[Cormac_Doyle]

My BG control sucks ... but it's not for want of trying.

Here's my stroy from yesterday.

08:45 Woke up - BG 5.2mmol (94); took 250iu Humulin, waited 30 minutes, and ate 2 bananas in the car (driving to work)
{NB - first time I've had a waking BG of less than 10 ... yay me}
09:50 Took my Metformin (1500mg) ... I'd left it at work
12:05 BG 10.5mmol (189); took 250iu Humulin
14:30 BG 9.8mmol (176); took 250iu Humulin; ate a small sandwich (ham & tomato)
17:10 BG 12.2mmol (220); took 250iu Humulin
19:30 BG 8.4mmol (151); took 400iu Humulin and 1500mg Metformin; ate one Big Mac (no chips, large diet coke, nothing else)
21:45 BG 18.7mmol (337); took 250iu Humulin
01:30 BG 12.4mmol (224); took 250iu Humulin
09:35 BG 4.7mmol (85); took 250iu Humulin; 1500mg metformin; 2 boiled eggs
14:40 BG 9.0mmol (162); took 250iu Humulin
19.25 BG 5.0mmol (90) ... about to drive home; will take insulin & metformin when I get home.

If I eat ANYTHING ... i suffer

[volleyball]

Cormac, have you considered going low carb?

[poodlebone]

Wow, you take 250 units of insulin at a time? It looks like you used about 2 1/2 vials of insulin in one day! Have you thought about U500 insulin? It's a form of Regular insulin but it's 5x as strong as normal U100 insulin. Smaller volume to be injected.

Also, bananas can really shoot you sky high!

[caroline49]

I have learned so much on this forum. In the beginning it was difficult for me to get my sugar below 150. I'm on the Lantus Solostar pen 2 X daily and sometimes more if necessary. I didn't start my shots until the beginning of July. I have been very conscious of what goes in my stomach because of what I have read on this forum. I'm actually afraid to eat a piece of cake or anything like that because I know where it will take me! I have been so sick for so long and now I'm beginning to feel like my old self again!
I do have neuropathy in three toes on my left foot and that also scares me.
I'll be sixty on my next birthday and I really would like to be around a few more decades.
Thanks to everyone on here for caring!

[jaye]

There's been countless times where I have read people's hard luck story about how they wished they would have done something when they were first diagnosed. In my humble opinion, the doctors take this disease lightly and do not educate their patients. They probably don't have the time or they pass it off to a dietitian. However, the patients takes on the same persona: "If my doctor isn't alarmed, why should I be." Then they go on their merry way eating themselves to health problems. Then they come to message boards crying that they have neuropathy, high blood sugar, vision problems, etc. It's difficult to counsel these people because they did it to themselves. It's never to late too late to get back on track, but it's often too late to repair the damage.

[volleyball]

I don't think it's people's hard luck because they were not forced by their doctors to do something dramatically. People who say that are usually the people still eating that big piece of cake and not exercising. If the doc had tried to force change, they would have gotten another doc. Now that they have been afflicted, they have a change of opinion.
When more than 50% of the people told they have diabetes would be proactive, the doctors will more encouraging.

[fgummett]

Originally Posted by jaye

It's difficult to counsel these people because they did it to themselves.

Did what to themselves..? And who are, "these people"..?!?

Originally Posted by volleyball

I don't think it's people's hard luck because they were not forced by their doctors to do something dramatically. People who say that are usually the people still eating that big piece of cake and not exercising.

If we can't find a little understanding for our fellows also suffering with Diabetes then how do we honestly expect the Doctors and general public to show any. There's that generic "people" again... who exactly are they ..? 'cos from where I am sitting, I see myself included in the stereotype and I really don't appreciate it at all... it doesn't help. Agreed there are many folks in denial of their D, but that is a coping mechanism... how many of us have felt like throwing in the towel, and some of us even do so on occasion.

[volleyball]

If you are spouting a hard luck story about the doctors fault than you would be included in my assessment. If you are not than just being a person with diabetes does not put you in the group.
I had answered no to the question on diabetes in my family since I was a kid because I did not know. They were part of the undiagnosed. Would I have eaten and done things differently, probably not as there was no other information at the time. Even when I started on this forum, the carb issue was less prominent.
It is the rare occasion where the doctor is the responsible party.
I was at a party where the host was morbidly obese and completely sedentary. I could not eat hardly any of the food. When asked by the host, I told them it was not on my diet as I am a carb controlled diabetic who did not take medicine, They told me they were the same as they stuffed a plate full of lasagna into their mouth followed by a huge brownie. They said they just told their doc the same thing and what the doc did not know would not hurt them.

[fgummett]

So the low-carb idea is dismissed because "everyone is different and what works for one may not work for all", but in the case of obesity we are lead to believe that because this one misguided person doesn't meet your standards we can tar all obese with the same brush..?

Believe it or not there is even a rational explanation for why he/she is the way they are and why they need (yes "need") to eat so much.

Also, many people in my experience, play games with their doctors... if all he ever does is give you a hard time for overeating and not exercising enough (same tired old record.. doesn't work...) wouldn't you start telling him just what he wants to hear?

[volleyball]

I should have been an English major because I must not be conveying my message.
I said I don't do bad carbs. I do eat for the most part low carb but I believe whole grains are ok. At least with me. and others
The other person was not in control with their high bad carb meals, they just told the doctor they were eating right. The doc has the test results I'm sure.
I do not say anything that applies to all. Millions of diabetics are not all the same.
I am not saying I have the answer for all. And I would not have much regard for anyone who said they had the same correct course for all of us. 5,10 a million or 5 million maybe but not all.
My general survey of the typical diabetic who is not proactive, at best reactive, is based on my years of personal experience, reports from other diabetics and those in the medical field I know.

[fgummett]

With all due respect to those in the medical field that you know (and I am assuming MDs I may be wrong) they see a patient once every 3 or 6 or more months? They have prescribed a calorie-restricted diet and exercise, yet the a patient is not losing wait... so the assumption..? they are not compliant with the therapy?
Yes you did not actually say that your morbidly obese and sedentary host example applied to all obese but that was the implication that I read into it.

[Lizzie G]

Hi

I eat a balanced diet which includes lots of fruits, vegetables, seeds, pulses, pasta, lean meat, but also includes some chocolate, the odd cookie, cake etc. I just now have to be very careful to make sure I take the right amount of insulin at the right time (eg, if im having a big slab of cake i will take whatever insulin i need 20 minutes before and keep my BG pretty level). I think it IS possible (for a type 1) to eat pretty much what you want, as long as you have done your research and worked out when and how much insulin to take. and for the record, chocolate is exactly the same GI wise as brown bread and for me is actually about the most predictable thing to deal with!

Of course there are times when everyone will have a bad weekend where they drink and eat everything in sight, but even these dont have to be terrible for BG as long as you keep testing and keep injecting. I had one of those this weekend where my BG hovered between 6 and 10 mmol for an entire evening, but I was at a BBQ, eating lots of food and drinking lots and I dont think one night like that every few months is that terrible for me overall when I keep my BG around 4 to 6 the rest of the time?

Im not saying go crazy and I do have an appetite for healthy foods anyway and always have, but I think its an incorrect fallacy to say that diabetics in this day and age have to eat a highly restricted diet in order to maintain good control. we have an excellent choice of insulins that we can tailor to our needs and it is our responsibility to learn how to use these in the most effective way to enable us to live a normal lifestyle and not have to eat 'special' diets (for the record tho, I really cant drink fruit juice at all, and sugary fizzy drinks have never appealed!)

KEEP EATING CHOCOLATE GUYS!!!!!!

[fgummett]

Correction... should read...

Originally Posted by fgummett

With all due respect to those in the medical field that you know (and I am assuming MDs I may be wrong) they see a patient once every 3 or 6 or more months? They have prescribed a calorie-restricted diet and exercise, yet the a patient is not losing weight... so the assumption..? they are not compliant with the therapy?
Yes you did not actually say that your morbidly obese and sedentary host example applied to all obese but that was the implication that I read into it.

[GeishaGirl]

Originally Posted by jaye

There's been countless times where I have read people's hard luck story about how they wished they would have done something when they were first diagnosed. In my humble opinion, the doctors take this disease lightly and do not educate their patients. They probably don't have the time or they pass it off to a dietitian. However, the patients takes on the same persona: "If my doctor isn't alarmed, why should I be." Then they go on their merry way eating themselves to health problems. Then they come to message boards crying that they have neuropathy, high blood sugar, vision problems, etc. It's difficult to counsel these people because they did it to themselves. It's never to late too late to get back on track, but it's often too late to repair the damage.

Gosh, thanks My mom was a T1 my whole life, so when I was diagnosed with T2, I tried to use her as a scare tactic. My mom used to eat M&Ms for dinner (at least, if Dad wasn't home). Most of our meals were heavy carbs, until Dad started following the Zone.

I actually asked my endo about a nutritionist. She doesn't have any to reccommend. When I was diagnosed, the only food advice I got was "avoid pasta". I started doing a lot of reading on my own, but I was still eating my usual way. The met kept me within semi-reasonable numbers. Why worry?

Then I read "Demystifying Diabetes" and, well, it scared me. It scared me so bad my husband WON'T read it, because he's already concerned about me. That book tells you, in flat-out, blunt, no-nonsense ways, ALL the complications of diabetes and specifically WHY they happen. (ie, not just "high blood sugar does this" but "high blood sugar does this by blocking the nerves. Oh look! Here's a picture of a foot ulcer").

So I joined this forum at the same time I became truly convinced I couldn't keep going on the way I was. Thankfully, I decided that after one year instead of six It took that long (and that book) to break through the denial process.

Enter my current diabetes rant:

I think a LOT of the reason T2 diabetes try to "eat like normal" is the emphasis in our culture on placing diabetic control in the hands of the diabetic, giving them no education, then putting commercials on TV about how a stupid tester helps them live a normal life.

If I hear that phrase one more time... chirpily: "You CAN have a normal life with diabetes!"

Sure. With testing 4-10 times a day, worrying about ANY dizzy spell and whipping out the tester, measuring my food and constantly counting, taking medicine that makes me physically ill, and facing the probability of complications that will destroy my quality of life.

Sure. That's normal. Thanks.

/rant

Anyway, until there's a cure, I'm realizing that *I* have to take control. Of course, knowing me, that means that there will still be "bad" days -- days where two things of ramen become dinner -- but I'm working towards having those days be once a month instead of three times a week.

So don't be too down on people who are ignorant. It's not like REAL information is actually readily available. You really have to hunt down this info and then put it into practice -- and how many people really are pro-active when it comes to their health? IMHO, while it's still mostly the person's fault, at least some of the blame HAS to be put on doctors who refuse to educate.

[Real4]

Originally Posted by LarryTango

carbohydrates per 100g = 27
of which sugars = 1.2

if there was no 'of which sugars' on the label i assume that most of the cabs turn to sugar and thus mentally note that as 27g of sugar (To simplify) , not that i have eating anything with 27g per 100g (and thus hate my sad excuse for a life .. i so miss sugar lol)

please dont all scream at me

You A1C is good; unfortunately it is very unlikely that it will stay that way without some work on your part. Diabetes is progressive. Right now, you pancreas is produce "almost enough" insulin.

The best way to understand sugars and carbs is to consider all carbs to be sugar. All digestible carbs are processed in your body to become glucose. The difference between a sugar and a starch is basically how fast that processing happens.

For most diabetics, it is almost impossible to eat a "balanced diet" as defined by the big (dumb) organizations (i.e. mucho starches) and maintain good glucose levels, at least, without resorting to intensive insulin treatment.