What makes the bad stuff happen?

[Middle Aged Man]

All of these horrible things that come with this lovely . . . disease . . . . Nerve damage. Eye damage. Feet damage. Failure to heal.

Is there any rhyme or reason to when each thing occurs? I mean, if I start seeing regular blood glucose over 250, then does that mean my eyes will go? Or can they go just as simply if I regularly get it around 125????

Yes, I'm a type II as my avatar shows. (Hope you enjoy the double entendre. Type II/Terminator II/middle aged movie.) I'm just trying to make sense out of when I need to start worrying.

Any insights out there?

[duck]

From what I read here and elsewhere and from what I have noticed through casual observation, there is some randomness to what symptoms happen to what people. But it is also my experience that those who attack this thing aggressively seem to do pretty well...There's at least one 60-something here on this forum who has had this disease since the Truman administration (I'm exaggerating), and I knew a man who was approaching his 70's and has been fanatical about taking care of himself even before the phrase "tight control" meant anything to anyone.

Then I know a diabetic in her 40's who is now dead, but literally she was trying to kill herself with this disease, and every bad thing that can happen to a diabetic was happening to her: kidney failure, neuropathy, smyogi effect, etc. So the best advice I can give is take care of yourself, monitor and test yourself OFTEN (I don't give a horses' rear what they say about Type 2's testing once, twice or four times a day--more is needed) and make corrections when needed.

[Cinnabon]

In my opinion.....
There is NO set time to "START" to take control of this wonderful gift we all have. You must control it head on. I am 30 years old and already have retinopathy and awaiting an MRI to confirm neuropathy.

[KickStart101]

Hi And Welcome To This Great Forum: (Hey Great Pics By The Way!!).
I totally agree with Duck and Mars. No time like the present to look after yourself, your body will thank you in the long-run and you'll say, "Ya, I did
a Great Job", and believe me you will be your Greatest Achievement and Feel **** Good about it. I have 2 Type 2 friends that I am getting worried about because both their sugars have been high. I wish they would go on Insulin
so they could keep their sugars down more. If they want to eat sweets they need insulin. I hope you test yourself about 4 times a day so you can know where your sugar levels are and then your Doc can adjust your meds. That doesn't mean you can go eating sweet stuff or big portions of food because you are not on Insulin. That's not good for anyone actually but occasionally people on Insulin can have it.
Sorry I am a Type 1 so I don't live a Type 2's life. I try to keep my sugars
between 4.8/87 to 7.8/140. That is not as strick as the 5.7 - 7.5 on my test strip bottle. Your 250 is too high if it is regular occurance for too long. I do
not know how long you have had Diabetes. Usually Type 2's are dxd. 6 mths. to 2 yrs. after they have developed it so deteriation has already been going on in your body before you were dxd., although it may be minimal so far.
If your sugars are too high too long they will attack any vessels in your body. No one knows where it will strike until symptoms show up, whether it be your eyes, your kidneys your legs or arms or your heart from hardening of the arteries, etc. I am thinking kids are more resilient to abuse from Diabetes out-of-bound sugars since their bodies can bounce back or is not attacked severely but once people are older the body is less forgiving so it is really important not to make too many "parties" :cool: without looking after your sugar levels.
Every person starts aging from the day they are conceived. So every person should look after themselves as early as they can, more so with Diabetes. I read in the Groliers Encyclopedia long ago that if someone
could find the fountain of youth then they would have a cure for Diabetes.
Since Diabetes ages a persons body and organs faster than a normal body.
Take Care of your vessel. :D ;)

[Middle Aged Man]

Kick Start - thanks for the great insights. My sugars are never low, but they do go high at times. Highest reading ever was just before I got bronchitis when they spiked at 294. I test 3x/day (morning, before dinner, 2 hours after dinner) with goals of under 140 morning/before dinner, and under 160 2 hours after dinner. That's on the direction of a nursing and dietician team at a diabetes class taught by a huge local hospital. So far I'm on track about 75-80% of the time, and my A1Cs have been tested twice at 6.1 and 6.2. I'm 43 years old, far sighted, and just starting to realize a need for glasses . . . which blew the eye doc away when he told me that he couldn't believe I didn't need them yet given my age. I was diagnosed last fall and am still learning. My biggest weakness is fitting exercise into my life. I'm trying to reprogram myself to fit that in, but it's never been a priority. I know that it needs to be. I'm hoping to learn other people's tricks off this board and see what I can adopt.

I have to tell you, though, that the greatest thing I've enjoyed about this board (aside from the fantastic international flavor) has been seeing so many beautiful and upbeat people knowing a great future lies ahead and that this condition isn't going to stop them from enjoying life. It's the best message for us all, and I'm glad we share it.

Thanks again for your kind and thorough response. Glad to be here!

[Harold]

For T2's staying away from spikes of 250 and keeping morning readings below 120, two hour post meal readings below 140, and A1c's below 6.5 you should be able to avoid complications for many years. No guarantees though, everyones tolerance to glucose is different.

[Mick]

I think they (whoever "they" are...) make this stuff up as the go along--because it does keep changing. When I was diagnosed T1 in 1965, 'they' told me and my parents that I sould "get 20 good years before complications took my health", and I know several other diabetics who were told the same thing as children in the sixties. I guess 20 years looked like a lifetime to a 12 year old, because I never worried too much, and never really noticed when I passed that 20-year mark with no complications whatsoever. And remember--that was 20 years during which we had NO a1c tests and NO home glucose monitors--in fact, I normally got my blood sugar checked 2 or 3 times a year-yes, A YEAR! The 30-year mark with no complications came and went, and this winter the 40-year mark, double what they originally gave me. Luck? Yes, certainly a great deal of that. But also hard work, even more of that, in the form of discipline, self control and will-power, not to mention planning, study, self-education, obsessive organization, minute attention to details... You get the picture--success over this disease comes at a price, but I believe that price is worth it. I've been a healthy diabetic for 40 years, and at this point, because they (there 'they' are again!) tell me that if I have no complications after this long, it is doubtful I will develop them.

There is no timetable, only hard work and good karma...
Michael

[Middle Aged Man]

For T2's staying away from spikes of 250 and keeping morning readings below 120, two hour post meal readings below 140, and A1c's below 6.5 you should be able to avoid complications for many years. No garantees though, everyones tolerance to glucose is different.

I had a weird one yesterday. Had two readings around 280 during the day, ran to the store, came back and got two readings around 92. My wife asked if I was shaking or anything, but I wasn't. I had some Korean food with sauces the night before, and I know I was told that some of those sauces can wreak havoc with your sugars. Could that be the reason????

[duck]

I had a weird one yesterday. Had two readings around 280 during the day, ran to the store, came back and got two readings around 92. My wife asked if I was shaking or anything, but I wasn't. I had some Korean food with sauces the night before, and I know I was told that some of those sauces can wreak havoc with your sugars. Could that be the reason????

I'm half-korean, so momma's home-cooking is not apple-pie and fried chicken, but instead kimchee stew and rice. Now, some Korean food will indeed muck up your sugars, but I have not been able to nail down what it is that does it. Mom's cooking does not hose me, but similar food from restaurants and grocery chains here in NoVA will, so mom thinks it's the MSG and other unaccounted-for **** that does it (she does not use MSG). Also, if you ate a lot of korean barbeque or meats in general, those will make your sugars rise hours later as the fats and proteins slowly digest. It's not easy, dude. :(

[Middle Aged Man]

I'm half-korean, so momma's home-cooking is not apple-pie and fried chicken, but instead kimchee stew and rice. Now, some Korean food will indeed muck up your sugars, but I have not been able to nail down what it is that does it. Mom's cooking does not hose me, but similar food from restaurants and grocery chains here in NoVA will, so mom thinks it's the MSG and other unaccounted-for **** that does it (she does not use MSG). Also, if you ate a lot of korean barbeque or meats in general, those will make your sugars rise hours later as the fats and proteins slowly digest. It's not easy, dude. :(


Didn't know you were also here in NoVA. I bought some thin sliced briskit and t-bone at the Super H Mart on Route 29, added some Korean BBQ sauce to the briskit and some Bulgoki sauce to the t-bone and cooked it up. Served it on lettuce with spicy bean paste. The numbers that night weren't bad, but come the next day . . . WOW!!!!! So, the sauces could do that, then?

[duck]

Didn't know you were also here in NoVA. I bought some thin sliced briskit and t-bone at the Super H Mart on Route 29, added some Korean BBQ sauce to the briskit and some Bulgoki sauce to the t-bone and cooked it up. Served it on lettuce with spicy bean paste. The numbers that night weren't bad, but come the next day . . . WOW!!!!! So, the sauces could do that, then?

Yeah--if you didn't make them yourself. I'm lucky inasmuch as mom makes most of her stuff, so we have a good idea of what is in them and what will affect me and how. The bean paste can be a bit tricky as well--You'll hear many T-1's complain the Mexican food destroys their sugars at about four hours after meals, and in my mind it has to do with slow-digesting beans and fat. The korean bean paste can be as bad. HOWEVER, it sounds to me like the meats could have been the biggest culprit in your situation. If I eat a good portion of steak or chicken, I can end up with sugars in the stratosphere four, five, six hours later (but not with pork--why?). But if I eat a "reasonable" amount, like four/five ounces of steak or two pieces of KFC chicken, no issues. It is the ****dest thing sometimes.

[Middle Aged Man]

Yeah--if you didn't make them yourself. I'm lucky inasmuch as mom makes most of her stuff, so we have a good idea of what is in them and what will affect me and how. The bean paste can be a bit tricky as well--You'll hear many T-1's complain the Mexican food destroys their sugars at about four hours after meals, and in my mind it has to do with slow-digesting beans and fat. The korean bean paste can be as bad. HOWEVER, it sounds to me like the meats could have been the biggest culprit in your situation. If I eat a good portion of steak or chicken, I can end up with sugars in the stratosphere four, five, six hours later (but not with pork--why?). But if I eat a "reasonable" amount, like four/five ounces of steak or two pieces of KFC chicken, no issues. It is the ****dest thing sometimes.


Thanks, Duck! Much appreciated. I think you've solved my mystery for me. (I also couldn't believe the sodium involved in that meal . . . more than double the daily allowance from that meal alone!) BTW, if you get a good recipe for Jae Yuk Gui, I'm addicted and would love to learn how to make it from scratch!



BTW, just saw you're in Manassas. I'm in the center of Fairfax County not far from Fairfax City. Get out your way a lot (heading to Chantilly shortly.)