It seems the easiest and most succinct way is to just list what ails me:
- type two diabetes (blood sugar was rising well into the high 200s; sometimes into the 300s and I was onTW0 forms of insulin)
- stage three fatty liver
- advancing neuropathy
Newest treatments in order of categories above:
- Insulin pump prescribed by my new Endocrinologist
- Nutritionist for diet overhaul!
- Balance exercises, diabetic approved footwear
Items that are a direct result of the top list and helped by first and second items in the treatments list:
- Gastroparesis
- Overweight
- Depression and fatigue
I started the new journey to health about two to three months ago. I had just been put on the insulin pump when, the very next week, I got a cryptic email from the gastroenterologist stating I had stage three fatty liver. No explanations, no advice, no request for a follow up to discuss the results…
zip – zilch – nada
I went online and Doc Google informed me that stage three was right behind stage four which is Cirrhosis of the liver. That went over well. I called the gastro’s office and as you may guess, you can never talk to a real person anymore when calling any medical office. I was upset. In retrospect, my message was deranged and angry. I had no idea that there were ranges in stage three, or that this sort of damage to my liver could be reversed, or caused by anything other than alcohol, and in my mind they were now calling me an alcoholic! For your reference: I lost my mother to alcoholism. It was wretched at the very end.
They called me right back and had me in the next morning to see the doctor. I tell you the following in all seriousness: I walked into the office and every one of the staff up front seemed to be looking at me strangely. They must have all heard about my call?
That was then, this is now.
Long and short of it, my blood sugar ranges are great. I won’t lie, learning how to use the insulin pump caused a few emotional breakdowns, but the Medtronic people were and are on call 24/7 to help. It is wonderful to not have to stick myself so many times a day and to actually see a difference in my sugar levels. I do have to stick and attach a new port and a sensor each week, but that, once you get used to it, is much nicer than injections several times a day.
Now, the fatty liver was something else, as I said. It was the culmination of my trying to eat more protein and less carb laden food choices to keep my sugar down. And one of my go-to snacks was cheese. Further, I have never in my life worried about fatty meats. Those are off the menu forever. Well, I do get a one inch square cube of cheese a couple of times a week with my snacks. I am a cheese head and this part is really getting to me, ya know!? Some days I just leave the cheese out to avoid the torture of a one inch cube.
This is getting long and I will stop for now. Next up, I will tell you what I do to lean out my meat choices and prevent getting gluten poisoned from processed food products from the market.
…and the readers said: OH BOY! I can hardly wait. 😉
But seriously, if you have the time, there is a lot to be said for making your own sausage and prepping your own meats. Because, these days, when you do it yourself you know exactly what went into it. And a bonus: It is a lot less expensive to buy a larger cut, and process it into portions you can freeze for use later.
NOW: I really need to hear from you. Will these posts bother you here? I don’t intend to put them up often, but when there is a change, good or bad, I will post it. OR, if you would rather, I can make another WordPress blog and post all this there. I know there are plenty of people out there with similar problems and this will help me to connect with others who share my issues. As stated; I will make notation in the title that the post is regarding heath.
Life on the Farmlet 
Great to hear from you, and I think it’s helpful to hear about your health. I’ve been Type 2 Diabetic for about 16 years. I was able to control it with diet until about two years ago. I have more issues with low blood sugar than with high.
Good evening, Someone. I didn’t know you were diabetic. I know low sugars are not good, and can in fact be quite scary and dangerous when too low, but it would seem that your system must be in much better shape than if it was chronically high. Am I guessing correctly? I wish they would have put me on the pump a long time ago.
Sorry to hear you’re going through all these problems but it’s good that you now seem to be on the right track for improvement. Fingers crossed that continues for you. I’m a half baked vegetarian – no red meat but I do eat free range chicken – but my daughter’s OH is a vegan and I do wonder how he manages without cheese.
Lynn, thank you. Ah, cheese. I let go of cookies, ice cream, chocolate, and my favorite deli meats from the Boarshead counter at the market; all too fatty for my diet. But the cheese, Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella, Havarti, Jack, Baby Swiss, name one, and I probably like it if it isn’t to high smelling. Now a serving is only a one inch cube, and that’s not a serving; its a tease! 😉
Oh dear Lynda, things are difficult for you. I too am type 2 diabetic but not suffering as badly. What medication, other than insulin, are you on to combat it?
Hi Annie, after all these years of insulin treatment; fast acting, slow acting that lasts for the whole day, metformin, and more; I am now just using simple old school insulin. The difference is the insulin pump! It delivers insulin in doses through the day when I need it, and stops delivery when my insulin level is normal. I have to “bolus” according to the carbs I will consume, and this keeps my sugar levels from spiking when I eat. It was complicated to learn this new-little-high-tech-device, and I am still learning, but the results of direct delivery 24/7 are a life changer! I really wish my primary care doctor had sent me to the endocrinologist yeas ago. I know I wouldn’t be in this bad of shape now. Better late that never.
It does seem to me that as long as you’re caught early, see a good endocrinologist and have a good GP you are much more lucky. I was caught late, had a lot of damage done to one of my kidneys and there is some retinopathy in one of my eyes. Being kept under good control now though 😉 Sounds like your pump arrangement is really doing the trick for you.
Annie, I had no idea that you had these issues! I’m sorry this sorry this happened to you. It is true that the pump has been a lifesaver. But, to be frank, I should have been on the insulin pump two or three years ago. I’m glad my GP finally sent me to the endocrinologist, but she should have done this years sooner. The neuropathy is bad, but livable. The gastroparesis is bad and very hard to live with. Over time my stomach gets so full that I often can’t eat. (More on the dangers of that in another post.) None of the ailments we suffer with are a good thing. Your liver, my stomach… these can take us down if we are not diligent with our sugars. When nothing you do with self injections is keeping you in the green zone, then it is time for an insulin pump.
I’m glad you were diagnosed before it got any worse! ❤
Thanks Lynda, I think I got off quite light considering. Take care and let us know how it goes.
I will! Thank you, Annie.
I don’t mind having the health info here, in fact I’m looking forward to learning how to improve my cooking and eating habits! My husband is a real meat-eater and I’ve tried to incorporate the Mediterranean diet into our meals, but he doesn’t like fish (especially salmon, which I love).. I’m also getting lazy about my cooking since I’ve been doing it for such a long time and am kind of tired of it. . . . . . .
I understand about not wanting to cook. My nutritionist has me cooking in ‘batches’ so that saves time. I then have the option of having dinner leftovers for lunches or freezing larger items in portions for another day. Also, the eating regimen, at least for now, is so new I see it as novelty instead of ho-hum. The hardest part for me is setting up weekly/monthly meal planing so I can budget and shop for what I need for the week. THIS really is foreign to me. I’ll learn and make it a part of my skill-set eventually…
PS: I am cooking more Mediterranean too. Funny you mentioned this as I just tonight made a fish dish with ‘chermoula’ sauce. Bob hated it. There was not one thing in the whole recipe that he had not had, and loved, and yet the combo was a no-go. 😦
We’ll have to keep trying. Right?
It is helpful to get a full picture of a blogger.
Thank you, Tom…
LOL! I am trying to work up the nerve to post a new picture of myself. The few that exist here are at least 15 years old… and of those, well, they are shadows of me in my had in the garden. Time is not kind, and yet, I am excited about my hard work to lose weight and feel better. I need to get over myself, eh?
I am not very fond of pictures of myself at all.
You go Lynda! I’m good with your posts. Also, I know pretty much how you felt getting a cryptic message from a medical provider. Same happened to me, and I bawled out my doc the next time I saw her in person.
— Pam N.
Pam, it was awful. I knew something was up when the tech that did the scan looked serious, and kept chewing her her bottom lip. The Dr’s email had a form attached to it with an alphanumeric “Code” for the diagnosis. I looked it up on Google and then spent til four o’clock in the morning researching what it meant. By that hour of the morning I was so confused and worried that I didn’t know what to think. Doctors. They go to university, get a degree and a diploma in whatever brand of med they studied for, and then they are turned loose on us to try and make us better… Problem? They can fix what’s ailing or broken, or try to, but they don’t have enough common sense to explain it all to us in plain language we can understand.
When I met him in the office I complained directly about not being clued in on the” stage three” and what I needed to do to get better (if that was possible) etc, and he said: “Well, we do have our patients come in and have a discussion when it’s stage four.”
I told him, “You can’t just email a nearly blank medical diagnosis form, with a code that means nothing to the patient. and expect the them to understand it. Because, ultimately, there are two options for a response from the patient; 1.) They will think nothing of it and continue on with their unhealthy lifestyle, or 2.) They will FREAK OUT and be angry at you for not filling them in, and on whatever changes need to be made.”
Pam, it is good to see you here, and thank you for not remaining ‘anonymous’. ❤
I’d like to hear how you’re getting on. I have some similar issues, except that I can’t do most cheeses, because in addition to T2 and a large laundry list of other issues, I’m also lactose intolerant. So no or very little cheese keeps me much more comfortable. I’m managing my T2 quite well on Metex, but I take at least 20 tablets every day, and my latest worry is my stiffening heart muscle and leaky valve. My cholesterol and liver, however, are fine. I’ve always been a cook from scratch kind of girl, so I’m happy being in full control of what I eat. I think I’m very fortunate in my PCP, he’s encouraging, communicative and tries to save me money!
Hello Kate, I haven’t been on Metformin (aka: Metex) for years. Currently, I am on an insulin pump (IP) that delivers my insulin (Humalog: insulin lispro) directly through a port in my belly area. It gives me what I need, as I need it, throughout the day. Caveat, I absolutely have to send a ‘Bolus’ for each snack or meal, which is determined by the total amount of carbs in my food. The IP is the best thing to happen to me. No more highs in the 250 to 300+ range in the evenings or when I’m sleeping and no more catastrophic lows 40 – 50 readings. Both of these happen because of my gastroparesis. I will discuss the issues and treatments more fully in later posts. Q: are you taking 20 tablets of Metex each day?
We measure BS different here, so I had to go convert your levels. Wow… I tend to keep mine in the 105-135 level, the latter being after meals. My doctor is happy with that, considering I’m on only 1,000mg Metformin per day. So no, not 20 Metformin, the 20 is in total for all the other drugs for other conditions, and there are *plenty*.
105 – 135; That is very good! I’m ranging between 80 +- to the 130s. However, my stomach can still send me to the moon. It did that to me at midnight the other night. Over 280! I can bolus and it brings it down fairly quickly, but that high is not good.
Lynda I’m glad to see you back. I’d like to see more of your health journey here on this blog. I believe more and more people are becoming aware that regular every day people are better sources of information than Doctor Google or medical professionals. I’d be interested in learning more about the foods and batch cooking you do. I’m slowly, one batch at a time, switching to pre-made portion control meals for the freezer.
Thank you, Anita. I will, from time to time make a post. Not sure how often, but I will talk about it here. Batch cooking, for us, is small batches with the intention of having four or more main entres in the freezer for another day. Also, for me it means exact portions of breakfasts, lunches, and prepared meats for the making dinners, etc. Some of the foods I eat are unconventional and ethnic in variety. It has had me gasped and EWE’d at at the nursery when shopping for special herbs to grow in the garden. Some people just have no affective filter. 😛
I will try to post on this soon.
Sorry to hear about your health travails, Lynda, though it seems you’re gradually getting things under control.
What you said about the difficulty in reaching a real person on the phone is true in many areas. In the past year or two I’ve sometimes driven over to a doctor’s office to make an appointment in person rather than putting up with the troubles of trying to get through on the phone.
“…I’ve sometimes driven over to a doctor’s office to make an appointment in person rather than putting up with the troubles of trying to get through on the phone.”
Steve, exactly. We also have “Patient Portals” to “Help us keep in touch” for meds and to ask questions rather than make an appointment. NOPE. Getting prescriptions filled is a nightmare at my GP’s office. They ask that we have the pharmacist call it in to the office. Pharmacist complies. Pharmacy request sits in limbo forever on her desk. I finally started showing up when I needed the refills. ( 35 min drive into Huntsville) They don’t like it, but I have my meds waiting for me by the time I get back to the pharmacy. 😉
Dear Steve,
I have a question(s) for you regarding solar lenses, and I didn’t think it appropriate to post my question on one of your blog pages… I lost your email address when Bob upgraded my computer. 😦
If you can help please advise me through my contact link above. Sorry for the unorthodox path of request, but I’m really hoping you have a couple of answers for a photo plebe such as myself.
Thanks,
Lynda
I hated to read that you’re having such issues, but it does sound as though you’re finding a way to manage them better. Dealing with the medical establishment can be quite a trial. Last summer, I learned just how difficult it can be when I suddenly developed every symptom of liver failure. It turned out to have been caused by a somewhat rare reaction to a drug called Augmentin: an amoxicillin compound that I was given after my neighbor’s dog bit me. It was a perfectly reasonable prescription, but it sure led to a month’s long ‘adventure.’
In the end, I left one health care system and went to a different hospital, where a wonderful liver specialist finally figured out that I was fine.
I suppose the best side benefit was that I learned a good deal about the liver, and its connection to other organs. When I thought I was dealing with fatty liver disease, I made some real changes to my diet, and that has left me healthier than before: lower blood pressure, some weight loss, and so on. After innumerable blood panels, ultrasounds, and so on, I know that all my organs are in good shape; that’s been good motivation to keep on keeping on with the changes I’ve made. I’ve been able to give up sweets and such (even ice cream!) but there’s still sweet chipotle sausage in the freezer. If it cuts a year off my life, so be it.
Carry on!
Linda, I found you! It was actually by accident. You were in my spam files. 😦 WHY?
Your experience sounds dreadful and I’m happy to hear that you were able to see a competent medical professional to figure it all out. I get you on the forbidden Chipoltle. There are a few forbidden foods that are hanging around in our freezer and pantry. My thoughts on those are, don’t eat a full serving, and make them very few and far between.
I, like you, am learning how fast we can turn our old eating habits up-side-down. We are learning to eat sensibly.
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PS: This was quite the rabbit hole! I found your post and OK’d it, then tried to reply and my reply was posted as ‘anonymous’. I am hoping that by saying your reply is OK, then WP will realize that you can post here. If it happens again, please let me know and I will dig deeper. And, at the very least, I will know where to look next time! 👁🗨
I just left a long comment, but I was asked to log in. When I tried, it wouldn’t accept me, and the comment disappeared. Maybe you’re moderating comments? I’ll try this as a test.
Hi Linda, you aren’t the first to have issues with this. I do moderate comments, but this just holds them for my approval. Try leaving your comment in reply here and see if that helps, OR sign in first and try again. I do remember the sign in dump happening to me when I tried to post on Steve Schwartzman’s blog. It is very frustrating. 😶
I can’t duplicate the comment I originally left, so I’ll just say I’m glad you’re doing so well!