Greetings, and may I introduce myself?

How weird is it, introducing yourself to a room full of people that you can't see!

I'm Barbara - I'm 63 years old and I've been diagnosed for about 30 years - very new to this forum but not to diabetes. I'm a compulsive reader of diabetic literature.

I only started insulin in June and so I think I've done OK in general. Diet only for 15 years, then gliclazide for the last 5 years. The doc and DSN seemed to think it amazing that I've managed to last for so long without insulin. I suppose it catches up with you in the end! That said, I don't have any of the complications of diabetes (apart from being too fat that is!)

I finally caved in and went to the doc when I eventually admitted to myself that my BGs were totally out of control - my HB came back 11.5%! Oops. I've been semi-low-carbing for many years, which is probably why I've lasted so long without insulin, but I have to admit that life's been a lot more comfortable since. I've only had one hypo, and that was silliness on my part (not paying attention). I was put on 3 equal injections of humalog for meal times, and a bedtime injection of lantus. That's changed now I'm a grown-up and can be trusted to judge how much insulin is required to cover meals. The latest HB last week was 7.9%, so I must be doing something right.

I'm desperately trying to lower the humalog, in particular, as I'm pretty convinced that it's the humalog that's causing what I will politely call gastric disturbance. I've noticed that when I have a higher intake of carbohydrate and therefore more humalog (e.g more than 10 units), the internal plumbing seems to go haywire. Has anyone else had or heard of this problem? From reading this forum, you all seem so aware of everything.

I'm going to try going much lower with my low carbing to see if it solves the problem.
Regards,
Barb

p.s. I get testing strips on prescription, very, very regularly as I test up to 10 times per day!

Hi Suzi & Totsy

Thank you for the welcome. Lovely to get a response so soon.

Suzi, I think you are right about the bread and potatoes. I always feel bloated when I've eaten bread (which is why I try to avoid it), and I figure that if my hands come up in rash when I peel potatoes, then they must be doing something unpleasant on the inside! Pity really - I love potatoes in any shape or form. We had a really lovely dinner tonight, and my husband sat there eating his Aunt Bessie's homefries and I was WILLING him to leave some so I could snaffle one (or 6). Rotter ate them all.

I hate chips ... I hate chips ... I hate chips ... Do you think that if I keep telling myself, it will become true?

I'll have to keep revisiting Barry Groves' website 'Second Opinions' to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Thanks again,

Barb

Cugila,

Sorry - wash my mouth out with soap - but I've only been here 24 hours. I absolutely love it. So much information I'm in overload.

Barb

Steve,

My aim is still to reduce my HB to as low a level as I can. Over the last 30 years I think that I have been very, very lucky not to have developed any diabetic complications. I think the only thing that has 'saved' me, is that I've been kind of lower-carbing since I since the mid-80's when I read a book by Richard Mackarness about eating fat for weight loss. His book (sadly well out of print) has always been at the back of my mind all these years, even when I wasn't actively following it. I suppose that it's always been there! I only lost an appreciable amount of weight when I went through a period of 'I'm going to get fit if it kills me' in the mid-90's. I started low-caqrbing and I bought a bike following an angina scare (it wasn't - it was asthma), but the quote "nothing focuses the mind more than the thought of imminent death" certainly worked for me! I even took part in some charity bike rides. When I stopped low-carbing and bike-riding, my weight went up again. Kind people would call me statuesque, but the rude, including me, would say fat.

My BGs have been pretty awful for the last 2 years, and it's only since insulin in June that I'm focussed again. The thought of riding a bike again simply terrifies me so I've bought an exercise bike instead. I've only had it for a week, so nothings happening yet. The saddle is a killer! I will persevere because it occured to me that I really, really want to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up - I'm already 63 and all 4 of them are aged between 16 months and 5 years.

I think the only reason my HB has come down is simply because I test, test, test and seriously avoid anything that raises my BG. I scoffed a punnet of rasberries last night and went to bed with a 9, so from now on, just a few - maybe- they were truly scrumptious!

I've got a long way to go, but reading these forums has been a real eye-opener.

I won't leave anything to chance again.

Barbara

p.s. Sorry for wittering on so long.