Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Ruth, You are sooo right~ My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean anything. " Debbie Re: Talk > > > Hi Debbie, > > The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is > to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one > conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like > recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's > something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any > way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list. > > Jen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Greatt story Mark. Jerry Litterell Talk >> >> >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am >>> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here? >>> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic? >>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Hi Debbie I wasn't trying to say that A1C s don't mean anything. In fact they give you a good indication how yaur blood sugar control is over the long term. What I meant is that the levels that the diabetes educators would like you to be at does not fit all people and all situations. We can't say it is 6.0 and nothing else is good. As I indicated in my post, I have other factors going on that make my hemoglobin of 8.4 okay. I hope that straightens out any misunderstandings I may have caused. I still applaud Harry for such good control. He must be very disciplined. Ruth Re: Talk Ruth, You are sooo right~ My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean anything. " Debbie Re: Talk > > > Hi Debbie, > > The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is > to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one > conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like > recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's > something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any > way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list. > > Jen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Hi , Thanks. I know some of the abbreviations but that was one that I did not know, so I finally had to ask. Thanks again. Ruth Re: Talk Ruth, It stands for [laugh out loud]. There are quite a lot of abreviations used on computer or phone text messages. Another commonly used is: HTH [Hope This Helps]. TTFN [Ta Ta For Now]. Rowe Talk > > > > > --- > >>> In blind-diabetics , carol clevesy > >>> > > >>> > > wrote: > >>> > > >> > >>> > > >> > >>> > > >> > >>> > > >> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? > >>> I am > > > not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone > >>> talk in here? > >>> > > > Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic? > >>> > > > > >>> > > >> > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > > >>> > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Debbie, Then, what test would she suggest to monitor the blood sugar? Cy, the now curious Ancient Okie... Re: Talk Ruth, You are sooo right~ My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean anything. " Debbie Re: Talk > > > Hi Debbie, > > The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is > to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one > conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like > recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's > something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any > way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list. > > Jen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 A1c levels are still important but they don't tell the whole story and shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of how control is judged. Daily readings are important and so is considering other factors which might not be controllable. When I was about 12 years old I had an A1c of 6.7 which at the time was considered perfect, but this was back when the only insulins available were regular and NPH and I took two shots a day, and you can bet that I bounced from extreme highs to extreme lows a lot. Now my A1c is 7.3 and, even though I'd like it lower, I don't have many extreme highs or lows. I still have them, sure, and have days like today where I was very high last night and remained high most of today for no apparent reason. I blame it on female hormones. When it comes down to it my A1c of 7.3 is a lot better than that of many other 20-somethings. Doesn't mean it couldn't be a lot better, but ... right now I have such a variable schedule that I'm just happy if I stay within my target range most of the day. Maybe when I settle down and get a full-time job and a more predictable schedule things will be easier to control. And as Ruth said, some people have circumstances that interfere with control and are doing the best they can, which is okay. Jen Re: Talk Ruth, You are sooo right~ My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean anything. " Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Hi Jen, Those hormones can be a royal pain in the keester! I find they bother me a week to 10 days before the monthly visitor. I am on a low carb high fiber diet and I can still get sugars of 20 when I did nothing wrong or different. My doctor says that that is just the lot of some women. You can feed it with insulin till the cows come home trying to bring the sugars down but the sugars and the hormones win. Ain't life grand? Ruth Re: Talk A1c levels are still important but they don't tell the whole story and shouldn't be the be-all and end-all of how control is judged. Daily readings are important and so is considering other factors which might not be controllable. When I was about 12 years old I had an A1c of 6.7 which at the time was considered perfect, but this was back when the only insulins available were regular and NPH and I took two shots a day, and you can bet that I bounced from extreme highs to extreme lows a lot. Now my A1c is 7.3 and, even though I'd like it lower, I don't have many extreme highs or lows. I still have them, sure, and have days like today where I was very high last night and remained high most of today for no apparent reason. I blame it on female hormones. When it comes down to it my A1c of 7.3 is a lot better than that of many other 20-somethings. Doesn't mean it couldn't be a lot better, but ... right now I have such a variable schedule that I'm just happy if I stay within my target range most of the day. Maybe when I settle down and get a full-time job and a more predictable schedule things will be easier to control. And as Ruth said, some people have circumstances that interfere with control and are doing the best they can, which is okay. Jen Re: Talk Ruth, You are sooo right~ My daughter the pharmacy student once told me that A1c levels weren't a very reliable resource for blood sugar levels in her words she said " they don't mean anything. " Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Oh, I misunderstood the message, sorry. The thing which has really stricken me is all of the misinformation about Diabetes which seems to be in high places. I was absolutely amazed when Crystal went to the Diabetic Dietician last month. The information she gave Crystal was the same as I see on this list. Last time I sat down to one of the " educational " talks the nonsense they were spouting was absolute garbage and would have required a college degree in mathematics to comprehend. Perhaps there is hope after all, at least in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (LOL) Crystal is going to go back next month and I do want to take the information about the Prodigy and the other new meter from England along. Anyway, just hang in there and keep on a countin them there carbs. (LOL) Cy, the Ancient Okie... Re: Talk Cy. she was just stating what the educators in her school had to say about the A1c tests. i really don't know what other type of test could be done there is probably something. Debbie Re: Talk > > > Hi Debbie, > > The way to get people to talk about things when the list is quiet is > to do what you just did and post a message. Just because one > conversation is going on or a person is posting one thing like > recipies doesn't mean you can't start another thread if there's > something you'd like to discuss. If you don't post it no one has any > way of knowing you'd like to talk about it. Welcome to the list. > > Jen > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Hi Jen, All you can do is put up the good fight. I even have times when, and unfortunately not very often, it does nothing to my blood sugars. I have noticed this pattern with my blood sugars since I was 16. Just wait till menopause. My doctor says it shouldn't bother anything but knowing my body it will be the exception instead of the rule. Ruth Re: Talk Hi Ruth, That's what happened last night. I hadn't done anything unusual and I was 20 at bedtime for no reason (I actually thought that maybe I'd somehow forgotten my supper shot it was so high). I gave myself some insulin and went to bed, and today even though I've been correcting for it each time I test I've hovered at 11 until a few hours ago when I was finally 5. What makes it more frustrating is that I usually feel like I've done something to cause it somehow until other women say that the same thing happens to them. I notice that my blood sugars start going high a week or week and a half beforehand, and then once that time of the month rolls around I crash low for a few days before things finally even out for about two weeks before it all starts over again. Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 I forgot to put request in the subjet line. Debbie RE: Talk > > > Hi Harry, > > You are right about counting the carbs. Things like protein and fiber > slow > down the absorbtion rate of the carbs into the blood. I applaud your 5.5 > A1C but, the guidelines set out by the diabetes educators have a > paragraph > after the range suggested saying that each person is an individual and > that > there are exceptions because of other factors. For example, my A1C is 8.4 > because I take prednazone and it screws with my insulin. My doctor wants > me between 6 and 10 and finds 8.4 acceeptable. There are also other > factors > such as the fact I'm female and I have to deal with hormone changes that > a > male does not, so that again can affect A1C s. I just finished discussing > this very point with my endocrinologist and was told this by her. Again, > I > applaud you for your control, but remember everything is not written in > stone. > > Ruth > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Ruth, Those hormonal ups and downs are a regular here. Debbie Re: Talk Hi Ruth, That's what happened last night. I hadn't done anything unusual and I was 20 at bedtime for no reason (I actually thought that maybe I'd somehow forgotten my supper shot it was so high). I gave myself some insulin and went to bed, and today even though I've been correcting for it each time I test I've hovered at 11 until a few hours ago when I was finally 5. What makes it more frustrating is that I usually feel like I've done something to cause it somehow until other women say that the same thing happens to them. I notice that my blood sugars start going high a week or week and a half beforehand, and then once that time of the month rolls around I crash low for a few days before things finally even out for about two weeks before it Visit Your Group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Hi Mark, Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange until this day. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Thanks for the info about yourself Mark. I use an insulin pump and am totally blind. I have a semi-sighted husband, but have been in situations where the pump started beeping (usually this means it needs new batteries) and I could not stop it, so I called their 800 number and we figured it out; otherwise I do it all independently. When you get a pump, the nurse employed by the pump company comes to your home and goes over and over how to run it until she/he feels and you feel comfortable with it. The first few days, they put sterile water in the cartridge so you can't get messed up on incorrect dosages and they come out as often as you need them. I know a number of totally blind people with pumps. Re: Talk Hi Everyone, Thank you Debbie for getting this thread started. I've really enjoyed learning so much about all of you over the last couple of days. I have been lurking on this list for a while, but only writing in once in a blue moon. I got type 1 diabetes when I turned eight years old in 1959, so have been taking insulin for 47 years. The diabetes caused blindness in 1978, and a heart attack in 2001. I also have some kidney damage, but am still getting by OK on my original kidneys. After going blind in '78 I got some blind skills training and then moved to Berkeley in '79 for computer training at the Center for Independent Living. The next year I returned to Tucson and got a job as a computer programmer at Aircraft. For the next 24 years I worked as a programmer and a computer systems manager. Fortunately I was nearly always able to arrange a car pool to work, because public transit here is pretty bad. A blind friend of mine tried taking the city bus across town to work, but found that it took two and a half hours to get there and another two and a half hours to get back. Once, during a two week break in car pool availability, I applied to Van-Tran, which is the local transportation system for handicapped people. They turned me down, saying that blind people should just use the city bus. I appealed, pointing out that the last bus stop was four miles short of my office. The appeals board turned me down too, just saying 'no exceptions'. Fortunately I was able to arrange another car pool just about then, because my guide dog and I would have never been able to cover those four miles here in Tucson where the summer temperatures are often over 110 degrees. One of my greatest challenges came when my sighted wife of 15 years died suddenly and I was left as the blind single, working parent of our third grade daughter. Some how we both made it through that, and my daughter is now a 22 year old college student. Besides going to college she has a job and does volunteer work at an agency for children who have recently experienced the death of a parent. For the last two years I have been counting carbs and checking my blood glucose about five times per day. I use lantus insulin, measured by a count-a-dose, and novalog insulin from a pen. My last A1C was 5.9. If any of you are totally blind and use an insulin pump without any sighted assistance I would like to hear about it. A pump sounds like a good idea to me, but I am just not sure whether any of them are accessible enough for me to use without assistance. I see from this thread that some of you have been diabetic for a long time. I shudder when I think back on the days when we had to boil a glass syringe and a steel needle in a pan on the stove every morning. Think of how dull those needles must have been after a few days. At least we only took one shot per day back then, but that one shot sure didn't control the glucose very well. Since we didn't have glucose meters back then, and the A1C test wasn't yet in use, we just checked our urine with a clinitest kit. Makes you wonder how much progress will be made in the next thirty years. I just ran a spell checker on this note, and it offered to change 'counting carbs' to counting crabs'. Reminds me of the time I referred to my boss, Mr. Loper, in a note at work, and the spell checker wanted to change it to 'Mr. Loser'. Now that I am not working I take classes at the community college just for fun. This semester I am taking Introduction to Psychology. On that note, I had better close this note and get back to reading that psychology text book, page by page, on a flat bed scanner. Bye for Now, Mark Talk > > >> >>> >>> >>> >>> Does amyone in this group talk or do you just send recipies? I am >> not interested in your recipies at akk.Does anyone talk in here? >> Are any pf you employed? How long have you been diabetic? >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 Me too Danny! Dark green is not my favorite color either! Re: Talk Hi Mark, Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange until this day. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2006 Report Share Posted September 12, 2006 so do i! Debbie Re: Talk Hi Mark, Your mentioning the clinitest kits brings back a lot of memories. Navy blue is still my favorite color, and I definitely have an aversion to orange until this day. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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