After a pretty difficult winter, I am finally feeling great and eating some solid foods for the first time in 8 months!
The last 2 months have been exceptionally well compared to the previous 6 months! There are a few things that have contributed to a successful recovery after the longest stay I've had to date.
1. Diet - I went extremely slow when adding in new foods. I started off with a clear fluid diet, jello, broth, popsicles and watermelon, including ensure 3 times a day, for 3 weeks. Then adding eggs, dairy including skim milk, yogurt, pudding, creamed soups, and ice cream, adding one new item every couple days. After about 5 weeks of these foods I added 1% cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, carrots, white bread, white rice, soda crackers, and arrow root cookies, and again one item every couple days. This is where I am at right now. The next foods on my list over the next couple weeks will be white pasta, mushrooms, onions (extremely cooked), fish, chicken, and turkey.
2. Exercise - I've been walking and doing yoga as much as I can. Whether it's a 1/2, 1, or 2 hour walk followed by a 1/2 hour of yoga. Doing a bit of exercise after each meal has helped a lot. Honestly, it just feels so good to be getting some physical activity in again. It's not like my younger days filled with year round hockey and softball but I'll gladly take it!
3. Therapy - I've started seeing my therapist on a regular basis again. Talking through my stresses has definitely helped my overall health. I mostly talk about my health but regardless of what's bothering me health-wise or not, it just helps to talk! I think everyone should see a therapist regardless of your health situation.
4. Blood Sugars - Keeping your blood sugars controlled while also living with gastroparesis is close to impossible and as a result I am testing between 15-25 times a day because they are never stable. Having an insulin pump has helped improve my blood sugar control because I am able to give insulin over a course of a few hours instead of all at once since my stomach digests much slower. However, I still have severely high sugars and severely low sugars and everything else in between. If I am able to I will go for walks when my sugars are high to help bring them down faster or do some yoga to build up a sweat. I've been exercising quite a bit more then I usually do and I have noticed an improvement in my sugars so if I am feeling well enough I take advantage of it and do whatever I can...and it feels GREAT!
When I am healthy and in "remission" as some would say, all I really deal with is blood sugar control. I can and do get nauseous with high blood sugars and that can bring on vomiting which then can lead to pain if the vomiting persists, which means I'm heading to the hospital soon. Which is the more reason to keeping good blood sugar control...or at least try to. Usually though, I don't vomit with high sugars just a little nausea. Even with being in "remission" and eating some solid foods again, the gastroparesis is always present. It's always effecting my blood sugars and I worry about that a lot. Diabetes and gastroparesis are a bad combination of conditions/diseases to have, not that any are good but these two can lead to more complications unfortunately and because of that, eating and exercise (when your able to) are extremely important in trying to keep blood sugars under control.
My hemoglobin A1C is 8.3 which is a high-normal number. Ideally you want to be between 5-6. I've been as high as 14 which could be part of the reason why I have GP now. I have noticed that most diabetic GPers have an A1C averaging between 6-9. These aren't horrible numbers but considering our sugars are unstable with diabetic GP our A1C numbers are almost a false positive. Even though the numbers are decent, the control is not. What's a diabetic GPer to do? To control blood sugars you must eat right and exercise often but with GP, sometimes we can eat and sometimes we can't and when we can eat, it's mostly foods that are not the healthiest or best for diabetes. GP limits the exercise we get. Some days just getting up to get a drink is a task and a half and then other days I can go for an hour or two long walk and do yoga, it's hit or miss. That's why I try and take advantage of every day that I am feeling good because I don't know how long it will last.
5. A Positive Mindset - Staying positive is my #1 rule! I believe that everything has a positive aspect and a negative aspect and it's up to you to decide which way to go. I try to always look the positive way and it DOES make a difference! Living with diabetic GP stresses will arise but you have to think positively that you'll get through what ever it might be and keep moving forward. Times do get tough but then they do get better...at least for a little while :) I try to always strive forward as diabetic GP knocks me down from time to time I will NOT let it keep me from getting back up again, ever!
I am going to keep doing what I am doing, because so far, it's working! My goal is to beat my 15 months of "remission", no vomiting, no pain, and no hospital stays and to have no more 4 1/2 month long hospital stays. This means being extremely strict with my diet and exercise plan, minimizing stress, checking sugars numerous times a day, and staying positive. Keeping a log book with my blood sugars, food, exercise and anything else I do in a day helps me keep track and to notice any patterns in the way I feel and what might bring on an episode. Doing all this is a job in itself but it helps so it's got to be done...whatever it takes to stay healthy!
I am very appreciative for every good day I have and thankful for the strength I have to get through the bad days. I am forever grateful towards my family, friends and loved ones for all their support and love. I could not do it without them!
Hope your all having a good tummy day, cheers! :)
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