Diabetic Recipes
CraigPJ
Last week I wrote about my experience with my new endo. Today marks a week from that first visit and the day I am supposed to fax over a weeks worth of BG readings and boluses from my pump.
When I left that appointment my doctor said, "I want you to print out the data from your pump with glucose readings and bolus amounts and fax it to my nurse next Tuesday. Be sure and give us which number we can reach you at because I am sure I will have some changes to your pump settings for you to make."
Never in my life have I had a doctor do this. They always tell me to make another appointment, and consequently pay another co-payment, to sit down and go over a months worth of numbers. But a week? And a fax? Is this guy for real?
I used my Minimed USB link device to pull the reports he wants from the computer. I am a little concerned since with my son's 8th grade graduation and fathers day this last weekend, I know my blood sugars were out of control.
Oh well, I bolused for every carb even if it seems like a million carbs! I do not want to lie or fudge the data. I need to get my diabetes under control and the first way I can do that is by being honest about it.
I know I am not the only one who guesses horribly at carb amounts only to correct bolus for it later. Surely I am not the only person with diabetes who forgets to check his BG when he goes to bed occasionally. Could I be the only one who never seems to change the lancet in his glucose monitor?
No one is perfect at this stuff but the best thing we can do is be upfront, honest, and revealing to our doctors. If they don't know, how can we expect them to help?
As simple and logical as that sounds, I still seem to keep some things to myself.
But not with this doctor. I am going to tell him the good, bad, and the ugly.
OMG dude - you mean you NEVER change the lancet???!!
Kidding - me either!
This place sounds like they might be a great place for you man! Keep us posted...
George,
Sounds like you have a 'keeper' of a doctor! It looks like he really understands the needs of his Diabetic patients and wants what is best for them. Somewhere, he 'got it', that the most important factor in helping a Diabetic is communication, not just to make money.
All three of my daughters go to the same Endo and they LOVE him! One of my daughters doesn't have insurance and he is MORE than willing to work with her and her needs. That is truly a rarity, these days.
Can't wait to hear more about this new adventure with your new Endo.
You mean as a diabetic an "endo" is required? I am self pay and cannot afford the entire managment team required.
If you have no health insurance , you cannot afford a "endo" doctor... they are expensive !!
BUT they know alot about Diabetes...My sister goes to one for her Thyroid condition. But she has Insurance.
I lost my health insurance and now i"m having problems on someone taking me because I'm a Diabetic
good for you, sounds so familiar. good luck with it.
I hardly ever change lancets. My internist has never referred me to an Endo. I've never been to a nutristionist either. Type 2 since 2004 and went to a foort Dr. and opthomologist on my own. I see my Dr. and in 15 min. or less I'm out. My readings are from 400 to a low od 30. He finally did put me on a continuous Glucose monitor for three days. Haven't heard from that yet. Maybe this week? also get dumped with a nurse practioner that know nothing about diabetes while he goes onto the next Pt. What has happened to the care for 60+ yr. olds? I have to have a referral for an Endo and guess he doesn't want to share the money. I guess I'll be on something other than the 4 types of orals I've been on. I travel a lot and have done a lot less checking since the practioner told me I was testing way too much. 6x's a day. My DR. set me for the 6x's. I feel like giong to a Dr. is for the birds. My Hgb A1C is 6.0.I wish I were in your shoes as far as a great Dr.
Wow, 6.0 is a great A1C reading for a diabetic.
This is the kind of doctor everyone -- even people without diabetes -- needs! I'm glad you found him.
I go to an internest who's quite good, I think, and very high energy, quite cheerful. However, since my labs are usually okay, he never asks me anything about how I'm doing -- like emotionally or whatever -- with diabetes. I don't know if I could answer him without crying, because this seems like a pretty "lonesome" condition. A huge do-it-yourself project, and sometimes I feel as though I'm running out of energy or the will to keep it up.
A little low-fat cheese with that whine, please.
About lancets: I change mine when it starts to hurt my finger -- every week or so. I do feel kind of silly about this, since it's so easy to do. Maybe this is my rebellion against the whole diabetes thing.
I change lancets about every 30 days. It takes a long time for these things to get dull I've found out. Those pre loaded ones are good but the Ins. co. goes with the cheapest as everyone knows. You do run out of strips when you go down to 20 or 30 testing to get it back up. Anyone out there pass out with a 20 glucose? My dr's nurse practioner says anyone with a 20 glucose is unconscious. That's not so. I know a guy that run a 10 and he was totally conscious. Maybe nuts but he just grabbed a shotgun and went outside and shot things up. His wife(whom I work with) says she wished he'd of gone unconscienous. I told her she needs to go to some Diabetic Education classes. I may never have another appt. again with this Dr. after telling her this. I hate getting shoved from the Dr. to a nurse practioner and him go to the next patient. That just pisses me off when I'm paying to see a Dr. , not a nurse that knows nothing about diabetes. Back to 6.0. Are my highs offsetting my lows or visa versa?
George - work with your 'new' endo. My granddaughters, both type 1, ages 5 and 10 see a pediatric endo. All of us use a 'new' lancet each time we test our BS. (I am a type 2diabetic.) I would not want my granddaughters taking a chance on developing an infection from a dirty lancet. They don't need the pain of a dull lancet. NO one needs either pain or infection. Using a clean (sterile) lancet each time just makes good sense and good hygeine.
There is nothing wrong with changing the lancet each time you test, but you really don't have to. I rarely change the lancet (maybe 3 or 4 times a year) and have tested multiple times a day for 28 years and never had an infection. It seems to hurt more when the lancet it new.
That's so great that you help your granddaughters with their diabetes. It's hard to be a child with diabetes and has to mean a lot to them that someone who they love understands what it it like. Take care.
You should use a new lancet each time in order to avoid getting an infection. Also, accu-chek multiclix lancets are great. The come in a drum with six lancets so you only have to change after you use all six.
My Dr. wonders why my HgbA1c is 6.0 because my sugars can go from 500+ down to the 30's. What keeps this at 6.0? Is it the lows offsetting the highs? I guess he's fixing to put me on that dreaded insulin. A print out off my meter on my PC looks like a roller coaster. The software for Bayer is excellent for looking what has happened for a few days or week or at the end of a mo. It will truley shock you when you actually see a bar or pie chart or averages. I think 6.0 is great. Why are oral meds not working? never been tested for insulin resistance. I guess I could do that in the lab since I do all my tests in the lab when I'm at work. I work part time as a med. Tech. in a hospital lab and doo my lab test free and give them to the Dr. But I'm still 6.0. so no need to be on insulin, right?
I first went to my bosses Endo because I was having too many low blood glucose (I'm a Med Tech and we would check it at work). Having had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies, my Doc tested me for insulin resistance. Sure enough there was no question, I was insulin resistant. We tried to manage it though diet, that didn't work. Then we tried the metformin, really had too many lows, so now we are on Byetta. I am a Byetta junkie! I feel great, no more yo-yo effect with my glucoses.
I am a type 2 for ten years. Insulin has been a wonderful thing. Oral meds were not keeping my BG down at all, and developed contraindications to Actos. If you can count carbs to maintain your A1Cs you can do insulin. Just think of it as another tool in keeping your Diabetic health, ie eyes, kidneys, legs etc. and living well.
For a while, i was using a computer based program that works with my meter, years ago when I had a laptop. I would upload my meter data to laptop through USB, and than add what ever notes I wanted to each glucose reading. I would prepare a complete glucose report over what ever time frame I wanted it for, than have it email the report to my doctor. There are times when my doctor used to give me blank sheets for glucose readings that i had to hand fill myself, and wanted me to send them in 2-4 weeks at a time through fax. But this short time of having this program on my computer, I asked my doctor for an email, and was accepting them via email, which (as good as I am with cpu) made a big difference using the computer to manage all the information. Unfortunately, I no longer have that capability anymore, and I'm back stuck with paper reports. Honestly, I havn't sent one in in a long time, cuase I havn't kept up with my dr visits to manage. I just been getting my scripts at pharmacy, and call office for refills. But, I recommend that capability for anyone, if available. If so, ask your dr for their email, instead of fax number.
For those reading who are concerned about my lack of dr visits that I mentioned, if you knew my situation, you would understand a little more. My introduction explained it a little more, but In my entire time of being diabetic, I havn't kept a job for more than a year. It's hard going between insurance coverages of employees, and asking for help from the state welfare medical insurance system. There's few endo's in my valley, so I've been told, and so, my dr is ussually booked 3-4 months in advance. State insurance will only keep you insured for 6 months, ussually by the time I can get an appointment scheduled then seen, I ussually dont have ins. If i do see the dr, I likely wont see her again in six months, cuase I won't have insurance. sooo.... For me, life sucks.
Actually i had a job for a year and a half once.
you are so lucky you found a doctor who encourages you to fax info. my doctor would love it if i would send in my numbers, but for some reason i just don't. i don't write down the info, or i say to myself, "just one more day," but then weeks go by. i don't skip appointments, but i do realize that getting changes to my basals are not effective if i only do them when i see my doctor but don't manage my self well in between visits. my a1c's are atrocious. is andyone else resistant to sending in their numbers? my doctor is not judgemental at all, and is very supportive and encouraging...
Hi everyone. I am wondering if anyone has tried Byetta injections and what their experience has been? I've been on Byetta for three months now and although my testing is all over from lows to 200, my A1C has gone down from 9.7 to 8.2. But I get such nausea from the Byetta. One "positive" side effect is weight loss but that is partically due to the nausea. My dr, an internist and a good one, suggested I "take advantage" of this side effect and hopefully lose some more weight. That really bothers me. It's hard to eat healthy and exercize when I don't feel good each evening. I'm thinking I would be better off on insulin? I am very good at calculating carbs and planning my meals. Any advice?
I was on Byetta for about 6 months, then went off of it. Now I'm back on it again. My glucose levels were stable, no more yo-yo effect. Yes, I fought the nausea, but I have learned to take my shot just before I put the first bite of food in my mouth and cut the amount I eat to half. This helps a lot, there is also a Byetta blog that was very helpful.
http://diabetes.blog.com/1181902/
Dealing with the Byetta can be a pain, but I felt so much better on it, I pushed to go back on it.
Wow My Endo works the same way we see each other every 4 months or so or sooner if need arrises but I do everything through fax and E-mail and an occasional phone call I love it being a techno junky anyway. has anyone had any luck with symlin at all I started it and feel off the wagon need to get back on using it with my pump.
Whats happen'n George, sounds like you got a good endo.I know how you feel. The day I was diagnosed my primary physician said "I'm not very familiar with Diabetes pursay,but this will be a learning experience for us both."
I was like you gotta be kidding me,I couldn't believe she said that.By the time I got into see my Endo my A1c was off the chart.
My endo went off, now he calls (personally) just to see how things are going.But he is a type1 also, and knows how things are, everyone should have a doc like that.
Hi all Hi george Well Im 49 I have had type 1 for over 20 yrs and hi"s and Lows I have had 0 is a good number not!!!!Engine 3 comes ands gets me we have had partys at 3am and I have had Pumps too not good for me I get infections a lot from the one I had It put me in the hospital for 3 days I had a quarter size hole on my left theigh.no more pump for me and Im a brittle type 1 bs in am 200 i can Not get under control at all!!!!!!!! please help me thats All I need is to get my bs @ 120 all the time but I cant. lord I have tryed . val