Am I the worst blogger ever, who promises to update and then never does? Sorry. If you're even reading this now, thank you! Thank you for sticking around and giving me a chance. I won't let you down in 2015. I have so many different things I want to post here and I realize I need to get into a rhythm to do so. I need to actively set time away and dedicate it to my blog, including picture organizing/editing, specifically for this space. I take a ton of pictures and they have yet made it up to the blog, so I'll be working on when I can schedule and work on posts, even if I don't post them on that specific day. I started this with so much excitement, not just because, but because I wanted a space to showcase things that make me happy, achievements, milestones, some of my personal stories and growth.
I'm excited for the new year, but it comes with a very humble heart. I didn't know if I wanted to share this very personal story on this blog, but something has itched me to do so. I'll keep it very short. Several years ago, I was diagnosed as a pre-diabetic. It was, at the time, a life shattering news to a early 20's girl. I knew what diabetes could do to a person, and I was in denial for a long time about it. I didn't take some "useless" pill they put me on, but I did go every 3 months, but I did my due diligence to make it to do the doctor every 3 months for blood work check, and always stayed within the pre-diabetic range. A1C level is what they are checking. Those without diabetes are below 6.0, pre-diabetics are 6.0-6.5. Sept 2013, I was at 6.5 and had been for the past 2 years. Basically borderline to going into a need for more medication and or insulin, which are results of 6.5 and beyond. Well, I went into the doctor on December 15th 2013 after having battled a sinus infection for far too long. I have bad allergies, so I tend to not run to the doctor’s office each time my nose gets going. Well 2 weeks of dealing with it, had been enough. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic, and a steroid. I had taken these 8 months before for the same issue, and was fine. I even remember her asking me if anything had gone wrong the last time, and I told her no, I didn’t recall coming back for a failed medicine. So she must have been a bit worried. Nevertheless, I took the medication and over the next 2 weeks I started to have all sorts of complications. I was needing to be in the bathroom every 30 mins, I had headaches, was very lethargic, at some point I started to get blurred vision, my memory was horrible, and being in accounting, you better have your A-game all the time. The amount of energy it took to do anything was daunting. I blamed all these “minor” symptoms on other things, like needing to go to the eye doctor in January, tired because it was quarter end and work is insane during that time, having to be in a bathroom every 30 mins was the one I couldn’t figure out. I didn’t check my sugars, because being in denial means, “that can’t possibly be it!” My mom finally convinced me to check my blood. I pulled out a very old monitor & reading strips and it read, “hi.” Hi? WTH! I did it again, and I got a, “hi.” I decided that stupid thing was broken. I finally called my doctor’s office on the 29th and they were unable to see me due to short staff and the flu season, but they tried to diagnose me over the phone. A doctor in the office called in a medicine that should have help lower my blood sugar, pretty much the medicine that I should have been taking the whole time. It didn’t work, and this time I got new strips for my monitor as I was sure the reason it was being silly earlier was due to expired strips. Turns out, they were just fine, expired an all. What was not fine was my blood sugar, and the “hi” meant it was soo high, it was unable to read it!! Goodness! This time I was getting reads in the 500’s. Normal blood sugar levels should be around 100 or lower. I was told to keep checking and if I got under 400, I could wait to see my doctor the following week. Well, it never got lower than 400. By now, I’ve been working from home, stressed and very sick. My job at the time was the most intense job I had ever had. I was a team lead for a very high profile account that had all eyes on it every day that year and the year before. I finally gave up on the 31st and yelled at someone while on a call, that my boss also happen to be on. He called me and asked if I was okay, I told him then I wasn’t feeling great and that I would be taking the rest of the day off. I had a fantastic team that pulled through without me, and allowed me to rest. Josh and I celebrated new years on our sofa, like we normally do, and I googled all my symptoms. Not wanting to be one of those who get freaked out by what I might have read on WebMD, I decided not to panic. We went to bed shortly after midnight and I knew I would most likely be in the hospital the next day. The next day, I tried to get into a Carenow facility. They called me within minutes of my online form being submitted and they told me they did not have the proper equipment I needed based off the symptoms I had given them. They directed me to a hospital. Just to be sure, I called my on call doctor’s office and they also suggested the same. On January 1, 2014 I was admitted into the hospital for DKA - Diabetic Ketoacidosis. It was a rough 2.5 days. I didn’t sleep as they had to check my blood every hour on the hour, along with many other tests being ran and needle packs stuck in my arms. It was awful. I ended up leaving a full blown diabetic with many rules and restrictions. My A1C levels were at 10.
The following week when I saw my doctor, my A1C was at 8. In May I was at 6.4, I had not been under 6.5 in 2 years prior. & in November, my A1C was at a 6.0!! I’ve since have been trying to workout, eat right, drink lots of water, and never skip a beat with my medications. I’ve lost 11.2 lbs since September and I plan on continuing this year. I’m starting crossfit tonight, but have been to a few Saturday classes so far so that I’m not surprised. I signed up for 9 5k runs this year and hope to do more. I want to be a runner someday. I don’t know why, but something inside me tells me that’s what I should be striving for. I also want to start trying to have kiddos of my own someday. It doesn’t have to be this year, but hopefully soon. I’d like to be able to have the opportunity to do so, and with that, I must be off these medications and at least “50lbs” lost as per both my doctor’s. While 2014 had a rough start, it had many great ups. I traveled to Spain and California for the first time in my life and was able to squeeze in a Cancun vacation. So not all hope was lost in 2014.
For 2015, I hope to just get healthier, even if it’s not the ultimate goal weight/size I aspire to reach for myself. I hope I make more time to visit friends and family and not allow work to consume me. I hope to travel and see more of the world. I want to cook more, read more, hangout with Josh more, and learn to love & embrace each day with a calm smile, even the crappy days – especially the crappy days. I’m not one for “new year’s resolutions,” but I hope writing these down and looking back at my thoughts and hopes will bring a smile to my face in the future knowing I did that, and more! Cheers to 2015!
What about you? What do you hope to do or get out of 2015?