01/13/2012 Type 2 Diabetes and Paleo Challenge

In my efforts to lose weight I’ve done a great many smart things, and some stupid ones.  The stupidest one is perhaps not monitoring my blood glucose enough.  I’ve just taken it for granted, continued to take my pills like a good boy, without knowing or understanding what my fasting glucose number was in the morning. 

How does this relate to the Paleo Challenge?

Well over the last week I’ve eliminated all forms of sugar from my life, yet have continued to take my metformin pills.  It hasn’t been a problem, and I haven’t given it a second thought until last night.  After dinner I was in a pissy mood after an argument with my girlfriend over nothing, so I took my dog out for a walk to get away from looking at her pouty face, and to get some air.

After about a mile and half of walking, I started to feel strange.  My legs started to feel like they were wobbling, every time I stepped it felt like my leg would give out, and every step I took was another one into a surreal hypoglycemic world of hallucination.  It’s fucked up Wikipedia is now a credible source of information but it is convenient, you can read more about hypoglycemia here, essentially there is such little blood sugar that your brain doesn’t get enough of what it needs.

I experienced some of this after a month of being back from fat camp, where I would have trippy dreams, and wake up in the middle of the night repeating nonsensical, illogical phrases.  This prompted me to go see a doctor after a Doctor I met in Malibu told me what was probably going on, so here I find myself again in the same boat.

As I walked back from the walk with my dog, the half mile return felt like an eternity, the lights of the cars passing leaving long tails of illuminated insanity.  When I got into the building the warmth of the air, felt like I had stepped into a sauna, I stumbled down the hallway, said helot to a neighbor who I’m sure thought I was fucking high on something.  I got to my door, and my hands started to shake as I held the key to unlock the door.

I stumbled to the bedroom, where I fell down onto the ground, I was shaking more as I grabbed my glucose monitor, it was an ordeal trying to get the strip into the meter, and then tap my blood.  The meter read 37.  I couldn’t believe it, so I did it three more times each time it came up 37.    

I pulled myself up then went to the fridge, to find something to eat; I again fell down in front of the fridge.  My legs just couldn’t support me.  I grabbed at the pork loin I didn’t finish, and an egg.  After eating I checked my glucose again, it had risen to 42.  I spent the next 5 minutes texting my brother in law, and asking him what to do, he called me and suggested that I drink some juice, or eat some fruit. 

He called to tell me also that my machine was broken that if my glucose was below 40 I would probably pass out.  I fortunately had a single apple left in my fridge; I grabbed it with my hands shaking.  I don’t know why but it made sense to grab a knife and cut pieces of it.  As I cut and ate I would check my glucose.  Each time I checked it would rise a few points, then on the fifth test it had reached the 60’s. 

Some convoluted part of my brain was attempting to take in as little sugar as possible.  That’s how Paleo Gangster I am becoming. 

In hindsight it was fucking stupid, but most Gangster Style folk aren’t that bright.  I ate most of the apple, and I stopped shaking.  I limped over to my bed, and went to sleep. 

I realize now that perhaps, my body is becoming more insulin sensitive, and that I need to monitor my blood sugar more regularly, and go see my doctor.  I’ve been taking in 40-60 carbs a day for the last week, this and taking metformin are apparently not a good idea.

I’m going to monitor my blood sugar after dinner tonight, and if it’s above 100 I’ll take half a metformin, otherwise I’m not going to take it to see if in the morning my number is 80 or below.  75-95 is a good number for fasting glucose.

Day 7 Paleo Meals

Read what I ate here, the only thing that was omitted was my hypoglycemic apple, and 4 oz of the pork loin, and the egg I ate to try and regulate my blood sugar.

Workout Recap

Rest Day