Remember when I told you?

you have to care for yourself because the medical community doesn't know crap about diabetes?

Well, today I was at dialysis, and a woman came in who was unresponsive. Now this is not unusual as she often is asleep. Well they took her sugar and it was 38!
They pumped her with dextrose, and let her go back to sleep.
Dextrose has a rebound effect and unless she consumed some food or a substantial drink like a milkshake or a ensure, she was facing trouble. Well, they got her sugar up for a bit, then it crashed. Wound up she went to the hospital. If thewy would have done the right thing, she would have been fine.

Most nurses and doctors are not very knowledgeable with diabetes, so beware.

Happy Holidays

The Holidays are hard on all of us, especially diabetics.

Almost everything at every feast or even little get togethers are carb laden.

What to do? Indulging, in my opinion is fine, but do't overindulge. Having a couple of Auntie's cookies is fine, but don't eat the whole tin.

Just don't adopt the wait 'til New Years attitude. I've been there done that and packed on plenty of extra Holiday pounds.

Mmmmm, sugar

Yeah, I know, we diabetics love the stuff. And the pharmaceutical/chemical community does it best to try to satisfy our desire for sweets. Usually, they use cheap chemicals to try to imitate the taste. Personally, I can't use any because I always have the chemical aftertaste. Pink, yellow, or blue, they all are nasty. What I have done is weened myself off sugar. I drink Wendy's iced tea straght up, no sweetener.
Coffee just milk. Did you know milk has a lot of sugar? Read the label. Cereal, just milk. Oatmeal, nada.

You would be surprised how quickly your tastes change. Might have to go gradually, like add half your usual, but it will be worth it.

According to most research not sponsored by the manufacturer, artificial sweeteners are not healthy for us. Try to go natural, if you can.

Stay well.

Salad days

Not being a fan of salad, I've tried to get more raw vegetables in my diet. They are great for a diabetic, as they are low in carbs, high in nutrients. A few days ago the experiment to make a salad that didn't have to be choked down. This was for 2.

I thinly sliced a zucchini, then 3 stalks of celery. The key was to thinly slice them on a mandoline. I hate big chewy chunks. Put in some roasted garlic, grape tomatoes, and spinach. Added some cheese, dressed it with heated oil and balsamic. My intention was to wilt the spinach. Seasoned it with a little salt and pepper.

By the way I lightly added the seasoning as I layered the veggies. It was really good. Thin slices seem to make it more palatable for me. Almost any veggies would work. Any greens, too. I made it again with Romaine and it equally tasty.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

Have fun eating today. Enjoy everything, maybe even overeat. If you're overweight, please make it Thanksgiving Day, and not a weekend of overindulging. Been there, done that, got the enormous T shirt.

My hope

I've wanted this blog to be an assistance to the diabetic community. While my readership is low, I'm trying to promote it. I'd appreciate any help. Also, if anyone would like to guest post here, just send me an email @ jwlreebiz@aol.com.

Just put something in the title so I know it's not spam.

Did you know most medical professionals have very little education in diabetes?

And when they pass you the pills like Amaryl or whatever they rarely take the time to explain that the pills need to be combined with diet to work.

I've found that my diabetes is best controlled by eating a relatively low carb diet coupled with some exercise.

Also, I've lost a some weight, which is so important to Type 2 diabetics. While I do use some insulin (20 units of Levimere once a day) the weight loss seems to be the greatest part of my sugar control.

Another opinion piece

I don't believe in sugar free foods.

I'm not the only one. Dr Oz said, basically, they wreak havoc with your system. Your body expects sugar but doesn't get it. This results in overeating, the bane of diabetics.

Diabetics: Try this to lower blood sugar

Warning: This is based on my experience. Don't do anything dumb like stop your meds, or avoid your doctor. Be sure to take your insulin as prescribed.

Ok. I started to take 2 teaspoons in water of apple cider vinegar following meals and my need for insulin diminished. Still need it but not as much.

I use Bragg's, which is a high quality, organic product.

Can't hurt.

I didn't die

but I came really close.

Diabetes killed my kidneys, gave me a stroke, and took my left leg.

Kept me in the hospital for 15 months.

Are you still going to ignore the disease?

Call me at 732.287.1583 if you need further encouragement.

Please follow this blog because now that I'm back there will be more frequent updates.

I got an award

From Patricia at Subjective Soup we received the award.


I have to list 10 honest facts about myself.

1. I've battled with weight issues all my life. This is probably the most significant cause of my diabetes.
2. I used to drink heavily. This didn't help.
3. Through eating properly, I got off diabetic meds. But it was too little, too late.
4. I started to gain significant weight when I stopped exercising. I failed to see the correlation until much later.
5. I was told I would die at age 30.
6. The amputation of my toe was more devastating than the failure of my kidneys.
7. I was so afraid of doctors, I put myself at serious risk. I filled up with 12 gallons of fluid, at last measure. More to go.
8. While the root cause of my problems can be blamed on others, it really sits with me. There were opportunities to correct the past, they were ignored.
9. I should see a psychiatrist, but the fear of doctors.....
10. Years ago, I was put on valium. It increased my anxiety.

That's 10. I am supposed to nominate others, but I'll pass.

Diabetes is kicking ny butt

The diabetes is really doing a number on me. Although my sugar has been under control for some time, it has done its damage.

My kidneys have been compromised, and I had kidney insufficiency. It has now turned into renal failure and I'm on dialysis. While in the hospital, very high blood pressure was diagnosed, and while trying to lower it, I had a stroke.

All because of the damage done by diabetes. This disease works slowly, but is devastating.

Keep your sugar under control, not by using a bunch of substitutes and artificial junk, but by eating fresh foods. That 5 servings of fruits and vegetables is a good start. And that doesn't mean 5 servings of potatoes.

Substitutions

Diabetics know all about substitutes. Personally, I hate most of them. That "tastes like sugar" doesn't to me. I can detect any artificial sweetener immediately, and I don't like how any of them taste. I prefer to do without than to consume something that tastes like crap.

At least Snapple is doing something I like. They have added a few new items that are better for diabetics, although they don't advertise them as such.

But, one of these products, red tea peach pomegranate flavor is billed as an all natural, low calorie anti oxident drnk.

Sweetened with fructose and fruit juice, it is about half the calorie total and sugar of most drinks. It does not have a really sweet taste, but instead is nore like a sports drink, which are not really sweet to me.

It's not perfect for diabetics (that would be water) but it is better than regular sweetened drinks, and much better (taste wise) than artificial junk.

Some helpful herbs

I was looking at a recent Issue of Women's World, and found a nice article on diabetes. One of the things that is often overlooked is that things work together in our bodies. Rather than a "magic bullet" to target a specific problem treating the body as a whole produces better results.

And here is how these herbs help: they contain compounds which increase the effectiveness of one's liver to convert blood fat and sugar into fuel according to researchers at Stanford University Medical School.
As little as 1 tsp ata meal can increase metabolism for up to 3 hours. It is suggested to try this at only one meal per day.

What are these "magical spices?"

Cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, and cilantro. Simply incorporating these into a regular diet can be useful, and tasty. Add some cinnamon to your oatmeal, and work cayenne into different dishes like your pasta. Ginger can be added to vegetable dishes to create an Asian influenced specialty.

I've been slacking off

Haven't posted for a while, and have been a bit lax in following my food plan.

Well, the glucometer doesn't lie.

My sugar has been up, so tomorrow morning, I need to get back on the program.

Please explain this to me

Every commercial for diabetics seems to include several different cookbooks.

Since Type 2 Diabetics are the target market, why, oh why, do they offer slightly healthier versions of the same crap diet that caused the problem in the first place?

The pictures on TV are for desserts and meals like macaroni and cheese. There is no way in hell to make these foods safe for diabetics. Nope, can't be done.
The desserts are sweetened with chemicals like Nutrasweet or Splenda, which are poison. A safe dessert for a diabetic is a piece of fruit.
If one just absolutely has to have something like cake or pie, have some, but count the carbs. And obviously, it should be on the rarest of occasions. We, as diabetics, don't need cake with our coffee every night. It's a small price to pay to maintain our health.

And as far as mac and cheese--have you ever read the ingredients and nutritional content of either?

Get back to me when you do.

Food is always an issue for diabetics

Yeah, I know, it's an issue for so many of us, but it seems to be a bigger one for diabetics. After all, most of us, if we don't count carbs, at least have to be aware of them. And too much protein wreaks havoc for those of us with kidney issues. So, I have to count carbs, and protein. Which means, all I don't count is fats, and that doesn't lead to anything good. So, basically, I spend my day counting everything.
This disease sucks.

An Update

Just a reminder:
I've noticed more readers have been getting involved. Any person, either diabetic or a caretaker for a diabetic, or a medical professional, is invited to write a post here.
Simply contact me jwlreebiz@aol.com.

Also, anyone wanting to share general health tips, news, or a story is also welcomed.

My kidney stone post

This is not a paid post.

This is not a diabetic problem, per se, but as many of us have kidney troubles, I guess it fits the general catagory.

From time to time, I get kidney stones. Right now is one of those times. It is annoying as hell, and occasionally painful. All day long, I feel like I have to urinate, but can barely do it.

I started taking kidney and bladder products from Dr Schulze and it seems to be helping so far. Especially if helping means I'm peeing out lots of gravel and who knows what else. It took a couple days, and it is far from over, but at least it's a start. The company has a lot of other products, and they seem to do what he says they do. He uses organic or wild harvested products and I'm satisfied with anything I've ever used. My sister is also a big fan. Dr. Schulze is a proponent of a healthy lifestyle (yeah, like I'm going to start that now) and believes that with proper nutrition, the body can cure itself of almost any disease.

I can say that since embracing a healthier lifestyle, I am off all diabetic meds after being on them for over 20 years, so there may be something to all this.

Just wanted to let everyone know about this company and the options.

In a slightly related matter, a friend of the family was warned by the Mrs. not to use all the artificial sweeteners, etc. The woman tried to get Mrs. to come over to the dark side, and embrace Splenda, and even went so far as to call the company and ask the rep if it was safe. Here's a surprise--the company said it is perfectly safe.

Mrs. refuses to use any of that junk, and rather than drink her coffee sweetened with chemicals, she drinks it with just some naturally sweetened flavored soy milk, or regular cow juice. Yes, we can get used to it. I love sweet stuff, and nothing makes me happier than those flavored coffees that are loaded with sugar. The deli I used to go to had a machine, and I could mix a bit of chocolate, with some French Vanilla. It was heavenly. But, I now drink regular coffee exactly like the Mrs. does. We can retrain our sense of taste.

Long story short, and so I don't get sued, there is no known link, and it is simply a coincidence, but Chemical Lady now has cancer.

Not for nothing, but I'll take real food over chemical enhanced crap any day of the week.

Diabetes and Depression; a follow up

I have suggested before, based upon personal experience and many conversations with other diabetics, that a link exists between these two conditions.

I Googled, and found that very little research has been done concerning this, but here is what I have found: Numerous studies have been conducted, and plenty of anecdotal evidence indicates that sugar causes depression, so it would be pretty logical to presume that one who has excess sugar in the blood system could also suffer from depression related to sugar.

Yes, it's a stretch, and has no basis in scientific data, but my hypothesis is as good as any scientist's.

I also find the connection could be based upon the feelings that high sugar usually elicit: tiredness, crankiness, and generallly unpleasantness.

Anyone know where I can get a major grant to study this?

More helpful foods for diabetics

In addition to dill, and cinnamon, coriander has been found to be helpful in controlling sugar levels.

Now, what does all this tell us?

Nature holds the key to solving the diabetes issue. By eating better, and using some of these additions, it is possible to gain control without meds.

By the way, these are based upon anecdotal evidence. No way should it replace a doctor's advice, nor should anyone stop taking medications without the approval of a doctor. However, some diabetics (especially type 2) have found that incorporating these foods and spices in their diet have proven beneficial. And it has made their food taste better without fat or sugar.