My diabetes is either gone or going away.
I talked to my doctor today about the tests I had the day after Labor Day, and the indicator for diabetes is dramatically normal. She said she's never seen someone go from where I was the last time she checked (around 8%) to where I am now (about 5%). The normal range is 4.8-5.6%, prediabetes is 5.7-6.4% and diabetes is more than 6.4%. She said most of the time she sees people drop to somewhere in the 6% range first, then drop down to normal range after a few months. But we still have to be careful. So I'm going off the fast-acting insulin as of now, but staying on the long-acting insulin for a bit longer. I will need to continue to do blood tests twice a day and watch carefully for either high or low blood sugar. I'm to report any oddness, and take insulin if needed. If everything stays happy, I'll check back in a couple of weeks to determine if I can go off the long-acting insulin.
That translates to three less needles a day, but the most annoying bits (the finger prick tests) are still necessary. Oh well. I guess you can't win 'em all.
Still, I'm delighted. Even though I was told there was a good chance the diabetes would go away once I was off or mostly off the Prednisone, I was prepared to live with it for the rest of my life. If I can keep my weight down, there's a chance I'll never have to deal with it again. I have a serious motivation to avoid it in the future now that I've lived with it for several months. On the other hand, I'm no longer frightened by it.
My dietary restrictions are a bit less onerous now. I don't have to count carbs, though I'll probably try to stay within the guidelines. I still have to avoid sodium and phosphates, and keep a close eye on how much potassium I get (although it's less of a concern due to the way water pills work). I will be able to eat when I want to instead of having to keep a careful schedule due to the insulin shots, which will be nice. Not dramatically different, but nice.
I also talked with the nephrologist via video on Monday. He didn't change any of my medications, which surprised me a little. His main concern was making sure I'm tapering off the Prednisone correctly (I am) and that the Hydroxychloroquine isn't having any massive side effects (it isn't). My blood tests are showing continued improvement, in line with the timeline from my chemo treatment. He wants to see me again after I'm off the Prednisone for awhile to make sure I don't regress. In short, all is well on the kidney front.
My hands continue to hurt, usually worse right after I wake up in the morning and late in the evening. I've ordered some compression gloves that are supposed to help with arthritis pain, so should (in theory) help me. In addition to hand pain, I feel minor pains in other joints, particularly my knees.
In fact, it has been hard to get out of my chair lately. I keep wishing for a new chair, but the downsides are a pain. I would want one that has a higher seat so it's easier to get out of it, but I still need to be able to elevate my feet. The sheer logistics of finding the right chair at the moment would be difficult. And then I'd have to get it upstairs and in my room. So I'm just trying to deal with the pain and make sure I'm careful about getting up.
To combat the pain, I've been exercising. My sister brought a recumbent exercise bike she's stopped using, and I've managed to get at least five minutes on it every day since she visited on Labor Day. Between it and going up and down the stairs for every meal, I'm very tired. But each day it all gets a little easier and I feel a little less exhausted, so I'm building up my energy again. It feels good when I think about being able to do normal things without collapsing. Movement is medicine, and one with only a few side effects.
The other new exciting medical issue I'm experiencing is hot flashes. Yup. I'm that old, and going through THAT. My hot flashes tend to happen every evening. Each one lasts a few minutes, and there's usually five or six of them in a row. I think I'm getting off easy, despite the annoyance. When I told my doctor, she was a bit concerned I was going to ask for hormone treatment or something. I basically said I'm on too many medications right now as it is, and I wouldn't even DARE to add another unless the hot flashes become intolerable. Right now they are annoying - mostly because of the sweat that gets into my eyes every time I have one - but not impossible to deal with. It's just one more thing to pay attention to, though.
Inkwell got sick last Thursday, throwing up and refusing to eat. He also became lethargic, to the point where he didn't even attack my hand when I touched his belly. We took him to the vet, but his blood tests came back normal. He only had some inflammation in his intestines. So we waited it out, and he slowly got back to eating and moving and being himself. But for awhile it was scary, and I checked on him every hour or so to make sure he was still breathing.
In addition to a sick cat, the smoke from all the wildfires in three states settled in across Washington and northern Oregon, turning the sky a filthy shade of yellow and causing local agencies to discourage people from going outside. I was given strict orders by my nephrologist to stay inside, as the smoke could definitely cause me serious problems. I have no problem with those orders. I'm just glad we have an air purifier. Both the nephrologist and my regular doctor said they are waiting for air purifiers, expressing some regret that they hadn't already gotten one.
Eric has been teaching on-line, and seems to be doing fine. I haven't really bothered him much, but he has cheerful little anecdotes about his students, and it's easy to read between the lines that he likes them and is already bonding with some of them. He's had some minor successes with the technology, as well. If we only had a faster internet connection, the job would be absolutely perfect.
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