Keto is Not Working for Me

It kinda feels like this was an instantaneous decision. It was pretty quick but it took a few days. Here is how it went:

I guess I need to start with why I was doing keto in case you don't know. In January 2017 I was hospitalized for Lactic Acidosis from taking Metformin. For a few months I tried various Diabetes medications that I had bad reactions to. I ended up on insulin. My A1C went up to 9.1. I was seriously concerned for my life. So, in April 2017 I started Keto. It was great. My blood sugar dropped. My A1C dropped. I was happy and telling everyone everywhere to start Keto.

February 2018 was my best endocrinology appointment. My doc said that all of my numbers were good. He was happy, I was happy. He talked to me about how to adjust my insulin and that he wanted me to take Red Rice Yeast because I don't tolerate cholesterol medication. If you had asked me about Keto after that appointment I would have said, "Heck Yeah! Do Keto! It's awesome!"

I have been doing a lot of spiritual work. A side effect of that is attracting things that I need from unexpected sources. It is kinda cool. I also have to learn to be open minded to receive these things. I have an amazing friend in Sweden.

She saw a post I made a few days ago lamenting that I would not be a Granny fitness model. She contacted me and suggested I look in to the Medical Medium and a couple guys who created Mastering Diabetes. I really wasn't interested but I really like this friend so I checked it out. I told her I wasn't interested. I explained how bad my Diabetes was. She said she had a friend who has Diabetes and this has helped her a lot and asked if she could send me some articles. I said ok. They were actually YouTube videos. These are the links for the videos: https://youtu.be/thY5Ge5Cggo https://youtu.be/5KWAgKR9JBE I watched all 2 hours. The stuff made sense. They talked about the Keto diet and what is good about it. Then they explained that it works great in the short term but eventually it increases insulin resistance and causes malabsorbtion of nutrients. That made me think. I told my friend that I need to think about it and that I will let her know what I decide. I told her that it would be a polar shift from what I am doing now and that would be really hard.

The Medical Medium guy suggested drinking celery juice and someone recommended lemon water. I thought I could add those things. The Mastering Diabetes guy suggested starting with breakfast. He said to eat 4 fruits for breakfast every day. I REALLY miss fruit. So. I decided to make those 3 changes and think about the rest.

That was yesterday. (Sunday, June 10, 2018)

Today (Monday, June 11, 2018) I had an appointment with my endocrinologist.

 

I had been wearing a continuous glucose monitor for 11 days. I had labs drawn the same day it was put on. Today I got my results. My A1C had jumped almost a whole percentage point in 4 months! I went from 7.6 to 8.5. Just so you know the goal is to be under 6. He asked if I had been adjusting my Tresiba(long acting insulin). I told him I forgot I could do that. He asked if I had been adjusting my Novolog(short acting insulin). I told him I had. He asked if I was taking Red Rice Yeast for my cholesterol. I told him I forgot about that. He told me he was putting non compliant on my chart. Ouch! He told me he was doubling my high blood pressure medication and that my vitamin D was low enough that he wants me to start a prescription strength supplement. I was discouraged. I had just spent 18 days in Arizona and Florida! The valley of the sun and the sunshine state! I have to say though that his social skills have improved a LOT in the past year. He delivered all of this information in a kind manner. I noticed on my blood test that my protein is also low. Isn't that weird. I eat so much protein and my protein is low.

So, that confirmed for me that Keto is not working for me. That is frustrating because I have spent the past year learning how to cook and eat Keto. I am not going to change everything overnight. I will start with breakfast and then change lunch and then dinner. I will give myself at least a month to transition. I want to heal myself. I believe that there is some way to do this with food. I believe that my body wants to heal itself and that I need to give it the tools to do that. The tricky part is finding the right tools.

I bought the Red Rice Yeast and while I was at the Good Earth I met a lady that taught me all about CBD. I bought some of that too. I am open to new ideas. Wish me Health and Luck and Light on my journey.

An Amazing Day!!!

I wanted to call this the best day ever!!! but I have had so many of those that I think I maybe need to change my wording. haha

I was exhausted from so much travel and happiness. I had been traveling for most of a month to see family in different parts of the US. I was riding in the back seat of our explorer because the sun was too hot up front. I had been lying down because sitting up was too much. I got a call. It was my manager from work. A place that I hadn't been to in 10 months. I was so excited to hear from him! And this time I was able to hear better than usual. That was awesome! He was inviting me to eat lunch and go bowling with my team the next day. I was like..."Heck yes!" I knew I couldn't pick up a bowling ball but I could be there. He told me to call my leave of absence caseworker to make sure it was ok. I did. She said it was fine but to be aware that other people may have a perception that if I could go to lunch I could go to work. I told her that I wasn't worried about that because it was her that makes the decisions. Not them. Besides, she doesn't know my team.

When I got off the phone I told my husband. He was in disbelief. He told me I wasn't up to it. I told him that I knew that but I was going anyway.  I had to stop to go to the bathroom every 40 miles for the rest of the trip home.

The next day I planned every detail carefully. When I woke up I felt like it would be impossible to go. I rested and hydrated. I opted not to shower or put on makeup. I brushed my hair but that really just made things worse. I wore a long comfy dress, took a lot of water and powerade, mapped the location on my phone and headed out the door.

80 degrees feels like Dante's inferno to me. I am so glad that I have air conditioning and that I had the presence of mind to put the sun shades in my windshield the last time I had driven. It was an hour drive to get there. I listened to itunes and practiced singing La Vie En Rose over and over. Maybe one day I will get a video.

When I arrived I was exhausted. It was so hot! There was no parking at the restaurant. No disabled parking anywhere that I could see. I ended parking a few lots away and started my trip with my walker out of the parking lot and over the broken sidewalk. I arrived at the front door of the establishment winded. Walking slow has it's advantages. I could look at the different doors to determine where I should enter. I chose the one with the mat. It turned out to be the right choice. I opened the door and made my way in with my walker. I noticed a man at the end of the long hall. It was Jason! My friend! I was so excited but I couldn't make my feet move faster. He called out to him and I wished he would come closer. I finally reached him a little over half way down the hall. I hugged him. He said everyone wanted to see me. I told him that I needed to go to the bathroom. He pointed it out but said I should say hi to everyone first. He didn't know what he was asking but I followed him. He went around a corner and told me to wait so he could introduce me. I wish I could remember everything he said. I know he asked for everyone's attention and the roar of conversation halted. Eventually he said, "The Sooze" to which everyone whooped and cheered and clapped. I felt so loved before I even saw them. I walked around the corner and felt the love and joy and acceptance. I am an assembly empath which means that I feel the undercurrent of emotions in groups of people. At this moment it was a glorious spiritual gift. I was soon surrounded by people who were hugging me and telling me how happy they were to see me. After about four hugs I had to start sitting down between hugs. It was an amazing thing to be overcome by the energy of love. When they were done I went to the bathroom. I was surprised to find a perfect disabled bathroom with room to navigate my walker and do my business. The door wasn't too heavy so it was ok that there wasn't a button to open it.

I sat at the end of the table happily chatting with Nikki, Jason, Daniel and Jeff. I pulled out my phone to take pictures and discovered I had left it in my car. 😔 I ordered food and had fun. I then realized I was missing out on a bunch of people at the table. I moved to sit between Phay and Daniel. I chatted with the friends around me until my food came and then I quickly got tired. The table was picnic table style with no back. Brady came over to chat. Then I excused myself to sit in my walker. It's really a rollator with a seat. It has a back I can lean against. After I felt a little better I used my feet to roll down the side of the table and talk to more friends. Then I was exhausted. I told my manager/friend/kindred spirit that I wouldn't be going bowling. I asked Phay to box up my food. I said goodbye to everyone as they left for bowling. Nikki walked me out to my car. It turned out she was parked close by. She helped me put my walker in the car. I found my phone. We took a selfie. Then I drove home daydreaming about this blog post. Jim encouraged me to finish my book. He wants to know what happens next. As I write this I am loving people, life and the joy that is in it all.