Hello everyone,

I just wanted to mention this great event.  I found out about this from one of the members on this site.  It is a bike ride to raise money and awareness for diabetes.  This takes place in many locations around the country.  Details can be found on the website for the American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org  I rode in the event in the Pittsburgh area.  There were several distances to choose from and I chose to ride 20 miles.  I raised $400 for the ADA but I mostly did this for myself.  I have had this huge chip on my shoulder since I had my heart attack 18 months ago.  I needed to do this to prove something to myself.  I am happy to say that I now know that I can enjoy one of my favorite hobbies again.  For the first time since I was diagnosed with diabetes I feel like I am in control and I am winning the war.  Since exercise is very important in managing diabetes, I urge everyone to try cycling.  To me it is the most fun way to exercise. 

I posted a blog last Friday after my last visit to the doctor and I thought I would take a few minutes to post a follow-up.  Last Friday I found out my latest A1C was 5.8.  At that time I had been taking 10mg Glipizide ER twice daily.  Based on my A1C results my doctor told me to cut the morning dosage to 5mg and stick with 10mg at night.  To me this was a big step toward achieving my goal of treating Diabetes through diet and exercise only.  After 1 week of this I want to report that I am doing well.  Normally I only check my BS 3 days a week but I have checked it every day since changing my med and it has been good every day.  I attribute my success to my increased level of exercise.  After my heart attack in 2006 I was doing the bare minimum amount of exercise needed to try to stay healthy.  I decided in January of this year that I was going to step it up a bit so I joined a fitness club that is within walking distance of home.  I walk there every day and lift weights and I also jog on the treadmill most days while I am there.  I had read that combining cardio exercise with resistance exercise was the best way to treat diabetes, especially type 2.  I feel better now than I have for several years and I am planning on riding in the Tour de Cure event in my area (Pittsburgh) on June 22.   There are several distances to ride and I have decided that I will try to do 20 miles.  I don't want to overdo it and I think that distance will be far enough to prove to myself that I am back in the game.  For the first time since I was diagnosed I feel like I am in control of my own destiny.

Today is one of the best days I have had since I was diagnosed.  I just came back from the doctor and my A1C is down to 5.8.  I had been taking 10mg Glipizide ER twice daily.  After talking it over with my doctor I am going to try cutting back to 5mg in the mornings.  I know that doesn't seem like much but to me it is the first step toward my goal of controlling diabetes through diet and exercise only.  I now feel like I am in control over this disease.  My cholesterol numbers were also better although my HDL (good cholesterol) is still a little low.  My total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides are all good.  I have worked very hard to improve these numbers and will continue to do so.  I hope that someone else may find encouragement from my experience.

When I got home today there was a letter in the mail that was somewhat depressing.  A few weeks ago, I signed up for life insurance.  I got a letter today that said they couldn't insure me because of the diabetes.  They also sent me a check to reimburse me for the first payment I made to them.  That hit me harder than anything else I have been through.  So now I am wondering if anyone else has been through this and if anyone can suggest a company that may be able to cover me.  If anyone does know anything, please let me know.

I know that diabetes and problems with cholesterol go hand in hand.  My total cholesterol has always been good but my HDL (good cholesterol) was low.  I had it tested about 2 months after being diagnosed with diabetes.  My doctor gave me a prescription for Niaspan which helps raise HDL.  Before I could get it filled I had a heart attack.  I was put on Lipitor at that point and was told not to take the Niaspan.  About 10 months later I had another cholesterol test and all of my numbers were very good except HDL.  My doctor told me at that point to start taking the Niaspan.  He told me that one of the side effects of this med was flushing.  This medication is taken at night so I thought it would be no problem if my face turns red while I sleep.  As it turns out, flushing really means having hot flashes.  I started having this happen about 2 nights a week or so.  Sometimes this happens while I sleep and it wakes me up.  Another side effect is that it affects blood sugar levels.  I started testing a little bit high in the mornings (I only test 3 days a week before breakfast).  My doctor told me that he thought these side effects would go away.  Well it took about 5 months but those 2 side effects seem to have gone away.  Most mornings over the last 2 - 3 weeks I have tested between 100 and 120.  The flushing seems to have stopped also.  I am really happy about that.  Some mornings, after a night with little sleep, I felt so weak that I called off sick from work.  I am wondering if anyone else here has used this medication and if they have had similar problems.  I am going to have another A1C and Lipid test very soon to see if the Niaspan is actually doing anything and to see how badly it has messed up my blood sugar.  My last A1C was 6.1 and I am expecting it to be higher this time.