[Gus1234U]

tho some days feel like this, we are still alive~!

please help us grow a support thread with many people in it.
be kind if you reply to a post; be positive about our efforts.
if you want to rant, start a separate thread - we'll read it.
i still hope we will get a sub-forum of our own, where we can be found easily.
best wishes to you all, and good management~!

Hello! I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes while pregnant with my third child. Three years later (1996) I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I have been taking prednisone for over 27 year and it is the cause of my diabetes. I inject insulin. My last A1C was in the 6's.

[Gus1234U]

diabetes is not a 'stand-alone' condition~! because my doctor mistreated me, i am developing glaucoma (high pressure in the eyes), a major cause of blindness in people with diabetes. i am also dealing with neuropathy, also commonly seen with diabetes.

i had been controlling my blood sugar for 4 yrs, til i got this new doc, who believes higher is better~! he is so ignorant, and i don't know how to educate him~ and yes, this is all contributing to a return of my depression, which i had eliminated for 7 yrs. thank you all for your support and understanding~!

[possum220]

Thanks for getting this a Diabetes support thread going Gus. Kudos to you Gus.

Higher is better? What kind of a doctor are they? I am sorry that you have issues with your eye pressure. Is that level being brought down somehow? Neuropathy too? Wondering if seeing a different doctor might be helpful all round? Are you able to control your bsl levels at the moment?

Welcome to WhatItsWorth2u. Thanks for joining the party.

As for me I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It runs in my family but only got this diagnosis after a couple of years on Seroquel. Currently my bsl levels are stable and in the average around 5.5 per day. Last checkup with the optometrist showed a change in the back ground of my eyes. It's hard to work out if it is a result of long term use of meds or diabetes or the aging process. Could be a mix of all three.

Happy to be here.

[Gus1234U]

thanks for your post, Possum, and thanks for the support. it's hard for most people to understand what it's like to live in so rural a part of the country that one Social Security Office serves 3 counties and has 7 employees. O.O

we only have one clinic of doctors here, and they are like siamese demi-gods:
so says one, so say they all. any serious AMA review of practices would put them out of business and leave the whole county with nothing.

i have rejected my doctor's orders and am once again eating and medicating like i need to. i have regained almost 30 of the 60 lbs i lost, and due to other health problems, have been substantially inert for at least 3 months, if not 9. this is not a good thing. but i am adamant in not abusing myself for being less than.... perfect. i do what i can, when i can, and that is good.

i am hopeful that this is a place where i can come to understand better how to tolerate what i cannot change, change what i can, and come to know the difference ~ i look forward to sharing this place and time with all y'all.

hi, thanks gus for making this thread! I became type 2 diabetic likely during my second pregnancy, but not diagnosed for another year. I was also affected, I believe, by seroquel a few years before I got the diagnosis. I have total metabolic syndrome, thyroid, blood pressure, and diabetes that is controlled with metformin and glyburide. I have a hard time sticking to regular excerise and it's often too cold and icy to enjoy a walk. I'm still taking a few meds for depression, which aren't actually good for my health, heart wise, and other things. I'm doing my best but could make more effort to eat at regular times. hugs all.

[possum220]

Down with the demigods.... especially when they come in the form of doctors....

The best we can do is the best we can do and try not to beat ourselves up because all the co morbidities that go along with mental illness and diabetes and whatever else a person is struggling with.

I am grateful for a doc that takes everything into consideration and does not harass me to have all my ducks in a row all the time. Especially when one or two of the little beggars start to wander off all on their own.

I would much rather get exercise in the form of gardening - raking weeding and planting. Then there is always cleaning inside.....

[Guiness187055]

I became diabetic shortly after the start of seroquel in my mid 20's. I am now 40 and take humalog, lantus, and metformin.

[Marylin]

I am making progress gaining control of what I eat and slowly lowering my blood sugars.Diabetes is a long term condition with a long term solution.Diet what we eat and how often is part of it,as is weight management.I am slowly achieving my weight loss goals.Gus diabetes can have many health complications.I have had laser eye treatment for glaucoma but that is hereditary too my mother has it.But yes it can cause eye damage too.Do you have your eyes checked regularly for diabetic retinography?

I have weight management class on Monday,I missed last week due to having the flu.
I am alone at home tonight,I just did the dishes put them away and cleaned the fridge.
I am lonely again...having health problems makes me feel even more alone...but I am trying to stay upbeat and cheerful.

Next week well Monday I am going to eat even more healthily and I am going to lift weights and start doing yoga and so some dancing to the radio for exercise,see how much weight I can lose.

I very much like to support people so message me anytime if you want to talk about your journey healing from diabetes.

[Gus1234U]

about 7 years ago, i went thru the final stages of a 'metabolic meltdown'. one of the results was diabetes, but i also have a rare form of hypoxia (low oxygen), sleep apnea, and had a candida infection for so long it got into my blood stream, i was running a 4 degree temp. for at least 2 years. my doctors told me to put corn starch on it. O.O

i can so rarely find something nice to say about docs, they have a long history of malpractice with me; but i'll try to work around that subject. one thing i have found is that listening to my body is much smarter than listening to a doc or a list or a blog,,, whatever. no one knows me like i do, when i pay attention. my blood sugars are such a bad joke; my new doc doesn't think A1c's are necessary or good for anything. my daily testing is done 3 times a day, because i can't do the math (calories+time+meds+exercise) just too complex for me. and then i tend to test before i eat, rather than 2 hrs after; mostly because my meal times are very irregular; my sleep is irregular; i rarely exercise, and when i do my blood sugars spike (UP), rather than down... O.O i asked the pharmacist why that was, and she said: "because you're weird." we laughed and laughed,, she's a hoot. i found out yesterday that she's semi-retired now and only on-call.

well, i've been indulging in a long-forbidden treat: root beer floats. if i use the small glass, i can have a small one for around 100 calories. i r soooo happy. i have between 350 and 450 cals per meal, 500 mg of metformin and 10 mg of glipiZIDE. this seems to keep me on the straight and narrow, at about 1100 cals per day. it's a good thing i can't afford to buy fast foods.

i have learned to cook tasty and nutritious low-cal meals. i cook enough for about 5 meals, and do that 2x a week, so i eat the same 2 things for a week, with a little change in sauce or spices or bread to diminish the monotony. mostly, i believe, it's necessary to listen to what the body wants to eat, varying my foods to please my body. it seems to work for me~

it sure was good to come online and see so many posts~!

[possum220]

Have to wonder about the accuracy of self testing bsl. If I take it after I have washed my hands with soap it is much higher than normal. No soap and it seems to be better. Go figure.

[Guiness187055]

Originally Posted by possum220

Have to wonder about the accuracy of self testing bsl. If I take it after I have washed my hands with soap it is much higher than normal. No soap and it seems to be better. Go figure.

I use hand sanitizer and let it dry before checking my sugar.

[possum220]

Thanks for that Guiness. I will see if that helps. Does anybody wipe their fingers with alcohol?

Eating my vegies and fruit might help too. Today I went grocery shopping and didn't buy any chocolate. Yay Me.

I use alcohol to wipe my hands. One thing struck me as weird in the hospital, a nurse wiped it with alcohol, squeezed some blood and wiped my finger again. I asked why. She said you never take the first blood that comes out. Hmm. I don't know but it does seem to make a difference. I need to get out today and get a new meter.

[Guiness187055]

Originally Posted by disparaissant

I use alcohol to wipe my hands. One thing struck me as weird in the hospital, a nurse wiped it with alcohol, squeezed some blood and wiped my finger again. I asked why. She said you never take the first blood that comes out. Hmm. I don't know but it does seem to make a difference. I need to get out today and get a new meter.

I have had that happen too. I have tested that theory at home and it really dose not make that much of a difference if at all.

[Gus1234U]

because i can't do even simple math, i test 3 times a day. i have to provide additional charting of my diet and meds as well as all 3 BSL's to my doc every 6 months to get the 'exception to the rule'. i test on the outside of my thighs; my hands are so sensitive i could never prick my fingers 3x a day~! even my thighs are starting to scar, and i almost never hit a nerve anymore... O.O

as for the accuracy and washing and all that,,, hey who cares about 5-10 points ?? i worry if it's 100 too high~! then i usually suspect i had a snack and forgot to note it down, or i find one of my meds in the lid where i spill them to avoid contamination.

it's really the A1c test that is most accurate, as a 3 month average of ACTUAL blood sugar levels, it doesn't care when you ate that morning, or if you forgot a med..... i'm really very angry at my doc for taking that away from me. my last A1c was 6.1, the highest since i got control (about 6+ yrs), or since he got control of my meds.

anyhoo,, i hope i have gotten the root beer float craving out of my system~ i threw away the last piece of pizza, it wasn't even tasty, but out of budgetary compulsions, i ate most of it anyway. LOLOL i was thinking about eating compulsions and how much they are like addictions,, very hard to control and sneaky. i am fortunate to be able to eat small portions and have low-cal snacks. i had to learn to endure that lying stomach that says "I'm STARVING~!", as i weigh double what i should. it's not a big deal once i learned it was just lying to me (i HATE that~! and won't eat just to spite it~) lolol

does anyone want to start a recipe thread to go with this one ? i don't use recipes, but if i see one that looks good, i'll fake it,, (i'm good at that.)
hope you are having a good day~

[possum220]

Having read the posts above I took two readings. I had washed my hands with soap and the sanitizer and it came back as 6.1. Then I jabbed my toe no washing or sanitizing and it came back an 6.6 .

Anywhoo..... I need to get the blood bac1 levels done every four months. Which is good. Because my GP is happy with the readings I tend to take random readings. Doing it too much would be send me batty (er). Three times a day? That would be hard.

I think that there must be differing ways of scoring or working it out from country to country. Never heard of 100.

Hope you found the new meter disparaissant.

Cooking? If you consider putting a chop/fish in a pan and nuking the vegies as cooking then I'm in. Otherwise I really can't seem to get inspired in the kitchen.

Thanks possum, I did get my new meter. I had eggs and a very small piece of bagel, coffee for breakfast. It's lunch time and I am having high blood sugar. I think its coffee and stress. My A1C was 6.9 last check, but I spike high every morning. I don't want to cut out my coffee, but I think a splash of cream instead of milk would be better. A recipe thread sounds ok. My diet is basic. I like oatmeal with strawberries for breakfast, and I eat simple foods most of the time. hugs all.

Cutting back on carbs has really helped my blood sugars. For me, even eating something that is "Healthy" but carb heavy (like oatmeal, whole grain breads, etc.) raises my glucose level and it takes hours of checking and injecting more and more insulin. Anything that is what they call "slow carb" means that it's going to take a while for me to get back to a healthy blood glucose level.

[Marylin]

I find carbs send my blood sugars up so am eating less of them,eating less food throughout the day helps keep blood sugar down.I am on a weight management course and am aiming to lose loads of weight which should bring sugars down too.I have a scare cos they found diabetic macular changes so worried about my eye sight so doubly important to keep blood sugar low.It is a warning and has put me off eating or drinking anything with sugar,just in time cos I was developing a thirst for pepsi and indulged lately!It is so hard but my ac1 was 14 so that is massively high...got to get things within normal range.Your ac1 seem good how do you do it?

[Guiness187055]

Originally Posted by disparaissant

Thanks possum, I did get my new meter. I had eggs and a very small piece of bagel, coffee for breakfast. It's lunch time and I am having high blood sugar. I think its coffee and stress. My A1C was 6.9 last check, but I spike high every morning. I don't want to cut out my coffee, but I think a splash of cream instead of milk would be better. A recipe thread sounds ok. My diet is basic. I like oatmeal with strawberries for breakfast, and I eat simple foods most of the time. hugs all.

I spike high in the morning too. I found the remedy for it. Eat a pure protein breakfast and your sugar should come down. It gets your body to release what insulin it has stored. It really does work.

I tried just protein, but I got so hungry I overate carbs. I find I have to have even just a half piece of toast in the morning, or I'm craving something sugary. I once did just basically live off of protein, some nuts, barely any dairy and almost no carbs, my sugars dropped so low overnight I woke up in sweats. Balance is so necessary but so hard to stick to. Right now I'm craving a cookie. Bought some for my sons, but if its here, I'll likely get into it. I have no idea how my a1c's are fairly normal, because I'm not strict with myself and give in to temptations.

I was in a depressive state after leaving an alcoholic boyfriend 2 1/2 years ago. I lived on organic Smucker's peanut butter and coffee with whole cream. I couldn't bother with cooking and would only go out shopping every two weeks. I was like this for 3 months. Lost 35 pounds and had great numbers. Then I got happy again and began eating other foods. I haven't regained the weight though.

[Gus1234U]

i've been wondering what times of day do people test ?? i almost always test first thing in the morning, before coffee even. i have no way of knowing if there is a 'morning spike' in my bls, but if there is, i'm getting away with some VERY low readings in the night. i typically have a nite-time snack, esp. if i had a small dinner. i have woken up in the night with bsl's in the 40's 48 , 54, like that, and the shakes,,, i always know what's wrong, and keep a can of juice in the fridge just for that.

again with this doc,, he told me that GlipiZIDE will kill me in the night. O.O
what kind of idiot does he think i am ? it's the LOW bls that are dangerous, and i've proven that my body wakes me in time, ALWAYS. it was worth the look on his face when i replied:"is there a better way to die (than in one's sleep)???
he apparently believes that any amount of suffering is better than dying. and i don't even talk about my spiritual beliefs with my PDoc, or he would toss me in the cannery quick as you please.

aaaw, some days it all seems like a big joke,, struggling to stay as well as i am, not get any worse, getting worse in spite of that, knowing i'm going to be lucky if i don't die a blind amputee.... it's a wonder i don't eat toast and jam for breakfast (breaky). as for the high protein breakfast, even i can't bring myself to cook in the mornings,,,, but a couple of times i have scrambled a dozen eggs and put 3/4's of that in the fridge for an egg sammy in the morning. (do NOT freeze cooked eggs, they go all watery and yuk.) another thing i have found is 'Artisan Bread'. it's pricey, but it's nutritious. 100 cals per slice, i have to cut them in half and have small sammy's. still, one can not actually afford to cut out all the vitamins and minerals found in carbs~!
another thing i have found, is that my system digests different carbs differently. it likes corn bread, and smashed taters, almost no spike at all, but give it bacon fat, and Watch Out ~!

i think it's important to remember that every body is unique (mine is peculiar), and to try to get the docs to remember to prescribe for the person in front of them, and not the red dot in the middle of a Bell Curve (average person).

i have been needing a place to post about my struggles with the diabetes. thanks all, for sharing.

[possum220]

Glipizide? have you tried Galvumet? A mix of Vildagliptin; Metformin hydrochloride? It keeps my bsls level which is a miracle given what I eat some days.

The idea of a protein breakfast sounds good but i find myself sticking to toast and jam. Lately I have changed the bread that I eat to chia bread it too is exy but it is lovely.

Today has not been a good day and my food choices have been bad. I don't dare have any kind of reading.

And you are right Gus we are all individuals and do not come from the same cookie cutter.