Ouch, that really sucks. Sorry.
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@Johner I havenât been fully following your plight but perhaps it would be helpful/beneficial to make contact with Integrated Diabetes Services.
Hereâs hoping they can get you seen, in person or telemed, sooner than the end of October or November.
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Old thread, I guess, but still relevant. Who isnât frustrated, starting out? I found it took some time to stabilize, and the biggest lesson was to not get too caught up in the meaning of a single blood glucose reading, or changes from one to the next. Everything lives within a percentage of accuracy; the same meter taking readings from the same finger twice in a row will vary; from different fingers right after each other will vary, and from the same finger fifteen minutes apart will varyâŚone should expect that differences will exist between a finger stick and a CGM, due to lag, a range of accuracy, and so on. Sensor location, sample location, time, finger cleanliness, and a host of other factors make a difference as to what one can expect (or not expect) from readings.
For a finger meter; I have several brands. The one I use the most is the ReliOn Platinum. While other brands and models offer 25-30 strips per pack and cost twenty dollars, the ReliOn are ten bucks a pack and have 50 test stripsâŚand so far theyâve proven accurate for me compared to clinical blood tests, CGMâs, other meters, etcâŚwhen the averages are in. I carry several with me when traveling and use them a lot, along with continuous monitors.
The original poster mentioned rolled oats; these will have a slow response, but will still have a glycemic response. Carbs. I donât look at calories at all; but I do go carefully with carbs. The longer one uses monitoring, the more one learns about oneâs own body-response to different foods and itâs quite a learning curve. Not just the kind of food, but the combination, time of day, and so forth. Proximity to taking medication is an important consideration.
Exercise is important, where one can. I walk. Iâm not a walking fool, but I do walk. Itâs low impact, fairly sustainable for me, and even in inclement weather, Iâve managed to walk in the hotel one end to the other, up a flight of stairs, next floor, next flight of stairs, etcâŚanything is good.
I take a bunch of metformin. Like the original poster, my only clinical diagnosis was an A1C test, then prescribed 1000 mg twice a day, plus atorvastatinâŚwhich I take along with a multi vitamin, probiotic, vitamin B12, coq10, eye vitamins (AREDs), fish oil, and some turmeric. Iâm not sure if the metformin continues to be necessary at that dose, but the drawbacks are minor to non-existent, and the complications larger for changing my meds, with professional certification, so itâs easier to stick with the meds. No one is counseling on diet, diabetes, or anything else; I made decisions based on my own research and choices, and observations. One of the best reading sources initially to orient, I found, was Jenny Ruhlâs books and siteâŚdidnât agree with everything she said, but it gave a good start. That, and visiting places like this where the voices of a lot of diabetics could be heard, and their experiences. Invaluable.
There are unintended consequences. My initial go-to was a lot of nuts, especially almonds. Great idea, unintended consequence that oxalates are high in nuts, and kidney stones follow oxalates. Steps in one direction may open a door to another problem. I lot a lot of weight initially as I made a number of drastic changes in diet, etcâŚbut that led to other issues. I had high cholesterol starting, but was soon advised it had dropped too low, and to begin bringing it back up. I snack on spoonfullâs of low carb peanut butter and have the fish oil capsules, but again, that can lead back to oxalates, and other issues. Monitoring is important during any change, food, etcâŚsee what it does.
I work over long periods and long distances, so caffeine is a thing. Iâm not a coffee drinker. I used to love red bull, but donât even do the sugarless kind. The doctor suggested trying five hour energy, which I take in a bottle of water over a couple of hours. I sampled with finger sticks every fifteen minutes for several hours, with a five-hour energy. Alone. With food. With different starting values, different times of day. Some people see blood sugar go up with caffeine. Some down. Mine goes down. Same for caffeine gum. All good and well, but cue the cardiac potentials. Again, unintended consequences vs. monitoring.
Itâs not just what you eat, but how you eat it, when you eat it, how much at one time. All apples are not created equal, for example. If you eat the apple first or last, makes a difference, as does the size, or how much of the apple you eat. The same is true for a lot of things . The order in which it is eaten can have some impact. So does the amount of water consumed. Drink lots of water.
Carry glucose tablets; especially for the type 2 diabetic: spikes are long term problems, lows are short-term problems. Carry something to bring blood sugar up, for the short term, without making it go high. Tablets can be a good solution. As someone mentioned earlier, the walmart ReliOn ones are as good as anything (same place I get the test strips and monitor).
Get a daytimer, write everything down, so you can track your readings, progress, changes. When I started I wrote down every fingerstick; time of day, food, etc, to give myself a bigger picture. I continue to do finger sticks with a continuous monitor; verify everything; the more sure you are of the data youâre receiving, the more confident you can be in the long run with the food choices you make, and so on. Itâs a learning process. Give yourself permission to learn. Equally important, give yourself permission to make mistakes. Handling diabetes is as much about educating yourself about your own body, condition, reaction to meds, food, sleep, stress, exercise, and so on, as anything. Control increases in proportion to understanding, and itâs a learning process; it can be a steep curve. When I began, I couldnât have told you what a carb was. Seriously. I always feel like Iâm just scratching the surface. Iâm sure I am. Again, give yourself permission to learn. Itâs a process.
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