SUCCESS!

Ha! Neener! Take that, stupid busted pancreas!

*ehem*

So anyway, yesterday I went to the doctor. And despite some problems in the blood draw lab (why, why, WHY do certain people hear "Don't even try taking blood from the crook of my arm" as a challenge rather than a directive? mutta mutta rassnfrickn mutta), it went better than expected.

Part of the reason why I was there was because my fasting blood sugar had gone to 121, a touch too high for comfort, that morning. I'd expect a number like that an hour or so after a full meal, so I was worried. I also needed to know what my A1c looked like, since when I was first diagnosed my A1c was 7.4 (for the uninitiated, the hemoglobin A1c test is one way to diagnose diabetes. It measures your average blood glucose numbers over a period of several months; normal A1c numbers are in the 5 range, and any number over about 6.5 is considered full-blown diabetic).

Well, as of yesterday my A1c was down to 5.6, which is within normal parameters for a non-diabetic. I'm down 46 pounds from my all-time high, though I have much further to go before I even get out of the "obese" section of the BMI. My LDL cholesterol went from 123 to 96, and triglycerides went from 120 to 103. I'm still low on iron and vitamin D, so I need to supplement, but overall that's pretty spiffy.

Please note: the normal A1c score does NOT mean I am now cured of diabetes. It only means I am doing a fairly good job of controlling the disease with a low-carb diet and occasional exercise. (Some authors falsely market this method of control as a diabetes "cure," but it isn't. I would define "cured" as "able to eat a whole Snickers bar and enjoy normal blood sugars an hour later," and I can't do that any more. And, medical research of Type 2 being what it is, I probably never will again.) But does eating a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-healthy-fat diet successfully control high blood sugars and help drop excess weight? This particular data point says HEY-ull YEAH.

Still not sure why my fasting blood sugar was that high. I'll have to see if it's an isolated incident or part of a larger trend.