Nearly 2 wks so far so good

[Artisticforge]

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[ButtterflyLady]

Well done. A meat based diet is healthier for dogs than a lot of carbs anyway. Dogs can develop diabetes.

 

[AndBreathe]

Hello

Yesterday, the diabetic pharmacy doctor adjusted my insulin dosage. I am surprised that the adjustment has my readings for today have been lowest so far.
0800 26 Sept 2015 201 mg/dL - 11.67 mmol/L before breakfast & before insulin injection
1543 26 Sept 2015 153 mg/dL - 8.5 mmol/L
1800 26 Sept 2015 129 mg/dL - 7.16 mmol/L
2000 26 Sept 2015

That is better than the 346 mg/dL - 19.22 mmol/L that i was last week Monday.
I have to laugh at my pups. They do not like the menu changes. They want old menu back.
Oatmeal with 5 tablespoon of brown sugar & 4 tablespoon of butter.
Scrambled eggs with thick hickory smoked bacon & pancakes smothered in real maple syrup.

For right now those days are in the past. They did get bacon today.

Feel like I am back in the Lovenox days. every 12 hours an injection in the opposite side of the abdomen
The insulin for right now is once a day.

The SD Codefree blood glucose monitors arrived today. My oldest daughter was over to help me get ready for fall & winter.
She likes the SD Codefree better than the Verio Monitor. The Before meals average The after Meals average The Random averages are nice features.
Wish there was Mac version of the Diabetes Management Software. Will have to run VMware on the Macs.
I like the SD Codefree compared to the Abbott Precision Xtra. Far less inexpensive to use.

Testing 7 times a day, at a minimum, is 210 tests per 30 day month.
just test strips for the Precision Xtra are $350.70 USD
Insulin is $390.00 USD per month
syringes, alcohol wipes, lancets, etc. just keep the cost up there.

Just another day in paradise.

Very well done, there. This is quite a shift from when you arrived here.

Undoubtedly, it can take a while to get our heads around this, after all we have compulsory membership to a club we never wanted to join.

Have you found a distributor for the SD Codefree meter in the US, or are you having it shipped from the UK?

 

[azure]

I'm pleased you're liking the meter, artisticforge. You're doing well. Diabetes is hard work, but it sounds like you're getting your blood sugars better

Is your concern regarding the holidays about the food?

 

[AndBreathe]

@azure, this morning is not going well at all.
Fasting blood sugar was 10.3 mmol/L - 183 mg/dL ; That was good
Lantus Insulin injection before eating breakfast

after 1/2 cup of Corn Chex with Whole Fat Milk & coffee with stevia,
2 hrs later
08:05 am it is 315 mg/dL - 15.7 mmol/L,
08:41 am it is 326 mg/dL - 16.2 mmol/L
09:07 am it is 288 mg/dL - 14.5 mmol/L
09:30 am it is 239 mg/dL - Precision Xtra
09:30 am it is 15.0 mmol/L - SD CodeFree

what is with that?!?!

I need something more to eat but I am concerned with these increased measurement.

To position my comment, I am informing you, not telling you off or judging, but the Corn Chex are pretty high carb, which, as you probably know is what often pushes the numbers up:

 

[AndBreathe]

I have not found a distributor in the USA.
I purchase the SD CodeFree meter & supplies from amazon.co.uk. with amazon.global.prime it arrives in about 4 days.
I ordered 4 of the SD CodeFree complete starter kits & a dozen boxes of lancets & test strips. I gave one to my oldest daughter & she is very pleased with the SD. the two other meters are for people I know who are struggling with the cost of diabetes in the USA.
They literally have to beg their doctors for test strip samples so that they can test. The church they attend purchases the insulin that they need every month. The problem with healthcare in the USA is that it is the "Best healthcare $$$$ can buy". If you are not wealthy you are out of luck.

My attitude toward this diagnoses has not changed, it is still a "Death Sentence".
I told that to the Doctor of Pharmacy who is now managing the Diabetes Clinic at the VA Community Based Outreach Clinic (CBOC).
Having to drive 30 miles to see her is not on my list of things to do. Having to drive 57 miles to pick up the insulin, syringes, etc from the VA Hospital is also not on my list of things to do.

The holidays are going to suck big time.
My oldest daughter was asking me about the holidays and if I was going to have the family over like normal. She was not that surprised when I said no. I am not going to play that the world has not changed and for the worse.
My middle daughter, understands my decision but is not happy with it.
Christmas, was one of the few times all the adult children got together.
They are not looking forward to Christmas alone.

I am tired of being painted the "bad guy" by many people on the forum.
I have a dozen people on "Ignore".
If people do not like what I write they should not read it and write about how much they do not like what I have written.
instead I was getting all these comments which, IMHO, are dripping in "viciousness" or the "please do not bring us all down".
Really, one person can "bring you down emotionally" just by what they write? There are more serious problems there than just diabetes.

So today is Sunday, time to listen to the BBC Hymns of Sunday then Dawn Chorus on Radio Lincolnshire.

I know amazon prime probably helps a bit with shipping, but the UK distributor for the SD Codefree offers a discount for bulk buying. Bulk buying is lots of 5 or 10 pots. The discount works out at a little over 25%, which isn't to be sniffed at. I haven't looked at shipping costs to USA, but it could be worth emailing the distributor for future orders - especially if you are buying for your community! (Ever fancied being a US distributor for diabetes supplies??)

I have a good relationship with the distributor. I don't have a business relationship with them, just something built up over some dialogue. It's a lovely business with thoughtful customer services.

If you would like contact details, or assistance with this, please drop me a note and I'll be happy to help.

I do appreciate how things are in the States. I spend a lot of time in a country where health care more closely mimics the US, rather than the UK, and we have american friends there, so it's often been a topic of discussion. Whilst our own system here is significantly flawed, we are incredibly lucky not to have to consider if we can afford to see a doctor at any time.

 

[azure]

I felt like that in the supermarket when I was first diagnosed - all I could see we're the things I couldn't have. It does get easier and now I look for different food treats eg nice meat or fish or fruit or veg, or even some wine.

Your breakfast question has been answered, I think. I found it useful early on to keep a note of meals and how my blood sugar was after. Then I had a list of 'safer' things to eat and didn't have to think so much.

 

[azure]

@Artisticforge Muesli and uncut oats are generally absorbed more slowly than the average sweet processed cereal. If the muesli has items that contain fat like nuts, then that will slow down absorption too. Watch out with the muesli portion though. It's quite dense so a bowl can have more carbs than you might imagine.

Quinoa I'm not sure about carb-wise, but it's supposed to be a healthy choice in general.

I know some people make their own muesli and concentrate on plenty of nuts to lower the carbs compared to normal muesli that's largely grains and dried fruit. You could try searching for recipes here too, or start a new thread.

Orange juice is quite carby. I have drunk it before (I have Type 1) but I've had it with a meal to slow down the absorption. It's a question of experimenting to see what suits you. I wouldn't have more than 100ml personally, so approx 3 or 4 ounces.

 

[Mike d]

Dunno why you would ignore people who are trying to help ... but that is your choice. PLEASE take care.

 

[AndBreathe]

hello

While working outside today, cutting and splitting wood for the winter, at roughly 1800 hrs i suddenly felt very clammy. I had just picked up the large chain saw to cut a 4 ft diameter log. I turned off the chain saw and sit it down on a log stump. I sat down on a log until the wave of sensation passed by. 1800 hrs is when I normally take the evening morphine & when I normally eat supper. With working outside with all the noise of chain saws, farm tractors, etc I did not hear my alarm. I checked my blood glucose when I went in the house to fetch my morphine. I was at 111 mg/dL - 6.17 mmol/L. ate supper with the pups. at 2130 hrs i checked my 2 hrs after eating blood glucose, 201 mg/dL - 11.17 mmol/L.

That was the first time that has ever happened. it was unnerving. particularly if it had hit when I was cutting the log with the large chain saw. That would have ruined my day.

Our bodies like to run in the comfort zone. When we've been running our bloods higher for a while, when we start to moderate them into healthier ranges, our bodies can sometimes get a bit miffed and try to keep them higher; even to the extent of signalling to us that we need to eat. Times like that can show up to us as hypo-like symptoms, known as "false hypos". The annoying thing is we just have to be extra vigilant and work through it, or we'll never reach the ranges we really need to be in. Counter-intuitively, it's often actually a sign of real progress.

So, probably a bit of a reminder to keep your reminder technology close to hand; maybe in a trouser pocket or something, and all the usual warnings about testing before driving. If I apply the sort of logic I use on Planet Breathe, it's probably worth testing regularly if you're going to be doing manual work for any length of time or if you are hungry.

You'll get there.