Battle with Diabetes

  For the past year or so I lost control of my diabetic conditional and my A1c has been at least 8.4 but more often up to 9.6.  For those who don't know A1c means the average blood sugar reading for the past 3 months.  Normal is 5.0 or below.
   Diabetics test their blood sugar reading using a meter and test stripe which gives us a daily reading.
The reading at a normal level is 90 -110.  In order to get an A1c of 8.4 or higher ones blood sugar   needs to average around 400 or higher on a daily basis.
  What makes it difficult is one can have a test result of 160 first thing in the morning and then have a proper breakfast but still have a blood sugar spike up to 400 and 500 hundred.  The cause is the body is not making insulin or not making enough insulin.  The solution is medicine, usually metformin.  If one cannot control their diabetes with metformin then other medicines are prescribed, then insulin and then other types of medicine can be given.  How much and when depends upon a particular person's ability to regulate their blood sugar reading.
   A person's diet and weight and exercise regime has a lot to do with their diabetes.  In my case I was able to control mine through diet for many years.  I lost 50 pounds and when I retired I embarked on a rigorous exercise program.  I thought I was fine until my next doctor's visit but I wasn't.  I began taking insulin.   I was warned that insulin would probably cause me to gain some weight.  It did.,  Over the next few years I gained 34 pounds but only had to take a token amount of insulin.  But in the last year my ability to control my blood sugar readings was almost nil.  My doctor but me on Invokana as well as increased  my insulin usage.  It seemed my diabetes got worse.  My doctor increased how often I take insulin and prescribed another medication.  Invokana is expensive and so is the additional medication.  In fact the two medications together is twice my monthly disposable income.
    I made a decision.  i was not going to allow diabetes to control me.  Even though I exercise everyday for at least an hour and I had been losing weight (13 pounds in three months) my diabetes was winning the battle for my health.  I made another change in my diet.  It has been hard.  I'll have to wait to find out if I continue to lose weight but my morning blood sugar reading has dropped from an average of 220 to  95.  My last two have been below 90 so I'll have to be careful not to let it drop too low.  I'm really encouraged by the results.
   I'm not saying I have the problem under control.  It's still to early to tell.  All I can say for now is that things are better.