It’s been a while since I posted anything here, though I have been reading. Welcome to all newcomers and hi again to all. I have been busy with appointments and tests lately, and the Crohn’s has slowed me down , but I wanted to thank you all for the advice I see here daily and update you on my “progress.”
I saw the nutritionist two weeks ago and the diabetes consultant last Friday. Both are very kind and helpful. The nutritionist seemed quite pleased that I use Smart Balance spread; I was glad to hear that she approves since I like the taste better than any other I’ve tried. She also reassured me about things that I can eat that don’t bother my Crohn’s. I can have more carbs than I realized and I’ve been better about balancing my meals.
The consultant gave me a testing kit and showed me how to use it. A funny thing happened; I was drinking barium for a CT scan I had scheduled for an hour later, and the first time I checked my blood, it registered 166. We talked for another 10 or 15 minutes and then she asked me to check it again to make sure I knew how to do it. I’m not very kinetic and had trouble holding the strip the right way the first time. Anyway, the second time, it was down to 126. She said, “Well, your pancreas must be working.”
She instructed me to test at different times each day, before breakfast, after breakfast, before lunch, etc. Monday, I was supposed to test before lunch. A friend took me to Walmart that morning, and I walked around the store for about an hour. When I got home, I tested and it was 105, lower than my fasting blood glucose. So I had a wonderful lesson in the benefits of exercise. I’ll be more diligent about that now.
Jeannie, I do have a juicer which I used for a while. I bought it because I was craving salads. But it was huge and clumsy and had to be taken apart to be washed. I have a small kitchen and it took up too much counter space if I left it out. Also, there was so little juice for so many vegetables. So now I drink low sodium V8 juice instead. I can also eat raw apples and pears if I pare them, and vegetables cooked very soft. Once or twice a week I can eat tomatoes if I boil them for a minute to remove the skin. So I can manage without the juicer. I might drag it out again sometime when I have more energy.
Anyway, I’m starting to feel better and more confident. I’ve also lost about thirty pounds, but I can’t take credit for that since the Crohn’s makes me feel full all the time and it’s hard to breathe after a meal; so I eat just a little at a time. Still, I’ll take the weight loss, whether I deserve it or not. I asked if I might be able to get off the metformin but she said they recommend it now as a preventative for people with borderline diabetes since they’ll probably develop diabetes eventually. Oh, one other thing, I had to stay off it for a couple days after the CT scan because they injected contrast. I had a blood test today and I imagine the doctor will call me tomorrow and tell me it’s okay to go back on it. Metformin is the only medicine they’ve found to be affected by the contrast.
Sorry this is so long winded; I’ll try to post shorter messages more often as my education continues.