Medical News

A few of you already know that just one month ago I received disturbing news on the medical front. After experiencing pain in my lower back, I contacted a doctor since it seemed to me that this was more than back trouble. I thought perhaps I had a kidney infection.

The following day, October 27, I went to the Lab and had blood drawn for a full blood screen. That afternoon I returned to find that after a 12 hour fast my blood sugar was at 150 (normal = 80-100), cholesterol was over 240 (supposed to be below 200), good cholesterol (HDL) was very low, and triglycerides were very high.

I decided to take immediate action even though the doctor could not see me again until the following Wednesday. I eliminated fatty foods from my diet and began eating salads. I also began walking twice each day and doing some other exercise.

On Wednesday November 1, I returned to the doctor with the lab results intent on not taking medication. The doctor expressed his concerns over the numbers, but agreed that exercise and diet were the first items to try. When I stepped onto the scale, we found that I had already lost 5 pounds! Good progress in just five days!

Due to the fact that this was the second time I had registered a high sugar mark, the doctor asked me to take a Glucose test the following Saturday, November 4. The initial blood test following the 12-hour fast showed a blood sugar level of 82! Again amazing results after just one week. The sugar went down and in one hour my sugar level was at 267 (uh-oh). After two hours the sugar level should have returned to the 80-100 level, but it stayed at 215.

Diagnosis = I am diabetic!

Looking back I can see evidence of this problem as long ago as 1988 or 1989. I praise the Lord that in 2002 I had stopped drinking carbonated beverages for a variety of reasons or my sugar levels may well have been even higher.

After one month of diet and exercise, I have lost 15 pounds! The Lord is good. No I must be good. I found that at Thanksgiving, though I did allow myself some forbidden items, I did not feel like indulging much. Teresa has also joined me in walking and to a certain extent the diet. She was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while carrying one of our children. She hasn't submitted to any testing yet, but she is taking some steps to improve her numbers just in case.