5.2

  • So I've been putting off going to Dr. Morgan because 1) I am lazy and 2) Dave had an A1C of 5.5 the last time and I knew that there was no way I'd ever get my A1C down that far.  
  • For those who don't know, the A1C is a blood test that looks at glucose attachment to red blood cells - this happens when blood cells are made - and since blood cells live around 120 days, you get basically a 3 month shot at your blood sugar control.  Normal (I guess I should say Non-diabetic) levels are 3.9-6.5.  
  • Before Triabetes, I had never broken 7... in 25 years.  Not that 7 isn't pretty good.  Then while training for Ironman, I got down to 6.2.  I thought that would be the low point.  Since the 7 months since Ironman, I haven't swam one time.... I've only run a few times... and there have been very few bike rides.  Everything I gained through training, I have lost:)
  • Actually, its not everything apparently.  My A1C yesterday was 5.2 - on the lower half of normal!  It looks like I have learned something about being a diabetic over the last year and it seems to have something to do with taking this "disease" seriously - i.e. testing when I need to test, being conscious of the interaction of insulin and food and (lack of) exercise at all times (thank you Diabetes Training Camp), switching to a morning and evening lantus shot, basically (as Dave used to say) being a "professional diabetic"
  • And I still can't count carbs
  • PS - I wasn't low that much in the last few months (like 7 months) - so it was a kind of genuine A1C
  • I emailed the Triabetes folks and the Diabetes Training Camp guru Dr. Matt Corcoran and basically thanked them again for saving my life.
  • On a related note, the guy who talked me into Triabetes, John Moore - is gearing up to run the Leadville 100 with another Triabetic, Peter Nerothin.   They both are on the board of Insulindependence.  The Leadville 100 is a 100 mile RUNNING race through the Colorado Rockies.  The only other diabetic who has done this is Bill Carlson... the most famous Triabetic.  If you want to help out John, please consider giving $10 - its easy and fast and safe at FIRSTGIVING. He is trying to raise $10,000 for Triabetes and Insulindependence by having 1000 donors of $10 each.  Thanks for considering it.  Please pass it on to anyone who might have an interest in Diabetes - Because inspiring diabetics is as important as any of the medicine or technology out there.

Popular posts from this blog

1st Marathon...done

Image
Here's the lowdown on my Grandfather Mountain Marathon. I cut my lantus down to 8 units the night before and didn't take anything in the morning. I woke up and ate breakfast at 3am so I could take a full bolus. My blood sugars that day were between 140 and 100 the whole day until the night when they rose a bit. So success on the glucose front. I then woke up at 5:30 and headed over to the marathon. It was a bit unnerving as everyone I talked to seemed to be pretty experienced and when I mentioned that this was my first one, the comment was always a variation of "well, you sure picked a hard one to start with" or "well, this is the hardest road marathon in North America"... I mean, come on - that is a little discouraging. So we go down through town and pass the mall - and there is Dave. I didn't know whether he would be there but suddenly there was company. So we went along and headed uphill. Somewhere in the first 5 miles, Dave says (in typical Dave fas
Read more

Wake or sleep

I’ve often wondered how paralysis works In my sleep. How can my soul fly And my body be dead? Infinitely better however  Than when I wake  And the two Trade  Places 
Read more

Winter finally arrived

Image
To be on the beach lounging in a hammock or just in the warm sand ... that feels so far away that it causes some anxiety and presses on my chest.  Perhaps that's just because my field trip to the coast is just 6 weeks away and we are in the coldest weather of the year.  Oh well, I guess its appropriate that winter finally decided to stop by - I needed a real excuse to not do anything.  However, I recently got over a mental roadblock at the barn and now I am chomping at the bit to get some stuff done.  My lungs are better, but the weather is worse.  Oh well.  It was snowing pretty good yesterday when we decided to go to Boone to go skiing.  The whole way there the roads were snow covered... in Boone, Zoe pointed out a car that was spinning down the road in the lane across from us:)  The kids really killed it yesterday.  I was super proud.  Adia and Zoe are riding lifts by themselves and Esme has super control.  They all skied a black diamond run (Esme and I did one last run on a n
Read more