Treatment advice needed please

Treatment
21

BSC, you are right about the depression. Between battling this disease and the extreme financial strain it is placing upon me, it’s very hard to constructively deal with this situation.

I am very frustrated because the doctors are dragging their feet. Do a few test here, come back, PAY another office call, do a few more tests, repeat.

This disease isn’t hard to treat if the doctors would get it over with. Once I can get the diabetes problems addressed, I can get the depression problem fixed. And then my neck problem fixed. And maybe work on the financial problems.

Without my health, what else is there? Gotta get that fixed asap.

I have a lot of decisions to make and cannot make them as long as I don’t know where I stand with the treatment of this disease.

I was hoping that someone who was using metformin and byetta or even insulin could suggest a course of treatment that I could request.

At this point, I am willing to take a LOT of shots for the time being. Then I can figure out how to adjust everything so satisfy the disease and both my financial concerns and lifestyle needs.

Since I have such great control most of the time, I sincerely doubt that any doctor would want to alter what I am doing, except to adjust my regime to eat more calories.

If I need calories that badly, I can eat a lot of nuts. But this won’t give me the other things I need in my diet.

And after a week, I would become very bored with that diet.

Like anyone else, I need a little variety, even if I could eat one normal meal a week. This alone would do wonders for the depression. At lease I could look forward to my ‘parole’ from this disease.

I am trying to hold out until I see the endo in 3 weeks. I have been treating this for3 months now, mostly on my own. It wears you down in a hurry.

About the gout: I very quickly found out that if I ate more than one slice of cheesecake in a week or ate too much meat in a week, that my ankles would kill me. So, I discovered that wheat products for some unknown reason didn’t cause me that problem. I also found out that Alleve fixes the pain in a day or two, but Alleve wants my blood sugars to spike higher than usual.
Chicken, fish, and even pork don’t do anything for me to help keep co-consumed carbs from spiking me. Beef does to a decent degree, but not always.

Another odd thing: if eat a tiny bit of a Hershey candy bar, my blood sugars 2 hours later are lower than if I didn’t eat it a all. No clue as to why.

I like many different foods. Spaghetti & meatballs, pizza, ravioli are wonderful foods for me. But now, they spike me too highly.

I like eggs, cheese (love almost all cheeses), and most dairy products.

If I can get some sort of meds, then I can adjust my eating so I can eat a little more of the foods I used to.
I am not looking to eat candy bars or chocolate malts or junk foods with the meds. But a lousy peanut butter sandwich with my soup would definitely boost my spirits. And my blood sugars.

I feel that Metformin would increase my insulin sensitivity and the Byetta (or Victoza) would make my pancreas work a little more efficiently when needed, thus allowing me to eat more wheat products.

Are there any diabetics that have perfectly normal blood sugars without meds that only spike when they eat in this forum?

Here’s my numbers for today so far: 87, 100, and 81.

I am only good for about 15g to 20g of carbs before I spike too highly.

So, I know my pancreas is doing something, I just don’t know what.

About the 140 number and beating myself up over it:

Well, I am afraid. Everything I read says above 140 promotes tissue damage and blindness.
But every site I been to says ‘sustained’ high blood sugar levels.

But not a single site defines the word ‘sustained’ when it comes to blood sugars.

If someone could define sustained as far as a time frame goes, then I could relax a bit more.

Does anyone know what ‘sustained high blood sugars’ means in regards to a time frame?
1 minute? 1 hour? 4 hours? A day? 3 months?
How long?

Just so confused here.

Again, thanks for the help and support.

22

So, go to a doctor for meds. That’s your only option.

Don’t understand throwing away food when your wife knows what you can & can’t eat.

Anti-depressive drugs can be scary.

23

Giving a time frame for sustained would be difficult since everyone’s biochemistry is unique. To say whether it’s days or weeks or months would be going out on a limb. My guess, just a guess, would be consistently high BG for a while, not a spike here or there for hours. The issue is that damage is cumulative, so again hard to give a length of time as a definition. Some people’s bodies seem to handle this better than others.

The only T1 friend I have has had diabetes for 33 years, since he was a very young child. He didn’t take care of himself at all. He didn’t test enough, guessed at doses, ended up in the ER with hypoglycemia numerous times & ate anything he wanted. He doesn’t have any complications, thank heavens. Now, he’s taking excellent care of himself.

Members here talk about periods of time when they didn’t maintain good control, usually during their rebellious teens. They’re all fine. Must be the gift of youth when we can abuse our bodies with less serious consequences.

24

She doesn’t eat like I have to. And expecting her to eat leftovers every other day is a bit too much to ask for anyone. She will do it once in a while, but not forever.

She only knows that I cannot eat many carbs. And any food will usually cause some sort of spike.

I agree about the anti-depressive drugs. But I did find one that is compatible with both diabetes and blood sugar control.

http://www.mcmanweb.com/article-42.htm

http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=000100369

Those are great articles.

It seems that the depression will kill me long before the diabetes will, if I can’t get these problems under control.
When your whole life is ripped from you, it’s hard not to be severely depressed. Anyone would look under every rock if needed, just to find a way out.
This site is my rock.

I agree about the doctor and meds. I need something. Even if it is temporary. It will buy me some time until I can find a more permanent solution.

25

Can some of the damage be reversed? Or slowed down?

I figure I might have another 15-20 years left, if I can get this taken care of soon.

So, I can afford a little damage, as long as it doesn’t accumulate too quickly.

My eyes are my biggest concern. I have to save my eyesight for as long as possible.

My metabolism is shot. I have the metabolism of a bedridden 90 year old woman.
And I am stuck with it until the weather warms up.

Many times, I can simply walk off a spike, depending on what caused it. Can’t walk off sugar spikes though. I tried. But normal carb spikes, even if I eat some bread, I can generally walk off quickly in about 1/2 hour. Or drop them quickly by drinking 30 ounces of water.

How long does it take for glucose to stick to red blood cells ?

Will several short, but high spikes cause my a1c to go up a lot?

26

Why doesn’t she just make less so there aren’t leftovers? Doesn’t she know what you eat? When my husband cooks dinner, he knows what I eat & portions.

We’ve all had our lives ripped away from under us. Depression is about inevitable with any chronic disease & it sucks.

27

Take a can of soup. It has 2.5 servings in it. She might eat 1.5 servings and toss out the rest.

My diabetes is new for her too. We both are learning about foods, portions, and etc.

Let’s say you want to make some Chili-O. It takes 1 pound of hamburger to make. She might eat one cup or so today, then another one tomorrow. After that, it gets tossed out. So, 1/2 of it is wasted.

A loaf of bread: she might eat about 1/2 the loaf all week, then the other 1/2 goes stale and gets tossed.

I am very lucky to eat one slice in a week, maybe.

There are many foods that are made for two or more people, but right now, I can’t eat any with impunity. At least until I get fed up with the doctors jacking me around to get extra office call money.

One way or another, I will eat most of what I used to eat, meds or not.
I just wanted to do it the right way first. That way, no one could say I didn’t try.

I am trying not to give up here. It’s very hard at first to keep at it. Denial is taunting me daily. But I persevere.

Hopefully, the endo will see my dilemma and prescribe something. My weight loss is what will bother them the most.

You can take me to a buffet, but you can’t make me eat.
I want to do everything possible to save my eyesight for as long as I can.
If I go blind, then the game is over, if you know what I mean.

28

Here’s what the department of Agriculture says about what I need to eat each day, just to maintain my current weight:

The United States Department of Agriculture suggests that approximately 50 percent of your calories come from carbohydrates, about 30 percent from fats, and approximately 20 percent from protein sources. One gram of protein has about four calories, one gram of fat has about nine calories, and one gram of carbohydrate has about four calories.

You need 268.6 grams of carbohydrates, 70.9 grams of fat, and 107.5 grams of protein per day for 2149 calories to maintain your weight of 147 pounds.

I am only eating about 800 calories per day. About 25g of carbs comes from that.

Anything higher and I have either higher blood sugar problems, pain in my ankles, or perhaps elevated cholesterol levels.

29

If you read Dr. Bernstein’s story in his book “Diabetes Solution,” he will tell you that he suffered from a range of very serious consequences, including kidney failure, neuropathy, eyesight problems etc. But after tightly controlling his blood sugars he was able to heal virtually all his complications except his deformed feet, the calcified walls of arteries in his legs, and the loss of hair on his lower legs as those complications were not reversible.

Glucose does not stick to red blood cells. Glucose reacts with the protein on red blood cells in a process called glycation. It is a process that damages the protein, and the damage is cumulative and proportional to blood sugar levels, which is why the HbA1c is basically a measure of average blood sugars.

Now you realize that looking to the Department of Agriculture (DOA) for information on what a human should eat is perhaps a bit of a mistake. I mean the DOA is there to support farmers, do you think they have your interest at heart, let alone the interests of you as a diabetic. My advice for the diabetic. Don’t eat transfats. Don’t eat HFCS. Eat only as many carbs as your body will allow without raising your blood sugar inappropriately high and try to get your foods from whole, natural, untainted and sustainable sources.

I’m just saying.

30

I posted that just to see what people would say about it. I didn’t believe it either, but that’s what they calculated for me.

Also, ate come chicken tonight. 12 ounces of chicken breas strips, no skin, no coating, cooked in canola oil.

It took 4 hours to go from 79 premeal to 112 4 hours later. My 2 hour was 106.

So, even chicken elevates my blood sugars. If I ate any carbs with that, the protein in the chicken would not have slowed any spikes.
This also happens with fish and pork. But beef (sirloin) on the other hand, does slow the spikes much better than the other stuff.

Any idea why??

In the mornings, I can barely eat 11g of carbs from 1/2 grapefruit and one egg.

In the afternoons, I can get in about 15g to 20g of carbs if I eat extra protein with it. This is about 1/2 can of Campbells vegetable beef soup or some other source of protein.

Evenings, well, sometimes I can eat carbs, sometimes not, It’s a hit or miss 1/2 the time.

Trying to find the best time of day to eat some carbs without spiking too high. I can get some needed calories in that way.

Note: 2 things that seem to help a lot - pecans and chocolate. Eating 1/4 cup of pecans or 1/12th of a Hershey candy bar seems to drop my blood sugars lower than if I didn’t eat them at all. More confusion it seems. Especially with the candy.

I am very weary lately. Feeling weak too. No drive, no motivation, no purpose.
Is this the depression again or is it that I am still not eating.

I have never experienced any of this with myself, my family, or any of my friends.

31

I mentioned previously in this discussion that protein does raise BG, though not as dramatically or quickly as carbs. About 58% of protein does eventually convert to glucose, which is why carbs are unnecessary to sustain life. Not suggesting anyone live without carbs, but it is possible. You wouldn’t live long without protein.

Beef has more fat than chicken, leans cuts of pork or fish, so it’s slower to digest–less spike.

You could eat nothing at all & have BG rise.

As also mentioned before, fat is the most calorie dense food you can eat. Avoiding fats isn’t healthy, especially when you’re eating so little.

BTW, check out my discussion on canola oil. It’s quite unhealthy, though I’m sure the Dept of Ag would say it’s great.

Please get to a doctor soon to get meds. You can’t spend your life eating little & fretting over every rise in blood sugar. Explain to your doctor that your numbers look excellent only because you’re eating next to nothing.

Have no idea why 1/12 of a Hershey bar lowers your BG, unless you happen to eat this at a time of day when you’re active, or most insulin sensitive, & basically burning it off. Most people are most insulin sensitive in the afternoon. 1/12 of a candy bar isn’t much.

If I can venture a guess… You’re weary & worn out from anxiety & not enough food.

32

Oh boy, you hit the nail on the head.

Very worn out. Very anxious. I don’t know what to expect other than a life of misery from my current viewpoint.

I am stuck waiting till I see the Endo, and even then, I might not be able to get meds on the first visit. No C-Peptide test was taken nor a GAD.
Can they do those instantly like a glucose test? Do I need to fast first? I will anyway.

I tried the piece of candy in the AM and in the afternoon. Either way, my blood sugars are lower afterward. It is really weird.

What was the link to the canola oil please?

And I do eat nuts pretty often. Sometimes a whole cup at a time.

I was trying to follow the ‘low fat diet’ that the doctor ordered. Is he trying to kill me? lol

I need more education it seems about the disease and the blood sugar relationship. I don’t know what is safe for me to spike to and for how long.
I am deathly afraid of going blind (first) then kidney failure, then other complications.

Bloodsugar 101 doesn’t address my questions they way you guy are trying.
Many Many thanks for your patience.

33

Here’s the canola oil link
https://forum.tudiabetes.org/topics/canola-oilunhealthy-food-for?commentId=583967%3AComment%3A422765

You are not going to go blind or have kidney failure with your numbers, so stop obsessing about this. It’s also not healthy to be dwelling on the negative. Not that you should stick your head in the sand, but you’re doing everything you can right now until you see your doctor.

Forget that low fat nonsense & you’ll feel better physically & emotionally eating a more balanced diet. You can’t be healthy eating wheat, too little protein & low fat. That in itself is a prescription for depression.

No fasting for C-peptide & GAD. They aren’t in-house tests.You should insist on OGTT–that is fasting.

Do something fun & relax.

34

Ok Gerri,

Tonight I splurged.

I ate some low carb spaghetti & meatballs with 2 slices of low carb whole wheat bread. About 100g of carbs, but about 75 net carbs (estimated). It also is about 1,000 calories or so.

Feels good to FINALLY have a full belly for a change.

Waiting to see that spike into the 200’s now… sigh…

35

I don’t usually say “yay” when someone eats a 100 carb meal, but you needed this. Maybe take a walk if you can to lessen the effect.

When counting carbs, I don’t bother with the net carb thing, unless something has a huge amount of fiber.

Let me know how it goes with tonight’s splurge. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s high, ok?

36

This is really strange.
My 2 hour post meal after all
that food was 140 ???

It makes me wonder if I will spike in 2 more hours.

I am very pleasantly surprised right now, but skeptical.

37

If you had Dreamfields pasta, you might see an increase later. I hope not. I tried Dreamfields & went way high hours later. Different for a T1, of course.

38

Yep, dreamfields spaghetti.

However, something happened. I didn’t spike much over the bread.
I figured that alone would have gotten me.

But, if dreamfields can level out the spike, then I may have another option.

I will wait a couple more hours then recheck.

However, I won’t stay up all night waiting for a spike. I took a chance and ate something. At least I instantly stopped my rapid weight loss because of the calories.

If dreamfields will slowly spike me as the spike from the bread goes down, but not exceed 140, I would be quite happy.

Besides, it tasted really good too!

39

I actually had pretty good luck with the Dreamfields. But I learned a few tricks. First, although the carbs are “protected,” if you reheat or overcook the pasta, then it becomes just as carby as regular pasta. Also, while the carbs are “protected,” not everyone reacts the same, hence Gerri’s experience. If the Dreamfields works for you certainly take advantage of it and enjoy. It is only minimally more expensive than regular pasta and tastes the same.

What I have found is Shiritaki noodles, available in my local asian market. They are totally carb free and while a poor “substitute” they give me a great way of chowing down on my rich toppings of sauces, meatballs and different kinds of cheeses. Also, if you are trying to save money, many international and asian stores have great prices on foods, in many cases a mere fraction of regular grocery stores.

40

Oh yeah, it spiked me 4 hours later into the 150’s.

I went to be and have no idea just how high it really got.

So, it looks like I may have to switch my traditional meals.

Dinner in the AM and breakfast in the pm - LOL