10: May Day

 

May 2022 was an exciting time. A lot of things were starting to culminate. I was deep into finishing my Ph.D., just one month away from the final defense, when I went to have my annual check-up with my provider. May 19 was the date I went in, just a few days earlier, getting a good report from my cardiologist about my heart concerns.

I had no issues with my heart, it turns out. All of the symptoms were attributed to stress. That wasn't surprising. I was stressed out by the start of April due to everything happening. But I did feel better about my stress by mid-May, and calm was over me I hadn't had prior. Don't get me wrong, there was still much to do by May 19, but I felt better about everything.

The A1c of 5.8 from November 2021 was no longer an issue too. Whatever the new reading was, I'd figure it out. Again, I had been trying to diet like I needed to, and the heart issues made me adjust some things too. My exercise routine had taken a slight hit in April, with me mostly walking through the remainder of that month into May. Once cleared by the cardiologist, I was ready to run the Flight for the Fight in Six Mile again. The race had moved from August to May from the previous year. Although I hadn't run much since the end of March, I could still run just fine.

But today was all about the A1c reading. Did it go up some more? I had been good, but was I good enough. My weight has gone up, so will that make it rise? I was going to find out shortly.

Here were my vitals when I arrived that day:

5/19/2022

BP: 120/70

Weight: 210 (up from 202 in November)

BMI: 28.48

My weight was up 8 pounds since November 2021. That wasn't awful, but I wasn't happy with it either. I wanted to stay the same weight. I would work on it later as best I could. But for this visit, I got some other numbers for comparison. These were the findings.

Glucose 107 (up from 87 in November)

BUN 17 (no change)

Creatinine 0.910 (down from 1.020-both normal)

GFR >60 (normal)

Calcium 8.9 (up from 8.6-both normal)

Sodium 140 (down from 142-both normal)

Potassium 4 (down from 4.10-both normal)

Chloride 104 (down from 106-both normal)

CO2 29 (down from 32.5-now within normal limits)

Anion Gap 11 (up from 8-now within normal limits)

Finally, I got my new A1c reading:

5.6

Ironically enough, my glucose level that day at the office visit was elevated and was the only abnormal lab value recorded. I was back to "normal" again.

So, after all my worry that did nothing but stress me out, my A1c was fine. It had never been that elevated, to begin with, but this just shows the scrutiny I was putting myself under at the time and why my stress levels were so elevated, leading to a heart concern.

I was still doing everything correctly, as I had before. Yes, my weight had increased, but it was not bad. I was experiencing the residual effects of my fear of dealing with sugar issues from 2021.

I was so scared of any elevation in my A1c that I had convinced myself I would fail. Besides, I had failed before at controlling my sugars, which led to an A1c of 10. This situation was different, though. Leading up to May 2022, I spent a year working out regularly. Right before I had heart concerns, I had celebrated one year of closing my circles on my Apple watch for 365 consecutive days. That was no small feat and was snapped within a couple of days due to heart concerns. However, as soon as I felt up to it again, I returned to walking and exercising daily. I ran slow at the Flight for the Fight race. 31:06 for the 5K, but earned another medal in the process. Participation medals are the best when you're a runner.

My diet had also drastically improved since April 2021. I wasn't eating all the junk I had before, and if I did have any, it was sparingly placed throughout my week. I had increased some fried foods, but that was still okay. I had put on a few pounds and could quickly shed that by tightening up.

The biggest thing, though, was that my mindset changed that day. I felt good emotionally. Having a good report from the cardiologist and my provider propelled me forward for the other things I needed to do. I was optimistic I could complete my Ph.D. now. I believed in myself, no matter what. At that point, I still didn't know if I would get the new job at Clemson, but regardless of the outcome, I would move forward there too. The main thing I had was peace. I was doing everything I needed to do, and my provider was happy with the results. We didn't change anything about my medications, and I was okay with that too. Working through sugar control would be a lifelong fight and require just as much learning. I felt good about my chances.

For now, though, I needed to jump one last hurdle I had worked on for 7 years. It was time to advance my degree. I couldn't wait for June 28, 2022, because that day would mark the first time someone called me a doctor, and it was legit.

Tune in next time for 10: Dr. Thrift.