Tag Archives: diabetes

It’s Been Awhile

career, diabetes, disability, keto, peer support, Uncategorized, Weight loss, work, , , , , , , ,

I have been working in mental health peer support. They recently brought certification to CA. I am glad we have standards and training. I did 80 hr training and am taking certification exam tomorrow. I think I am ready but I am nervous. I am going to a testing site. It is 2.5 hours. I think I will know right away if I pass.

I have been working part time. Lately 16 hr/week. I receive SSDI disability and have not earned enough to go over the limit. I recently accepted an offer for full time work. I am anxious that I won’t have the energy or it won’t work out for some reason. I will lose ssdi the first month because I will go over limit. Social security provides work incentives but I have used them all. The only one left is expedited reinstatement. After I lose disability pay I can apply and they expedite that. Hopefully, everything goes well and it is an unnecessary concern.

The job is peer support in housing. The clients have housing vouchers and we work as a team to get them in and keep them housed. The people I have met so far are nice. I start in May. There is a ton of onboarding: fingerprinting, physical, paperwork . I have to get a second tb test this week and get car inspected. Then I think I am ready. I am going on vacation at end of April and then start.

I am trying to get back on keto but I struggle. I live with husband and daughter and there are carby foods here that tempt me. I am going to sit down later this week and really think about what I want. I am doing keto to control diabetes but there are other avenues. My dr added rybelsus which is an oral semaglutide. I am losing really slowly at maximum dose. It does help me pause before impulsively eating. My glucose is better.

Where have I been?

alcohol, chronic illness, depression, diabetes, earwax, hearing, hearing aids, insurance, Medication, mental health, mental illness, MeRT, peer support, psychiatrist, schizoaffective, schizophrenia, Stress Reduction, Therapy, TMS, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Image: cartoon of several people sitting in chairs. Group therapy.

I have several chronic conditions: mental health, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, hypertension. I am on 9 medications. I was wondering if there is any type of holistic treatment that could help, and searched different terms in my insurance directory. I came upon a mental health facility that is holistic and integrative. They have a nutritionist on staff. It wasn’t exactly what I was thinking but it looked helpful.

I saw the psychiatrist and he is a bit different but I like him. He changed my diagnosis from schizoaffective to major depressive disorder and anxiety. He seems sure I was misdiagnosed. He decreased my antipsychotic, I am on a baby dose that is more of an adjunct for depression, so far, so good. I

Image: Stethoscope with words Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

They do a type of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation called MeRT. It took a couple of months but my insurance finally approved it. I had an EEG yesterday. They use the EEG to determine how to apply magnetic therapy. I may start as soon as tomorrow morning.

The therapy helps bring your brain waves to calm, alert alpha waves. You can get there through coping tools like mindfulness and meditation but this works much faster. I have had anxiety Al, of my life and it impacts me daily. I am really hoping this will help. I use a lot of stress reduction techniques and have been trying to expose myself to things I fear.

I spent 5 weeks in Partial hospitalization all day M-F. Now I am in intensive outpatient 8:15-11:45 M-F. The next step down is 3 days/week, then I am done but will come in for MeRT. I think the routine and structure help. I am learning a lot. You can’t drink alcohol while during MeRT. It is M-F daily and 36 sessions total.

You come up with a daily schedule but I have trouble sticking with it once I get home. I was supposed to come up with a meal plan but I don’t know how. I eat, mostly low carb, but I don’t really plan my meals. I keep snacks on hand and my husband usually makes dinner.

My fasting glucose does not match my A1C. My A1C is normal. I am trying a continuous glucose monitor. I like it but it show high readings, too. My dr thinks donating blood gives me a false low A1C so I am having another blood test in a few months and not donating. I am thinking of volunteering for the Red Cross at the donor center, but I am having trouble hearing. I am getting the wax cleaned out of my ears soon and try to get on a schedule so my hearing aids can work.

Projects

anxiety, caffeine, Calories, diabetes, gratitude, internal family systems, keto, Medication, mental health, motivation, projects, psychiatrist, psychosis, schizoaffective, schizophrenia, sleep, Therapy, Weight loss, writing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Image: gratitude journal.
https://linktr.ee/matthiasjbarker?fbclid=PAAabOSCj2THoNkFK8nkKoP0OquO5P7L8HeLBBjQkatc1YYQb1W-ott8E8IfQ

I have a number of projects that I have trouble completing.

I am interested in internal family systems therapy. I have a book and workbook to use on your own but I have trouble getting started. I have an appointment with a new therapist in Jan and hope she can help.

I am in the process of reading Brain Energy about how mental illnesses are metabolic disorders. I skimmed through looking for explicit directions for how to deal with anxiety and schizoaffective disorder. He talks a lot about keto but I like to have targets for macros and he does not get specific or I missed it.

I got an activity journal that looks fun but I have only glanced at it.

My cousin, @AnnSloan, wrote a book called Suffer, that I have on kindle waiting to be read

I have a gratitude journal by @matthiasjbarker (pictured) that I just started today. It has prompts for everyday for 6 weeks. He also has a motivational zoom I signed up for. Maybe I can get some sense of priority with these projects and a timeline.

I started keto last month. I slipped a little eating some more carbs than I should. I have type 2 diabetes and keto really helps me with glucose control. My sugars went higher than normal and I am having trouble getting to a level I would like. I have not lost weight but I lose slowly usually.

I had a scare where my blood pressure was high at a Dr , not PCP. I tested at home and it was high on several days. I contacted PCP and she said to decrease salt and exercise more. Still high. I went for office visit and she read bp manually. It was normal. She thinks for some reason the automatic readers don’t pick it up right on me. I can go for manual checks if I need. I am a little confused about sodium. Usually you increase it with keto but my Dr wants me to stay to below around 2 g. I had been drinking bullion but I stopped. Grateful my BP is normal.

My sleep had not been well. It is improving. I can get 6-7 hours straight, the problem is it is shifted. I don’t fall asleep until about 3 am and am tired during the day. I cut back on caffeine and my psychiatrist reduced my medication. It is easier to stay asleep with the cooler weather.

Covid

coronavirus, covid, diabetes, hearing, hearing aids, job, paxlovid, peer support, support groups, , , , , , , , ,
Image: positive Covid test 2 lines Control and Test

My son works at a boy scout overnight camp but they had the week of the 4th off. He came in contact with someone with Covid, eventually testing positive and isolated here. He was cleared to go back to work wed night, but left me testing positive. I have been isolating since Tuesday. So far my husband and daughter are negative. She is taking a PCR test today. Husband is doing a rapid test tomorrow.

My Dr prescribed an antiviral Paxlovid because I have diabetes. It leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I have been eating and drinking fluids but have lost a couple of lbs. I am overweight so that is fine. I test tomorrow. If it is negative I go back to work on mon. I can come out of isolation but have to wear a mask for 5 more days. If it is positive I isolate for 5 more days. Feel like a groundhog, if it sees it’s shadow 5 more days of Covid.

I was very congested but that has cleared up. I still sometimes have coughing fits. No fever. The isolating is worse than the illness. I am bored and lonely. The dog keeps me company.

I gave a month notice at my work on 7/5.  My last day is Aug 2.  I am having issues hearing, even with hearing aids.  They could probably accommodate somehow, but I feel like it is time. I have been offered some volunteer opportunities with DBSA that I am considering.  One is working in an office but I really don’t want to commute and there is facilitating live or online. I might share one of the facilitating roles. No rush to decide.

 

 

From Keto to Weight Watchers

alcohol, Calories, diabetes, keto, Weight loss, weight Watchers, , , , ,
Image: blue circle containing letters WW vertically

I stopped keto in Dec. I thought I would get back to it after the New Year but I have been resisting. It is great for my glucose but I found the diet restrictive in food choices. It is sustainable for some. I am gaining back weight. I know someone involved in a MLM that is geared to weight loss, but it is very calorie restricting and you are supposed to purchase their food. I don’t think that would work for me.

I decided to give WW (Weight Watchers) a try. They have a digital plan that is the app, but I don’t know if I can do it on my own. So, I signed up for workshops + digital. It is more expensive but I think it will make me feel accountable. I signed up for 6 months. I am hoping I pick up enough to do it on my own or switch to the digital plan. They have lifetime memberships where if you lose and maintain your weight loss you can have access for free, but I don’t know how that works.

They give you some zero point foods. Mine are poultry, non starchy veggies and legumes. The more zero point foods you choose, the less total points you have to start with. It is pretty easy to track in the app and it is a little different than calorie counting. They guide you toward making healthier choices. You get points back for activity, drinking water and eating non starchy veggies.

I even went to lunch and the most points were for my iced tea. I had minestrone soup and salad. I normally would have eyed the pasta dishes but I wanted to have some points left over for dinner. There are no restrictions on what you can eat. I checked and a shot of liquor is 4 points (out of my 32 total). I went to a virtual meeting for beginners which was helpful. I am planning to go in person on Fri.

What is one thing you have always wanted to do?

career, depression, diabetes, Dog, fun, keto, mental health, mental illness, peer support, Pets, relaxation, Therapy, travel, vacation, writing, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Image palm trees and water

I saw my therapist today telehealth. One thing he asked me was what do I do for fun or to relax. My knee jerk reaction was that I don’t know how, but I corrected myself. I am a couch potato but I enjoy computer games. I am happy on my couch with my dog typing right now. He asked what is one thing I have always wanted to do, for example, travel, and would I be disappointed if I never do it. I rarely travel, and would like to, but I don’t have a dream destination that I would be upset about not going. I can vacation in my backyard. We go on short overnight trips about an hour away that I enjoy.

It did get me thinking, though, I want to visit my sister in Boston when the weather is nicer. She suggested summer or fall, I have been there once when she first moved but it was a different house. She has a lake she likes to go to that I want to see. I can start planning that trip. My nephew is getting married out of the country but I don’t think I will go. I would like to but it won’t upset me not to be there. Just the coat is too much.

I have new health insurance and took a survey and the result said I am depressed but I feel fine. I am going to ignore that result.

I joined this zoom journaling group through the Mighty. I know everyone has a health condition, not sure if it is all mental health. They list prompts, give 10 minutes to write, share and then repeat. It goes for 3 hours but I leave early because I have another zoom, DBSA later. I feel like my writing is rainbows and puppy dogs and other people go deep. They are nice to me, I can’t go this week but I think I will continue. I know I have other emotions they just aren’t being prompted.

i zoomed with endocrinologist after therapist.My labs were good. I told her I stopped keto in dec and don’t want to go back to where I started but I don’t like logging food and counting carbs. She said I can visually see if my meals are less than 1/4 starchy carbs. I fill myself up with veggies. Beans are my main starchy food. I can do that.

I got a call from an old co worker. we worked at an activity center for adults with mental health issues. we have both moved on. he is now working at a new peer advocacy non profit, I don’t know if it is the grass looking greener. I am content where I am but get antsy when I am not busy I have a lot of down time that should change once I can get trained on some more tasks.

Making coconut milk yogurt

Calories, coconut milk yogurt, diabetes, Fitbit, intermittent fasting, lactose intolerance, Medication, Myfitnesspal, Uncategorized, , , , ,
Image. Coconut Milk Yogurt, luvele.com

I recently discovered I am lactose intolerant. I just bought a yogurt maker and was making yogurt with half and half, which was a simple recipe, but now I am trying to switch to coconut milk. So far, I have had little success. I have made gelatin, which tasted okay but was definitely not yogurt. I had a batch that did not set and one that turned out sour. I used them in smoothies. They are fine to eat, but not what I am looking for.

I am using this recipe https://www.luvele.com/blogs/recipe-blog/best-dairy-free-gut-loving-coconut-yogurt-recipe. It does not seem too complicated but I am having trouble. I have a new batch going now. Fingers crossed it works. They have a different recipe that uses coconut cream that I will try next if this fails.

I probably would give up and just buy non dairy yogurt, but I want to use the maker. I don’t know what else it could be used for.

I have been making green smoothies, too. I drink them most mornings now. Our blender died after 20 years so we got one that makes smoothies and is durable. I put in ice, soy or coconut milk, spinach, cucumber, coconut milk yogurt, ginger, chia seeds, plant protein powder and blend. It is pretty filling.

Image coffee mug with coffee and coconut milk, green smoothie

My weight has been stalled since I had a medication change in June, but my glucose is good and I am in ketosis (on ketogenic diet). I had been logging my food on Cronometer but I think it was overestimating my energy expenditure so I switched to myfitnesspal. You enter your foods and it calculates the calories, carbs, fats, protein etc. I am not perfect at logging but it gives me an idea of where I am at. I have it linked to my Fitbit and scale.

I am still doing 14 hour fasts. It is not too difficult for me. I have not noticed any changes with fasting. I do feel a lot better now that I am not having much dairy.

Going Dairy Free

coconut milk yogurt, diabetes, Digbi Health, DNA, lactose intolerance, Virta Health, , , , , ,
Image bottle of milk and glass with red circle and slash

I am in a weight loss program with Digbi Health. I found it looking through programs offered through my insurance. Unfortunately, they do not cover me because I have type 2 diabetes and they refer me to other programs. I called to find out why it is not covered and the sales rep explained that to me and gave me a discount that expired that evening. I thought about it and maybe impulsively signed up.

I am still doing keto. Digbi recommends a lot of veggies with meals and I am having trouble staying in ketosis but my glucose is okay. I want to find a way to work the Digbi program and Virta keto together. I tried asking both how I can blend them but I guess I was not clear because I have not got much of an answer from either program.

With Digbi they do a dna and gut biome analysis. I got the dna results. Some things I found out are that I am lactose intolerant and my blood pressure changes with sodium intake. I have been making yogurt with half and half and have had some digestive issues but I had not put the 2 together. I tried making yogurt with coconut milk and it became gelatin. Not sure if that was the recipe, the coconut milk brand or me. I am going to try a different recipe next time.

I don’t know if i have to avoid all dairy or if things like heavy cream and cheese are okay. I found a sub on Reddit. They were helpful, but they told me it is an individual thing. I got some lactaid tablets, too.

Some other things I found out were vitamin and mineral requirements, like I need more vitamin A and Copper. They don’t test levels, it is how you metabolize. I also have a lot of weight gain tendencies which just means I have to be diligent. Apparently, I have high heart capacity, poor flexibility. I found it interesting. I am going over the results with my coach this week.

Empathy Postcards, CGM, and my week

CGM, diabetes, empathy, keto, mental health, mental illness, support, Therapy, , , , , , , , ,
Image Cover of Empathy Postcards

As part of a gift in a gift exchange I was given Empathy Postcards by Emily McDowell. It reminded me of a time I was hospitalized for my mental health . In art class I made a card to myself. No one brings cards when you are you in the behavioral health unit. I think they just don’t know what to say. These empathy Postcards are perfect for times like that. I think I will use them for friends when they are having a rough time.

Image if this is God’s plan, God is a terrible planner (No offense if you’re reading this God. You did a really good job with other stuff, like waterfalls and pandas.)

I also was given some keto friendly snacks, a little stuffed poodle that looks like my dog, dog treats and a nice note.


As far as keto, things are going well. My labs were good last month, so.my Dr took me off of one med, Januvia. Everything went wacky for a few weeks. My weight was going up, glucose went higher than when I started keto and I was out of ketosis. My Dr gave me the option to give it a couple of weeks more or to go back on Januvia. I decided to see how it goes in a week. It started improving. My weight started dropping and fasting glucose lowered. I am back in ketosis


I asked my coach from the program I am in, for type 2 diabetes, Virta, about a CGM, continuous glucose monitor. The Virta Dr called in a prescription for Freestyle Libre 14 day sensor. I got a voucher from the freestyle libre US website to bring to the pharmacy. It is a free trial. My insurance won’t cover more sensors but I am getting a lot of data. My glucose drops in the early morning and then rises. The sensor does not always agree with the fingerstick. It reads interstitial fluid. The range is set at 70-140 mg/dl and I am in range. I am going to lower it to 126 to see if I can tell the difference. It has a graph but it is hard to read. It is small. So far the biggest rise in glucose is just from waking up and not from my food. The app lets you write notes to go with the readings.

I have sleep apnea and wear a dental appliance. After my dentist adjusts it, he orders a home sleep study. I have done about 4 so far. I did one this week and have seen the results. I wore a t-shirt with tennis balls that is supposed to keep me in my side but the device read as if I was on my back most of the night. I still have mild apnea with the appliance so he will most likely adjust it more. It is not painful but it gets uncomfortable the more he moves my jaw forward and it takes time to get it back in position in the morning.

I talked with my therapist this week. She asked how much time I spend online. I don’t know so I told her that, but it is a lot. She said she spends an hour. She wants me to keep track. I don’t have to change but she says I should know. I like her but don’t like her assignments