Current Mood: Sick

Yes, I have pneumonia! It probably started a couple weeks ago. Hubby has had double pneumonia. I started out with some coughing and a little bit of congestion. Then a week ago (Sunday, Nov. 16) is when it seemed to get worse. I coughed my fool head off all day. Layed around on the couch all day. I ended staying up ALL night coughing, and taking little cat naps all through the night. About 6 am, I finally climbed into bed to try and get a little bit of sleep. Not much luck.

About 8:30 am, hubby woke me up and ordered me to get up, get dressed and informed me that he was taking me to the ER. I figured I’d end up with a prescription for some cough medicine and some anti-biotics, but, the Lung Doctor had other plans for me! No going home for me, I was being admitted for a couple days. I guess I was way sicker than I thought I was!

My blood pressure was quite low, at one time 80/43, but kept hovering about 88/55 or so. For the last couple years, I’ve actually had HIGH blood presssure! I’m still not taking my BP med, as my BP hasn’t risen above normal yet. My oxygen levels were quite low, at one time 80%, but hovered between 84% and 94%. They took chest X-Rays and said that I didn’t QUITE have pneumonia, but was as close as I could have it, without actually having it. I know I felt horrible.

They began poking and prodding me. There are issues with getting IV needles into my veins and even getting blood out of my viens. I can’t even tell you how many times I was poked just trying to get the IV needle in! I know two of my veins blew out on them. They also had to get some arterial blood from me. This was NOT fun, not at all!!

The next day they took chest x-rays again. Same thing, but I apparently wasn’t getting any better. Later that day, they took a CT Scan of my lungs. And determined that I DO indeed have pneumonia. Early the next morning (like 3:30 am!!!!!!!) they came in, woke me up (yes, I was actually SLEEPING, and pretty well, I might add) to take ALL the blood out of my body. Well, really it was 5 vials. And boy did they have a hell of a time getting that blood out of me! I cried, it hurt SO bad!

Each evening I’d see two different Pulmonologists (Lung Docs), and they’d ask me questions about this and that, and tell me I was staying yet another day. I had informed them about my Valley Fever, and I think this is what prompted all the questioning. I told them how it affected me, with the fatique, the asthma, the allergies, and that it takes me much longer to get well, because of it. How the “normal cold” may last a “normal” person a week or so, but for me, it’s usually a 2 to 4 week recoup time.

My BP and my Oxygen levels weren’t really coming up any and now my Blood Sugar was OUT OF CONTROL!! For some reason they weren’t giving me my NPH. I’ve NO idea why!? I even RE-told them that I take NPH 20u AM and PM, and that I take 1u of R (or Novolog) for every 10g of carbs I take in. I reminded them that I don’t go chasing high BG’s, that I take my insulin BEFORE I eat, like a Type 1 does. Did they listen? NO! Would they let me take care of my own insulin needs (I had my insulin with me), NO! THIS pissed me off!

I eventually went into the restroom and took my own damned insulin, to try and bring my BG’s down! They’re glucose meters are retarted! WAY OFF!! I’d tested myself with MY meter, my Contour, yanno, one that’s PROVEN to be one of the most accurate (along with the OneTouch, and Freestyle brand meters), and it read 285 I called the nurse in, and didn’t say a word, just showed her my meter. Her eyes got big, and she ran and got THEIR meter. Tested me with it, and it showed 187. UGH!!! SO, how much R insulin do they give me? THREE FREAKIN UNITS! Um. HELLO McFLY, I needed SIX units!! They went by THEIR meter! That is when I went in and took 3 more units of MY OWN insulin!

I was getting steroid shots, and I think that had a lot to do with my BG’s being all out of whack. I still am taking steroids. At one point, my BG showed on their meter as 219. On my meter …. 365, did they pay ANY attention to MY meter reading? NOPE! If I left my Diabetes care up to them, they’d have me at an A1c of freak 10 or more!! Sheeesh!

Now I wonder, when they diagnosed me, if I really wasn’t WAY higher than their stupid meter said I was! I think it was 355, theirs showed. I believe now that it was closer to 500!!! No wonder I was going into DKA! DUH! Jeeeeeeezus!

So, I ended up staying in the hospital for a total of FOUR days. Over 4-1/2 really, since I got to the hospital at 8:45 am on Monday and I was let out at 6:55 pm on Thursday. I am bruised from one end of my body to the other! I had a total of 3 or 4 blown veins, numerous rolly poly veins. It was awful! Awful, I tell you!

And rest. What’s that? You get NO rest in the hospital! Every two damn hours, their either coming to get something from you or give you something! Sheeeeeesh!

I am SO glad to be home. Even if I do still feel like crap! I’m still really weak, light headed, when I walk, my legs feel like spaghetti and my feet feel like they’ve got anvil’s attached to them, and I’ve got a damn headache that won’t stay away! But, at least I’m now at HOME!! YaY!

I went to the Endo a few weeks ago. My A1c is still 6.4. Doesn’t make me too happy that it’s still there, but at least it wasn’t any higher! I think this menopause stuff isn’t helping any in that dept. Doc finally agreed that I AM in/or have completed menopause. Been a year now!!

Ok, I guess that is all for now

… Until Later ….

At keeping this thing updated, as well as my Diabetes control!! *sigh*

Really haven’t had anything to say! I’m so NOT proud of my control lately. Well, this entire year, really! I dunno! I think with all the stress I was under for the most part of this year so far, I just kinda got lazy with my control! Forgetting to take my NPH, most often at night, but even sometimes in the morning. Forgetting to check my BG, especially before I’d eaten, and not taking any R, when I should have!

I’ve learned recently, with checking my BG more often than I have been this year, that I’m now needing to take R, when I didn’t before!! My NPH amounts have been the same for nearly a year now, though! But, like today, my BG this morning was 185! *GASP* (I did forget to take my NPH last night!! UGH!) I took my NPH, and a couple units of R. But, I didn’t eat anything. Wasn’t hungry. I finally ate between 1:30 and 2:00. My BG SHOULD have been fine, before I ate! No, I didn’t check! I SHOULD have, though!! So, I had a grilled cheese sandwich, and a few pringles potoato chips. Right about 40 carbs. I’ve eaten grilled cheese sandwiches numerous times, without having to take any R! Even with the pringles, I was still under my “alotted” carbs per meal. So, about 4 to 5 hours later, I had a slice of peanut butter bread. ONE slice, and NOT loaded to the gills with peanut butter, either, to hold me over until we finally ate supper! I checked my BG about 2 hours later (right before supper) and it was 163! WTF?? Shouldn’t have even been that high!!

This is driving me crazy!

I KNOW that Diabetes is a progressive disease. That all will not stay the same forever!! My pancreas will slowly stop working properly. Fact. But, more and more, I feel that I do NOT have Type 2, but rather, LADA! Even though I’m not thin (as is often stated for LADA’ers). Also, even though I’m having to take more insulin than I used to, specifically, R insulin, I STILL do not take the amounts of insulin that most T2’s I know, who take insulin, do! I’m still at a 1:10 ratio! That part hasn’t changed! Just the amount of carbs I’m eating, as to when I need the R, has! It used to be that if the meal was under 30 or so carbs, I didn’t need to take any R. I just don’t feel that I have the “insulin resistance” part of it all! Hell, I don’t even always take my Metformin like I’m prescribed to (1000mg 2x daily – I very often forget my evening pill)! I haven’t seen a real difference in if I take it, or not!

Again, knowing if I’m 1.5 (LADA) would not change anything in my treatment, but, maybe some people will get over the “if you lose weight, you’ll do better” thing!! If your pancreas don’t friggen work, it don’t friggen work! No matter what you weigh!! No MATTER what, my Diabetes ain’t going away!! It’s here to stay with me the REST OF MY LIFE!! Period! If I’m thin, or if I’m overwieght!! That’s a fact!

I SO need the GAD and C-Peptide tests. I just need to be able to afford them! I WANT TO KNOW!

I have other issues going on as well. Menopause, specifically, a thyroid problem, maybe. When I last asked my doc about stuff I was going through, if it might be related to menopause. He kind of scoffed at me!! Surprised me, too!! I LOVE my doc!! And I found that rather uncharacteristic of him! *shrugs* Maybe he was just having a bad day?? But then again, he may think that I’m “too young” for that!

Well, I’m NOT! I”m DEFINITELY there!! This month makes either 11 or 12 months without the flow!!! (Praises God!!! LOL) Can’t remember if the last one was last Oct. or Nov. From everythign I’ve read, if a woman has gone a full year without the flow, then she’s completed menopause! I KNOW I started this process when I was about 38 or so. Hot flashes from hell, can’t stand to be with my own self, MAJOR mood swings. Want to kill EVERYBODY, because, by God, the leaves have a friggen right to be green, and OMFG, the sky is BLUE today!!!! I’ve also had my tubes tied. It’s known that a lot of women who have thier tubes tied, have an earlier Menopause. Tubaligation Syndrome, or something like that. That or my thyroid is fucked up way more than the test I took for it showed? *shrugs* I’m pretty postive I’ve passed fully on into menopause though!

Ok, that’s enough for today!! So glad I could bore y’all to death!

… Until next time …

I’ve been lots busy for the past few months. We were in the process of buying a home, and then moving. With all this moving stuff, I forgot about my Endo appt. and I can’t even find my stupid appointment card, so I’m not even sure exactly when my appt. was! UGH! I need to call them!

I don’t even know when I can afford to go, right now! I still have to finish paying off my lab bill from March! This is the major part I hate about not having insurance. My lab bills! They’re expensive. I can deal with the doc bills, my prescriptions, and most of my supplies. But the lab bill. Nope. I have to pay it off in increments.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to get test strips for free, since the beginning of this year. Not my preferred brand (OneTouch UltraSmart), but it’s the runner up (Ascensia Contour). Mom and Dad both get more than they need, so they give some of their ‘extra’ stash to me. So that is a MAJOR help!

I’ve been sick. A LOT. I’ve had the flu, have had a nasty head/chest cold for about a month (I think it’s taken up residence, in my body), and now add to the mix, a sore throat, a tooth ache and an ear ache! I’m SO sick and tired of being sick and tired!

I was VERY stressed during the house buying process, and I think that helped to bring it all on! When I get really stressed, I tend to get sick. I guess it lowers my immunities? Add in the Valley Fever, which causes me to get sick often, and makes me stay sick longer than most people, and that’s a recipe for disaster. Oh and allergies. I have allergies too! And now we have this glorious smog to go with it all! Go Asthma! Yea. I feel like CRAP!

That is all. For today.

… Until Later …

Yea, it’s been a while. I know. I’ve had a lot of stuff going on, but nothing to really talk about. Or, nothing I wanted to share, rather.

So, I finally went to the Endo yesterday (had to postpone my January appointment). My A1c is up from 5.9 to 6.4. This does NOT make me happy. (Doc wasn’t dissatisfied with it, though. He said as long as it’s under 6.5, it’s alright.) Though I knew it would be higher. Still, I was hoping it wouldn’t be that high. I’ve been having some issues with my BG’s the last few months. (I’ve had to up my N to 20u AM/PM from 15u).  And I DO realize that there are those that struggle just to get thier A1c below 7. I’m not knocking them at ALL. My problem is with myself.  I had it down to 5.9, without really trying, and I was very proud of that fact. I’m also a perfectionist. And if I’ve achieved something, I pretty much expect things to stay that way. So, I sort of feel like I’ve failed myself. I didn’t really want it lower than 5.9, but more so wanted it to be in that general area.

My cholesterol is still up, so he’s upped my Lovastatin to 40mg a day. Everthing else is fine.

Oh, I also had them check my Thyroid levels (TSH) because, for the last few months I’ve been FAREEZING cold when I shouldn’t be. Like when it’s 74 degrees in this house, I’m all in long sleeves and stuff, socks and slippers and I’m still shivering cold. To. the. bone. cold. I’ve also suddenly gained some weight (which Doc was NOT happy with either). That test came back good too, though. So. I dunno.

 I still want to have the C-Peptide and GAD-65 tests. To find out if I am Type 1.5 or Type 2. But, they are expensive tests, and not in the finances at this time. I know the tests won’t change anything about my treatment. I’ll still take insulin shots every day, for the rest of my life. I just wanna know. That’s all.

I’m feeling very frustrated with it all lately. Everything. The weight. The cold. The BG’s.  I’ve been under a lot of stress in the past months. Maybe that’s it. Maybe not. Who knows. I’ve become kinda lazy about testing my BG. I sometimes forget to take my insulin before a meal, and sometimes my night time shot too. I’m not depressed or anything. I just seem to have this “yea, whatever” attitude towards it all, and I don’t really like it. Though I know, that only I can change that, and I’m working on it.

 So. I go back to see the Endo again in June. The usualy every 3 month check up.  :neutral: 

 … Until Later …