You Take Charge: was- newbie questions

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

Others have said most of what I would have covered, but a couple of points:

1) As you've been told, you need the tester & supplies if you're to know how

you are doing in trying to control your bg's. IMHO, you need to test an

absolute minimum of 4-times a day, and in your " learning stage " , more than that

will provide you with much useful information.

If you search some, testers are available for free (with a rebate usually),

or at a reduced cost. Look in some of the diabetes magazines for ads or on

the web. Strips are the major ongoing cost for testing.

Better than that, most insurances cover the cost of testers & supplies, you

just need to get your Dr to prescribe them. More on that later.

2) You need to have a Glycosylated Hemoglobin test (HbA1c) which shows how

your overall bg levels have been for a period of several weeks up to a couple

months. That gives you an idea of your real condition that cannot be obtained

at all from fasting bg tests. Here again, you need to get your Dr to

prescribe the test.

Now to my major point---

Others have said diabetes is not a " one-size-fits-all " disease. Periodic

visits & tests done by your Dr " cannot " allow you to achieve the level of

control to minimize (or avoid) the risk for all the horrendous complications

that

will befall the uncontrolled diabetic (peripheral neuropathy leading to limb

amputation, retinopathy leading to blindness, nephropathy leading to kidney

failure & need for transplant, various cardio-vascular problems leading to

heart-attack or stroke, and many others)

Daily actions by a diabetic patient (you) are what will lead to the level of

control to avoid compllications (normal non-diabetic 70-110mg/dl & HbA1c

less than 6.0%).

It is up to " you " to control this disease with the assistance of your

medical team (Dr, DE, etc). But you must be the manager and make sure the

medical

personnel give you what you need in the way of lab tests & medications. Don't

depend on them for advice unless you find one who understands bg control on

an individual level, not a " fixed program " for all.

I know that as a newbie this sounds like a daunting task, but there are many

here on the list that are living with this thing & controlling it, and are

willing to share their experiences on " what works for them " . It is then up to

" you " to find what works for you, & your tester will allow you to see what

works.

Others have suggested you find another more " diabetically knowledgeable " Dr

& I agree with that. You don't, however, have to go to a specialist (endo,

etc) unless you are unable to find a pcp that has adequate knowlede. Of course,

endo's specialize in diseases such as diabetes so are the best choice, but

still, many of them don't understand how to achieve " really good control " .

Bottom-line: You need to " insist " that your Dr prescribe you a tester & the

HbA1c test.

, T2, dx'ed 4/98, controlling with LC & Supplements

Average fasting bg 100mg/dl, last HbA1c 5.6%

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

She wants me to get monthly fasting blood

sugar tests at the lab, along with a monthly doctor visit. Hopefully if

I lose the weight, the diabetes will go away. I asked about whether I

should get a meter & do my own testing and she said no, just follow the

regime for now. Does this sound sufficient?