[fgummett]

Originally Posted by Rob43

My BG today is 450 with me taking shots which is 40 units. All I drink all day is water with Lemon and don't eat much and still my BG is high.

Ok Rob.. you've been here on DF enough to know that if you are asking for advice we need a lot more specific detail than that...

When was that BG of 450mg/dl taken?

How long since you ate?

What did you eat?

What type of insulin(s) are in your 40 units and when do you take it/them?

How fresh is the insulin... any chance the bottle is out of date, became too hot at some time or in other ways is "bad"?

What do you eat in a typical day? How many grams of carbohydrate?

How active are you?

Answer these question -- in detail -- and I suspect you will get a flood of advice.

---

Your profile has you as Type 2, aged 49 and taking "2000 mgs of Metformin a day and on insulin Novolog Mix 70/30 flexpens. Use pen three times a day." is this information still correct..?

[dbaratta]

Originally Posted by Rob43

My two doctor's are endocrinologists. One has over 10,000 patients I've been told. This town has only one endocrinologist for over 100,000 people. My other one is in Nashville. My BG today is 450 with me taking shots which is 40 units. All I drink all day is water with Lemon and don't eat much and still my BG is high. I've never been over 500 in all the years of having diabetes.


Rob

Lemon? what kind of lemon, natural? I ask because lemon in water for me would give me some high BG readings, plus not eating gives me high BG due to liver dump......

it is frustraging I know.....

[Gary_W]

Hello Rob,

I agree with Frank's post above - give more details about what is going on and ask some specific questions. You'll get advice.

One of the worst things about having diabetes (for me anyway) is that feeling of 'what now???' which comes where the ****ed thing is giving you grief and you really cannot figure out why. For me, as long as I know WHY something is happening and can come up with a plan then I'll be OK. It's when I just 'don't get it' that I start to get feelings similar to yours in terms of 'why bother, as nothing I do works'.

You need to re-frame this. Something will work, it's just you haven't tried the right 'something' yet. And unless you've tried every 'something' at least twice then you can't give up as the one you haven't tried may well be the answer!

[lark 27]

I thinksome good advice has been given thus far, but one more thought. Have you spent much time with certified diabetes educators. Have them start at square one and educate you like it's all brand new. they tend to have more time than endo's and it's their job to educate (meaning make sure you learn and not just making sure they tell you something.)

good luck and one thing I've learned from this site is that SUCCESS IS POSSIBLE!

[Rob43]

Ok Rob.. you've been here on DF enough to know that if you are asking for advice we need a lot more specific detail than that...

When was that BG of 450mg/dl taken? 10:00 AM before eating something.

How long since you ate? 6 hours.

What did you eat? Tell you the truth I ate at Taco Bell. Eat very little home cooked meals. Eat out most of the time.

What type of insulin(s) are in your 40 units and when do you take it/them? Take two shots a day, Novolog Mix 70/30

How fresh is the insulin... any chance the bottle is out of date, became too hot at some time or in other ways is "bad"? On my last two days before running out on this pen.

What do you eat in a typical day? How many grams of carbohydrate? Fast food, Burger King, Hardies, Taco Bell. Instead of drinking pop I Drink water with real lemons,

How active are you? Walk every other day and it's about 2 miles.

Answer these question -- in detail -- and I suspect you will get a flood of advice.

---

Your profile has you as Type 2, aged 49 and taking "2000 mgs of Metformin a day and on insulin Novolog Mix 70/30 flexpens. Use pen Three times a day." is this information still correct..? No, Take shot's only twice a day. One before eating in the morning and one before dinner. Each shot is 16 units and more if BG is high in 400's.

Thanks, Rob

[jenb]

Rob - I looked through some of your earlier postings and found that you are using 70/30 insulin. I do not see how anyone can control blood sugar with a mix. Ask your Dr. to switch you to separate basal and bolus insulin like Levemir and Novolog. The doctor will set your initial basal rate and probably give you a sliding scale for the rapid-acting insulin. Then get either "Think Like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner or "Using Insulin" by John Walsh and follow the instructions for basal testing and setting. Either book can also assist you in understanding your insulin to carb ratio and will discuss carb counting.

Perhaps you just need to find the right tools, including modifying your diet and including exercise in addition to the correct medication. Your frustration is understandable, but there are solutions if you are open to them.

Don't let your diabetes go untreated. The downside is too great.

Jen

[Granny Shanny]

Since your original post stated you wish to go back to eating anything you want, may I safely assume that all this fast food is NOT what you want? What kinds of meals will you be going with, if you go ahead and eat anything you want?

[soso]

Hi Rob
I think if you get on a good fast acting insulin, you will do much better even eating at fast food eateries(if that's what you want or have to do) I think all fast food places post their nutritional info online and you could just print it out and keep it handy. A combination of rapid insulin and carb counting will probably dramatically improve your numbers and your outlook....
Don't lose heart...

[davef]

Originally Posted by Rob43

Tell you the truth I ate at Taco Bell. Eat very little home cooked meals. Eat out most of the time.

What do you eat in a typical day? How many grams of carbohydrate? Fast food, Burger King, Hardies, Taco Bell. Instead of drinking pop I Drink water with real lemons,

Rob,

I'm not using Insulin so I don't have much advice to offer there, however if you are only taking a basal insulin, and eating fast food I would think you will not be able to control your diabetes. I would think you NEED a fast acting insulin.

You say you are going back to eating what you want, if you mostly eat fast food, does this mean the only change you have made is to drink water with lemon juice?

As has been said, part of you problem could be the lemon juice, I'm not sure how I would react to lemon juice but suspect it would send me high. Especially if I was to drink alot of it.

Are your Doctors aware of what you are eating? Frank hit the nail on the head by asking you what you eat, as without that information we would have been left thinking that you are being careful about what you eat and that you have made changes, to be honest it really does not look like you have made many changes at all. If you don't want to make changes (and that's your choice) then you NEED to talk to your doctor and talk about a rapid insulin to try and cope with what you are eating.

[fgummett]

OK so we have a bit more detail Rob, but what exactly are you eating at those fast food places? Not drinking pop is a good start but how about skipping the burger-bun and the fries as well? What sauces do you use? Do they have salads or low-carb options? How many grams of carbs are you eating at each meal... each day..?

You say you had a BG of 450mg/dl after a 6 hour fast? What was it before the fast? How often do you test?

I can't imagine trying to manage with a mix insulin... unless you have a rigid schedule where you eat at the same time and amount every day, sleep set hours, and are equally active every day -- I had a Type 1 D friend at school (many years ago) and his day was pretty much regimented around his D -- somehow I get the impression your day is not quite that organised?

Can you talk to your Doctor about MDI with a sliding scale of fast acting insulin and a slow acting basal? Of course that may require more work and discipline on your part -- at least initially -- and simply "covering" carbohydrates with insulin is a recipe for weight gain and increased Insulin Resistance... but it could at least gain you some improved BG control.

There is no simple quick fix that I am aware of... control is going to require you stepping up and taking it yourself... with the help of your Health Care Providers including your Doctor... and DF is always open for suggestions and support.

[DeusXM]

The other element is that an extended period of not eating (say, more than six hours) will actually cause your BG to go up anyway. Personally I find that if I do not eat, my liver starts dumping glucose in order to maintain my body's basic energy requirements, and if I do not compensate for this (something you cannot do with a mix insulin or with a basal alone) then my BG will rise.

I would also second the opinion put forward here that eating takeout most of the time will destroy your BG levels. I personally find it very difficult to eat any meal I haven't cooked myself without having some sort of screw-up when it comes to BG regulation and I probably only eat take out or go to a restaurant maybe two or three times a month - which is pretty much just basic healthy eating anyway. Prepared food is supposed to be calorie (and therefore, carb) dense because the business model behind these things is that you are buying them for the taste rather than the nutritional benefit.

There is a lot you can do to manage diabetes but the onus is on you rather than the doctor - typically if you are on insulin you will need to calculate your jabs yourself and be prepared to vary them rather that stick with a static amount.

[jillybean]

You can eat fast food without having a bunch of carbs. Get a burger (with cheese, bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato...just avoid things like barbecue sauce or honey mustard that are more sugary) and toss the bun. Or a grilled chicken sandwich, toss the bun. If you need more food, get 2 burgers, no buns, instead of a burger and fries (or anything equally as evil, like onion rings or tater tots or whatever). Heck, Hardee's even makes a low carb burger with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Or hit up KFC for some Kentucky Grilled Chicken - just skip the biscuits and mashed potatoes, maybe try their green beans.

I spent multiple consecutive months eating a VERY low carb diet, and, due to my work schedule, I ate out probably 95% of my meals. It is very much possible to be successful while eating out, even fast food.

[fgummett]

I agree that you can include fast food in healthier eating but I also agree that cooking your own real food is best. I'd be concerned about the constant temptation at a fast food place... not sure I have the discipline... and who knows what you are really getting

I've been in a few burger places when travelling for work and was surprised that so many are very accommodating when it comes to asking for a burger without the bun... but to be honest I never seem to enjoy the burger as much as I thought I would.

[ShottleBop]

Originally Posted by fgummett

I've been in a few burger places when travelling for work and was surprised that so many are very accommodating when it comes to asking for a burger without the bun... but to be honest I never seem to enjoy the burger as much as I thought I would.

You're eating at the wrong burger places, then.

[Newdiabetic]

Rob,

I'm new at this.....but I was astonished that my Dr. told me my numbers, told his nurse to teach me how to use a meter and sent me home, telling me to do what I could, stick myself twice a day, write down the results, and come back in two weeks.

I wasn't satisfied with this at all. (Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my doctor) I have a computer, so I went to work.I read all that I could.

I haven't been on this forum long enough to know your circumstances, but please don't give up. If you aren't getting the proper support from your Dr, you need to try elsewhere.

Have you seen a dietician? Would it be possible for you to walk everyday? Have you gotten the nutritional information from each of the fast food places so that you can make wise choices? To give you an example....I was eating the breakfast wrap at McDonald's on the days I allowed myself for a treat or if my husband and I are traveling. I didn't even like the wrap. Come to find out, after getting their nutritional information, the Sausage Egg McMuffin (Which I love) had 11 less grams of carbs and over 200 less calories. So, with the nutritional information that I have, I am able to make better (and to me, more filling) choices. I love their Bacon Ranch salad with grilled chicken...another good choice.

The way I try to look at it, is the more I work at it now, the more good habits will be made which means that it will become easier.

I also am in a rush for morning breakfast, so I boil 4 eggs at a time, fix enough grapefruit for 4 breakfasts, and drink a huge glass of water before running out to my job. That's 4 days I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat.

Please don't give up. I have a friend who gave up and you do not want to have to spend the rest of your life living like he is now having to live. If he knew then what he knows now, I am SURE he would have made more positive choices.

Good luck. I wish you the very best!
Joyce