Thread: diabetes

Originally Posted by _fly_

The reason I said exercise in the morning is My numbers are high in the morning. The numbers before meals are high but come down 4 points after the meal (2 hrs).
Dietitian said If I can get my morning number down then I should be ok for the rest of the day as what I'm eating is right stuff.

What annoys me is I can wake at 5am and be 6.1. Go back to bed for a couple of hours and at 7am I'm 9.7, No food, just went back to sleep.
Apparently its the liver releasing sugars to help wake you up.

That interesting. Unless I have not been silly the day before my BGL is lowest when I wake up in the morning. Then I go for a walk and my level will be the same or up - rarely down.
[quote]Bread is my killer as well, can be 9.7 when I wake, Have 2 pieces of wholemeal toast (one plain and one Vegemite), 2 hrs later I'm 12. On 2 pieces of toast?/[QUOTE]
Same for me except my BGL is usually below 8 when I wake, but it will be 10 following 2 pieces of toast and a cup of tea.

I HATE walking for the sake of walking.

I'm the same. That's probably the main reason why I stopped walking when our previous dog passed away.
I have a good incentive to walk the new dog otherwise it will chew the house and contents to bits. I don't even mind walking in the rain, I have a good raincoat and take a large umbrella and my iPhone with a good audio book on it.
I also try and incorporate something else into walking the dog, usually it's just to get bread and/or milk or a trip to Bunnings, sometimes I stop off at the local bookshop or a cafe.

Something else that really helps soak up time very quickly when walking (and driving) are audio books. I get most of them from the Librivox website at no cost and we get a lot from the public library. I have listened to at least 100 books now and some of them are very good. Currently I'm working my way through stuff on Antarctic exploration. I started with Cook's exploration of the Southern Pacicifc, Scott's last voyage was pretty harrowing, Shackleton's "South" is absolutely amazing, and now I'm into Amundsen's "South Pole" which is sort of clinical but still interesting - all these are free from Librivox.

Originally Posted by BobL

Something else that really helps soak up time very quickly when walking (and driving) are audio books. I get most of them from the Librivox website at no cost and we get a lot from the public library. I have listened to at least 100 books now and some of them are very good. Currently I'm working my way through stuff on Antarctic exploration. I started with Cook's exploration of the Southern Pacicifc, Scott's last voyage was pretty harrowing, Shackleton's "South" is absolutely amazing, and now I'm into Amundsen's "South Pole" which is sort of clinical but still interesting - all these are free from Librivox.

I tried to use audio books. Used to get Doctor Who audio books. but they were one MP3 and I can't skip, So if I stopped at shops I had to listen all over again. Never got to the end.
Also got the out of copyright ones as well, dracula etc. But when I do stop to look at something I get lost in the story.
Maybe I can't walk and listen at the same time?

I should get a std MP3 player. The smartphone is a pain to use.

The other one I get is if I walk or ride for 2 hrs in the morning. I fall asleep by 11am and sleep till 4pm. Thats no good either.

I read the stuff on the DA website and followed some links. I've decided to manage myself until my next doctors appointment and then I'll decide if the dietician is required.

I suppose one good thing comming out of this is I'm getting fitter. Did my second session last night and while my efforts are still trivial (600 m) I was never gasping for air as on tuesday. I was feeling a lot better.

Still lots of conflicting information. Is it inevitable that I'll eventually be on pills and then insulin ?

Anyway thank you all again for the comments. I was quite depressed earlier this week but I'm getting over it. You helped.

Originally Posted by damian

I read the stuff on the DA website and followed some links. I've decided to manage myself until my next doctors appointment and then I'll decide if the dietician is required.

Have you got yourself a BG meter. I reckon that is the only way you will know if what you are doing is making a difference. If you have one are you on the NDSS? It saves a heap of money on the BGL monitoring consumables.

Damien, you need that Dietician. They make all the difference, & as someone said, you also need the BG Meter, & the D will most likely be able to get you 1 for free.
Otherwise, you could do the wrong thing, as you don't know enough about it yet, & you could make a few awful health mistakes, & nobody would want that.
The D or should I say My D suggested that I do my Blood Glucose Test at 6pm.ea. night.
I find if I have anything after 3.30pm, then My Reading goes way up at 6pm.

I understand what your saying and I appreciate your concern.

My doctor only talked about a dietician after I asked about it. He didn't talk about bg meters. I've been seeing him for a good many years and he knows me well. I think he wants to see how diet and exercise go for a month. The other thing is I'm keeping a food diary so when I go see the dietician I'll have data to present.

I had been getting up every 2 hours through the night. I had assumed this was due to my other problem. I'm now rising once. I think dumping the doughnuts, muffins, chocolate busiuits, ice creams....has helped My body has been screaming for sugar since last week ...

I'm seing the doctor again on the 16th so we'll se how it goes.

Hi Damien,
You get used to not having the sweet stuff soon enough. You get to a point where a granny smith apple is sweet to ya.
The main stuff a dietitian is going to tell you is portion size, but you can get that from the brochures from diabetes Aust. And eat fish and veges and stop greasy food, and 2 pieces of fruit.
Basically all the stuff you have already guessed. No more added sugar and fast food stuff. You know the deal, the eat 5 stay alive thing.
Use the smaller dinner plates (8inch) instead of the big ones 10 inch. Thats about the right amount.
I only used a dietitian after 6 years when my morning numbers went up and I did the diary as well.

Took a blood reading before I ate and 2 hrs after. (should be below 6 before you eat and below 10, 2 hrs later).

I tried eating less to let the reading go down but that doesn't work.

If you can stay within 4 points 2 hrs after eating you are ok with what you are eating.
If your number is above 6 before you eat its medication and exercise for that part of it.

Hope that helps.
Peter

The going to the toot is one of the symptons of diabetes, as well as being thirsty all the time,my doc has me on Natrilix a slow rease diuretic ,worst piill I have ever taken,it gives you no warning to go to the toot, you have to go,I've sussed out all the toots in shopping centers etc,so I dont have an accident the fluid tablets also prevent fluid building up around your ticker ,He will probaly put you on Metformin to start,and go from there. Stay well

Originally Posted by damian

I understand what your saying and I appreciate your concern.

My doctor only talked about a dietician after I asked about it. He didn't talk about bg meters. I've been seeing him for a good many years and he knows me well. I think he wants to see how diet and exercise go for a month. The other thing is I'm keeping a food diary so when I go see the dietician I'll have data to present.

I had been getting up every 2 hours through the night. I had assumed this was due to my other problem. I'm now rising once. I think dumping the doughnuts, muffins, chocolate busiuits, ice creams....has helped My body has been screaming for sugar since last week ...

I'm seing the doctor again on the 16th so we'll se how it goes.

At my worst I was going to the loo every 40 minutes resulting in a seriously broken sleep pattern and flying was a nightmare because I had to plan my loo visits to anti-coincide with landing and takeoffs. During meetings I had to often excuse myself. I was feeling incredibly thirsty and the only thing that would fleetingly slake my thirst was a sweet fizzy or a beer! Which BTW made things worse. I did not have a sweet tooth up until then and rarely ate doughnuts, muffins, chocolate busiuits, ice creams etc

Have you taken a fasting blood sugar test

The swimming I think is making a huge difference. Last night I slept 6 hours straight for the first time in years. I've got a lot more energy too. I'd been going to bed as early as 8 oclock now I'm full of beans till 10. I rise at 6...

I've been taking it really easy starting at 500m. Last night I did a kilometer, which is a tad annoying in a 25m pool.

I also read up on the glucosamine pills I've been taking this last year or so. The link is weak but there is some evidence they may damage pancreas and raise blood suger. So I'm cutting them out.

Anyway I'll get my next blood done on the 7th so we'll see what happens.

Again thank you all for the comments.

Hi all,

2009 was my year, I got three signs that age was catching up to me all in the one year; I turned 50, became a grandfather and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

I was living in Darwin at the time, After moving to Melbourne I was fortunate enough to have my diabetes care taken over by the Royal Melbourne Hospital where I was selected to take part in the rollout of a new treatment. When I got involved it was probably just beyond what you could call experimental, but it certainly was not mainstream. I was started on a n injectable drug called Byetta (google it) which when I started, no GP had heard of and chemists looked at you funny when you gave them the script. Now so many people around here at least are on it that you have to order it in advance.

It works to slow your digestion so that, at least in my case, the small amount of insulin I am still producing can cope with the sugars being released slower by my slowed digestive system. Apparrently it does not suit everyone as everyones diabetes is not the same. For me Byetta injected twice a day, just before breakfast and dinner has brought my BSL down from around 23 to somewhere between 6 and 8, in conjunction with some fairly minor lifestyle changes of course.

one dietary change is low GI potatoes Carisma, Australian first certified Low Gi Potato, naturally grown. these are not only the best tasting potatoes I have ever had they are certified low GI. these days I steam most vegies including potatoes but once steamed they can be mashed, and a little bit of butter wont hurt you occasionally. they dont fry very well so chips are off the menu but us diabetics shouldnt deep fry much anyway.

I have been a bad boy today. We took our nearly 3yr old granddaughter to a friends daughters birthday party and I ate fairy bread, drank soft drink, ate deepfried food, white bread, pancakes and chocolate coated strawberries, not to mention bithday cake. and now I am at home having a couple of beers cos its Saturday night. I have been good all week and my BSl is probably 15 if I measure it now but it will be 6 point something tomorrow at 6pm. yes I am concerned about my health but i love to live life. if I am careful the damage is minimal and quality of life is good. I can participate in events with my granddaughter and that is important too.

I have heard the arguments from those who say that I need to eat responsibly all the time or I am shortening my life. Well I might get hit by a bus next time I cross the road. I live in Melbourne and the busses are all driven by jack brabham wannabees anyway so the likelihood that diabetes will be what kills me in the end is problematical.

Anyway, if I eat what the dieticians tell me, and do all the exercise the doctors tell me I should, never have a beer and relax with some mates, they cant guarantee that I wil live longer, but I can guarantee that it will SEEM LIKE its a lot longer

Guys, make the most of what you have, whatever it is. Dont conentrate on what you CANT do; look at what you still CAN do. you will find tht that is most things you ever did.

Well thats my view on it anyway, take away from it what you can use

Doug

EDIT: somethig I forgot to add:

One of the most important things to managing Diabetes is to maintain a regular pattern of when you take your medication and when you eat, there is research that indicates that disrupted eating and sleeping patterns caused by shift work or similar can actually bring on diabetes and related conditions because our circadian rhythyms got out of synch and our liver is not ready to process nutrition if it is presented at the wrong time fotr your body clock, see http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Heal...ck_746158.html

Originally Posted by doug3030

I have heard the arguments from those who say that I need to eat responsibly all the time or I am shortening my life. Well I might get hit by a bus next time I cross the road. I live in Melbourne and the busses are all driven by jack brabham wannabees anyway so the likelihood that diabetes will be what kills me in the end is problematical.

The problem is, diabetes often doesn't just knock you over like a bus.... it may eventually, after it has taken your eyesight and legs, and maybe some brain in a stroke.... if you do value quality of life, pay some attention to your diabetes. There are fates worse than death in this world.

Read it again astrodog, like I said I have heard these arguments before an yours is just the same, I take it seriously, but I live for the moment on occasions, yes ther is a risk i might risk further complications but in the overall scheme of things is a a small spike in your BSL for a few hours going to guarantee that you will go blind or have a foot amputated? If you stick rigidly to the rules does it guarantee that it wont? Life is full of risks. You could argue that a non-diabetic is shortening his life by having a few beers on a saturday night. It might even turn him into a diabetic. Where do you draw the line?

Mate, I am concerned for your safety, dont cross any roads, dont get into a vehicle and drive or be a passenger, dont get into a boat and dont take up parachuting. more people become disabled or die every year from these pursuits than die from diabetes.

Take it seriously by all means but dont let it rule your life, thats all I am saying!

Doug

Damian

Check out this web site.

Loving Life with Diabetes

Cheers, David