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July 5th, 2008
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So, when I left you in my diabetes diagnosis debacle, we were all screaming at Harry and Ruth for not knowing more about diabetes (even though Harry was studying to be a diabetes educator. Yeah, seriously.).

I got over my anger and started paying lots of attention to basically everything. I had planned meals out before, but I was more methodical about it now--aiming for carbs, protein and (gasp) vegetables with lunch and dinner. I relished "free foods" and found comfort in nutritional information. I integrated pretty rigid eating standards for myself. If I was hungry and it wasn't time for a meal or a snack, I waited until it was time. And in mid-February when it was absolutely freezing, I started getting up at 5:20 a.m. for a daily 30-minute walk with the dog. Weight started melting off me. Between the time I was diagnosed in February and May, I had dropped 30 lb. By December, I was down 51 lb. I was beyond motivated.

The only problem I had was with the oral drugs. Actos made me feel so raunchy with all-day nausea that I was almost completely useless at work. So Harry switched me to Avandia, which he did tell me would increase my fertility, but I had that "But it won't happen to me" attitude because I needed fertility drugs to get pregnant with No. 1 and a drug I took to induce my period is how we got No. 2. I basically brushed it off and didn't think about it again until I got that plus sign.

I needed to see an ob instantly. In addition to diabetes, I also need to take injections of blood thinners when I'm pregnant to prevent blood clots. (A quick back story: I was 18 when I got a DVT in my left leg (I was significantly clotted from my groin to my ankle) and a PE in my left lung from being on the pill for only six months. From then on, we always knew I'd need to take injections (because orals will cross the placenta) of blood thinners while I was pregnant. Basically I'm blessed to be alive right now.) So instead of the traditional eight-week wait to see an ob after a positive pregnancy test, I saw my new ob within four days.

Dr. Grant was wonderful. Her husband is a high-risk maternal fetal specialist (aka "peri") and his office was just upstairs. I needed to see him ASAP, she said. Even though there's a waiting list weeks long to get in to him they happened to have a cancellation that afternoon. The second Dr. Grant and I discussed blood clots and diabetes. He started me on the blood thinner Heparin, and said if he never saw another blood sugar it would be too soon. So he shipped me off to a diabetes clinic next door, and that's where I met Kristina. She would talk to me any time about anything without judgement and answer any question. She called me the poster child for diabetes pregnancy and wished all her patients were as dedicated as I was.

Looking over my numbers, Kristina and I agreed that I was type 2, not pre-diabetic. I started a modest amount of Lantus that day, and tweaked my diet even more.



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Michelle Kowalski
Michelle Kowalski, a writer, editor and photography hobbiest in Missouri, has had type 2 diabetes since February 2005. In January 2008, as part of her quest to start on an insulin pump, Michelle learned that she actually has type 1 diabetes.(Read More)

Latest Posts: Can I Say 'No'? | My Bad | Three Airports, Two Searches

Carey Potash
Carey is a full-time hater of diabetes. The benefits stink. His 5-year-old son, Charlie, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 22 months old. Carey's parenting humor has appeared in various websites and print magazines. He resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and three children.(Read More)

Latest Posts: Active Insulin | Adjusting Your Happiness Levels | Planet Diabetes

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