Diabeties

[dales133]

Bloody spell check!

[dales133]

Hmmm, checking your sugar level postprandial (2 hours after a meal) for a new diabetic is unusual. As a new diabetic seems the approach checking sugar after meals and not before meals is a different approach. Sugars need to be checked prior to meals, recorded into the diary.

I wonder if your monitor is reporting the 24 hour average eAG/A1C represent an average of your glucose levels 24 hours.'

Most diabetics work the the current pre-meal reading glucose of 70 to 130 mg/dL. 2 hours post meal should be below 180mg/dL.

Seems to me there is some form of disconnect of reporting post meal and not before meals.

Jean

I've been checking in the morning and usually 2 hours after breakfast to try to get an idea what's going on.
I realy don't know what I'm doing as my diabetic specialist isn't avaliable until the end of the month.
But I'm struggling g to get my sugars low

[Redgloves]

dales,

You are adapting with the tools available. The goal is to continue living your life, eventually you will have the blood sugar testing and diet integrated into your life style. Remember, you are in the early stages of learning about a disease of excess. Modern lifestyles have placed most citizens at risk, a disease of excess portions, lifestyle, and processed food. The fasting readings are numbers that have a desired range, not a judgement call of what type of person.

Frustrating having to wait such a long time for return appointments when you have so many questions and need the education. At one large SE Minnesota medical institution, there is such a thing as "checkers". Patients call daily asking for open visits way ahead of their scheduled visit.

[48Rob]

Remember, you are in the early stages of learning about a disease of excess. Modern lifestyles have placed most citizens at risk, a disease of excess portions, lifestyle, and processed food.

Jean,

Thank you for the explanation. I was curious about what it was caused by...better start watching my lifestyle...

Rob

[dales133]

Thanks red gloves been struggling with it last couple of days.
I live in a satellite town of a big city and the diabetic educator only comes every second week as does the podiatrist, annoying to say the least but aparantly he's very good and through the medical centre I go to he's a subsidized employee so to speak so I can see him as often as needed for no charge

[Redgloves]

dales,

If you can, take yourself to the diabetes educator at the main location. Waiting for them to come to the local facility is delaying your educational needs, which delays your progress into adjusting your diet and activity. Delaying your education harms you, not the educator. All health care providers are available for phone calls also. Ideally you should have contact multiple times a week while learning about testing and adjusting diet and activity. The only stupid question is one that is not asked. Call them with your questions, that is what the diabetes educators are there to do, educate.

[Corwin C]

Just FYI, there are at least two different scales in which blood sugar is measured:

§Units[edit] The international standard way of measuring blood glucose levels are in terms of a molar concentration, measured in mmol/L (millimoles per litre; or millimolar, abbreviated mM). In the United States,West-Germany and other countries mass concentration is measured in mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre).

My diabetes control has been rough at times ... for me, portion control and consistency are REALLY important. Activity level makes a big difference as well. I can have a bite of bread, a small potato, or a couple spoonfuls of baked beans, but I must include some form of protein in every meal and eat at the same time every day (BTW - time changes are h&!!.) I eat at 6 am, noon, 6 pm and a small bite just before bed (usually 10:30-11). 65 carbs for each meal and 40 carbs before bed (these numbers are specific for my body and activity level.) I check my blood sugar before eating in the morning and just before my bedtime bite at night. Most people test more than I do. Pot luck dinners, Thanksgiving, family dinners, eating out, etc. are all about understanding how many carbs are in each food and keeping my total where it needs to be. For example, one brand of bread is 15 carbs per slice, others can be as high as 30 ... read the labels and shop around. If I'm craving something, I find it easier to have a small or even tiny portion rather then trying to "give it up." It's not easy, but family and friends are mostly understanding and helpful.

Also, don't obsess over the numbers. Stress and anxiety will affect them as well. They are simply a guide for you to see how you are doing. My doctor likes me to stay within a range with some point being ideal. He gradually tightened the range as I was able to get control. As long as I stay in the range I'm OK even if I don't hit my ideal number very often.

You can do it ... don't give up, it takes time for your habits to change and your body to adapt to the medications and diet.

[Loren]

There can be some humor in it- as a diabetic, I asked my NP a question- if alcohol makes glucose go down, do a donut and a beer offset each other?- Answer- nope. It's a bummer, but you will find that with diet, exercise, knowledge, you will find it more of an inconvenience than a threat.
Loren

[dales133]

Thanks again for the help and inspiration.
I realy havnt been told anything about carb control and to be honest the deitician I saw was hopeless.
So I guess I've just been eating alot of veggies, watching high carb foods or avoiding them and eating lean meat and less of it.
Typical I've been having untoasted musli for breakfast and a cold cut and salad sandwich on grain bread for lunch.
I go to the dr tomorrow and he was looking at changing my medication if my numbers were still up

[lrrowe]

From my experience, my contact with a dietitian was also hopless. She was young and in my opinion did not have the necessary years of experience to be realistic and creditable with me. Too much text book stuff. Too rigid. Thank goodness I have my own medical PA (Personal Assistant). My wife is a nurse and acts like that little birdie on my shoulder trying to keep me honest....which is very tough to with someone too set in his ways.

Each case like each person is different and in my case, I try to practice "moderation".

[Phooey]

The dietician that I saw (and paid out of pocket for) frustrated the h*#@% out of me. She told me that I should be eating everything (except ice cream) that my MD had given me a list of NOT to eat. I stuck with the doctor's list and looked up the American Diabetic Association's website and got their cookbook.

[dales133]

Went to the dr today and he's changed my medication to double the stretch and it also has another compound in it.
He seems to think it will do the trick.im going to get my arse into gear and get exercising more to see how that helps and hope for the best.

[Redgloves]

dales,

Exercise is very beneficial to health and mental well being. You will be amazed how even walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day will affect the "numbers".
Easy and yet so difficult to schedule into the days activities. Start with moderation, need time to build the endurance. Most likely you will notice a huge difference in about 2 weeks.

Take one day at a time adjusting to a new life style. Keep the goals small and attainable, like walk 1 mile morning and evening for a day or two, then increase the distance and pace every few days, by the end of two weeks you will be walking farther and faster. Your physician should have provided some guidelines based upon your health (heart status, weight, current level of physical conditioning)

Most of us are used to immediate gratification because of electronics. Regaining health takes time, remember the journey to diabetes didn't happen overnight, the same applies to regaining health, it doesn't happen overnight.

Above all, if you have questions, contact your health care provider, that is what they are for, helping you.....

Jean

[dales133]

Thanks jean, apart from motivating myself and a knee injury I realy havnt got any excuses I just need to start doing it.
I've made a heap of lifestyle changes in the past 2 weeks and still have more to make but I'm relitivly happy with my progress and resolve thus far.

[dales133]

Good news, had my first two doses of the new medication and this morning I was 13 even witch is my lowest yet.
Dr wants me under 11 initial so I'm not far off if I can maintain it