If we were to change social norms, then -- according to many wiser than I -- it should be to remove all conception of "food" from "party" and replace it with "physical activity".

Notwithstanding, there are three schools of thought regarding pizza, cake, and diabetes. I mentioned all of them Saturday when Allison said she'd gotten similar sort of flak.

• (1) We can have it as long as we know in advance (we all did), can work it into our diet plans, and can bolus correctly;
• (2) NOBODY with diabetes should ever eat anything that could possibly spike his or her blood glucose (at least not beyond that of a low-carb, low-glycemic diet at starvation calories) regardless of the availability of exogenous insulin because the more insulin we produce and use, the more insulin-resistant we become and thereby the more difficult our diabetes becomes to control;
• (3) Those of us who do not require exogenous insulin don't have the option of bolusing for a postprandial high and therefore either should never eat anything that is not ultra-low-carb (see (2), above), or that we should realize that we are going to go high for the occasion and just "deal with it".

There is also a school of thought (4) which is that nobody, diabetes or not, pre-diabetes or not, adult, child, or infant, should ever eat anything remotely resembling pizza or cake or anything "unhealthy", ever.

The Other Half and I were the token T2s; everyone else there was either T1 or non-diabetic. The T1s who ate pizza and/or cake were either on pumps (Allison suggested, "This is a time to follow the wisdom of 'bolus early'") or on MDI and either injected for the expected carb count or chose to not consume.

We did have other options: the noodles with peanut-sesame sauce were made completely of black beans: low-carb, high-protein, gluten-free, and vegan.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

The coins were a twist on bobbing for apples (the child who got the most money in the apple also won some other party prize). Unfortunately, the brown discoloration around the places the coins went in rendered the apple -- at least for me -- inedible.

Razor blades at the time were thin metal sheets with two sharp edges and perforations in the center that went into old-style "safety razors". You would twist the razor handle to open the safety covers and expose the shaft, alignment holes, and plate on which the blade rested (and if installed, the blade). The blades from those razors were very thin and did not have any protective plastic.

I never got fresh fruit for trick-or-treat, but I have often suspected the issue may have been less one of not seeing the razor blades (or for that matter, anything weird about the apple) than not having inspected the fruit before chomping into it...

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

There are a broad number of arguments for why people with diabetes can fast for religious reasons, and as many equally valid reasons for why we cannot or should not fast for religious reasons. As far as I can tell, there is no "clergy versus doctors" lineup: I've seen both take sides for, and against, PWD undertaking religious fasting.

I am not a medical professional, and as a lay person, I do not advocate any person with diabetes fasting without first consulting his or her medical team and coming up with a plan for fasting safely. For some of us, fasting safely is a matter of planning ahead. For others, it could literally be a matter of life and death.

Personally, I do fast over Yom Kippur, but not on other Jewish fast days. I discussed the issue of the Yom Kippur fast with my doctor shortly after I was diagnosed. We decided I could fast safely within certain limits, which we discussed, and we came up with a plan for managing my medications before and after the fast. Only once did I have to break fast early -- my blood glucose had dropped down to the lower "safe fasting" limit -- and while I was sad that I had to break the fast early, I was more concerned about the consequences of going below that "safe limit" than I was about lasting out the additional hour or so.

That all being said, there are times that we are required to fast for medical reasons. If following some of the common recommendations for religious fasting makes it easier for someone with diabetes to endure a medical fast, then it seems a mitzvah to point that person in the direction of those recommendations.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

I should probably say the first thing you should do is work with a registered dietician who is also familiar with diabetes-related issues, but it sounds to me more like you're trying to figure your own path.

Danny, it may seem a bit anal-retentive, but the first thing to do if you're looking to lose weight is to consider your entire caloric intake, and to weigh everything using a digital scale. Whether you go by grams or exchanges, volume measurement is inaccurate, as is weight measurement by an old-fashioned spring-loaded scale. Modern electronic digital scales can weigh accurately to the gram.

Second, log everything. Whether you use SugarStats, My Daily Plate, FitDay, or another online diet logging application, understanding how much you are eating is important in restricting and/or refining your caloric intake. Daily Plate will allow you to log in your weight as well, and will give you an estimate of how many calories per day you should be consuming to maintain or to lose weight; some of the other applications should do likewise.

Third, there are some theories that specific items in our diet may affect the efficiency with which our bodies process, store, and use the food we intake. Different theories discuss high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), trans fats, sodium, and refined grains. Personally, I have had good results restricting sodium and cutting out HFCS, trans fats, and refined grains, and shifting my carb intake to emphasize fruits and vegetables (and de-emphasize grains and starches).

Each of our bodies react differently, though, and what works for me may not work for you.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

The short answer is "YDMV". Consult your blood glucose readings and a CDE who is also a registered dietician.

For me, I figure a carb is a carb is a carb... but then again I'm not on insulin.

I would tend to believe that uncooked, insoluble fiber would tend to slow down the absorption of other carbs -- but overboiled, or frozen and defrosted, the fibers would break down, allowing the other carbs to be absorbed more quickly. (Note that I am not a professional, and RDs may not agree with this assessment.) I would expect this difference to affect the wave function on a meal or snack bolus. I would not expect soluble fiber to affect the rate of carb absorption, and would therefore think it should be counted as just as any other carb.

Then again, I'm not a professional, and YDMV.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

I really haven't been as inspired as I'd like to be... right now dealing with some serious stuff because I've been out of work for too long. The cycling is something I'm trying to get back into after many years away, and as much as a matter of being self-reliant for transportation as anything else.

I'm also feeling a bit out of it because I wanted to try out a group ride yesterday but it was canceled due to rain, and the ride I would have made instead today... well, it was raining again. The plan is to get out tomorrow...

That much said, I do feel much better overall when I am active. And I really need to take advantage of my gym membership.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

Good luck and good numbers on your climb! Check some of Team Type 1's blog (or Phil Southerland's personal blog) for more conversation on T1 maintaining good bg levels over long workouts!

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)
T2 D&E dx 07/16/2002
T3 to 2 T2s (metformin/other
oral)

I know about casts... I spent the summer when I was five in one that went from my toes to most of the way up my thigh; then I still had a cast just up to my knee until halfway through kindergarten. In my case, though, it was orthopaedic surgery to correct a birth defect.

Brenda Bell (T`Mana)

Sara, the saga continues here

Brenda

Sara, one of the things that put me onto the idea of a new bike is that I'm short enough that the old 19" frames are technically too big for me (though having a traditional woman's style -- now called "step-through" -- or mixte makes it possible to handle them). Also, if I received a 15-year-old mint bike, I'd still have bearings repacked and the tires and tubes replaced against the possibility of chemical breakdown and "dry rot". Having tubes/tires replaced, wheels re-trued, and bottom-bracket serviced cost me about $160 three years ago... In the end I think $500 for the new bike was the better deal.

Brenda