Diabetes

[sawguy21]

We were out for a walk this afternoon when Karen started to feel sweaty and weak. Didn't have her purse so no glucose tablets and none in the truck at the parking lot. A lady walking with her dog had some in her purse, her husband is diabetic. Karen took one, the lady stood by to make sure everything was o.k.  8)
From now on I will make sure we have them with us at all times. She would have been in trouble if I had needed to run back to the truck, drive to the nearest store then back. I am posting this to remind all to have the tablets, hard candies, something in case you or someone with you has a low blood sugar attack. They would need immediate attention.

[coxy]

just found out today im  border line diabetic  the test says 6.5 don't know what that means but doc says not good  took more blood to test some more  this is the crap my uncle died from last year   its got my nerves racing

[thecfarm]

You claim you are only 44. I know age don't matter with it.  :(   I just hope it can be controlled with meds and a diet. My Mother had it for more than 20 years.

[WmFritz]

Coxy, that number is your A1C.
6.5 is on the higher side and diet/exercise can impact that number, which is a whole bunch better then controlling sugar with chemicals. The side affects from the pharmaceuticals bring on a new set of issues. Every point you can get that A1C # down is huge.

[Ianab]

If you are borderline then chances are some changes to your diet will help. Less sugar and grease mostly. Exercise and getting your weight right helps too.

You don't technically die from Type 2 diabetes. You die from the side effects of not controlling it properly. The excess sugar in your blood attacks the fine blood vessels and nerves in things like your eyes, extremities like the hands and feet, and internal organs like your kidneys. So this is why people loose their sight, need to have legs amputated, or die early.

But if you keep on top of it, do what the Doc says, take meds if need be, chances are you will die WITH it, as opposed to from it. And hopefully at a ripe old age.

Main thing is knowing about and controlling it. Then you avoid most of the nasty side effects.

[coxy]

You claim you are only 44. I know age don't matter with it.  :(   I just hope it can be controlled with meds and a diet. My Mother had it for more than 20 years.

I AM ONLY 44 ;D that's what pithes me off   its not like I don't do any thing im vary active and truth to be told I probably walk at least 2-3miles a day or more only weigh 175 lbs  every thing else is fine cholesterol is great blood pressure is great  just don't get it  yes I do love my sweets but thought I was doing good guess not   the other thing that may not help is I don't eat breakfast and only eat lunch once in a while    if I eat I get 

[Reddog]

Coxy, My fasting blood glucose for a few years was always right at the high side of normal 99-101, same with my triglycerides.
Took reducing my starch and grain carb intake to get it to go down.


Sawguy21, glad some one came along that had some sugar.
I have had to eat a apple and or a orange a few times when out working to get to feeling better. I like to keep a few in the lunch box. I also find staying hydrated is a big factor.

[thecfarm]

@coxy,not that it helps any,but Roxie has a grandson with it. I feel alot in just in your genes. Some are dealt a bad hand.

[coxy]

I should know more whats going on tomarrow  I should have never stopped drinking that when I started to fall apart  :D  I hope I can do this with just a diet    don't have any one that can give me a needle we will all be past out on the floor  ;D

[Roxie]

Coxy, I understand your frustration at doing everything right, and still having your A1C go up.  Most doctors would say that 6.5 is pre-diabetic.  Mine was 7 at my last appointment, and Doc informed me that it was official.  Given that I'm a low carb kind of gal since 1980, the power of heredity trumps all.  My grandfather, grandmother, and father are all type 2.  (My dad lost his left leg a year ago to complications). 

My method of blood sugar control is to double down on that low carb to almost no carb.  I strive for 25 to 30 carbs which is mostly in my vegetables and cheese.  We are going to check my A1C again on February 27th.  I am trying to avoid needing medication.  If you educate yourself on the different kinds of carbs (glycemic index), you will discover that a bagel raises your blood sugar higher and keeps it there longer than a piece of pie. 

My grandson was diagnosed Type 1 at 5 years old.  It is a different disease entirely than Type 2 and it puzzles me that they continue to group the two together by name because one has nothing to do with the other.  Type 1's are insulin dependent immediately.  Their pancreas has shut down.  Bless his heart, he has to check his blood glucose before and after each meal or snack, and again at bedtime and sometimes in the middle of the night.  That's a lot of finger picks.  He has to receive insulin injections before every meal based on a formula that calculates his current blood sugar and the carbs in his meal or snack.  He also gets an injection before bed. 

So, you see why I never complain about getting with the program, or checking my own blood glucose.  As a matter of fact, this reminds me of a somewhat humorous incident with James and his siblings (there are 3) this year.  They all had to go for a flu shot, and James told each and every one of them, that he did NOT want to hear "one single PEEP from them" about the needle.  Last year there had been tears and whining, but this year, not a single word   :D

[coxy]

Roxie do you feel any different with the number that high  and I feel so sorry for that little guy  give him lots of hugs for us    I have been a train wreck not knowing  whats  going on or what to do       thanks coxy

[Roxie]

Never panic, never let them see you sweat.   :D

No, I don't worry about the number because I know that it will come down if I stick to the program.  If it doesn't, then my doctor will put me on pills, and that's not the end of the world. 

Do you have a blood glucose monitor to check your own blood sugar?  If not, that is the number one thing you need to get.  Being able to monitor your daily blood sugar will let you know how your number reacts to various foods.  When you consistently have good numbers, you never have to fear the A1C test.

I will certainly give James a hug from you, and he'd want me to tell you not to be scared.  You can do it! 

[thecfarm]

Hang in there coxy,you are a live.     As said my Mother lived with it for 20 years and she did well with it. She controlled it with a diet for many years,than pills,than a needle. I know I would have a hard time with it,I like my junk food. I know you can still have some,but I have no idea,at this time,what that some word means.  :

[Gary_C]

the other thing that may not help is I don't eat breakfast and only eat lunch once in a while    if I eat I get 

Sorry but those habits will be your worst enemy if you continue them. I took a diabetes training class at Mayo with my mother in law and they emphasized that having regular meals was the single most important thing you can do to control your blood sugar. You not only need to eat the right diet, but eat regular scheduled meals at the same times every day.

Skipping meals is a no-no.

[hacknchop]

I was diagnosed at 38 they told me i could get sugar level under control by loosing weight and diet control, it worked for  about  3or4 yrs then it just would not come down and I did nt want medication so i put it off then i got really sick from a lung infection that was the result of uncontrolled blood sugars. My advice is when your a1c gets above 7 start with the meds before you get yourself in trouble. You can live a good long time with diabetes if you take it seriously. Terry

[coxy]

got some good news from the doc yesterday its down to a 5.8 so its going in the right direction im getting a tester today and start keeping a log    my nerves are better    its a load off my mind but still going to watch it closely    thanks for all the replays       one other thing she said the spike in my sugar  my have came from lymes  before I started the doxy pills :-\        coxy

[Reddog]

Good news.

With the family history, might be worth making the nutrition/lifestyle changes now.

[coxy]

that's what im doing       got all the stuff to check my sugar today   again thank for all the info                  coxy

[Southside]

Coxy - glad to hear you are on top of it.  Hate to not have you around here, we would only be left with Barge Monkey for all of our New York logging updates and between the boat and the store, well you know how that would be...   :D

[SliverPicker]

Check the Swedes new food pyramid for diabetes prevention. 

[SliverPicker]

Nutrition guidelines based on science and not molded by politics.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/

[coxy]

good post thanks  ;D

[Roxie]

 :P  as I eat my homemade low carb chicken tenders dipped in blue cheese dressing. 

[Ianab]

Nutrition guidelines based on science and not molded by politics.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/sweden-becomes-first-western-nation-to-reject-low-fat-diet-dogma-in-favor-of-low-carb-high-fat-nutrition/

I like that article.

Butter, olive oil, heavy cream, and bacon are not harmful foods.

Make mine a bacon and egg sandwich, hold the bread  :D

[SliverPicker]

The reason Americans have gotten so huge and have seen such an increase in diseases such as diabetes is pretty simple.  Its eating food that causes you blood sugar levels to get on a roller coaster.  You eat, say, a 600 calorie breakfast at 7:00 a.m. that contains foods that break down in your system very quickly such as refined flour.  Your blood sugar levels spike.  Then your body secretes insulin to counter the spike.  The insulin overshoots to some degree and your blood sugar crashes.  Now your brains says to your body "OK you are hungry because your blood sugar levels are a bit low so you better eat.  So what happens is you feel hungry just and hour or so after eating.  So you eat some more.  You end up eating more calories than you burn off and you gain weight.  If you do this every day you can gain a whole lot of weight in just a few short years.  The key is to eat food that releases it energy more slowly.

Think about this; if you eat the equivalent calories of one half of one orange per day more than you body needs you will gain 17 pounds in one year.  Imagine what happens if you eat half a pizza worth of extra calories per day.

The whole food pyramid we have had pounded in to us for the past 40+ years is a fraud.  Literally.  The government was looking for a counter to the increased incidence of heart disease among Americans that was noticed in the early 70s.  The government enlisted the "help" of the food industry to come up with guidelines for healthful eating.  The fox was now in the hen house.  Studies where done and the data was cherry-picked.  The end result is the "x servings of this or that per day." recommendations.

HINT: Saturated fat DOES NOT cause heart disease. 

Our bodies have a very fine tuned system to make sure we get enough calories and don't become obese.  Eating processed foods and simple carbohydrates short circuits this system.  Our bodies become "confused" and we eat WAY too much.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

@coxy

Skipping meals really messes things up in the long run. You're much better off eating small meals more often, I have three meals and two or three snacks each day. Keep the carbohydrates fairly low but don't knock them out entirely. I shoot for 50 or less per meal and 20 or less per snack.  Don't forget that non-diet soft drinks and alcoholic beverages also count against you and make it harder to control.

Good luck.

Herb

[coxy]

I know its a bad habit but if I eat lunch im done for the day it just makes me lazy   the soft and alcoholic drinks im good on haven't had a beer in 9 months glass of wine every now and then don't like the flavors ;D iv been checking it every morning its been around 89-100 so I think its good so far   and thanks for every ones info on this