Re: Digest Number 1262

[Guest guest]

happy new year to all in the club med

Re: feet

whimsy2@... wrote:

> Hi, ... I don't know how things are in the UK and we use a

> different

> numbering system than you do...but what do you mean by " so I'm told " ?

> Don't

> you test yourself?

Hello Vicki

The answer is yes I do test my self three times a day, but over here

you are most frowned upon for taking up Doctors valuable time by asking

questions simply because we do not directly pay for it. When you attend

the clinic you are sort of treated as if you are superficial and only

told at the end comments such as " fine " or " you could be better " with

no real advice on how to attain a level of consistency. That is where

the so I'm told came in when I did ask last time how I was doing long

term, the answer, OK. Said as a statement leaving no room for further

comment.

There is absolutely no education at all apart from a few National Health

Leaflets that give very little valuable info.

My own readings are well within my " guide lines " 5.4 to 11.2. I do not

know how to convert that to the U.S. standard of measurement,

Susie M dropped a bombshell yesterday when she asked me " Are you

getting copies of your blood work? Do you know what your HbA1c readings

have been? "

I simply haven't a clue as to what she is on about. and as for getting

copies of my blood work until last year it was Illegal over here for a

patient to even see what the Doctor had wrote about them in there own

notes. I would be looked at very oddly should I have the nerve to ask

for a copy.

The plus point about our treatment over here is that ALL our medication,

Insulin, Pens, Needles, Test Strips and Lancets are FREE. Also any other

medication we need for Illnesses other than Diabetes are also free.

What little I know I have gleaned from books or off other Diabetics far

more learned than me. Thanks a million for the book Title I will try to

get hold of a copy when the New Year holidays are over.

hope all have a wonderfully healthy New Year

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Here is some personal info on me:

I am 32 years old. I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in my mid

20's. I was started on orals. I lost some weight and was able to

control by diet alone until I got into my 30's. I went back on

Glucophage and Glyburide but they didn't seem to get me under good

control. I think maybe if I had a more aggressive doctor, I could have

had better control, but he was really conservative and rarely prescribed

anything new or increased dosages. Then this past August I got

pregnant. I am now 21 weeks. I had to start on insulin. The placenta

mimics insulin so as the placenta grows I have to take more and more

insulin. Right now I am taking Humulin-N, 26 in the morning and 53 in

the evening. I also take Humalog 26 at breakfast, 14 at lunch, and 32

at dinner. I usually meet the goals of less than 90 fasting and less

than 140 1 hour after meals. However, after a couple weeks, the

placenta grows and my numbers deteriorate and I have to up everything.

I have no idea how high I'm going get on the dosages, but my

endocrinologist says he has another patient who was taking 500 units of

Humulin a day!!! Wow. After I have this baby and finish breastfeeding,

I'm going to continue with the insulin. I get so much better control

than with orals and the control is more natural than pills.

I eat by both counting carbs or by exchanges, whichever is easier for

the particular situation I am in. I try to keep my meals under 30 g

(two exchanges) and my snacks under 15 g (one exchange). My problem

foods are those made with cornmeal (tamales, enchiladas etc). I find my

sugar won't peak until hours later and then it gets into the 160's -

190's). I do well with chinese food. I think this is because so much

of it is high in fiber. I can even get away with eating a little rice,

a fortune cookie, and maybe a few wontons and keep my sugars under

control - as long as I had a main course full of onions, bamboo strips,

broccli, etc. like beef n' broccli). I find the most reliable meal is

simply a sandwich as long as it is made with wheatbread and a small pack

of chips and/or a salad. I never have a problem with my sugars then.

The best dessert for me is sugarless pudding pie with a graham cracker

crust and sugarless whipped cream. Yummy. Our stores here carry the

Estees brand of diabetic food. Not too bad but not great either. Does

anyone know of sites on the internet where you can purchase foods for

diabetics?

About Dr. Weil:

Ya, I know Dr. Weil doesn't have much in the way of diabetic info, but I

appreciate the fact that he readily admits that he doesn't know. On

his site, pertaining to diabetes he says, " It is beyond the scope of

this database to go into detail about way to manage diabetes without

relying exclusively on pharmaceutical drugs. I will note that most

schools of traditional medicine have methods to regulate blood sugar and

help people with this disease, which has been recognized as a disease

since antiquity. " He also says, " perhaps lifestyle and environment can

be manipulated in ways that encourage the disease to recede. Our

present medical treatments do nothing of the sort. They simply control

one manifestation......high blood sugar...without going to the root of

the problem. I have no alternative program to suggest, exept to

encourage diabetic patients to experiement actively with diet, and the

frequency and size of meals, and with all aspects of lifestyle to see if

they can lower the amount of insulin they require. This means taking on

a lot of responsibility for your own health, but, after all, that is why

you are looking in the Dr. Weil Database. "

This is why I like Dr. Weil. If he feels traditional medicine is doing

a good job, he leaves it to traditional medicine, and does not try to

act like he has a better plan. He does mention plants found to be

effective in traditional medicine like blueberry-leaf tea and products

like coenzyme Q which research shows can stabilize blood sugars. He

also stresses exercise and stress management through relaxation. Mostly

common-sense stuff.

> ________________________________________________________________________

> ________________________________________________________________________

>

> Message: 7

> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2000 08:15:04 -0700

>

> Subject: Re: Iodine and Selenium

>

> Hi, BJ. Welcome to our list! Thanks for the Dr. Weil info. I spent 4

> years in Tucson, and attended quite a few football games (ex-husband's

> choice and alma mater!).

>

> Would you care to share a little about yourself, your way of eating, meds if

> any, and control. We like hearing about such things here, as this disease

> seems to work differently for each of us, as to what we can and can't eat,

> control by diet and exercise, meds and exercise, insulin and exercise, and

> some who can't exercise, etc.

>

> Happy New Year everyone!

> Barb (type II, insulin, physical work, moderate carbs, hbA1c: 5.8)

> --------