Diabetes Survival Guide!

You've been told you have Type 2 Diabetes.  Your A1c is something higher that 6.5.  So, now what?  You have three basic tools to control Type 2 Diabetes: medication, exercise and diet.  Using all three, you can control and manage the disease.  But, what in the world is diabetes?

(I have used survival guides most of my professional life.  A survival guide gives you just enough information to 'get your work done' if everything is normal and is a reference resource until you gain experience.  And, I probably should have written this a while back, but it just occurred to me that it might be needed.  Plus, it also helps that I have a number of the pieces in place to which to refer.  Could it be seredipity?)

Your doctor has told you that you will probably have to take some medication to lower your A1c.  No surprise.  The doctor wants to get your A1c down ASAP - think of it as getting the poison out of your system.  So, meds are a very normal route.  In fact, they might start you on metformin, one of the most widely prescribed drugs fo diabetics.

Dr. K has written about metformin, and you should read it to understand the drug and  how it works.

But, what if you don't want to take a medication?  Well, there are those who decide they want to control diabetes through diet and exercise - and some are successful!  Some control and beat back the disease through the diet and exercise route.  But, the number who are successful is limited - very limited.

The first goal is to get your A1c down as soon as you can.  You can always stop taking meds if you see your numbers dropping and getting an A1c under 5.5; there is no rule that states you have to take them forever.  This is a decision you should make after talking with your doctor.  So, think about taking the medication.

For me, it was a no brainer.  I knew diabetes could cause serious damage and could lead to death.  I chose to take the meds to get myself back to 'normal.'  Diabetes normal is not good enough for me.  Normal is normal is normal, even if it's done with the aid of medication!

Regardless if you are taking medication, or not, you should start to exercise.  Read about my post on exercise to get a beginning point.  I still just walk, but a lot faster than I did at the beginning.  If you are going depend on exercise to gain more control, you will need to use cardio exercise and resistance training (aka weightlifting).  And, plan to spend about an hour a day, five or six days a week of exercise time if you have the weights at home.  If you go to a gym during a busy period, figure at least two hours a day.

You are going to have to start glucose testing at least twice per day.  Most of the instruction I have seen is either incomplete, or really cause pain.  For complete instructions on how to get a good reading without pain, read this.

And, you are going to examine your diet. Chances are it will change.  Mine did - a lot.  I started a lower carb diet and over the course of nine months I lost about 60 pounds between diet and exercise.  Diet is so very, very important as you work to control diabetes.

And, to bring it all together, I have strongly recommeded a food diary.  Keeping one was so helpful in the beginning as I was lowering my A1c - it told me what I could and could not eat if I paid attention to my meter readings.  The food diary continues to be a tool for success and something I go back to when I see my numbers creeping up.  You can read about it here and then download it by following the instructions in the post.

Just so you know, I started my diabetes journey with an A1c of 13 - that's pretty high.  My most recent test gave me a 6.1.  Blood pressure 114/80.  Weight seven pounds up over a year's time, which I am losing - I got a bit cocky when I had a test result of 5.9!  I lose the weight, keep up with my diet and meds, and I should be at about a 5.8 or lower when tested again.  I mention all of that just so you know I have first hand knowledge of what you are facing - and KNOW you can be successful!

As always, thank you for reading.  God Bless and know you can beat the enemy; you CAN control diabetes.

Please feel free to send me your comments.

Sam's Club - Free Diabetes Screening

I know I posted this at the end of the previous blog, but it's so important, I thought it needed a posting of its own.

Did you know free diabetes screening is available?  It is.  Sam's Club locations have free diabetes screenings once a month.  Call your closest location to find out when it's going to happen and get screened.  The screening will tell you if you need to see your doctor for a more sophisticated test and treatment.

The next testing day is Saturday, October 13th from 11:00 to 3:00 pm.

Don't know where the closest Sam's Club is?  Check here.

If you know of anywhere else that offers free diabetes screening, please leave a comment, or let me know.

As always, thank you for reading and please feel free to leave me a comment.

Do You HaveDiabetes? Symptoms

It just occurred to me that I have never written about the symptoms of diabetes.  You know, it is a disease, so it does have symptoms - it can't exist without having an effect.  Symptoms are nothing more than the effects diabetes could be having on your body; these are effects that you will feel and/or know about.

Symptoms of diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) are:

• Fatigue.  Being tired pretty much all of the time.  Now, just because you are tired does ont mean you have diabetes.  You might be the parents of three children under five years old - you have a right and a reason (three of them) to be tired.
• Unexplained weight loss.  You can't process the food you eat correctly, so a lot of it just kind of goes through you without gaining any benefit. And, with this might come...
• Near constant hunger. If your body can't process the food you put in it, it will want more. It's just that simple.
• Excessive thirst.  I know about this one first hand!  I used to drink about two gallons of water a day.  Why?  Because my body could not deal with the sugar - could not process it -  which led to excessive urination which led back to thirst.  See a cycle here?
• Excessive urination.  See above.  I sued to get up five or six times a night to urinate.  You know, you'd think I would know something was wrong, right?  But, I worked hard, perspired and figured I was just putting water back in my body which led to the urinating.  Clearly, I'm not too smart.  Please be smarter than I was.
• Wounds don't heal very well.  You know the scratches and bruises you get from everyday life - that kind of wound.  High blood sugar does not let healing take place.

There are some others, but these seem to be the ones most people experience.  If you even suspect you might be diabetic, get tested.  Please get tested.

More on the symptoms of diabetes from The Mayo Clinic.

Did you know free diabetes screening is available?  It is.  Sam's Club locations have free diabetes screenings once a month.  Call your closest location to find out when it's going to happen and get screened.  The screening will tell you if you need to see your doctor for a more sophisticated test and treatment.  The next testing day is Saturday, October 13th from 11:00 to 3:00 pm.

Don't know where the closest Sam's Club is?  Check here.

If you know of anywhere else that offers free diabetes screening, please leave a comment, or let me know.

As always, thank you for reading and please feel free to leave me a comment.

What is a Diabetec?

During the last few days I have noticed questions coming in about what defines being a diabetic and thought I should take a moment and provide a definition.  Keep in mind that this is not my definition, but based on the definition provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Also, I offer my apology. I probably should have started with this.

The CDC describes diabetes as:

Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy.  Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn't make enough insulin or can't use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood. This is why many people refer to diabetes as “sugar.”

Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.

That's a good description of diabetes, but to make it even more simple when you have diabetes there is too much glucose (sugar) in your blood.  That, folks, can lead to some serious problems if left untreated. You can read the complete article here.

The amount of sugar in your blood is measured through an A1c test which measures the average amount of glucose in your blood over the last approximately three months.  If you are interested, take a look at what the ADA has written about A1c tests.

What do those readings mean?  Well, normal (for those who do not have diabetes) is between 4.5 and 6.0.  Prediabetes is defined as having an A1c between 5.7 and 6.4.  If you test 6.5, or higher, on two tests, you probably have diabetes.  Just so you know I am not making this up,  take a look at what the Mayo Clinic writes about A1c test results.

To put this in perspective, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had an A1c of 13 - kind of high.  Okay, very high and in every 'red' zone I have ever seen.  Three years later my A1c results are routinely between 5.9 and 6.1.  So, I know diabetes can be fought and controlled first hand.  And, I know you can do it.

So, if your A1c test results are between 5.7 and 6.4, you are probably being told by your doctor you have prediabetes, so take action and beat it!  Beat it before you are told you have diabetes.  If above 6.5, your doctor is probably telling you that you are a diabetic - now, you really have to take action.

What action do you take? Change your diet. Take your meds. Exercise 30 minutes a day.

You can beat diabetes.  You can control and manage it.  Do not let diabetes manage you!

As always, thank you for reading.  I wish the very best life for you.

You Can Win the War...You Can Be In Control!

I have found there is so much in life I really can't control.  If you work, there are aspects about your job you don't control.  If you are married, do you think you can control your spouse?  Can you control how much homework a teacher might assign?  Heck, I can't even control how long it takes me to drive somewhere due to traffic.  Think about it.

There are so many health related concerns you can't control.  Cancer.  A failing back.  Even getting a cold is something we can't seem to control.

But, there is some good news - YOU can control diabetes.  I know I have hammered this home before, but it's worth doing again and again.  You can control and manage diabetes.  What does it take?  A few simple steps.

Form you team.  The best way to fight diabetes and win the war is to have an engaged team.  Your team should include your doctor, pharmacist and you.

Take your medication.  This is so simple.  Do not miss a dose.  Take what your doctor prescribes, when he prescribes it to be taken, how it's prescribed to be taken.  This is such an easy step.  But, in order to take your meds, you have to have them.  My pharmacist tells me about 30% or prescriptions that are filled don't get picked-up.  30%!  Please, be part of the 70% and pick-up your medication so you can take it.

Diet.  And, by diet I mean what you eat.  This probably has to change.  My big diet change was to limit the carbs I would have during a meal to 55 to 60 carbs.  This means eating different foods and less of them.  As I look back, I must have been having 150 to 200 carbs per meal.  No wonder I am a diabetic. Now, I normally have about 50, and sometimes less.

Let me tell you that a lower carb diet helped me to lose about 60 pounds and dropped my sugar levels.  I went from an AIc of about 13.0 to 6.1.  My lowest A1c was 5.9 - so I know it's attainable and it my next goal.  That will probably require a change in my diet to both low carb and low fat (basically it means I will have to start counting calories).

Exercise.  I can't stress this enough.  There is something about exercise that makes it easier for your blood cells to receive sugar - glucose.  And, what will that do?  Lower your daily glucose reading!  And, you will lose more weight if you exercise than if you just try to do it by reducing what you eat.

Form your team.  Take your medication. Change your diet and realize it will be a way of life. And, exercise.  You will be on your way to controlling diabetes instead of it controlling you.  You really can do this.

A great way to get started is by downloading and using the Food Diary Plus to act as a reminder and keep track of your progress.

I know, that was a shameless plug, but it's your Food Diary that will form the basis for your fight.  You will gain so much information and will know how your body is responding.  And, it's a great way to keep track of what you eat and the effect it has on your blood sugar.

Are you ready?  You can battle the disease and win your war with diabetes.

Fight on!

New Numbers!

I just came back from dinner with my in-laws.  Okay, is that blog worthy?  Probably not.  But I never, ever thought I would spend a meal talking about doctors, lab tests and other medical odds and ends.  Never in my wildest imagination (and I can imagine a lot!) did  I ever see myself talking about medical issues during dinner.  But, we did and it seemed okay to do so.  In fact, there were several times when we laughed pretty hard. 

Did you notice my great segue into lab work and medical stuff, there?  Should I repeat it so you can enjoy it again?  Don't worry, I won't do it.

I have just gone through my semi-annual lab work and my report card came back.  I won't bore you with cholesterol numbers, because you don't really care about those.  But, in the spirit of transparency I will tell you two numbers.

Blood pressure is 114/81.  And, A1c is 6.1.  That A1c is not great by a lot of diabetic's standards, but it means I am managing the disease pretty well.  Can I get a bit lower?  Yes - my goal during the next six months is 5.8.  I am developing a plan to meet it and will share it with you when I have the plan finished. 

I mention this because I consistently see room for improvement in what I do and how I do it.  And, if I can do it, I know you can, too.   It's a matter of setting a goal and making a plan to achieve that goal.  The steps are pretty simple.  In fact, you probably already know what to do.

1. Set a realistic goal.  
2. Develop a plan to achieve that goal. 
3. Then, follow your plan. 
4. Monitor your progress.

Simple, huh?  It really is and can lead to your triumph over diabetes.  You can, and will, win the war.  Does it get any better than that?  Not in my little world.  I want everyone to know they can win the war and control diabetes.

In the next blog I will take a look at these steps.  Tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to New Numbers!

And, as always, thank you for reading.

Diabetes Week Two

I made it through the first week of diabetes.  My life changed in the same way you turn a light on - within a moment.  Was I still scared?  Oh, yeah.  In fact today, almost three years later I am still scared of diabetes if I was being completely honest.  I have a deep and abiding respect for what the disease can do if not managed and controlled.

The good news is that it can be controlled with a bit of effort which was my big "AHA!" during Week Two.

Anyway, back at Week Two.  I had begun to take my meds - Metformin twice a day 1.000 mg each time.  Pretty standard starting treatment.  And, it was just the Metformin.  I know many may have two pills to take, which for some proves to be very effective.  It's kind of like a one-two punch and when you are in a war with diabetes, you want to throw as many punches as possible to get your glucose, and subsequently your A1c, down somewhere in normal range.  If you need to see the a chart for A1c values and how they compare to your blood glucose readings, look here for a pretty easy to read chart.

Remember not to use one reading, but look at your average reading.  Even then, it depends on when you take it.  More on that at some point in the near future.

Again I got a bit side tracked.  Week Two - I had begun my walking.  Every evening for 30 minutes.  I know I have written here before I don't like exercise, but we were talking about my life here.  So, that walk became one of my best friends.  I didn't try to walk fast or go very far at first.  I used shoes that were about five or six years old and just walked.  One foot in front of another.  For 30 minutes - which seemed like forever the frist few days, but by the time Week Two started, the time seemed to go a little faster, but not much.

And, I was getting more ideas of what I could and could not eat.  Think about it, we get near immediate feedback with our glucose readings.  If it's not the right food, up it goes.  If it is the right food, it dips a little bit.  Take your readings twice a day, more often if your doctor will authorize it, so you will know what your blood sugar (glucose) is doing.  You should be on a steady downward trend.  And, keep a record of your readings as well as diet (everything you eat and when) in a food diary.  You will really learn what is working and will be able to spot trends faster.  If you spot the trend, you can make adjustments.

Me?  I just liked seeing the numbers go down.  I started with seeing glucose numbers of 300+.  It was an exciting morning when I hit 297.  During the second week I saw it get down to 275.  I was making progress!  Fear was gone because I was taking action.  I knew the meds would not make me go too low - fat chance when you are in the high 200's.  Things were beginning to work and I felt empowered; that I could get this disease under control. Hey, I even found I lost my first couple of pounds during Week Two,

What was I doing?

Meds.  Diet.  Walking.  Testing.  Recording.  If I was really bright, I'd come up with some sort of catchy acronym, but alas and alack, I am not that bright.  I am open to ideas, though.  You know what my meds were.  I was on a low carb diet.  I was walking 30 minutes a day, six days per week.  And, I kept records.  All of this really began to come together during the second week.

You can do this.  It's all about little steps that collectively make a journey.  You can take the small steps without fear - a lot of folks have gone before you.

Steady As She Goes...

Do you remember watching all of those movies about WW II naval battles - especially the ones about submarines?  In every movie - EVERY movie, I heard the phrase, "Steady as he goes."  Now, I am not sure what it means in Navy-speak, but to me it means stay straight and true.  Do you think there is a lesson somewhere in there for diabetics?  Especially Type 2 Diabetics?

This all comes to mind because I was reading posts in a couple of diabetes forums.  I literally hurt for the person who was writing that she walked for 30 minutes one night and tried to eat right, but found she had gained  a little weight and her glucose reading was a bit up the next morning.  That's not to be totally unexpected, really.  Why? Because it's just one day.

You see, fighting diabetes is a long term fight.  It's a war of incremental victories that build on one another.  One little victory leads to the next leads to the next, etc.  Don't expect to see much of a difference the first day you walk for 30 minutes or as a result of the first day you really eat right.  It's going to take several days, at least.  And, remember, that everyone's body chemistry is different - so each of us will react differently as we exercise and eat right.  Remember, YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary!

The thing to remember is that most of us did not get diabetes in a day.  It might be the result of years of poor eating habits with very little exercise.  So, it might take a few days to begin for your body chemistry to catch up.  And, it might take months and longer for your A1c to get normal.  But, never, never stop fighting the good fight.  Never give in.  Fight to win the war and know it's going to be a long war.

I was dismayed that the person who posted the entry in June about being discouraged did not have any encouraging comments.  Nobody stepped up to say give it a chance.  Nobody said give it a bit of time.  I would have, but it wasn't clear to me how to leave a comment; I will really have to go back and look at the site to figure it out.

In the meantime - Fight the good fight.  Each day you eat right and exercise is a victory and will lead to controlling and managing your diabetes.  I know you can do this...I know you can win.

Thank you for reading this.


"The fight isn't over until you win." ~Robin Hobb


"Fall. Stand. Learn. Adapt." ~Mike Norton

Days Two To Seven - The Battle Begins

So, I have diabetes, now what?  I knew of the complications that diabetes can bring, and was incredibly scared.  I have a vivid imagination!  I sort of knew it could be controlled, but didn't have a clue.  I did not like the idea of meds to bring down my glucose level - I was really afraid that they'd bring it down too fast.  But, I knew things had to change, and soon.

I was messed up.  Afraid of anything and everything, it seemed.  I was new to everything.  Meds. Testing glucose levels.  Eating - heck I was afraid to eat just about everything and anything. I spent hours on the internet trying to get good information.  The best information is from the American Diabetes Association and The Mayo Clinic.  And, most of the time, I found WebMD to be pretty good.

The first few days I read and retained that diabetes could be controlled.  Okay, good.  But, would the meds bring my glucose down too fast?  Would it go too low?  What could I eat?  A lot of questions and fear.

Big initial learning: We are all a bit different.  What works for me may or may not work for you.  There are more 'general guidelines' than hard and fast rules.  It's not that we are left on our own; it's just that there is no one size fits all.  Why?  Because each one of us has slightly different body chemistry which means we process things differently.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes and had an A1c of 13.1, I was started on a 1000 mg dose of Metformin twice a day.  Metormin is the tried and true go to med for diabetes.  A first step.  I remember asking my doctor's nurse what if it doesn't work?  She smiled and told me not to worry; that this was a beginning and there were a lot of roads to take.  I was reassured, but only a bit.  I was ignorant and could only see the loss of my feet, or something.  Fear was a great motivator for me.

I changed my diet immediately and went on a low carbohydrate diet.  And, by immediately, I mean the moment I walked out of the doctor's office.  No more french fries, potato chips, cookies, pies, white bread - well, the list goes on and on.  I started reading the labels on all food.  I learned portion sizes and calculated how many carbs per meal and snack I was eating.  I started walking - not far - but walking every evening for 30 minutes.

I started keeping a food diary immediately.  If I ate it, I recorded it.  I also recorded my morning reading so I could keep track of what was working - if it was working.  And by working, I mean that the glucose readings were coming down and my weight was beginning to come off.  Hey, I was excited about losing a single pound!

Did I want anything I could not have or would not allow myself?  Of course.  Did I give in?  No!  I didn't think I could ever give in, so I learned that some of my favorite foods might never be eaten by me again.  I just accepted it.  And, I learned to eat less.  I just decided I could eat less food and get enough food.

You see, food became fuel to me.  Did I get enough fuel?  Everyday.  Was I 'full?'  Rarely.  I got used to being a little hungry after eating.  I asked myself everyday if it was worth it.  And, everyday I got the same answer - Yes.

This was a lot in the first week.  But, if you are going to manage and control diabetes, I truly believe it takes a change - a quick, radical change.  I couldn't see the advantage of going slow; kind of easing into it.  For me, it was, and is, a war that I must win.  The battle is fought daily, hourly, meal-by-meal and snack-by-snack.

For me, it was fear and the desire to live a 'normal' life to old age; to see grand children and to live with my wife for many more years leading an active life.  What's going to motivate you?  Find it.  Embrace it.  And, go to war with diabetes.

You can do it.  You can control, manage and beat back diabetes.

Thanks for reading.

"The most important of life's battles are the ones we fight daily in the silent chambers of the soul." ~David McKay

"Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster." ~Sun Tzu

Shakes and Quakes

When I was first diagnosed I had no clue how to eat.  It seemed like I could eat too little or too much if I weren't very careful.  Too much and my sugar would be high.  Too low and I could go into a diabetic coma or have the effects of low blood sugar - aka hypogycemia.  Neither of which really appealed to me to say the least.  I wanted to avoid high sugar readings because, after all, I was (am) a diabetic.  And, I really wanted to avoid those low sugar shakes and quakes.

You know what?  I was successful on both counts.  I did have one day where I had a glucose reading of 59 - pretty low in anybody's book, and had only limited effects before I had sense enough to eat.  So, what did I do?  What did I eat?

I started with being having meals of about 60 carbs - give or take 5.  Snacks stayed around 15 carbs.  But - and here is the big secret...drum roll if you please...I ate six smaller meals of about 30 to 35 carbs.  It seemed like I was always eating.

Think about it.  Breakfast at 6:30. Snack at 9:00 or 9:15. Lunch around 11:30. Another snack around 2:30 or 3:00.  Dinner at about 6:00.  And yet another snack at around 8:00 or 8:30.  Each of these meals was 30 or 35 cabs.  Six meals of 35 carbs each means I was getting somewhere around 210 to 220 carbs a day.  That was really enough food for me.

Enough food?  Yes - it's what I needed to live, work and exercise AND lose weight.  Was I hungry sometimes? Well, yeah.  Think about it.  I had been eating what 350 or 400 carbs a day.  That's a lot.  No wonder I had diabetes.  Does not take a brain surgeon, does it?  My stomach needed time to catch up with my lower intake...it had to shrink.

But, I have got to tell you a secret - you can eat enough food and not be full.  You see, somewhere between your stomach and brain there seems to be a lag so that when you have actually eaten more than enough you really won't feel 'stuffed' until 10 minutes later.  That's one reason why we over-eat.  I don't know the science behind that phenomenon, I just know it's true.

Soon I will have to write about what 'enough food' really means.  But, in a nutshell, it's the amount you need to go through your day in a healthy manner.

So, there's a rule for you - start eating with your brain!

Eat six smaller meals as you start to lower your blood sugar.  If you are interested, I will list what I ate in the beginning - just ask.  It's different that what I eat now that I am in maintain mode.

Keep fighting the good fight to manage your diabetes.  It's not easy some days, but well worth it.

Thank you for reading.

First Steps

Well, I had just found out I had diabetes that morning.  Not one of my better mornings.  I was afraid, but was determined not to be a victim of the disease.  I might (no might about it with my A1c) have diabetes, but diabetes did not have me.  It was important for me to make that distinction and statement.

The first marching orders from my doctor: Get the medication started because he wanted to get the A1c down as soon as possible, and lose a little weight.  I am so glad he did not tell me I had to lose 60 pounds.  I am not sure I would have been so aggressive in getting the weight off.  A 'little weight' is so much easier to lose!  Of course, I heard 'just a little more' for quite a few months.

Obvious foods were out for me.  You know what they are - sugar in just about any form, a lot of starches, no rice (I loved rice), white breads, etc.  Load up on vegetables (didn't know that I liked that idea).  So, no more cookies - and I have never met a cookie I didn't like.  And, of course, pies, cakes, ice cream, etc. were off the menu permanently.

The simple fact of life is that I had to change the way I ate.  So, I decided one of my first steps was to start and maintain a food log or diary.  EVERYTHING I ate got recorded.  I found an unused 'scratch' pad around the house and started writing down what I ate.  I used a simple format: Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack (B, S, L, S, D, S).  I wrote down every little thing and I put a carb count next to each meal

What? Carb count?  Yep, I am one of those who counts carbs - still do.  In the beginning I allowed myself about 60 carbs per meal and 15 carbs per snack.  Each day had a maximum possible of 225 carbs.  Where did I get this idea?  I think I eventually got it from a on-on-one with a dietician - unfortunately I can't accurately recall. (Sounds like I am answering a question during a Senate Investigation.)  Where ever I got it, it worked for me.

You have to remember where I was coming from.  100 or 150 carb meals were the norm.  I ate what I wanted when I wanted.  You might be coming from the same place.  Pizza.  Pastas. Breads of any sort. And, potatoes.  It doesn't take much for me to accurately imagine a baked potato with butter, lots of butter on it.  So, from 150 carbs per meal to only 225 for the day.  I really, really, really wanted to re-think this approach, but knew in my heart I didn't have any alternative.

In fact, I reduced the total number of carbs consumed daily (now, that really does sound like a label on a product) over the next few weeks to between 190 and 200.  But, I knew what I was eating and where I could reduce.  Why?  Because I kept my food diary.

By the way, at the top of every page, I put my morning glucose reading.  I knew the general goal was to see it go down to below 120.  I started with something over 300, but between the medication and the change in what I ate, I saw it go down everyday which served as a reinforcement for my eating.  Seeing the glucose number helped me be more successful.  It became a game for me!

So, please get your food diary started.  Even now when I need to make an adjustment - like lose a few pounds (more on that later), I start keeping a diary and I can immediately see where I need to make adjustments.

Now, most of my meals are aorund 50 to 55 carbs and my snacks are about 12 to 15 carbs.  I only know that it works for me.  As an alternative you might want to try six small meals at about 30 carbs each.

Want to know carb counts on some basic foods?  Look here.

You can do this!  Diabetes is the enemy and you ARE going to vanquish it with a bit of time and planning.

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." Charles R. Swindoll

Welcome!

Thank you for coming to this blog.  I have been thinking about it for weeks before posing my first entry.  You see, by starting this blog, I think I have a responsibility to continue to write and I take that seriously.  My hope is that you will find some value to what I write.

Three things happened recently to propel me to write this blog:

1. My diabetes nurse (part of my Treatment Team) told me I should think about being a Diabetes Trainer because I have been successful, in her mind, at managing diabetes.  
2. I was asked what I would do differently if I had a million dollars.  I don't have that kind of money, but it really caused me to ask myself what I would like to do.  The answer: Make a difference in people's lives.
3. I was talking with a client who told me one of his folks was out with a leg infection.  Of course, I thought diabetes - which I later found out was correct.  After asking about the prognosis, I thought it was totally avoidable - it did not have to happen.  I began to think about ways I could reach out to others to let them know they did not have to be victims.  And, a blog was born. (If you have any ideas on how to get folks to take a look at it, if you find it valuable, I will gladly take the help.)

So, I hope you get a bit of encouragement.  Smile once in a while.  And, comment when you want to.


A bit about me.  I am a diabetic.  I was diagnosed about three years ago when after a routine (what I thought was routine) series of blood tests.  My doctor's office called and told me I needed to come in.  They told me it had to do with the test results.  Well, I had a few days of rampant, raging fear not having any idea what was going on.

After I got into the doctor's office, he came directly to the point.  I had an HBA1c of about 13.1.  I remember looking at him and wondering what that meant.  He said it was a 'bit high' and that I had diabetes and that I would probably have to take pills the rest of my life.  I don't know what the rest of you thought when you heard the news you had diabetes, but I thought of all of the horror stories of lost feet, legs, blindness and organ failure.  To say I was scared is an understatement.

My doctor started me on good ol' Metformin and told me to return in several weeks after another blood test.  He also said that I had to 'lose a little weight.'  I came back and he changed the medication to Janumet - my A1c was not dropping fast enough for him, and I was scared, again.  Two months later my A1c was down to around 7.  He changed my medication back to Metformin and my numbers continued to drop.  My A1c seems to have stabilized around 6 - and sometimes under.

What have I done?  I changed my diet immediately.  I began to exercise.  I looked at the American Diabetes Association website.  Learned about BMI's.  And all sorts of stuff that I was clueless about.

This blog is about my journey toward diabetes management.