omfgzorz

So, I'm pissed off. And slightly depressed.

I've gained 15 pounds since becoming diabetic. Why? Because of the insulin. Since I'm not as efficient and effective as my pancreas was before it fucking died on me, my sugar levels are usually too high and sometimes too low. Too high means that my body is slowly being killed by excess sugar and I have numb feet, blindness, and nerve and kidney damage to look forward to. Too low means my brain is starving for energy and I become about as smart as a doorknob until I get a fix of sugar.

Anyway, where does the weight gain come into all this? Well, insulin makes you hungry. So when your sugar levels are too low, there's too much insulin, making you hungry. When your sugar levels are too high, you take insulin to bring them down, making you hungry.

Now, about 85-90% of what I eat is super healthy. I bring my lunch everyday, which consists mostly of fruit and veggies, some flaxseed-rye bread (naturally sugar-free) with natural peanut butter or salmon, yogourt, and some pumpkin seeds and almonds. Yeah, it doesn't get much healthier than that. And my dinners are made by my parents (ah, the joys of living at home) which are always healthy because my dad is diabetic too (and he does the cooking).

And how about exercise? Let's see... I go for a 45 min walk/jog on the treadmill at least 5 night per week. I do weight training 3 nights per week. I've joined a fitness team at work, so I'll be working out with a group of ladies in the onsite gym once or twice per week.

And yet, I can't lose the diabetic 15. And I know that some of the weight has come from getting muscle, which is great. And it's not like I'm fat. But I just don't feel comfortable with the extra pounds.

So now for the good news. I've applied to get an insulin pump. This is so cool. The pump is a little computerized insulin dispenser that will basically act as an external pancreas. The coolest part is that the pump can be set to give a constant tiny flow of insulin, as a real pancreas would be doing. This is more natural than the injection system. And then when you have a meal, you just tell the pump to dispense the appropriate number of units, and it does it.

And the best part is... no injections!!! The pump injection site is changed once every 3 days. That's 1 shot instead of 24 over a 3-day period. How fucking amazing is that?!?!

I can't wait to get my pump. Better control of my sugar levels not only means I'll be able to lose the weight, but I'll be less likely to suffer from diabetes-related complications later on in life. Ah, technology. I love you.