Hi All!!:

Just wanted to update you all on what's been happening with me and my participation in the ACCORD trial at Cornell.

Today was my last clinical visit. They took an EKG (normal), they took my blood, they took urine, they checked my feet (GOOD JOB ON MY FEET), The doctor said my neuropathy HAS NOT PROGRESSED. (HELLLOOOOO METHYL B-12).

She did the filament thing on my feet and I FELT EVERYTHING. She said 'very good".

I still have the loss of the vibration (same as before), but I have no idea what this means. She bangs a tuning fork and instructs me to "tell me when it stops vibrating".

I did as instructed and she said "you still have loss of vibration) or something to that effect, cause I can't remember it all.

But I FELT THE FILAMENT and she was pleased as punch and so was I.

When I began the Cornell trial, my A1c was 9 point something and now it's 6.2.

I went from 46 units of Lantus and 2000 of the Metformin and......

TAH DAH!!!

I am now on 12 of the Lantus and that's it.

She is very hopeful that one day I can get off of all diabetic meds for good.

Time will tell, but I'm doing good and that's what's important.

Oh, my blood pressure (that was part of the study also), was 110 over 68. She took it 3 times. It was just fine.

In this clinical trial, I was in the conservative part of the Blood Pressure Study, and the regular part of the Diabetic Study.

The whole part of the trial was to see if keeping one's blood sugar under control, well, if that would lessen the risk of that person developing cardiovascular disease.

IT SEEMS THAT IT DID NOT LESSEN THE RISK. In fact, some people died. So they stopped the conservative diabetic study and put all the diabetics in the regular study (the one I was in).

The people who died were ON A LOT OF DIABETIC MEDS. The final report is coming out in 2010. I shall get a copy of what they found about ME!!!

How exciting. I'm a part of a clinical trial.

Hey, if this leads anyone to do any thing in stem cell research, they can do anything they want with my DNA. They have a sample of that also.

Someone asked me how I've been able to keep eating the way I do.

I simply said "When you get afraid enough, you make changes, and I got afraid enough". He didn't get it.

But I get it, and that's what is important.

I also like my vegetarian way of eating, and I adore my sprouts.

As a matter of fact, on the Access-a-ride trip going there, I met a lady who would LOVE to be a vegetarian but her family hates it and demands meat.

She was raised on a farm and loves to grow stuff. I talked to her about how I grow sprouts in my kitchen, and she blurted out 'HOLY COW, REALLY??" And we spent the whole trip going into New York City, talking about sprouting seeds and sprouting trays. I think the bus driver thought we were insane. lol

So I gather some day soon, there will be little sprouts adorning her kitchen.

So hope all of you are doing well!!!

Melody