On March 1, 2008, I was diagnosed with diabetes. It wasn't clear exactly what was going on when I was first diagnosed.
I immediately went on insulin-- Lantus. I started with 10 units per day and over a short period of days worked up to about 16 units per day. Then, as I started to get some lows throughout the day, I eased off on the number of units. Eventually, by the April, I was not taking any insulin.
I stayed off insulin all summer-- from April until late August. By August, my morning fasting readings were starting to creep up, so I went on Byetta to see if that would help. By December, I was back on insulin.
From what people I have said, this is an usual honeymoon period. But, Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), can develop slowly-- and this seemed to be my case.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
A Diet That Wasn't So Great
On Jan 1, 2007, I decided I needed to go on a diet. I weighed about 185 and needed to get down to about 170. So, I started eating better and exercising more.
The diet worked better than I could have imagined.
By July 2007, I was down to 170.
By Sept 2007, I was under 160 and still going.
I weighed in before and after Thanksgiving weekend and actually lost a few pounds after quite a few huge meals.
At this point, I was mildly worried, but mostly was giving credit to my great new diet.
By the start of 2008, I was under 150 and now my wife was quite worried. My diet really wasn't that great (in fact, I was eating a lot more food and losing weight). And, I was drinking a ton of water and couldn't go more than 2 hours without a trip to bathroom. I was quickly becoming concerned as well.
On the morning of March 1st, 2008 when I went to the doctor's office, I weighed 142 and knew that something was wrong.
My blood sugar levels were 540 and I immediately started injecting insulin. My A1c Level was 14.2%. I was off the charts and needed to get this under control quickly.
Turns out that a lack of insulin makes it impossible for the body to process food. So, I was actually slowly starving to death. The diet wasn't so great after all.
Within 14 days of going on insulin and eating at my pre-insulin levels, I had gained 8 pounds. It was time for a real diet now.
The diet worked better than I could have imagined.
By July 2007, I was down to 170.
By Sept 2007, I was under 160 and still going.
I weighed in before and after Thanksgiving weekend and actually lost a few pounds after quite a few huge meals.
At this point, I was mildly worried, but mostly was giving credit to my great new diet.
By the start of 2008, I was under 150 and now my wife was quite worried. My diet really wasn't that great (in fact, I was eating a lot more food and losing weight). And, I was drinking a ton of water and couldn't go more than 2 hours without a trip to bathroom. I was quickly becoming concerned as well.
On the morning of March 1st, 2008 when I went to the doctor's office, I weighed 142 and knew that something was wrong.
My blood sugar levels were 540 and I immediately started injecting insulin. My A1c Level was 14.2%. I was off the charts and needed to get this under control quickly.
Turns out that a lack of insulin makes it impossible for the body to process food. So, I was actually slowly starving to death. The diet wasn't so great after all.
Within 14 days of going on insulin and eating at my pre-insulin levels, I had gained 8 pounds. It was time for a real diet now.
Why This Blog?
I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 37. Type 1 Diabetes means that your pancreas is failing to produce enough insulin. In most cases, this means that you are dependent on insulin to live. By contrast, Type 2 Diabetes means that your body cannot use the insulin it is making.
My case is a somewhat rare since most Type 1 cases are diagnosed in children and most cases come on pretty fast. Even some folks in the medical profession who deal with Diabetes seemed to be confused by my case.
This type of diabetes is called Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) or Type 1.5.
So, this site is meant to help provide and share information on this type of diabetes.
My case is a somewhat rare since most Type 1 cases are diagnosed in children and most cases come on pretty fast. Even some folks in the medical profession who deal with Diabetes seemed to be confused by my case.
This type of diabetes is called Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) or Type 1.5.
So, this site is meant to help provide and share information on this type of diabetes.
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