SUGAR! DID YOU THINK I MEANT SOMETHING ELSE!

In no particular order, any one of these signs is a good reason to have your A1c checked out:

1. Increased thirst: If you don’t drink some water right now, you’re certain you’ll die of thirst. I carried water everywhere, even around the house. I had at least 2 bottles in the car. And wouldn’t leave the house without one in my purse.

2. Increased hunger: No matter how much you eat, you don’t feel full. A plate of pasta, garlic bread and cheesecake don’t quite do it. You eat your lunch at 11:30. You get “hangry,” that’s irritated and short tempered calmed only by food!

3. Dry Mouth: Not quite the same as being thristy. Difficulty swallowing and an unquencable feeling.

4. Frequent urination: You know where every bathroom is in every restaurant, grocery store, mall, and gas station for a 100 km radius.

5. Frequent kidney, bladder or yeast infections: You drink a gallon of water every 20 minutes, pee every 5, and feel the burn of a bladder infection. Followed by antibiotics, followed by a yeast infection. I got to a place where I was always aware of my bladder…that’s no place to be!

“A plate of pasta, garlic bread and cheesecake don’t quite do it. You eat your lunch at 11:30.”

6. Blurred Vision: I was fortunate not to experience this, but as I’ve gotten older, I thought I needed to replace my TV because it just wasn’t crisp anymore. Turns out my TV is fine. ‘Nuff said.

7. Unexplained weight change: A few years ago during a particularly stressful time, a perfect storm in my life (ever had one of those?), I gained about 20 lbs. On top of everything else, I’m an emotional eater. I’d get upset and take off for the bakery…”I’ll have a dozen chocolate brownies please and don’t bother to wrap them, I’ll eat them now!” And then for no apparent reason and without any change to my 3500 calorie a day diet, I lost some weight.

8. Headaches: I often got a headache if I didn’t eat regularly. It would go away as soon as I ate. It felt like that dull ache when you’re trying to give up coffee. Stop trying to give up coffee, it turns out it’s good for you, at least for the moment.

9. Tingling or numbness in hands or feet: I often felt needles and pins in the first two fingers of my hand. I chalked it up to constantly working on the computer or knitting. I didn’t feel it in my feet, but everyone is different.

10. Itchy skin: Everybody gets itchy sometimes. Itchier in the colder, dryer seasons. But if your skin feels dry or itchy in the warmer, moister weather that can be a warning sign as well.

I’ve had difficulty publishing my blog posts of late, but the problem seems to be fixed. Expect to hear from me again in the very near future.

Blogging is an interesting thing in part it feels like I’m writing in my journal, then I remember it’s in cyberspace. I worry that I’m boring you…the random ramblings.

I’m making kombucha…it’s fermenting, it’s delicious, it’s one of the holy trinity of fermented foods. I’ll write about that soon, maybe I’ll even do a “how to” video! Let me know if you’d like to see that.

You can email your comments or questions to me at dietbeatez@outlook.com