New diabetic 1.5 lada

Type 1 and LADA
81

For breakfast I usually have a green smoothie and a veggie omelette. I also take a digestive enzyme supplement as well as a potassium supplement because insulin depletes potassium.

In a nutshell, controlling DB begins with what you put in your mouth. I have benefited greatly from the teachings of Dr. Richard Bernstein, who is a 70+ y.o. type 1 diabetic, so his longevity speaks to the effectiveness of his recos . He shares that blood sugar control is virtually impossible on a high carb diet.

That said, I am no slave to a regimen. Yesterday I had a few M+M's and a small slice of ice cream cake at Easter dinner. That was my reward for behaving the rest of the time. I woke up at 150 this morning, but what the hell? I will get it back down with good diet.

Above all, please do not stress out, DW. DB will not kill you in a month or two. It generally takes a long time for the complications to develop. Begin educating yourself with the wonderful materials that are available for diabetes self management. As you begin to incorporate good diet and proper insulin dosing, you will see result. Not magically or quickly, but they will come. I can flat guarantee that if you begin cutting WAY back one the fast acting carbs like bread, pasta, etc, you will begin to see a decline in your numbers. You should also need less insulin.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. For now I will recommend the books of Dr. Richard Bernstein and Jenny Ruhl's web site bloodsugar101.com. Both have helped me immensely.
There is a lot to learn. At some point you may seem overwhelmed. That is normal! Take it one day at a time. As you see your numbers slowly decline, you'll get the picture.

82

The delay in the C-peptide test is really no reason to stress either. It will either show you are producing insulin, or not. Either way, learning how to eat to control DB is essential for your long term benefit. If the C-peptide does show you are still making insulin, then all the more reason to focus on preserving your remaining beta cells. High BS is toxic to beta cells, so keeping it controlled is good for your beta cell preservation. If it shows you are no longer producing insulin, then BS control is still very important. And never lose sight of the fact that insulin is a great gift, for without it we type 1's would all be doomed.

83

Thanks Bob, i will do my best to learn slowly. Yes i am overwhelmed because i am also learning web programming. I am not sure 100% about what was happening in class, but i was getting dizzy spells and unable to concentrate and like a state of confusion, i had to get up and go walk and get air.

It felt like a panic attack but it can also be hyperglycemic seizures because my BG was in the 14 mmol/l (252mg/dl).

I will avoid high carbs in the morning from now on.

I also asked if i can be in another group that begins in may for programming because i want to take this month to control my BG and avoid stress. I also missed a lot of classes because of this and i have 2 dr appointments coming.

I will ask the Endo for a CGM monitor and closely monitor my BG.

84

When I first started on insulin I got dizzy spells. When your BS has been high, bringing it down can cause symptoms very similar to hypoglycemia. I would recommend speaking with your endo or diabetes educator about the dizzy spells. BS should be brought down gradually as your body will need to adjust to more normal BS. Do some research on the subject.

85

How many grams of carbs or sugar do we need to counter a hypo?

i got a 4.0 or 72mg/dl 2 hours and a half after lunch. i took 10u of novorapid, maybe was too much.

i took a glucose tablet of 4g of carbs and a small piece of chocolat (1 square)

86

Did you count the carbs for the lunch and bolus according to your I:C ratio? DW, you are posting almost every day that you are too high or too low, yet you seem to continue using set doses. Do get yourself a list of carb contents, read labels, and figure out your I:C ratio. It's not good for your body to continue going high and dropping low.

72 is not considered a hypo. Some of us treat under 70 and some treat under 60. You really don't need to treat a 72.

It's better to stick with glucose tabs. Chocolate has fat in it which slows it's action. Glucose tabs are the most rapid fix for a hypo and they come in measured doses. We are all different in how much it takes to raise our blood sugar. I use 2 glucose tabs (8 grams) if I am in the 50s, and 3 (12 grams) if I'm lower.

Have you been keeping good records of what you eat and the insulin you use? The only way to determine your I:C ratios, Correction factor and hypo treatment amount are by keeping records and seeing what works.

I know you want there to be, but there are no rules for how much insulin we need for bolus and basal and for corrections, or how many carbs to treat a hypo. The only rule is what works for you. And the only way to find this out is trial and error and keeping good records. Otherwise you will continue to be frustrated.

87

thanks, i will experiment more. i measured an hour later and i am 7.9

yes i write down in a book every time i measure my BG.
I am eating healthier foods, avoiding high carbs.

i think my ratio is 1:5

88

yes it's harder for me because i feel like my pancreas has shutdown.

i am slowly understanding carbs and insulin ratios.

I think for my situation a CGM will really help me understand what makes my BG go up or down and not try to guess all the time what will be my next reading.

thanks SM

89

I'd say that 72 may be a hypo, particularly if you took too much insulin? The "prescribed" process is not to "take chances" and carefully measure everything and end up close. I spent *years* just guessing and probably missed as often as I hit the target. If you are at 72, it's very important to consider "how much food did I have?" vs. "how much insulin" and the timing of everything before just saying "72 is not a hypo" because, by the time you think about that, it could turn into a hypo? Unless you can get your BG to behave very consistently, it rarely "is" a number, it's a number AND a direction? No direction is the direction we're looking for but sometimes it can be hard to find!

90

Just a suggestion, Shawnmarie: If the scenario you described where you bolus your 1:25, are 95 at two hours but then you know you will go hypo in the next hour is a common one for you, you might want to consider tweaking your I:C ratio to say 1:27. Then if you go up to say 120 at 2 hours you will come down to a good number at three rather than going hypo. That way you don't have to treat for the pending low and it will have the same result. Even though we measure at two hours (because that is where most of us peak), the idea is to be in a good range after the insulin stops working, not to go low.

91

Such fun. Yeah, if it's not a pattern then you just have to deal with results when you see them. Glad you're feeling better. And that sounds like a good endo switch. I attribute my improved A1C almost entirely to post meal checking, because if I'm high I correct promptly.

92

Hello Diabetic Warrior,

I like your name! You are a newly diagnosed diabetic and already you know that you are a warrior. Do you have a power song? My friend taught me a power song, she would sing it to my pancreas, my islet cells, my kidneys, my heart. I am singing a power song for you, for me, for all of us who suffer diabetes. I know the roller coaster ride, the highs the lows, the ups the downs, the frustration. Diabetes sucks, it just sucks! I made it a friend, I called it an enemy, I pretended I didn't have it, I tried to hide from it. I have lived with diabetes type 1 for 29 years. How often do you see your Endo, do you also see a diabetic educator, or a dietician? How come your doctor did not send you to Diabetes School 101 to learn carb counting and ratios? Has your doctor spoke with you about an insulin pump? I also have a CGM, it is a pain in the ... I liked it at first, excited about a new gadget, but the dang thing always got plugged up with blood, was never accurate, I tested my bg way more with it. If you try it, I hope you have better luck. For me, I learned there is way more to counting carbs and learning ratios. Food is medicine. Maybe you are lucky and have some insulin production and that is why your bg is swinging so much. Maybe you can learn some dietary medicine to help you. I can suggest some good books if you like. Alcohol has thermal heat, it will really mess up your bg, for me, the first beer lowers bg, the second counts as 15carbs,so if I do have beer, which is rare, I have two and no insulin, and I am sure to have a meal with it. I like to have a small glass of red wine every night, I do it every night, consistently, I take no insulin for it. Yet, if I don't have this, I notice that my bg is a bit higher in the am, or I will have a low at 3 am. Everybody is different and responds different, so like the others said, test test test, and record, and pay attention to your body. Bagels are killer for me, I avoid them, and bread for the most part. I eat lots of veggies, and brown rice, and hard boiled eggs. Have some kale and brown rice, seriously, eat only that for 2 days, and tell me if it helps balance your bg. Kale is good to calm the heart, helps with anxiety. Read, "You Are All Sanpaku" and tell me what you think. A very good book, for a Warrior. Spinach and eggs are delicious. I also love squash, all kinds, they say high in carb, but very nourishing, gives lots of energy, and I have better bg balance. Brown rice also high in carb, same thing tho, gives me energy, makes me feel good, I take insulin for it and use a dual wave on my pump. It calms my heart, helps my memory, focus and concentration. I avoid cheeze, milk, yogurt, ice cream and all dairy, it messes up my bg, makes me feel yucky, nauseous and dizzy. I just graduated from a 4 year master program in Chinese Medicine, school is not easy when bg is crazy up and down. I passed out my second trimester of grad school, was rushed to hospital, my bg was over 800. I had an exam that day, and was so nervous, I stayed up all night studying, and skipped breakfast, so I took no insulin... lack of sleep, lack of nutrition... raises my bg. To get through school, I had to learn to eat, rest, stick to a schedule, and stay calm. I am new to this forum, and this is the first post I read, and already I am just so touched by this group,the kindness and encouragement. Thank you all. I like the last post acidrock23, No direction. Find Balance. Bg will go up, Bg will go down, not too high, not too low. Let your body find balance, let your mind rest. I am singing a song for you my Warrior friend. Warriors don't guess, they are precise and calculative. Sometimes use controlled folly. Sometimes the more exact we are, the more frustrating it gets. Timing is very important, we have to predict, calculate, and the direction we have to look is In. Bg of 70 feels low to me too. Anything over 180 feels too high. I like to range 120-140. This morning at 9am, I was 300, I had skipped breakfast,,, why do I do that? And why does my bg go high if I skip a meal? Maybe my basal rate is off, I play with this. It is not my basal, my diabetic educator does not believe me. Yet, I know... it is backwards, my bg goes high if I do not eat regular nutritious food. Thank you for letting me share, I look forward to more discussion.

93

The doc hasn't "confirmed" DW's dx w/ "testing" yet so he's in limbo. It's back in the thread somewhere.

94

Yeah, that's nuts... tx without dx!

95

Thank you Turtle Dove, that was a great post.

Yes Diabetes is a pain in the ass, but i will not let it ruin my life. I have many years to live and so does everyone in here. A cure will be there soon, we must stay strong until the cure is discovered.

As a warrior, i am also not a quitter and as much as this seems complicated and time consuming to me, i know with time i will handle it well.

Yes it is a big challenge because it is like having a 2nd job.
So working or studying while having this takes a lot of energy.
I think it is harder for those who got the disease later in life because we have to change all our old habits that we been following for years.

Do not skip breakfast TD, always eat in the morning, it is the most important meal of the day, it gets your engine started.
I know sometimes i feel like skipping an injection because my BG is medium to low. But i know that after i eat i will need insulin or else i will spike again.

But when you think of it, its just a few minutes of your time to inject and then continue on your daily routine.

For me checking my BG constantly was more of a pain. That's why i want a CGM, so i don't have to check constantly where i am at and feel anxiety from not knowing if i am high or low.

Thank you for posting, keep doing it, we all need to talk about it. :)

Courage!

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference

96

yeah, i have an appointment thursday,i will ask my endo a list of questions because i am in the dark about so many things.

this morning i was high again and also before lunch.

i seem to have problems always in the morning and lunch time.

i was doing better when i was on metformin and insulin combined.
I also noticed my blood looks thicker when i squeeze a drop.
Crestor was helping me too.

97

The Serenity Prayer is a great one for Diabetes!

Actually, you do have to check your blood sugar with a CGM, as they are not accurate. Some people say they even test more often.

98

went for a 1 hour walk in a park with a friend and got a hypo. 3.9 mmol/l = 70.2 mg/dl

i felt it coming right away, felt shaky and hungry.

even though i took a regular dose of insulin, i guess the 1 hour walk made me go down quickly.

99

correction, 3.6 or 64.8

100

Thank you DW,

I like the serenity prayer. Change is the only constant. With that wisdom, I know nothing.

29 years of diabetes does not make me an expert on diabetes. In fact, my 4 years of education in a medical master's program did little to educate me on diabetes. Some 600 hours of Western Medical training only presented diabetes Dx of Type 1, Type 2, gestational diabetes, and diabetes insipidus. I heard of adults getting Dx of type 1, and children getting Dx of type 2. I never heard of LADA, type 1.5, or MODY and its 9 subtypes.

I wonder,,, does anyone know, Is it possible for me to have a C-Peptide test to show if my body is making any insulin on it's own? I was told there was no lab test to say this. My Western Lab Diagnostic teacher and Western Internal Medicine professor said, all there is available is the glucose tolerance test. Even if my beta cells were producing some insulin, taking the glucose tolerance test would not prove or disprove if my islet cells were producing any insulin.

For the LADA's - with all due respect, I do not understand why taking insulin would help to avoid total dependence on insulin. Taking insulin, is taking insulin, whether is 1 unit or 70 units. If taking insulin early preserves beta cell function, will you be able to go off insulin in the future, having taken at onset of LADA?

DW, my goal since onset, for 29 years has been a cure. I do not like dependence on exogenous insulin, or the yo-yo effect. I think my body is making insulin, my islet cells are regenerating, and sometimes functioning. I think that exogenous insulin injections or pump-therapy confuses this process of self-healing. Perhaps the 'habits' that you mention, are the cause of diabetes (no matter what type it is). And, the cure and/or prevention of diabetes is important for us all to look at this. However, the Dx of types, and Tx of types,,, the Western Medical approach to managing diabetes with oral meds, with insulin, with carb counting and bolus ratios, and basal rates... does Nothing towards a Cure for diabetes. In fact, Western medical treatment of diabetes, pharmaceutical companies, pump and CGM companies, Western Medical doctors and providers, insurance companies,,, are pretty dang happy that diabetics are addicted to exogenous insulin and oral meds, and if not 'addicted' - convinced! Convinced that it is a solution to a really big problem, an epidemic. Convinced that this temporary solution is enough to tide us over until "they" come up with a cure.

29 years, almost 30 years of diabetes, I can't believe it. I don't believe it, the Cure is not on its way, as they say. I am not a diabetic expert, but I am a carb counting pro, I am a insulin/carb ratio bolus wizard genius, I am a basal profile super star. I flunked diabetes school 101 about a thousand times, so obviously the professional diabetic experts know way more than me. If my Endo wasn't so super hot, I would not go to my appointments every 3 months and get an A1C. But, he is, so I do, and I play the game.

Research says that fluctuations of bg levels are far more dangerous than consistent readings of 180-200. I went 3 months without insulin (due to lack of insurance) ... I stayed in range of 180-200 (I had surplus of test strips). With insulin therapy and CGM plus finger sticks 10 times a day, I was 40-400. I think the A1C is a bs test for long time diabetics on insulin therapy. But, like I say, my Endo is super cute, so I do it every 3 months for him, so he will write my Rx for insulin, so the insurance will pay for my insulin and pump supplies.

DW, what insurance do you have? Does it cover your CGM and sensors? You can have my CGM and about 10 boxes of soft-sensors. But, I'm telling you, depending on a machine to tell you what you are, is not independence. The CGM reads interstitial fluid, not blood glucose, it is not accurate, especially if having extreme fluctuation. The damn thing will beep at you constantly! It needs to be calibrated with your blood testing meter, and let me tell you, these two devices are hardly friendly with each other. If you are having a lot of highs, you'll be prone to infection, if your blood is running thick, the sensor will fill up with blood, get clogged, you will have to change it more often, wait for re-calibration, and the beep... beep... beep,,, the whole process will start all over. But, that is my experience, about the medical device that goes 'Ping'. Yours may be different. Yet, with your report of bg, I doubt it. I do look forward to your Status update when you get going on
a CGM. I hope your experience is different. Peace warrior brother.

As for breakfast... :) Your right, that is an important meal! For 29 plus years, I have been working on waking up my morning appetite. Sometimes I like to have a green-algae juice, or some congee with gogi berries, something like that. I tend to poor appetite all the day long. It is a bad habit. Scientifically, I can understand why no food raises blood sugar, the body thinks it is starving, and probably is, so the liver cranks out some glucose and raises bg. Rocket Science... Beep, Beep, Beep. I get the Missed Bolus Beep on my insulin pump all the day long... yes, yes, I did 'forget' to eat. I forgot to eat. I missed my bolus. Thank you glorious insulin pump, for reminding me to reapply for food stamps, to re-new my state-assisted medical insurance so I can re-load my insulin cartridge and be on my merry diabetic way to Cub Foods ,,, while I wait, ever so patiently... for a Cure.

Sorry for my sarcasm,,, it is a coping mechanism, implanted at time of onset,,, calibrated with each coma,,, and programmed into my subconscious.

Much Love,
Turtle Dove