New here

[Guest guest]

If I try doing 50 carbs per day, is it ok to use some of the carbs

for an afternoon snack? I usually eat lunch around 12pm but often

don't get to supper until 7pm or a little later and I get really

hungry around 4 and start snacking.

Kathleen

>

> >Two hours after supper was 209, this is getting to be really

> >discouraging. I even made sure that I only ate two meals today so

> >that my blood sugar wouldn't go up and it did anyhow. For supper I

> >ate a lot of lettuce and a little bit of fish and some leftover

stir

> >fried vegetables. How did it go up with lettuce, I thought lettuce

> >helps it stay down.

>

> Kathleen, what was your BG *before* you ate? Seeing a high number

after you

> eat doesn't do any good if you don't know what it was beforehand.

If your

> BG was 190 before you ate then you only went up 19 points. If it

was 112

> beforehand, then you went up 97 points (which would be odd for fish

and

> stir-fry (depending on what veggies were IN the stir-fry, of

course) and

> lettuce.

>

> Eating two meals a day isn't going to help, either. You really need

to eat

> regular meals and maybe snacks.

>

> I agree with what Vicki said earlier. You should try doing two

weeks of

> very low-carb meals and see how that affects your BG numbers. The

most

> important thing at first is to get your BG down to a reasonable

level and

> fairly steady. Then you can think about adding in some of the more

carby

> foods.

>

> sky

>

[Guest guest]

Helen wrote:

" Finally, I think you need to find some exercise that you can do. When

you have a number like 315, it is not good to go to bed with it. Some

people here report a brisk 30 minute walk can bring their bgs down over

100 points. Perhaps you can find some vigorous, yet possible, chair

exercises and bring your bgs down too. "

Here's an idea that I'm thinking about, it might be a good one for you too.

http://store.yahoo.net/net2fitness/ezc5minicycle.html

**********************************************************************

Bev Thoman wife to Rex T2 dx Oct 21, 2005, 1st A1C 11.8 (?LADA?) Meds:

Metformin 1500 mg, Avandia 4 mg, Micardis 40 mg, LOW Carb diet (usually

about 75 g per day) bg now averaging about 200 (with a lot of fluctuation),

but trying to get close to 100 - 120, and an A1c of 5.5 - 6

Go Navy!!!!!!!!

_____

[Guest guest]

Ok, at supper I will start testing before meals in addition to after

meals. My 100 strips are going to go fast at this rate. I thought

they were going to last 2 or 3 months.

Kathleen

>

> Checking more often is good, but you are doing the checking to learn

> something. You're trying to learn how your meals or specific foods raise

> your blood glucose levels. To do that you need something to compare

with.

> So you need to test before you eat (and hopefully, several hours after you

> last ate anything) and then 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours later. That gives you

> the comparison. For some foods you may end up wanting to check at shorter

> time intervals after eating...like once every half hour for the next two to

> three hours. That's a lot of testing, I know, but that could give you an

> idea of when the reaction to the food first " hits " and how long it takes to

> wear off. Sometimes your BG numbers can look fine at 2 hours because for

> whatever reason they spiked you only one hour after you ate and by the time

> you check they're on their way down again. It's such a fun

> disease...always keeps you guessing. (wry smile) 8-/

>

> The thing most of us have the hardest time with is convincing some doctor

> (and/or our insurance companies or medicare) to allow us the number of test

> strips we NEED to actually learn how we react to different foods. It seems

> they'd rather pay out really big money later on for our amputations or

> wheelchairs or dialysis for non-functioning kidneys, etc., than for the

> strips that could prevent the complications.

>

> You need to try to convince your doctor that you need a prescription for

> more test strips. They are expensive...in fact, they're the way the meter

> companies make their money. They'll give away the meters. Someone said

> it's like drugs...the first one is free.

>

>

> -=skydancer=-

[Guest guest]

>

> I have heard that farm raised fish are worse than wild fish, the

PCBs and other really bad things. So sad -- we used to love salmon so

much. Just do a search on th words farm raised salmon and you'll find

lots of information. Or go here:

http://www.albany.edu/ihe/salmonstudy/contaminants.html

[Guest guest]

I've never heard this one before. And I haven't seen anything in the

literature that would support such a statement. So, off hand, I would

say no, this is not true.

CarolR

kathleenataylor wrote:

> But doesn't insulin shorten your lifespan? I thought that once you

> start on insulin then your lifespan is automatically shortened.

> Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Sure you can. Divvy up the carbs any way you find satisfactory. But do

record what you eat and how many carbs each serving contains so you can

know what happened.

CarolR

kathleenataylor wrote:

> If I try doing 50 carbs per day, is it ok to use some of the carbs

> for an afternoon snack? I usually eat lunch around 12pm but often

> don't get to supper until 7pm or a little later and I get really

> hungry around 4 and start snacking.

> Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Good for you, Kathleen!

Although I use my computer a lot, because I'm out and about a lot and

eating away from home, I find it a lot easier to keep my BGs log and

insulin/food record in a small spiral notebook that fits in my purse.

In it, I record my BG, the time I took it and (in code) what I ate and

the quantity, (this is where a food scale comes in handy), the amount of

insulin I took and the results 1 and 2 hours afterwards. Later I

translate this to my PalmPilot, and I keep everything for 2 months.

This keeps things current.

Vicki

Re: New Here

>I just created a nice little table on a Microsoft Word where I can

> record: Date, Time, Blood Sugar, Fasting/Non-Fasting, and what I have

> eaten. Do I need to keep track of anything else?

> Kathleen

>

>

>> > I didn't check before supper, I have checked as soon as I get up

> and

>> > two hours after each meal.

>>

[Guest guest]

Probably your doc did too.

As Sky mentioned earlier, most doctors don't seem to understand the

purpose of testing is not for THEIR convenience but for the newby

diabetic to learn how different foods affect BGs.

Perhaps next time you see your doc you can get him to prescribe a lot

more, (and therefore your insurance will pay for it) after you tell him

what you want them for.

Or are you one of those unfortunate people who don't have insurance?

Sorry if I don't remember. I'm active on several diabetes lists and

don't always remember what I said when and where, smile.

Once you get a handle on how different foods affect your body, you can

cut back on the testing.

Vicki

Re: New Here

> Ok, at supper I will start testing before meals in addition to after

> meals. My 100 strips are going to go fast at this rate. I thought

> they were going to last 2 or 3 months.

> Kathleen

>

>

>

>>

>> Checking more often is good, but you are doing the checking to learn

>> something. You're trying to learn how your meals or specific foods

>> raise

>> your blood glucose levels. To do that you need something to compare

> with.

>> So you need to test before you eat (and hopefully, several hours

>> after you

>> last ate anything) and then 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours later. That gives

>> you

>> the comparison. For some foods you may end up wanting to check at

>> shorter

>> time intervals after eating...like once every half hour for the next

>> two to

>> three hours. That's a lot of testing, I know, but that could give you

>> an

>> idea of when the reaction to the food first " hits " and how long it

>> takes to

>> wear off. Sometimes your BG numbers can look fine at 2 hours because

>> for

>> whatever reason they spiked you only one hour after you ate and by

>> the time

>> you check they're on their way down again. It's such a fun

>> disease...always keeps you guessing. (wry smile) 8-/

>>

>> The thing most of us have the hardest time with is convincing some

>> doctor

>> (and/or our insurance companies or medicare) to allow us the number

>> of test

>> strips we NEED to actually learn how we react to different foods. It

>> seems

>> they'd rather pay out really big money later on for our amputations

>> or

>> wheelchairs or dialysis for non-functioning kidneys, etc., than for

>> the

>> strips that could prevent the complications.

>>

>> You need to try to convince your doctor that you need a prescription

>> for

>> more test strips. They are expensive...in fact, they're the way the

>> meter

>> companies make their money. They'll give away the meters. Someone

>> said

>> it's like drugs...the first one is free.

>>

>>

>> -==skydancer==-

>

[Guest guest]

> But doesn't insulin shorten your lifespan? I thought that once you

> start on insulin then your lifespan is automatically shortened.

Yes, but only if you have heart problems. There was a report at the

end of 2004 that claimed that insulin increases mortality by up to

four times for heart patients:

" UCLA researchers for the first time showed that advanced heart

failure patients with diabetes who are treated with insulin faced a

mortality rate four times higher than heart failure patients with

diabetes treated with oral medications.

IMPACT: The new study may help raise awareness among physicians and

patients of this previously unknown relationship between insulin use

and increased mortality in advanced heart failure patients. More

research is needed to explore the mechanisms of how insulin use may

be contributing to the higher mortality rate. "

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=18528

I have not seen anything about increased mortality for diabetics

being treated with insulin who are not heart failure patients.

Regards

[Guest guest]

That is ridiculous and absolutely untrue.

OTOH, many diabetics' lives have been shortened because they SHOULD have

been on insulin but for various reasons, were not.

I'm utterly amazed at the untruths about insulin that one hears.

Ted, do you want to speak up here?

(Ted, on insulin for nearly 50 years now, isn't it?)

Vicki, 7+ years on insulin, no complications, planning on none, ever,

ever.

Re: New Here

> But doesn't insulin shorten your lifespan? I thought that once you

> start on insulin then your lifespan is automatically shortened.

> Kathleen

>

>

>>

>> That may not help, since when our bg is over 250 exercise will

> automatically RAISE bg for almost

>> anyone. The system is confused at those levels so it's best to

> relax, take some insulin to counter

>> it and wait for the level to drop.

>>

>> In case it wasn't apparent in the above I agree completely that

> insulin may be the best treatment

>> for her now. After a short while on insulin she may be able to go

> back to pills if she wished, but

>> insulin is so much more adjustable.

>>

>> Ted Quick

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Don't go overboard, Kathleen. 50 carbs per day is pretty radical and

you'll probably burn out in a very short time.

Why don't you try for 150 a day for a while? Check out Mendosa's

website for help in choosing lower GI foods. Or read my newby letter

again - I listed a whole bunch of foods that are pretty low GI. It

doesn't matter when you eat them. But stay away from the higher GI carb

foods -- anything made with grains, such as cereals, pastas, breads,

cakes, cookies, etc. as well as root veggies and rice, becuase they'll

cause cravings and you'll want to eat more.

Vicki

Re: New Here

> If I try doing 50 carbs per day, is it ok to use some of the carbs

> for an afternoon snack? I usually eat lunch around 12pm but often

> don't get to supper until 7pm or a little later and I get really

> hungry around 4 and start snacking.

> Kathleen

>

>

>>

>> >Two hours after supper was 209, this is getting to be really

>> >discouraging. I even made sure that I only ate two meals today so

>> >that my blood sugar wouldn't go up and it did anyhow. For supper I

>> >ate a lot of lettuce and a little bit of fish and some leftover

> stir

>> >fried vegetables. How did it go up with lettuce, I thought lettuce

>> >helps it stay down.

>>

>> Kathleen, what was your BG *before* you ate? Seeing a high number

> after you

>> eat doesn't do any good if you don't know what it was beforehand.

> If your

>> BG was 190 before you ate then you only went up 19 points. If it

> was 112

>> beforehand, then you went up 97 points (which would be odd for fish

> and

>> stir-fry (depending on what veggies were IN the stir-fry, of

> course) and

>> lettuce.

>>

>> Eating two meals a day isn't going to help, either. You really need

> to eat

>> regular meals and maybe snacks.

>>

>> I agree with what Vicki said earlier. You should try doing two

> weeks of

>> very low-carb meals and see how that affects your BG numbers. The

> most

>> important thing at first is to get your BG down to a reasonable

> level and

>> fairly steady. Then you can think about adding in some of the more

> carby

>> foods.

>>

>> sky

>>

>

[Guest guest]

You're moving in the right direction, Kathleen...but fruits are sweet.

Remember, you want to stay away from sweet stuff - even natural sugars

such as in fruit.

If you're going to be away from home, carry foods with you to eat. Hard

boiled eggs work nicely. Some packaged lunch meat rolled up in lettuce.

Pork rinds. A little celery or raw carrots. Don't let yourself be at

the mercy of whatever fast food restaurant you happen to be around.

Managing diabetes successfully requires a certain amount of planning

ahead. I realize this may be a huge adjustment - but try to consider it

a worthwhile learning experience.

Vicki

Re: New Here

> Helen,

> I'm excited, because so far today my blood sugar has stayed under 200

> (I know that's still high, but it's a start).

> My fasting level this morning was 182 and for breakfast was ground

> turkey browned with some black pepper and minced onion added, plus

> about a cup and a half of broccoli.

> Two hours after breakfast my blood sugar was 160.

> I was away from home at lunch and really needed to eat, so I went to

> Mcs and had the fruit and nut plate plus a small diet coke.

> Two hours after lunch my blood sugar was 171.

> Kathleen

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Helen,

> I'm excited, because so far today my blood sugar has stayed under

200

> (I know that's still high, but it's a start).

>

You're right, it's a good start. It sometimes takes time for your BG

levels to get down to normal. It took me three weeks of strict diet

control to get my first normal, non-diabetic numbers when I was first

diagnosed. Hang in there, you're doing great and asking all the right

questions!

Christy

[Guest guest]

At 05:06 PM 12/30/05, kathleenataylor wrote:

>But doesn't insulin shorten your lifespan? I thought that once you

>start on insulin then your lifespan is automatically shortened.

Well...if you don't have diabetes your pancreas makes insulin all of the

time. So why would injecting insulin shorten life?

sky

[Guest guest]

As far as I know farm raised fish are in ponds that are full of

pollution; they are fed hormones to stimulate growth and feed composed of

fish that are full of toxins. Salmon that are farm raised are white and

dye is injected to give them that nice healthy salmon color. A lot of

salmon that is labeled as wild Alaskan isn't.

Occasionally someone gives me some fresh caught wild fish, otherwise I

eat no fish anymore, except for a bit of shrimp now and again.

Helen

[Guest guest]

Exercise.

Nora

At 10:36 PM 12/30/05 +0000, you wrote:

>I just created a nice little table on a Microsoft Word where I can

>record: Date, Time, Blood Sugar, Fasting/Non-Fasting, and what I have

>eaten. Do I need to keep track of anything else?

>Kathleen

[Guest guest]

I guess you more than proved them wrong. I was really wondering about

that, because I have gotten part of my information from family

members, part from the doctor, and part from some people who deal in

herbs as medicine. I knew the one was wrong when she claimed that she

could cure my cancer by having me swallow some herbs, but I thought

maybe the man was correct about insulin because he seemed a little

more like he knew what he was talking about.

Kathleen

>

> No, that's a poopular misconception. Came about because Type 2s

were normally thought to start

> with diet and exercise, then start taking pills, and eventually

start taking insulin as things

> " automatically " progressed. It's also the only treatment for Type 1

diabetics (like me), who were

> always assumed to be in worse dhqape all the time and live much

shorter lives. Hmm, in 1956 when I

> was diagnosed with Type 1 they told nme I could hopefully live as

much as 20 years more. Gee, hope

> I survive until 1977 to prove them wrong! ;^}

>

> Many folks in here have found ways to gain and hold control so that

it either doesn't progress or

> at least does so a LOT slower. There is actually no stigma or bad

thing about using insulin, it's

> just the most effective tool in some situations. Tho gain control

faster at diagnosis it may be

> the best tool you can use, if only for a short time. It's also much

more adjustable to fit your

> needs and doesn't force you to hold a strict eating and exercise

schedule to fit a pill's

> necessities.

>

> Or, in other words, if it shortened my lifespan why am I still

alive nearly 50 years later?

>

> Ted Quick

[Guest guest]

The operational word there is " seemed " ......

The real problem is that many such statements made by professionals concerning

diabetes are

outdated by at least 30 years, sometimes more. They heard it sometime way back

then and it stuck

in their head, so they tell you as if it's still true.

The use of glucose meters has changed the whole issue in so many ways.

Ted Quick

--- kathleenataylor kathleenataylor@...> wrote:

> I guess you more than proved them wrong. I was really wondering about

> that, because I have gotten part of my information from family

> members, part from the doctor, and part from some people who deal in

> herbs as medicine. I knew the one was wrong when she claimed that she

> could cure my cancer by having me swallow some herbs, but I thought

> maybe the man was correct about insulin because he seemed a little

> more like he knew what he was talking about.

> Kathleen

>

>

> >

> > No, that's a poopular misconception. Came about because Type 2s

> were normally thought to start

> > with diet and exercise, then start taking pills, and eventually

> start taking insulin as things

> > " automatically " progressed. It's also the only treatment for Type 1

> diabetics (like me), who were

> > always assumed to be in worse dhqape all the time and live much

> shorter lives. Hmm, in 1956 when I

> > was diagnosed with Type 1 they told nme I could hopefully live as

> much as 20 years more. Gee, hope

> > I survive until 1977 to prove them wrong! ;^}

> >

> > Many folks in here have found ways to gain and hold control so that

> it either doesn't progress or

> > at least does so a LOT slower. There is actually no stigma or bad

> thing about using insulin, it's

> > just the most effective tool in some situations. Tho gain control

> faster at diagnosis it may be

> > the best tool you can use, if only for a short time. It's also much

> more adjustable to fit your

> > needs and doesn't force you to hold a strict eating and exercise

> schedule to fit a pill's

> > necessities.

> >

> > Or, in other words, if it shortened my lifespan why am I still

> alive nearly 50 years later?

> >

> > Ted Quick

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The operational word there is " seemed " ......

The real problem is that many such statements made by professionals concerning

diabetes are

outdated by at least 30 years, sometimes more. They heard it sometime way back

then and it stuck

in their head, so they tell you as if it's still true.

The use of glucose meters has changed the whole issue in so many ways.

Ted Quick

--- kathleenataylor kathleenataylor@...> wrote:

> I guess you more than proved them wrong. I was really wondering about

> that, because I have gotten part of my information from family

> members, part from the doctor, and part from some people who deal in

> herbs as medicine. I knew the one was wrong when she claimed that she

> could cure my cancer by having me swallow some herbs, but I thought

> maybe the man was correct about insulin because he seemed a little

> more like he knew what he was talking about.

> Kathleen

>

>

> >

> > No, that's a poopular misconception. Came about because Type 2s

> were normally thought to start

> > with diet and exercise, then start taking pills, and eventually

> start taking insulin as things

> > " automatically " progressed. It's also the only treatment for Type 1

> diabetics (like me), who were

> > always assumed to be in worse dhqape all the time and live much

> shorter lives. Hmm, in 1956 when I

> > was diagnosed with Type 1 they told nme I could hopefully live as

> much as 20 years more. Gee, hope

> > I survive until 1977 to prove them wrong! ;^}

> >

> > Many folks in here have found ways to gain and hold control so that

> it either doesn't progress or

> > at least does so a LOT slower. There is actually no stigma or bad

> thing about using insulin, it's

> > just the most effective tool in some situations. Tho gain control

> faster at diagnosis it may be

> > the best tool you can use, if only for a short time. It's also much

> more adjustable to fit your

> > needs and doesn't force you to hold a strict eating and exercise

> schedule to fit a pill's

> > necessities.

> >

> > Or, in other words, if it shortened my lifespan why am I still

> alive nearly 50 years later?

> >

> > Ted Quick

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kathleen, most diabetics have their highest readings in the morning, that

is why we are constantly trying different modalities to get our morning

readings down.

Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they only work for a

while. If you go back into the archives you will see discussions of wine

at bedtime, different snacks at bedtime, no food at all after dinner, and

so on.

This rise in the morning is called the dawn phenomenon. As our bodies

begin to stir, various systems come into play to make us ready for the

day. Certain hormones are released to stimulate the release of glucose

for energy, the pancreas meets that with insulin. Not my pancreas. I

can't speak for yours, something obviously helped this morning.

When are you taking that metformin?

Helen

[Guest guest]

I am taking the Metformin with breakfast. Maybe it would help to

lower my fasting level if I took my blood sugar reading before I even

get out of bed.

Kathleen

>

> Kathleen, most diabetics have their highest readings in the

morning, that

> is why we are constantly trying different modalities to get our

morning

> readings down.

>

> Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they only work

for a

> while. If you go back into the archives you will see discussions

of wine

> at bedtime, different snacks at bedtime, no food at all after

dinner, and

> so on.

>

> This rise in the morning is called the dawn phenomenon. As our

bodies

> begin to stir, various systems come into play to make us ready for

the

> day. Certain hormones are released to stimulate the release of

glucose

> for energy, the pancreas meets that with insulin. Not my

pancreas. I

> can't speak for yours, something obviously helped this morning.

>

> When are you taking that metformin?

>

> Helen

>

[Guest guest]

Kathleen,

When you do your fasting test is not as important as doing it at a

consistent time.

It will probably be lowest before you get out of bed, but that doesn't

change the reality of what it may be if tested later. If you want to make

yourself

feel better about the #, then test before rising, otherwise it doesn't

matter.

Just be consistent when you test so that you can make valid day-to-day

comparisons.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>> I am taking the Metformin with breakfast. Maybe it would help to

lower my fasting level if I took my blood sugar reading before I even

get out of bed.

Kathleen <<<

[Guest guest]

Hello Kim,

First, I would like to offer my heart felt apoligizes for the lose of

your child. Secondly, I want to applaud of you and your wife for your

compassion to care for disabled kids. That takes an amazing person.

Thirdly, welcome to open discussion, 34 lbs in 3 weeks is great.

look forward to reading about your journey in life after wls and your

wonderful kids. And finally, congratulaions on such a long marriage.

That is nearly unheard of these days. Bravo! Happy Holidays, Sherry

>

>

> Greetings All -=-

> My name is Kim and I'm from Ventura CA. I do see that you have a

few other

> Kim's onboard so I'll have to find a unique signature.

>

> My LAP RNY was 11/22/06 at Cedars in LA. I went yesterday for my 1

mo check

> [a week early] and so far my lose is 34lbs. No complications so

far, [except

> for the mental changes of wanting to eat as pre-surgery.]

>

> I'm very excited about having the procedure and look forward to

the results.

> For 18 years I have run sub-acute nursing homes for diabled kids

and have

> put all my life on the line for them. It is nice to know that with

this surgery

> I can continue this work without the complications of diabetes and

> hypertension. My wife of 30 years and I have cared for over 380

kids and adopted 4 of

> them along with our own 4. It will be nice to have time for the 8

other

> grandkids also. We still have 2 special needs kids age 11 at home.

This past

> February we lost our 2-1/2 year old to pnemonia. These kids are

great motivators!

>

> It is nice to graduate from luker to participant, hope I can offer

my 2

> cents worth as time progresses. At the doctor's office yesterday it

was nice to

> talk with pre-op patients and offer some words of encouragement and

wisdom ad

> one who is only 3 weeks out, but feeling like an old hand.

>

> So by the numbers:

> The highest weight had been 375

> " Official " Starting Pre-Op Weight was 348

> 6'2 "

> MALE - 53 years old

>

> TAKE CARE

> From the Left

> KIM in Ventura, CA

> LAP-RNY 11/22/06 at Cedars LA

> 348/314/170

>

>

> Emma^^s story

> _http://journals.aol.com/emtlock/SweetBabyEmma/_

> (http://journals.aol.com/emtlock/SweetBabyEmma/)

> Elena's Story:

> http://www.magicfoundation.org/www/docs/110.123/

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

" Mr. " Kim,

Welcome!!

I am still waiting to have my surgery, so I love

hearing all these stories like yours!

I am so sorry ab out the loss of your child

and God bless you for helping so many others.

The world needs more people like you,

Joanie

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathie.. welcome to the hypo brain fog! You need to ask your doctor

for Armour thyroid. What you are taking is synthetic T4 which is ponly

ONE thyroid hormone, and it must be converted to T3 the active hormone

for it to work. Most hypothyroid people do nto convert well. Armoru

contains both T3 and T4 and several other hormones that help the thyroid

work better for you. Low T3 is what causes the brain fog.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/