Day - 19

I didn’t put quite enough insulin last night so my blood sugar before breakfast was a bit high. Not too worry, it was still under 10 :-). 

I went to the doctor again this morning. The doctor thinks that I got asthma that was triggered by a virus. The virus got killed by the antibiotics I took but the cough persists. So I had to get the inhaler to get rid of it.
It’s extremely expensive (€85) for a month worth. A puff two times daily, and I also got another inhaler which was much cheaper (€8) to give a short relief when I get a coughing spasm during my sleep. Lucky the doctor didn’t charge for the service because I just went to him a week ago. If not then I would have to pay another €55.

Unfortunately the drug payment scheme (where a family has a limit on how much to pay in a month for prescribed medicines) has gone up to €120, so I still had to pay the full amount.

I just hope it will work this time before our holiday abroad.


Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 7.5      Novorapid: 6
1 toast with margarine
Coffee

Lunch:
Blood sugar: 4.8      Novorapid: 16
Left over oxtail soup with rice
Tea

Today the blood sugar reading was not so good with over 7 before meal.

Dinner:
Blood sugar: 7.0     Novorapid: 18     Lantus: 30
Vegetarian moussaka
2 sausage mummies (Frankfurters wrapped with pizza dough)
Tea

Day - 18

I’ve had a long enough break now. Not that I gorged myself with food, it was just that I didn’t really avoid fat (which is the most important part of this diet).
Saturday was our wedding anniversary so we ate out the whole day. Strangely at both lunch and dinner I couldn’t finish my meal. My stomach must have shrunk, even though it seemed unlikely because it was only 2 weeks.
I’m not complaining, I think it is a very good sign :-).

My blood sugar mostly was still in good control because I increased the insulin dose back to what it was before I started the diet but I felt bloated and uncomfortable. Last Monday I weighed myself and was still 61kg but I know it will go up quickly enough if I don’t go back to the diet food again. I bought a digital weighing scale today so I can weigh myself more precisely.

I still have this cough, even though my stronger antibiotic will finish this evening. Maybe I do have some kind of allergy. I’m not sure if hayfever can come out as cough too, not just sneeze or runny nose and eyes, because my cough gets worse when the weather is very dry and warm. In a fresh cool breeze I feel much better.
Anyway, I will go back to the doctor again soon and see what he says. I might have to get that expensive inhaler …*sigh*.

Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 9.8      Novorapid: 10 units
1 toast with margarine
Coffee

Lunch:
Blood sugar: 2.8      Novorapid: 14 units
Meatballs in tomato sauce with rice
Tea
10 cashew nuts
Few slices of mango



Dinner:
Blood sugar: 12.0       Novorapid: 18 units    Lantus: 28 units
Chicken and (cream style) sweet corn soup
1 apple
Tea
10 cashew nuts
1 tsp dry roast peanuts




I should not have been tempted to eat the mango. Even though there was not much, mango is high in sugar and when I ate it was very late in the afternoon when my insulin had been used up already. The result was that my blood sugar was quite high before dinner.

Today is a good example of how my blood sugar can go all over the place. I have to try to find the right dose of insulin again after a few days of letting myself go.
Hopefully it won’t take too long before it’s all back to normal again.

Day 14 - 17

I missed Sunday to Wednesday. I was really not in the mood and didn’t have the energy to do anything beside the routine (if only I could avoid that too). My cough is still very bad and I didn’t sleep well.
I will start to write again when I feel better and try harder to get back on track.



Note: I had this for dinner on Wednesday.

Day - 13

Saturday was our wedding anniversary. We left the kids with my sister in law and then on to my mother in law for the night, so we were free from the afternoon until Sunday morning.
We went out from lunch time and I had lunch in a pub down in the country waiting for my husband to collect his new toy – a second hand Range Rover.
I had to wait quite a while, so from planning to just have a main meal, I ended up ordering dessert and a huge pot of tea as well to avoid the questioning from the waitress.

I didn’t finish all the food I ordered. From the looks I got from the staff I must be strange for not finishing my meals.
The food was good (except for the mash of orangey colour stuff that tasted awful, I couldn’t even make out what it really was, so I left it be) but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat all the chips and dessert in one sitting. I’d feel like I’m killing myself :-D

We went out again in the evening for dinner in a Lebanese restaurant. That was the first time we tried that restaurant or food from that part of the world. My starter was deep fried fillo pastries with spinach filling, followed by a main course of Lamb meatballs in tomato sauce served with fragrant rice (it must be cooked in ghee because it was so tasty by itself but the waitress didn’t really know when I asked). We had some red wine as well which was very nice (it was Lebanese wine which I had never tasted before, it’s worth looking out for in the future) but we couldn’t finish it (I usually drink only a glass every time we are having wine) so we asked to take the half bottle home.
From dinner we went to see a film. Overall we had a good night and I really enjoyed it.

Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 5.9       Novorapid: 4 units
1 toast with margarine
Coffee

Lunch:
Blood sugar: 7.3      Novorapid: 18 units 
Corned beef with parsley sauce, cabbage, mashed something and chips
Tea
Apple pie with cream





Dinner:
Blood sugar: 2.9     Novorapid: 18 units   Lantus: 30 units
Spinach in filo pastry
Lamb meatballs with rice
A glass of red wine
Coffee

Day - 12

I was very tired and sleepy on Friday. The night out really exhausted me. I’m still not well and staying out until very late didn’t help. That was why I didn’t write my diary.

I still have to do the routines though, but after I picked up my eldest I couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to go to a doctor, but not our usual family doctor. I just wanted to change and see if this new one would be better. I’ve been prescribed stronger antibiotics to get rid of this annoying cough, hopefully it will work this time or I might have to go to hospital to get an x-ray. The doctor said that I might have some allergies too and suggested an inhaler but it costs €60, so I said I will try with the antibiotics first. If the cough still persists then I will go back and get the inhaler.

I really had no energy, not even for cooking, so I sent my husband and the kids to eat at McDonalds and I stayed at home.

Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 2.9      Novorapid: 4 units
1 toast with margarine
Coffee

Lunch:
Blood sugar: 5.3      Novorapid: 16 units
Stir fry chow chow with rice
Tea



Dinner:
Blood sugar: 7.9      Novorapid: 16 units    Lantus: 30 units
Sticky black rice with light coconut milk sauce
Tea



Before bed time my blood sugar was quite high so I injected 5 extra units of Lantus to bring it down.

Day - 11

It seems that reducing the slow release insulin works on keeping my blood sugar steady. It was a bit high before lunch but I think that was because of the banana I ate last night. It’s still nothing to be concerned about.

As you know I went out last night (that’s why I had no time to post the diary). I knew it would be a problem. I checked my blood sugar at the usual time at around 6pm. It was 4.9, so I was doubtful about putting the slow release insulin like my husband suggested. I had to pick up some of the other mothers and drive to the restaurant, so I don’t really want to get lows and risk other people’s lives.
The thing was supposedly for 8.30pm but like I expected, some people were late so we didn’t get our main meal until after 10pm. My blood sugar was up to 10.4 even before the starters. I skipped the wine because I had to drive and no dessert either.

I didn’t get home until after 1am and extremely tired. I had a good night but it would have been better if I could have left when I wanted to but alas, couldn’t do that until the bill was settled. The good thing is that it’s only one or twice a year .


Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 4.4      Novorapid: 4 units
1 toast with margarine
Coffee

Lunch:
Blood sugar: 7.6       Novorapid: 18 units
Stir fry rice with left over Japanese steak and soy beans
Some non caffeine diet coke



1 apple

Dinner:
Blood sugar: 10.4      Novorapid: 25 units (total all evening)    Lantus: 30 units
Mix starter, which was not my personal choice
(chicken satay, spring roll, spare rib, fried wonton)
Chilli and basil prawn with steamed rice
Tea

Note:
I had to put 3 units of Novorapid before the starters came to bring my blood sugar down, and then another 20 units when the meal came.

Before I went to sleep I checked again and it was 8.9 so I put another 2 just to be sure it wouldn’t be too high the next day.

Day - 10

The last blood sugar check last night was 2.6 but I didn’t eat anything after that so this morning it was a bit low, but still above 3 so I was not too worried.

All day today my blood sugar reading seemed good, maybe finally I have got the correct insulin dose. I will try to change the evening one because I still got under 3 after meals and I don’t think that is right.

Today I deviated a bit from the full Japanese diet and I will try to change it bit by bit and try to find the right portion that suits me to keep the weight down. I know it won’t be easy but as long as I’m disciplined and determined I think it will work.

Tomorrow I will go out with other mothers from my first daughter’s class for a get together before summer break. I just hope my blood sugar won’t go crazy. I will try to find the best strategy to keep my blood sugar right even if the main meal comes very late. If not I will just have to do emergency insulin dose.
I think I have to learn to enjoy a night out without getting too nervous about my blood sugar. One bad reading won’t kill me (I hope :-)).

Breakfast:
Blood sugar: 3.6      Novorapid: 4 units
1 toast with Brussels pate
Coffee



Lunch:
Blood sugar: 6.7       Novorapid: 16 units
Rice with left over Bolognese sauce
1 mochi
Tea

1 Apple

Dinner:
Blood sugar: 5.6      Novorapid: 14 units    Lantus: 26 units
Japanese steak with new potatoes and sprouting broccoli
Tea
1 mochi



1 banana

Note:
I checked my blood sugar at 9.30pm and it was 2.0 so I ate a banana to bring it up. Hopefully it won't be too much.

At the moment my husband is torturing me by eating popcorn, oh the smell is so tempting, but I will be strong strong strong….:-).