Sugar and Spice - Not so Nice!

Some of you have probably noticed that my blog posts have been pretty sparse lately. I apologize to those who are faithful readers. I know it’s disappointing to continue visiting LindasWindow only to find the same old post as was there the past seven times you looked. 

It's funny how one day everything is like it's always been, and the next you are a different person. Well, not really, but that's what it feels like. And in times like that, everything else - including writing blog posts - gets set aside.

It all began with that trip to the doctor - the one I already wrote about, when I got the injections in my knees. [My knees are happy knees now!] I already had an appointment with my new doctor scheduled - a “get acquainted” appointment - but ended up going in early because of the knee pain. While I was there, the doctor suggested that I go ahead and keep that previously scheduled appointment, and have some routine blood work done a few days beforehand. 

On September 26, I went in to have the blood draw. It had been a long time since I’d had any lab work done, and I had a suspicion that the results wouldn’t be good. I had been noticing some symptoms of high blood sugar, but the symptoms were sporadic and not clearly indicative of a problem, so they were easy to rationalize away. Still . . . with a history of diabetes on both sides of the family, I was a little anxious.

This Monday I showed up for my doctor’s appointment. She (my doctor) began: “Let’s start out with your cholesterol results, because I like them.” Of course, I could hardly pay attention to the good news - that my cholesterol levels are nearly ideal - for wondering about the undisclosed results that she didn’t like.

The bad news was, as I suspected, my blood glucose level was high. I have Type 2 Diabetes.

For about four weeks I’ll be pricking my fingers and testing my blood sugar level twice a day - first thing in the morning and two hours after either lunch or dinner. I am also watching my diet and continuing to walk each evening, as I have been doing since my knees improved. Toward the end of the month, I’ll go back for another blood draw at the lab and another appointment with the doctor. Based on all the data, we will then decide how to proceed. She thought I might need to be on some oral medication, along with proper diet and exercise, to bring my number down to a healthy level. I was really grateful that she didn’t seem to be thinking along the lines of insulin injections, at this point, at all.

Happily, the numbers I've been getting at home have not been as bad as the blood work done at the lab. And the morning test results have been going down, slightly, each day. Of course, still not in the good range, but improving.

I’m pretty sure that this new chapter of my life would read better if I retired from Daring Bakers. I can’t imagine baking those delectable treats and not being able to eat them. Even though it’s only once a month, the desserts usually hang around the house for several days. I haven’t pulled the plug yet, but I’m seriously considering it. Most certainly I will NOT be baking this month's challenge.

Now that the shock is over, I'm not having too hard a time with accepting this situation. Right now I have a number of friends - in Alaska, in Washington, in Oregon, in New Mexico and here, in Texas, who are suffering with much more serious medical issues in their lives. I feel blessed that this is a controllable disease, that I have a good doctor who is willing to work with me, and that I live in a time when, and a place where, there are medicines and knowledge that can help me handle it. Still, I'll need to lean heavily upon God's grace and strength in order to stay committed to this new discipline.

2 Cor. 12:9  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.