Tips and tricks

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tips and tricks
43
Tue, 04-15-2008 - 11:20am

Not so much on the eating and exercise and such side though...Here's the scoop:

I was dx'd a bit over a year ago and I'm still doing well. However, my SIL's MIL (got that one?lol) was just told that her blood sugar is high and she was handed a meter and they showed her how to use it. But that's ALL they told her! They also told her to go take a class at the local hospital which she's going to do. In the meantime, though, she's scared, confused, etc. not knowing what it all means or where to turn. I've given her a bunch of info and directed her to both the ADA and Joslin websites which has been helpful for her.

Now to the topic at hand: when I was diagnosed, I hit the web, the bookstores/library, *this board*, etc and got LOTS of information then set up a spreadsheet to track what I ate and how my blood sugar reacted and all. Lots and Lots of Data. Having that knowledge helped me feel more like I was in control of the situation rather than being a victim. I took as my "mantra" a quote from 1 Corinthians 10:23 "'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial." I can *choose* to eat a box of chocolates BUT it's is not a good choice and the short and long term repercussions of it are not what I choose. Having a sense of choice rather than deprivation is important for me (might not be as important for others).

So, what I'd like to know from y'all is what tips, tricks, mantras, etc have been helpful to you to get from the initial shock, denial, fear, anger to acceptance and moving forward managing the situation.

--Deb

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Tue, 04-15-2008 - 1:24pm

Gotta say my initial diagnosis got me less that your SIL's

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Tue, 04-15-2008 - 2:15pm

Wow - that's a PITA, sending you back and forth like that! You'd think that since they're right there in the SAME building they could just CALL down to the lab and say Go Ahead!

DH was over at MIL's this past Saturday helping sort and pack and Nonna (SIL's MIL) was there and she was really upset and shaken. So, when he got home, he told me, knowing I'd have lots of info for her. I stopped what I was doing and emailed her a 10 point message, just basics (target ranges for pre and post meal, rule of thumb rough carb numbers, etc).

Yeah, I've noticed that there is a distinct lack of diabetes education opportunities (ed classes, support groups, etc) for people who work fulltime days (like me).

I remember when I was first diagnosed thinking that it was not quite accurate because I was just getting over pneumonia (I lost 10 lbs in a matter of a couple weeks because I couldn't eat and have it stay down I was coughing so much, I lived on water, tea, and chicken broth) and I had been drinking a lot of tea with licorice in it (an herbal tea that kept the cough from tearing my insides out) - that'll raise blood sugar readings. But when the second test, a month later, was still over the threshhold (but a lot closer to borderline), I knew I'd have to deal with it NOW rather than later.

--Deb

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Tue, 04-15-2008 - 7:50pm

Well now I go and get the lab work done the day before!

Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Tue, 04-15-2008 - 9:17pm

Deb,


For me it was a relief to be diagnosed because I finally knew why I was feeling so awful. Back when I started we didn't test all the time and the test took over a minute to do. You used to have put the blood on the strip and wait a minute and then wash the blood off and then put the strip in the meter to get the reading. I was immediately sent to the endocrinologist because my cholesterol was sky high and I had that same doctor until last year when he decided to basicaly retire. Even though I am an RN I was immediately sent to the diabetes education department and within two weeks had met with the dietitian.


Why don't you invite her to come here. We are good at hand holding!! Just ask Nancy.


I am a huge proponent of education and tailoring your meal plan to what you like to eat, when you like to eat it and how you like to eat.


My motto

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Wed, 04-16-2008 - 12:32pm

I guess maybe there should have been two sections to the question, one for folks who were having symptoms and finally found out why and one for folks like me who had no overt symptoms and got slapped upside the head out of the blue by the diagnosis (my endo was simply running a routine test just because I was overweight and over 45, little did I know that it would result in a diagnosis!) While it was a shock, I'd rather know now while it's still barely over the borderline (if I remember correctly a fasting glucose of >126 is the diagnostic threshhold and I was somewhere in the low 130s) and readily controlled with diet and exercise than wait until things got ugly and there was major damage already done.

I'm really glad that the technology has gotten better and I'm waiting for when the newest technology (noninvasive stuff like lightwave readings) is finally inexpensive enough and consistently accurate enough to do away with the finger sticking.

--Deb

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Wed, 04-16-2008 - 1:13pm

I do remember in the early-mid 80's having a coworker who had a BG monitor of some type.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Wed, 04-16-2008 - 3:30pm

The HFCS is one reason we just go ahead and make so much of our own stuff now from scratch or at the very least buy organic products (most of the organic cookies, crackers, sauces, etc that we've found don't contain HFCS). Between my glucose monitoring and DH's hypertension, having control over precisely what and how much goes into what we eat makes things a lot easier. Don't need a whole lot of labeling on whole wheat flour, olive oil, and water when DH makes pasta, for instance. And we can use agave syrup rather than sugar or corn syrup or other stuff to make whole wheat bread.

I read the other day that due to the spiraling cost of milk, many families are resorting to buying soft drinks! Argh! Can you say "w-a-t-e-r"? Cheaper than either milk or soda pop, no need to go to the store to get it, and way better choice all around (at least in this country it's a better choice).

--Deb

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Wed, 04-16-2008 - 7:23pm

I wonder if they are buying that new kind of not sure if its coke or pepsi. one came out with a version with vitamins and minerals in it?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2007
In reply to: bugsmomct
Thu, 04-17-2008 - 11:44am
My initial diagnosis? I don't remember. I wasn't even 1 year old. So I can't help much there. But the initial shock of waking up every morning and remembering I'm diabetic...yeah, there you go. I just have to tell myself that if I don't do all this stuff--eat healthy, take me pills, take my shots, excersize--I'm goin gto feel like S**T.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
In reply to: bugsmomct
Thu, 04-17-2008 - 12:13pm

Probably not - the generic brand 5 for $2 type most likely if finances are the issue. Most of the "added stuff" kinds are more expensive generally - not to mention the "added stuff" sounds good but it really doesn't do a whole lot - we're not designed to handle the synthetic nutrient substitutes as readily as the natural forms. Often, the natural forms are 'bundled' with other nutrients that enhance the way we use them - kind of the way Centrum has started "pairing" nutrients in their newer formulations because they've found that certain things go together (C and E work better together for instance, I think that's the one they show on the commercial). Well, duh, most pairings and groupings that work well together tend to show up together in foods.

It's always agravated me that they strip all the nutrients out of foods then add back a synthetic equivalent and plaster a big "FORTIFIED!" label on the package as if that's a good thing. Why not just leave it alone to start with? Argh!

Some of the low glycemic cookbooks are really good for getting ideas - we rarely do it exactly the way they say to but it's been great for a springboard into trying new types of foods. Who knew we'd end up loving celery root (aka celeriac aka "alien stomach") - it's a lot like potato in texture, very lightly celery in flavor, and has a lower glycemic effect than plain potatoes. Works wonderfully in soups and stews (you'd never know it wasn't potato in soup), DH and DS even like it baked up as "French fries" or pan fried as home fries. Of course, as with everything, moderation and YMMV.

--Deb

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