Since my blood sugar is obviously not an issue (thank God), I will talk about a variety of subjects. Today will be my people who suffer from anxiety and/or depression.
Like I said before, I used to think that Anxiety could be cured by a simple breathing excersize or some relaxation techniques. After having it (as one of the symptoms of my inner ear infection) I can say, it's more complicated than that. When we were at Alexis' school (taking cover for the tornado) my inner ear started acting up on me and the Anxiety came rushing back. I started thinking about and worrying about things that I KNEW weren't issues. I have never been worryied about tornados, but I was yestarday. I know my issue is an inner ear infection but I started thinking, "What if that's not the problem?!?" I became Hyper-aware to every since thing that was happening in my body and started wondering why it was happening. It was scary. I tried to think about other things but it didn't help. The pressure from the ear went away and the anxiety followed. So, while I don't have any novel advice, I just wanted to say that I DO understand.
Please feel free to leave comments.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Had a revalation
So, monday, at the begining of a panic attack, me and Amber scoured the internet one last time. All of a sudden, she said, "I found it!" AN INNER EAR INFECTION! It makes perfect sense. It explains EVERY single one of my symptoms. EVERY ONE! So, I made an appointment with the ENT in North Little Rock for next Friday. I'm sure he will look in my ears and give me about 10 days of antibiotics. I told Amber that I can't be the only person that this has happened to. After talking to my Mom, it turns out I have had numerous inner ear infections in the past, so this is nothing new. So, YEAH! No blood sugar problems.
For all of my friends that have anxiety; That stuff is No Joke. When we were taking cover from the tornado (in Alexis' school) my ear started started acting up on me. I started stressing about stuff that I KNEW wasn't a problem. Then I started stressing about stressing. It was scary, to say the least. I used to think, "Anxiety?!? Just take some deep breaths and think happy thoughts." Oh, I wish that's all it took. I understand now and sympathize with y'all.
For all of my friends that have anxiety; That stuff is No Joke. When we were taking cover from the tornado (in Alexis' school) my ear started started acting up on me. I started stressing about stuff that I KNEW wasn't a problem. Then I started stressing about stressing. It was scary, to say the least. I used to think, "Anxiety?!? Just take some deep breaths and think happy thoughts." Oh, I wish that's all it took. I understand now and sympathize with y'all.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 23
So, it's my first day back at work. I weighed in, this morning, at 256lbs. Until I get paid (because we had already bought groceries), I am trying to eat some higher carbs with most of them being complex carbs and dietary fiber. I am glad that I only have to go to work 2 days this week because when I get one of the lightheaded feelings, driving kind of sucks.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Fast foward to today
Mid- March 2011- Just like the first time, I was heading home, after work, and was singing. I got this wierd light headed feeling. The only difference is, the symptoms didn't go away. They seemed to be proportional to how many grams of carbs I ate so I figured, it must be Insulin Resistance (which I had been diagnosed with in 2010).
So, I started taking the recommended daily dosages of Cinnamon and Chromium Picolinate. I was taking them in split doses; once upon waking and once just before bed. In addition, I increased my carbs. Everything was fine for 1 month. Then, BAM. The symptoms came back.
The symptoms were these:
- Light Headedness / Brain Fog
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Hunger
- Mild Shaking
- Blury Vision
- Taking unusually deep breaths
So, I wet to the doctor and she did a Fasting Metabolic Panel. Honestly, I was hoping for an obvious problem with a clear cut solution. She called me the next day and her exact words were "Wow!" All of my numbers were perfect. I wound up calling her back that day because I ate a sandwich and got very light headed and nausous. This kick started an anxiety attack. She perscribed an anti-anxiety medication but after reading the side effects, I decided to NOT take it. I bought a blood glucose meter and I noticed that my glucose actually dropped after I ate a lower carb meal.
After doing some research, I believe I have some form of reactive Hypoglycemia. So, as soon as I get paid (on Friday), we (Me, my Wife and my Daughter) and going to start back on a Diabetic Diet. We bought a Diabetic Cook book, last year, and while we followed the diet, I did not have any symptoms of any kind. The only issue is, buying all of the whole foods is expensive and the preperation is time consuming.
So, I started taking the recommended daily dosages of Cinnamon and Chromium Picolinate. I was taking them in split doses; once upon waking and once just before bed. In addition, I increased my carbs. Everything was fine for 1 month. Then, BAM. The symptoms came back.
The symptoms were these:
- Light Headedness / Brain Fog
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Hunger
- Mild Shaking
- Blury Vision
- Taking unusually deep breaths
So, I wet to the doctor and she did a Fasting Metabolic Panel. Honestly, I was hoping for an obvious problem with a clear cut solution. She called me the next day and her exact words were "Wow!" All of my numbers were perfect. I wound up calling her back that day because I ate a sandwich and got very light headed and nausous. This kick started an anxiety attack. She perscribed an anti-anxiety medication but after reading the side effects, I decided to NOT take it. I bought a blood glucose meter and I noticed that my glucose actually dropped after I ate a lower carb meal.
After doing some research, I believe I have some form of reactive Hypoglycemia. So, as soon as I get paid (on Friday), we (Me, my Wife and my Daughter) and going to start back on a Diabetic Diet. We bought a Diabetic Cook book, last year, and while we followed the diet, I did not have any symptoms of any kind. The only issue is, buying all of the whole foods is expensive and the preperation is time consuming.
How it started (part 2)
So, in 2008 I decided to try Hydroxy-Cut. Everything was going fine until one day. I was driving home and singing (quite loudly) and I got this wierd light headed feeling. That was the first time "it" happened. I stopped taking the supplement that day, and it didn't happen again.... Untill...
A friend of mine told me about losing weight using T3 (the active Thyroid hormone). So, looking for my very own "Easy Button," I ordered some from a peptide company. Please keep in mind, I had my thyroid function checked and my levels were (and still are) fine. Knowing this, I ordered it anyway. I increased the dosage gradually, just ike I was supposed to. Then, in December 2009, I was at work and got this feeling like my brain had spun around inside my skull. While I stress about alot of stuff (more than i should), this scared the crap out of me. The "spells" would last for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. After a few months, the "spells" wnet away. Then, I (like a dummy) decided to try a suppliment called Lypexeral (or something like that). This supplement was supposed to block about 25% of the fat and carbs I take in. But, guess what, I got the symptoms again. I stopped taking it and they subsided after a little bit.
A friend of mine told me about losing weight using T3 (the active Thyroid hormone). So, looking for my very own "Easy Button," I ordered some from a peptide company. Please keep in mind, I had my thyroid function checked and my levels were (and still are) fine. Knowing this, I ordered it anyway. I increased the dosage gradually, just ike I was supposed to. Then, in December 2009, I was at work and got this feeling like my brain had spun around inside my skull. While I stress about alot of stuff (more than i should), this scared the crap out of me. The "spells" would last for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. After a few months, the "spells" wnet away. Then, I (like a dummy) decided to try a suppliment called Lypexeral (or something like that). This supplement was supposed to block about 25% of the fat and carbs I take in. But, guess what, I got the symptoms again. I stopped taking it and they subsided after a little bit.
How it all started
Welcome to My Blood Sugar Diary. This is my first blog, so I will start off with a little bit of information about me. My name is Chris Stephens. I am 31 years old and live in Arkansas. I am a decorated veteran of the greatest Air and space Force on the planet, the US Air Force. Also, I graduated high school when i was 16 and have a Master's degree so before anyone reads any of my comments and thinks "Oh, he's just stupid", I assure you, I am not.
I have waged an ongoing battle with my weight since I was about 7 years old. When I was in high school, I tought I had won. When my beautiful wife got pregnant with my daughter, in 1998, we started eating out more and more. I know this is not an excuse, and I could have cooked, but I didn't and the weight came back. I hit an all time personal high of 225lbs. That doesn't sound like alot but I am 5"8" so it was. Then, in 2001, I was shown the awesomeness of Xenadrine RFA-1 (with ephedrine). Even though the recommended dose was 4 pills per day, I found out that if I took 8 per day, I didn't have to excersize!! I lost about 45lbs in a little less than 2 months. Then, we got "orders" to go to Germany for 3 years. We ate out (fast food) for the month before our PCS (Permenant Change of Station). We stayed with my mother for almost a month before we actually boarded the plane for Germany. During that month, we ate at my Grandmother''s house most of the time. She doesn't cook a wide variety of foods, but one that she does better than anyone is my favorite.... Fried Chicken. So, in less than 1 month, I went from about 190lbs back to about 210lbs (when i weighed in when I got to Germany).
In 2004, we came back to the USA for 1 month to visit family and friends. I had been working out some and had gotten to about 215lbs with about 18% body fat. After the 1 month vacation, I had gained so much weight (from Grandma's fried chicken and almost constant force feeding) I could barely fit into my uniform. Then, the next year, we PCS'ed to Colorado Springs. Just like before, we ate fast food for almost an entire month while moving. When we got to CO, I weighed in at a whopping 245lbs!! I tried eating ultra low calories and doing some cardio but I didn't lose much weight. Then, in 2007 we moved AGAIN!! This time, we moved back to Arkansas (my home state). When I weighed in at 265lbs!!!
I have waged an ongoing battle with my weight since I was about 7 years old. When I was in high school, I tought I had won. When my beautiful wife got pregnant with my daughter, in 1998, we started eating out more and more. I know this is not an excuse, and I could have cooked, but I didn't and the weight came back. I hit an all time personal high of 225lbs. That doesn't sound like alot but I am 5"8" so it was. Then, in 2001, I was shown the awesomeness of Xenadrine RFA-1 (with ephedrine). Even though the recommended dose was 4 pills per day, I found out that if I took 8 per day, I didn't have to excersize!! I lost about 45lbs in a little less than 2 months. Then, we got "orders" to go to Germany for 3 years. We ate out (fast food) for the month before our PCS (Permenant Change of Station). We stayed with my mother for almost a month before we actually boarded the plane for Germany. During that month, we ate at my Grandmother''s house most of the time. She doesn't cook a wide variety of foods, but one that she does better than anyone is my favorite.... Fried Chicken. So, in less than 1 month, I went from about 190lbs back to about 210lbs (when i weighed in when I got to Germany).
In 2004, we came back to the USA for 1 month to visit family and friends. I had been working out some and had gotten to about 215lbs with about 18% body fat. After the 1 month vacation, I had gained so much weight (from Grandma's fried chicken and almost constant force feeding) I could barely fit into my uniform. Then, the next year, we PCS'ed to Colorado Springs. Just like before, we ate fast food for almost an entire month while moving. When we got to CO, I weighed in at a whopping 245lbs!! I tried eating ultra low calories and doing some cardio but I didn't lose much weight. Then, in 2007 we moved AGAIN!! This time, we moved back to Arkansas (my home state). When I weighed in at 265lbs!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)