Fourth Month Diabetes Checkup
I went to the fourth regular checkup since being diagnosed with diabetes.
I write about my daughter from time to time, but let me look back a little.
My daughter was diagnosed with diabetes in May.
Her blood sugar level at that time was 315 mg/dL when measured at the hospital.
Her hemoglobin level was 12.3%.
I went home in shock, and when I measured it before dinner, it was 329 mg/dL.
She was told she needed to be hospitalized, but because she has autism spectrum disorder,
she was spared from hospitalization.
And now, this is about the current checkup.
The heart relaxes when things get better.
Thanks to the daily diabetic diet and my daughter's efforts,
her hemoglobin last month was 6.3%.
It has improved significantly.
However, the heart tends to relax when things improve.
Until now, we were too afraid to eat out,
but now we say, "Let's eat out once in a while."
That is how it goes.
Thus, just before the regular checkup,
my daughter went out to eat with her husband, to a sushi restaurant for lunch,
and had pizza late at night.
However, the next day was the regular checkup.
"My blood sugar must be up..."
She says that when her husband wants to eat something, she cannot argue with him,
so she ate it while being prepared for her levels to rise.
I wonder if I'll have to go back on insulin...
I don't think it'll be that easy to go back, but...
Still, the worst-case scenario keeps popping into my head.
An unexpected test result
After waiting for an hour and a half at the crowded hospital,
I was called into the exam room to hear the results.
However, the doctor said,
Are you eating your meals properly?
Well, of course.
I'm even eating things I shouldn't be.
I see... well, as long as you're eating, that's fine.
What about the test results?
Hearing that made me worried.
So when I asked, they showed me the results.
To my surprise!
What?! H-hemoglobin, 6.0?!
Yes, that's why. If it had gone down because you weren't eating, I would have been worried.
Far from not eating, I had sushi for lunch yesterday and pizza late at night.
So I was actually worried it might have gone up.
Yesterday's intake will probably show up next month (laughs).
I see, that's true, hemoglobin levels do reflect the past one to two months.
Then my daughter said
"But, my blood sugar... it's high."
Indeed!
What I ate yesterday is clearly showing up in the numbers.
That number is 144 mg/dL.
The doctor said
"You measured it after eating breakfast, right?
This level is normal."
That can't be true~
It's usually much lower than this.
This is definitely the consequence of the last few days.
However, the doctor was completely unfazed.
"If you adjust properly the next day, it's fine."
My daughter said
"Even when I had pizza, I made sure to eat the vegetables first..."
The doctor said
"I see, so you're properly practicing veggie-first eating.
In that case, you're fine!"
And so, we safely overcame the hurdle,
and we laughed about how hopefully her blood sugar will be lower next month.
"What should we do for lunch..."
My daughter, walking ahead of me as I wondered that, headed straight for the cafe inside the hospital.
There, she was biting into a sweet bread.
"I'm amazed she made it this far with habits like that."
It seems daily habits are stronger than the occasional treat (lol).
*I also seriously write short stories.