Re: BG Question

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/18/2003 5:27:24 PM Eastern Standard Time,

brucewilson@... writes:

>

>

> I'd suggest that you try to get your primary care doctor together with the

> endo. Since the endo is a diabetes specialist, I'd be inclined to trust

> him more, but get them to confer first, as your primary care doctor may

> have data which the endo does not.

>

Thank you, I agree with you. The Endo is the specialist.

I will see what my Primary Care Doctor has to say, but I am inclined to have

more faith in the Endo. At least I don't have to rush into anything right

now.

Thanks for your advice.

Betty

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/18/2003 5:24:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,

thebetzz@... writes:

> What do you think? I really don't want to go on Med's.

All doctors are different. I have been on meds, but have been off of them

for 2 years. When I had my last A1c test done, my doctor told me she would

not put me back on meds if my A1c was 6.5 or even a little bit higher. I

think it has to do with the side effects of the meds. Just my opinion. I'm

sure if I had several A1c test results of 7 or higher, she would consider

putting me on meds. I have a doctor that believes in medicine, but doesn't

push it when it is not necessary.

Eunice

[Guest guest]

Eunice, I went to my PC Doctor once with a sore toe. Since I am diabetic,

sore toes isn't a good thing. Right? Well, here was his advice. It said it

was an ingrown toenail and that it was going to take awhile to grow out.

That's it.

So, I waited and finally I went to a foot doctor and the foot doctor was

ticked that my PC Doctor didn't do more for me.

I have more faith in the Endo but I just don't like taking more med's.

Low Carbing has always help keep my BG's down. It isn't working for me right

now.

I may just give it more time. I am under some stress right now and I know

that stress will do it.

Thanks

Betty

n a message dated 3/18/2003 6:40:36 PM Eastern Standard Time,

ERWachter@... writes:

>

> All doctors are different. I have been on meds, but have been off of them

> for 2 years. When I had my last A1c test done, my doctor told me she would

>

> not put me back on meds if my A1c was 6.5 or even a little bit higher. I

> think it has to do with the side effects of the meds. Just my opinion. I'm

>

> sure if I had several A1c test results of 7 or higher, she would consider

> putting me on meds. I have a doctor that believes in medicine, but doesn't

>

> push it when it is not necessary.

>

> Eunice

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/18/2003 6:49:57 PM Eastern Standard Time,

thebetzz@... writes:

> I have more faith in the Endo but I just don't like taking more med's.

Hi Betty,

Having faith in your doctor plays a major role in how anyone will handle

diabetes or any other illness. If you have more faith in your endo, go with

his recommendations.

My medical oncologist also sees me every six months and his opinion is the

same. I have complete faith in both of these doctors. Because of the trust

and confidence I had in my oncologist, I handled my cancer much better than

was expected.

Probably at some point, I may have to go on meds, but I feel I'm doing my

body more good by staying off of them as long as possible. I know that once

I go back on the meds, it will probably be for the rest of my life and the

meds will keep increasing, even to the point of insulin.

We're all different. We all have different opinions. Also, some doctors

recommend an A1c of 7 or below while others recommend 6.5 or below.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

I'd suggest that you try to get your primary care doctor together with the endo.

Since the endo is a diabetes specialist, I'd be inclined to trust him more, but

get them to confer first, as your primary care doctor may have data which the

endo does not.

BG Question

Hi,

I had my blood test and my 3 month number is 5.9....My Doctor said that was

good.

But, today i went to see an Endocrinologist for a thyroid problem. He

specializes in Diabetes too and he saw my number and asked me why I wasn't on

Med's.

For the last week I have been having higher BG's and it doesn't matter what

or if I eat.

The Endocrinologist said that he thinks that the time has come for me to go

on Med's and he also said that it isn't my fault about the high numbers this

week.

What do you think? I really don't want to go on Med's.

I have to do my BG's for the next 4 days and call him with the results. He

wants the results of the first thing in the morning, one hour before dinner

and 2 hours after dinner.

[Guest guest]

My physicians' asst. wants mine below 6. at this moment 6.2 almost lol

Re: BG Question

> In a message dated 3/18/2003 6:49:57 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> thebetzz@... writes:

>

> > I have more faith in the Endo but I just don't like taking more med's.

>

> Hi Betty,

>

> Having faith in your doctor plays a major role in how anyone will handle

> diabetes or any other illness. If you have more faith in your endo, go

with

> his recommendations.

>

> My medical oncologist also sees me every six months and his opinion is the

> same. I have complete faith in both of these doctors. Because of the

trust

> and confidence I had in my oncologist, I handled my cancer much better

than

> was expected.

>

> Probably at some point, I may have to go on meds, but I feel I'm doing my

> body more good by staying off of them as long as possible. I know that

once

> I go back on the meds, it will probably be for the rest of my life and the

> meds will keep increasing, even to the point of insulin.

>

> We're all different. We all have different opinions. Also, some doctors

> recommend an A1c of 7 or below while others recommend 6.5 or below.

>

> Hugs

> Eunice

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Eunice, for sending this in. I have to keep reading and re-reading

this because, although I have always believed this, I'm having an extremely

difficult time with my mom in regards to changing doctors. My doctor treats me

with respect, listens to my opinions, is willing to work with me, has pledged to

be by my side through all of this, etc., but she worries because he is an hour

and a half away from me. (What do diabetics in the Alaskan bush do?) I just had

a big knock-down-drag-out fight with my mom today over this and I'm at my wit's

end. I am a 4th generation diabetic of Cherokee/Creek descent. My mom has seen

what it's done to others in the family, I understand this. But I'm doing

everything I can to control this instead of it controlling me. My numbers are

looking lots better. I'm now on Glucotrol and it has been working better than

the other meds I was on. I've developed neuropathy but that is getting better. I

was diagnosed in Feb and have lost close to 20 pounds since then. What else can

I do to show her that this doctor is helping me? Sorry for the rant, y'all, but

I just don't know what else to do.

Dawn

" One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain. "

~ Bob Marley

Re: BG Question

Hi Betty,

Having faith in your doctor plays a major role in how anyone will handle

diabetes or any other illness. If you have more faith in your endo, go with

his recommendations.

My medical oncologist also sees me every six months and his opinion is the

same. I have complete faith in both of these doctors. Because of the trust

and confidence I had in my oncologist, I handled my cancer much better than

was expected.

Probably at some point, I may have to go on meds, but I feel I'm doing my

body more good by staying off of them as long as possible. I know that once

I go back on the meds, it will probably be for the rest of my life and the

meds will keep increasing, even to the point of insulin.

We're all different. We all have different opinions. Also, some doctors

recommend an A1c of 7 or below while others recommend 6.5 or below.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Kristy. It's ok to ask....my mom is 62.

Dawn

Re: BG Question

Eunice,

What you said was fantastic.

Dawn, I'm sorry about what you are going thru. If it's ok to

ask, how old is your mom?

Feel free to e-mail me privately if you like.

[Guest guest]

Kristy,

Yes, I know what you're saying and my mom does have a tendency toward that. I

think she's mostly afraid that I will get into some type of emergency with the

diabetes, have to be rushed to the hospital, and my doctor will be in another

town. When you say 'it was worth it' that hits it head-on for me. It's worth it

to me to drive the distance in order to be heard, seen, and listened to instead

of talked down to and treated like scum because I have no insurance.

Dawn

Re: BG Question

Dawn,

The reason I ask is b/c she's of my mother's generation. The

one that sticks with drs that they have had for a long time.

The generation that says, " Do whatever you say dr " . I've been

working with my mom on learning how to stand up for herself and

not just let a dr dictate. It got her booted from a dr recently

but it was worth it.

Has your mom said why else she won't change drs besides the

distance?

[Guest guest]

Kristy,

It's the other way around....my mom wants me to change doctors. lol The doctor I

go to lives in Montgomery, the town where my mom lives, I live in the Columbus,

GA area. She wants me to find one here, but I've never found one here who

treated me worth a darn.

I understand about your mom. I was booted by a doc after he realized he'd done

x-rays, a ct scan, and a myelogram on me although I'd told them I was pregnant.

Stupid me didn't realize I could refuse to have it done. I'm glad y'all were

able to find a doc to work with you. It's such a hard thing sometimes.

Thanks for listening to me cry and whine, it's meant alot to me.

Dawn

Re: BG Question

Dawn,

Yep, you are right about it being " worth it " . I have some other

medical problems, mostly female related, and some of the other

ladies I've met with these problems drive as much as 5 hours

away to get the kind of care they need. So for them it's worth

it to go that far.

I know that you want your mom to change drs b/c of the kind of

care that you have gotten from him but if she doesn't want to do

it you can't make her do it. It's her choice.

Like me you love your mom and only want what's best for her but

in the end only she can decide whether or not she wants to do

something about the dr issue.

Oh, the reason that mom got booted from her last dr was b/c of

some issues with meds. They put her on a diuretic to help the

water retention: Lasix to be exact but it was bothering her

heart as far as irregular heartbeat. We think that one of the

other meds she was on at the time may have had something to do

with it too in addition to a cough that was dry. Any way, I'm

getting off track here.

When we read up on Lasix and this potential for irregular

heartbeat (it was still normal range but just beating kind of

hard for a bit) we of course got concerned. Well, I let the

dr's office know of the concern and that she had been on

Spironolactone and it worked well for her when she was on it at

the time (it's been a while but we knew it worked). Got a call

back later saying that they would prescribe Demadex. We looked

that up too and it said the same thing. So of course that ruled

that out. So then we told them that we were still concerned and

asked why no on the Spironolactone. We never really got an

answer from the dr about this except that he said that he had

bad experiences with it in his Diabetic patients. That was it.

Nothing about what those experiences were and such.

So we never said anymore about it and then just 4 days after I

had my surgery (a month ago now) there was a notice in the mail

for a certified letter. I called my mom to tell her about it

and she thought it was something else and I told her that I

thought it might be a dr giving someone a boot. At first

thought it was me but remembered I still had a dr so I knew it

wasn't me. So of course mom just said let's wait and see.

She then called the number I gave her for where she could pick

it up and they told her it was from the dr's office. She went

to pick it up and sure enough it was a letter stating that she

had been released from the practice. They only gave her 10 days

to find a new dr. She did find one though.

We sat and thought about that for a while as to why he let her

go b/c he never stated in the letter why he let her go and they

are supposed to do that. Mom guessed saying, " Maybe it was the

way you handled the situation " as one of the guesses and I said,

" Even if that's true, we had every right to be concerned " .

B/c the medicine was bothering her.

Well, she found a new dr and so far so good. And we found out

that this dr that gave my mom the boot seems to have a bad rap

in our community when it comes to Patient Care.

It took me time to try and work with her on how to handle her

health instead of just doing whatever the dr said. Sometimes

she still has a problem with this. But not as bad as before.

Don't ever stop loving your mom. Just be there to support her

however she needs you to be and maybe in time she'll come around

and realize it's ok to change drs.

Hang in there sweetie, we are all here for you.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/19/2003 12:09:05 PM Eastern Standard Time,

artemis_rat@... writes:

> He was also worried about how he was ever

> going to get most of his patients under that number.

Hi Jayd,

I'm sure it is very frustrating for people to get so many different answers

about diabetes. Some doctors say below 7, others say below 6.5, and now

others are saying below 6. I know each individual is different, but we need

some consistency. Why can't doctors, ADA, Joslin, etc say below 7 or below

6.5 is accepted, but the lower your bg's may prevent other complications for

a longer period of time. This may be the wrong way to handle it, but there

are so many people that can barely stay at 7%, no matter how hard they try,

and the requirement keeps getting lower. In less than 3 years, it has gone

from 7% to 6%. This could be the reason some people stop trying to control

their diabetes.

I know that the support groups on the internet are beneficial. I have

learned a lot of information, some of it good, some of it I ignore. The best

advice I can give is for everyone to listen to their doctor. Your doctor

knows your health history. No one on the internet has this information.

And, if you don't have faith and confidence in your doctor, find another one.

Hugs

Eunice

..

[Guest guest]

>Also, some doctors

> recommend an A1c of 7 or below while others recommend 6.5 or below.

During my one and only visit to the specialist, he mentioned that

more recent studies seemed to be indicating that an even lower A1c of

6.0 (0.06%) was optimum. He was also worried about how he was ever

going to get most of his patients under that number.

~ Jayd

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/19/2003 5:28:02 PM Eastern Standard Time,

sokokl@... writes:

>

> Betty,

>

> I wish you the best in trying to stay off of meds. I wish that

> could have been my mom nearly 20 years ago when she got

> diagnosed.

>

Thanks Kristie,

This computer and all the people on this list has helped me so much. It is

too bad that your Mom didn't have that advantage back then.

I have learned more from this list than I have learned from my Doctor's.

So, thank you all, for all the great information you share with the list. I

can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate it.

Betty

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/19/2003 2:31:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,

punkin@... writes:

> I was diagnosed in Feb and have lost close to 20 pounds since then. What

> else can I do to show her that this doctor is helping me?

Hi Dawn,

Congratulations on the weight loss and getting your bg's down.

One thing that you could tell your mom is that a patient must have faith and

confidence in their doctor if they expect to control their diabetes and that

you have this relationship with your doctor. Let her know that should you

need medical care, you could go to ER. It is not unusual to travel this

distance in some rural areas. It takes about 30 minutes for one of my

doctors and about 45 for the other.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

I see a lot of replies and haven't read any yet, so others may have said this

already, but:

Without meds, you control everything with diet and exercise. Adding meds, you

now don't have to totally rely on diet. But that doesn't mean that you don't

have to rely on diet at all. You still have to watch what you eat. But you now

have some more leeway. The meds will allow you to eat a little more and with

more variety, but the meds won't take care of everything.

When people hear/see the word " diet " they tend to think of eating less and

starving and weight loss. Diet just means the food that you do eat. Some

people diet in order to gain weight. Others diet for salt related problems.

Others diet to add vitamins.

- - - - -

Lokrin (TechAss)

Technical Assailant

http://lokrin.net

http://lokrin.net/phpbb

- - - -

---

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[Guest guest]

I was diagnosed in Feb and have lost close to 20 pounds since then.

I know how kind of how you feel. My mother already had to bury a son,

motorcycle accident. When she heard that I had diabetes, I was receiving calls

everyday on what my readings were. It wasn't until my mother and father met me

at the docks after I went sailing and she saw how well I looked. I too have

lost weight. It was then that she felt better.

I have always taken it as, parents should not out live there children. About

the only thing I can suggest is to keep letting her know, you are getting

better, your number are going down, you are doing everything correctly. She is

just worried and hey, that's what moms are all about.

Steve L.

Sails Call M25

Southern California

Re: BG Question

Hi Betty,

Having faith in your doctor plays a major role in how anyone will handle

diabetes or any other illness. If you have more faith in your endo, go with

his recommendations.

My medical oncologist also sees me every six months and his opinion is the

same. I have complete faith in both of these doctors. Because of the trust

and confidence I had in my oncologist, I handled my cancer much better than

was expected.

Probably at some point, I may have to go on meds, but I feel I'm doing my

body more good by staying off of them as long as possible. I know that once

I go back on the meds, it will probably be for the rest of my life and the

meds will keep increasing, even to the point of insulin.

We're all different. We all have different opinions. Also, some doctors

recommend an A1c of 7 or below while others recommend 6.5 or below.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

Thanks for posting this.

So, my next question would be.......Med's sound like a good thing in this

case. So why don't all of us want to go on med's? Me being one of us. I just

don't want to take more Med's.

Thanks

Betty

In a message dated 3/19/2003 8:53:49 PM Eastern Standard Time,

chris_chringle@... writes:

> I see a lot of replies and haven't read any yet, so others may have said

> this already, but:

>

> Without meds, you control everything with diet and exercise. Adding meds,

> you now don't have to totally rely on diet. But that doesn't mean that you

> don't have to rely on diet at all. You still have to watch what you eat.

> But you now have some more leeway. The meds will allow you to eat a little

> more and with more variety, but the meds won't take care of everything.

>

> When people hear/see the word " diet " they tend to think of eating less and

> starving and weight loss. Diet just means the food that you do eat. Some

> people diet in order to gain weight. Others diet for salt related

> problems. Others diet to add vitamins.

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/20/2003 7:00:46 AM Eastern Standard Time,

thebetzz@... writes:

> Med's sound like a good thing in this

> case. So why don't all of us want to go on med's

Hi Betty,

I've seen first hand what meds can do. Eight years ago I had cancer. My

decision was to take the chemo (which was very aggressive). According to the

nurses, not many people take as much chemo as I did. I survived cancer.

However, the drugs I took is partly the reason I have diabetes. I'm not

complaining. In fact, having diabetes has made me a much healthier person.

I was and still am very happy that the meds were available. I'm healthy, I'm

happy. I am 60 years old. I have energy to give away. I never get tired.

I'm on the go all day long. Anyone want to follow me around one day. LOL.

I could not control cancer. I can control diabetes and with God's help I

plan to control it for a long time without meds.

I'm not criticizing those people that have no choice but to go on meds and/or

insulin. I'm thankful that it is available. However, I don't see the point

in taking meds so that someone can eat more carbs. No food taste as good as

good health.

This message may be a little strong. Please don't get upset with me. As I

said, I know what meds can do to a body. I've been there.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/20/2003 10:19:21 AM Eastern Standard Time,

thebetzz@... writes:

> So, I take it that some people take the med's just so they can eat more

> carbs

> or whatever raises their BG's.

Hi Betty,

I know people that take meds just so they can eat more.

We have one member that if it is a special occasion, she will take Starlix (I

believe this is the name), to help keep her numbers low. I'm not talking

about the occasional meds. People I'm talking about are on meds everyday,

just so they can eat more and sometimes it is junk food. Then they wonder

why they get all these other health problems.

hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

That's why a lot of use prefer to use the expression 'way of eating' (WOE)

rather than 'diet.'

Re: BG Question

When people hear/see the word " diet " they tend to think of eating less and

starving and weight loss. Diet just means the food that you do eat. Some

people diet in order to gain weight. Others diet for salt related problems.

Others diet to add vitamins.

- - - - -

Lokrin (TechAss)

Technical Assailant

http://lokrin.net

http://lokrin.net/phpbb

- - - -

---

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Version: 6.0.461 / Virus Database: 260 - Release Date: 3/10/2003

[Guest guest]

Bruce Alan wrote:

> That's why a lot of use prefer to use the expression 'way of eating' (WOE)

rather than 'diet.'

I hit it from just the opposite angle -- I use " diet " to only mean " what

you eat. " And I get pretty direct at the notion of the popular notion

of the term.

Take care,

Blain

[Guest guest]

Eunice,

Thanks so much. I'm going to try this and see if she will open her heart to it.

I agree and if I feel a doctor isn't giving me the right advice or isn't right

for me I don't go back, I move on. It makes all the difference in the world to

have a doctor that you have confidence in, IMHO.

Dawn

Re: BG Question

In a message dated 3/19/2003 2:31:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,

punkin@... writes:

> I was diagnosed in Feb and have lost close to 20 pounds since then. What

> else can I do to show her that this doctor is helping me?

Hi Dawn,

Congratulations on the weight loss and getting your bg's down.

One thing that you could tell your mom is that a patient must have faith and

confidence in their doctor if they expect to control their diabetes and that

you have this relationship with your doctor. Let her know that should you

need medical care, you could go to ER. It is not unusual to travel this

distance in some rural areas. It takes about 30 minutes for one of my

doctors and about 45 for the other.

Hugs

Eunice

[Guest guest]

Steve,

I'm so sorry about your brother. You have a very good point here. My mom is

worried that I'm going to die. She's talked with others and heard horror

stories, she's seen other family members not take care of themselves and gorge

out on candy, she's seen my dad's brother go blind, etc. And if that isn't

enough, I've never been one to follow the rules laid down for me, I was always a

hellion. But being diagnosed has turned my life around and I wanna do the best I

can with this. Maybe it's just gonna take time for her to see that I am, indeed,

serious about controlling this.

Dawn

Re: BG Question

I was diagnosed in Feb and have lost close to 20 pounds since then.

I know how kind of how you feel. My mother already had to bury a son,

motorcycle accident. When she heard that I had diabetes, I was receiving calls

everyday on what my readings were. It wasn't until my mother and father met me

at the docks after I went sailing and she saw how well I looked. I too have

lost weight. It was then that she felt better.

I have always taken it as, parents should not out live there children. About

the only thing I can suggest is to keep letting her know, you are getting

better, your number are going down, you are doing everything correctly. She is

just worried and hey, that's what moms are all about.

Steve L.

Sails Call M25

Southern California

[Guest guest]

I was reading up on sliding scale insulin doses a while ago. When I was in the

hospital I was on a sliding scale based upon my BG readings. My readings were

taken just before meals and the higher the number the more insulin I was given.

I was in the 300s at the time.

Right now, I am NOT on a sliding scale. The hospital says that the rarely put

people on sliding scales when they go home or self administer, since most people

can figure out the scales correctly. Now me, I'm good at numbers so would have

no problems, plus, my diabetic software on my PDA has an insulin calculator

built in. The calculator has two options: 1) Calculate insulin at meals using

1U per ??g carbs. or 2) Calculate insulin required to lower my glucose to my

target of ??? mg/dL using 1U per ?? mg/dL above my target.

The first option would be were the more you eat the more insulin you take. The

second option is the higher the BG the more insulin you take. Exploring the

web, the second option seems to be the one recommended the most.

Sure, I can eat that entire cake. I'll just take an extra 50U of insulin!! =(

(45 messages from this group down. 6 messages to go! =)

- - - - -

Lokrin (TechAss)

Technical Assailant

http://lokrin.net

http://lokrin.net/phpbb

- - - -

Re: BG Question

Hi Betty,

I know people that take meds just so they can eat more.

We have one member that if it is a special occasion, she will take Starlix (I

believe this is the name), to help keep her numbers low. I'm not talking

about the occasional meds. People I'm talking about are on meds everyday,

just so they can eat more and sometimes it is junk food. Then they wonder

why they get all these other health problems.

hugs

Eunice

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[Guest guest]

What else does this software do????

Tom

>>>> " diabetic software on my PDA "

----- Original Message -----

From: Chringle