Considering I got sick to the point of nearly dying before getting on thyroid medication, I have no problem taking it - it is the pill that keeps me alive (and right now the baby needs it too until s/he can produce her own hormones), however my life is a complicated cocktail of medicines and dietary adjustments and blood testing at this point, and it is damn impossible to not screw up on some or multiple levels. I could seriously just take medicine and test my blood all day and do nothing else and still feel exhausted. I know this is TL:DR, but I need to put it down here, because I feel like I’m burned out just on keeping Tokyo baby alive most days, so putting it down makes the struggle real in some way.
1) I wake up, and take my thyroid pill on an empty stomach like JL says. Then I test my fasting blood sugar by pricking my finger. If I'm too tired, I prick the wrong spot and don't bleed enough, so I have to re-prick. I have to write the numbers down and compare them to the goal numbers (usually its too high and I have to make a mental note to call the endocrinologist to have her advise me on how to adjust). For the thyroid pill it's hard to remember to not eat or drink for 30 minutes, and sometimes I full on forget and end up doing something totally counter productive like drinking or eating something high in calcium, which counters proper absorption.
2) I then have to make a breakfast. I'm not hungry and I mostly don't want to eat, but I have no choice. Plus it's got to be a combination of a protein and a slow-digesting carbohydrate, then while or before I eat it, I've got to inject my first insulin of the day. This injection like all the others that follow, goes straight into my belly. I’ve got to pick a spot where I’ve not previously injected and where there isn’t a stretch mark. I can never remember how much I’m supposed to inject, since they keep adjusting my numbers and I inject different amounts at different times of day, so I've got to look that up. Then I've got to remember to take breakfast, insulin and glucose metre, and blood pressure meds with me and head out to work.
3) After I finish eating (usually I'm at my desk at work by then) I've got to take a blood pressure pill and also remember to set my alarm to remind me to test my blood in 2 hours.
4) After two hours, I’ve got to test my blood glucose again. If I’m with it, I’ve set the alarm for AM not PM. If I’m not with it, I may have set the thing wrong and maybe I’ll forget to test. Mostly I don’t forget, so I test and then I record the numbers in my book and compare to the goal numbers.
5) Lunch time – must eat a balance of protein, whole grains, vegetables and fat, along with some milk. It can’t be processed lunch meat, so usually it’s salmon salad, egg salad or something like that on whole grain with as many veggies as I’ve got around. I’ve got to remember to inject more insulin at this point, but I’m usually on the run, and this is the injection I’m most likely to forget. Then I also have to remember to set my alarm to ring in two more hours to test my blood again. This is also something I’m likely to forget.
6) Mid afternoon, time to test my blood glucose again, and compare it to the goal range and record it in my book. If I’ve stuck to my boring as-described lunch combo above all is well. If I’ve had a lunch meeting or otherwise tried to vary the meal even slightly it is a total roulette, with what seems like the most likely to be healthy options causing spikes and things you’d think weren’t so good leading to healthy readings. I basically don’t have much time to ponder this so I jot down a note about what I ate if the numbers are particularly bad. As of yet there is no pattern emerging.
7) Dinner time – gotta remember to take my prenatal vitamin, supplemental folic acid, inject more insulin, and also make a magic combination meal that doesn’t cause a blood sugar spike. What works: roasted chicken/giraffe, either a whole grain or potato as a carb and ½ the plate filled with a non starchy veg. Again, got to remember to set the alarm to remind myself to test in two more hours. This time, it’s trickier, because if I eat late, then I have to stay up late to test. Sigh.
8 ) The alarm rings, time to test my glucose, write it all down, compare it to the goals and look at my numbers for the day and decide if I need to consult with the endocrinologist tomorrow. Then I’ve got to take another blood pressure pill and inject with a different kind of insulin – a slow release one. Usually I’ve forgotten one of the many devices required to deal with this down stairs, so I’ve got to go down to the kitchen, dig around and find what I forgot.
In-between all of this I have to remember any medical appointments I have (and some have their own prep requirements) and, oh, yeah, deal with the complex task of managing a team of 20 mentors. And somewhere in there I’m supposed to be getting the house ready for baby.
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Topic: Today I'm gonna... (Read 1343522 times)