Re: I'm a new member

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group,

There are a lot of folks here that are living with diabetes, controlling it

to varying degrees, & willing to share their experiences of what works for

them & what doesn't.

Your Dad---

Lower limb problems are one of the common complications when diabetics

haven't been keeping their bg's in control, & that sounds like you dad's

situation. If I've mis-interpeted what you said, sorry. Is he testing & if so,

could

you give us an idea of his bg's? The best treatment for these problems is to

get bg's down into the range of the " normal non-diabetic " (70-110mg/dl fasting

& HbA1c 6.0% or less). What has his HbA1c been running?

I believe that Medicare & many insurance's will pay for special shoes for

diabetics, but they have to be prescribed by a Dr. Worth looking into because

special shoes can be horribly expensive.

Your Husband,

Could you give us some actual #'s of your husband's HbA1c? Maybe typical

examples of bg's too. What are those actual #'s fasting & post-prandial?

What WOE (diet) is he following?

Sorry for so many questions, but it's hard to make helpful suggestions or

comments without knowing the actual situation.

I'm sure Vicki will send you here " newbie letter " if she hasn't already &

it's full of good information & resource-listings.

Ask any specific questions here & there are sure to be some who will have

answers.

Again welcome,

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

Average Fasting bg 105mg/dl, Last HbA1c 6.0% (10/20/05)

Talked my Dr into prescribing Metformin & Glyburide to get HbA1c nearer 5.0%

No Medical Qualifications-Only Experience Living With & Controling my DM

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

>>> Hi. My dad has had insulin dependent type 2 diabetes for at least 10

years and has been plagued by an ulcer near his ankle for 2 years. He

can't wear regular shoes, only slip-on sandals that fall off and trip

him. He's talking to cobblers about a custom made shoe. Now, my

husband has been told that he is diabetic by his primary physician who

wants him to go on both metforim and actos because his hemoglobin A1c

keeps on going up and he has coronary artery disease. (he had

emergency stent 6 months ago). His endocrinologist isn't sure about

it and is having him test with a monitor. This shows his values to be

in the normal catagory--both fasting and 2 hrs after meals. He is

watching his diet and exercising. I'm interested in helping both my

dad and my husband.<<<

[Guest guest]

mentioned my " newby letter " ...I think I've posted it once a day

for the last weeks...I guess there are a lot of newbies. Anyway, here

it is yet again. Those of you who've read it can move on to the next

post...and for those of you who haven't, I urge you to follow all the

links...there's a wealth of important information in them.

This ought'ta keep you busy for a while!

First of all, let me refer you to two of the best books about diabetes.

Read 'em and you'll learn a lot:

The first one is called

" The First Year, Type Two Diabetes, An Essential Guide for the Newly

Diagnosed " by Gretchen Becker. Gretchen is a list member and her book

is an excellent guide. It's in paperback and available online from

Amazon if your local bookstore doesn't have it.

The second book is called

" Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. You

can get it from the library but it's such a good reference that you

really should have it in your home library. Dr. Bernstein is a longtime

type 1 who controls his diabetes using a lowcarb diet as well as

insulin.. Many of us - both type 1 and 2 -- on this list have found

great success using his plan or a modified version thereof.

.

And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of

good stuff:

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

These two books will give you good basic information on the ins and

outs of diabetes management.

I would further refer you to an excellent informational website titled "

" What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes "

http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

If it isn't there for some reason, let me know and I can email you the

contents -- I have it in my archives now.

I would also refer you to Mendosa's website, where

there's a wealth of diabetic information and good links. He also has

an online diabetes newsletter which is very good. It's also an

excellent source for information about the GI index (glycemic index).

www.mendosa.com

There's one thing that's sure to make BGs rise and that's carbohydrates.

Cutting out high GI carbs is an excellent way to control your BGs and

the more you cut, the better. Most of us find that the " whites " --

breads, cereals and pastas, in fact anything made with grain - will

raise our BGs. Also, rice and potatoes will do the same. And of course,

cakes and cookies and sweets of all kinds, including fruits and fruit

juices.

Watch out for " low calorie " foods; often they're higher in carbs. Learn

to read food labels.

Dr. Bernstein recommends about 40 carbs a day total. This is really only

for the dedictated low carber and IMHO hard to maintain over the long

run. However, I've read that the average American eats about 300 carbs a

day, so the truth is somewhere in between. The best thing you can do

for yourself (if you haven't already) is buy a meter and use it

FREQUENTLY. At the beginning you want to learn how different foods

affect your BG and to do this you need to eat one food at a time,

testing first...then test one and two hours afterwards. Weigh out the

amounts and keep good notes. You'll use up a lot of strips in the

beginning but the rewards are definitely worth the expense and bother

because in the end, you'll know what foods to avoid and which are okay.

Diabetes is a very individual disease and we often say YMMV - " your

mileage may vary " -- what works for one may not work for another.

You want to aim for postprandial (two hours after meal) BG of 120.

Keeping your BGs between 70 and 140 are your goals. If you can do this

longterm, you can probably avoid the dreaded consequences of longterm

poor BG control...and I'm sure I don't have to list those for you. (I

will if you want, though).

Here's my own list of pretty lowcarb veggies:

Spinach

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck)

Spaghetti squash

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Greenbeans

Cabbage

Sauerkraut

And of course lettuce and avocados which aren't a veggie but a

fruit .but they're definitely lowcarb. I have a large mixed lettuce

salad with avocado every night with dinner.

You can eat a reasonable portion (4-6 ounces) of meat, chicken, fish

without problem; it's all protein, no carbs.

Berries are the lowest carb fruit but even so, you should eat them very

sparingly. Here's the website of the USDA, which you'll find very

helpful. It has carbs, calories, protein, etc.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

It's helpful to have a food scale. A cup measure isn't nearly so

accurate. I use a Salter scale. It weighs in both grams and ounces and

cost me somewhere around $35. I got mine at a local gourmet shop but

they're available online too. Just do a Google search for " Salter food

scales " .

The A1C is a test that measures your average BG for a three-month period

with slightly more weight given to the latest month. All diabetics

should have this test every three months. And you should ask for, and

keep, copies of all your lab reports.

Oh, here's a link to a site that explains some definitions of

diabetic terminology:

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Pancreas.html

Good luck. And keep those questions coming. There's a really steep

learning curve at the beginning of your diabetes education but hang in

there -- it will all make sense eventually. And remember -- the only

stupid question is the one you didn't ask.

Vicki, diabetic since 1997, A1Cs consistently under 6 for a long time,

no complications, planning on forever no complications,

smile.

Re: I'm a new member

>

> Welcome to the group,

> There are a lot of folks here that are living with diabetes,

> controlling it

> to varying degrees, & willing to share their experiences of what works

> for

> them & what doesn't.

> Your Dad---

> Lower limb problems are one of the common complications when diabetics

> haven't been keeping their bg's in control, & that sounds like you

> dad's

> situation. If I've mis-interpeted what you said, sorry. Is he testing

> & if so, could

> you give us an idea of his bg's? The best treatment for these problems

> is to

> get bg's down into the range of the " normal non-diabetic " (70-110mg/dl

> fasting

> & HbA1c 6.0% or less). What has his HbA1c been running?

> I believe that Medicare & many insurance's will pay for special shoes

> for

> diabetics, but they have to be prescribed by a Dr. Worth looking into

> because

> special shoes can be horribly expensive.

>

> Your Husband,

> Could you give us some actual #'s of your husband's HbA1c? Maybe

> typical

> examples of bg's too. What are those actual #'s fasting &

> post-prandial?

> What WOE (diet) is he following?

>

> Sorry for so many questions, but it's hard to make helpful suggestions

> or

> comments without knowing the actual situation.

> I'm sure Vicki will send you here " newbie letter " if she hasn't

> already &

> it's full of good information & resource-listings.

> Ask any specific questions here & there are sure to be some who will

> have

> answers.

> Again welcome,

>

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

> Average Fasting bg 105mg/dl, Last HbA1c 6.0% (10/20/05)

> Talked my Dr into prescribing Metformin & Glyburide to get HbA1c

> nearer 5.0%

> No Medical Qualifications-Only Experience Living With & Controling my

> DM

>

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

>

>>>> Hi. My dad has had insulin dependent type 2 diabetes for at least

>>>> 10

> years and has been plagued by an ulcer near his ankle for 2 years.

> He

> can't wear regular shoes, only slip-on sandals that fall off and trip

> him. He's talking to cobblers about a custom made shoe. Now, my

> husband has been told that he is diabetic by his primary physician

> who

> wants him to go on both metforim and actos because his hemoglobin A1c

> keeps on going up and he has coronary artery disease. (he had

> emergency stent 6 months ago). His endocrinologist isn't sure about

> it and is having him test with a monitor. This shows his values to

> be

> in the normal catagory--both fasting and 2 hrs after meals. He is

> watching his diet and exercising. I'm interested in helping both my

> dad and my husband.<<<

>

>

[Guest guest]

Have your dad see a podiatrist (foot doctor). Most podiatrists will

prescribe special shoes for their patients that will fit properly,

and some even have some samples to show their patients what they look

like.

> Hi. My dad has had insulin dependent type 2 diabetes for at least 10

> years and has been plagued by an ulcer near his ankle for 2 years. He

> can't wear regular shoes, only slip-on sandals that fall off and trip

> him. He's talking to cobblers about a custom made shoe. Now, my

> husband has been told that he is diabetic by his primary physician who

> wants him to go on both metforim and actos because his hemoglobin A1c

> keeps on going up and he has coronary artery disease. (he had

> emergency stent 6 months ago). His endocrinologist isn't sure about

> it and is having him test with a monitor. This shows his values to be

> in the normal catagory--both fasting and 2 hrs after meals. He is

> watching his diet and exercising. I'm interested in helping both my

> dad and my husband.

>

=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Maurer

Type II diabetic since 4/87

(diet, exercise, & meds)

Insulin dependent Type II since 9/04

(diet, exercise, Lantus, Humalog, & Metformin XR)

=+=+=+=+=+=+=