Though it is generally positive. Basically my blood sugars are entirely under control at this point, I got a 4.9 on my latest A1c, the previous one from 3 months ago was 5.1 and that was already good enough. Three cheers for careful, healthy eating and regular exercise.

On the downside the cholesterol situation got a little worse, meaning back to medications to deal. The doctor has concluded that there’s nothing more I can do on the diet or exercise end of things to address the elevated cholesterol, we have to use medication to treat it.

Fortunately we’re starting with over the counter Niacin at high doses instead of going back to lipitor or one of the other statins. I had such huge pain issues with those that he knows I desperately want to stay off of them. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Niacin causes flushing/hot flashes as a side effect, so I spent the weekend doing my best impersonation of a women entering menopause. It wasn’t pleasant, I flushed as red as a lobster from the shoulders up and in big blotches over most of my body as well. It felt like instant sunburn and caused prickly itching sensations as well. The symptoms only last about an hour or so after I take the pill, but damn did they suck. There’s hope as time passes that the side effects will reduce as my system acclimates to mass dosages of Niacin, and already it does feel like they’re getting less severe. Let’s hope that remains true and that they bring the cholesterol down. I’ll know more in the middle of September when I go back in for tests. The one other possible downside is that Niacin in increased dosages can cause liver problem, which is the other reason I have to go back in in September. Sigh. Still, all in all I’m pleased with the latest results. I’m something of a star at the docs office too, he’s brought me around to show off to the staff the last two times I’ve been in and this time he was trying to encourage me to keep an accurate journal with an eye towards possible publication. I was a little surprised by that but I am thinking it over. I might add a section to this site specifically to cover the health issues instead of interspersing it in here as a way to meet him in the middle