Diabetes

[NorTracNY]

bummer

lab tests come back quickly
AIC crept up to 6.1 from 6.0
sugar was 115
both too high

Nortrac, for some of us, even eating properly doesn't work.
I admit I don't all the time, but I'm not bad. yes I eat whole grain bread.
yes I have ice cream a few times a month.
I have to take steroids every day due to prior cancer. That in itself makes losing weight very hard.
whatever it would take to change my direction, pretty clear so far I haven't found it.
I have failed, according to accepted medical science.

my primary says he wants all his older patients to have as many good years as possible and not spending the last five to seven years
in a medical nightmare from diabetes or a stroke. I'm all for that.
Both my parents died young of cancer. I've already had cancer.
Likely to return in next five years.
of course we all know sugar by itself feeds cancer.
I won't say I'm doomed but with no kids, I have a birdie on one shoulder
telling to just eat whatever I want.
and this other noisier vegan birdie on the other shoulder that gets a lot more
attention when the numbers climb the wrong way.

5 percent negative reaction I think for that pill.
not what you'd allow on a plane flight...

30 years ago I was on weight watchers. We had a wellness program at a smallish high tech
company where I was GM and had about 180 employees reporting to me, and they were almost all women.
And lots of them wanted to have WW at work. So of course, to be supportive....I signed up too.
I've always been a few pounds over so why not.
It was kind of nerve wracking every Monday morning weighing in.
anxiety producing for many

I'd like to avoid nerve wracking and anxiety for sure.
So that shot in the hip every week might be the right medicine for me.

If I decide on it, will track results here.

We all can make our own choices. I said I just don't understand the decisions some make. How about asking your doctor to prescribe a CGM? That will allow you to see what you should and shouldn't eat for sugar issues. Ice cream is my downfall, but there are non-glycemic options now. You can also make your own. The CGM will tell you whether the whole grains are bad for your glucose.

As for the A1c, the test comes with a loose accuracy. I've had mine come back with 0.3 changes in just 10 days.

 

[ArlyA]

CGM's are now covered under medicare and yes I very much am a proponent of them. I eat ice cream as my blood glycogen and activity allows but its the CGM that makes that work. Its knowing what is happening at all times that is important. With one, you can live longer and have more fun.

 

[scootr]

Ice cream and bread are the bad guys in more ways than one. Pizza out. Pretzels and beer or wine out.
Keto diet discipline in. Exercise and staying active in. A1c and weight going down.
Hang in there guys. You got this.

 

[boatmoter]

I could use some advice before I get an earful from a specialist.
Since many of us are older, the frequency of diabetes among our members has to be significant.
I'm concerned...

for decades my blood sugar was stuck at 99. Just under what I thought was the 100 threshold.
I've now bounced around 102-103. Next blood studies in a month.

At what point does one have negative health effects? Am I already in that category at 102?
I'm 65, pear shaped, and 20 pounds overweight, all nice risk factors by themselves, and horrible arthritis.
And I love fruit and breads. More risk factors. Otherwise I mostly eat healthy unprocessed food and have stopped drinking
diet soda or any sugary drink. Though I do use the yellow stuff in my coffee. And I drink very little alcohol of any kind.
Stopped eating ice cream at night, switched to an occasional bowl of high fiber cereal or an apple.

When did you all start getting treated and what worked the best for you?
thanks. I hope this sharing will help to educate us all.
Definitely a disease I want to avoid if I can.

So first of all, at what number should one be concerned, and what number should open our eyes and frankly scare us?

nothing wrong with 102. my blood sugar falls out at 90. when it gets up to 180 or higher you will feel fatigued. gets up to 300 and up and happens often for a long length of time you may end up going for Dialysis several times a week. if you don't catch it when you drop past the # your sugar falls out it's Hypo glycemia and it will put you 6 ft under.100 to 180 is great. uh, here's a con, no beer or Alcohol, their loaded with sugar. Im type 2

 

[boatmoter]

Ice cream and bread are the bad guys in more ways than one. Pizza out. Pretzels and beer or wine out.
Keto diet discipline in. Exercise and staying active in. A1c and weight going down.
Hang in there guys. You got this.

I do the go Nutre prepared meals it helps a lot with diabetes

 

[scootr]

I do the go Nutre prepared meals it helps a lot with diabetes

Whatever works is good. We simply have to change the way we eat and live. I read 50% of Americans have type 2 diabetes. Most are eating wrong and sitting on their fat arses.

 

[boatmoter]

yep. what I never get around to doing is exercise. I work a lot around the house and on my vehicles and tractors, but that only helps keep the ol limbs flexible and muscles toned. also need to get on the recombinant bike for some cardio for the ol heart and stamina and to burn a few calorie's. but there's always something that has to be repaired or do it seem's. I thought I was retired. Im starting to 2nd guess myself

 

[dmccarty]

A couple of thoughts popped up reading the last few pages. Last year I posted about Intermittent Fasting which is helping me loose and keep the weight away. During the week I eat in an 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours. You can't pig out in those 8 hours, and staying away from processed carbs is important, but the fasting does help me reduce/maintain weight. Sometimes I will got 20-22 hours without eating, and even when doing physical work, I don't get hungry. Kinda odd it is.

I like beer and beer has too many processed carbs. Over the years I have tried a few things to minimize beer drinking but there really are no substitutes and I don't like sodas which are really bad. What has helped is that there are now low alcohol or no alcohol beers that are really good. They still have calories, aka, carbs, but they are much less than the beer with alcohol. So, during the week, I do Intermittent Fasting AND limit myself to two no alcohol beers each night.

If I do the above, I can maintain weight. To loose weight, I have to cut back a bit on what I eat and reduce calorie intake. I will gain weight if I eat something like pie, which I had hankerings for over the holidays, or go piggish on potato chips.

I have been doing 10,000+ steps a day for years. At one point, I was doing 20,000 steps. Now, I average, over year long time frames, 11,000-12,000 steps a day with daily active minutes of 60-100. I get the steps in by taking breaks at work, walking the longest path instead of the shortage, and walking in place while watching TV. Get up off the couch or chair!

One has to change one's lifestyle and the easiest things for me have been the steps and Intermittent Fasting. The hard part is avoiding the binge food like pie, potato chips, pizza, etc. Eating a little binge food from time to time is not bad, but if one crosses the line of too much, the weight gets added to the waist line.

 

[tulenutn2o]

No we're not, we are omnivores. This was proven many years ago.

Technically, yes, but far more maladies arise from eating just plants and grains. I’ll stick with a heavy protein diet. Works for me.

 

[tulenutn2o]

I'm not sure I understand why I'd want to pay $125/month to put a chemical in my body that has known and likely unknown bad side effects instead of doing what it right for my body. I guess I'm just old fashioned and have lived through enough drug recalls. I only take stuff for acute, short term issues, like an infection.

I don’t necessarily care for it either, but works when everything else was not, diet, exercise, supplements and other medications. This disease runs in my family. Grandmother passed away in 1980 at 61 years old. Sister at 42. None due to weight/obesity. This disease doesn’t care how you got it, so I am managing it the best way for me Right now. This also has reduced my number of drugs taken. My previous dr. whom has since retired always said,”you know how you feel better than me, I just interpret what you are telling me.” Dr. and patient communication is key, let them know what is working and isn’t. You ultimately control your own care.

 

[tulenutn2o]

I'd say the 115 is good but the 6.1 is high. You are having high blood glycogen swings in there somewhere.

----------------------
lab tests come back quickly
AIC crept up to 6.1 from 6.0
sugar was 115
both too high

High, try 9.4.
6.1 is somewhat normal range. Always like for it to be lower though. 115 is a tolerable number when I had been running 180’s-190. Best to be lower on all accounts, how we get there? Whatever works.

 

[newbury]

Always like for it to be lower though.

But how low can you go?
I've had problems when it dips below 80 and I think the lowest I've seen on my cheap One-Touch meter is 57.
But I usually can feel it going low and get some sugar in me, so by the time the time I test it's gone up some.

 

[tulenutn2o]

But how low can you go?
I've had problems when it dips below 80 and I think the lowest I've seen on my cheap One-Touch meter is 57.
But I usually can feel it going low and get some sugar in me, so by the time the time I test it's gone up some.

I’ve only been dealing with this for 6-7 years, but when I go below 90 I know it. If you research online, I believe below 70 is getting too low.

 

[ArlyA]

Any other CGM users here? I use the Dexcom 7.

 

[scootr]

High, try 9.4.
6.1 is somewhat normal range. Always like for it to be lower though. 115 is a tolerable number when I had been running 180’s-190. Best to be lower on all accounts, how we get there? Whatever works.

I just got my hospital test results back. A1c is 6.4 for me, down from a high of 7.0 18 mos ago.
Report said acceptable range was 6.0-7.4, I know these are recently revised numbers. Likely based upon an aging overweight sedentary population

Anything below is 6.0 is prediabetic, my friend is a keto diet ****. Found himself in a hospital with A1c of 15 2 yrs ago. Has since reversed his diabetes (A1c 5.9) to the amazement of his doctor. I've been type 2 for 20 yrs, managing by diet and exercise. Until 18 mos ago my diet was wrong, chips, alcohol, and carb loading meals like spaghetti. A keto diet has changed my diabetes around - less alcohol, no processed carbs. And I lost 38 pounds. At 70 I'm back down to my fighting weight, just can't keep my pants up - lol
Lots of good information on keto on You Tube. GL

 

[Buppies]

Same here ArlyA

 

[Buppies]

I was 6.6 a month ago

 

[scootr]

I was 6.6 a month ago

I think 6.6 is pretty much okay for a diabetic based upon my doctors advice.

 

[boatmoter]

was at 8.1 last blood work 6 months ago. since I changed my diet and tried getting around a little more. Im type 2 & take insulin & Januvia pills. recently have switched over to Go Nutre meals, they have helped a lot. Im retired, and wife still works so I pretty much ate what I could since Im no cook and no interest in learning how other then eggs or turkey burgers. Im sure my A1c will be much better when I get to my next appointment

 

[ArlyA]

was at 8.1 last blood work 6 months ago. since I changed my diet and tried getting around a little more. Im type 2 & take insulin & Januvia pills. recently have switched over to Go Nutre meals, they have helped a lot. Im retired, and wife still works so I pretty much ate what I could since Im no cook and no interest in learning how other then eggs or turkey burgers. Im sure my A1c will be much better when I get to my next appointment

That's kinda high. Let us know if you can get it down.