It’s a daily struggle trying to make sure your blood sugars are regulated and you stay alive. Yes people, it’s that dramatic for me. Wake up, poke. Eat lunch, poke. Dinner, poke. Only to wake up and do it all over again. When I was diagnosed in 2012, I was devastated and angry. I had gestational diabetes all four of my pregnancies, but it went away after the delivery of each child. One day I woke up and felt weird. We were driving in the car and I remember having to pee. Like the “I can’t hold it” kind of pee. There was nowhere to pull over so I ended up peeing in a Starbuck’s cup left in the car (TMI – I know). It was the first sign of what was to come.
A few weeks later I woke up with severely blurred vision and because of my close-knit relationship to hypochondriac-ism (new word, LOL) I just knew I was going blind. I could see clearly through the prescription glasses of those around me, so I thought my vision was going bad. Made an appointment with the Optometrist. The assistant came in and went through the lenses asking, “this one, or that one?”. The doctor came in and asked what was going on and in Jazmine like fashion I responded, “Doc, I think I’m going blind.”
He asked me one question that I had never thought of, “Are you a diabetic?” I responded no, because at that time I was not. He sent me to the lab for blood work. The results came back later that evening and my fasting blood sugar was over 300. I received a call from the doctor asking me to come in to discuss my results. It was that day that I was told that I had Type 2 diabetes. Can we take a moment of silence…………………………………….This was not what I wanted to hear. I was never a fan of sweets but as soon as he said diabetes, all I could think about was peach cobbler, pound cake, rice crispy treats, sweet potato pie, and twix.
I had to change my entire life.
I’ve never been a big person but when I was diagnosed, I was about 145 lbs at 5’2.5”. I was told I was overweight. THE NERVE! I liked to think of myself as slim thick LOL. I was now checking my blood sugar several times a day and eating much different. Due to my lack of knowledge about the disease I was afraid to eat. I was reading labels and didn’t know what I was looking for. Three words, everything in moderation. I met with a registered dietician. She wasn’t helpful at all. How did I learn what to do and what not to do? Doing research. Avoiding foods high in sodium such as processed foods. Fresh is best. Staying away from saturated and trans fats. Eating healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and chia seeds. Have you ever checked the sugar content in the foods you eat? Probably not. I never really paid attention until I had to pay attention. There is sugar in everything! I stopped what I like to call “eating blindly”.
I began exercising, nothing extreme, but enough to lose 10lbs. It may not sound like a lot, but it did wonders for my A1C (Average blood glucose over a couple of months). Last result was 6.0. It’s a daily balancing act. What to eat, what not to eat. A constant struggle to resist the work of Satan a.k.a Cinnabon. Can someone tell me why they waft the smell through the vents of every mall across the country? Okay I’m back. Overall I’m making it work. Some days are better than others, but what I do know is that, I am NOT the disease.
Until next time…❤️