Re: Talk

[Guest guest]

Ruth,

You are sooo right~

My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very

reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean

anything. "

Debbie

Re: Talk

>

>

> Hi Debbie,

>

> The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is

> to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one

> conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like

> recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's

> something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any

> way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list.

>

> Jen

>

>

[Guest guest]

Greatt story Mark.

Jerry Litterell

Talk

>>

>>

>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

>>> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>>> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>>

>>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie

I wasn't trying to say that A1C s don't mean anything. In fact they give

you a good indication how yaur blood sugar control is over the long term.

What I meant is that the levels that the diabetes educators would like you

to be at does not fit all people and all situations. We can't say it is 6.0

and nothing else is good. As I indicated in my post, I have other factors

going on that make my hemoglobin of 8.4 okay. I hope that straightens out

any misunderstandings I may have caused. I still applaud Harry for such

good control. He must be very disciplined.

Ruth

Re: Talk

Ruth,

You are sooo right~

My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very

reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't

mean anything. "

Debbie

Re: Talk

>

>

> Hi Debbie,

>

> The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is

> to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one

> conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like

> recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's

> something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any

> way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list.

>

> Jen

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thanks. I know some of the abbreviations but that was one that I did not

know, so I finally had to ask. Thanks again.

Ruth

Re: Talk

Ruth,

It stands for [laugh out loud].

There are quite a lot of abreviations used on computer or phone text

messages.

Another commonly used is:

HTH [Hope This Helps].

TTFN [Ta Ta For Now].

Rowe

Talk > > > > > ---

> >>> In blind-diabetics , carol clevesy

> >>> >

> >>> > > wrote:

> >>> > > >>

> >>> > > >>

> >>> > > >>

> >>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies?

> >>> I am > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone

> >>> talk in here?

> >>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >>

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

> >>> > > >

[Guest guest]

Debbie,

Then, what test would she suggest to monitor the blood sugar?

Cy, the now curious Ancient Okie...

Re: Talk

Ruth,

You are sooo right~

My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very

reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't

mean anything. "

Debbie

Re: Talk

>

>

> Hi Debbie,

>

> The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is

> to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one

> conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like

> recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's

> something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any

> way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list.

>

> Jen

>

>

[Guest guest]

A1c levels are still important but they don't tell the whole story and

shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of how control is judged. Daily readings

are important and so is considering other factors which might not be

controllable. When I was about 12 years old I had an A1c of 6.7 which at the

time was considered perfect, but this was back when the only insulins

available were regular and NPH and I took two shots a day, and you can bet

that I bounced from extreme highs to extreme lows a lot. Now my A1c is 7.3

and, even though I'd like it lower, I don't have many extreme highs or lows.

I still have them, sure, and have days like today where I was very high last

night and remained high most of today for no apparent reason. I blame it on

female hormones. When it comes down to it my A1c of 7.3 is a lot better than

that of many other 20-somethings. Doesn't mean it couldn't be a lot better,

but ... right now I have such a variable schedule that I'm just happy if I

stay within my target range most of the day. Maybe when I settle down and

get a full-time job and a more predictable schedule things will be easier to

control. And as Ruth said, some people have circumstances that interfere

with control and are doing the best they can, which is okay.

Jen

Re: Talk

Ruth,

You are sooo right~

My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very

reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't

mean anything. "

Debbie

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen,

Those hormones can be a royal pain in the keester! I find they bother me a

week to 10 days before the monthly visitor. I am on a low carb high fiber

diet and I can still get sugars of 20 when I did nothing wrong or different.

My doctor says that that is just the lot of some women. You can feed it

with insulin till the cows come home trying to bring the sugars down but the

sugars and the hormones win. Ain't life grand?

Ruth

Re: Talk

A1c levels are still important but they don't tell the whole story and

shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of how control is judged. Daily readings

are important and so is considering other factors which might not be

controllable. When I was about 12 years old I had an A1c of 6.7 which at the

time was considered perfect, but this was back when the only insulins

available were regular and NPH and I took two shots a day, and you can bet

that I bounced from extreme highs to extreme lows a lot. Now my A1c is 7.3

and, even though I'd like it lower, I don't have many extreme highs or lows.

I still have them, sure, and have days like today where I was very high last

night and remained high most of today for no apparent reason. I blame it on

female hormones. When it comes down to it my A1c of 7.3 is a lot better than

that of many other 20-somethings. Doesn't mean it couldn't be a lot better,

but ... right now I have such a variable schedule that I'm just happy if I

stay within my target range most of the day. Maybe when I settle down and

get a full-time job and a more predictable schedule things will be easier to

control. And as Ruth said, some people have circumstances that interfere

with control and are doing the best they can, which is okay.

Jen

Re: Talk

Ruth,

You are sooo right~

My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very

reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't

mean anything. "

Debbie

[Guest guest]

Oh, I misunderstood the message, sorry.

The thing which has really stricken me is all of the misinformation about

Diabetes which seems to be in high places.

I was absolutely amazed when Crystal went to the Diabetic Dietician last

month.

The information she gave Crystal was the same as I see on this list. Last

time I sat down to one of the " educational " talks the nonsense they were

spouting was absolute garbage and would have required a college degree in

mathematics to comprehend.

Perhaps there is hope after all, at least in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (LOL)

Crystal is going to go back next month and I do want to take the information

about the Prodigy and the other new meter from England along.

Anyway, just hang in there and keep on a countin them there carbs. (LOL)

Cy, the Ancient Okie...

Re: Talk

Cy.

she was just stating what the educators in her school had to say about the

A1c tests.

i really don't know what other type of test could be done there is probably

something.

Debbie

Re: Talk

>

>

> Hi Debbie,

>

> The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is

> to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one

> conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like

> recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's

> something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any

> way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list.

>

> Jen

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen,

All you can do is put up the good fight. I even have times when, and

unfortunately not very often, it does nothing to my blood sugars. I have

noticed this pattern with my blood sugars since I was 16. Just wait till

menopause. My doctor says it shouldn't bother anything but knowing my body

it will be the exception instead of the rule.

Ruth

Re: Talk

Hi Ruth,

That's what happened last night. I hadn't done anything unusual and I was 20

at bedtime for no reason (I actually thought that maybe I'd somehow

forgotten my supper shot it was so high). I gave myself some insulin and

went to bed, and today even though I've been correcting for it each time I

test I've hovered at 11 until a few hours ago when I was finally 5. What

makes it more frustrating is that I usually feel like I've done something to

cause it somehow until other women say that the same thing happens to them.

I notice that my blood sugars start going high a week or week and a half

beforehand, and then once that time of the month rolls around I crash low

for a few days before things finally even out for about two weeks before it

all starts over again.

Jen

[Guest guest]

I forgot to put request in the subjet line.

Debbie

RE: Talk

>

>

> Hi Harry,

>

> You are right about counting the carbs. Things like protein and fiber

> slow

> down the absorbtion rate of the carbs into the blood. I applaud your 5.5

> A1C but, the guidelines set out by the diabetes educators have a

> paragraph

> after the range suggested saying that each person is an individual and

> that

> there are exceptions because of other factors. For example, my A1C is 8.4

> because I take prednazone and it screws with my insulin. My doctor wants

> me between 6 and 10 and finds 8.4 acceeptable. There are also other

> factors

> such as the fact I'm female and I have to deal with hormone changes that

> a

> male does not, so that again can affect A1C s. I just finished discussing

> this very point with my endocrinologist and was told this by her. Again,

> I

> applaud you for your control, but remember everything is not written in

> stone.

>

> Ruth

>

[Guest guest]

Ruth,

Those hormonal ups and downs are a regular here.

Debbie

Re: Talk

Hi Ruth,

That's what happened last night. I hadn't done anything unusual and I was 20

at bedtime for no reason (I actually thought that maybe I'd somehow

forgotten my supper shot it was so high). I gave myself some insulin and

went to bed, and today even though I've been correcting for it each time I

test I've hovered at 11 until a few hours ago when I was finally 5. What

makes it more frustrating is that I usually feel like I've done something to

cause it somehow until other women say that the same thing happens to them.

I notice that my blood sugars start going high a week or week and a half

beforehand, and then once that time of the month rolls around I crash low

for a few days before things finally even out for about two weeks before it

Visit Your Group

[Guest guest]

Hi Mark,

Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue

is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange

until this day.

Danny

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info about yourself Mark.

I use an insulin pump and am totally blind. I have a semi-sighted husband,

but have been in situations where the pump started beeping (usually this

means it needs new batteries) and I could not stop it, so I called their 800

number and we figured it out; otherwise I do it all independently. When you

get a pump, the nurse employed by the pump company comes to your home and

goes over and over how to run it until she/he feels and you feel comfortable

with it. The first few days, they put sterile water in the cartridge so you

can't get messed up on incorrect dosages and they come out as often as you

need them. I know a number of totally blind people with pumps.

Re: Talk

Hi Everyone,

Thank you Debbie for getting this thread started. I've really enjoyed

learning so much about all of you over the last couple of days.

I have been lurking on this list for a while, but only writing in once in a

blue moon. I got type 1 diabetes when I turned eight years old in 1959, so

have been taking insulin for 47 years. The diabetes caused blindness in

1978, and a heart attack in 2001. I also have some kidney damage, but am

still getting by OK on my original kidneys.

After going blind in '78 I got some blind skills training and then moved to

Berkeley in '79 for computer training at the Center for Independent Living.

The next year I returned to Tucson and got a job as a computer programmer at

Aircraft. For the next 24 years I worked as a programmer and a

computer systems manager.

Fortunately I was nearly always able to arrange a car pool to work, because

public transit here is pretty bad. A blind friend of mine tried taking the

city bus across town to work, but found that it took two and a half hours to

get there and another two and a half hours to get back. Once, during a two

week break in car pool availability, I applied to Van-Tran, which is the

local transportation system for handicapped people. They turned me down,

saying that blind people should just use the city bus. I appealed, pointing

out that the last bus stop was four miles short of my office. The appeals

board turned me down too, just saying 'no exceptions'. Fortunately I was

able to arrange another car pool just about then, because my guide dog and I

would have never been able to cover those four miles here in Tucson where

the summer temperatures are often over 110 degrees.

One of my greatest challenges came when my sighted wife of 15 years died

suddenly and I was left as the blind single, working parent of our third

grade daughter. Some how we both made it through that, and my daughter is

now a 22 year old college student. Besides going to college she has a job

and does volunteer work at an agency for children who have recently

experienced the death of a parent.

For the last two years I have been counting carbs and checking my blood

glucose about five times per day. I use lantus insulin, measured by a

count-a-dose, and novalog insulin from a pen. My last A1C was 5.9.

If any of you are totally blind and use an insulin pump without any sighted

assistance I would like to hear about it. A pump sounds like a good idea to

me, but I am just not sure whether any of them are accessible enough for me

to use without assistance.

I see from this thread that some of you have been diabetic for a long time.

I shudder when I think back on the days when we had to boil a glass syringe

and a steel needle in a pan on the stove every morning. Think of how dull

those needles must have been after a few days. At least we only took one

shot per day back then, but that one shot sure didn't control the glucose

very well. Since we didn't have glucose meters back then, and the A1C test

wasn't yet in use, we just checked our urine with a clinitest kit. Makes

you wonder how much progress will be made in the next thirty years.

I just ran a spell checker on this note, and it offered to change 'counting

carbs' to counting crabs'. Reminds me of the time I referred to my boss,

Mr. Loper, in a note at work, and the spell checker wanted to change it to

'Mr. Loser'.

Now that I am not working I take classes at the community college just for

fun. This semester I am taking Introduction to Psychology. On that note, I

had better close this note and get back to reading that psychology text

book, page by page, on a flat bed scanner.

Bye for Now,

Mark

Talk

>

>

>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am

>> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here?

>> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic?

>>

>>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Me too Danny! Dark green is not my favorite color either!

Re: Talk

Hi Mark,

Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue

is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange

until this day.

Danny

[Guest guest]

so do i!

Debbie

Re: Talk

Hi Mark,

Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue

is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange

until this day.

Danny