Diabetes Day

Warning: Blatant heath info. 

Yesterday—November 14—was World Diabetes Day, which pretty much passed unnoticed in my region. Folks around here didn't sport blue ribbons (blue is the diabetic color), nobody held a race or even a walk, there wasn't even a benefit concert.

My glucometer reading an hour after lunch today.
Yeah, it's too high. I ate too many carbs.

 For me, every day is Diabetes Day and has been since I was officially diagnosed in January 1999. That was when my gynecologist told me I was diabetic; my family practitioner had told me a few years earlier that my extreme fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, and aches and pains meant I had fibromyalgia.  After all, I didn't have the symptoms that most folks think signal diabetes: I didn't lose weight (I gained!), I didn't make frequent trips to the bathroom (I was a teacher; I'd trained myself to hold it.), I wasn't especially thirsty (Again, as a teacher in the age before bottled water, I couldn't drink water whenever I wanted.)—so I couldn't have been diabetic.

Finally, my family practitioner gave me a finger-stick blood test (92—not diabetic!) but also had me take the A1C test that showed, yeah, I was diabetic. Really diabetic. I searched the Internet for diabetic info. I realized that other symptoms I had were also diabetic symptoms: the dirty skin syndrome on my neck and other areas, skin tags, decreased vision (I needed progressively stronger lenses every year), frequent infections (I attributed all those strep infections to being around students with strep throat, plus there was the 22-month bout of chronic Epstein-Barre), numbness and tingling of hands and feet (diabetic neuropathy), itchiness, and slow healing cuts (even minor scratches). My Internet search led to discovering Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solutions. Using practices in the book, I took my blood sugar back into the normal range and lost weight. Through the years, I started eating like regular people again (although not as much carby stuff as the food pyramid recommends). And my diabetes became much worse and I gained weight again.

This year, I have made a bigger effort to get control. I've cut the carbs way back. Giving up wheat has helped tremendously, although sometimes I backslide.

What's it like to have diabetes?

I can tell when my blood sugar is rising too fast or too much (or when it's  over 140)—my ears ring. Not jingly-jangly, but the insect-sound of a hayfield in summer. It's not unpleasant, but I have trouble deciphering sounds if I'm not looking at whoever's talking. If there's another sound in the background—music or general background noise, I really have trouble understanding whoever is talking to me. I try not to use the phone during these episodes because I can misinterpret info. Sometimes I'll tell the caller to speak louder and slower. When my blood sugar is high, I'm sluggish, klutzy, and brain-foggy. One doctor described it to me as "walking through thick syrup." That description nails it. Besides the hearing problem, high blood sugar makes it harder for me to concentrate and harder for me to make my hands to do what I want them to do (like handwriting or opening a jar); I really want to sleep. Plus, I'll hurt.

If my blood sugar rises too high too fast, it'll crash in about two hours. I'll get jittery, feel faint, and sometimes break out in a cold sweat. I'll also become very irritable. The ear-ringing will stop, but other noises will bother me—especially certain frequencies. I'll be easily distracted.

After a higher-than-usual-carb day or a day in which I ate something containing wheat, I pay the price. I'm tired, my muscles and joints ache, and I usually have difficulty walking. My hands tingle and sometimes won't work the way I want them to. If I'm going to be at an event where I'll be tempted to eat too many carbs, I try to not schedule other activities for two days afterwards so I can bounce back. I won't drive long distances or at night. I won't do things that require intense concentration or fine motor skills.

I've tried many diabetic meds that didn't work. For the past year year, I've been on prandin, which I take 15 to 30 minutes before a meal. As long as I keep my carb count to under 20 grams per meal and avoid wheat, potatoes, rice, soy, processed foods with their plethora of additives, artificial sweeteners (which act just like sugar as far as my blood sugar is concerned), I generally do OK. I eat full-fat rather than low-fat, because fat acts an an appetite suppressant and helps brain activity. I eat protein as well as fat with every meal. Fat and protein don't spike my blood sugar the way carbs will.

I try to avoid temptation, which means I sometimes turn down invitations to places where I suspect I won't be able to stay wheatless and low-carb. I appreciate buffets instead of pre-selected menus because I can almost always find what I need to eat from buffet choices. I appreciate groups that save the carb-laden treats to be served at the end of a meeting, so I can leave instead of watching other folks scarf up what I really  really want  but know I shouldn't eat. I appreciate get-togethers where there are other choices besides carbs—cheese cubes, raw vegetables, etc.

I don't appreciate having no choices. I dropped out of AAUW a few years ago because the luncheon meetings had such delicious carb-laden food (no choice—everyone ate the same entreee) and desserts to die for (literally!) I still go to Pen Women luncheons because I can brown-bag it or order for myself. I sometimes avoid other occasions if I know there'll be carby treats (and no other choices) and if I don't have someone to drive me home afterwards. I don't buy Girl Scout cookies or doughnuts or popcorn that groups are selling as fund-raisers. I don't go to pancake breakfasts or spaghetti suppers no matter what good cause they're supporting.

I have become my own cause.

~

Diabetes Awareness

November, according to the American Diabetes Association, is American Diabetes Month®. (That's right, the name is registered. If you're not American or not diabetic, I guess you can't celebrate.) I am not a fan of the ADA because they disseminate too much misinformation—such as encouraging diabetics to eat according to the food pyramid instead of low-carbing. Diabetics can't process carbs, so it makes no sense to encourage them to eat lots of carbs.

The ADA doesn't even explain how a diabetic should properly draw blood. On the ADA website, a picture shows the pad of the finger used for a finger stick. This is painful. You should use the side of the pad, not the center. Why doesn't the ADA know that?

Here's some more misinformation from their web site:

"A healthy meal plan for people with diabetes is generally the same as a healthy diet for anyone – low in fat (especially saturated and trans fat), moderate in salt and sugar, with meals based on whole grain foods, vegetables and fruit."

 . . . and:

"Starchy foods are part of a healthy meal plan. What is important is the portion size. Whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, peas and corn can be included in your meals and snacks. The key is portions. For most people with diabetes, having 3-4 servings of carbohydrate-containing foods per meal is about right. Whole grain starchy foods are also a good source of fiber, which helps keep your gut healthy."

I know from personal experience, as well as doing a lot of reading, that starchy foods and whole grains—carbs!—will cause my blood sugar levels to soar, will make me ache and bloat, and will cause other problems. Anyone who has read Wheat Belly by Wm. Davis, MD, knows that whole grains will not "keep your gut healthy" and will cause numerous health problems.

I used to eat low-fat, plenty of fruit, and lots of whole grains (and potatoes, corn, etc.). I also wasn't eating beef or pork. I got fat and felt lousy. But I was eating according to what was healthy—and what the ADA still recommends. Here's how I looked then in my 1997 retirement picture: 

I'm pretty sure I was diabetic when the above picture was taken, but I hadn't been diagnosed (and wouldn't be until nearly two years later). I had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (a catch-all term for "yeah, there's something wrong with you, but we don't know what") after my two-year bout with chronic mono. I had extreme fatigue, autoimmune problems, numerous infections, etc. Notice I needed a cane to walk back then.

Here I am a few months ago, about 55 pounds lighter than I was in my retirement picture:

Keep in mind that the ADA receives substantial contributions from Big Food, and Big Pharma. Naturally the drug companies don't want you to get better on your own. If you didn't need their drugs, they'd lose money. Big money.

If you're diabetic, or think you might be, there are three books you need to read. The information contained in them is far superior than any info you'll find on the ADA website:

• Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions, by Richard Bernstein, MD
• Wheat Belly, by Wm. Davis, MD
• Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes

 I've mentioned these books in earlier blog posts. I've also mentioned in an earlier post about why I dropped out of a diabetes class (based on ADA info and the infamous food pyramid).  But, I recently received this in the mail:

Since the same nutritionist who conducted the diabetes class is conducting this, I won't be attending. I don't need any more misinformation.

If you're diabetic—or think you might be—it's up to you to find out what does and doesn't work for you. Those three books are a good place to start.

~