Meridia, diabetes, and diet.... click!

On March 12,2010 I went back to my heart doctor and had a check up about my Atrial Fibrillation. To review, in the early morning of Saturday, Jan. 3, I dozed off in my reclining chair and when I woke up I had pressure pain in my chest. I took my blood pressure and it was 180 over 100 and my pulse was 120. I thought it was wrong and took it again, and it was about the same with still a pulse of 120. It was 3 am and I didn't know what to do.
Donnie tried to start his truck but it wouldn't start. He told me there was no way he was going to drive my van. So I told him that I would drive. I just knew something wasn't right. When we got to the ER, we were the only ones there, which was nice. We went to Trinity Terrace in Bettendorf. They called what I had Atrial Fibulation. My heartrate was irregular. They gave me stuff in my veins to get it regular. They monitored me and after a couple hours, a nurse announced loudly that I was converted. I looked at her, and I said, "Does that mean I'm no longer a Lutheran?" She failed to find the humor in that. I guess this stuff is pretty serious. Anyway, We left the ER at 6:30 am and got breakfast from Hardee's. I have not had any spells since. I have been on Metoprolol ER Succinate ever since.
Now, to come back to the present. As I said, on March 12, I went back to the heart doctor and I am doing fine. I decided I wanted to try to lose weight again. I had let myself get back to 304 lbs. I was 292 before Christmas so I had gained 12 lbs. over the holidays. I went to my regular doctor, Dr. Lisa Kopp, on March 16th so I could get started on the Meridia again. Luckily, the insurance pays for the pills which cost over $125 a month. I only pay $15. I had my blood tested on this day also. On Thursday, March 18th, I got a phone call from the Doctor's nurse that told me, in a deadpan voice, "Cindy, your Cholesterol is 299 and your blood sugar is 140. Your thyroid level is low. The doctor is ordering Cholesterol and Thyroid medicine for you to start taking immediately and she wants to see you as soon as possible to talk to you about your high blood sugar. We will make you an appointment for next week."
So many things went through my mind. The first thought was I would have to quit my diet medicine. So I blurted out, "Can we make the appointment for tomorrow?" and that is what they did.
What an information packed office visit THAT was. I understood the high Cholesterol medicine and she explained what a low thyroid does. That could be why I was gaining weight. But then she told me she wanted me to get a glucose meter and start testing my blood once a day. Argh! I was hoping NEVER to EVER have to prick my fingers. But she explained that anything over 130 for blood sugar is in the range of DIABETES! Gulp! That news changed my life. Enter the CLICK!
I took the prescriptions to Walgreen's and had them help me out. I had heard about those new glucose meters where you could take the blood from your arm. The gal just looked at me like I was nuts! She asked around and others told her that almost any meter could be used on the arm. So I bought an Accuscan meter. They had to also get me some lancets and some testing strips. Oh my goodness! I had no idea of how much testing strips cost. For a vial of 25, they are nearly 75 cents a piece! Then came the fun news. CHECKING blood sugar is a before and 2 hour after process! So... I have to poke my finger 2 times! Luckily, I just had to do it once a day. From my first test, I never went over 130. I think my fasting test was flawed because I had had some pepsi in the middle of the night. That's my excuse. But I really started watching what I ate. The other surprise was, it wasn't only sugar that is bad for diabetes. Bread and potatoes are bad also. EEEK! I love my bread! And I love hash browns and french fries and baked potatoes! But I started cutting back. I bought some healthy bread that is only 35 to 40 calories per slice. I try to only have 2 slices a day. I stopped eating candy bars and chocolate on ice cream... AND the ice cream. I also noticed that I could actually change my portions and still feel full.
So, the doctor wanted to see me in 3 weeks to see how things were going. My first weigh in after just 3 weeks... I lost 16 lbs. I had lost 5 lbs. on my own the week between the heart doctor and the time I got the pills. So I had lost 21 lbs. in one month.
My blood sugar started leveling off at about 105 so the doctor said I only had to test 2 times a week.
So that is what I have been doing for the past 5 weeks. Yesterday, May 13, I weighed in at 270 so I had lost another 13 lbs. Ironically, that is the amount of weight I lost last year by May 11. But I can feel my body changing. I really feel great! The key to feeling well is the fact that my stomach rarely growls. I haven't ate anything yet today and I feel full. I'll probably had some refried beans, salsa, cream cheese and a little hamburger. One of my favorite things to do is place a flour tortilla in the microwave and cook it to a crisp... about a minute. I break it up and use it as chips. Mmmmmm sounds good right now. Each day is a new adventure. I just try to eat less and I find, I am still satisfied and full.
Finally, the doctor says that treating the underactive thyroid will help with the weight loss also. I do know something that it HAS helped. I have been losing a lot of hair when I take a shower. It was enough to wrap around the drain strainer we have in the shower. I have been saving this hair for over 4 years now. (sick, I know) I was blaming the hair loss on menopause. Now I think the underactive thyroid might have been part of the problem. Now, I lose very little hair and my hair feels fuller. We will see how long this lasts. I just know I feel great now and look forward to keep losing weight this time. The last 3 times I have tried, I ran into roadblocks. The atrial fibrillation thing and I think the thyroid thing. We will see what happens this time. So far, so good!