It's So Noisy at the Fair: The Diabetic Thread

I've been eating a lot of Healthy Choice microwave dinners — they're meat and vegetables with maybe a little bit of pasta, with optional sauce/gravy that I almost always skip.

There a couple of those I like, and I always add extra vegetables. I cook lots of fish and chicken, and I found a Thai soup I really like.

Had my last two bi-weekly blood tests, won't go back for three months now. In view of how engaged my doctor is--not at all--I'll be on my own till the spring.

Readings are good: 6.7 then 6.5 for the three-month levels, 5.2 at home last night (lowest yet). Had my first cheeseburger in almost three months to celebrate, probably the worst thing I could do--but added chick peas to my nightly salad as penance.

lol yeah my doctors office called after my lab results came in & they’re like “yep everything looks stable ok bye”

last 3-month visit i waited in the exam room for 30 minutes for a pointless 5 min “keep doing what you’re doing” consultation

so i guess no visit at all is an improvement

My doctor's receptionist retired a couple of weeks ago, and she was an intermediary I had some rapport with. Typical: I didn't realize that when we'd been communicating via e-mail, it was her address, not the office's. ("I've just retired...please contact Dr. _______ at the office.) Wouldn't be shocked if my doctor doesn't even have an e-mail address attached to the office.

Buses cancelled where I was today, so a lot of absent students; it was pizza day, and there was extra for any teachers who wanted some. So I had my first pizza since getting the diagnosis in October. Plain cheese, two small slices--I was fine with that, though there was a little guilt about not limiting myself to one. I probably should have self-tested tonight to see if there was a spike, but it would have been nine hours later, so I doubt it would have shown up anyway. Plus I only like good news.

sometimes not knowing is more manageable than knowing & not being able to do anything abt it.

i had a work dinner last week at a thai restaurant. except the catch that i didn’t learn, that no one knew until we all got there, was that my boss was ordering for everyone! for 25 of us. unhinged. random dishes would get passed around unannounced so it was like a game of telephone trying to establish what any dishes were - not great for me but worse for ppl with serious food allergies

i just ate like 12 random scoops of various curry & like a teaspoon of rice …. and then made a protein bowl when i got home.

not ideal

if i could have ordered an actual dish for myself like i had expected, it would have been fine! grr

Yeah, I wasn't totally happy with the restaurant (pub, really) my sister chose for her birthday last night--the fish was good, but nothing in the way of vegetables except salad. But you don't want to end up being a drag when it's her night (what I ate was fine)...I've been eating this Thai soup once a week and the food-label numbers are really good.

Just to be clear, I wasn't ambushed like you; we both thought the mains were okay from the online menu, and I think just assumed there'd be a vegetable option on the side.

i had a work dinner last week at a thai restaurant. except the catch that i didn’t learn, that no one knew until we all got there, was that my boss was ordering for everyone! for 25 of us. unhinged. random dishes would get passed around unannounced so it was like a game of telephone trying to establish what any dishes were - not great for me but worse for ppl with serious food allergies

Ugh, this sounds like a nightmare. "Welcome to the mandatory meal! Here's your slice of cake!" "Uh, thanks...?"

yeah it was quite stressful

Well, the one thing I've learned over the last 20 years is that one bad meal won't kill you. There are definitely times when I've eaten really poorly and felt it (I remember once at work having a bowl of macaroni and cheese, with bread crumbs on top, for lunch and being basically in a coma for the rest of the afternoon) but I can always stabilize my system pretty well by the next day. I've even had days where my sugar spiked for no reason at all — I was eating healthy, getting an acceptable amount of exercise, and it just shot into the 300s for no reason at all, like my pancreas had just decided to take the day off. So, you know, do your best. It'll work out.

Which is actually something I've been wondering: if your level spikes and then returns to normal, is it like it never happened, or does every spike weaken your system a little more. (And I'm not even sure what I mean by "system.")

No question mark, but there is a question in there.

Based on my own experience, while diabetes does weaken your system over time, the process can be very gradual (like "river water wearing down a stone" gradual), especially if you are doing your best to be healthy. If you're disregarding the disease and eating pizza and snack cakes all day, drinking a lot, etc., etc., then sure, it'll progress faster than it otherwise might — that's just logical. But getting the right medication, eating as healthy as you can whenever you can, exercising (without even being a nut about it), all helps a surprising amount.

Mr. Jaq who has been trying to manage type 2 with oral meds for quite awhile (with occasional very long spates of denial and bursts of keto) is now on a small amount of insulin overnight. Hoping he takes it seriously and is consistent with it. Kudos to all y'all for dealing with it.

keto as an idea offers some useful recipes for me like when i am experimenting w desserts or baking or looking for a no carb option here or there but there is no way i’d ever go down that road as a whole lifestyle

rolling the dice on ketosis seems so scary to me & anecdotally v hard to achieve without encountering some p serious complications?

After a day of Peg-Lyte and more or less fasting--if you know what I mean, you'll know what I mean--had a reading of 4.9, first one under 5.0.

with occasional very long spates of denial--this is what I worry about most. With me it would be complacency, brought on by good readings like that one, more than denial.

Which is actually something I've been wondering: if your level spikes and then returns to normal, is it like it never happened, or does every spike weaken your system a little more. (And I'm not even sure what I mean by "system.")

― clemenza, Saturday, February 18, 2023 6:08 PM (three days ago) bookmarkflaglink

as a type 1, the thing the doctor checks these days (which they can now monitor) is 'time in range' and therefore it seems like the spikes don't matter as much? i'm guessing type 2 would be the same

I had my first eye exam in three years this month and the optometrist said it's still not possible to tell from the close up pics of my eyes that I'm diabetic, so good result there. And my PCP checks sensation in my feet at every quarterly visit. Otherwise my A1C still hangs around 6.3-6.5, fasting sugar around 110, and the doc is not too worried about it. Steady diet of metformin and glipizide as usual. (Actually she may have taken her eye off my diabetes recently as she made a big error in my thyroid meds, raising my dose when she should have lowered it, and she's been focused on those getting those numbers back in line the last 2 visits.)

(xpost) Thanks, that's how I've been approaching this--home-testing once a week, and picking an opportune moment. I figure if that number's good, then the whole week's good.

Thanks for the link Wm - Well hello this thread. Like clemenza I knew I'd end up here eventually, but what triggered it was a perfect storm of other shit - a fall causing a knee scrape that got weirdly infected, which I took antibiotics for which trggered a UTI, which they gave me too-weak 2nd antibotics for, so I ended up in hospital yesterday with a kidney infection.

My finger prick tests were as high as 18 yesterday morning (fasting), and didnt drop below 15 all day. I still dont understand all the accucheck tests vs actual blood tests stuff. I guess I will see my GP asap next week and get started!

Are those A1C levels? Because, uh, holy shit.

Best of luck.

Those do seem high for Accu-chek--maybe it's a different calibration or something? If you feel fine, though, I'm sure it's something you can bring down.

I went through a month where because my weight stayed low, I wasn't concerned about blood sugar. But it did slowly creep up, from a low of 4.9 to back over 6.0. The next week, though, it was back to 5.0. Complacency continues to be a concern--I find I snack a lot, have a bigger breakfast out once or twice a week, and am back to the occasional cheeseburger or piece of pizza--and I thought about asking the doctor for more of the appetite suppressant I was using at the beginning and then stopped. I'm hungry constantly. Otherwise, though, still doing well.

yeah I am still untreated at this point. I *do* feel very sick, but I think thats the kidney infection. Only symptoms prior really was INTENSE thirst/peeing cycles that were getting me up twice a night. Water has never tasted so good.Thats calmed down a bit since I had IV saline yesterday.

Only symptoms prior really was INTENSE thirst/peeing cycles that were getting me up twice a night. Water has never tasted so good.

That was my first symptom. That and passing out in meetings at work after lunch, and losing something like 20 pounds in about six weeks.

I still dont understand all the accucheck tests vs actual blood tests stuff.

I think--correct me if I'm wrong--the finger-prick at home is a snapshot of that moment, whereas the more formal blood test is a three-month average.

Which helped me not be so panicky at the beginning. My blood test started high, around 10.0, but my home tests right from the beginning were progressively lower, so I was confident they'd converge eventually.

Yeah previous tests were around 9. I'm not sure why it was so high yesterday. Combo of stress and fasting and illness I guess?

That's great then--it was a blip. Make changes, and you'll bring both numbers down (the three-month more gradually).

I assume the numbers trayce mentioned are blood glucose readings in mmol/L, which are the units they use outside the US. multiply by 18 to get mg/dL

get well soon, trayce!

Trayce, I read your post on 77 and it reminds me a lot of my weekend from hell in 2019 when I learned I also had type 2. I was soooooooooo thirsty. And peeing every 20 minutes, and the pee smelled like maple syrup. When I tried to eat, every food tasted like eating a 9volt battery. I finally got in to see a doctor. My A1C was 14 and my blood glucose reading during my first visit was 355. My eyes were fucked up for months and I kept having to buy new glasses prescriptions until they settled down again.

Four years in, I'm being far more lax with my diet and exercise than a lot of the other people in this thread lol. Maybe Jardiance covers up too many sins when it comes to A1C, but I'm steadily between 5.5-6.5 at every doctor visit now and my waking sugar levels are right around 100-120 each morning.

Four years in, I'm being far more lax with my diet and exercise than a lot of the other people in this thread lol. Maybe Jardiance covers up too many sins when it comes to A1C, but I'm steadily between 5.5-6.5 at every doctor visit now and my waking sugar levels are right around 100-120 each morning.

I haven't really confessed my eating habits in detail because I didn't want to upset anyone who's got it tougher, but yeah, I'm waking up somewhere between 80-90 and still managing to eat bagels, hamburgers, pizza, and even a few cookies or a Snickers bar once a day. Jardiance has been a fucking miracle.

Going to ask my primary care doc about Jardiance, and about semaglutide (Ozempic et al) at my next checkup in a couple of weeks. I've been relying on metformin, glipizide and willpower for several years now and the willpower part is starting to wear me down mentally and emotionally. Part of me wants to take the just-stop-eating route (semaglutide) but I fucking love good food and drink. So if Jardiance can be a fucking miracle for me too and still allow a place for food in my life, sign me up.

There's a clinic in Tupelo that does semaglutide for anyone, barely any screening involved, $66 per weekly shot, cash and carry.

Fully sweetened soda is probably what got me into this position in the first place (I was a Coke and Mountain Dew fiend for decades), and that's the main thing I'm almost entirely eradicated from my diet and probably why my regular diet isn't throwing off my levels too much. Even if you pre-diabetic or not diabetic at all, STOP DRINKING SODAS.

WmC, my mom tried Jardiance for a while and her body didn't like it very much, so it's not a solution for everyone. But if it works for you, it REALLY works. Hope you can try it.

Mr. Jaq has been on ozempic for a month or so. The appetite reduction hasn't been much noticed but it also causes your liver to make/release less glucose and your pancreas to make more insulin. He's been able to taper back his injected insulin, drop the starch-blocker (still taking metformin) and his blood sugar readings have become more stable. His next A1C will indicate just how stable I guess.

Sugar being the cause of type 2 is actually not true!

I’m pre diabetic but I haven’t been taking my metformin rx. I can never remember to take it with meals because I eat so erratically, and it often makes me feel nauseous.

One of psych meds fucks with my blood sugar levels too.

My partner's type 2 as well and been on Metformin quite a few years, and he doesnt watch what he eats AT ALL, but his bloods are remission level. He mustve had it mild - maybe prediabetes (though he never said thats what it was), because he never had any symptoms.

fingerstick test at the GP today was 18 again FFS. But tbh this was only a couple hours after a meal of fish and some basmati rice so it mightve boosted things a bit.

But on the metformin finally (1000mg). I'm getting hit from all sides I also have to start taking blood pressure and cholesterol meds.

For someone who was beanpole thin til my 40s and never ate sugar or junk food, this is all really annoying. I tell you its good to live in my country though. We have a National Diabetes scheme that subsidises glucose meters and strips, our meds of course are all low-price thanks to the PBS scheme (govt subsidised medicine).

I don't know if this is medically advisable, probably not, but as I mention above, I only home-test now after I've had a good couple of days, and I only test around 10 at night, a couple of hours after my evening snack. I want the best possible result, and it usually gets me what I want. Tonight was 5.2.

Also, I think fish is a good thing. I've cut back on rice, but eat lots of fish.

(Canada's got good supports in place too.)

I'm fortunate enough to have excellent prescription coverage through my health insurance, and anything "preventative" is no-copay. Would be nice to not worry about the cost of things, but always in the back of my mind somewhere I know that if I ever got laid off from this job I'd be fucked.

Trayce, I got loaded up w choloesterol & BP meds too, it sucked! First time i ever needed a goddamn carry bag for my prescriptions

i’m a year in and it’s become manageable
my BP is pretty goddamn great & my cholesterol is back in normal range

i never went for anything more than metformin & i think i’m doing good, have been in 6.5 range for the past 2 a1c tests, but i do worry that i’m going to level off and i would like very much to try to get lower so i try not to get complacent & keep my daily exercise going etc

while also not stressing about it too hard

a delicate balance that i haven’t exactly mastered but i’m getting there

only downside of aging is that my stupid body is falling apart so i’m like pulling my hamstring getting out of bed or blowing a knee muscle walking up stairs

who knew just walking around could be so life threatening lol

I threw my back out getting into bed one night. If I can't sleep without being careful, stick a fork in me.

First time i ever needed a goddamn carry bag for my prescriptions

LOL yes I felt like I was toting a lunch sack.

So the GP called me today after speaking to the Endocrinology dept at my local hospital and given my numbers has decided to up the metformin dose and add Sitagliptin to it. Its probably just for initial "woah horsey lets rein this right in" management, it will prob change if I improve.

First night on met was kinda unpleasant, I slept really bad and was sweaty with a racng heart. But I woke up feeling better than in quite some time.

So its been a bit of a circus with my meds. The metformin wasnt agreeing with me, I wish she hadnt put me immediately on 1000 and then made me up it to 2000 the next night - I had 2 nights of racing heart, sweats and pukeahontas.

In addition, my kidney infection means I was on antibiotics but those started fucking with my liver, so now Ive had to swap THAT out too.

ANYWAY. My A1C it turns out had only been about 9, but the spike sincewas prob all the stress and infections. Since beingon Xelevia and being really strict with my eating, I've lost some weight and my daily bloods, while still too high, are steadily coming down (from 15 to 13 fasting, and as low as 10 just after lunch yeterday).

I'll try a lower dose of metformin once I'm off all the antibiotics and fingers crossed it doesnt give me crap at night because it made a huge diff the 2 days I was on it.

I'm cool with eating oats, grainy bread, lentils and chickpeas but I can NOT dealwith brown rice. It is gross, it reminds me of barley.

9.0 is basically where I started, and I moved down below the six-month goal in half that time. That's not a bad place to start. I'm eating chick peas for the first time in my life (add them to salad). I was already eating brown rice, but switched to basmati, and only two or three times a month.

that brittle shows impressive, nay superhuman forbearance WmC

Monthly home-test, 7.3--first reading over even 6.5 in a year. Going to hope it's a blip caused by something I'm not factoring in, but I will get on top of it right away in terms of diet; as mentioned above, I've really loosened up on that the past couple of years, and it's never shown up in testing, so complacency sets in.

(I'll probably do another test in three or four days, just to see if it was a fluke. And no cereal tonight--back to carrots!)

hang in there! just a little course-correction is all

Thanks--a correction, just like the stock market! I'm confident I can go semi-monk for a few days and fix it.

<3

Sigh of relief--waited a week, 5.8 (seven of my nine home-tests since March have been between 5.7-6.0). So, while I have been a bit more vigilant this week, I'll put the 7.3 down as a blip, maybe even a false or flawed reading. I still had some raisin tea biscuits, my morning bagels, french fries yesterday, lasagna today. I did make an effort to go back to more vegetables for dinner, so maybe that made a difference.

quarterly A1C of 5.8 - repeat of last quarter so steady as she goes I guess

our local Winco was selling take & bake personal-sizs cauliflower crust pizzas so i split one w MrVeg last night, my first pizza of any kind since my diagnosis!

the crust was cauli w mozzarella cheese but augmented w rice flour which i wasnt sure about,l - i didnt have any real spike from so all good there. it was a very very thin crust too, so that helped. cooked up super crisp & was yummo!

Excellent. I did a home test two nights ago, back up to 7.3. I don't get it, really. I haven't done an A1C since April--think I'll set one up for next week.

Going to the doctor on Wednesday. My daily numbers have dropped significantly since I started exercising 5 days a week (light weights and resistance bands) so we'll see whether it shows up in the 90 day average.

fingers crossed for you!

Geez I am still eating pizza occasionally lol :/

But my fasting or 2-hours-later prick tests stay steadily around 6-6.5 except if I am being a twat and have just eaten 2 date scones with butter like I did ysterday.

My brother-in-law and I were having a good time making fun of my bogus system of home-testing at only the most optimal times, like after two good days in a row and late at night. Things to put on my tombstone: "Was working on a streak of nine consecutive readings under 6.0."

At my Sept checkup my A1C was unchanged at 6.4. My willpower is fading and my sweet tooth is getting worse and I asked my doctor if she'd try me out on tirzepatide (mounjaro, ugh what a stupid name) since my insurance refused to cover semaglutide. She was all for it but the ball has been in my pharmacy's and insurance company's court for 2 weeks so I assume it has been or will be refused. A hundred bucks a week without insurance, which I can't swing. I'm just tired of food, tired of thinking about food. Fuck food.

I can say that semaglutide definitely did for my foodie brain for quite some time. I wouldn't recommend it for a casual user, the stuff is brutal - I had terrible nausea and runs for weeks.

And I hate to say but while it did mostly kill my appetite, I too have developed more of a sweet tooth than I ever used to have (it was non existent til a few years ago). Then again that could also be because Ive cut booze consumption back by about 70%

mr veg found these nice dark choc peanut butter cups w only 6g of cane sugar so those scratch my itch pretty well (or as well as i can manage without losing my mind)

i have noticed that since i’ve cut down so much on sweets i’m now turning into a salt junkie - i catch myself eating tons of salami & cheese & have to continually try to scale back

i do occasionally debase myself for a diet coke & a bag of doritos lol

but zero-sugar sweet stuff really makes my sugar cravings go crazy so i try to avoid if i can

I'm lucky, I loath the taste of sugar replacements so I don't tend to scarf those down (unlike Barney who drinks a metric buttload of Pepsi Max). I can usually just do a couple of those date/choc/nut blissballs or a few discs of choc melts, or one biscuit. HE can't - if I leave any bags of lollies/bix around he'll just eat them all in one go and I do not understand why his diabeetus isnt ruined from it?! Not fair.