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Prediabetic Adjustments

DianaMC said:
I see that some folks are saying hey, you can re-use the lancets - do you put sterilising solution on the lancet before next using it
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No, I just re-use it. But of course you should NEVER EVER share a lancet with someone else, and the "gun" should be well cleaned when lending it. I think on the whole I'd rather not! People divide into 2 camps - the re-users like me who seek simplicity, test often, are concerned about the environment, waste and expense; and the non-re-users who are more hygienic and squeamish.
 
I'm a bit puzzled as to how you are evaluating the effect of various foods on your body without a meter. Do you feel you can sense when your bg is high?
 
Alexandra100 said:
It has had some bad reviews.
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Thanks, Alexandra100.

That's a pity, though. I was quite tempted to start saving! Can only see good reviews on their website, but then that figures, really. Nice stickers for it too I guess it's aimed at young people. But my fingertips are already scarred from years of eczema - so it looked quite appealing.

Out of interest, do people only lance fingertips for BS tests? As in could you lance any other area of the hand, etc? Just in case anyone happens to know...

Many thanks for all your help,

Diana
 
Alexandra100 said:
I'm a bit puzzled as to how you are evaluating the effect of various foods on your body without a meter. Do you feel you can sense when your bg is high?
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Ultimately I think it will be more accurate with a meter. But for now, yes, I think I do sense it to some degree. Or at least, I think I'd been feeling it for ages but I didn't know that was what it was until it was named. Suddenly it was like an Aha moment (although not a welcome one at first - I knew something of what I'd have to give up!)

So what I mean is that I realised that the various symptoms that are sometimes associated with blood sugar issues were ones I had been experiencing and not understanding why. Things like brain fog, and a sort of 'fizzy' feeling that's hard to explain; feeling sort of racy; blurred vision occasionally (I had no idea until I researched that diabetics are more likely to get cataracts - mine came on quite quickly and I am relatively young to have an advanced one - mid 50s). Also, I would have too much energy and be quite hyper and then crash a few hours later, or sooner. (I don't have high blood pressure issues, by the way) I was really was puzzled for quite a while as I think I was in denial about the problems around sugar - I kind of didn't think it would happen to me! Also, the feeling lethargic and sleepy. It is really noticable after eating sweet stuff or a very carby meal. I do have an unusual sensitivity thing going on, though. The sort of person who gets allergic reactions and stuff, quite quickly. It's not deadly - just a bit awkward.

Possibly, also, I noticed it more that there was something wrong in recent years, because I had changed my diet so much after having gallbladder issues, . Before then, I was quite careful about eating too much sugar and high levels of carbs. But when I was ill I could eat so few things (amazing how many food items have fat in them - enough to trigger agonising pain with some gallbladder problems!) And I had to suggest simple foods that my husband could put together, because I was too unwell to cook. There was no reason to think that white rice or baguettes (for example) would be a problem then. I didn't eat loads then, but I think I made up for that when I got better!

I had that illness for a long time, too (18 months from start to operation recovery) and found that, in removing fat so much from my diet - when I could manage to eat - nothing that was not fat or carb based filled me up easily. So I got a taste for small, unhealthy things with sugar but not much fat. As I got better, I am sure I had by then become quite addicted to carbs and overate those (and fat, once I could manage it again) to make up for feeling so starved for so long. I was in hospital for quite a while with the GB illness, as it got quite serious, unfortunately. The food options there were not at all good. I joked with the doctors that if I had to carry on eating what they were serving me, I would end up with diabetes! They said I'd have to cross that road when I came to it (!)

And so, here we are

Thanks for your question,

Diana
 

Thanks, bulkbiker.

Yes, I do eat meat and fish. And nuts and seeds, eggs, some cheese, yogurt. So there's definitely protein in my diet. More so than typical carbs if I look at the balance on my plate (as in I know there are some in vegetables generally, but people usually associate carbs with cereals/grains/rice, potatoes and maybe other root vegetables).

I'm not aiming at a full Ketogenic diet at the moment. I know it's very popular with a lot of people, but I've followed exclusion diets in the past and I'm on the fence about whether that will be completely right for me - at least at this stage. (I've posted a bit more about that in reply to another post here, I think). And I still have to be quite careful about including a lot of fat in my diet, due to having had gallbladder problems (and because I'm supposed to lose some weight and body fat now, as a prediabetic). I'm sure there are 'good' and 'bad' ways to approach Keto, though!

Thank you for your question and suggestions,

Diana
 

Thanks, Guzzler!

Really helpful to hear about carbs exacerbating inflammation. I'd been reading about the arthritis diet - not that I've been told I have that condition, thankfully. But inflammation is obviously occurring in the shoulders - and maybe also in the hips. The chiropractor has suggested I get a blood test for polymalgic rheumatica (PMR), in case that's a problem (it can be for people with bilateral joint issues, apparently).

Thanks for the info about ALA. I've had a read up and have concluded that 600 is needed of ALA if it's the mixed type - but you probably only need half as much if buying R-ALA. Cost wise, it might balance up as the latter seems more expensive. But I get the thing some people are saying about not putting unnatural stuff into the body if possible (if only that logic applied to sugar vs honey - I think I am going to miss honey!!)

I don't know what it is with me and injury. I seem very prone to it. Something else that flared up recently, after adding in a bit more walking, was plantar fasciitis - heel pain. The chiropractor has worked on it, thank goodness. But I really didn't think I was doing that much wrong. Maybe the wrong shoes, or too long a walk. I was wearing footbed sandals, which are meant to support the feet. It was during the very hot weather and my proper walking boots would have been pretty warm - probably would have suffered dehydration! (which is another thing I seem to suffer from in the mornings with blood sugar issues - anyone else notice this?)

Thanks again,

Diana
 

Thanks Alexandra100 - that's really useful to know.

You folks are amazing! Thank you so much for all the help and information,

Diana
 
DianaMC said:
I'm supposed to lose some weight and body fat now
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I'm down 8 stone on a low carb, then ketogenic, now carnivore diet so don't assume eating fat makes you fat.

Edit to add quite a few people here have gallbladder problems through not eating enough fat rather than avoiding it.. have a look around...
 
bulkbiker said:
I'm down 8 stone on a low carb, then ketogenic, now carnivore diet so don't assume eating fat makes you fat.

Edit to add quite a few people here have gallbladder problems through not eating enough fat rather than avoiding it.. have a look around...
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That's a brilliant result!

No, I hadn't necessarily made that assumption about fat. Or at least, not in isolation. I've certainly heard more about sugar making people fat (especially those prone to diabetes 2). Concerns about fatty liver, etc. Most nutritionists seem to maintain that the mix of sugar plus fat is what messes most 'normal' people up (in terms of weight gain).

Interestingly, though, my experience was that not eating fat also loses fat/weight. Mine was unintentional. Only due to illness. But around 18 lbs (which put me in an underweight bracket then - I started to look scrawny). No exercise! - too ill at that point to manage any. I had also previously had the experience of less carbs causing weight loss, as in I decided to give up wheat at one stage. Again a bit 'faddy' (back then) - although I know that for people with coeliac disease it is absolutely essential and not at all the same as people who are worried, for example, about a bit of bloating. It really doesn't suit some people. I have a friend who removed gluten from her diet and it sorted a lot of health problems for her. I guess we're all individuals in that way. So I'm not knocking it at all. Just saying that when I was wheat free I was following a fad diet thing. But I lost some weight - and I think it's because, if you cut out wheat you automatically start cutting down the amount of bread, biscuits, cakes, cerreals, other baked goods, pastry, pasta - and so forth - that you might have been eating quite a bit of before. But excuse me for digressing

I totally get what you mentioned about people having gallbladder issues through not eating enough fat. As it happens, I researched that sort of information, back during the gallbladder illness, because I got very interested in how to manage gallbladder illness (I'd had the problem growing for about 10 years without realising it was going to get to a really serious stage - and by the time it did, I was bored as heck having to lie in bed most of the day, and not being able to eat a lot! Thank goodness for the internet!!)

That's one of the issues I was thinking of regarding exclusion diets (and fasting) - that people often don't know of the long term repercussions. We can't do, always, because nutritional science hasn't caught up. We are still evolving as humans! (IMO).

When I was younger and was concerned about body image, I cut out dairy for quite a while. And prior to that had a very low fat diet at one point (from choice, not illness, in that case - years earlier). I was part of that era of young women who were obsessed with looking thin and who would panic at every stage of life where possible weight gain would emerge! I think some of those diet extremes might have contributed to gallbladder problems, but I'd have had no idea about that as a youngster. I don't even think people were talking about such things back then, very openly - I found all the information on diets from books, simply because I read a lot and had an interest in health and cooking. Those were the days of Victoria Principal and Jane Fonda peddling their latest diet book or exercise video so we could all look stick thin (!) It was later revealed that Fonda was bulimic (oops). Much later, of course...

However, I discovered that there are other things that can contribute to GB disease, too - eg taking the pill and/or HRT. On the subject of diet alone, though, I wonder if the 5-2 diet that was so popular in recent years was really that safe. I suggested to a friend, who still had a gallbladder, to steer clear of the 5-2, based on my own experience, but that fell on deaf ears! It was quite a fad with a lot of people, for a while.

Thank you very much for your thoughts and suggestions. All good stuff!

Diana
 

Thanks Alexandra100 - very good to know. I think I did see the post, but when I tried to find it again to reply, I couldn't locate it. Still finding my way around the forum!
 

That's all so helpful - thank you!

The Bluetooth thing - I'm not sure I understand the benefit of that. Is it something really obvious, do you know? I've used Bluetooth for my phone in the car, in the past, but that's been about it so far!

Thanks also for the codes for the strips. Fantastic!

Hope you don't mind all my questions
 

Thank you. That's so useful to know. It makes total sense of what happened when I was reducing sugar in the first week or so. I had a couple of episodes where I felt just as bad as before, after initially feeling pretty good. I think I probably made a mistake in going totally 'cold turkey' on added sugars, to be honest. This can be an error with people who have a little bit of nutritional education already - we grasp the basics really fast and go straight to 'sort it' mode, without remembering the need to stagger it in stages Or, to be more precise, my panic button had been pressed at the prediabetic diagnosis, and I think I convinced myself that a week per stage would be enough. Live and learn from that one....! I might add that I'm more level headed when helping other people on such matters. Just not so with my own path. Such is the way sometimes... At least it helps me understand what's going on with people who are desperate for good results fast!

You've been so helpful, Alexandra100 I think I had heard about false hypos but couldn't really fathom what that meant. I like the idea of the meter - I'm sure I'll go that route. Although when I've used machines for things before (on medical advice - things like a thermometer in case of infection getting worse with gallbladder illness, and a phase of needing to monitor heart rate, and another of needing to monitor blood pressure) I just kept getting normal readings all the time. Even though I'd feel quite unwell on some of those days. All a part of trying to get to the bottom of these various symptoms. It will be interesting to see what happens once I get hold of a BS monitor!

Thanks to you and everyone - I feel better prepared for the clinic tomorrow now
 

Thanks for that info. It helps me know I'm not going mad! I didn't realise they take down pages when they don't have stocks. That's very good to know.
 
Alexandra100 said:
I do this too, and also a small pot of cheese strips, but of course the nuts are less perishable in hot weather, if they don't all get eaten up.
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Do you tend to go for the unsalted versions? I read somewhere that it's best to try to keep salt intake on the low side if you have blood sugar issues - maybe to do with blood pressure, though? (I've tended to always have low to normal BP). Cheese strips sound nice, too!
 

That is very helpful to know. I can totally understand that, too, actually. It was kind of similar when I was trying to avoid fat and found that it was all over the place, in non-obvious places! I soon found that a lot of people had no clue that bread often already has fat added in the mix, for example. A well-meaning foodie friend (who knows I love my food) was concerned about me refusing butter/spread on the bread at a social do, and looked astonished when I explained that the level of fat already in the bread was enough. To her, it was 'dry' bread. To me it was quite a treat, under the circumstances

Fascinating about sardines containing carbs - I'm not sure I knew that. Although not surprised about spinach. Somewhere along the way I clocked that pretty much all vegetables have some sugars in, some more obvious than others, even in the 'above ground' versions (sugar snap peas come to mind -?)

I'm sad about items like sweet potato becoming really high in sugar when you bake or roast them. I am guessing that applies with squashes, too, and probably other roots. Obvious with ordinary potatoes, as I always thought they tasted much sweeter when roasted. I have come to the conclusion it's because the sugars become more concentrated, through the vegetables evaporating some of their liquid in the cooking.

I've noticed chefs often comment on prawns tasting sweet (which fresh ones do, when cooked without anything added) - so that makes sense about shellfish, too.
 
Maybe the Libre, at any rate from time to time as finances allow, to give the fingers a rest? The sides of the fingers as well as the ball, up to the first joint, are supposed to be less sensitive, though I have found them more painful. You can also use other sites on the body, but they are said to be less accurate.
 
The Fastclix lancet uses a drum/cassette containing six lancets. You set the depth to what suits you - I use the most shallow depth.
You put the lower end against your finger (after washing hand) and press the plunger on top.
Squeeze the finger to get a decent size blob of blood.
The end of the test strip (inserted into meter) is then touched to the blood and absorbs it, and the meter gives your reading after a second or two.

I use the Accu Chek Mobile glucose meter (as well as the TEE2) which has a cassette containing 50 test strips - a continuous roll rather than individual strips.

As for re-using lancets, the manufacturers recommend using a lancet only once, but many people re-use the same lancet many times. You can't sterilise the Fastclix lancets as they are enclosed in the drum. I re-use mine at least 50 times, I only change the lancet when I change the test strip cassette usually. Sometimes I forget and use it up to 100 times, or until it starts to feel blunt.

This video shows how to use a blood glucose meter:

 
DianaMC said:
I don't know what it is with me and injury. I seem very prone to it
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Read this and the mystery will be solved! https://www.bloodsugar101.com/diabetic-tendon-problems
In general I highly recommend Jenny Ruhl's website and books. She is a T2 of many years who has managed to survive to over 70 relatively unharmed. All her assertions are backed up with evidence. She is an advocate of the middle way and the art of the possible. She comes across as kindly and comforting, but gives shrewd advice on evaluating other diabetes journalists, and how to get the best out of your unsatisfactory doctors!
 

That's interesting. Thank you for this information about other points to try - and your experiences with it.

My fingertips can split in the winter months, so this could be a blessing!

I wonder why other sites on the body are less accurate...? Do you mean like legs, feet, or something?
 
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