Eight ounces

I am a diabetic. I was diagnosed a little over two years ago, but it's my suspicion that I became diabetic in December 2005. After I was diagnosed, my doctor put me on one of the newer medications, ActosPlusMet, which is a combo treatment. My diabetes rapidly came under control (especially since I got rid of the French lemonade, Sprite, etc.). But I put on 40 pounds over 18 months and my doc was not at all happy.

In January, she changed me over to Januvia, another pill. That was two months of sheer horror. One of the side effects of Januvia is nausea and vomiting. Usually I don't have too much problem with side effects. However, I was nauseous virtually every single morning, to the point where my mother thought I was pregnant. (You have to do something to get pregnant and I wasn't doing that.) And then there was the vomiting. I started to lose weight, in the worst way possible, because I couldn't keep anything down. This went on for two months.

In March, my doctor asked me if I wanted to switch over to Byetta, an injected protein (exenatide) synthesized from gila monster secretions (aka leezard spit). At that point, I was pretty desperate and despite my absolute hatred of needles, I went on Byetta. And then I had to relearn how to eat.

One of Byetta's side effects is that you get fuller sooner, a lot sooner. A LOT SOONER. And, in the beginning, I wasn't paying attention to the gut rumbles, which led to an unfortunate incident on my dad's 75th birthday. (After that little episode, my parents took me seriously about how much I can eat.)

I've been on Byetta five months now and I've dropped the 40 pounds I put on while I was on Actos. I feel better. I look better. I need to lose a lot more weight, but that will come.

Byetta has really has put a cramp in my eating life, particularly since this medication has to be kept between 45 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. I live in Arizona, this is not possible in the summer, so it sits in my butter drawer in the fridge. I can't take it around with me to give injections unless I want to carry it in a cooler. So, if I stop by the parents after work, I can't eat with them because I have to inject before I eat my evening meal.

Plus, I'm a real downer for dinner, let me tell you. What is driving me nuts is that I can't eat more than eight ounces of anything at a sitting without feeling sick. This means tiny, tiny portions and I have left good food behind. Since I hate wasting food, this is a real problem for me.

I've been pretty good about the limit, but I ate slightly over eight ounces tonight, felt sick, and went and wrapped the rest of it up for "some other time." It's annoying as can be.