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

I consulted a dietician once, early on, and everything else I've adopted concerning diet I've gleaned piecemeal from--yikes--the internet. And my understanding is that any kind of rice is generally not ideal; okay occasionally, or okay in smaller quantities. The basmati I have has 33 g of carbohydrates/1 g of sugar per 45 grams.

After pizza, cheeseburgers, and baked goods, I probably miss rice more than anything.

I have rice probably twice a week now. Basmati mostly. Brown rice suuuuucks. My wife and I talked about it at one point and came to the conclusion that a life extended by eating brown rice is no life at all.

personally i think GI is bullshit

carbs are carbs imo and i treat them accordingly-eat sparingly, balance w fat & protein as much as possible, eat mostly veg & if i am carbing i go wholegrain

but everyone does this shit differently
find the way that works for you & your levels & your sanity

carbs are carbs

The way I approach it too, although I do deduct the fibre, which as I understand it--and please correct me if this is wrong--they are not converted into sugar.

yeah that’s the gist
i do that too here and there but i also am wary of it

net carbs seems to be magic keto math and idk enough to say it’s ~not~ true but i think it can also lead you into eating more carbs per serving than you maybe should.
ymmv tho

Brown rice just has the fiber already present. Eat your white rice with a source of fiber and you’re good.

There’s a really great diabetic registered dietitian on TikTok I follow: @diabetesnutritionist

that’s good to know! there’s so much varying info around.

So, I've had a real roller coaster of issues because of bad (liver/kidney) reactions to antibiotics, but now I'm back on Metformin 1g and Xelevia. Have been scrupulously eating only multigrain carbs, loads of legumes, veg, no sugar/white bread, even avoided alcohol aside from 1 day where I had 4 drinks. Lost a little weight.

Sugars still hovering around 10/12 fasting, even after all this. I guess it will take a while? I'm so annoyed. Its only been 2 weeks I guess?

Christ I'm sick of lentils. And I like lentils!

Sorry you're having a tough go. Not that I know, but it sounds like the other thing is interfering, and that when you get past that, the sugar-level will stabilize?

Got to work this morning and realized I forgot my Metformin pill. So it'll be just like I'm all hopped up on cinnamon swirls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A494YWDurQA

I tried to get on Jardiance based on my reading/research (and unperson and clemenza's anecdotal recs) and my doctor was amenable but my insurance won't cover it and I can't afford $700/month or whatever, so it's still meformin/glipizide for now. A1C was up from 6.2 to 6.3 this quarter, doctor said "I can't fuss at you for anything, carry on." We're off to Asheville for a few days on Friday and I will eat and drink my fill.

I discovered I was diabetic in January 2017.
I was hospitalised with dangerously high blood sugars and severe dehydration. Luckily treatment worked and I was home after a couple of days and back at work within a fortnight.
Initially they thought I was Type 1 but after some testing they decided I was actually Type 2 and my 'incident' was a combination with another event maybe pancreatitis.
I was part of a local NHS diabetic clinic and I was on insulin and metformin for a while and then I gradually stopped using the insulin on my doctor's guidance. I struggled a little when it was only Metformin at first.
Then I lost a ton of weight and was eventually taken off Metformin and discharged from the clinic as I was in remission.
After a couple of years I piled a lot of weight back on and had to start taking Metformin again as my blood sugars were going in the wrong direction.
Just over a year ago I started to see worryingly high sugar numbers and went to the diabetic nurse at my local surgery and he put me on Jardiance. My blood sugar is now totally fine and I don't even have to be ultra careful with my diet any more.
It's been a bit of a journey

WmC, check out Good Rx, they have good coupons, and I just checked jardiance and there’s some type of copay card you can sign up for if you’re eligible

Yeah, it looks like there might be a couple of low cost/no cost Jardiance options through Good Rx.

Also, I just learned there is a med called Synjardi that combines your Jardiance and Metformin into a single pill.

Sorry, "Synjardi" rather.

Goddamn spell correct

SYNJARDY

I asked my GP about the newer meds like Jardiance and (yeah yeah I know) Ozempic and she... wasnt dismissive but here I am on metformin anyway.

I'm unhappy with how slowly my numbers are coming down but yesterday and today were promising, 8 last night, 9 this morning. I admit I'm doing almost zero exercise so that isn't helping at all. I WFH and its the middle of winter, lemme alone lol.

I figure the only way I'll ever go on walks is if I get a dog and have to do it out of necessity.

Trayce: how are you making out?

I'll get my first blood test since mid-March next week. Fairly confident: home readings since then have been 5.3, 5.3, 5.4, 5.8, 6.1, 4.9, 5.2, 5.7, and 5.2 tonight. I always test around 10:00 p.m., a couple of hours after a snack. I've gradually brought a bit more bread and pasta back into my diet, and I cheat on snacks (too many more than what I actually have), but mostly remain mindful and within boundaries. When I see my doctor after the test, I'll ask about some of these drugs that have been mentioned.

Seeing a new doctor on the 13th, first appointment since moving cross-country. My numbers have been pretty good, so I feel like it'll go fine, I just need him to write me new prescriptions for all my various drugs.

Thanks for asking Clem :) I'm doing ok! My blood sugars have steadily come down, and I'm now averaging 7-8 MMol on my morning pre-breakfast check. Still a little too high but way better than 15-22!

I've had a couple of booze blowouts in the last week after weeks abstaining, so I'm feeling a bit erghh in the guts, but otherwise doing ok, sticking to a good diet with only one or 2 sneaky hot chip sessions :)

Still yet to see the diabetes clinic (who I gues will go over lifestyle stuff mostly). Also need to go to the optometrist and podiatrist, but am lazy.

You can probably skip the podiatrist unless your feets are giving you very evident problems. An eval from your regular doc just to make sure your toes aren't turning black will do.

Yeah my GP was over-enthusiastic and threw EVERYTHING at me at once - NDSS scheme signup, referal to the podi, diabetes clinic, scrips for diabetes, BP and cholestorol + the strong antibiotics for the infection (all of which at once gave me the most insanely bad LFTs).

Good to hear. I had my orthotics doctor (same as a podiatrist?) check my feet once, no issues; I'll check back once a year.

3-month A1C test today - still holding firm at 5.7 (going on 6 months or more now)

happy with that number as I’d been mildly paranoid that i’d spike up this time around as i’d fallen off the wagon a bit

That's solid, good to hear.

new HbA1c test yesterday - 7.8 :) Still not perfect but much better than before, which I think was 9+? For my first 2 months on meds/better diet I like to think thats a pretty good start. I see the diabetes clinic next week, guess I'll find out wether its good/could be better etc.

And it occurs to me that only 2 of the last 3 months were treated anyway, so that blows the average up a bit. My daily pre-breakfast fingerprick tests are now often down around 6.5-7, and now I see the effects of blowout clearly - one night I had pizza and some hot chips and it went back to 12 :( But it seems to recover quickly which, good I guess?

That's all good, exactly what happened to me. Your first numbers are high, you adjust, and they go down quickly. Scared straight, I think they call it.

Yep, that's how it worked for me...I just realized, 20 years ago now. I was diagnosed in mid-2003.

aw yiss!! that’s great news Trayce! - those lower readings are a good confidence boost that things might finally be working <3

Spoke with a specialist at the Diabetes clinic at my hospital, and woot, theyre making me go on Ozempic. Apparently it'll do good for my poor old abused liver and pancreas too.

The weight loss is an added bonus, should it happen - I was losing weight slowly anyway, I'm down 5kg from when I first got sick and thats with hardly any exersise, just the diet change.

Getting pushed into taking a semaglutide (esp because I’m fat, and weight loss always seems like any doctor’s #1 concern) is what’s putting me off going and getting tested for diabetes. Some of the side effects sound brutal (and chronic, even after you stop taking it). As soon as I heard gastroparesis was a potential side effect, I was like HELL no. I’d rather be fat.

Hm the hospital specialist mentioned nothing aside from gastro issues same as metformin? :/

I read some claim about suicidal ideation but it was literally one case, which could be anything really.

Three-month reading of 5.7, exactly the same as my last one in March. I was hoping to creep down a bit more, but that's okay. I'll continue with Metformin--I was going to ask about some of the drugs mentioned here, but with no problems, I can't see any reason to.

And with my doctor, the faster I can get in and out, the better.

If you're at 5.7 on metformin only, that's the dream.

I had a lazy 6 months and mine went back up to 6.5, even with the Jardiance, so there's apparently a threshold to how careless you can be with your diet. I have to be a little more mindful than I've been lately.

i’m the same as clemenza, metformin only & holding at 5.7

Just did my first Ozempic injection. I'm not even sure I did it right , I carefully did all the steps as the clinic showed me. Was a bit more painful than I thought - I've never had to jab myself before.

Now I am just hoping I dont get the hideous pukearama that many ppl apparently do. Fingers crossed!

good luck trayce! crossing fingers for u

Actual injections? I'd be terrible at that. As I posted above--one of the reasons I only do home-testing every other week now--it routinely takes me three tries to get the finger-prick right. "Sample too small" comes back all the time, even though, to my mind, the sample is clearly not too small.

Yeah actual injections, though at least its a pen all ready-dosed so you're not using a syringe, but still owwie.

this morning I definitely feel completely unhungry, but thankfuly no nausea.

Speaking of finger prick testing, damn the accuchek is shit. I get an error inserting almost every strip and have to retry multiple times. I also bought another brand tester, but I've got used to the Accuchek's nice app.

i haven’t had any problems w my fingerprick setup, except remembering to adjust the needle depth to get better blood flow depending on which finger i stick, since thumb & index have thicker skin

i do it most mornings except sometimes i skip weekends because i get tired of doing it lol

Getting pushed into taking a semaglutide (esp because I’m fat, and weight loss always seems like any doctor’s #1 concern) is what’s putting me off going and getting tested for diabetes. Some of the side effects sound brutal (and chronic, even after you stop taking it). As soon as I heard gastroparesis was a potential side effect, I was like HELL no. I’d rather be fat.

― just1n3, Tuesday, July 18, 2023 3:26 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

Hm the hospital specialist mentioned nothing aside from gastro issues same as metformin? :/

I read some claim about suicidal ideation but it was literally one case, which could be anything really.

― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Tuesday, July 18, 2023 4:47 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

if this is helpful… gastroparesis is not quite a side effect as much as an intended effect. hopefully any doctor who recommends trying this would explain that nausea and early satiety should be expected, particularly with larger meals. suicidal ideation I have not heard of and per quick review does not seem to be something that has been widely reported

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/27/will-the-ozempic-era-change-how-we-think-about-being-fat-and-being-thin

I’m sure you all have read this, but if not…I thought this was a pretty good lay perspective on ozempic and related drugs (though this is more focused on treatment of obesity, or “obesity”)

Yeah Ive done a lot of reading and I mean I'm not taking this thing for weight loss (I only need to lose about 10kg anyway). It seems ppl who overeat/eat v large meals might be the ones who suffer, and thats def not me - esp since I started having GERD issues. I just cant eat that much food!

The big one for me is gonna be forcing myself to exercise more and by more, I mean AT ALL. Since WFH, Ive become utterly sedentary and a real shut in. I'm lucky if I leave the house at all twice a week let alone walk anywhere much and I have to change that. I was never an active person, but I always walked everywhere.

I have started exercising — I walk around a little bit every day, but now I'm also working with resistance bands (basically a giant rubber band with handgrips on each end) and periodically glancing in the direction of a kettlebell that sits accusingly in the closet.

I'm going to be switching from Toujeo to Lantus this week, because that's what my insurance will pay for, and my doctor wants me to increase my dose of Metformin from 1000 mg in the morning to 1000 in the morning and 1000 in the evening, which is what he says most of his patients take. Gonna be interesting to see how that goes.

1000 x 2/day has been my dosage since I started it, no problems.

If the ozempic doesnt shift me from stubbornly staying around 6-7, I might have to do the same. Well with my GP's say so of course.

After my earlier post I did a post prandial 10 min fast lunch walk, which Ive read is a great way to use the body to chew up the excess glucose. I'm going to start doing that after every lunch if I can manage it.

Weird side effect from ozempic I wasnt expecting - alcohol does not agree with me AT ALL. I was only able to manage 3 stadard drinks and then I felt really off/nauseous. And apparently its A Thing!

It might be temporary who knows, and I'm thankful Ive had no nausea aside from that. I spose its a good thing, anyway.