Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 , when you go on a " vacation " sometimes it takes a little while to get back on track. And remember...that sandwich had two slices of bread and unless you specifically got lowcarb bread, that would raise your BGs. Try Really Cutting Back on the carbs. I think you'll see results. Don't get discouraged...diabetes is a progressive disease and very often it's one step forward and two steps backwards. Also...even if you it seems you have things under control for a while, Things Change. For all of us. And adjustments have to be made. Best to keep testing a lot...write everything down...watch your portion sizes too. If you don't have a food scale I suggest you get one. Vicki In a message dated 09/09/2002 6:26:01 PM US Mountain Standard Time, misscindy8@... writes: > > I'm working soooo hard, why am I not succeeding????? Especially when I was > succeeding just 2 weeks ago on the very same diet??? Do I need more meds? > Different meds? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 , when you go on a " vacation " sometimes it takes a little while to get back on track. And remember...that sandwich had two slices of bread and unless you specifically got lowcarb bread, that would raise your BGs. Try Really Cutting Back on the carbs. I think you'll see results. Don't get discouraged...diabetes is a progressive disease and very often it's one step forward and two steps backwards. Also...even if you it seems you have things under control for a while, Things Change. For all of us. And adjustments have to be made. Best to keep testing a lot...write everything down...watch your portion sizes too. If you don't have a food scale I suggest you get one. Vicki In a message dated 09/09/2002 6:26:01 PM US Mountain Standard Time, misscindy8@... writes: > > I'm working soooo hard, why am I not succeeding????? Especially when I was > succeeding just 2 weeks ago on the very same diet??? Do I need more meds? > Different meds? > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 wrote: > > I have been a bit discouraged this past week as I can not seem to get my > sugar levels to drop. 2 weeks ago I was pretty steady between 110 and 130, > mostly staying under 120 except after the occassional meal. > > Then I ran out of strips and for 2 1/2 days I cheated, ... got right back on the > diet I'd been following the prior week. > More times than I'd like to admit, my levels have been closer to > 245, sometime dropping to 188 with a very few occassions when my fasting > levels were 136 and then 126 (only happened once each time). > > On Saturday morning I ate a home made egg sandwich and 2 hours later my bgs > were 142, not too bad. But the next day I ate the exact same egg sandwith > and 2 hours later my bgs were 245, what is going on???? > > I'm working soooo hard, why am I not succeeding????? Especially when I was > succeeding just 2 weeks ago on the very same diet??? Do I need more meds? > Different meds? > in Manassas Type 2 Glucophage Zestril Moderate carbs (90 per day) , I am sorry you are struggling since " falling of the wagon " . Unfortunately, what you are experiencing is not that uncommon. When we get our body used to a certain regimen and have good bg control, changing from that (in your case by the " 2 1/2 day cheat " ), disrupts the functioning of the various body systems and it can take awhile to regain control. It's happened to me (a long time ago), and since that episode, I try " very hard " to stay on my very LC WOE, and the problem hasn't recurred. I notice from your signature line that you are eating 90grams of carbs per day. I would suggest that, while trying to get things back in order, you reduce your carb consumption substantially (say Bernstein level of 30grams/day) until control is regained. When that happens, you could then start adding carbs back into your diet and, if you do that gradually, you will discover what level your body can handle for your current level of activity and the meds you are taking. I personally wouldn't suggest that you change meds until at least trying to regain you previous bg levels by cutting carbs (just MHO). It could take days or weeks to get back to where you were previously (bg-wise), but its worth the effort, as I am sure you know. This episode should perhaps cause you to re-think it the next time you are tempted to " cheat " . Unfortunately, diabetes won't let us alone for a single second, and requires us to be pretty regimented if we are to maintain those " really good " levels of control. Drifting away from our chosen WOE (whatever that may be) frequently leads to situations such as you are experiencing. Just know that you very likely can regain control, it will just take some extra effort for at least a little while. Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 , here's an excerpt from Dr Bernstein's book (in case you haven't read it) about what you can expect if you can achieve normal blood sugars...so don't be discouraged. Keep working on getting your A1C to nondiabetic numbers...lots of us have gotten there. Vicki << What You Can Expect from Virtually Normal Blood Sugars K. Bernstein, M.D., F.A.C.E., F.A.C.N., C.W.S. I am convinced, from my personal experience, from the experiences of my patients, and from reading the scientific literature, that peoÂple with normal blood sugars do not develop the long-term compliÂcations of diabetes. I am further convinced that diabetics with slightly elevated blood glucose profiles may eventually develop some of the long-term complications of diabetes, but they will develop more slowly and likely be less severe. In this feature, I will try to describe some of the changes that I and other physicians have observed when the blood sugÂars of our patients dramatically improve. MENTAL CHANGES Most common, perhaps, is the feeling of being more alert, and no longer chronically tired. Many people who “feel perfectly fine†before their blood sugars are normalized comment later that they had no idea they could feel so much better. Another common occurrence relates to short-term memory. Very frequently patients or spouses will refer to their “terrible memory.†When I first began my medical practice, I would ask patients to phone me at night with their blood sugar data for fine-tuning of medications. My wife, a physician specializing in psychoanalytic medicine, someÂtimes overheard my end of the conversation and would comment, “That person has a dementia.†Weeks later, she would again hear my end of a conversation with the same individual, and would comment on the great improvement of short-term memory. This became so common that I introduced an objective test for short-term memory into the neuÂrologic exam that I perform on all new patients. About half my new paÂtients indeed display this mild form of dementia, which appears to lift after several weeks of improved blood sugar. The improvement is usually quite apparent to spouses. DIABETIC NEUROPATHIES Diabetic neuropathies seem to improve in two phases a rapid partial improvement that may occur within weeks, followed by sustained very slow improvement that goes on for years if blood sugars continue to reÂmain normal. This is most apparent with numbness or pain in the toes. Some people will even comment, “I know right away if my blood sugar is high, because my toes feel numb again.†On the other hand, several patients with total numbness of their feet have complained of severe pain after several months of near normal blood sugars. This continues for a number of months and eventually resolves as sensation returns. It is as if nerves generate pain signals while they heal or “sprout?’ The exÂperience may be very frightening and distressing, especially if you haven’t been warned that it might occur. Erectile impotence affects about 65% of diabetic males, and is the reÂsult of years of elevated blood sugars. It may be defined as an inability to maintain a rigid enough penile erection for adequate time to perform intercourse. It usually results from neuropathy, blocked blood vessels, or both. We can perform simple tests to determine which of these causes predominates. When the problem is principally neurologic, I frequently hear the comment, sometimes after only a few weeks of near-normal blood sugar profiles, “Hey, I’ m able to have intercourse again!†UnforÂtunately, this turnaround only appears to occur if the man was able to attain at least partial erections before. If at the original interview, I’m told, “Doc, it’s been dead for years;’ I know recovery is unlikely to occur. If testing shows that the problem was due primarily to blocked blood vessels, I never see improvement. Note, however, that it’s normal to be unable to have erections when blood sugars are too low, say below 75 mg/dl. Another remarkable change relates to autonomic neuropathy and associated gastroparesis. I have documented major improvement of R-R interval studies in many patients, and total normalization in a few. Along with this, we see reduction in symptoms of gastroparesis. Usually such improvement takes place over a period of years. Although it occurs most dramatically in younger people, I’ve also seen it occur in seventy-Âyear-olds. VISION IMPROVEMENTS Diplopia, or double vision, is caused by neuropathy of the nerves that activate the muscles that move the eyes. It is a very common finding on physical examination, but rarely severe enough to be noticed by patients on a day-to-day basis. Here, again, when testing is redone after a few years, we find improvement or even total cures with blood sugar imÂprovement. Vacuoles are tiny bubbles in the lens of the eye. They are thought to be precursors of cataracts. I have seen a number of these vanish after a year or two of improved blood sugars. I have even seen the disappearÂance of small spokes on the lens that signify very early cataracts. I’ve seen cases of glaucoma cured by normalization of blood sugars. OTHER IMPROVEMENTS Improvements in risk factors for heart disease, such as mild hypertenÂsion, HDL-cholesterol ratios, triglycerides, and fibrinogen levels, are commonplace. They usually can be observed after about two months. Similarly, improvements in early changes noted on renal risk profiles are often obtained, usually after one or two years, but sometimes after a few months. Most dramatic and commonplace is the feeling of satisfaction and control that nearly everyone experiences when they produce normal blood sugar profiles, HgbA1c between 4.2 and 4.6%. This is especially true for individuals who had alÂready been taking insulin, but appears also to occur in those who do not take insulin. Last but not least is the feeling that we are not doomed to share the fate of others we have known, who died prematurely after years of disabling or painful diabetic complications. We come to realize that with the ability to control our blood sugars comes the ability to prevent the consequences of high blood sugars. I have long maintained that diabetics are entitled to the same blood sugÂars as nondiabetics. But it is up to us to see that we achieve this goal. Printer Friendly VersionThe above was abstracted from Dr. Bernstein’s book “Diabetes Solutionâ€. To view other advice from Dr. Bernstein go to <A HREF= " http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/bernsteinarchive.htm " >www.diabetesincontr\ ol.com/bernsteinarchive.htm</A> In a message dated 09/10/2002 5:41:05 PM US Mountain Standard Time, misscindy8@... writes: > Vicki, does " progressive " mean that no matter what I do, this disease is > going to get worse? No matter how hard I work, no matter what I try, no > matter what I do without, it's going to " get " me in the end???? > > in Manassas > Type 2 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Vicki, does " progressive " mean that no matter what I do, this disease is going to get worse? No matter how hard I work, no matter what I try, no matter what I do without, it's going to " get " me in the end???? in Manassas Type 2 Glucophage Zestril Moderate carbs (90 per day) > Re: What's going on??? > diabetes is a progressive disease and very often > it's one step > forward and two steps backwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 , how long do you think it would take for me to regain control of my sugar levels? What I'd really like to do is throw a good old fashioned temper tantrum and scream " IT'S NOT FAIR " to whoever will listen. But I know that will do no good (sigh). Sometimes having self-control is a difficult thing. in Manassas (Feeling quite wussy right now) Type 2 Glucophage Zestril Moderate carbs (90 per day) > Re: What's going on??? > >> > I notice from your signature line that you are eating 90grams of carbs > per day. I would suggest that, while trying to get things back in > order, you reduce your carb consumption substantially (say Bernstein > level of 30grams/day) until control is regained. When that happens, > you could then start adding carbs back into your diet and, if you do > that gradually, you will discover what level your body can handle for > your current level of activity and the meds you are taking. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 Well, yes--but you can delay 'the end' for as long as possible. RE: What's going on??? Vicki, does " progressive " mean that no matter what I do, this disease is going to get worse? No matter how hard I work, no matter what I try, no matter what I do without, it's going to " get " me in the end???? in Manassas Type 2 Glucophage Zestril Moderate carbs (90 per day) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 What is LADA? ~*~Rhonda~*~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults. In other words, what used to be called juvenile diabetes type 1...except I got it at age 60, smile. Vicki In a message dated 09/11/2002 8:29:43 AM US Mountain Standard Time, rjenkins@... writes: > What is LADA? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 I'm not Vicki but " progressive " does not necessarily mean that your disease is going to get worse no matter how hard you work at it. It does mean, however, that it can change rapidly and unless you are in control of it.it will be in control of you and it WILL get worse. Everything about this disease is a bewilderment to us all. That's why we have this " saying " of YMMV. What works for one of us may not work for everyone, and what works for us today may not work for us tomorrow. *sigh* Tootie Vicki, does " progressive " mean that no matter what I do, this disease is going to get worse? No matter how hard I work, no matter what I try, no matter what I do without, it's going to " get " me in the end???? in Manassas .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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