10: The Days Ahead

One of Leslie's 4 cakes she got for her birthday says it all for the days ahead for me.

The days ahead in May will tell how my health is doing lately. I've been feeling much better than I did by the end of 2023, but any time you have to go to the doctor, you wonder what will come up.

I have a few things I have to overcome.

For one, Columbia, South Carolina. I last was there on July 13, 2023, when I had Afib. Although I'm over the travel aspects of what occurred that day with COVID and Afib after going to Jacksonville in December, I haven't been to Columbia, even in the vicinity, since July 2023. So, of course, from April 27 until June 22, 2024, I'll have to go to or through Columbia 3 times. Leslie and I will attend the Palmetto Gold Gala in Columbia on Saturday, April 27. Then, my family and I will attend the Nurse's 5K inaugural event on Saturday, May 18, and spend the weekend in Columbia. Finally, we'll pass through Columbia twice on our way to the beach in June as we head to Surfside for a family vacation.

Those will be some big milestones to overcome since the last time I was there was a hospital visit. But I have faith it will all go well. I'm all in on that.

But in addition to overcoming fears, I'll have two big doctor visits.

On April 29, I go for a heart check-up with my Cardiologist, the 6-month appointment to see how things have progressed since November. I'll go for my A1c check-up and another 6-month re-evaluation at the end of May. In both cases, I had good reports in November, with my heart having no blockages and no further Afib, coming off of Eloquis, and then my A1c was the lowest I have had since March 31, 2021, at 5.5. Those results were huge for both my physical and mental well-being. So, naturally, I have mixed emotions about what is to come for the 6-month checkups.

I hope my heart is fine and my A1c remains at the 5.6 level or lower. During these 6 months, though, I've seen my weight increase. I was 204 lbs and 205 lbs at each visit in November. Currently, I sit at 215 lbs. That's not a huge weight increase but concerns my diet and how well I have managed.

Of course, back in January, I had some issues with lower blood sugars, which was a concern. Since then, I've been prone to eating more because I don't want my sugars to be too low again. However, there may also be another factor in weight gain.

During the fall, I was extremely stressed because of my heart. My anxiety was the highest I have ever experienced in my life. This extra stress undoubtedly contributed to some of my weight loss. I actually had to slow my weight loss down to prevent going too low, as I also altered my diet. My anxiety never resolved until I increased my Lexapro and made the trip to Jacksonville. I was incredibly nervous about going on any trip then. But, following the trip, I was back at ease. I felt like myself again, and I was happy. So, now, with the Lexapro firmly in my system and feeling much better, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that my weight has gone back up. I've also eaten a little more than before November, which has contributed. I'm sure my provider will want to check to see if my thyroid could be acting up. Anything is possible.

But since January, I have felt much better, calm, at ease, and peaceful. Stress always abounds, and I let the ploy get to me some, but I also realized it. My blood sugars have also been fine since January too. Here are my entries since the beginning of February:

2/7/2024-82

2/10/2024-72

2/14/2024-101

2/17/2024-100

2/21/2024-94

2/24/2024-96

2/28/2024-93

3/2/2024-95

3/7/2024-99

3/9/2024-84

3/13/2024-88

3/16/2024-88

3/20/2024-115

3/22/2024-99

3/23/2024-90

3/26/2024-110

3/27/2024-99

3/30/2024-92

4/3/2024-100

4/6/2024-95

4/11/2024-89

4/13/2024-90

4/17/2024-90

4/20-2024-100

My blood sugar average since February 7 has been 94, hopefully translating into a solid A1c in May. My blood sugar average from August through November was 90, translating to a 5.5 A1c. Before that, my blood sugar average was 88.6, with an A1c of 5.6. Putting in perspective, the last time my A1c was 5.8 in November 2022, my blood sugar average was 91.1. However, when my A1c was 5.6 in May 2022, my average blood sugar for 3 months was 93.7.

Average blood sugar doesn't predict anything, other than that my A1c will most likely be 5.something, but will it be over 5.6, the same, or below again?

That's the question we'll have to wait and see. For now, I want to lose some weight, keep exercising, and enjoy the next few weeks leading up to the check-ups. 

I'll let you know how these turn out in the next segment of 10: Heart Follow-Up.