It's Ok To Be Different In Life.... And Diabetes~

As a t1 for 35+ years, and on insulin pump therapy for 15 of those years, I added Metformin ER to my daily regiment at my Endo's request last March because of weight gain and insulin resistance.  
And initially it helped re: my weight and utilizing my insulin more efficiently. 
I stopped taking the Met in December, after noticing that my hair was falling out. 
The same thing happened in 2008 when I first tried metformin, but this time around, I was told that Metformin ER was different - and that to stop if I noticed adverse affects.  

I kept working hard and going with the flow, sans the metformin ER and the clumps of hair on the carpet. 

If diabetes has taught me anything, it's that we have to have a good working relationship with our healthcare professionals and we have to keep trying new things. 
Here's what happened at my last Endo appointment. FTR: It's all good~ 

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After I checked in to Dr. J’s office, I was given a copy of my labs. 

My a1c had gone from 7.3 at the end of October to 6.9 as of January 31st.

Kidneys and cholesterol were good, so was my blood pressure, and depending on what scale (my scale vs the Endo's scale,) you went by, I’d lost between 3 and 4 lbs since December. 

When Dr. J walked in the exam room he was excited and dare I say, downright giddy.

We chatted about everything and he kept telling me how proud he was of me - which not made me feel validated, it made me feel like I could do anything! 

Finally, he looked at me, raised eyebrow and said: You are different than other people Kelly.

Me: Yep, I'm weird.

Dr. J: Noooo, being different is a good thing. It's OK to be different in life... and diabetes. 

Most people drop weight on metformin and you did. And then you went off it and lost another 3 to 4 pounds - during the holidays.

Most people have no issues re: metformin and hair loss, but you do - and I’m very sorry about that. Is it growing in? 

Me: I hope so. It’s certainly not falling out in clumps anymore. 

Dr. J: You’re hair looks good today - very good.

Me: THANKS.

Dr. J: Everyone is different when it comes to diabetes and treating their diabetes, and you are a good reminder of that - I need to remember that about you - and everyone else.

OK, so tell me what you did. Did you exercise more?

Me: Well...., I had wrist surgery on December 13th, so not really. I had to be careful and didn’t begin low impact walks again until January.

But I was running around a lot during the holidays.

As far as food, I watched, but I still had Thanksgiving pie and my share of Christmas cookies. 

Dr. J: THAT’S GOOD.

Me: I tried eating more whole foods and less processed. I don’t know - I tried my best and tried to go with the flow.

Dr. J: Clearly that's working for you. 

Me: I need to exercise more, and I can’t wait to get the OK to do push-ups. 

Dr. J: It will happen. Also, it’s clear to me Apidra works well with your system and your insulin pump. 

Me: It definitely made a difference re: spikes. 

Dr. J: Did you experience any lows on the Apidra? 

Me: Yep, the first week I had daily middle of the night lows and it was learning curve, but I figured it out.

Next Dr. J proceeded to go over each one of my labs with me and again, he kept telling me how proud he was. 

Dr. J's always been understanding, has always worked with me when it comes to my diabetes, and all that goes with it, including diabetes burnout. 

The past couple years  have been a struggle and he's worked with me every step of the way. And having a healthcare professional on my side and in my corner has made a huge difference. 

Me: I want to drop more weight. 

Dr. Jay: You’ve lost 16 lbs, you’re going in the right direction. 

Me: It’s taken a while. But what if... 

Dr. J: Don’t worry about the “what-ifs,” keep doing what you’re doing and if we need to tweak, we will. Right now, don’t change a thing. 

Then he gave me some insulin samples,(including Apidra,) and told me to keep in touch with him re: any issues or needed tweaks, and told me to schedule my next appointment for early June. 

And for the first time in a very long while, I left my endo without the weight of diabetes pulling me down. 

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next four months. 

Maybe I’ll need some tweaks, maybe I won’t. 

I have no idea which which way the scale or my a1c will go.

And that’s OK. Much like my pancreas, I am not perfect. 

But I am tenacious and I have an Endo who listens to what I have to say and works with me.

And we will continue to figure it out, together.