Just came back from Cornell

[MelodyL]

Well, I had my two months visit. I lost 6 lbs. They thought it was the cat's meow. I just said: 'what the heck is 6 lbs given how I eat??"

They said "you are 60 years old, you have lost 40 lbs while on the ACCORD program".

So they are tickled. Me?? I just want to weigh what a woman is supposed to weigh. I am not there yet. I will be SOMEDAY. Just not yet.

Oh, THEY REDUCED MY LANTUS.

From 22 to......drumroll please!!!!!!


18.

I had gone up to 46 at the beginning of the ACCORD trial.

Today I am at 18. With no other meds. Haven't been on any other oral meds for over 3 years.

So they're happy. I'm happy.

Hope all of you are WATCHING YOUR SUGAR!!! lol

Melody

[Shelley]

:hug::hug::hug: Way to go Mel! I am so happy for you.

You are my inspiration!

Tell Alan you deserve a present for being such an overachiever.

[MelodyL]

Thank you Shelley:

I'm so excited right now. I'm eating a small portion of cantelope, a piece of a nectarine, and some blueberries.

Who gets excited about fruit????

ME!!!! lol

[dorrie]

Melody! That is wonderful news...way to go!!!
We are so lucky to hae such a great rolemodel on this forum!! Thank you!:hug::hug::hug:

[MelodyL]

Why thank you my dear Dorrie:

Last night, before going to bed, I had to put a note next to my syringe and the note said 'USE 18 OF THE LANTUS.

God, I'm getting old. I have to write notes to myself.


lol

[dorrie]

:DI am the queen of notes and the sad part is I don't always do what my own notes say!!!!!!!:D

[Shelley]

OMG....old? You should see me, I have post its with notes all over. Lets just say we are organized! Thats it.

[Shelley]

Ok Mel, so feel any different on 18 thingy's of Lantus versus the higher dose?

[dorrie]

Ok Mel, so feel any different on 18 thingy's of Lantus versus the higher dose?
Yes Melody..do tell!! How is it going?
I am going to ask my doc about that byetta next time I see him however I did see my moms pen that she uses for injections...it may take some time before I get there ...putting the little needle part in my skin I mean but I best get used to it. I really do not mind needlles when the doctor is giving it to me but to be perfectly honest I am terrified of the idea of giving myself a shot...that pen is a far cry from my glucose meter pen!!!!!!!!

:grouphug:Hugs to all!
Oh by the way, in the weight loss forum I mentioned my stupidity...for eating jellybeans yesterday....I do not feel too good today so I am going to nap while Saffy is sleeping....later gators!!!!

[MelodyL]

Two things have changed since I went to Cornell.

They changed my dose from 22 to 18

AND THEY CHANGED MY BLOOD PRESSURE from just pain Zestoril to ZESTORETIC which is a water pill also. So now I'm taking 20 12 1/2. Before I was on 40 of the Zestoril.

Could this be why I had muscle spasms last night??

Last night at 4 a.m. I again had muscle spasms in my calf. It woke me from a sound sleep. I said "better go back to the calcium magnesium pills". I had stopped taking them (even though I use the epson salts soak once or twice a week), I had not been taking any calcium or magnesium supplements. I just awoke, saw my left toes moving upwards and said "uh oh, here comes a spasm". I just got up and walked around, I took an alprazolam because I was afraid that the spasms would shoot up my leg, but it never happened. I just walked it off, and went back to sleep. Woke up just fine. While I was watching tv last night at 10 p.m I noticed the right toe was curling, but I pushed it down and nothing happened.

I had stopped the cal/mag thing because of the constipation. I HATE constipation.

But I went back on them this morning.

My sugar is 120 (on the 18 units) so that's okay. And at 4 p.m. yesterday it was 107, so I guess my body is doing fine on this dose.

I'm losing weight so I gather that as I continue to go to Cornell and I continue to lose, they might even drop the insulin more.

Do any of you know if lowering insulin leads to muscle spasms? I really didn't see the connection but it happened the same day as I reduced to 18.

Do you think it might be connected? or do you think it's the fact that I haven't taken any Cal/Mag in about 3 weeks or so (might even be longer). Or maybe it was the change in the blood pressure meds??

As soon as I do go to the bathroom, I'm back to my old self. I just started to add 4 prunes a day, and a bit of fruit.

I think I better stop putting raw stuff in my salads, and just stick to cooked veggies to see if that will get my system back on track.

This all started in June when my son began calling us. My whole system gets whacked when I talk to him. It's just how my body reacts.

I was perfectly fine before June. I even said to Alan. "just you wait until he starts calling, I'm going to start having bowel problems" and Bam, that's exactly what happened.

I can't control how my mind works. I wish I could

Up until that first phone call, I went to the bathroom every day. Then he calls, and my body shuts down. Then the cops came to my house the other night because I got a threatening letter in the mail. You have no idea what THAT did to my stomach.

I don't take anything. I did talk to the Blue Cross Nurse who calls me up every 3 months and the other night we had our 3 months catch up. I explained about constipation and she said 'It's extremely commong for many people". She explained that once in a while I can use an enema (I know not abuse this). She explained about stool softners, etc.) We had a nice talk and she commented. "I wish all my phone callers knew about diabetes like you do. You seem to know what you are doing and what to eat". I explained about Cornell and she said: "oh, THAT'S why you know stuff".

So hopefully, my stomach will get back on track.

I must say that once I'm cleaned out, I do feel like a brand new person and I can walk for miles.

It's amazing what the gut does to a person.

Melody

Oh quick question. You ask if I feel different on the different dose. Do people FEEL differences in their body when they lower insulin?. I never knew this.

[dorrie]

Hi Chickies! Not alot of time to post...just wanted to pop in and say hello...I was thinking about everyone today.
I am going to try the glycemic index diet with my hubby, starting tomorrow!!!! I am still down my 4 pounds!!!!
Hope all are doing well...catch ya tomorrow Gals!!:grouphug:

[MelodyL]

Shelley:

Did you read my post on my spasms. What do you think??

Melody

[dorrie]

Hi Melody!!! I just popped in and peeked at the posts...these spasms...are they like charlie horses?
I have had the most intense, painful cramps in my calves for the last while.(when I am sleeping) Last night it was unbelievable...it hurt so much. It also disturbs my sleep because it feels like it is constantly threatening to get out of control. My legs are not little...they are very strong normally but they are like ROCKS when I get up in the morning...all day they are tight and for the last couple weeks my feet are VERY sore and tired.
I cannot figure it out and my doc does not give me answers..so I come here for help!!!

Oh by the way...for a long time when my son and or his girlfriend would ring us I would have such sickening anxiety....I still get it as they come here to see Saffire 1 time each week....:(I don't know what it is...the past I guess...and sometimes my plate is too full to take on their stuff and when they start with it I do not cope well and does that intense stress ever reflect on my bowel habits...nerves I guess!:confused:

[MelodyL]

I think nerves will be the end of us all.

We have to learn better coping mechanisms. I've been able to literally change my whole life with better eating habits, etc. etc.

But sometimes, when stress hits, well it has to go SOMEWHERE. Didn't have any spasms last night. But then again, I soaked my feet in epson salts for 30 minutes before I went to bed. You better believe I'm doing this every night.

I also have began to take the Cal/Mag again. I know we all need calcium. I just hate the side effects.

But dealing with stress, with adult kids, with whatever life seems to throw at us, well we do what we can do.

I do believe however, that I now know what my purpose on this earth is.

This morning I was at my usual table at Dunkin Donuts and there was this woman at the other table just sighing. She was a matron on a school bus (she wore the uniform).

Out of the clear blue sky, she turns to me and says "I buried my mother last week". I said "oh you poor thing'. She began talking. She lost her husband, she buried two children, and now her 87 year old mother. This woman needed a shoulder to lean on and this morning I was that shoulder. She was considerably overweight for someone of her height. She was telling me that her doctor took her sugar reading several weeks ago and said 'Camille, you must lose weight'. I said: 'Camille, 20 people can tell you this, but if you are not ready, you are not going to do this'. She said: 'you know, you're right" I said "what is your sugar number?" She said "The doctor said it's 136".

Now 136 is not a death sentence, we all know this, but she said: 'My brother has diabetes, my father died of diabetes, my husband died of diabetes"

I said 'oh my goodness". I just listened. The lady needed SOMEONE to vent to, and this morning, I obviously was THAT SOMEONE.

I told her 'you're a beautiful woman, but you are going through the grief process right now". Things will look up some day. She said: 'I have a 24 year old son who lives with me". I said 'Is he a good boy"? And she said: "Oh yes, he's a joy".

I then said 'honey, just relish this and enjoy this, because some people don't even have that". She smiled and said 'yeah, people tell me this all the time".

So I patted her on the cheek, said "better days are coming". And she smiled.

I go there every morning, so I know I'll meet up with her again. She was a very nice woman going through a hard week.

Everybody has their story, don't they???

Melody

[Shelley]

Shelley:

Did you read my post on my spasms. What do you think??

Melody

Sorry Mel, I missed your question.

I think it was the magnesium in the calcium mag pill. MrsD pointed out that people with our challenegs are often under in magnesium and I think that can lead to spasm problems.

Has it improved?

[MelodyL]

I had to stop the Cal/Mag thing again because I was blocked. I don't like to be blocked. So because I didn't take it for two days, this morning I went. Not great. BUT I WENT!!

I'm going to buy that benefiber stuff that you mix with a glass of water.

My whole body is changing. Lost a lot of weight. Maybe my body is saying "whoa, what's happening?"

But I didn't soak my feet in the epsom salts last night (too busy watching So You Think You can Dance (with my hubbie who LOVES to watch the girls in their skimpy costumes).

So I forgot to soak my feet (Epsom Salts is Magnesium Sulfate). It gets absorbed in the skin.

So last night I was in a dead sleep and at 4 a.m. I was woken up by my left toe having a spasm. I said 'oh boy, just what I need".

Didn't know what else to do. I walked around my apartment (the toe straighted out in two minutes flat), but it's painful when it happens. I also took an alprazolam because honestly I got scared to death and didn't know what else to do.

I also warmed up a heat wrap in the microwave (at 4 a.m. no less), and put it on my feet. (thinking, warm compress, easing cramped muscles). I immediately went to sleep and that was that. Perfectly fine this morning.

I do not understand what is happening to my body. I am a normally upbeat (althought very anxious person, and lately (during the month of June, because my son called), I've been not up to par. This always happens to me when I hear from him.

I really sound like a horrible person and a terrible mother and I so sorry to come off that way but what he did to this family is, well, it stinks.

And because I don't cry (that's not my thing). I probably cry during puppy commericials more than I have cried about my son.

I guess i've internalized it so much, there's no place for the stress to go unless it goes in my bowels and into my toes (spasms).

Years ago, (about 10), when we were having A LOT of problems with him, and attending Tough Love meetings, and taking him to Rahway Prison for their Scared Straight Program, you should have seen what I went through with my bladder spasms.

Had them for over 4 years. Spent four years going to Urologist, gynos, this specialist, that specialist, getting ultra sounds, internal exams, blood tests, urine tests, (the whole works), only to be told. "we can't find anything".

That's when I knew it was my nerves and I was spasming.

The kicker was when I asked the doctor to prescribe me a muscle relaxer. I had just filled the prescription. I was about to take one before retiring for the night.

This was 4 years into my having these bladder spasms.

Well, I took a hot shower and the hot water was pouring over me and I was still spasming (down there), when all of a sudden it stopped. Just like that.

After 4 years of having this horrible urge to pee 24/7 and doctors finding nothing wrong with me, all I had to do was fill a prescription for a muscle relaxer (SOMA, I believe it was called). And (and this is only my opinion), because my mind knew that THIS WAS ALL IN MY MIND, well the whole body calmed down.

I had had spasms in my chest when I was in my late 20's. Here and there. I would always know when they were coming. Didn't happen often. But it happened.

Then in my 40's it stopped in the chest and went in the bladder.

Then, miracle of miracle, that day in the shower was the last day I had a bladder spasm.

I will never forget how that felt.

My son has always been a problem child but after he left us at age 20, and began gambling, well my body went through SOME CHANGE, believe me. And because I had to deal with case managers, and nurses and psychiatric wards, well my body didn't like that too much.

I truly believe that THIS IS HOW MY BODY COPED with what was going on.

So now I'm getting them in my toes.

I am going to buy magnesium (not the Oxide), but the other kind that Mrs. D recommends.

Until I get it, I'm going to soak in the epsom salts.

The other evening my calves were bothering me. I took out my foot bath thingee, poured some epsom salts and began soaking my feet.

Well, in 5 minutes, all the aches went out of my calves. So there HAS to be something in this epsom salts thing, right?

Take care,

Melody