well its been 7 months since i joined the forum. what a steep learning curve! i never felt so confident in dealing with diabetes. in fact i am looking forward to the challenge. i would prefer not to be dealing with it but, i have to.

my HbA1C november 08 was 10.4. july 09 it was 6.1. i have lost a total of 8 inches from my waist, and , my weight has dropped by 3 st. my lantus has reduced by 22 units i have dropped my aspirin tritace and lipitor. i personally want to drop as much or as many meds as possible. whether that is possible or not i am not sure but i will have a damn good try! thats the good news

bad news, my cholestrol has gone up, but, i am taking steps to reduce that by natural means rather than tablets. if it doesnt happen i will search other avenues. the other problem is vitamin b12 deficiency. this has been caused by the metformin, so, i am now on b12 injections. not the end of the world but still another injection every three months. hardly a problem for an insulin & byetta dpendant diabetic!

my interest in diabetes is growing, i even attended an xpert course at the local PCT. not that i learned much there, but i saw it as an opportunity to meet fellow diabetics and discuss their experiences and treatments by their GP's and health authorities.sad to say i saw 'me' before the forum. my aim is now , to help as many diabetics as possible, and, i have already made enquiries at the local church to see if any rooms are available to start a self help group. hopefully my trip through the valley of diabetes, will help those who are just entering it.

 the meet at clumber park was very interesting , it really did make a difference to put the real faces to those mugshots that were 'just pictures' i really enjoyed meeting everyone, whether they enjoyed meeting me is another story!

finally i would like to add. i am so grateful to the admin and moderators of this forum , and, it's members. the forum and its chatroom are places where i have always felt welcome. nothing is too much trouble , and, i hope it continues to help me and future new members for a long time to come. i also hope i can pass on to others the knowledge i have gained from the people on the forum.

i understand the effort going into the control is mine but the knowledge, support and encouragement behind it is yours. thankyou so much.