sleepie

Apparently is an a1c that went up an entire point, barely under the "official" diabetes diagnosis.

It was lower when I was actually drinking.

Cool. So glad I put in all the hard work.

trachemys

Sleepie, it was just coincidence, I swear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KrsASHrcgI

Delfin

Oh man, that sucks! Do you think there could be something else going on?

D.

scintillady

In my case, when I stopped drinking, I ate a lot of sugary crap and junk food that I didn't eat so much of when I was drinking. I gave myself permission to do that for awhile to replace the sugar that I was getting in the alcohol. After the initial period of allowing myself to overeat crap, I settled down and got back to better eating habits. I would imagine that if I had gotten tested for A1C during the first year after quitting drinking it would have been much higher than usual. It does take your body awhile to get used to not having the alcohol in your system. I would just remind myself that the alcohol was doing terrible things to my body. After awhile things got back to normal and even better and I am in better health now than I ever was. I still marvel at the fact that my body repaired itself so well and apparently I didn't do as much damage as I should have done for putting myself through so much. Don't look at this as an excuse to drink again, although I know it's very difficult to do when you don't see the long term benefits of quitting yet. I know you know that, deep down, but it's difficult, I understand.

fantail

Ditto the above... that does suck. And I also ate pretty badly at first.

The other thing I'd add tho is my whole crazy inflammation cancer scare happened around 6 months... they still don't know what it was, but my doctor's working hypothesis was that my body was still dealing with the damage somehow. She said sometimes while it's [addiction/malnourishment] happening the body goes into survival mode, and doesn't make repairs etc until after when things have been steady for a bit. No idea if that might apply in your case, but hopefully like in my situation it'll clear up on its own?

sleepie

I am not a sugar or bread person, that wasn't my weakness. I am maybe 5 pounds overweight at best. Only 3 weeks after I quit drinking the 1st time my a1c was barely into prediabetic territory. Then I drank again but less, and my a1c improved and was normal. After 3 months of abstinence it was even better. Now after 6 months off everything including benzos which kept me from losing my mind with anxiety, I get rewarded with the highest a1c I have ever had. Yes I think something else is going on, one of my fears is chronic pancreatitis. And the way my life works is- try really hard, do my best and then get a slap in the face for it. This is basically what I have lived. So I am sure it will just get even worse. I would bet on it. I knew I wasn't going to get anything good for all my efforts, I knew it. And this is why I don't do optimism. Because what if I had deluded myself that things were going to be just peachy, and now look? Yeah, no. Sorry but I was introduced to harsh reality at a very, very young age. And it has never given me a break.

alcoholics wife

My AH naturally has a very fast metabolism. A big part of why he tells himself that it's okay to drink is because beer has a lot of calories. When he didn't drink, he lost a lot of weight and people kept commenting about his weight loss. That is a insecure issue for him. Now that he is trying to be sober again, he needs to be conscious about eating the same caloric intake he was getting from beer so he doesn't lose too much weight.

strategery

There are many things we have control over. Sometimes there are things beyond our control, such as our health. However, all we can do is the best we can with what we've got. What's to say your A1c wouldn't be worse if you had continued drinking? Do you really think your life would be better with drinking and the benzos in it?

ScottFromWI

So your doctor confirmed that your sobriety is the cause of your high blood sugar? If not I'd suggest that your addiction is behind your assupmtions.

Time2Rise

Easily fixed with diet and exercise sleepie. Did you gain weight after you quit?

tomsteve

and theres a solution, just like when I got stage 3 metastaic melanoma 13 months in, which went stage 4, which through the fight I saw many parents with children fighting for their lives- children who may never experience a LOT.

zjw

i swear i went through a period in early sobriety where i was just looking for a reason to drink. any reason. conciously or subconciously or both anythign ahppened it was like well this is it see this is crap etc... and i'd has it out htink it over and realize ugg I guess ic ant drink over this either can i its not a good enough reason to drink. Eventually i just gave up.

I dunno if your looking for a reason to drink or not sleepie but its like your squirming. Like your not real thrilled about how you feel and such and are looking for some way relieve it or something to blame for it etc.. I was like that I just gave up. I got tired I guess and realized I just wasnt gonna win. Simply put weather i wanted to admit it or not the reality is iw anted to be drunk. I wanted to just escape the crap and I couldnt because i was an alcoholic and that wouldc ause me more trouble and that ticked me off too lol.

But i dunno giving up / surrendering is what it kinda finally took so that i was able to just sit with myself and not squirm.

Anna

I was also introduced to that kind of reality as a young child. Fortunately, years ago, I learned about the Law of Attraction. Positive thinking can create life-changing results. What you put out there is what you will get back.

zjw

you keep using the word deluded / dillusion in a few posts so far in terms of positive thought being a form of dillusion.

I can 10000000% relate. people would tell me to be more positive and i'm like umm lie to myself? be dillusional? ignore relaity? whats next the nut house? I watched so many people in my day throw money at problems that like jsut where not getting better. all the while they got this liek positive dillusion going on that one day its gonna work and they'd just keep shoveling money at it. I never EVER wanted to be this person and I still dont. Some might say they are positive people and you know maybe one day there problems will be fixed 've seen cases where they where but at what cost? But to each his own.

Your possible diabetes scare may or may not come about . who knows. and its very scary adn I cant figure how anyone can get a diagnoses like that smile and go Its ok I'll eb positive . To me that seems dillusional. BUT I can see how someone can go hrmm Diabetes? you dont say welp I guess I gotta watch my diet walk more it will totally stink but ultimately diabetes or not that will be good for me. Maybe this diagnoses is good it will force me to try and take better care of myself i guess. etc.. I might still not be smiling about it by any means but it would take some of the sting away.

For example I got hit with high cholesterol years back. I freaked out. I thought i eat a good low carb diet I run HOW CAN THIS BE!! i was so worried so scared so upset and miserable. But then I said nah this is stupid so what if i die I dont care. I 'll beat this. I'll go vegan etc.. 90 days later i had it reversed and was totall fine. I didnt allow it ruin me for too long tho i was in a funk for a couple days. One physician wanted to put me on lipitor told me to go a cardiologist pronto stat told me i was SELFISH if i didnt do this (he was my grand father) said i had to stay healthy for my wife and kids. I told him nope i'll fix this with diet! or at leas ttry too first.

Point is we can wallow in it or we can shrug and come up with a few ideas it might not make it wonderful but it might help soften the sting. Being positive doesnt always mean being dillusional there is kind of a middle ground for me.

sleepie

And today is my official 6 month date.

Not that anyone said.

2ndhandrose

oh hey, sleepie!!!

Happy 6 months!!!! This is a huge accomplishment!!!

Give yourself a (((hug))) from me!

Che

Congratulations on six months.

Don't give up. Life will always throw problems your way, you're in a much better position to deal with them sober. It's not about unwarranted optimism, it's about the maturity of being an independent adult.

You should feel good about yourself that you've kicked alcohol successfully for six months, and if you can follow the recommendations for how to deal with your a1c, you will feel good about that too.

Don't focus on just the bad stuff that happens. No one in the world would be happy if they did that. Happy people are people who can let things go, deal with difficult situations, and enjoy when good things come around. If you take any of that to heart, the part about 'letting it go' is probably the most useful.

FBL

Congrats on 6 months, Sleepie!

Soberwolf

I can see your in a good mood (that's a light hearted joke) you have got to 6 months sober & clean Sleepie we get one life you deserve & owe it to yourself to not let your past dictate your future I can't imagine what you have been through but now is the time to keep on pushing forward I don't always have good days no one does and I had to see people to try & help me it's not perfect nothing is but I try

You try aswell obviously or you wouldn't be sober but it's like your fighting with both hands tied behind your back life if we let it will beat you to your knees and it will keep you there if you let it

I love you a lot as a friend and someone I truly believe deserves happiness your always going to be worth it but if you don't see it clean the mirror because I see a woman I see a survivor who isn't defined by her past x

ScottFromWI

Many people have congratulated you on your sober milestones all along these 6 months Sleepie, every step of the way. To suggest that no one has done so is frankly quite a slap in the face to the community here, regardless of whether you think so or not. You receive more support and responses to your threads than just about anyone here in this forum and have for years. Please be a little more respectful of that fact.