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October 27 Blood tests Latest blood test results (blood tests done last Monday, 19 October): HbA1c (long-term blood sugar) - 5.3 (normal under 6.1) Fasting blood sugar - 4.92 (normal 3.3 - 6.05) Ferritin (iron) - 26 (normal 10-310); last measure 6 months ago was 13 TSH basal - 3.22 (normal .35 - 5.5) FT4 - 14.7 (normal 11.5-22.7) FT3 - 4.02 (normal 3.5-6.5) So basically, all blood values for thyroid and blood sugar are currently A-OK. August 24 Blood sugar Blood sugar yesterday before breakfast: 93. :( Blood sugar today before breakfast: 85. :) August 22 Blood sugar Blood sugar before breakfast: 88. 1 hour after breakfast plus 1/2 hour walk: 103. August 21 Blood sugar One hour after lunch: 127.  I didn't even eat all that much. 1 cup of brown rice (okay maybe a bit more, I eyeballed it), some stir-fried chicken with vegetables, and a cup of carrot/apple salad with yogurt/mayonnaise dressing. *is sad* Blood sugar Before breakfast: 89. 1 hour after breakfast (and a bike ride): 105. Blood sugar 1 hour after lunch: 103 (new strips, I threw the old ones away) :) Blood sugar still not great With the new test strips, 1 hour+ after breakfast: 120. :( Reprieve I am so relieved ... temporarily, anyway. The new blood sugar test strips are giving consistently lower results than the old ones. Yesterday after lunch: Old: 112, New: 98. (Although both results are 'normal', I sure like the lower one better!) Yesterday after dinner: Old: 98, New: 85. This morning before breakfast: Old: 93, New: 87. This is the critical measure, because consistent readings over 90 after 12 hours fasting indicates a need for medication. I will keep measuring with the new strips for several days in a row now, and see if it stays under 90. I am going to go on the assumption that the old ones are no longer accurate, and not panic for the time being. August 19 Sad day for blood sugar It's not getting any better. Fasting blood sugar: 95 (should be under 90). 1 hour after breakfast: 122 (should be under 120). :( I am sad. I have done so much, I am probably the most compliant person a doctor could hope for in terms of diet and exercise. I feel like my body is betraying me. I am going to pick up the fresh test strips today, but I have a feeling it won't make any difference. Medication is going to be unavoidable. August 18 Blood sugar Wow, it's been over 2 months since I did blood sugar measurements! Bad me. I did a measurement this morning when I got up, and it was 98. That seemed a bit high, so I did another one, and it was 103.  It should be under 90 fasting.The test strips expired in November 2008, so maybe that has something to do with it, but when they are really old, they show either no result, or wildly inaccurate results, not just a few points too high. So I have ordered new test strips anyway, will see if that makes a difference. I tested blood sugar one hour after breakfast and it was 113. Also just a bit higher than I would like, but still within normal range of under 120. Lunch: 86 Dinner: 128.  1/2 of a pizza margarita, 1/2 cup of carrot and cucumber salad with yogurt, oil, and vinegar dressing.June 02 Blood sugar and other updates Pre-breakfast: 88. Post-breakfast: 99 (2 Weetabix, 1+ cup raw milk) Post-lunch: 92 (1 cup leek/carrot cream soup, 1-1/2 cups white flour pasta with tomato sauce, egg, olives) Note to self: Do not test blood on area of fingers that will touch the computer keyboard. l, o, ., ', and backspace keys covered in bloody smears from testing on ring finger of right hand after lunch. :p At least my iron count seems to be good (ferric aftertaste). I've been using the Rosalux pretty regularly (although admittedly not really twice a day every day), and my skin is much clearer. Although there is still a very stubborn patch on my left cheek. The patch on my right temple is gone (the skin is just dark pink there, but not broken). I'm not sure whether I should keep applying the creme to the parts that appear healed, but I'm doing it anyway just in case. My left eye has been very dry at night again. Very painful until well into the morning. I dumped water onto it from my bedside water bottle as soon as I woke up this morning, to no avail. Just succeeded in getting the pillow soaking wet. April 17 Blood test, rosaceaI went for a blood test last week. Results:
Ferritin 13 (previously 20; normal 10-310)
TSH 4.16 (previously 1.31; normal 0.35-4.5)
FT4 14.3 (previously 14.7; normal 10.3-21.9)
FT3 4.07 (previously 4.23; normal 3.08-6.47)
So basically, my thyroid is working slightly less efficiently, but the dosage of the Levothyroxine is still okay. My iron is pretty low, but not awful. I have to try and take my iron pills more regularly (darn, forgot again today...)
I also got a prescription for Metronidazole for my rosacea. The results were instantaneous. Overnight, the swelling and irritation was reduced drastically. I will continue the therapy for 2 months, after which time I will hopefully have a peaches-and-cream complexion. Adverse reactions include watery eyes, which will work well to combat my dry-eye syndrome, so it's win-win. :D March 30 Pap smear normal againI got back the results from my followup Pap smear on Saturday. I was too scared to open the envelope, though, in case it was abnormal I didn't want to ruin my weekend and worry about it and not be able to do anything until Monday, so I waited until this morning to open it. It was normal. March 20 pap smear followupToday I went for my followup pap smear after the irregular result a few months ago. Results should be back in 10-14 days. February 28 2 solutions for my dry eyesI am still plagued by dry eyes. I wake up often during the night with a sharp pain in my left eye, always in the same spot, where the eyelid is stuck to the eyeball. It continues to hurt well into the morning, after I get up. It then gets better during the day, only to start up again toward the evening. I believe it is exacerbated by onions. I often cook with onions, but cutting them always stings my eyes, to the point where I have to wash my eyes out, and then they continue to hurt for the rest of the evening.
I have pretty much solved the onion problem now, though (no, I didn't stop cooking with onions, that would be too tasteless): My cousin's wife, Vicky, suggested lighting a candle while cutting onions. Weird enough to work. And for me, it does work. :-) I can now cut onions and not have it sting at all.
My second problem, I think, is my moisturizer. I noticed that when I put moisturizer on my face, my eyes dry out much earlier in the evening than when I don't use moisturizer. But my skin is so dry, if I don't moisturize my face (and hands), the skin gets cracked and bleeds. So I have to use it, but put up with the dry eyes. I mentioned the problem with my eyes and the moisturizer to the doctor, and he just laughed and said, what are you doing, rubbing the moisturizer into your eyes? Ha ha. No, but I'm sure it's doing something, osmosing through the skin or something.
I have tried so many different moisturizers: name brands, prescription, generic, boutique stuff, you name it. Some are better or worse, but now I think I've found one that doesn't seem to dry my eyes out: Prix Garantie Handcream from Coop. It keeps my skin soft all day, and my eyes are not dry in the evening. February 27 blood sugarI've been scared to test my blood sugar lately because I haven't been exercising much. But I ate a lot for dinner tonight and figured I'd better check. Happily, it was only 105.
Everyone in the house has been sick recently. It is a cold with a fever that lasts for about 4 days. I haven't gotten it (yet). January 27 Blood sugarBlood sugar this morning, fasting: 87.
1-hr. after lunch: 83 (1 cup lettuce and grated carrot salad with olive oil/lemon juice/mayonnaise/grated cheese dressing, 1 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup tomato sauce with zucchini and onion, 1 chicken cordon bleu, large) January 08 Blood sugar, headacheBlood sugar 1 hr. after lunch today: 88. 3 slices of pastete (meat baked in crust), 1 cup red/yellow pepper fried in oil, 1 cup endive/carrot salad with mayonnaise/oil/vinegar dressing, 1 blood orange. Plus a 10-minute walk in the cold taking Kati to school. :)
A couple of days ago, I had sort of a mild headache and nausea. It felt like a flu coming on. I even felt like I was getting a fever. I lay down for the afternoon, felt a bit better in the evening. Still am not feeling 100%, so probably have some virus going through. Not bad enough to really feel sick, though. |
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