[rlrl]

I have heard stories of people who started eating chocolate bar after chocolate bar or drinking soda after soda right before or at the time they were diagnosed with diabetes.

Five summers ago in 2003 I recalled myself eating too many ice pops in the summer of 2003. each pop didn't have that much sugar per pop but i guess it added up. every night for a few months i would have maybe 4-5 pops and then eat 2-3 containers of watermelon (the cut up pieces). that fall i recall having increased urinary urgency although fingersticks showed me to be well within the normal range(80-88). in fact although i stopped binging on the ice pops after 2003, i still do the watermelon thing just about nightly in the summers and spring.

although the ice pops thing is now water under the bridge, my question now is: is the watermelon habit bad for me?

i don't eat desert foods, machine foods or sugary things at all. my only weakness is home fries with my eggs on weekends and those red skilled garlic potatoes as a side a few times per month

another question i have is when i was hospitalized in 2005 for a few days for my varicose veins they drew blood several times. if my a1c was high they would have told me right? the first time my a1c was brought to my attention was in 2/07 when it was 7.1 and they put me on glucophage. i am trying to pinpoint the exact time i technically became diabetic(probably around 2006 sometime?)

in the summer of 2006 i noticed i was thirsty and urinating a lot but it was only sporadically during that summer which was horridly hot in mid July. When i was concerned i ran to the doctor who first said to me if i was diabetic i would have lost weight and two fingersticks showed my sugar to be very very low, so go figure(I have heard that fingersticks only are not a reliable source of diabetes testing)

a glucose tolerance test i had in 2/07 (draw blood, wait 15 minutes, drink solution, wait an hour, draw blood, wait an hour, draw blood, go home) showed the first reading to be high but the second reading to be normal so the final result was considered non-diabetic

thanks for reading and i welcome any comments you have

rlrl

a1c in 2/07: 7.1
a1c in 9/07: 6.1
a1c in 2/08: 5.6
non-fasting sugar: 83
total cholesterol: 162
hdl: 51
ldl:79
triglycerides were high
vldl cholesterol high(what does vldl mean?)

[morrisma]

There's lots of variability in people and pancreatic function and insulin sensitivity.
Watermelon: Eat it in your normal quantity and test 2 hours after you start eating. If you are under 140, you can eat it just as you always have. If not, eat less. Test until you know how you react.
Potatoes, other treats: Same as watermelon.
Other items:
Not everyone loses weight prior to diagnosis.
Finger sticks are NOT a reliable way to determine your diabetic status. C-Peptide, A1c, & glucose tolerance tests are recommended and an A1c ought to be done a couple of times a year.
Keep asking and reading. We're here to help if we can.
Mike

[princesslinda]

rl, the best way to know your individual tolerances for various foods (including watermelon) is to check 2 hrs afater your first bite and see how it affects your blood sugar.

I can have a little watermelon w/o problems, but if I have much at all, it pushes my blood sugar high. Cantaloupe, I have no problem with. Grapes are also not well tolerated by me. Testing is the only way to know.

[Evermont]

The 'point' in time that anyone transitions exactly from non- to diabetic is probably unknowable. Speculation on it is probably fruitless.

I would hesitate to assign blame to any specific foods, let alone a specific occasion.

The thing to do now is to understand as much as possible what you can DO, and continue to DO in order to maintain as much mastery over the condition as possible.

Best of luck to all of us in that quest. (by 'luck' I mean efforts)

[Aurora96]

I did not lose any weight prior to my diagnosis. I went to a routine visit to my gynocologist who usually checks for sugar in the urine and that was the first sign that I was diabetic.

Just want to echo what everyone has said about different people reacting differently. I can't do potatoes (sigh) or rice. I seem to do fine with pasta. The only way you'll know is by eating and testing!