A couple of years ago, after the annual check-up, my doctor told me that my blood sugar after a 12 hour fast was somewhat elevated; at 6.1. This, he indicated, is something to watch but not to worry about too much.
6.1 -- of what. I still don't quite get the definitions, even though for the past six months I have been pricking myself and testing the blood sugar; often finding myself below the magic number, but sometimes, too often, over it.
I decided to investigate what this condition is -- for a strong and powerful reason. I'm 54 years old. Back in the mid-1960s, when I was about 10 and my father was -- about 54 -- he suddenly had acute diabetes; so serious that the doctors apparently put the severity of his condition in some record books. I remember through my teenage years, after the initial crisis, dad shooting his insulin, checking his sugar, and fighting the disease which eventually (through complications) killed him when I was 26 years old, embarked on my African adventure, watching Rhodesia turn to Zimbabwe.
So now, I'm at the age where my dad first got sick, and I have something that looks an awful like the precursor to Diabetes.
But I'm not sick. I don' have diabetes. And I don't want to get it.
I've been reading a lot on the topic, checking websites, and have started to learn about things like the Glycemic Index, low carb diets, and exercise. And as my knowledge increases I find myself most of the time getting things under control. Most of the time.
What seems to happen is I watch my diet, exercise, and after a few days, the blood sugar goes down to normal levels. Then I introduce some 'bad things'-- like a bit of bagel for breakfast, some ice cream, some chocolate, a piece of cake, etc. And the blood sugar stays normal. It is like I am getting away with my old habits. Then, wham, a few days later, things are back to elevated levels. I haven't seen anything in the literature yet but there seems to be a lag here -- in other words, if I am good it takes a few days for things to clean up -- if I'm bad, it also can take a few days for the problem to appear.
Whatever, I'm going to start this blog on a low-key level; building it over time with observations, insights and lessons learned. I'm not sure where it will take me (or you) but hope we'll all enjoy the journey.
6.1 -- of what. I still don't quite get the definitions, even though for the past six months I have been pricking myself and testing the blood sugar; often finding myself below the magic number, but sometimes, too often, over it.
I decided to investigate what this condition is -- for a strong and powerful reason. I'm 54 years old. Back in the mid-1960s, when I was about 10 and my father was -- about 54 -- he suddenly had acute diabetes; so serious that the doctors apparently put the severity of his condition in some record books. I remember through my teenage years, after the initial crisis, dad shooting his insulin, checking his sugar, and fighting the disease which eventually (through complications) killed him when I was 26 years old, embarked on my African adventure, watching Rhodesia turn to Zimbabwe.
So now, I'm at the age where my dad first got sick, and I have something that looks an awful like the precursor to Diabetes.
But I'm not sick. I don' have diabetes. And I don't want to get it.
I've been reading a lot on the topic, checking websites, and have started to learn about things like the Glycemic Index, low carb diets, and exercise. And as my knowledge increases I find myself most of the time getting things under control. Most of the time.
What seems to happen is I watch my diet, exercise, and after a few days, the blood sugar goes down to normal levels. Then I introduce some 'bad things'-- like a bit of bagel for breakfast, some ice cream, some chocolate, a piece of cake, etc. And the blood sugar stays normal. It is like I am getting away with my old habits. Then, wham, a few days later, things are back to elevated levels. I haven't seen anything in the literature yet but there seems to be a lag here -- in other words, if I am good it takes a few days for things to clean up -- if I'm bad, it also can take a few days for the problem to appear.
Whatever, I'm going to start this blog on a low-key level; building it over time with observations, insights and lessons learned. I'm not sure where it will take me (or you) but hope we'll all enjoy the journey.
