FINALLY!

Ok, so I finally got the results - C-peptide levels are right around 2.5. Lower than last time, dang it. (used to be 3.5). But still pretty good for a Type I diabetic 16 months after diagnosis. So...good news, I guess. The honeymoon is still going on - even if my body's not doing AS much of the work as it was before.

I'm not sure what my baseline C-peptide was, I do know it went up after the first infusion, my guess is I'm right around baseline. Evidence again that the first infusion did much more for me than the second one. I really think timing is critical on this drug. The sooner you get it, the better.

Also, A1c was 5.9. Awesomeness.

Waiting Now

I just went up to Utah again for another mixed meal tolerance test. This test marks the one year anniversary of my first infusion. It measures C-peptide levels, and will tell me if I'm still making insulin.

So now we wait. Dun-dun- dun. It should only be a few days, and then I will have a new a1c to record, and some new valuable information.

Previously, after each one of these, my sugars have been completely normal after the test, which told me my pancreas handled the Boost drink pretty well. This time, 160's. So, not dangerously high, but not exactly normal either. It makes me think I'm still making some insulin, but not as much as I used to. We will see what we will see.

My fasting sugars haven't been fabulous lately, either. The doc told me to wait a few more days, and if they were still high, to up my Lantus back up to 10. (Sigh....) But I'm not complaining. 10 is still a very low dose, and the control is still very easy.

Upon coming in, the nurse said "Did you SEE Popular Science March 2010?" Um, no? I don't make it a habit to read Popular Science....she said there was an article written by one of the very first patients to ever get the drug - and after NINE YEARS, her body is still making insulin, although now it is starting to go down. NINE YEARS of honeymooning is pretty amazing. So -nine years from now (I guess 8, maybe, since I've had the first year) - they might have a really great artificial pancreas, or a stem cell based cure, or nothing, I don't know. Who can predict, really? But I choose to be hopeful.

Here is the article - really interesting stuff.

Cheating Nature

It is a very strange feeling to know that if nature had its way, I would be gone - and it would be over a year now. My kids and my husband would visit my grave, and at this point, my husband could possibly be considering remarriage.

But no. I cheated nature. I continue to cheat it every time I inject myself. And so I am still here, thankfully. It's still a strange thought, though. No intervention - no me. I mean, that should mean something, right? Or, maybe not. Maybe it's just the way things are.

And yet, I don't live my life a whole lot differently than before. I mean, yes, the diet and activity level have changed dramatically, and I carry a purse filled with insulin and candy everywhere I go, but I'm not, like, skydiving or traveling to exotic places or anything like that. I don't take advantage of every moment I have left. I waste a lot of time on facebook, actually. Is that wrong?

Do other people feel like this? People who have beaten cancer, or survived a heart attack, or generally cheated nature in any way. Do they go through an existential crisis? And does it change anything for them?

It reminds me of when my SIL had a baby, and they were worried that it might be too big for her to deliver, since her husband is so much taller than she is. She was told "nature always fits the mother." Later, after her C-section, she asked "what happened to 'nature always fits the mother?'" "Well, nature doesn't care if it kills off 10-20%. The species survives." OK then.

I guess the species would survive without me. But I'm glad I'm still here for a while yet. Hopefully a LONG while. Take THAT, nature. I cheat, and I'm winning. (For now.)

Hot Times at the Pharmacy

At the doc, I asked for some different needles, I really don't like the ones I've been using. And I've asked for different ones before, but the pharmacy never changed them. And I mean, they were FINE, so I just used them.

I got the new needles today. They show half units, and only go up to 30 instead of 50.

It's a little sad how happy this makes me. I was thrilled when I opened them and checked them out. Seriously, happy.

I guess I'm easily amused.

Nice

Celiac came back negative. Phew.

Doctor's Visits

Yesterday I saw my endo. He LOVES me. He raved about my sugar print out, congratulated me on my tight control and discipline. (Much of it IS me, I'm obsessive about control, but I am definitely still honeymooning after 13 months, so let's all give a nod to my pancreas and the test drug.)

And then he waxed philosophical about whether or not he would be able to do it, (be disciplined with diabetes) and then we talked endlessly about the test drug, and then he took some labs, so he could say he did something. He also told me to gain weight by eating more carbs. Huh, Thanks. SUPER good insight there. (But seriously, what did I expect, he'd have some magic weight gain wand that he could wave?) (That would be sooooo cool.)

He likes to talk about the trial. It makes him so happy that I'm doing it. He recommended it to a pediatric endo for one of her patients as well. I hope it works out.

As far as the labs went, he tested for Celiac (which I have no symptoms for, but hey, the risk is there), he did a metabolic panel, and checked my vitamin D levels.

He called me tonight around 6:00 - and I always get nervous when doctors call me - to talk about my labs. He hasn't got the celiac antibodies back yet, but my vitamin D levels were low - around 6, when 30 is about normal. So he told me to get some OTC vitamin D. (2000) I don't know how much a supplement is going to help, I thought the OTC levels weren't sufficient, but hey, I'll do it, see what happens. Also, the sun is coming out a lot more, and I couldn't be happier about the excuse to spend more time outside.

Today I went to the OB/GYN for the first time since we moved to AZ for a standard yearly. And if I don't blog about it, then it didn't happen. So I went. And it did. And that's all I have to say about that.

Oh yeah.

OK, so I was in Utah for a blood draw on Monday, and they were going to run an a1c and call me with the results. Just got the phone call. Oh yeah, baby.

5.7!!!!!

She asked if I'd been having a lot of lows, or if I just had good control. There was one day of lows a couple of weeks ago mainly due to the fact that I thought I should up my Lantus dose. (I was bitter about upping it, too). The next day, it was very clear that upping it was not the way to go. Bitterness assauged. Other than that, though, it's just mainly good control.

Today, I am happy. (Last night, I was mad at my 182 before bed, but hey, they can't all be perfect days, right?)