New Member in South Florida USA

[Guest guest]

Hi! I'm new here. My name is Adam. I live in South Florida, USA.

A few days ago, I learned from my doctor that I have mild diabetes. I am

a white male, 6 feet tall, 260 pounds, large frame, and I've been obese

for much of my life.

I know this diagnosis is supposed to scare me a bit, and I know that I

have to make changes, and I figured that these Yahoo! groups are a good

place to start.

I do not own a glucose meter, and I have not been prescribed any

diabetes-specific medication... no pills, no shots. I was asked to drop

fifty pounds (slowly but surely) and to begin exercising; they requested

thirty minutes, three times a week, with a raised heart rate.

My blood sugar was measured at 150; the doctor said it should be between

sixty-something and 109.

I've got a few questions... please answer them ONLY by e-mail

(adam@...). Please do NOT reply to the Yahoo! groups... there's

no need to waste bandwidth and clog the inboxes of all the folks

subscribed.

1. Why is DM an acceptable abbreviation for " diabetes " when the letter M

is not in the word?

2. Why are my eyesight and my feet susceptible to deterioration?

3. I understand the need for a glucose meter. Can I get recommendations

for relatively-priced names of meters (or brand names)?

4. Are these glucose meters (and all other diabetes-related purchases) tax

deductible? (I think they are.)

5. Can I get suggestions for specific foods to buy at the grocery store,

and/or specific foods/items sold at restaurants?

Thanks so much... I'll stay in touch!

Sincerely,

Adam Smargon

Coconut Creek, Florida USA

adam@...

www.adam.smargon.net

[Guest guest]

Adam -

I'm answering only a couple of your questions but doing so via Yahoo groups

cuz whenever anyone has a question, chances are that there are lots of

lurkers who would also like to see the answer . . .

>1. Why is DM an acceptable abbreviation for " diabetes " when the letter M

>is not in the word?

Diabetes Mellitus is the medical/official name of the disease.

>2. Why are my eyesight and my feet susceptible to deterioration?

1) acceleration of poor circulation

2) neuropathy (that usually begins in the extremities) caused by sustained

high blood glucose levels (the full explanation is longer and more

scientific but I don't have one handy).

>3. I understand the need for a glucose meter. Can I get recommendations

>for relatively-priced names of meters (or brand names)?

There are lots and lots of them but here's an interesting comparison article.

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/d_0i_000.htm

If you are buying/paying for your own, you have lots of choices. If your

medical care is via HMO, they will issue you the one in their formulary. If

some kind of insurance is going to cover the price (or part thereof) you'll

likely need a Rx from your doc.

The price of the meter is fairly irrelevant and often free (or nearly) as

it's the strips (and continuing use of lots of them) that are expensive and

provide the profit (rather like an inkjet printer and its ink cartridges).

>4. Are these glucose meters (and all other diabetes-related purchases) tax

>deductible? (I think they are.)

Technically, yes, but as with other medical expenses, IRS has an assortment

of guidelines/limitations for claiming them, e.g., long form, itemization,

minimum % expenditure compared to your reported income to qualify, etc. etc.

>5. Can I get suggestions for specific foods to buy at the grocery store,

>and/or specific foods/items sold at restaurants?

Depends on your food plan and there are numerous possibilities. There is no

" one size fits all " answer. Read this group and its archives, read a few

recommended books, research the Internet. That info + glucometer testing to

know what foods have what effect on *your* system (and that will likely

change as you lose weight) is an ongoing project for diabetics.

Good luck -

Sandy

T1 - 1979