Alone and frustrated but making progress

[Jonathan_R]

I am somewhat new to type1. I was diagnosed about 3 years ago. The doctors I have seen have been idiots. The endocrinologist I used to see, never saw me. Instead it was the dietitian. My primary doctor I now see thinks the diabetic diet is no carbs.

I have also been looking at the acid-alkaline diet. It sounds good, but actually doing it will be tough. I have also started a spreadsheet. I track the carbs I consume, the glycemic index, and glycemic load. I also track by how much I was off.

I am starting to make progress, as 2 weeks ago my 30 day average was 310. Now my, month to dates average is 192.

On top of all this, I also have seizures that the doctors can't explain, and become exacerbated with low sugar levels. So I can not be low.

[Jonathan_R]

You can see my log here, diabetes log (http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tQp5VrYrxH00p9ezK4jlc7A&single=true&gid=0&output=html). Of course the one on my hard drive is nicer.

[Subby]

Hi Jonathan. You do seem to be chasing you tail quite a bit: a feeling known to many of us. I congratulate you on the obvious effort you are putting in to try and crack this and for managing to make some headway. Especially considering how much you are tending to spike or get variability with large amounts of carbs.

There are a few things I'd say about what you've said and the kind of directions you could go, but I don't know if you're really asking for that. Instead, I just wanted to welcome you to the forum. You're not alone here.

[Jonathan_R]

I appreciate the welcome.

As to the diet, I never do anything with out thoroughly researching it, and I wouldn't just do the alkalarian diet. I would also, as you saw on my log, count carbs, glycemic index, and glycemic load. Put it all together, and ..... it should work.

[drummingfool]

Just going to throw this up here.

I looked at your chart. I'll tell you as someone who struggled with it for years, it sucks. The highs, the lows, all of it. So I'm going to offer up a few suggestions.

When your BG is high, consider a low to no carb, high protein snack. Cheese, for example. Or beef jerky. It never really worked for me to have more carbs and bolus for the high and more carbs when my sugar rockets up. Give your body the chance to focus just on the high before you have anything else with a substantial amount of carbs, and the protein will help steady your sugar out once it gets down to a normal level instead of bottoming out.

Another thing you want to look at is the KINDS of carbs. I noticed a few entries in your diet about candy bars and alot of pasta (shrimp pasta, ramen). These types of carbs are notorious for spiking blood sugar. Wheats, grains and sugars make my sugar go into the stratosphere. Consider getting more of your carbs from things like vegetables. Lower impact carbs allow your body the chance to process them as they are released, as opposed to sugars and grains that hit your body all at the same time, forcing your body to deal with the "carb onslaught" all at once. I hope that made sense. :S

These are just a couple suggestions. Dont think Im trying to tell you carbs are bad. Screw that. Carbs are great. Just because we're diabetics doesnt mean we cant enjoy life and all it has to offer, including food. The trick is to learn how to manage these carbs and find out how your body handles them. Every diabetics body handles food differently. We just need to find out how yours does. :)

PS - A couple other things you may want to try...

When you see your doc next, consider asking about different types of insulin (humalog vs novolog, eg), and even ask about possibly moving your carb to insulin ratio around.

Again, these are just some humble suggestions from someone whos been there. I've been diabetic since I was 13. I'm now 22. Its tough, but not impossible. You've taken a huge step by coming here and looking for some help.

[Jonathan_R]

Just going to throw this up here.

I looked at your chart. I'll tell you as someone who struggled with it for years, it sucks. The highs, the lows, all of it. So I'm going to offer up a few suggestions.

When your BG is high, consider a low to no carb, high protein snack. Cheese, for example. Or beef jerky. It never really worked for me to have more carbs and bolus for the high and more carbs when my sugar rockets up. Give your body the chance to focus just on the high before you have anything else with a substantial amount of carbs, and the protein will help steady your sugar out once it gets down to a normal level instead of bottoming out.

Another thing you want to look at is the KINDS of carbs. I noticed a few entries in your diet about candy bars and alot of pasta (shrimp pasta, ramen). These types of carbs are notorious for spiking blood sugar. Wheats, grains and sugars make my sugar go into the stratosphere. Consider getting more of your carbs from things like vegetables. Lower impact carbs allow your body the chance to process them as they are released, as opposed to sugars and grains that hit your body all at the same time, forcing your body to deal with the "carb onslaught" all at once. I hope that made sense. :S

These are just a couple suggestions. Dont think Im trying to tell you carbs are bad. Screw that. Carbs are great. Just because we're diabetics doesnt mean we cant enjoy life and all it has to offer, including food. The trick is to learn how to manage these carbs and find out how your body handles them. Every diabetics body handles food differently. We just need to find out how yours does. :)

PS - A couple other things you may want to try...

When you see your doc next, consider asking about different types of insulin (humalog vs novolog, eg), and even ask about possibly moving your carb to insulin ratio around.

Again, these are just some humble suggestions from someone whos been there. I've been diabetic since I was 13. I'm now 22. Its tough, but not impossible. You've taken a huge step by coming here and looking for some help.



Actually, I am considering it. That's why I am considering the alkaline diet. I already count carbs and the glycemic index and the glycemic load. I think the lantus isn't high enough.

[DanG]

I am somewhat new to type1.

I tend to be a bit contrarian regarding numbers control.
But, I have been using insulin for 35 adult years.
Most of us with that many years started off using a blood sugar spill test named testape - basically a litmus paper passed thru our urine stream - that merely told us whether our sugars were high enough to spill in to our urine. And that varies from person to person, so no real firm numbers to deal with. The introduction of a meter that told me a number for amount of sugar in blood, so to speak, was informative, but expensive. I wouldn't put too much stock in the numbers game - that game is what is putting you into the game that causes the seizures you cannot do.

My doctor when I started using insulin told me I would know more about this thing than he would. I took him at his word, as a guide for life. I didn't visit him very often, and I visit a doc maybe once each year now. With a good head on your shoulders, you might consider the same counsel - seems you have a good head, and might want to limit your reliance on the doctor's counsel - follow your own intuition and knowledge thru the insulin morass.

In looking at your graph, the spikes seem high, but I would bet I could match your overall graph in terms of the swings, perhaps - but I really don't know, because I don't spend too much time in analysis. I test maybe 4 times each day - just enough to keep me off the floor, and at times when I can do something to affect a solution, like more food, or not too much food. I still have all my body parts and am of quite good health, I think. That is to say that the game of chasing the blood sugar numbers may be a less important battle than the doc and others would have you believe. Stay in the 150 range - which it looks like you generally are - and you might stay well away from the seizures and live a long and fruitful life. That is my $0.02 worth of observation.