Done with denial

Type 1 and LADA New to Type 1 Diabetes
1

Hi all

I have finished my denial stage…the one where I would ignore my meter and ate what I wanted.

Now I am ready to deal with it.

I do have the following issues:

I was a baker before I had cancer 3 years ago and I LIKE my homemade goodies
I am allergic to Splenda and can’t do much sweet n low or aspartame
Have tried Truvia and it is ok, but expensive
I don’t like fresh fruit much
I love nuts but my teeth don’t
I am having serious sugar cravings
I figure I’ll beat the sugar and potato cravings and THEN I’ll quit smoking (again) If I try to do it all at once it would not be good for those around me.
I need to loose weight. I am 199 and 5’5" I have peripheral neuropathy in both legs and feet from Chemo, so I can’t walk much. I am thinking of Callanetics and Yoga
I am on a boat load of meds…Glipizide for my sugar, 2 for my cholesterol, 1 to block estrogen, 1 for the arthritis, 2 kinds for my neuropathy, 2 anti depressants, 2 for my stomach, 1 for my HBP, 4 OTC, and potassium by prescription.
I have NEVER followed a “normal” schedule and neither does my husband

That covers most of my issues I think.

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks in advance.

2

Wow, Now that is a list. LOL hey it looks like my list so i am only teasing a little.

i do have a suggestion and it has everything to do with diabetes and yet it wont seem like it. Are you ready for the big secret? Get some therapy. I tell everyone that because until you get some serious help dealing with a chronic disease, you cannot really deal with. It is not because i know you and it is not anything you put in the list. I am serous my list looks a lot like yours and so do many of our lists. But I know one thing that is absolutely true. Getting control of your emotions will take more than a simple small change. we all face a tough road. and we all need help. I really do suggest it. Good luck, I wish you the best.

Rick Phillips

3

hello naomah,i used to be as mean as a junk yard dog,terrible mood swings,sleeping all day long and up at nite.i should not turn my brain off to come down,alway angry ,no sense of humor,uptight all the time,but when a friend told me to seek help i was upset with her at first,but after i took a good look at myself and excepted that there was something wrong with me,first i went to an endo to get my diabetes under control, i went to see a therapy 25yrs ago and now guest what,i’m still in control with god ahead of my life.GOOD LUCKFEEL FREE TO ADD ME AS A FRIEND.(ODESSA)

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God bless Naomah! You say those are your issues… I just see someone who is living in the real world with diabetes, like all of us here.

That is a huge step, now take small ones. someone smarter than I (I think that should have covered most of the people in history) said a journey is simply a series of steps. Take all the steps, you get to your destination. If you take a break along the way, you will finish the journey when you are ready.

Oh, and while this is a journey you must complete on your own, there’s nothing preventing you from taking friends along for a little help now and again and to also experience your journey as part of thiers. Those friends will show up as you need them and as they are ready to be there.

Wow, that was almost Zenish… more Daoist I think tho… More of a “you gotta find your own path” kinda thing

forget that crap. Do it. We are here to help when you need, and probably a lot of the times when you don’t

/wink

you go girl, see ya somewhere along the path
Scott

5

HI SCOTT,THAT WAS PERFECT ADVICE FROM A CARING LOVING HEART,I WILL TAKE YOU IN MY CORNER ANYTIME,THANK YOU//FEELING A LITTLE SICK THIS WEEK,WHAT ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR ME TO LIGHT UP MY LIGHT.

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ahhh… shucks now yer jest flirtin’! which I really enjoy by the way. My daughter is 17 and I finally decided she just might do ok when she told me the other day “Dad, you are such a terrible flirt”

yea, someone save me a spot in the shade in hell… I’m bringing beer

7

SCOTT,THANK YOU,I NEEDED THAT//HAHA

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Thank you everyone for your thoughts.

I see my Dr. next Friday and I am going to ask for Diabetic Classes. She is a real good listener and a great Dr. I will ask her about some other things too. I always go in with a written list…and she likes that.

The meds I have little choice over. I’ve tried cutting back and have found that I am at the barest level tolerable…for now.

How do I get off sugar? I get the munchies and craving something terrible!

Naomah

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hello naomah,you do not have to get off sugar total,which isn’t good for us,but being diabetic we really have to watch our carbs intake,like white breads,potatoes,rice,pasta,etc. i try to get in 90gm of carbs daily,30 for bfast,30 @lunch,and 30@dinner and sometime 15 for snacks,if we eat a little sugar every now an again in very small amounts,like eating a piece of chocolate cake,you wouldn’t get a large piece today,tomorrow and etc.you would only eat a small tiny piece only that day.everything we eat has sugar in it.there is a lots of info out there,go online,books, library.your diabetic educator can help with any info you will need.GOOD LUCK////GLAD YOU JOIN THE COMMUNITY.I THINK YOU WILL BE VERY HAPPY YOU DID.

10

Yup, there is even sugar in tooth paste :slight_smile:

I did the Atkin’s Diet about 7 years ago. Went off sugar and onto the Pink Stuff and off all carbs. It worked very well for me at that time. Since then I have had breast cancer and the chemo really screwed up my system. Now the Pink makes me sick and I don’t like red meat…and I was quite a carnivore!

From past experience I have learned that IF I kick the sugar, I cannot have just a piece of cake. It is like an Alcoholic having just a small drink…then the binge…then back to square one. Sugar in other things doesn’t seem to trigger that reaction. It is just IF I go off completely and then have just 1 cookie, 1 piece of candy, 1 piece of pie, 1 donut, or 1 piece of cake…then BOOM…I eat all of what is available and go for more. I am truly a Sugarholic. Right now I am not eating sugar during the day and about 20 M&Ms in bed at night.

The carbs are not such a problem for me. I eat wheat bread, brown rice, and little pasta. I crave potatoes when my potassium goes out of whack but otherwise can do without them. The only cold cereal I eat is Special K and I do 2% milk. I do eat real butter since I learned that margarine is kin to plastic. I am not a big bread eater bit do like my biscuits sometimes.

I like most vegetables - raw or cooked, poultry and fish, peanut butter, legumes and lots of other good stuff. I even drink my coffee black. I like the diet drinks with aspartame not splenda, but only a glass or 2 a day. Lots of water. Never cared much for juices or much fruit. I do like raisins, dried cranberrys, and dried apricots, canned peaches, canned pineapple or canned apricots. Don’t like the canned in water kind, just the canned in heavy syrup kind. I don’t eat them very often either.

One of my main eating problems is inactivity. I am disabled for the chemo damage (small price to pay) so I am not very active. I can’t work a regular job like I did since I was 13. So I get to sit at home…and eat. If I am active on the computer or doing my needlework, no problem, but the rest of the time I like to snack or graze or what ever.

Yesterday I ate some celery and the crunchy helped.

IF I could get on a schedule of some sort that would help. I don’t see it happening though it is still in the trail stages. My husband has erratic work hours and I do like to see him. Going to bed early and getting up when he comes home is fine, except I can’t go back to sleep, and when I get to sleep I don’t get up until early afternoon.

I don’t have a diabetic educator. That is one of the things on my list for when I see my Dr. next week.
Since I am familiar with basic nutrition we had not thought I would need one.

I have tried the library. One could get lost in the books about diabetes and they don’t all agree.
I tried online an that is how I found you guys. YIPPEE!

Naomah

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HELLO,HOW DID YOUR APPOINTMENT GO WITH THE DR?DID HE ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS,LET ME KNOW WHAT HE SAID ABOUT HOW TO GET OFF SUGAR.HAVE A HAPPY DAY<04/28/09>

12

Saw the Dr. last week. Then had blood work done. Saw Educator today and got A1C results.

Not impressed with the educator person. She kept talking low fat this and low fat that. I don’t think she had ever met anyone who liked peanut butter as much as I do.

My A1C is 6.1.

I am to focus on counting my carbs for now and ease into all the other exchanges, etc. Dr. was pleased and gave me some good literature. She does want me to move around more than I do.

No suggestions from either regarding my sugar addiction. I am doing better on that myself now. Too hot to do much baking here in mid western GA. And when I get around my favorite bakery I buy only 1 piece of cake…not a whole cake! Their icing is DIVINE! Of course, now it’s ice creme season. I like it but not like the pastries.

I am off my bedtime candy. I still have jam on my PB sandwich but not as often as I did.

So over all I am doing better. When the clothes start fitting looser I will be more motivated.

That’s it for now. How are you guys doing?

Naomah

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Well done to you, congratulations. I think the educator was just looking out for you, if you try to adatp a little at a time to the low fat stuff it would be better, not just in relation to weight but it’s far healthier for a D to eat low fat. Good luck , your A1Cis fantastic.

14

Why is it healthier for a diabetic to eat low fat?

15

Hi Anthony Holko, In answer to your question: To lose weight?
Josephine: I agree with your comment.

Also, drinking tea, iced or hot, helps with my sugar cravings.

16

Well Anthony, I live on a diet which pretty much consists of fresh fruit and raw veg, a bit of wholegrain brown bread and if I’m really bold I have a bit of full fat choclate. These foods, apart from the choclate are naturally low fat. I don’t necessarily believe that half of the rubbish sold in supermarkets, labelled low fat, are of any benefit to any living creature, its just a big marketing ploy. Everyone knoows its healthier to eat natural whole unprocessed foods. It’s even better for a D because it further lessens the chance of us collapsing from blocked arteries in the future.

17

HELLO NAOMAH,YOUR A1C IS VERY GOOD,I AM HAPPY FOR YOU,GOOD LUCK WITH THE EDUCATOR.THEY REALLY ARE GREAT PEOPLE TO LEARN FROM.TALKING ABOUT PEANUT BUTTER,I CAN EAT IT FOR BREAKFAST,I LOVE IT.TAKE CARE, WILL TALK LATER//ODESSA

18

I am newly diagnosed as a diabetic after surviving breast cancer 3 times over the last 20 years. I was first diagnosed at 24, then again at 36 and 37. I am most certainly in denial about the diabetes diagnosis. I am finding it hard to believe that after all the surgeries, radiation and chemo I now have a new horror to deal with. I think my denial is enhanced because I don’t feel any different, the diagnosis came after routine blood work at an oncology follow-up. Right now I am taking metformin and glicdazide fot the diabetes, I have the monitor but I very rarely use it, I am afraid or just don’t want to face up to it. I feel terrible but I even pretend to my dcotor that I check regularly. I am going about my diet the way I always do and feeling fine but I worry because of not checking.
Exercise is very difficult because I am still recovering from my last surgery. I have not told anyone about my diagnosis because I am sick of being the sick one among my family and friends. I am so happy that I discovered this forum, I feel better already somehow. I look forward to learning a great deal here. I wish you all the very best.Carla

19

Hi Carla,
You have certainly been through a lot, but I don’t think you are in denial anymore. Mainly because you joined this site and you are talking about it to us. I lived around Diabetes all my life. First my Mom was diagnosed in her 30’s, then my Dad in his 40’s. Mom had a really difficult time with it and we lost her in her 60’s. Looking back, I can see now that my parents didn’t really understand that the diet had to do more with carbs more than it did with calories. I’m a college student but also a nurse and I have seen first-hand what “uncontrolled” Diabetes can do to us… It’s not good and because I have sons, I’ve decided that I want to be here for them.
I knew in my heart I would not be able to escape this disease, since both my parents and both sets of grandparents were all Diabetics. I had Gestational Diabetes (my first red flag) with my youngest son. It did go away after he was born, but now he’s 16 yrs old and I was finally diagnosed last year. I wanted to CRY… “How could this happen to me?” I went through a whole slew of emotions and thought I would never be able to eat a Normal meal again, but after meeting with a Dietician I realized I couldn’t have been more wrong.
I can’t emphasize enough, the importance of meeting with a good Dietician. You’ll be taught how to eat in order to maintain your blood sugars in the normal range, without having to change your diet so drastically. Basically I count my carbs (my dietician gave me a diet of 30 carb grams per meal and 15 per snacks x 2) and I watch my fat content. I never really liked greasy foods anyway, so I made a switch from butter to Promise Light, from white bread to whole wheat, white rice to brown, only small “baked” potato and skipped pasta altogether. Pasta is the worst food for me… it really raises my blood sugar and makes me feel lousy.
I’m sure not everyone will be put on a 30 carb gram diet like me… it will vary individually according to your needs, but my dietician has been my life saver ~I continue to meet with her every 3 months.
There are so many foods on the market now that are sugar free, so even if you have a craving for something, you can easily satisfy it. However, I noticed that ever since I started carb counting, I no longer experience cravings or get as hungry. Sometimes I have to remind myself to eat. Now thats a First for me!
I feel that it is important to tell your friends and family that you are a Diabetic because, you don’t want them putting sugary foods in your face when you visit them (my sister makes sure not to offer me those things now) and also because never know when you will have a medical emergency. They will need to have that information to give to a paramedic or hospital ER. Your family and friends love you and won’t think any less of you for letting them know, but the information can help save your life in the event of a medical emergency.
I’m glad you joined this site. I am fairly new here too and glad I joined. Good luck and i wish you the very best. :slight_smile:

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Rick, you are one smart dude! Great advice.