calling all diabetics.....

[strollingbones]

hey .....i am new to this and all.....there seems to be a lot of info...some good some bad....i go to a message board for diabetics but they seem to lack any sense of humor about things...so i was hoping if there are a few of us here we could discuss this damned disease....


genetics loads the gun....lifestyle pulls the trigger......someone smarter than me said

 

[Harry Dresden]

hey .....i am new to this and all.....there seems to be a lot of info...some good some bad....i go to a message board for diabetics but they seem to lack any sense of humor about things...so i was hoping if there are a few of us here we could discuss this damned disease....


genetics loads the gun....lifestyle pulls the trigger......someone smarter than me said

im listening.....type 2 here.....runs in the family.....

 

[strollingbones]

well how are you doing? with it all? i am on metformin....

500 mg 2x a day...makes me fart like there is no tomorrow....lol....it is so embarrassing....

do you do the low carb? i have been doing that....i am a skeleton with a gut...nice look

and of course the latest news is....

bayer may stop producing the a1c now test.....which i like cause its cheaper than the lab and gives results in 5 mintues

my last a1c was 5.1....and my readings are pretty good but this damn thing can explode on ya...so fast and sometimes no matter what ya do

 

[strollingbones]

and i just find it hard to believe that we are the only 2 on this entire board

t1's are welcome too....we sound like fucking aliens....t1's and t2's

 

[Harry Dresden]

well how are you doing? with it all? i am on metformin....

500 mg 2x a day...makes me fart like there is no tomorrow....lol....it is so embarrassing....

do you do the low carb? i have been doing that....i am a skeleton with a gut...nice look

and of course the latest news is....

bayer may stop producing the a1c now test.....which i like cause its cheaper than the lab and gives results in 5 mintues

my last a1c was 5.1....and my readings are pretty good but this damn thing can explode on ya...so fast and sometimes no matter what ya do

well how are you doing? with it all?
im doing ok.....been about 5 years now....

i am on metformin....500 mg 2x a day...makes me fart like there is no tomorrow....lol....it is so embarrassing....


im on 1000 mg 2x a day.....no side effects.....

do you do the low carb?

when i was first diagnosed yes.....lost 20 pounds.....since then yes i try to do low fat,and eat less with very few sweets......lots of vegetation.....


my last a1c was 5.1....and my readings are pretty good but this damn thing can explode on ya...so fast and sometimes no matter what ya do

thats true.....mine is usually 5-6.....i go for blood work every 6 months.....urine test once a year....

 

[Luddly Neddite]

hey .....i am new to this and all.....there seems to be a lot of info...some good some bad....i go to a message board for diabetics but they seem to lack any sense of humor about things...so i was hoping if there are a few of us here we could discuss this damned disease....


genetics loads the gun....lifestyle pulls the trigger......someone smarter than me said

My whole family is loaded with Type 2 and heart disease and all are overweight. Four sibs, two died of heart disease and the two remaining are both Type 2. I am fanatical about my diet and exercise but I wasn't always. In my misspent youth, I thought I could live on coffee and cigarettes. I just had my 67th birthday and so far, I've dodged both bullets - heart disease and diabetes. And, I'm not fat.

From everything I've read, you don't have to eat a low carb diet. I have a friend who has been Type 1 since childhood and adheres to a much more strictly vegan diet than do. I'm sure you've already looked at various links but here are three that you might find interesting.

Vegetarian diet: Can it help me control my diabetes? - MayoClinic.com
PCRM | The Vegan Diet How-To Guide for Diabetes
Meal Planning for Vegetarian Diets - American Diabetes Association®

Good Luck.
.

 

[Camp]

Lean meat and green salads. Learn to live on it. Only times to eat carbs like bread and pasta is when your levels are low for multiple days. You can cheat a little every few days but have to be careful about spiking your level. Test a few hours after each time you "cheat". If you go over 160 you know you cheated to much. Find a level where you can cheat, watch your level go up to about 160, but go back down after awhile. Go for a walk or exercise immediatly after cheating. That will help. Daily exercise and walking will help alot. You basicly have to learn to live with very little carbs. Test after every meal and note what you ate. You may have to test 5 times a day for awhile until you get a grip on what makes your sugar levels go up and what doesn't. The trick is being creative when it comes to preparing your diet of lean meats and salads.

 

[strollingbones]

i hear ya camp.....i do cheat....on vacation i was bad but i dont let my readings go over 140 if possible..and the combo of foods is the hardest thing to do and explain and understand...tuna fish or okra cause me to lower ......but damn eating a 1/2 tuna fish sammie for breakfast is just nasty.....but i do it..i like almond meal muffins with cookie butter....i am so glad the nearest trader joes is over 1.5 away...or i would live on cookie butter..

okay i am off to stock up on bayer a1c now tests....

and i wear a med alert bracelet ...do yall?

good news harry that you are doing well after 5 years.....unfortunately they say the crash comes at 10 yrs for the eyes.....

luddy keep dodging the bullet of t2....i wished i had...

camp all good ideas....i walk after cheating ......but you got to pay the piper one way or another....

okay what was the symptom you could no longer ignore?

mine? the feet tingling...i thought they were cold but realized it was more than that when they were cold at 70 degrees....

the met makes me cold or the combo of the met and losing weight...how the fuck do skinny people do this....i thought the wind blowing ya away was a joke...at 128 now...i know its not...

 

[RetiredGySgt]

You don't want me in this conversation, I don't take care of myself. My weight is 280 and I do not test my blood sugar )

 

[Harry Dresden]

Lean meat and green salads. Learn to live on it. Only times to eat carbs like bread and pasta is when your levels are low for multiple days. You can cheat a little every few days but have to be careful about spiking your level. Test a few hours after each time you "cheat". If you go over 160 you know you cheated to much. Find a level where you can cheat, watch your level go up to about 160, but go back down after awhile. Go for a walk or exercise immediatly after cheating. That will help. Daily exercise and walking will help alot. You basicly have to learn to live with very little carbs. Test after every meal and note what you ate. You may have to test 5 times a day for awhile until you get a grip on what makes your sugar levels go up and what doesn't. The trick is being creative when it comes to preparing your diet of lean meats and salads.

the Docs at the Joslin Diabetes Center at UCI told me that if you are going to eat Bread eat high fiber or Sour Dough....they have found that Sour Dough breaks down much slower than reg bread so you dont spike as much....and they said Pasta is not so bad as long as you eat a small portion like 6-7 ounces.....eating less and keeping your weight down is the key....no huge "American style" portions....

 

[Harry Dresden]

i hear ya camp.....i do cheat....on vacation i was bad but i dont let my readings go over 140 if possible..and the combo of foods is the hardest thing to do and explain and understand...tuna fish or okra cause me to lower ......but damn eating a 1/2 tuna fish sammie for breakfast is just nasty.....but i do it..i like almond meal muffins with cookie butter....i am so glad the nearest trader joes is over 1.5 away...or i would live on cookie butter..

okay i am off to stock up on bayer a1c now tests....

and i wear a med alert bracelet ...do yall?

good news harry that you are doing well after 5 years.....unfortunately they say the crash comes at 10 yrs for the eyes.....

luddy keep dodging the bullet of t2....i wished i had...

camp all good ideas....i walk after cheating ......but you got to pay the piper one way or another....

okay what was the symptom you could no longer ignore?

mine? the feet tingling...i thought they were cold but realized it was more than that when they were cold at 70 degrees....

the met makes me cold or the combo of the met and losing weight...how the fuck do skinny people do this....i thought the wind blowing ya away was a joke...at 128 now...i know its not...

unfortunately they say the crash comes at 10 yrs for the eyes.....
i know a few diabetics from work and the doctors office.....the type one people seem to have things worse with their eyes and need glasses.....the type 2s as long as they are doing what they can to take care of themselves and keeping the weight down all said their eyes are doing good and only need reading glasses unless they already had glasses for something......these are people that have had this longer than me.....a buddy of mine had type 1 and was 42 and his eyes were pretty bad...so it may be type ones have more eye problems....maybe not....a good question to ask the eye Doctor.....

 

[kwc57]

Can't speak to type 2, I'm type 1. Found out when I was 17 and I'm now 56. Technology and treatment have come a long, long way in the past 40 years. I currently use an insulin pump.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Lean meat and green salads. Learn to live on it. Only times to eat carbs like bread and pasta is when your levels are low for multiple days. You can cheat a little every few days but have to be careful about spiking your level. Test a few hours after each time you "cheat". If you go over 160 you know you cheated to much. Find a level where you can cheat, watch your level go up to about 160, but go back down after awhile. Go for a walk or exercise immediatly after cheating. That will help. Daily exercise and walking will help alot. You basicly have to learn to live with very little carbs. Test after every meal and note what you ate. You may have to test 5 times a day for awhile until you get a grip on what makes your sugar levels go up and what doesn't. The trick is being creative when it comes to preparing your diet of lean meats and salads.

the Docs at the Joslin Diabetes Center at UCI told me that if you are going to eat Bread eat high fiber or Sour Dough....they have found that Sour Dough breaks down much slower than reg bread so you dont spike as much....and they said Pasta is not so bad as long as you eat a small portion like 6-7 ounces.....eating less and keeping your weight down is the key....no huge "American style" portions....

Quality over quantity. Whole foods, whole grains.

My point in my earlier post is that none of us have to take our family history as engraved in stone. We all have choices that can make all the difference.

 

[JakeStarkey]

bones,

Listen to your doctor.

Listen to your nutrionist. (In particular, listen to the nurse most that you trust).

Take your medications faithfully until told not to.

Exercise twice a day, even if it is only for a mile walk each time.

Sleep regularly on a prepared schedule.

Lose the damn weight (hardest thing for me by far).

And don't stress! Tell the ancient crone that you are going to have to shoulder being nice for her, and it would be nice if she helped even a little bit.

You can do all that and have a great life.

Best thoughts and prayers for you.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Can't speak to type 2, I'm type 1. Found out when I was 17 and I'm now 56. Technology and treatment have come a long, long way in the past 40 years. I currently use an insulin pump.

question one.....how have your eyes fared over the years?....

question two.....how does that pump work?

 

[Sweet_Caroline]

well how are you doing? with it all? i am on metformin....

500 mg 2x a day...makes me fart like there is no tomorrow....lol....it is so embarrassing....

do you do the low carb? i have been doing that....i am a skeleton with a gut...nice look

and of course the latest news is....

bayer may stop producing the a1c now test.....which i like cause its cheaper than the lab and gives results in 5 mintues

my last a1c was 5.1....and my readings are pretty good but this damn thing can explode on ya...so fast and sometimes no matter what ya do

You can try perhaps the slow-release form of Metformin, which is kinder on the bowels.

 

[kwc57]

Can't speak to type 2, I'm type 1. Found out when I was 17 and I'm now 56. Technology and treatment have come a long, long way in the past 40 years. I currently use an insulin pump.

question one.....how have your eyes fared over the years?....

question two.....how does that pump work?

I've been nearsighted all my life and require glasses. Beyond that, in the past 10'ish years, I've had a fair amount of laser down for retinopathy. I still see perfectly fine with my glasses. That being said, I'm starting to develop cataracts and my left eye is the worst. Fuzzy and won't focus like it should. Last time I went to my optmetrist a month or so ago, she said I was reading 20/30 with my left eye and I had to be reading at 20/40 before they would do anything about the cataract. So, I just have to deal with increasing fuzziness until it is bad enough to fix and then I should be back at 20/20 again.

As far as the pump, it beats the hell out of injections. When you work with a good endocrinologist, you work out how much your basal rate settings need to be set. This is the amount of insulin that is always "seeping" into your system just like your pancreas does normally. The amount can vary during the day. I think that for a 24 hour cycle, my basal rate changes 10 times during the day depending on the time of day. The bolus is how many units of insulin you take per grams of carbs eaten. For me, it's a ratio of 1 unit of insulin per 8 grams of carb. A unit of insulin will lower my blood glucose by 20 and 8 grams of carbs will raise it by 20. so if my BG is 120 and I want it to be 90, I would bolus 1.5 units of insulin. I change the resevoir and infusion set about every 4 days. You rotate the site just like you do for injections. I use my thighs and wear a little pouch on a velcro strap around my calf under my slacks. If I'm in shorts, I just carry it in my pocket. It disconnects at the infusion site for showering or swimming. My biggest thing when I was younger was that I didn't want to be "hooked to a machine". I got over that and it is second nature to me. It's reall no different than everyone being attached to their smart phone. For sleeping, I used to wear it in the same pouch on my calf. Now I just thorw it in bed with me and grab it out of habit whenever I roll over. It honestly does not get in the way. It offers the absolute best control for a type 1 diabetic if they will use it responsibly.

 

[strollingbones]

You don't want me in this conversation, I don't take care of myself. My weight is 280 and I do not test my blood sugar )

has anyone said you must be a 'good' diabetic to join? i think not....come on...we want the input of all diabetics...some times you just have to be the 'bad' example

 

[strollingbones]

i lost 85 lbs....but it took a spartan diet to do it...i am low carb as much as possible..the only pasta i eat is that dreamfield stuff for diabetics...or low carbs...i just try to find the lowest carb bread i can

i have not passed out in one month and 24 days....that is low blood pressure

 

[strollingbones]

well how are you doing? with it all? i am on metformin....

500 mg 2x a day...makes me fart like there is no tomorrow....lol....it is so embarrassing....

do you do the low carb? i have been doing that....i am a skeleton with a gut...nice look

and of course the latest news is....

bayer may stop producing the a1c now test.....which i like cause its cheaper than the lab and gives results in 5 mintues

my last a1c was 5.1....and my readings are pretty good but this damn thing can explode on ya...so fast and sometimes no matter what ya do

You can try perhaps the slow-release form of Metformin, which is kinder on the bowels.

i was thinking about asking for the er met but i am adjusting....i know when to eat and when to be alone now.....sometimes it blows up....