Diabetes info?

[Prairie Purrs]

Well, a month ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Not a huge surprise, really--family history, suspicious symptoms.

The good news is that the diagnosis was a big 'ol kick in the rear regarding diet and exercise. I'm counting carbs, I go to the gym just about every day, and I'm using about a half-dozen iPhone apps to track what I eat, how much I exercise, and my blood glucose levels. So far, so good--except that my vision turned pretty blurry once my glucose levels started dropping, and my eye doctor says it may not improve that much.

So my question for any fellow diabetics out there is this: are there books or websites that you've found especially helpful and informative? There's almost too much information available, so I'd like to bookmark some reliable sources for news, research, tasty recipes, etc.

Any help is appreciated!

[Freedom]

My Dad was diagnosed with Type 2 when in his 60's. When he moved in with me 8 years ago, I had no info on how to care for him. I would suggest:

1. Join a Support Group. You may have to try a few before you in one where the folks "click" for you. But do it. They can guide you to local resources: the good and no so good doctors, as an example.

2. Find and take the DOE program: Diabetes Outpatient Education. We went through this 3 times, at 3 different locations. You pay and attend, and any family member(s) can attend with you, no charge. As I recall, it is 2 hours per week for 6 weeks, but it has been a while. Medicare pays for it in full; sorry I can't remember if you are on Medicare or not. But regular insurance picks up some / all of the cost as well.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thanks, Sandie! I'll look into support groups. I live in a tiny little town, but I suspect it's large enough to have a support group. This is the midwest, after all--no shortage of diabetics!

I'll see whether I can find a DOE program anywhere nearby. Not on Medicare, though, and I'm not sure whether my insurance would cover it. I'm irritated that I don't have any coverage for test strips, because those things ain't cheap!

[Freedom]

I'm irritated that I don't have any coverage for test strips, because those things ain't cheap!

Yikes!!!! I know there are funding options for that, as Dad has coverage, I never paid attention.

Check with the nearest senior center, they can direct you to a Support Group, and folks in that can help with the strips issues. Oh, the senior center may as well.

[Grace]

Book recommendation - http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-First-Year/Gretchen-E-Becker/e/9781569242650/?itm=1&USRI=gretchen+becker

Takes you through the first year, step by step.

Strips - if you're not yet on Medicare, your insurance company may cover however many your doctor prescribes. Once on Medicare, coverage sucks.

If you're a non-Insulin type, they will allow you one/day.

My mantra for all newly diagnosed is test-test-test. You cannot know how different foods will affect you until/unless you test. You might be surprised at the results.

As Sandie said, a support group or at least an initial ed class is very good.

Back to strips - Medicare will supply me with 100 every 3 months. I test more often than that so buy extra here - http://www.canadadrugs.com/otc/search.php?keyword=one+touch+ultra&x=15&y=6

I can get 200 strips for $99.80 - from Canada. That's just 50¢/strip - half of what Medicare will pay. I pay it myself, but it is worth it - for me and my peace of mind.

[Prairie Purrs]

Grace, thank you for the book recommendation! I just bought the Kindle version and will start reading right away. :)

My insurance doesn't cover the strips at all, and I've been testing three times a day. I'll cut back on that after the levels start looking more stable. Until then, though, it costs me a bundle to buy from the local pharmacies. Looks like the cost from the Canadian site is about half of what I've been paying, so I think I'll be sending them an order.

Thanks to both of you for the excellent information!

[Laura's Babies]

I don't have any links to provide just some real encouragement! We have a guy on the boat that had type 2 diabetes and was on medication for it. He asked me to help him loose some weight and so far he has lost 48 pounds. The last time we were off he went to the doctor for a check up because the doctor wants to keep a eye on his weight loss.. He is NO LONGER TYPE 2 DIABETIC and no longer needs that medication!
You CAN reverse this! Type 2 can be reversed, type 1 can not so the ball is in your hands. You can stop this in it's tracks by learning all you can and eating right. I know you will do it too so GOOD LUCK. I am here to cheer you on and wish you all the luck I can muster from so far away!

Let me leave you with these words.. Portion size, moderation, wisher choices!

(I also have some apps on my iPhone to help this guy and the others that are dieting..)

Here is a good recipe for you if you like the ingredients in it. It is easy to make and ALL my guys love it. For the dieters it satisfies their sweet tooth and the non dieters eat it because it is so good.

Apple Salad
1 quart diced appled (with peelings on)
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Put in a small pot and mix well;

1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda)

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Vinegar

1 cup water



Bring to a boil and let boil until thickened. Cool this syrup then pour over the apples, celery and walnuts keep refrigerated.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thanks, Laura! Which iPhone apps are you using? And the recipe looks yummy. Do you use white vinegar, or would cider vinegar work?

[Marigold2]

I have it as well. With some lifestyle changes which really are benefical to all you will lead a full and happy life. You need to make exercise a daily routine and watch what you eat, which is what everyone should do. Follow a dr or diabetes teachers diet, you will lose weight and also feel better then you have in a long time.
Best of luck to you. It is not as hard as it seems. Don't keep junk food in the house, that is number one.
Make events about the fun not the food. Eat to live, don't live to eat.
If you take a moment and watch what the average American stuffs in their mouth you will be surprised. Heavy people are so for a reason. Look at what they eat. They don't even realize how much they eat or how many calories they consume in one meal. Often one meal is all the calories they should have in one day. If a person is 100 lbs overweight they are probably eating three times as much as they should in a day in calories that is.
Once you get the diabetes under control you will feel great and be much happier.
A support group is great advice. It will be ok. Life goes on and you will find eating differently to be fun and healthy. I wish you all the best.

[Laura's Babies]

White vinegar..

I have the Ideal weight, go meals and the Resturants... I use the resturants to show them the calories they are getting in fried foods and other thinks that they think are low calorie that are really not.. Mainly the sodas, dips and dressings. They just do not realize how they can ruin a perfectly innocent baked potato or salad or how many calories a soda has.. Or what the lable states as a serving size on anything! They think if it says "lo fat" that it is ok to use a half a bottle of lo fat dressing because it is suppose to be healthier.

Also something else I learned recently is that a glass of lo fat milk has just as much saturtated fats as a small order of french fries. Heard that on the Doctors TV show.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thanks, Marigold! And thanks again, Laura!

One particular challenge for me is to not get too hung up on weight loss as a goal. I've been on many weight-loss diets, but none was sustainable in the long term because (a) I was starving all the time and (b) I would get frustrated and quit because I always stopped losing weight before I reached my goal, no matter how carefully I stuck to the diet.

I think it's possible for me to be quite healthy without being a "perfect" weight, as long as I get a reasonable amount of exercise and watch what I eat. So I'm trying to focus on developing healthy eating habits that don't leave me constantly hungry and exercise routines I can stick with. Whatever weight loss goes along with that is dandy, but I suspect I'll always be on the chubby side.

[caseysmom]

White vinegar..

I have the Ideal weight, go meals and the Resturants... I use the resturants to show them the calories they are getting in fried foods and other thinks that they think are low calorie that are really not.. Mainly the sodas, dips and dressings. They just do not realize how they can ruin a perfectly innocent baked potato or salad or how many calories a soda has.. Or what the lable states as a serving size on anything! They think if it says "lo fat" that it is ok to use a half a bottle of lo fat dressing because it is suppose to be healthier.

Also something else I learned recently is that a glass of lo fat milk has just as much saturtated fats as a small order of french fries. Heard that on the Doctors TV show.

Okay gotta ask...what about white vinegar???

[Prairie Purrs]

Laura's recipe for apple salad--I asked whether it needed white vinegar or cider vinegar. :D

[caseysmom]

Oh darn I thought maybe it was a weight loss secret :o

[momcat]

An excellent resource is the American Diabetes Association website. There's a lot of good and reliable advice and updates. That's how I found my endocrinologist. I'm type 1 and an insulin junkie. Feel free to pm me anytime for support and encouragement.

[Miss Z]

My grandfather developed Type II Diabetes in his later years, and his best advice was staying happy by treating oneself on a regular basis to diabetic chocolate!

If your condition is relatively mild, I knew a diabetic who could eat fairly normally, and could ward off hyperglycaemia simply by taking a daily country walk. Of course, I think daily living advice is best discussed with a doctor. :)

I wish you the very best.

[Prairie Purrs]

An excellent resource is the American Diabetes Association website. There's a lot of good and reliable advice and updates. That's how I found my endocrinologist. I'm type 1 and an insulin junkie. Feel free to pm me anytime for support and encouragement.

I've got the ADA site on my favorites list--very helpful! And thanks for lending support! I'm sure there'll be days when I need all I can get.


My grandfather developed Type II Diabetes in his later years, and his best advice was staying happy by treating oneself on a regular basis to diabetic chocolate!

If your condition is relatively mild, I knew a diabetic who could eat fairly normally, and could ward off hyperglycaemia simply by taking a daily country walk. Of course, I think daily living advice is best discussed with a doctor. :)

I wish you the very best.

Thank you! I'll keep the diabetic chocolate in mind. ;)

[Laura's Babies]

Prairie Purrs- Completely get that word "diet" out of your head! This is not a diet you are going to do but a whole new lifestyle change for a healthier YOU! What you are going to be doing is making better choices... What you will be saying instead of "I am on a diet now"... is "I am making better choices now" This is what one of my guys does since he also said he has failed at many diets over the years.

What I did was tell myself, "I can have THIS or I can have THAT, but I can not have both" and I would pick the healthiest.... OR, if I have been strict to my diet, I could have the not so good choice. I sat my goal of what I HAD to eat that day.. I HAD to eat a 12 ounce bowl of beans and a 12 ounce salad at lunch and supper, I HAD to eat my oatmeal and a banana for breakfast and throughout the day, I HAD to have at least 5 pieces of fruit. During the season of fresh fruit, I would eat sometimes 10 pieces of fruit a day while it was so good. I was always eating, never got hungry either. Once a month I treated myself to eating out and could have what I wanted... ANYTHING I wanted... IF I had remained faithful to my eating right.

Both my guys on the boat have a free day where they can eat anything they want, including desert and what surprises me is they don't eat anything they want all day long but just at one meal! Once they get started and start loosing that weight, they get excited and start setting more rules on themselves.

One thing I showed them both last trip that surprised them was to use Picante' sauce instead of salad dressing. It is chocked full of GOOD stuff and it is SOOOo good... not a bit of fat in it either.

Watch out for food or drinks you eat that make you hungry! I found that when I ate carbs or drank a soda, the next day I couldn't get enough to eat. That guy who failed on so many diets before did good on his diet until he got his sugar free soda's on the boat. The next day he was complaining he had been starving ALL DAY LONG and couldn't figure out why. I sweetly said "you got your soda's yesterday, how many did you drink? Didn't I warn you they would make you hungry?"..:rolleyes:

So, keep a log of what you eat and if you had been doing good, then suddenly find yourself unable to control your appetite, go look at what you ate the day before!

I ate fish and boneless, skinless chicken once a week and one of my choices was steak day.. I could have a steak or hamburger... the hamburger won out every time.

I also only ate what I cooked. That way, I knew what was in what I ate and I still pretty much stick to cooking my own meals. Batch cook and freeze in single serving size. I still do that since it saves time and $$$$. I completely avoid processed food but since I am a cook, that is easy for me.

[Prairie Purrs]

Laura, that's a whole lot of great advice! Thank you!

One thing that's helped me tremendously has been to impose a regular meal schedule. I don't eat at precisely the same times every day, but I make sure I eat three meals a day. I used to regularly skip either breakfast or lunch, which meant that I was ravenous by dinnertime.

One thing that's difficult for me is staying away from processed food. I do rely on Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine a little too much, especially on days when I'm up against a work deadline. I definitely need to start batch cooking!

[emily_the_spoiled]

The other thing that might help is to graze throughout the day. I always have oranges, apples, strawberries, carrots, etc with me. I grew up with a mother who was a Type I diabetic, so we all kind of learned to eat smaller portions, but eat something in between (as long as it is healthy). You will find it is much easier to eat smaller portions at meal time then.

BTW, there are alot of good cookbooks and cooking websites that have diabetic recipies, so you will never run out of ideas.

[Prairie Purrs]

I wanted to update everyone on the Great Diabetes Adventure.

Since my diagnosis last March, I've lost 60 pounds. My blood glucose levels are entirely within normal range--almost always in the 90s, in fact. I'm still taking metformin, but perhaps my doctor will discontinue that next visit.

Much to my amazement, I actually enjoy going to the gym. I've been doing Zumba, which is a hoot. And I recently started yoga, which is wonderful, especially after a long workday hunched over a computer keyboard.

The only problem is that I've rediscovered my love of shopping for clothes, which I had hoped was gone with my lost youth. Fortunately, there's a decent resale store in town where I can indulge myself a little without demolishing the bank account.

Thanks again to everybody for the excellent advice! Your suggestions have been so helpful.

[Grace]

CONGRATULATIONS

You've done a marvelous job - that weight loss is phenomenal!!

[Karen]

The only problem is that I've rediscovered my love of shopping for clothes, which I had hoped was gone with my lost youth. Fortunately, there's a decent resale store in town where I can indulge myself a little without demolishing the bank account.

Thanks again to everybody for the excellent advice! Your suggestions have been so helpful.

Try selling clothes you have shrunk out of on Craig's List or at a consignment shop - that way you can not only use the bit of extra cash, you'll create room in your closet for bargains when you find them!

[Marigold2]

That is wonderful!!! So so so so happy for you. You are now my inspiration.


Laura, that's a whole lot of great advice! Thank you!

One thing that's helped me tremendously has been to impose a regular meal schedule. I don't eat at precisely the same times every day, but I make sure I eat three meals a day. I used to regularly skip either breakfast or lunch, which meant that I was ravenous by dinnertime.

One thing that's difficult for me is staying away from processed food. I do rely on Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine a little too much, especially on days when I'm up against a work deadline. I definitely need to start batch cooking!

[Prairie Purrs]

Try selling clothes you have shrunk out of on Craig's List or at a consignment shop - that way you can not only use the bit of extra cash, you'll create room in your closet for bargains when you find them!

I'm going to take some to the resale shop, but I want to give friends and family whatever they would like first. The problem is thinking of a graceful way to do that: "Here are my fat clothes" doesn't seem too tactful. And, frankly, I've been living in sweatpants and t-shirts for a few years, so there's not a lot that's marketable.

Just to brag a little bit more (because I just can't help myself, LOL!), last month I entered a 2-mile race-walk just for the heck of it. I've been walking two miles about three times a week, so I figured why not? Well, I came in second just walking my usual workout pace. Next year I'm going for the win!

[Catlady711]

You have every reason and right to brag.:) Congrats on all the improvements.:D

Instead of telling people you're giving away your 'fat clothes' just say you have a bunch of clothes you don't wear anymore and you hate to see them wasted by not being used.

[carole]

My mother, father and sister all have type two diabetes, none of them are extremely overweight at all,they could all loose a few pounds or so, but that is about all, my mother was only recently diagnosed, and she has managed to stay off any medication by watching her diet and walking daily, and she is 76 in november.

I am at high risk so i really watch my weight and diet , bit lacking on exercise, but apparently it really does help to do some,even if it is only walking.

You can get taken off medication if you work hard at it, but you will still be considered a diabetic, prevention is really the answer here, we cannot help our genetics, but we can help ourselves by eating well and exercising,so good luck with that, I am sure you will be able to get rid of your medication if you keep at it.,and CONGRATULATIONS on the weight loss, WELL DONE INDEED.

[Prairie Purrs]

Carole, I should have taken better care of myself before now, because I knew that genetics were not on my side. Both of my grandmothers were diabetic. Good for you for being careful about your diet!

I've read about people claiming to be "cured" of diabetes, and I know that just doesn't happen. But I should be able to keep it under control for a very long time, as long as I watch what I eat and keep exercising. The crazy thing is that I'm probably healthier overall now, with diabetes, than I was before I developed it. I've definitely got more strength and stamina now than I had 15 years ago.

[carole]

Good for you, it is never too late, if you keep up with your new regime you should be fine, i am not perfect, but sure is a warning sign when you see all your family with it, scares me enough to keep trying to keep it away , i can only do what i can,it will have to be a lifestyle forever for me too, glad to hear you are feeling so much better, it is hard to stick with the diabetic diet, i know that, but you are doing so well, be proud of yourself and not too hard on yourself, we all learn by our mistakes ,not one of us is perfect, that's for sure, stay well, HUGS.