Re: Welcome New Member - Pam

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Pam -

16 hour back to back weekends. You go girl~! You will find lots of good

suggestions here. I'm also looking forward to what you have to share. Denial is

common in the early days, it was with me.

in OH

grammyDx2@...

t2 dx 8/03

WOE. Lantus. Novolog

Last HbA1c 5.5

Welcome New Member - Pam

Hi All,

Please extend a warm 2006 greeting to new member Pam!

Rick

At 01:22 PM 1/2/2006, you wrote:

>Hi,

>

>My name is Pam Farris. I'm 52 years old. I have been diagnosed

>with Type 2 DM. I have been diagnosed for approx. 2 years now. At

>first, I guess I was in denial, I couldn't believe this had

>happened to me. I am a nurse, and you would think I would have

>known better. It didn't take long before I started to take better

>care of myself. Now my blood sugars range between middle 80's and

>low 130's. I'm doing better with my diet & am trying to set up an

>exercise program. I only work on weekends. I work 2 sixteen hour

>shifts on Sat. & Sun.

>

>I'm married & have 1 daughter. My husband is totally supportive of

>me. I feel the need to be able to talk with others who have DM & be

>able to gain new ideas, maybe share some of what I know.

>

>

>Hope to hear from you soon.

>

>Pam

[Guest guest]

Hi, Pam, welcome to our list. Since you seem to have things pretty well

under control at this point, the only reason I'm going to attach my

standard newby letter is just so you know what's on it. It generally

gets posted about twice a week - there are always newbies here! Still

and all, some of the information on it - and especially the links - may

be new to you, so please do check them out.

First of all, let me refer you to two of the best books about diabetes.

Read 'em and you'll learn a lot:

The first one is called

" The First Year, Type Two Diabetes, An Essential Guide for the Newly

Diagnosed " by Gretchen Becker. Gretchen is a list member and her book

is an excellent guide. It's in paperback and available online from

Amazon if your local bookstore doesn't have it.

The second book is called

" Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions " by K. Bernstein, M.D. You

can get it from the library but it's such a good reference that you

really should have it in your home library. Dr. Bernstein is a longtime

type 1 who controls his diabetes using a lowcarb diet as well as

insulin.. Many of us - both type 1 and 2 -- on this list have found

great success using his plan or a modified version thereof.

.

And here's the URL to Dr. Bernstein's website, where there's lots of

good stuff:

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/index.shtml

These two books will give you good basic information on the ins and

outs of diabetes management.

I would further refer you to an excellent informational website titled "

" What They Don't Tell You About Diabetes "

http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/

If it isn't there for some reason, let me know and I can email you the

contents -- I have it in my archives now.

I would also refer you to Mendosa's website, where

there's a wealth of diabetic information and good links. He also has

an online diabetes newsletter which is very good. It's also an

excellent source for information about the GI index (glycemic index).

www.mendosa.com

There's one thing that's sure to make BGs rise and that's carbohydrates.

Cutting out high GI carbs is an excellent way to control your BGs and

the more you cut, the better. Most of us find that the " whites " --

breads, cereals and pastas, in fact anything made with grain - will

raise our BGs. Also, rice and potatoes will do the same. And of course,

cakes and cookies and sweets of all kinds, including fruits and fruit

juices.

Watch out for " low calorie " foods; often they're higher in carbs. Learn

to read food labels.

Dr. Bernstein recommends about 40 carbs a day total. This is really only

for the dedictated low carber and IMHO hard to maintain over the long

run. However, I've read that the average American eats about 300 carbs a

day, so the truth is somewhere in between. The best thing you can do

for yourself (if you haven't already) is buy a meter and use it

FREQUENTLY. At the beginning you want to learn how different foods

affect your BG and to do this you need to eat one food at a time,

testing first...then test one and two hours afterwards. Weigh out the

amounts and keep good notes. You'll use up a lot of strips in the

beginning but the rewards are definitely worth the expense and bother

because in the end, you'll know what foods to avoid and which are okay.

Diabetes is a very individual disease and we often say YMMV - " your

mileage may vary " -- what works for one may not work for another.

You want to aim for postprandial (two hours after meal) BG of 120.

Keeping your BGs between 70 and 140 are your goals. If you can do this

longterm, you can probably avoid the dreaded consequences of longterm

poor BG control...and I'm sure I don't have to list those for you. (I

will if you want, though).

Here's my own list of pretty lowcarb veggies:

Spinach

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck)

Spaghetti squash

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Greenbeans

Cabbage

Sauerkraut

And of course lettuce and avocados which aren't a veggie but a

fruit .but they're definitely lowcarb. I have a large mixed lettuce

salad with avocado every night with dinner.

You can eat a reasonable portion (4-6 ounces) of meat, chicken, fish

without problem; it's all protein, no carbs.

Berries are the lowest carb fruit but even so, you should eat them very

sparingly. Here's the website of the USDA, which you'll find very

helpful. It has carbs, calories, protein, etc.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

It's helpful to have a food scale. A cup measure isn't nearly so

accurate. I use a Salter scale. It weighs in both grams and ounces and

cost me somewhere around $35. I got mine at a local gourmet shop but

they're available online too. Just do a Google search for " Salter food

scales " .

The A1C is a test that measures your average BG for a three-month period

with slightly more weight given to the latest month. All diabetics

should have this test every three months. And you should ask for, and

keep, copies of all your lab reports.

Oh, here's a link to a site that explains some definitions of

diabetic terminology:

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Pancreas.html

Good luck. And keep those questions coming. There's a really steep

learning curve at the beginning of your diabetes education but hang in

there -- it will all make sense eventually. And remember -- the only

stupid question is the one you didn't ask.

Vicki, diabetic since 1997, A1Cs consistently under 6 for a long time,

no complications, planning on forever no complications,

smile.

Welcome New Member - Pam

> Hi All,

>

> Please extend a warm 2006 greeting to new member Pam!

>

> Rick

>

> At 01:22 PM 1/2/2006, you wrote:

>>Hi,

>>

>>My name is Pam Farris. I'm 52 years old. I have been diagnosed

>>with Type 2 DM. I have been diagnosed for approx. 2 years now. At

>>first, I guess I was in denial, I couldn't believe this had

>>happened to me. I am a nurse, and you would think I would have

>>known better. It didn't take long before I started to take better

>>care of myself. Now my blood sugars range between middle 80's and

>>low 130's. I'm doing better with my diet & am trying to set up an

>>exercise program. I only work on weekends. I work 2 sixteen hour

>>shifts on Sat. & Sun.

>>

>>I'm married & have 1 daughter. My husband is totally supportive of

>>me. I feel the need to be able to talk with others who have DM & be

>>able to gain new ideas, maybe share some of what I know.

>>

>>

>>Hope to hear from you soon.

>>

>>Pam

>