Conflicted Again

With Badgercare, I have maintained regular medication, access to Hemoglobin  A1C testing, care by a Certified Diabetic Educator (CDE), and eye exams. Hopefully I do not have to wait very long to be accepted to a group health plan now that I'm employed or do I take Medicare now? I am investigating.

I have not had care by a podiatrist in a long time. My GP checks my feet (but I do keep a watchful eye on my feet as well and use special foot care lotions and such to keep them soft in the dry winter weather). I plan on preventing damage to my feet as much as possible. Unfotunately I have some neuropathy in my feet which means I take Gabapentin again to minimize the feeling of pins or walking on wire brushes sticking into my feet.

I have started taking new drugs Invokana and Trulicity to reduce my blood sugar. I have not had good control since all my pain started. Invokana scares me since there are law suits galore on it. I can only hope they work or the next step will be insulin. I am 18 years a diabetic so it's not unusual to have it advance this way. Perhaps with diet, continued weight loss, and walking as exercise plus my PT exercises, I can reduce my neuropathy.

So Much for Good Intentions

So much for good intentions! Journaling didn't happen. I got a job I refer to as my Five Ring Chinese Circus but that is not all. I moved into my own place again, traveled for work, got injured at work, did long term therapy, had multiple radiology assisted epidural shots of steroids into my spine, and finally back surgery just before Christmas. Then the real fun started with coping at home alone although my son had me texting him every four hours when I took drugs. He lives quite close so he could be here in 5 minutes or so

He and other people took turns bringing me food but I had learned to cook real food on cookie sheets like my famous meat mound (which happened on a day I used my strength to make a meat loaf but then couldn't find the loaf pan.) LOL the meat mound went on a cookie sheet with baked potatoes on the edges of the pan and a veggie in the microwave.  It was almost as good as the pork steaks thrown over a package of Stove Top stuffing lightly sprinkled with water. Put in oven, set the timer, and go back to bed. The hard part was hauling my butt out of bed when the timer went off.

Anyway, I am much improved BUT still in Physical Therapy twice a week, had some Occupational Therapy, and back to PT again. Now I have Badgercare so I am seeing a doctor instead of the Free Clinic. My blood sugar has jumped. I have a tooth that is sore but I do have a dentist appointment at the end of the month. I am seeing the Certified Diabetic Educator next week. Sometimes it seems harder than working but I am hoping I will get back to 100%. There is some muscle wasting on the left side.

Best Low Sugar Fruits

Found here http://www.healthline.com/health/best-low-sugar-fruits#1

Watching your sugar intake is a good idea, but taming your sweet tooth can be an incredibly difficult feat. Perhaps you’ve already cut out processed sugars, but didn’t realize how much sugar is contained in fruit. Or maybe you live with diabetes and want to know which fruits will have the least impact on your blood sugar.

While fruit also contains lots of other healthy nutrients, some varieties are higher in sugar than others. Learn which fruits are lowest in sugar content so you can satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking the sugar bank.

1. Lemons (and limes)
High in vitamin C, lemons and their lime green counterparts are fairly sour fruits. They don’t contain much sugar (only a gram or two per lemon or lime) and are the perfect addition to a glass of water to help curb your appetite.

2. Raspberries
With only five grams — a bit more than a teaspoon — of sugar per cup, and lots of fiber to help fill you up, raspberries are one of several amazing berries to make the list.

3. Strawberries
Strawberries are surprisingly low in sugar considering they taste so sweet and delicious. One cup of raw strawberries has about seven grams of sugar, along with over 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.

ADVERTISEMENT

4. Blackberries
Blackberries also only have seven grams of sugar per cup. You don’t have to feel guilty snacking on these dark colored berries. As a bonus, they’re also high in antioxidants as well as fiber.

5. Kiwis
These odd fuzzy green-fleshed fruits are technically considered a berry too. Kiwis (or kiwifruits) are rich in vitamin C and low in sugar — with just six grams per kiwi. You can find kiwis all year-round at the grocery store.

6. Grapefruit
Another citrus fruit to make the list is grapefruit. While grapefruits certainly don’t taste as sweet as a grape, they make for a great breakfast with only nine grams of sugar in half of a medium-sized grapefruit.


7. Avocado
While not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of fruit, avocados are indeed fruits, and naturally low in sugar. An entire raw avocado only has about one gram of sugar. What avocados do have a lot of are healthy fats, which will help keep you satiated.

8. Watermelon
Watermelons are the iconic summer fruit. They may seem like a treat, but they’re low in sugar. A whole cup of diced up watermelon has under 10 grams of sugar. A bonus of eating watermelon is it’s also a great source of iron.

9. Cantaloupe
Cantaloupes owe their orange color to a high vitamin A content. A cup of this delicious melon contains less than 13 grams of sugar. This may be a bit higher than other fruits, but keep in mind that a 12 ounce can of soda has nearly 40 grams of sugar, and very little nutritional value.

10. Oranges
Oranges are another great way to enjoy a sweet snack without all the calories and sugar, while also boosting your Vitamin C intake. A typical naval orange has about 12 grams of sugar per fruit and less than 70 calories.

11. Peaches
Peaches can be incredibly sweet, but at less than 13 grams of sugar in a medium-sized fruit, they can still be considered low in sugar for a fruit.

Takeaway
These 11 low sugar fruits contain between one and 13 grams of sugar, but remember that serving size makes all the difference. A serving of watermelon is just one cup, so indulging in three or four cups of watermelon can easily put you somewhere near a can of sugary soda in terms of sugar.

Of course, all fruit contains a lot more vitamins, minerals, and fiber compared to sugary processed snacks. High fiber foods slow down digestion, which means your blood sugar won’t spike as quickly after eating fruit. As with most things in life, moderation is key.

Journaling

It's been far too long since I updated. Yes still Diabetic after 15 years. Yes still going to a Free Clinic. Looking into another Free Clinic nearer to my home. A1C still in same range and basically taking same medications at top doses.

I have had to get glasses. Bifocals to be exact with another pair of just magnifiers for computer work. I now have some neuropathy and of course, in winter, arthritis gets me.

Journaling is my new personal record to document anything related to my condition.  It can also be a “sounding board” where thoughts and emotions can be expressed on paper.

These are the things I want to document:

• Activity during the day: Note the type of activity, duration, and intensity.
• Foods and fluids consumed: Anything that goes into your body should be documented.
• Medications and natural remedies
• Pain: Time/date, location, duration, description (stabbing, aching, etc.), what helped/didn’t help to alleviate it, and what it does to blood sugar. 
• Rate the Pain: An easy and effective way is using a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worse pain 
• Other symptoms: Sometimes other symptoms may be related 
• Illness and what it does to blood sugar
• Weather for each day.
• Things I have done since the last entry
• Does pain interrupt anything like sleeping or working?
• Non-drug therapy used: yoga, meditation, or other interventions; were they effective in reducing pain?
• Were there any emotions connected to pain, high blood sugar, or low blood sugar?

Conflicted

I have been going to a free clinic for sometime now because, as a diabetic, I cannot afford not to have medical treatment, blood work, eye exams, medications, and blood testing materials. I have been diabetic long enough that I am the one in charge, not whoever I am seeing. This is invaluable in reminding them when you need something, so it is not overlooked.

In a free clinic setting it is difficult because you see different people every time you are there. Currently due to economics in our state, Republican Governor Scott Walker is trying to disenfranchise the poor from every program possible. I am very grateful I found adequate medical care without Badgercare involvement.

I have maintained regular medication, access to Hemoglobin  A1C testing, care by a Certified Diabetic Educator (CDE), and eye exams. Hopefully I do not have to wait very long to be accepted to a group health plan now that my employment is becoming full time.

I have not had care by a podiatrist in a long time (but I do keep a watchful eye on my feet and use special foot care lotions and such to keep them soft in the dry winter weather). I plan on preventing damage to my feet as much as possible.

So why am I conflicted? I just was offered a spot in a special clinic for diabetics but it will be during my training in another state for my new job. I hope I can push it to a subsequent month so that I can attend, but if insurance kicks in maybe I can get my care another way. I plan on diminishing as much as possible the damage diabetes can do to my body . . . I really like my toes, my eyesight and my kidneys.

Starting Over

I haven't even visited this page in a long time. Now is the time when I am starting over with blood sugar testing so I thought I would try my hand at writing in this blog again. I was diagnosed as a Type 2 Diabetic in January of 2000 following a long illness that sapped my strength and required a long spell of antibiotics which I blamed for my extreme fatigue.

Fatigue was the only symptom commonly associated with diabetes that I had. That we had diabetes in the family did not come out until years after I was diagnosed. I was not prepared for the possibility. I had the whole range of emotions often associated with death:

• Denial 
• Anger
• Bargaining 
• Depression 
• Acceptance 

There have been times when I slipped back from acceptance into depression and have even had some therapy. It helped me to deal with stress in different ways than I had in the past. I developed a happy memory into a space I can easily go, to lower my blood pressure

My rebel side has had some issues with following doctor's and CDE's advice but have maintained a few good habits over the years.
Regular doctor visits
Regular blood work 3-4 times a year
Take meds regularly around meals
Eat breakfast every day
Drink more water
Eat nuts for a snack often
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Have protein at every meal
Reduced the quantity of meat at each meal
More active than before I was diagnosed

All this has resulted in an A1C result of 7.4 which is not perfect but is low enough to keep me off insulin after 12 years of coping with this disease. According to Mayo Clinic "normal A1C level can range from 4.5 to 6 percent" . . .(and) "For most people who have previously diagnosed diabetes, an A1C level of 7 percent or less is a common treatment target."

The things I don't do as well are
Home blood sugar testing
Losing excess weight
Regular exercise

So there are things to change. I am a work in progress.

Guest Writer

I am republishing this article originally published in the
EclecticCooking Newsletter which seems to have entirely
disapeared off the net both the newsletter and article.

Conversion of A Diabetic
By Guest Writer, Paula Kalamaras

November 9, 2000, was a day in my life which will always
signify a drastic change. I got a note from my doctor
stating, "Unfortunately, you are diabetic." I burst into
tears and Paul (a longtime friend and writing partner) had
to spend several minutes calming me down before he could
find out what was wrong. I did call my mom and did tell
her that I felt like I had just been handed a death sentence.
Later I read an article about writer Ken Kesey who had died
from diabetic complications after surgery. In short, I was
depressed, upset and figured I would have a short life. Wrong.

After I calmed down and stopped planning my funeral, I
decided to be more rational about the situation. I called
my doctor and found out exactly what was going on. I
called the diabetic counselor, Lori, and set up a meeting.
During the two meetings in the next week, I made some
discoveries about my situation- good and not so good.
The bad news was that my blood sugar tested in the
high 300's. Normal blood sugar, after fasting, should
range between 80 and 120. The good news was that my
cholesterol was excellent and my blood pressure was
perfect. I also did not have any kidney damage. So, even
though I do have a way to go before I am in control, I
am not as unfortunate as others with type II diabetes
complications. I may be insulin resistant in that my
blood cells do not use the glucose I consume properly,
but everything is still working pretty well. What a relief.
We concluded that I would be on medication and work
on my diet to bring my diabetes under control.

While discussing my food needs with the diabetes
educator, I learned about what modifications I should
make in my diet and in my cooking. I reviewed my
eating patterns and discovered that all those "good for
you" carbohydrates were causing me a lot of trouble.
That meant that bread, fruit, many veggies (vegetables)
and, essentially,"all that grows from the ground" were
the foodstuffs I had to limit. Other foods, such as protein,
dairy products and fats were to be limited according to
the food exchanges Lori gave me. Lori basically told me
that I was to have 30 to 45 carbohydrates per meal and
about an extra 20 carbs (carbohydrates) or so for a snack,
dependingon how many carbs I had already consumed.
Essentially, I was limited to about 90-120 carbs a day.
Let's put that in perspective: One McDonald's hamburger
has 37 carbs (the bun, you know)an order of small fries
has 29 carbs. A normal slice of bread has 29-31 carbs per
slice. Most pasta (1 cup cooked) has about40-45 carbs
(carbohydrates). And that doesn't count what is in the
sauce or what is on the side. You become a whiz at reading
labels and, if your math skills are a bit rusty, don't worry,
you will be adding and subtracting in no time at all! It is
difficult but not impossible.

One of the ways I deal with my disease is to create new
recipes and modify old ones every day. I am going to control
this disease and not let it control me. It isn't easy. A normal
ten-minute shopping trip now takes two hours now. Some
days all Iwants to do is cheat and ignore my condition, but
then I reconsider. If I don't cheat, I can live a long and healthy
life. One of my first discoveries was artificial sweeteners on
the market. Aspartame and saccharin were not my first
choice. Iwasn't really happy baking with Aspartame and I
hated the taste of saccharin. Then I discovered Splenda®.
What a wonderful product! As I understand it, Splenda is
real sugar but with a chemical modification that makes it
go through your system without attachingitself to your
blood cells. This is good. So I began experimenting with
Splenda as well as almond flour and soy flour. I also found
other low carbohydrate ingredients. I'll let you know what
happens.

Thanksgiving and Christmas I made a special mousse pie
that was carb limited and absolutely yummy.
I'd like to share this recipe with you.
Chocolate Mousse Pie
(Serves 8) About 20 carbohydrates per slice:
http://eclecticcooking.community.everyone.net/community/scripts/topics.pl

The recipe link does not work so here are some other low
carb mousse and dessert recipes
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/lowcarb-desserts.html
http://baking.about.com/od/lowfatcarbandcalorie/r/lowcarbcmousse.htm
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/598/0.shtml
http://www.camacdonald.com/lc/Cookbook/Desserts.html
http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/lc/recipe39.html