Lancelot J
Active Member
- Messages
- 41
- Location
- Penang, Malaysia
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Diet only
- Dislikes
- Cauliflower, Broccoli. And loud, ignorant opinionated people.
G'Day all.
My name is Lance and I'm a 60 year old Australian male living in the Great Food Capital of the Known Universe - Penang, Malaysia.
And I'm totally confused!
Let me explain;
First, I have access to some brilliant doctors BUT the cultural practices here in Asia mean they listen, examine, diagnose and then tell you what's wrong and what course of action to take. There's no real discussion or examination of options. As I said it's cultural and I accept it. Hence this post.
OK, until a couple of years ago my blood glucose was fine.
In May 2013 I contracted a "viral haemoragic fever" strongly suspected to be Dengue (it's pretty common here).
For a month I was lethargic and had no interest in food.
I recovered but don't feel hunger (except once - more later).
About a year later a routine HbA1c blood test showed a result of 8.8 - enough to be classified as Type 2 Diabetic.
I got another blood test a couple of days later that confirmed it.
The Doctor explained Diabetes was a progressively degenerative condition that could only be managed, not cured.
OK, I accept that.
I lost weight, exercised more and worked out which foods I could eat and what foods to avoid. I also worked out what portion size was best for me to the extent I can eat just about anything but in very limited quantities.
My last two HbA1c have been in the 5s below Diabetic level and I've now been labelled as Prediabetic!
I was testing my blood every couple of hours and worked out my BG fell at the rate of 1mmol per hour. Knowing that made management so much easier.
OK, here's where it starts going wonky.
I asked my Doctor what target blood level I should aim for. He suggested 5.0. Hmmmm.....Sounds reasonable.
At this point I should mention, that even without medication, I've had Hypo episodes - the vision blurs and the concentration fades. Now I know the signs, I can keep myself topped up to ward them off.
So, my first step towards 5 was to try to find out what my Hypo boundary was - how low can I actually go?
I tried to induce a Hypo episode but instead got a 'Heatie Rush".
I was lucky one day; I'd just checked my BG level (approaching 5) when I had another. I rechecked and, sure enough, it had gone up (.2mmol).
I was self-regulating. It's happened a few times since.
Ah, hunger; one day I got ravenously hungry; I mean chew the leather off shoes hungry. I ate big (lentil and bacon soup) and peaked at 9.9. It's only happened once.
I also noticed that my BG rate had increased by about 20%. Instead of a gradual decline, it seemed to fall faster right after bolus, then slow down a bit (I don't have enough data to say for sure). I've lost my ability to predict it and, not experiencing hunger, find myself remembering to snack just before mealtimes (which probably contributes to a higher post-prandial).
Again there seems to be an element of self-regulation.
I'm starting to wonder if there is Diabetes (as a chronic condition) and Diabetes (as a symptom). If it's the former, I can keep managing it. If it's the later, what problems do I have that's caused it?
When I look at it overall I can't help think something has changed for the better but if Diabetes is incurable, then what has happened? And what is happening now?
I'm going to see the Endocronologist soon but I'm afraid the label 'Diabetic' may obscure things.
All this goes against everything I've been told or read about Diabetes.
Has anybody else had a similar experience?
Thanks for reading :{>
My name is Lance and I'm a 60 year old Australian male living in the Great Food Capital of the Known Universe - Penang, Malaysia.
And I'm totally confused!
Let me explain;
First, I have access to some brilliant doctors BUT the cultural practices here in Asia mean they listen, examine, diagnose and then tell you what's wrong and what course of action to take. There's no real discussion or examination of options. As I said it's cultural and I accept it. Hence this post.
OK, until a couple of years ago my blood glucose was fine.
In May 2013 I contracted a "viral haemoragic fever" strongly suspected to be Dengue (it's pretty common here).
For a month I was lethargic and had no interest in food.
I recovered but don't feel hunger (except once - more later).
About a year later a routine HbA1c blood test showed a result of 8.8 - enough to be classified as Type 2 Diabetic.
I got another blood test a couple of days later that confirmed it.
The Doctor explained Diabetes was a progressively degenerative condition that could only be managed, not cured.
OK, I accept that.
I lost weight, exercised more and worked out which foods I could eat and what foods to avoid. I also worked out what portion size was best for me to the extent I can eat just about anything but in very limited quantities.
My last two HbA1c have been in the 5s below Diabetic level and I've now been labelled as Prediabetic!
I was testing my blood every couple of hours and worked out my BG fell at the rate of 1mmol per hour. Knowing that made management so much easier.
OK, here's where it starts going wonky.
I asked my Doctor what target blood level I should aim for. He suggested 5.0. Hmmmm.....Sounds reasonable.
At this point I should mention, that even without medication, I've had Hypo episodes - the vision blurs and the concentration fades. Now I know the signs, I can keep myself topped up to ward them off.
So, my first step towards 5 was to try to find out what my Hypo boundary was - how low can I actually go?
I tried to induce a Hypo episode but instead got a 'Heatie Rush".
I was lucky one day; I'd just checked my BG level (approaching 5) when I had another. I rechecked and, sure enough, it had gone up (.2mmol).
I was self-regulating. It's happened a few times since.
Ah, hunger; one day I got ravenously hungry; I mean chew the leather off shoes hungry. I ate big (lentil and bacon soup) and peaked at 9.9. It's only happened once.
I also noticed that my BG rate had increased by about 20%. Instead of a gradual decline, it seemed to fall faster right after bolus, then slow down a bit (I don't have enough data to say for sure). I've lost my ability to predict it and, not experiencing hunger, find myself remembering to snack just before mealtimes (which probably contributes to a higher post-prandial).
Again there seems to be an element of self-regulation.
I'm starting to wonder if there is Diabetes (as a chronic condition) and Diabetes (as a symptom). If it's the former, I can keep managing it. If it's the later, what problems do I have that's caused it?
When I look at it overall I can't help think something has changed for the better but if Diabetes is incurable, then what has happened? And what is happening now?
I'm going to see the Endocronologist soon but I'm afraid the label 'Diabetic' may obscure things.
All this goes against everything I've been told or read about Diabetes.
Has anybody else had a similar experience?
Thanks for reading :{>
