intro

January 2, 2002

--- Hi ! Welcome!!!!

I have been diabetic for 9 years. Am currently on Actos 45mg and

glyburide 20 mg. I learned about the low carb from the diabetes

groups and it has been a Godsend. It works. The people here know of

what they speak! It helps lower the blood sugar and the weight.

Ouch, sorry about the broken toes. Hope they mend quickly.

Take care

Madge

In diabetes_int@y..., flowr4<sierraflowr@l...> wrote:

> Hello. before i 'jump' in i figured i'd introduce myself. I am a 41

yr old

> single mother of a 17 teen year old boy. lol. I live in Northern

Ca. Please

> IM as sierraflowr on aol/ Aim/ Compuserve (they all use the same

system) or

> on Yahoo messenger too. though im not on that as much.

> i have had diabetes type 2 for 10 years. right after i got divorced.

> hmmmm... mostly keeping it under control until recently when i

gained

> weight. Dr has no idea. go figure lol. turn 41 gain 12 lbs in 10

days...hm..

> and NO i was not eating more than normal!

> so, over the last 4 years ive gained the 20 i lost plust the

12...so... well

> not HUGE but, am going to lose wieght. just as soon as my foot

heals.

> dropped a lovely metal clamp/ vise on it christmas day. broke my

toes. so.

> well. i'm on glucophage, glipizide, for diabetes, wellbutrin for

depression

> ( and btw how i quit smoking 3 years almost 4 ago) and neurontin

for what

> they are calling 'severe nerve damage', lack of mobility and such

in my left

> arm. and repetative motion problems. due to work they say.

> dont know what else to say.

> rebecca

> --

> " Treat people as if they were what they should be, and you

> help them become what they are capable of becoming. "

> --Johannn von Goethe

January 4, 2002

OMG! Now I'm afraid to take my Glucaphage!!!!

Intro

Hi, everyone...I've been lurking here for about a week

and guess it's time to hop in...

I have type II, diagnosed about 3 years ago, am still

learning new things. My last A1C was 6.5 which my

doctor called " excellent " and told me I really

couldn't do much better than that...wrong LOL...I knew

what I'd been eating and I know that I can get my

numbers much lower than that by eating in a more

healthy manner. And dropping some pounds LOL...

Now, in between Thanksgiving and Christmas I was way

bad and ate a lot of cookies and candy and pies. I

wasn't testing at the time and when I did finally

test, boy did I get a shock. Eating 1/3 cup of 9

grain cereal sent me OVER 200!!! Fasting blood sugars

of 150!! Eating one apple brought me close to 200...I

was worried that I had damaged myself enough during

that one month that I'd have to increase my

glucophage...actually called my doctor's office to see

about doing that but (luckily!!) they were closed over

the holidays. So I did some reading and took the

advice I found in " Reversing Diabetes " and within 2

days my blood sugars are MUCH lower.

My take on the carbs is that low carb is very

DEFINITELY the most healthy way to eat. Even for

nondiabetics. Grains and beans are really not natural

for humans to consume so they're best kept to very

small amounts, if eaten at all. All those processed

carbs - bread, bagels, pretzels - that's why we

continue to see heart disease in this country even

though we've (supposedly) lowered our intake of

saturated fats. I believe this is also tied in to

cancer - researchers have found that cancer cells

thrive on a high sugar (high carb) diet...on the dog

nutrition lists I read, there are " cancer diets " and

they're all very low carb. If my memory isn't failling

me, I believe these are based on human cancer

research.

Now, one thing I personally don't agree with is the

diets that say to go hog wild with the animal fat...I

don't think stuffing your face with cream and bacon is

healthy whether you're eating low carb or not. Paleo

eating styles are on the right track, but my opinion

is that the meats we consume today are MUCH higher in

fat than a paleo person would have consumed...really,

wild animals are only fat during the fall, a limited

time, so paleo people would not have eaten a

consistently high fat diet. Game animals are much

lower in fat than domestic livestock.

So my eating style consists of the leaner meats and

lots of vegetables...I do eat carrots and fruit in

limited quantities but no potatoes, no rice, etc. I do

eat small amounts of low-carb breads like Ezekial and

Alvarado Street Bakery but this would be only one

piece and not every day. I also use flax oil and

olive oil on my salads, as well as a light sprinkling

of seeds (sunflower or sesame). But I never cook with

oils at all - just water or chicken stock.

Within a week, I can now eat fruit (example, one half

of an apple) and I get only a very small rise, to

maybe 117...I know over time my numbers will continue

to get better...my goal is to get completely in the

range of " normal " - I'm getting some pre-meal

measurements in the low 90s, post-meal 115-125, so I

know I'm on my way.

I've read Bernstein and mostly agree with him but

liked " Reversing Diabetes " by Whitaker better. I

agree with both of them about keeping Equal and

Splenda out of the diet as much as possible...both of

these actually contain more sugar (dextrin and

maltodextrin) than they do aspartame or sucralose.

Whittaker hints at health problems from consuming

aspartame and sucralose. I am using stevia - the

powdered stevia is really great. I've also sent off

for some xylitol to bake with but really, I don't plan

to do much baking so expect it to last a REALLY long

time...

My goal is to be OFF medication and I think that's

going to happen in the very near future...one of the

things I read in " Reversing Diabetes " is that these

oral medications can increase heart attack risk by as

much as 300%...so if you can control your sugars with

diet, exercise, etc. - DO IT! Really, shame on my

doctor - but he never told me that glucophage had been

removed from the market by FDA and then reintroduced.

Well, shame on him for a few other things - like one

day when I was there for a checkup and they tested me

I was at 175, had consumed a glass of milk about an

hour before that, and the doctor said that blood level

was OK because of the milk...well, at the time I

believed him because I didn't know any better...NOW I

know that I don't want to go that high, period, ever.

He also said that it was OK to go that high after a

meal as long as it had dropped within 2 hours...again,

WRONG lol...bad, bad, bad...best to keep from having

spikes at all...

As far as doctors go, I like my doctor but I can't say

I've learned much from him (I've learned more from his

physician's assistant who is also Type II), and I

think he's too much in the ADA camp...my problem with

the ADA is that they're too casual about blood sugar

levels...gosh, the package insert in my blood glucose

strips lists levels that the ADA finds " acceptable "

and I think they're a bit horrifying...180????? I

don't think so LOL!!! Not for ME, anyway!! Gosh,

when I started talking about Berstein and his ideas,

my doctor sent me to a dietician, who (for $80)

recommended that I eat processed foods...no thanks!!!

Those microwavable dinners are nothing but a bunch of

rice or pasta, a very small amount of veggies and

meat, and some sauce...I'll continue fixing my own

meals at home...she also suggested I eat " protein

bars " which I told her I had looked at and they should

actually be called " carbohydrate bars. " She

recommended Luna - gosh, they're about 13 grams of

carbs, why call them a protein bar? (I don't think

she enjoyed having me as a patient very much LOL...)

She also told me to toss out my multivitamins and the

folic acid I was taking...well, I'm glad the insurance

company paid that $80 because I thought it was purely

a waste of money.

In the week I've been on this list I've learned some

good things and will continue to do so - and continue

teaching myself and not rely on my doctor! Just wait

until he gets a load of my next couple of blood tests

LOL...

OK...a bit long winded, but that's me and my story LOL...

=====

Judy

T.S. GARP, CGC (all bow before his supreme being)

PEPSI, CGC (Moose the Obeast, moved away and much missed)

MIA (Mom, just leave me on that sofa!)

CAMEO (cutest future OTCH in the universe)

__________________________________________________

January 4, 2002

> OMG! Now I'm afraid to take my Glucaphage!!!!

If you have to take it, you have to take it! *I'm*

taking Glucophage right now, too. But a goal should be

to definitely get off medication if you can...I doubt

every T2 can get completely off meds, but if you can,

then do...in the meantime, realize that there are BIG

risks to having blood sugar that's too high, also...

Another thing this Dr. Whittaker mentioned is that

these oral medications aren't effective forever...it

seems that over time you tend to need more, then you

need them in conjunction with additional

medications...on and on...look at this as just more

motivation to get your body into motion every day and

to eat right...

=====

Judy

T.S. GARP, CGC (all bow before his supreme being)

PEPSI, CGC (Moose the Obeast, moved away and much missed)

MIA (Mom, just leave me on that sofa!)

CAMEO (cutest future OTCH in the universe)

__________________________________________________

January 4, 2002

> OMG! Now I'm afraid to take my Glucaphage!!!!

If you have to take it, you have to take it! *I'm*

taking Glucophage right now, too. But a goal should be

to definitely get off medication if you can...I doubt

every T2 can get completely off meds, but if you can,

then do...in the meantime, realize that there are BIG

risks to having blood sugar that's too high, also...

Another thing this Dr. Whittaker mentioned is that

these oral medications aren't effective forever...it

seems that over time you tend to need more, then you

need them in conjunction with additional

medications...on and on...look at this as just more

motivation to get your body into motion every day and

to eat right...

=====

Judy

T.S. GARP, CGC (all bow before his supreme being)

PEPSI, CGC (Moose the Obeast, moved away and much missed)

MIA (Mom, just leave me on that sofa!)

CAMEO (cutest future OTCH in the universe)

__________________________________________________

January 7, 2002

WOW!!!

Hi Judy,

W

Intro

Hi, everyone...I've been lurking here for about a week

and guess it's time to hop in...

January 7, 2002

WOW!!!

Hi Judy,

W

Intro

Hi, everyone...I've been lurking here for about a week

and guess it's time to hop in...

January 7, 2002

WOW!!!

Hi Judy,

W

Intro

Hi, everyone...I've been lurking here for about a week

and guess it's time to hop in...

January 12, 2002

Hi, Jorjana (what a lovely name!) Welcome to the list...sorry you had to

join us but you'll get a lot of good information here.

First of all, I'd suggest you get a copy of " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes

Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. It's almost the best single book on

diabetes and has excellent information and will probably answer all your

questions. He also has a website where you can read excerpts from the book

online...the URL is

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

You can probably find the book in your library...but it's such an excellent

resource that you may want to have your own copy.

Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution " by Dr Bernstein is available in

paperback from Bayer Co. for $8.00 including postage which is about 1/3 of

retail price for the

hardback. The paperback is only available from Bayer. Call Bayer direct at

1- and request Part #0441445. Their ordering lines are open 8 am

- 5 pm eastern standard time. They take Visa or MasterCard

Another excellent book is called " The First Year - An Essential Guide for the

Newly Diagnosed, " by Gretchen Becker.

Besides that, this list as shared files with success stories that you'll find

very motivating. And of course since we've all been newbies, we'll be very

happn to answer any questions you have. So just jump in!

And the " ___ int " stands for " international " . We have had people on this list

from many places besides all over the U.S....at any given time we've had

people from England, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Germany...and

I'm sure many other countries. We certainly don't exclude anyone (except

flamers). Vicki

<<

Finally, am I on the right list? I saw there were two similar ones on Yahoo

Groups and I was drawn to this one. I am not sure what the " int " in the

diabetes_int stands for. It might be something that excludes me?

I look forward to participating and learning!

Thanks,

Jorjana

>>

January 12, 2002

Hi, Jorjana (what a lovely name!) Welcome to the list...sorry you had to

join us but you'll get a lot of good information here.

First of all, I'd suggest you get a copy of " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes

Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. It's almost the best single book on

diabetes and has excellent information and will probably answer all your

questions. He also has a website where you can read excerpts from the book

online...the URL is

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

You can probably find the book in your library...but it's such an excellent

resource that you may want to have your own copy.

Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution " by Dr Bernstein is available in

paperback from Bayer Co. for $8.00 including postage which is about 1/3 of

retail price for the

hardback. The paperback is only available from Bayer. Call Bayer direct at

1- and request Part #0441445. Their ordering lines are open 8 am

- 5 pm eastern standard time. They take Visa or MasterCard

Another excellent book is called " The First Year - An Essential Guide for the

Newly Diagnosed, " by Gretchen Becker.

Besides that, this list as shared files with success stories that you'll find

very motivating. And of course since we've all been newbies, we'll be very

happn to answer any questions you have. So just jump in!

And the " ___ int " stands for " international " . We have had people on this list

from many places besides all over the U.S....at any given time we've had

people from England, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Germany...and

I'm sure many other countries. We certainly don't exclude anyone (except

flamers). Vicki

<<

Finally, am I on the right list? I saw there were two similar ones on Yahoo

Groups and I was drawn to this one. I am not sure what the " int " in the

diabetes_int stands for. It might be something that excludes me?

I look forward to participating and learning!

Thanks,

Jorjana

>>

January 12, 2002

Hi, Jorjana (what a lovely name!) Welcome to the list...sorry you had to

join us but you'll get a lot of good information here.

First of all, I'd suggest you get a copy of " Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes

Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. It's almost the best single book on

diabetes and has excellent information and will probably answer all your

questions. He also has a website where you can read excerpts from the book

online...the URL is

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

You can probably find the book in your library...but it's such an excellent

resource that you may want to have your own copy.

Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution " by Dr Bernstein is available in

paperback from Bayer Co. for $8.00 including postage which is about 1/3 of

retail price for the

hardback. The paperback is only available from Bayer. Call Bayer direct at

1- and request Part #0441445. Their ordering lines are open 8 am

- 5 pm eastern standard time. They take Visa or MasterCard

Another excellent book is called " The First Year - An Essential Guide for the

Newly Diagnosed, " by Gretchen Becker.

Besides that, this list as shared files with success stories that you'll find

very motivating. And of course since we've all been newbies, we'll be very

happn to answer any questions you have. So just jump in!

And the " ___ int " stands for " international " . We have had people on this list

from many places besides all over the U.S....at any given time we've had

people from England, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Germany...and

I'm sure many other countries. We certainly don't exclude anyone (except

flamers). Vicki

<<

Finally, am I on the right list? I saw there were two similar ones on Yahoo

Groups and I was drawn to this one. I am not sure what the " int " in the

diabetes_int stands for. It might be something that excludes me?

I look forward to participating and learning!

Thanks,

Jorjana

>>

January 12, 2002

Jorjana -- Oops, two things I forgot to answer. Re the first below

question..everyone has their own favorites. I love my Ultra meter...it's

accurate, uses very little blood and gives results in five seconds. It also

has an averaging feature and (if you spend a little extra) can be connected

with your computer. (This is a feature I don't use, though). The meters

don't cost much, most of them have some kind of refund coupon inside the

box...I think mine cost about $60 but it had a refund coupon for $40. (They

make their money on strips).

Although some docs may tell you different, most of us on this list try to

maintain our BGs within the " normal " range, that is, non-diabetic range, in

an effort to avoid future complications, which I'm sure you're well aware of

since you have diabetes in your family. If you can keep your A1C below about

6.5 you can probably keep the bad stuff at bay for an indefinite period. We

try our best to keep our numbers as close to 100 as we can. Below 65 is a

hypo and can be dangerous; above 140 two hours after eating for a sustained

period of time can also cause complications. So those are the operative

numbers. Many of us here have found success by just cutting our carbs down

drastically -- avoiding the " whites " such as rice, potatos, all grain

products, root veggies, pasta, and eating minimal fruits and of course sugary

stuff.

The best thing you can do to control you BGs is test frequently, weigh out

your foods and keep good notes. Pretty soon you'll learn what foods make

your BGs go high and you can avoid those. I'm sure others will point out a

good starter testing schedule...I'd suggest on wakeup, before each meal and

one and two hours after meals.

And you need to exercise regularly. It doesn't need to be strenuous -- a

20-minute daily walk will do it.

Some people on this list can control their diabetes with just diet and

exercise, some with diet, pills and exercise, some with insulin, diet and

exercise (that's my plan). Diabetes is a very individual disease -- one size

does not fit all. You have to experiment and find out what works best for

you. Vicki

<<

Are there any suggestions for which glucometer is best? I got a cheapy one

at the pharmacy yesterday but I don't know if it's any good.

Also, I have found nothing on the internet about what range of blood sugar

is normal and what's considered high. Can anyone fill me in? >>

January 12, 2002