About me - an introduction to my diabetes blog

This posting is intended for those who understand what it takes to live with diabetes or at least have some compassion.  I am aware that not everyone is capable of that.  I've seen plenty of infographics on the net screaming about things like, John ate 48 candies out of 54 and now he has diabetes.  The others pull a similar stunt about overweight folks.  Aside from zero credibility, these postings are full of an attitude.  In case of John and his candy, nothing can be further from the truth.  There is no link between increased sugar consumption and developing diabetes. 

I have learned that living with diabetes is an art and not a science, since most everything comes by a way of trial and error.  I am however getting there.  I also plan on posting about things in everyday life that I learned to handle independently.  This makes me feel good about myself, reduces stress and this way prevents blood sugar spikes. Before posting an entry, I do an extensive research on the subject.

A few words about myself.  I’m a mother of two wonderful daughters; both have graduated from OSU and live in Columbus, Ohio. I live in the Midwest region U.S.A.; I am now retired and spend my time writing blogs, tinkering with my computer, browsing the net, of course chores and staying physically active. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few months ago.  The news of D2 came as a shock, initially I was in denial but now I’m at peace with it and am trying to do the right things to keep my blood glucose levels at bay.  My last A1C level was 6.2, down from 6.5.  I am currently neither on insulin nor on any diabetic meds.

DISCLOSURE
YMMV (your mileage may vary).  In other words, everything posted on my blog reflects my opinion and my own layperson experiences.  I am not a health care pro. I am not saying that you have to follow everything that I’m posting on my blog to the letter.  The results are not guaranteed.   Always consult with your doctor.  

Diabetes and Denial

First off, denial is perfectly normal. Some doctors fail to understand this concept, though.

Last year I went for a routine appointment with my doctor. She has dropped a bomb, you were actually diagnosed with diabetes back in 2006 (8 years prior).

I was immediately in denial. No one has ever told me; no, this can’t be true. Are you saying that I was diagnosed eight years ago? God knows, being unaware, I didn’t watch my diet. I ate all sorts of sweets, candy, pies, cakes, pop, ice cream, you name it. How come that my blood sugar levels didn’t shot through the roof? This doesn’t make sense. No, this can’t be true. There must have been a mistake.

The doctor became disappointed. Her philosophy was, I am telling you that you have diabetes; you must believe me, and there’s no other way. She must have been thinking that I’m the most ignorant patient of hers, not to mention the whole world. She turned the computer screen toward me, zoomed the image and read ‘blood glucose’ out loud while pointing at it. She did raise her voice in the process. She was loud and overbearing. I felt like being ran over by a freight train, and just wanted out of that room.

Gosh, I know about blood glucose and diabetes. My mom died from complications of diabetes. I do know about it, and I’m not illiterate. I was just trying to deny the mere fact that diabetes is now a part of my life.

Denial is normal. When being diagnosed, people tend to go through the stages one of which is denial.

I think that some old school doctors should be required to attend diabetic education classes, if only to learn about the stages that their patients go through.  Where can I sign up my doc for one of these?

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DISCLOSURE
YMMV (your mileage may vary).  In other words, everything posted on my blog reflects my opinion and my own layperson experiences.  I am not a health care pro. I am not saying that you have to follow everything that I’m posting on my blog to the letter.  The results are not guaranteed.   Always consult with your doctor.  

Hi-five to my new Diabetic Diet

Diabetic Diet
IMHO diabetic diet exists, or at least this is the way it feels.  Ever since diagnosed, I had to change my eating habits drastically.  No longer could I skip a breakfast or a  lunch or a snack.  Now I have 3 meals and snacks in between every day. I'm using a quarter cup as a measure to count my carbs; now this has become a habit.  I've cut down on the sweets although I do consume small amounts occasionally.  I was told I can have a candy so I have a tootsie roll once a day but not every day.  I'm using a one-liter drinking bottle for my daily constitutional water intake of 64 fl oz aka half a gallon that is a requirement for us women.  I am constantly aware which carbs I'm eating and how much.  If this isn't a diet, then what is?

Dictionary.com states that a diet is a particular selection of food, especially as designed or prescribed to prevent or treat a disease.  IMO this definition fits diabetes diet like a glove.


CARBS
This is an abbreviation for the carbohydrates.  Most words are abbreviated nowadays.  I think there should be a carb smiley, perhaps different colors for a good carb and a bad carb.  Bad carbs otherwise known as simple carbs, are molecularly smaller and get digested quickly which results in a rapid increase of blood sugar.  Examples include table sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup or any other syrup for this matter, fruit, honey, 100% juice, and any dessert containing sugar or cane.  Did you know that milk contains simple sugar otherwise known as lactose?  Oh yes, a serving size of 8 fl oz or 240 mL of a fat-free Dairymen milk contains 12g of sugar.   A lactose-free milk made for those who can't digest milk sugar, still contains simple sugars, one of which is glucose.

Complex carbs aka good carbs are molecularly larger and get digested slower.  They are rich in fiber that aids in blood glucose control. Examples include whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, beans, oats, buckwheat, whole rye, whole-grain barley or whole-grain corn.  Soluble fiber (oatmeal) helps control blood glucose levels, while insoluble (whole wheat bran) keeps your digestive tract working well.   Another benefit of fiber is that it adds bulk to help make you feel full.


Sugar-free?
If a certain food is conveniently labeled as sugar-free, beware that it actually might not.  When doing shopping, I always take my time to read the Nutrition Facts, while the other shoppers quietly wonder what I'm doing.  I haven't seen anyone else doing this.  I've learned the hard way, after having purchased a sugar-free pancake syrup, only to discover later on that it does in fact contain Sorbitol. Anything that ends with -ol is a sugar alcohol that by the way doesn't contain alcohol.  It however contains, you guessed it, a simple sugar that will raise your blood sugar level, and you know this the next time you use your meter.  You hear this from the horse's mouth.  Needless to say, said bottle went to the trash and the contents down the sewer.  Ditto for the Diet Pop you purchase in the places like Aldi or Save-a-Lot.  Traditionally diet pop of a brand name, such as 7Up or Coke, doesn't contain carbs.  However Aldi's or Save-a-Lot brand skips on caffeine but it does contain sugar.  This once again, was learned the hard way, by checking my blood sugar afterwards, and then reading the label. I've finally learned to reverse my habits and read the labels first.  You live and learn.


EXPIRATION DATES
I have a habit of checking them on most everything, particularly on milk and dairy products.  I make sure that the milk I'm buying is good for at least 2 weeks.  Most other people that I observed, don't do this. They are in a great hurry, grab a gallon of milk and are on their merry way. Their milk however might go bad in as little as 2 days.  Some grocery stores, I've noticed, have a habit of placing the gallons of milk with a short expiration date right out front;  this tactic doesn't work with me.