The Dreaded Slippery Slope

Today is Near Miss Day which commemorates March 23rd, 1989, when a large asteroid missed the Earth by a mere 500,000 miles – a very near miss indeed! What would you do if an asteroid was about to hit the Earth – how would you spend your last hours, and would you even want to know?

I love that last question they ask...  would you even want to know?  If a large asteroid was hurling through the sky toward our planet and it would surely destroy it on impact, would you want to know?

Well, today I have a similar question to ask all Pre-Type 2 Diabetics.  If you knew that there was red sticky syrup running through your veins instead of the thin and easily portable blood that should be running through them - would you really want to know?  Make a decision - now.

If you answered no, let me tell you about the consequences of your decision.  You have just opted to change nothing about your lifestyle to improve your health.  That is certainly your right, however, you have also shortened your life span (of course we all know we could get hit by a bus - but it's not likely).  The longer you allow your blood to remain thick and sticky and cumbersome on your body, the more likely you are to develop complications.  

The tricky part about the complications of Type 2 Diabetes is - you don't know where they will hit.  If it manifests itself in the form of kidney disease, you may not have any symptoms at all - in fact, it's not likely that you will have any symptoms!  You will feel a little tired and fatigued - but - who doesn't, right???  

You may begin to feel a little "needles and pins" sensation in your lower leg or maybe even your arm.  You put it down to maybe too much sitting - so you decide you need to start walking.  That's good in theory, but then you start walking and realize that the pain is setting in and it hurts too bad to take a real walk.  Peripheral Neuropathy is damage to nerves and unfortunately is not reversible.  

Have you been for an eye appointment lately?  They check your eyes and notice an irritation and tell you it's retinopathy.  That means there is bleeding behind your eye.  The only real treatment for it is laser surgery.  

Your going through your day and suddenly develop a headache - and this one you can honestly say is the worst you've ever had in your life.  Stroke is a common complication of Type 2 Diabetes.

You've had a good night's sleep and sit up in bed to get up.  You suddenly feel unwell and nauseous.  You stand up but feel a pain running the length of your left arm and up through your jaw.  Heart attack is a common complication of Type 2 Diabetes.

To deny or not to deny...  that is the question.  Are you going to just take a chance and not get your blood tested if you suspect you may be diabetic?  Do you want to know?  Once you know the truth, then the question becomes what to do with the knowledge.  You have the option to continue with your head in the sand - in a state of denial - even after you know.  But - if you make that choice, be aware of the fact that nothing about your health will change and you will be on the slippery slope. 

If, however, you choose to accept the diagnosis and accept the challenge to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and drink lemon water instead of sodas or juices which are packed with chemicals and sugars - then I promise you that your new lifestyle will reward you in ways you will not believe!

You will have a happier HbA1c.  You will have lower LDL cholesterol.  Your blood pressure will be normal.   These alone make this journey worthwhile!  Stop eating packaged, processed and sodium-rich foods (the "convenient" foods).    

Wow - what a concept!!!  You cut the crap food from your diet - and you don't feel like crap anymore!!!  Isn't that great???  See how that works???

The fresher, the better.  The darker the color, the better.  Steam if you must, but do not microwave.  You lose vital nutrients when you use the microwave.  If I had my rathers, I'd rather not own a microwave.  Ours is just here for decoration because we don't use it.  This is not rocket science, folks!  It's not a diet - it's a lifestyle.  It's everyday life and you can do it - and should do it in order to save your health.  Your doctor can not do it for you - I can not do it for you.  Your meter is a great tool to test with - but it is only going to reflect what you've been doing - or not doing.  It can't do it for you.  Eat right, move every day, drink lemon water, have a good positive attitude. 

The proverbial ball is in your court!

I educate - I encourage - I plead (I won't beg...  nope - that's where I draw the line).

If you suspect you have a huge asteroid soaring through the sky toward you...  what are you going to do? 

I dare say, if you are Pre-Diabetic, you probably know it deep down inside.  Do you have a friend who is diabetic?  Ask to borrow their meter so you can check your blood sugar.  Most people don't mind letting you do that.  Make sure you test at least 2 hours after you last ate.  If that number is in the high 100's or above...  get to a doctor. 

The first number I saw on my friend's glucometer was over 300!  I have thankfully not seen that number in a long time.  There is a way to regain the healthy blood that should be running through your veins.  The blood that your heart has no problem pumping. 

I did go in for my regular HbA1c and unfortunately it was up to 7.0.  This is not a reason for me to panic, but it is a red flag for me to be more careful in my lifestyle.  It is not easy to stay 80% alkaline and only 20% acidic, but it is what I need to continue to strive for! 

The doctor did not complain about my lifestyle but did say that my insulin production had slowed more because of age and the amount of time I've been a diabetic.  We are trying new medication now called Janumet.  It's not a generic and is costing plenty out of pocket, but hopefully I can get my HbA1c down and maybe go back to just the Metformin.  We shall see.  I've also had my Lisinopril doubled as my blood pressure was 143/93 in the office.  Just another day in paradise.  This too shall pass.  It'll be okay.  

We face the monster and we take our sword out and start swinging!  That's just the way I roll.  I close my eyes and start swinging!  

I've lived with this for 21 years and have very few complications.  So the change in medicines is not a big surprise and if I need to increase my Lisinopril to 10mg. instead of 5mg. a day - well, I can live with that. 

Denying Diabetes.

http://youtu.be/y1j3xANn6mo