Re: Long-term type 2

[Guest guest]

JerrySteg, you will be a real asset to this group! I found your story of a

third-century of diabetes experience - your difficulties and triumphs, and

the wisdom gained along the way - thrilling and inspiring. Your good health

and vigor at age 72 are a testament to your guts and intelligence, in daring

to independently discover what works for you and not just meekly following

someone else's wrong-headed advice. I'm sure other readers will also be

inspired by your story - and its happy outcome!

Susie

JerrySteg wrote:

<< ... So at the age of 72 I have been diabetic for 33+ years and as far as

I know

am in fine health. My wife and I are getting ready for our " annual " trek to

England's " West Country " ,(Cornwall) for about a month. I am on a tight

control regimen of ultralente and humalog insulin. I measure my BG a

minimum

of 6 times a day. My readings are 70 - 120 mg/dl 99% of the time. >>

[Guest guest]

Wow, Jerry, what a great story!! I've been type II for over 3 years now,

and thanks to the internet, have come to all the conclusions you have. But

with this list, which I very fortunately found, and the other information

out there, my obvious choices for tight control were easy, and I am now also

on H and U. The U is very new for me for the past couple of months, and it

makes so much more sense now!

Gotta tell you, I really don't think I could have done all that on my own,

like you have. You are an inspiration.

Thanks,

Barb (with new foal pics www.RainbowFarm.com/foals2000.html :-)

Sorry, can't resist!

--------------

RAINBOW FARM UNLTD.

Breeding Premium Oldenburgs,

and fancy sport ponies.

http://www.rainbowfarm.com

Re: Long-term type 2

All right Susie I will give you my History. In the spring of 1967 upon

returning from a buisiness/pleasure trip to Europe I had to immediately fly

from Miami to LA and the next night take the red Eye special home. At that

time I weighed 275 pounds. ( My ideal weight is about 175 pounds). Upon

returning home from LA I came down with the classic symptoms of Diabetes.

Frequent urination and a thirst that couldn't be quenched. I visited my Dr.

and he confirmed the Diabetes. He seemed more upset about it than I was. He

treated it like there isn't much we can do but here take these ADA pamphlets

and read them. He put me on Diabinese. After about a month my BG readings

were down in the 150 to 250 range and he was happy. When my readings

approached 125 he took me off the Diabenese because he was afraid of

hypoglycemia!! I was extremely busy at work at that time so I put the

Diabetes on the back burner. I should mention here that my Doctor was my

next

door neighbor and the chief heart surgeon at one of Miami's largest

hospitals. So for the next 15 years I went on my merry way. I remember a

card

I got from my Doctor after an office visit, It read " fasting Blood Sugar

189,

congratulations! " At the end of this 15 year escapade I ended up in the

hospital with two severe Diabetic foot ulcers on my corrected club foot. I

had been loosing weight for the last 6 months (because of my condition not

because of dieting) so I weighed about 210 pounds. My BG readings were in

the

200 - 300 range. At the Hospital I met an RN who was their Diabetes educator

(for both patients and hospital staff) and she and I were to become long

lasting friends. She loaned me some of her books to read and stopped by each

day to answer questions. My chief Doctor in the hospital was an orthopedic

Doctor and the two of us decided that I really should have a diabetic

specialist for my personal physician and not a heart specialist. I explained

that he was my next door neighbor and I owed him for some middle of the

night

calls for my mother-in-law. He said don't worry I'll take care of it, and he

did. I had a new Doctor the next day.

Also during my hospital stay (10 days) my RN diabetes educator loaned me her

brand new personal Ames Dextrometer which she had just gotten. I began to

play games with the nurses telling them I could guess my BG readings (they

didn't know that I had a machine to measure my BG.) Most of them didn't know

such a device existed. I started giving demonstrations and quickly used up

my

supply of strips. The diabetic instructor was so pleased that she ,or AMES,

supplied me free with all the strips that I needed. To put all this in

prospective it was 1981 (Bernstein had not released his first book yet--he

did about a month later) .

My new Doctor put me on insulin. A total of 28 units per day of NPH and R.

Two times a day, morning and evening. That was pretty standard in those

days.

I bought my own Dextrometer on the way home from the hospital and started on

my quest to control this disease. Although I ignored it in the past I

figured

that it was time to take control. I used my meter to record how different

foods affected my BG readings and began to question the teachings of the ADA

in the area of nutrition. I became a board member of the Miami chapter of

the

ADA (mostly at the prompting of my RN Diabetic instructor friend.) I finally

developed my own personal Glycemic Index and tried a few experimental meals.

The results were as predicted. I had to compensate for hypoglycemic events.

I

told my new Doctor what I was up to and that I wanted to change my diet to a

controlled CHO type diet and to stop using all grain products and most of

the

dairy products. His comment was I do not care what you eat as long as it

doesn't screw up your BG readings. So I started my new regimen and gradually

reduced my insulin until after about 3 months I quit taking all medication

and was having BG readings of 80 -140 on diet and exercise. I wrote a letter

to my Doctor and advised him of my new status. I did not receive a response

and never went back to him.

The diabetes educator RN and I started a rap group at her hospital and I

gave

several speeches to her classes on controlling Diabetes - a patients

prospective. We continued this work until her husband was transferred to

Memphis Tenn.

I also joined the AADE (American Association of Diabetes Educators) for

about

two years but left that group before they kicked me out. I would go to their

conventions and raise all kinds of questions on their teachings about proper

nutrition for the diabetic. They were following the ADA teachings of course

and I was promoting what is commonly known today as the low CHO diet.

I continued studying nutrition and have just about finalized my regimen. The

basics are no grain products, no dairy products and very few (2 -3 )

processed foods. I eat a considerable amount of CHOs by weight but very

little by calorie or cho gr count. I put no restrictions on my fat or

protein, although I don't go overboard either.

I better end this before it becomes a book. About 3 years ago my BG readings

began to creep up and some trauma I suffered caused them to get out of hand

so I had to go back on insulin ( my choice), the doctor that I have now

wanted to use some of the new orals but I told him no thanks.

So at the age of 72 I have been diabetic for 33+ years and as far as I know

am in fine health. My wife and I are getting ready for our " annual " trek to

England's " West Country " ,(Cornwall) for about a month. I am on a tight

control regimen of ultralente and humalog insulin. I measure my BG a

minimum

of 6 times a day. My readings are 70 - 120 mg/dl 99% of the time.

JerrySteg

I have lived a far, far better life because of my Diabetes. JAS

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get paid for the stuff you know!

Get answers for the stuff you don’t. And get $10 to spend on the site!

http://click./1/2200/1/_/529507/_/957384428/

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public website for Diabetes International:

http://www.msteri.com/diabetes-info/diabetes_int