Re: I am the worst patient

On May 3, 5:37 am, "dee vee" <omig...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"hemyd" <myd!!!...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

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Basically I have been taking Metforman for about a year.  No insulin
because my primary care doc was in denial .. I had to convince him that
I really was diabetic [a friend told me I was] with a 278 glucose
reading last year.. Today I went to an endocrinologist who told me my
blood labs show that my diabetes was out of control .. I left his
office with test strips, a tester, a prescription for Levemir FlexPen
.. I spoke with a doctor and 2 nurses and a sales person that wanted to
know if I wanted to wear a monitor that would check my sugar all day
long ... I picked up my prescription - got home and realized that they
didn't include needles... I am supposed to take one shot a day [morning
or night] and a friend says "It's better to do it at night." No
explanation .. The only thing I really remember about today's doctor
visit is that I should test my blood 3 times a day .. why ?  I wasn't
told what to do if it is too high or too low .. Or what is too high or
too low... I don't even know if I can prick my finger, let alone give
myself a shot.  I figure if I don't kill myself with this equipment in
the first few days I might survive the next few .. I honestly don't
know what's what ... I just feel so horrible that I can't concentrate
on anything ..

diane

You have my sympathy, Diane. You are the typical newbbie, flooded with
often inaccurate and often conflicting information about your
predicament.

You've done the right thing in coming to this newsgroup. there are many
knowledgeable people here who can speak both from experience and from
doing their own research. Spend enough time here, and you will know who
such people are.

I can only speak briefly from my own experience here. I demanded against
doctor's advice to be put on insulin, so as to improve my figures.
Doctors are reluctant to put patients on insulin for a variety of
reasons, ranging from not trusting the patient to cope with it, to not
willing to take on the responsibility of managing such a patient.

I initial started on Lantus, and this alleviated my high fasting bg.
Lantus is a basal (long acting) insulin. It is acidic, and tends to
occasionally feel like a hot needle when injected.

Then I also insisted on a fast acting insulin, and I was put on
Novorapid. This was to counter my post meal highs.

I also exercise and eat low carb - but not as low as I know I should be.
Some people here maintain that you can fight your high bg not
necessarily with drugs, but by watching what you eat - low
carbohydrates. The amount of insulin you need will certainly go up with
the amount of carbohydrates you eat. carbohydrates are not necessarily
"sweet things" people refer to, but plain things such as bread, rice,
potatoes and pasta.

I can offer some tips on using insulin -

- Get to know what it does, when it does it and how much to take. You
can do that by measuring your bg frequently - sometimes several times a
day, especially after starting with the insulin. Find out the effects of
dose/exercise/carbs, as these are inter-dependent.
- Find out about the insulin from manufacturers' sites. there are graphs
which plot the effectiveness/time figures.
- Don't "cheat" on the insulin. You may feel you can still eat "the food
you like" (may be carbs) because you are taking insulin to counter it,
but then you will gain weight. In other words, don't use insulin as a
substitute for diet and exercise.

Good luck! Stay with this group! You will CERTAINLY feel happier as you
go on. I wish you a long, happy and healthy life!

Henry.

Thanks Henry .. everyone .. I woke up feeling sorry for myself.
Thinking, this is my life now? It sucks and not only that - I still feel
crappy and have to pay for it too!  I am happy it didn't start until now,
[60]  maybe I won't live too long.
Well, speaking as a bugger who gets depressed, I say unto you that you can
live a long and HAPPY life if you put your mind to it. Diabetes zaps the
people who go into denial about - and many do. Folks such as yourself who
decide to do something about are the ones who survive.

Managing diabetes does not mean you have to deprive yourself of anything
either. Even going low carb does not mean that you suddenly do away with
good food - you simply substitute one "good food" for a different, equally
good or better food. Injecting with insulin is no big deal either. Soon
you'll be laughing at it and joking about it.

And if all else still looks miserable? Well, you've now joined a group of
great people you would have probably never met had you not developed
diabetes...

Henry.

(I am 62)

I am the WORST EATER on the planet .. Even worse than my kids were .. I do
NOT like veggies except the starchy ones [corn - potatoes] and salad is for
my lizard and tortoise !!  I am not a sweet eater but LOVE MEAT and like it
on bread .. I hate to cook and since my kids are grown and out of the house
I am like a teenager again, living on take-out food, drive-thru food and a
bowl of cereal here and there ..  That is my problem.  In my young years I
never had to watch what I eat.  I weighed 126 lbs when I was 9 months
pregnant .. So now watching what I eat is like the end of the world for me.
I was at the bookstore looking at some diet type books .. got discouraged
and didn't buy anything.  I was thinking though that the South Beach Diet
looks like a good place to start .. anyone?

Diane- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hi Diane,

In the recent past, a physician recommended the SB diet to me, and it
seems reasonable. My current doctor has asked me to follow a
paleolithic diet. She did not recommend a particular book, but
there's lots of variations of this diet available on the net. You
might like this diet as it allows for plenty of meat :-)

The thing is, you have to find something you can live with. My
current way of eating has been arrived at over some years, after a lot
of reading, studying, and listening to experiences from the folks on
ASD. I eat a ton of vegetables of all kinds and colors, preferably
seasonal vegetables, full fat cheese and yogurt, mostly pasture-raised
meat, free range poultry and eggs, and also a lot of legumes. I have
a thing for chickpeas in all forms. I eat whole grains too (now
mainly sprouted grains [read all the damn fine print on the bread
package b4 you buy it], but also brown rice, sweet potato, and
occasionally white potato). I rarely eat pasta or drink my calories
or carbs (soda or juice), but occasionally have a glass or two of red
wine. I do stray from my ideal WOE from time to time--milk chocolate
with almonds and crusty white bread baguettes are like heroin to me--
but I just get back on the path afterwards. Traveling for work can be
a problem, but my standby has become vegetable soup--almost every
place, even fast foodie type places (Quiznos, etc.) has vegetable
soup.

My WOE seems to be working *for now* *for me* -- I take no diabetic
meds now (long story) so D&E is key to managing my DM2. "YMMV" (your
mileage may vary) is often an unspoken assumption behind a lot of
suggestions you will hear from folks here. Be prepared that your
"tolerance" for carbohydrates may change over time. Portion control
is a good tool. Losing weight can make a big difference in how your
body reacts. Regular exercise, if you can do it, has a hugely
beneficial effect. Getting into that smaller pair of jeans can give
you a needed boost. Metformin should really help. Certainly insulin,
but I don't know a thing about insulin.

I bought CalorieKing software based on Mack's recommendation and have
found it very easy to use and a great way to track my WOE. I have a
somewhat hard time estimating portion sizes and have to track my WOE
daily because I will underestimate my carb and calorie intake
otherwise.

Check out the alt diabetes diet group for ideas on how to revise a
favorite recipe to be more BG friendly--there are some very good cooks
that post there.

Best,

Ricavito
.

Relevant Pages

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