Realizing one of my blessings
Thanks to a posting from Scott, I found out about the OC New Me Challenge just in time to sign up for it.I'm fortunate that I've never had a problem with my weight. I'm always hovering around 154 lbs, or what I used to call 11 stone when I was living in Ireland.
So my goal is to radically improve my A1C numbers.
Last year I had a lot of health problems with my lungs, I think this was partially the cause of the lousy, rotten A1C values I had for much of the year. My average for 2006 was about 8.4% which is not at all good. I've set myself a goal to get down to 6.8% for December, 2007.
But here's my blessing (long explanation warning).
I was going through all the old A1C results that I could find in my disorganized filing system at home. And I found a postcard from the Joslin center in Boston showing me the values for 1988 and 1990.
These were years when I wasn't yet on the pump, and was probably taking about 9 shots a daily (between regular and long-acting insulin) to control myself.
In 1990 I had improved my A1C to 10.7% from the 11.0% result that I had in 1988!!
Bear in mind that the DCCT results were being made public in 1993. I remember attending a meeting near Boston where I was in a roomful of interested folks and we were being told about the DCCT outcome (lower blood glucose readings meant much reduced risks of complications) and holding back the tears and I realized that this meant there were proven ways to reduce those awful outcomes, and seeing this as a whole new lease on life for me.
So in 1988/1990 my readings were around 11%, and last year I had a bad year where the averages were 8.4%, which is almost a 25% reduction in where I had been. Measuring from my 1990 averages, even my recent bad year is WAY better than where I had been.
Thanks to the OC New Me Challenge, I looking forward to one of my best years ever.
Thank God for insulin pumps, A1C tests, much improved blood glucose meters, and folks like Allison for organizing the challenge and the Diabetes OC website.
posted by Bernard @ 8:46 AM
3 Comments:
Wow Bernard!
I think that is really a great story. To look back at where you were back then, and what you consider to be a bad year now - that's just amazing.
It also captures your drive and motivation to make those positive changes in your life.
This story is touching to me - thanks for sharing.
I think your goal A1C sounds great, and if there is anything I can do to help you along, please let me know.
I'm also glad that my post brought you to the challenge site! Awesome!
A good goal indeed! I saw my A1C drop from in the eights to a 7.1 in just under a year without the pump.
Can't wait to see what you're going to be doing this year with your A1C!! I'm concentrating on my weight for the challenge and hoping to see a natural decrease in all sorts of other things--including the A1C.
Goodluck!
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