I had my diabetes checkup yesterday. Check this out:
6.1. This is the lowest it has been since… probably since I was diagnosed actually.
6.0 or less (or 5.7 according to a stricter version) is considered totally normal. Up to 6.5 is “prediabetes” if you haven’t been diagnosed yet, “well controlled” if you have. Above 6.5 is where there is risk of complications in the long term.
This doesn’t mean I’m “cured” or almost cured. But my doctor said I don’t need to take fast-acting insulin anymore. (Or “as needed” but he thinks I won’t need it.)
It took a while for that to sink in. Instead of 29 injections per week, now I probably need just 8. I don’t have to take an insulin pen, a needle and that bulky needle clipper with me to restaurants. I don’t have to reject spontaneous “let’s stop for dinner on our way back” ideas. I don’t have to lift up my shirt and inject myself in public or go do that in a bathroom. I don’t have to carry used pen needles around in my pocket until I get it home, or risk tossing it in regular trash. I will have to deal with 75% fewer of the stupid little foil tabs and plastic dingies that like to scatter everywhere. The supply of pen needles I just restocked is going to last almost two years. The supply of Humalog I have… I just restocked it recently too, and if I end up going a few weeks without needing it I’m going to donate it.
(Notice how pain isn’t even really a factor here? The injections almost never actually hurt. In fact, I’m going to be testing my blood sugar more at least for the next few days just to make sure things are fine. So far though, things are indeed fine.)
Whatever mud people want to sling at Ozempic, or people taking GLP-1 agonists solely for weight loss… it was meant for diabetes first and it works. (It also helps protect against stroke and cardiac events as long as you take it, which its competitors don’t.) That 2022 number is when I first went on Ozempic, and 2024 is when I went on the higher dose. Far more effective than just “exercise more and eat a healthier diet”. I did a pretty intense few months of exercise and diet (10 hours of taiko rehearsals a week plus jog/walking with ankle weights, low-carb and calorie restricted), the improvement was limited and temporary, and I was also kind of miserable and felt like I had little time for myself. Such things work better when you don’t force them too hard. The actual weight loss effects of Ozempic have been minimal for me. I was actually planning to ask my doctor about going to Wegovy instead (the same thing in a higher dosage) but when I saw that test result and he said drop the insulin…. I’ll just leave it where it is.
Since A1C represents about 3 months worth of blood glucose, I also wonder if dealing with my anxiety (and also gut health issues) has helped with blood sugar. It’s very possible. It’s good to know all the bread I’ve been making hasn’t messed me up 😉 It’s quite possibly healthier than other things I was eating anyway, carbs or not.