To be honest, after a ‘joint’ appointment with my Diabetic Nurse and the specialist Dietician I’m finding it all a bit depressing. Well, with one attitude it could be positive, but the reality is more sobering. Basically, they have suggested that because my blood sugars have not been going down sufficiently quickly despite having a weekly injection for nearly 12 months, then it is best to try a very strict diet (regarding both food types and calorific intake) for the next two-to-three months, and this will then either a) put diabetes into remission or b) indicate that insulin injections is the way forward. It’s all about whether the pancreas is ‘resistant to’ or basically not producing enough insulin. A right pain.
However, both the Diabetic Nurse and Dietician were very pleased that I have signed up for a weekly Pilates class (I’ve been twice so far and enjoy it). I am hoping that attending this will give me some of the confidence to go back to the gym – or whatever.
Another thing to look forward to is an imminent visit to Bonn. We are visiting friends from Adelaide, who have recently moved back to Germany – after living Down Under for over twenty years! We haven’t seen them since making the decision to come back to the UK ourselves – about 2-and-a-half years ago – so I imagine that most of the long-weekend will consist of lots of talking over various refreshments. These are the friends who introduced us to those Tractor Shed sales at various South Australian vine-yards and cellar doors, where you buy end-of-line wine by the case, or two!! I’ve been looking at ‘things to do’ in Bonn as well but, again, we are mainly concerned in catching-up as opposed to walking around Bonner Munster or Doppelkirche and admiring the stained-glass windows and architecture. It’s good to see these places obviously but we are already going back to Bonn in May so can do more ‘sight-seeing’ then. On this occasion, we're likely to visit Beethoven’s Birthplace / Museum and the Botanic Gardens.
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Well, it seems that I’ve not been going mad for the past year or so! Following more blood tests (and they took five phials last week), one set of results necessitated the Medical Centre to phone on Friday and inform me that the Doctor had already issued a prescription to be collected as soon as possible! It seems that I have vitamin B12 or B9 (folate) deficiency, and this can develop into anaemia. I have looked on the internet (I know, I know… but I only look at NHS or ‘proper’ sites!) and this is the basic facts: Vitamin B12 or B9 (commonly called folate) deficiency anaemia occurs when a lack of vitamin B12 or folate causes the body to produce abnormally large red blood cells that cannot function properly. Anaemia is the general term for having either fewer red blood cells than normal or having an abnormally low amount of haemoglobin in each red blood cell. Too little folate (vitamin B9) in your blood causes folic acid deficiency anaemia. Symptoms of folic acid deficiency include (amongst others):
So after my visit to Lloyds Pharmacy and the collection of a whole bagful of drugs (and I’m not even joking), I am probably vying for the ‘who takes the most pills in the morning’ title!! Good grief, it’s enough to make you weep. However, having said that, at least it can be treated and now I understand why I have been feeling so terrible at times. It has really been bringing me down that I haven’t had the energy or wherewithal to do much, go anywhere or even see people…
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