Final Day of Diabetes Ed. Class

Debbie Sue · #1 (**permalink**) 06-19-2008, 04:13 PM

Wow! I am very impressed with all the info I learned from 2 full days of this class. Today we talked about a jillion different things. I had my feet looked at and the filament poke to test for sensitivity. I passed!

I am concerned about the high cholesterol, but the CDE talked to me one on one about it and encouraged me to keep working on my food choices and said it may come down as my bs #'s do.

I submitted my 2nd week's worth of bs numbers and the nurse said they were still too high in the mornings so I am upped from half a 500 mg Metformin at dinner to 1000 mg instead.

Thanks all for the encouragement and support during this. After I learn more, I hope to be able to help others who come in here looking for what I was. You all are the best!

genie86333 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-19-2008, 06:02 PM

Debbie Sue,

Glad you learned so much at your class!

What kind of food choice info did they give you? It's interesting to see what different ones have been told because there's so much difference of opinion (for instance the "recommended" food pyramid for diabetes according to the ADA vs low-carb recommendations)

Glad to hear you passed the sensitivity test!

DCaplinger · #3 (**permalink**) 06-19-2008, 06:04 PM

Class? My diabetes education consisted of a 1 1/2 hour office visit with a DE nurse. Thankfully, she talked me into visiting with their Endo, instead of waiting for 3 months to see the Endo I had chosen. Had it not been for that, I'd just now be starting on insulin therapy.

I'd love to find classes like that so I could take my wife. She wants to learn, but doesn't understand this stuff when I try to explain it to her. Hmmm... I'll talk to my Endo about it at my appointment next Friday.

Oh... and I'm also glad you've expanded your knowledge base. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions though.

Regards,

Debbie Sue · #4 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genie86333

Debbie Sue,

Glad you learned so much at your class!

What kind of food choice info did they give you? It's interesting to see what different ones have been told because there's so much difference of opinion (for instance the "recommended" food pyramid for diabetes according to the ADA vs low-carb recommendations)

Glad to hear you passed the sensitivity test!

Hi Genie! My meal plan is based on carb choices. Not really low carb, but more of a well balanced meal plan based on the ADA food pyramid. Before all this, my eating was almost void of good carbs altogether and filled with high fat sweets and buttered popcorn several times a week. I had 1 C of fresh strawberries, a boiled egg, 1/2 C ff cottage cheese and 1/2 English muffn for breakfast today. That's 3 carbs and a protein. I am going to switch to Egg Beaters because I ahve high cholesterol too.

Debbie Sue · #5 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 06:51 AM

Hey Darian! PLEASE find a class soon. You'll be surprised at how much you and your wife will learn together. It'll be better for both of you for an expert to teach her and easier on you too. My son, who is a type 2, went with me and he relearned lots and learned new stuff too. He's gotten motivated again to work harder at geting his bs down. The last 1/2 hour of the class was spent on sexuality, so you can imagine how uncomfy it was between son and mom while the CDE demonstrated how to use cerrtain items!

volleyball · #6 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 07:03 AM

Debbie, too funny about talking sex with your son. My kids are still uptight about it. They will get up and leave the room if a movie scene comes on. Maybe because I tell them they have something to look forward to as I'm still doing it.

I really got nothing out of my class except to say I learned how uninformed the rest of them were. Some had it for years while I was in my first month.
As far as eggbeaters. I say skip it. I agree with the commercial about the incredible edible egg. I don't believe eggs give you high cholesterol and you miss out by eating a modified food. It is well known that diabetics suffer from eating non whole foods.
Your new food choices and exercise should solve your problem

Debbie Sue · #7 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volleyball

As far as eggbeaters. I say skip it. I agree with the commercial about the incredible edible egg. I don't believe eggs give you high cholesterol and you miss out by eating a modified food. It is well known that diabetics suffer from eating non whole foods.
Your new food choices and exercise should solve your problem

Thanks on the egg info. I don't have real eggs everyday, but I do enjoy one ever so often. I haven't eaten this balanced since birth.

PERKDOUG · #8 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 08:27 AM

Debbie Sue:
I hate to be the grinch, but 13 carb choices a day is not likely to result in getting your A1c where you want it. If you read a great number of the various postings on this website, you will find a common thread by those who have been further down the D road than you. The thread is Low Carb, Low Carb and Low Carb not 13 blasts a day of good carbs. The good carb is the one you leave on the plate that your impaired insulin/glucose system does not have to deal with. This is very hard to do especially at first. Your triglycerides at 195 suggest you have been on a very high carbohydrate diet up until now. Its hard to give them up. But it is only a dream for most type 2's to get really good results without low carbing.

Debbie Sue · #9 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 09:10 AM

I didn't want the 13 carb points a day, but after the dietician looked at my 2 day meal plan of the foods I ate, very low carb, she said I wasn't getting enough. She is basing this on a 1500 calorie a day diet and it's very balanced. I'm not a big bread eater and some other good carbs, but she must know what she's talking about. I have NOT gone back to eating what I was before dx'd and I won't. This has been a big wake up call for me and I plan to do the best I can to get my numbers down. I'm only in week 3 of working with the docs and dietician. I'm sure, with trial and error and reading in here too, I'll do better.

princesslinda · #10 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 09:43 AM

Debbiesue, it might be interesting if you were to eat a lower carb (say under 100 mgs/day, try more some days and less some days) for a week, being very strict about it, and see how your numbers vary from the diet your dietitian suggests. We're all different in our carb tolerances, and in a week's time you should see how you respond to varying amounts of carbs.

It would be interesting to graph or just write down your numbers (fasting, 2 hrs post meal, random) for each day along with corresponding # of carbs.

Personally, if I over-do the carbs, I see higher fasting #s the next day even if my post meals aren't that bad thanks to Byetta.

I'm sure the dietitian is very educated, but unless you live with diabetes day in and day out, you don't really know how to manage it. They give you suggestions, but you are ultimately in control.....as you are the one who'll deal with any potential problems caused by high blood sugars.

Debbie Sue · #11 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 09:47 AM

Here's y breakfast from this morning, according to the 3 carbs per meal plan the dietician worked up for me:

1 C Strawberries
1/2 C FF Cottage Cheese
1 Boiled Egg
1/2 Toasted English Muffin

My post meal #'s were 140. My fasting # was 125, but they added another 5oo mg of Metformin to my evening dose. They said my fasting #'s were still too high. Not this morning though. It's coming down.

PERKDOUG · #12 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 10:43 AM

Debbie Sue:

Princesslinda has a good idea. Trial and error over several weeks with your trusty bg meter will be the proof of the pudding. I would recommend staying on one diet style for several days and not flip flopping from day to day because yesterdays diet affects todays readings. So, a week on one diet style then a week on another should reveal the proper direction to take your diet. You see this theme of self experimention throughout the wedsite. Another theme found here is that many dietitians are incompetent.

fgummett · #13 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PERKDOUG

...Another theme found here is that many dietitians are incompetent.

I think that is somewhat harsh. The dietitians I have come across since my Dx have been nothing but helpful and are usually open to new ideas. That said I am sure there are many who only teach what they know and don't necessarily move as fast as we might with the latest thinking. If even the ADA still promotes high-carb, I can see it being difficult to stray from the "party-line".

My general rule of thumb is to listen to the "experts" but to still do my own research and make my own choices.

sprzepiora · #14 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volleyball

As far as eggbeaters. I say skip it. I agree with the commercial about the incredible edible egg. I don't believe eggs give you high cholesterol and you miss out by eating a modified food. It is well known that diabetics suffer from eating non whole foods.
Your new food choices and exercise should solve your problem

darn straight! besides We just started to raise chickens for the eggs so I WILL be eating those instead of buying them

fgummett · #15 (**permalink**) 06-20-2008, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprzepiora

**** straight! besides We just started to raise chickens for the eggs so I WILL be eating those instead of buying them

Nice. I had a home flock for a while in a different time and place (long story... even had some bee-hives and made my own maple syrup). What kind of chickens are you raising? We had a farmer close by who bred historic varieties so we had a selection.. including, Rhode Island Reds and Arauncanas