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.

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.

A Test You Can't Fail - Part Four - What Does it Mean?

You have done your tests and have your results.  What in the world do they mean?

First, understand that while your numbers will fluctuate, the ADA refers to ranges.  The American Diabetes Association has a good article on glucose levels.  Again, because I love simple, think in terms of the following ranges as goals to achieve:

Fasting Glucose Test - This is your first test of the day: 70 to 120 is the target range.  This range is the goal.  The Goal.  You may not be seing these numbers.  I remember my first test in the middle of the day about 30 minutes after I had lunch.  My number was over 300.  I had no clue what that meant.  Now I know it was way, way, way too high.  My first morning reading was 297.  Again, very, very, very high.  Now my morning readings are 85 - 95.  Rarely do they go above or below.

As I started my way to gaining control over diabetes, my morning readings started to come down 10 and 20 points a day.  Sometimes they went up from one day to another, but I was learning what I could eat and not eat.  But, when you look over a week's or month's time period, there was a downward trend.  These morning readings are a great indicator of where you are in your battle to control the disease.  If you are only going to test once a day, this is the one to do.

Evening/Night Test - This one was a challenge for me.  Think in terms of a range of 110 to 140.  I, again, want to stress I am not a doctor, this is just what I found to be about right when I test at night as I was gaining control.

Diabetes control is a journey - remember that.  When I first started testing at night after I started medication, I was happy to see anything around 160.  Due to eating changes, exercise and medication, that number came down pretty quickly to around 130.

I just did a test and found that I was at 91.  I ate about 2.5 hours ago - so it was low even for me.  Most of the time I my tests show 95 to 125 - there are a lot of variables such as what did I have for dinner, how long ago it was, and have I had anything to eat since dinner.

After Eating - This test is done two hours after you start eating a meal.  This is important enough to repeat - two hours after you START a meal.  For me, start means when I take my first bite.  The goal here is less than 180 for a Type 2 Diabetic.

You can control diabetes.  You really can.  I know in the beginning it might not seem so easy, but it's all about a series of choices.  The better choices lead to control and lower test numbers.  Other choices lead to higher results.  But sometimes you don't know how certain foods will effect you.  sure, there are guidelines, but we are all different.  You only learn how a food will effect your body after you eat it - and you learn through testing.  If you get a higher number, it's a food to avoid.

I started with very high numbers - VERY high.  Through diet, exercise and medication I am controlling the disease.  Do I miss apple pie, french fries and cheese cake?  Well, yeah.  But, I want control of the disease because I have respect (fear) of what it can do to me - the complications can be severe.

Remember, you cannot fail this test; you can only fail to test.  Even getting a high number provides a lesson.  If you are just starting treatment, you want your readings to trend down.  If you have been under treatment for awhile, you want fairly level readings near or in the normal range - at least that's the goal and it's one that is attainable!

Here is a good article from Diabetes Self-Management on glucose levels.

Don't let diabetes win. Battle and control it!  You can do it...I know you can.  Keep your food diary and learn from it.  If needed, lose weight.  Take your medication.  And, TEST.

The Ultimate Diabetes Book

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes I tried to find one book that would tell me how to manage and control the disease.  In order for me to save you time, let me tell you, there isn't one.  Why not?

I really wanted to find that ultimate guide.  That one book I could refer to over and over and over that would guide me through the pitfalls and dangers of diabetes.  Oh, I looked.  At my local bookstore.  On Amazon.  Google Books.  Just about any where I could think of to look, I looked.  I reviewed a lot of books to find out none of them offered solid guaranteed-to-work steps.

Don't misunderstand me, there are some great books for understanding diabetes and they offer guidelines on what you can do.  And, in some future blog, I will list some of the ones I found helpful.  But, there is no one-size-fits-all book.

I even toyed with the idea of writing one, but did not know enough.  I mean how hard could it be?  You have diabetes?  This is what you do.  Wrong.  And, now, I know I can't write a guide for you.

I was wrong because we are all different.  Blame it on our body's chemistry.  What works for me may not work for you; or will be less effective.  There is no single diet - for which cookbook writers and publishers are thankful.  No single medication - do you think drug companies are happy about that?  Of course they are!

There can be strategies for victory.  There can be guides.  But no one way works for everyone.  It's just a fact of life.  And, why this blog is called Solutions for Type 2 Diabetes.

I have told you about my food diary.  In it I wrote down everything I ate or drank, exercise and glucose readings.  Not only do you become more aware of what you are putting in your body, you are charting your body's response.  Morning glucose reading goes up - not so good.  Morning reading goes down or is where it should be - good, keep doing what you are doing.

What you are really doing is creating The Ultimate Diabetes Book for yourself.   So, it seems as though I was wrong.  There is one Ultimate Diabetes Book and you create it for yourself.  It doesn't get any more custom that that!

I learned very quickly what I could eat and what I couldn't eat.  It's right there - in 'black and white.' How long does it take each day?  If you really stretch it out - five minutes, maybe.  Even now if I see a higher glucose reading than I think should exist, I re-start my food diary immediately.  Within a day, and sometimes sooner, I can see what the problem is and fix it.

Notice, this is my diary I complete - nobody else can complete it.  You have to take responsibility for your care and this is probably one of the single best things you can possibly do.

You are creating your own reference piece that will guide you, the owner and operator of your body, to control of diabetes!  You can do this.  You can keep a food diary and by doing that simple step, you will be working to manage and control your diabetes.

This is really, really important to do.  It will take less than five minutes a day - that's all.  Five minutes a day to create The Ultimate Diabetes Book for yourself.  In 30 or 60 days you will have your own book completed.

What do you list?

1. Your morning reading.
2. Your morning weight (I had to lose weight, so I listed it.)
3. Everything you eat or drink by meal or snack.
4. Exercise - length and what you did.
5. Evening reading.
6. Medication
7. Repeat for 30 or 60 days.

It really is easy and incredibly useful. 

You are going to win your battle with diabetes.  You will control and manage it.  Start by writing your own Ultimate Guide.

As always, thanks for reading!

A Test You Can't Fail - Part Three - How to Test

During the last few days I have been reading instructions on various sites about how to test using a glucose meter.  Most of them are pretty good and get the high points really well.  However, there are a few things they miss, which can make all of the difference in the world when testing.  So, here is the process I follow for testing.

When do I test? I test when I first get up in the morning before I eat or drink anything except water, and then at night before going to bed.

The steps I always follow are:

1. I wash my hands carefully using plain soap; soap without any fragrance.  I found scented soaps would effect my readings - make them higher.  The last thing I ever need is a fasle higher reading.
2. Dry your hands using either a clean hand towel or paper towels.  I use paper towels because I know they are not putting anything on my fingers.  If you paper towels are scented, do not use them.  (Heck, I don't even know if scented paper towels are made, but I thought I'd hammer the un-scented thing one more time.)
3. Give the hand you are going to test on a few shakes to get blood into the tips of your fingers.  This might be more important for you to do in the morning than the evening.
4. Get the lancet ready.  Do whatever you need to do like inserting it, or cocking the lancing device.  Just make sure it's ready to go.
5. Insert a test strip into the meter.  For me, the insertion of a strip turns the meter on, so I have never had to physically turn a meter on with an extra step.
6. Lance the side...the side of your finger.  It's less sensitive than your finger tip.  I have no clue why every picture I have ever seen of someone lancing their finger shows them using their finger tip.  It hurts far more than using the side of your finger.  In fact, I don't even feel the lance about 50% of the time on the side of my finger.  By the way, I have used one of two fingers on the same hand for the last few years - I don't vary it.  Do what's best for you, though.
7. Squeeze your finger a bit so a drop of blood appears.  It doesn't take much to test - far less than a drop.
8. Apply the testing strip to the drop of blood.  It will pick up the blood it needs through capillary action.  Be careful not to touch your skin with the strip - it could pick-up contaminants that will effect the reading.
9. Rinse the blood off of your finger as your meter gives you results.
10. Dispose of the lancet properly - in a medical sharps container.  DO NOT put it in the trash.
11. Dispose of the testing strip in the same manner.
12. Record your reading on your log.
13. Put your meter and supplies away.

I know supplies can be a bit pricey, but use lancets and strips only once.  That's important so I will repeat it - use lancets and strips once and then discard properly.

You have done it!  You have taken the test you cannot fail.  But, will fail in your battle on diabetes if you do not test!

There are so many meters on the market, that I won't get into any one brand right now.  If you do not know what your meter is capable of, or the information you can gain from it - learn.  Read the directions that came with the meter, or find them on the internet at the manufacturer's site.

As always, thank you for reading.  Fight the good fight and you will win your war with diabetes.

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." ~Napoleon Hill

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Philo

A Test You Can't Fail, Part Two - The Dawn Phenomenon

Remember, you cannot fail your daily glucose test; you can only fail to test!  There is so much more to testing than we are sometimes told, I am going to have to make this a three-parter.  This entry is about the Dawn Phenomenon - a topic every testing diabetic should know about.

You are doing your twice daily tests - maybe even more often.  One of your tests should be in the morning after you get up and before you eat or drink anything.  This morning test theoretically provides a fasting glucose reading - provided you have not had a midnight snack.  If you have a midnight snack, it will likely elevate your glucose, and it will show up in your morning reading. Common sense, huh?

And, you are keeping a record of your test readings, or they are being kept in your meter.  Over a few weeks you see them go up anywhere from 10 to 20 points.  Why?  Welcome to the Dawn Phenomenon (DP because it's easier for me to type).

 The DP happens sometime in the early morning.  For me it's sometime after 6:00 am - others might find it happening earlier or later.  What does it do?  Well, it's your body's response in getting ready to get up and moving - it releases some sugar to get you going.  Why does that matter?  Your blood sugar reading goes up and does not provide an accurate morning reading.  So, if you test before it happens, you get a lower score; if you test after, your reading will be higher.  There's not a whole lot you can do about it, either.  It just happens.  I will tell you that I try to test in the morning before 6:00 so I see my lowest reading.  Want to know more about DP - read it here.

I learned about the DP because my late night readings were suddenly higher than my morning readings.  I couldn't figure it out.  I thought it was my meter.  I was wrong.  It seemed that I was testing a bit later in the morning AFTER the DP had taken effect.

All you can do is to just be aware of the DP and how it might effect your readings.

That you are testing at least twice a day is great - good job!

The First Day...I Do Remember

I know I have referred to the first day my doctor told me I had diabetes.  Fear.  Fear.  Fear.  I was afraid of everything from what could happen to me with diabetes (I have a vivid imagination) to the fear of changing my diet (and to what?) to the fear of medication (what if it took my sugar down too low...vivid imagination kicks in, once again).

At this point some folks just freeze and don't do anything hoping it will all go away.  News Flash - it's not going to go away.  Changes have to take place.

So, my biggest fear was the damage diabetes can do.  I won't go into it.  Chances are you already know, but in the event you don't, read about it here.

First things first.  Get the medication.  For me it was 1,000 mg of metformin twice a day.  I was also changing the way I ate - I have referred to that in a previous blog.  If you want more details, all you have to do is ask.  And, I started testing as soon as I could as much as I could.  It happened that I could test up to like 3 times a day.  In the beginning I tested four times a day.  I wanted to know exactly what was happening.  How fast was my glucose going down? Was it getting dangerously low?  Because I was testing so often, I knew exactly what was going on.  I began to gain some confidence in the process of diet, medication and exercise.  And, being a bit anal, I kept some records.

In case you don't know, your glucose meter keeps records, too.  It probably can go back at least 90 days to give you averages, and might be able to go back seven days for specific readings including date and time of day.

Remember, it's just your first day...things are going ot be changing - a lot will be changing!  Make the dietary changes, take your medication religiously (NEVER, EVER MISS A DOSE), make a few life style changes, and test, test, test the first few weeks if you have enough test strips to do so.  If you don't, ask your insurance company and doctor if you can get more.  You aren't going to need extras forever, just a few months as you learn you can control diabetes.

Because of all of my testing and record keeping I know within 10 to 20 points, or so, where my glucose is at any given time.  The last time I went in to see my doctor we got into a discussion about my current reading.  It was about 4:00 in the afternoon and I told him it would be about 80.  He said that wasn't possible.  It should be around 90 or 100.  I just said, "Test me."  He did and what was the reading?  78.  He lowered my medication, which caused me to change my diet a bit (he wanted me to lose about 7 pounds, anyway - but that's another story) and increase my exercise a bit to compensate for the lower medication.

You see, I like lower numbers.  It means that I probably won't have the side effects of diabetes. But, remember I have been testing and working through managing and controlling diabetes for about three years - knowing about where you are won't come over night.

So, you see, there is good news.  If you are a bit diligent you can control this disease.  I am here to assist you in anyway I can.

Thanks for reading.