’t work, can cause the opposite problem so we’re praying for the best. I pretend to hate the cat and she does an excellent job of pretending to hate me.

I’m going to add much more walking into my routine, I walk about 3 miles a day now but I need to do much more. When we go camping I’m going to go for early morning walks and another walk before bedtime. Well, that’s it for now, perhaps a little TMI but it is what it is! Have a great night!

7 comments:

Big Matt said...

Well, look on the bright side, your blood pressure is better than mine.

Last time I stuffed my arm in the little blood pressure machine it came back reading 148/82.

Sue and Doug said...

things could be worse!...poor kitty and your poor wallet!!

Diana said...

Hi Erik!
Sorry to hear about your diabetic problems. I know some people that have it and I had it when pregnant but it went away. I think that exercise is your best bet and walking is great! My Pastor is diabetic and walks everyday, he has lost quite a bit of weight.
But it's good to hear about your BP and cholesterol! I have high of both! And am on meds for it. My husband, a big guy, is fine?!!
I hope the treatment works for your kitty. And just keep worming your dog on a regular basis. When they play outside they get into all kinds of interestingly nasty things!!!
Keep walking Erik, Love Di ♥

Margie and Roger said...

Sorry to read about your high A1C. Hang in there, walking should help. Then maybe you can work on watching what you eat. Roger has learned that certain things really trigger a spike - like yeast rolls.

Erik's RV Blog said...

This morning the walk to work was in -8 temps before the windchill. Even I was cold!

Karen and Al said...

Whew...lots of medical issues. I've heard Cinnamon is good for blood sugar levels...I need to start taking it.

I'll be very interested in hearing about kitty's thyroid injection. We've had several cats with thyroid problems over the years and treated with meds. It's hard to keep it regulated.

Erik's RV Blog said...

Karen,

I take 1,000mg of cinnamon each morning and have no proof if it helps but it does have other benefits so I keep taking it.

My wife is actually at the vet right now with the cat to make sure the procedure will work with our 12 year old cat.

Thanks for stopping by!
Erik