Diabetes, adult onset

[tugon (imported)]

Well it was bound to happen. Between family history and my own bad habits I was diagnosed with diabetes. Thinking you might be is not as much a motivating force as being told you are. Now is my time to start doing what I know is correct. I will be rereading Paolo's experiences and tips. I of course will be spending time on web sites with diabetic info. I have my pills and monitor. What a change now I will be pricking my finger.

[tugon (imported)]

My fasting blood sugar was 263 and when I tested yesterday it was at 330. I took my first glucophage last night with dinner and today I was at 276. I hope it continues to lower with each day of meds.

[tugon (imported)]

That is high.I just wonder why the doctor did not catch it a little earlier.Do You have the other symptoms like frequent urination,thirst ,etc.? H.

Yes I had the classic symptoms. I am going to a new doctor and he did catch it. My last doctor did not seem to interested in my health for several reasons. My new doctor is respectful, helpful and concerned. What a pleasant change.

[Paolo]

Tugon,

I’m very sorry to hear about this.

Like you, I too attribute it to bad personal habits in diet and family history.

As much as I hate to say it, but you probably already know it, you’ve got a lot to learn and it’s going to be a bumpy ride. What’s happened is that your body has lost the ability to regulate glucose levels on its own. Learning to do it manually is a lot like teaching a kid how to drive a stick shift car! It’s jerky at first. You may blow a clutch! Hang on tight.

Just taking pills (at least we’re not to the point of shots yet!) and sticking your finger isn’t going to get it. You’re now forced to analyze everything that goes into your mouth every time you sit down to eat. And hungry or not, you WILL eat. You have to. And if you’re still hungry, you have to learn when to quit eating at meals.

Not only do you have to watch out for being high, you also have to learn to read the signs that your body gives you for lows. Lows can really suck, worse than just going high. My main signal of going hypo (low) is a sudden stabbing pain through the left side of my head, accompanied by degradation in temper. When I’m low, I tend to explode. Go too low, and you start getting weak and shaky, sweaty palms, and disoriented. Of course, the signs of this for you are probably going to be different.

Your doctor has probably given you good instructions, but sharing information and feelings is very important. It’s very easy to get depressed over some of the aspects of this. Jesus (A) and I had a long talk about this last night, in the fact that it’s that time of year for the usual Holiday baking festival. Yesterday, my 9 year old Godson was helping make things like Rice Krispie Treats, chocolate covered nut clusters, and a whole raft of other things that I can only look at and smell. At least HE can eat this stuff!

When to test – when you first wake up. First thing you do. Don’t even put your slippers on before you roll out of bed – go straight to the kit.

Next – 2 hours after the START of the meal. Observe the time you take that first bite. Log what you eat. Test at 2 hours later. You need to be below 180. Of course, you can allow a +/-5 point variation. I can stick five fingers and get 5 numbers, all within 5 units measured in mg/dl’s.

Spread the meals out. You may want to ditch the “3 meals a day” routine. I find that three small meals, with three small snacks inbetween, is essential in controlling spikes and dips. For snacks, consider Glucerna snack bars. They come in a range of flavors and are readily available at even K-Mart, etc. About $1/bar though.

Until you get the daily routine for average days worked out, test before and after each meal and snack. Write it down. If you can register there, Bayer offers an online sugar tracking site that is nice, if not a bit slow. The graph is nice and there are lots of links.

http://www.bayercarediabetes.com/myAscensia/login.asp

This is a good site for reading about spikes and offers good advice for the newly diagnosed. Another good site with links is

http://www.mendosa.com/

Be warned, you may bump into ads, but that’s Internet life…

Also test at bedtime. You should be under 180. Here’s where the next catch comes in. Bayer recommends 140 tops. Diagnosis is usually made at 126 after an 8-hour fast. I have found that I cannot cope with 180. At 160, I start to get hot and hungrier and thirsty. It doesn’t take long for the symptoms to return, either. 180 may work for you. It doesn’t for me. It’s one of those YMMV things.

The NEXT thing, which I am still learning about, is 1-hour spikes. Spikes, it is believed, are the main cause of diabetes-related problems like retinopathy (degradation of vision), slow wound healing, kidney problems, etc. MAKE SURE you drink plenty of water. If you weigh 200 lbs., just for a guess, then drink 100 oz. of water/day. Crystal Light sugar free drink mix makes this much easier. Avoid the cranberry flavor. It’s very tart and hard on the facial muscles! LOL. I would not worry about 1-hour tests yet, though. Give it a month or so to learn to control the 2-hour test.

If you’re low at bedtime, last night I was 85, then eat something to pick it up some. Otherwise, you can end up waking up low – and may have to have help waking up! Having Grandpa haul my ass out of bed physically isn’t fun for either of us.

And all kidding aside, CARBS are now the issue. Simple ones. Complex ones. Fiber. Net carbs…it’s a nightmare at first, and it’s not the Atkins Diet thing, either. Carbs turn into sugar when you eat them. Carbs drive up blood glucose. I find that a maximum of 20 carbs of any kind per meal is about my limit. But not all carbs are bad. Tomatoes are loaded in carbs and natural sugars. However, I process them well without spikes. You may or may not. Even if you think it’s healthy and safe, it may not be. You have to learn to read labels and know the glycemic index of things.

Read this: http://www.carbs-information.com/glycemic-index.htm

Some things to avoid are potatoes in any form. Pineapples, peaches, apples…MIGHT be bad for you. I can tolerate a small banana. Not a regular one. 1. Can you? I don’t know. You wont’ know until you eat one and test.

Your safest bet? Talk to your doctor, consult a dietician, and obviously, increase the protein intake through lean meats. Watch the dairy stuff. Cow juice is loaded in natural sugars. Learn to drink soy milk.

Next topic – sugar free.

SUGAR FREE does not mean safe. You cannot sit down and eat a whole bag of sugar free cookies. Most have about 3-5 net carbs in each cookie. The carbs will sneak up on you and bite you on the ass! Watch out for bread, too. Find a low carb / sugar free bread. You’ll have to work at this to find out just how many carbs to a meal you need to keep levels right. I like to stay around 105, myself.

Cut the caffeine, too. Wean off of it slowly. Cut back by a quarter every two weeks. But keep that liquid intake up! Gotta keep those kidneys flushed out. Your doctor should schedule an A1C test, too, to look for nasties like ketones, etc. He should explain all of this. Ask him.

Next – expect weight loss. I have gone from 205 and a tight 36” relaxed fit to 153 and a loose 33 regular fit waist. I don’t want you to drop a pound a day like I was, though. That’s rough, trust me.

As for diet, the things I do won’t work for you, I’m sure. But it will help. Read the labels. Religiously abide by the serving size. If it says 2 tablespoons, start there. Add up the carbs. Watch the salt and fat, via percentages. You can get excited about salt and cholesterol later. Right NOW, the sugar is the issue, and the only way to learn control is research.

Diet can also help with the medications. What can you eat to help reduce glucose?

Dry red wine, a Syrah variety. 15 oz. a day is the max. 5 oz. with a meal can cut up to 20 points off the sugar levels. The more biting the wine, the better. Consult Jesus A. on this one.

Vinegar – mix it with virgin olive oil to make salad dressing. Just two tablespoons worth of vinegar can cut 30 points off my levels.

65% or higher dark cocoa chocolate. Paradox? Who knows? I can lose 10 points by eating 1 square off of a Hershey big bar of this stuff for dessert.

Then comes exercise. A walk around 1 city block square can lower blood sugar by up to 30 points, especially if it’s hot out, even more. Just walking around in the sun and carrying an SLR camera will run me down 35-40 points / hour. If you’re going to exercise, this is also a variable you have to take into consideration.

And above all else, don’t get discouraged. You won’t have a smooth graph for a while. You’re going to be hit with a radical change in body right now. Things are going to go haywire as you adapt to a new diet. Whatever you do, DO NOT expect the meds to cover it all and allow you to eat as usual.

THOSE DAYS ARE GONE, PAL. GONE FOR GOOD, and they ain’t comin’ back.

Remember, there’s a few of us here who have this same problem. I’ve only been dealing with it since July, so I am no expert. I still run crying to Talula and Krister now and then for a pick-me-up. Having support is vital.

If you want to talk more about it, or anything, email me. We can trade phone numbers, etc. Having a voice on the other end of the line is enormously helpful, moreso than just text!

[Paolo]

Huevon,

My advice still stands.

If it isn't real meat, or didn't come out of the produce bin, I don't eat it.

The only exceptions are low-carb pasta a few times a week and low-carb bread. I'm seriously considering learning to make my own.

My advice to Tugon goes for you, too.

Cut down the sugars, in your case, and I think you'll do OK.

It sounds to me like you caught it in time.

It probably wouldn't hurt to ask for a prescription for a meter ($29 or so) and do some tests to see what various foods do to you. Shop around, both of you, for control strips. They're not cheap. The best price I found so far is $65/100.

Oh, and lancets - change it every day. Dull lancets hurt.

[tugon (imported)]

Thank you Paolo! I very much appreciate your guidance and the time you spent replying. Just when my personal life is becoming the best it has been I now have health issues. Sorry for the whine but it should not raise my sugar levels. LOL I will check out the links and make good use of them.

I know what you mean about low sugars because I was hypoglycemic before I became diabetic. I guess I had warnings for years. I never received an energy boost from sugar. One time my blood sugar was in the mid 40's while working and I was sweaty and a little wobbly on my feet.

I just told my partner today and we went out for lunch. I had a salad with grilled chicken on it and he had a bacon double cheeseburger with fries. Guess which I wanted? Honestly the salad was good and I need to lose my taste for fat, grease and sugar. I need to learn how to use my storage area some people call a kitchen. After 3 years I should see if the stove works.

The A1C test is scheduled. My new doctor is so kind, patient and encouraging he should be cloned. I feel like he is more of a coach wanting to help me turn this around. I am used to doctors that just bluntly tell you that you're fat. I would like a second opinion. Okay your ugly to. We sat down and talked about how much I should weigh and it was the same weight I had been thinking about as a weight that I would feel good and could maintain. Not some absurdly low weight that as a 50 year old eunuch could never reach.

Thanks again and I am glad you are back.

[kristoff]

I've been diagnosed for about 2 years now, have changed things a ton, and still struggle with weight issues, although I did drop 50 lbs.... I suspect P is as much a motivation to me as the other way around. I occasionally still have "discussions" with doctor and education nurse about the fact that chocolate is an essential food group, along with ice cream..... 1 chocolate a week and 1 ice cream a month is about all I care to deal with for now. When my levels go up, I feel absolutely nauseous, cant drive, wanna barf, yada yada... eventually one does get used to it (the diet, that is, not barfing). P gave a LOT of GREAT information. A very important one is knock of the 2-3 meals shit. It is not only unhealthy for us, but also for MOST people. Eat sensibly when hungry, then STOP when you are not. Very simple, but it works (for me). ah well, the last 30 pounds are tuff, but we'll get there. Good look and GOOD eating...

[Phole (imported)]

Hello All, Like Huevon I have also been told that I am pre-diabetic. My (fasting) Blood sugar has been in the 104-106 range for a couple of years. It gets checked every six months now because I am also on a statin for cholesterol and I have to have a blood test anyway. I also have some family history of diabetes. My brother and nephew. The first symptom my brother had was he was losing weight. My mother recognised this as a symptom and checked his blood sugar. It's been at least 15 years for him. He has an insulin pump. When my Doctor told me the first time the toughest thing for me was when he said to watch the carbs. I love spaghetti and sausages, no more second helpings! I also love to put mashed potatos on a fried chicken sandwich. I keep resolving to cut back, but I love to eat! One thing I have been able to do is increase the amount of exercise I have been doing. This has worked out well for this skinny old guy that never had much of a reflection in the mirror. I actually have a couple of "guns" (biceps), well OK they are more like pistols but I'm getting there!

[I Worship Women (imported)]

Fortunately this is not a problem in my family, but I have known and know people with adult onset diabetes. It ain't fun.

I know some with adult onset diabetes who have it under excellent control, well as good a control as anyone can have it. Keeping it under control takes work, not just now and then, but working at it regularly every day. But working at it like that has a very big payoff, you get to live and have a pretty decent life.

Those of us who don't have adult onset diabetes aren't off the hook either.

Preventing adult onset diabetes means working just as hard at watching diet, weight, and other health issues, especially if you have a family history of it. I understand stress can be another big factor, which in today's world covers all of us.

A big problem now is they say kids as young as 10, 11, and 12 years old are showing up not with childhood diabetes, but with adult onset diabetes also called type 2 diabetes. They say it's a combination of diet and lack of exercise causing us to have obese kids. They say childhood obesety is now a major health problem, and it is in most cases a totally preventable problem.

I've heard it said we may be looking at the first generation that does not live to be as old as their parents live to be, and again totally preventable.

So watch how your kids eat and set a good example. You'll save them a lot of pain as they get older.

[MsJamie (imported)]

Hi, I've been recently diagnosed with diabetes, as well as two types of kidney stones. If I follow all the dietary restriction giudelines I've been given in the last month, all I'd get to eat is 3 ounces of boiled chicken breast (and then would probably have to drink the water afterward).

The stones have been minor, so obviously I'm concentrating on the diabetes.

It's going to be qan interesting journey.

BTW, I'm a 43 yo TS, 450#, and sceduled for my orch in 3 weeks (long term testicular pain).

Jamie