carb diet

Hi Roseanne,Yes, the low carb way of eating that I have adopted has gotten rid of my sugar cravings and helped me lose 32 lbs so far. I eat anywhere from 80-120 grams of carbs per day and I walk or swim each day. I cut out sugar and only each rice, pasta, potatoes or white bread in very small quantities. I eat a lot of chicken, fish, yogurt and vegetables and snack on things like hard boiled eggs, string cheese or nuts. My glucose is now under control and I feel sooo much better. I started out with an A1C of 10.8, and a FBG of 326 in September, I haven't had a new A1C yet but my glucose is generally from 80-120. Hope this helps.
Hi Lauren,
I eat, on average, close to what you eat per day in carbs, but I'm again, as I always am, surprised to see that that number of carbs is what some folks consider "low." I eat approximately 110-115 grams per day, and almost half of those are non-starchy green veggie carbs (I say almost half because for salad greens, for example, to equal over 50 grams of carb would mean eating several pounds of lettuce at the very least -- eight ounces of romaine has approximately 8 grams of carb). When I hear the term "low carb" way of eating, I think of numbers that are much lower than what you and I eat -- under or close to 50 grams per day. I've always considered myself a moderate carber, but if you view this from the perspective of the average, typical American diet, 115 grams is close to 1/3 the number of carbs that people eat on any given day.

I don't eat but the tiniest amount of starches, other than my whole grain or rye toast at breakfast. I haven't eaten pasta in over a year, potatoes in an even longer time. I occasionally eat very modest amounts of rice (no more than two ounces, by weight, at a given time -- that's less than 15 grams of carb), but I haven't eaten white rice in years and actually don't even like white breads, white rice or white pasta (but I've completely cut out pasta now since I can't make it work in any form -- white, whole grain/wheat or Dreamfields). I can't remember the last time I ate mashed potatoes; what I remember about it is how heavy they felt, and how sluggish *I* felt. I do enjoy an occasional sweet potato, which I think are much tastier and much better for us than white potatoes, but if I eat two of those a year, that's a lot. My main source of starchy carbs is bread, and I try to be as selective as possible with the breads I choose. Once or twice per year I'll treat myself to a bagel, but it's not an easy food for me, and I have to increase the insulin I use to cover it, as well as use a bit of "R" to overlap and work longer than the Novolog because of the possible sustained spike.

Would you consider this a low carb diet? I'm genuinely interested and curious, because as I said, there are those who would look at nothing above 50 grams per day as "low carb."

JoAnne

waiting on monday

Dave, I saw a very interesting video in diabetes education. They were talking about not testing because of "knowing it will be high" but there's the issue. When we don't test we don't know how we are doing. I know my husband refused to test when he didn't think it would be good. But at the same time when he did and saw that his numbers were lowering it made him feel good. It does give you a pattern to see (whether going down or going up). It helps you to see what is happening to you at that moment and lets you change course during your day.

For example. If I test and my glucose is 172 (I use that number because it was that right before dinner 2 nights ago). I thought about what I had cooked and made sure I stayed away from the things I knew would make my glucose worse (the stuffing we were having, and desert). I checked 2 hours after dinner and my glucose had dropped to 154. I ate a protein snack instead of a piece of fruit and before bed I was at 110. so I self corrected. If you don't test you can't self correct with your foods.

Now before anyone jumps up and down.... The stuffing is made with whole grain bread and was the first time we had it in over 11 months. We planned to test it to see how it would be for thanksgiving. It didn't raise DH's glucose horribly bad (he stayed under 180). Now that is a side dish he will have once a month (he loves it). We are still learning what causes problems and what doesn't, it's a curve that we are gonna continue going around.

HTHtake careDonna

waiting on monday

Checking BG Level with Strips

Thanks for your response, Sasirababu! I thought you were talking about urine test strips. I've since learned that this is an archaic technique of BG testing which is no longer used (or rarely if it is).

But since you're in India, let me ask you about something else. Are you familiar with gymnema sylvestre? I understand this product comes from a vine that grows wild in India which has been used to treat diabetes for thousands of years. I forget the local name, but I believe its meaning is 'killer of sugar' or the like.

I learned of this product about 2 years ago in this very same group and began using it. I had just recently been diagnosed with diabetes and given metformin, which was not getting my BG under control. After taking gymnema, I was eventually able to get it under control, and I still take gymnema twice a day and attribute to it at least a 20-30 point reduction in my sugar.

What I'm curious about (and you may be able to help me here) is how common the usage of gymnema sylvestre is in India today and in what form it is used. We get it here in capsules which have a smell reminiscent of old hay. Various sizes are offered, but I think I use the 250 milligram size. I've never looked inside a capsule, but I'd imagine the contents have little resemblance to whatever part of the original vine they come from.

LV HayesFayetteville, NC

Dexcom Insurance coverage for Kids??

Has anyone out there in CGMS land receiving insurance coverage for the Dexcom for a child? We have Premera (Blue Cross in Washington State) insurance, have been using the Dexcom systems for 3 years now, and have still not gotten insurance coverage yet. My daughter is 10 years old. In communicating with people who are being denied coverage, it's my understanding that Premera's policy is No Way, because Dexcom is not technically FDA approved currently for kids. (I also understand that Dexcom is seeking pediatric approval with FDA). Any experience with this?

We LOVE the Dexcom system, and will continue to pay out of pocket for it as long as necessary, and look forward to the Dexcom integration with the Animas Pump (which we are also currently using). But I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is insurance coverage in our future!

insulin storage

Do you keep the Lantus pen in the refrigerator? Injecting cold insulin will cause a burning sensation. Take the pen out of the refrigerator 20 or 30 minutes before you inject to allow the insulin to warm up to room temperature. That will eliminate the burning sensation from cold insulin. If you do refrigerate the insulin pen that you are currently using, you should also know that all the insulin pen manufacturers recommend not doing that。

Cold insulin can be kind of uncomfortable... or not... sometimes I notice the cold, but not often. But anyway, the currently-being-used vial or pen doesn't need refrigeration. Just protect it from heat (don't store near a radiator, don't leave it in a parked car, don't leave it somewhere in direct sunlight, don't take it to a beach or park in the summer unless in a cooler bag), but don't let it freeze anywhere either, and then just use your noodle about keeping it clean (ordinary sensible hygiene rules apply).

Any extra supply of unopened vials or pens DO need to be refrigerated, however. They'll stay fresh until the expiration date on their labels. But once a vial or pen is opened, the insulin is supposed to be used within 30 days and any leftovers discarded.
~BK~

Re: cgms comparison

Signe, your point is well-taken and is a good one to investigate. I have hypoglycemic unawareness, which is what I am MOST concerned about. Although I am diligent about my diabetes care and test 10 times a day, I am also forgetful. Actually, that’s a little too mild. As I put it to someone else earlier today, I am the poster-child for ADHD and do not have an internal memory. I do, however, have a cell phone/PDA which is my EXTERNAL memory and I put reminders into that for doing things that need to be done (as well as remembering appts. , etc. Soon I’ll have to add reminders to breathe and go to the bathroom, but I am not there yet.) I am expecting CGMS to help me and it would be good to know now if it can’t.

My last episode in the car, for example, was one in which I tested upon entering the car, fell asleep, and was startled and awakened by a phone call and immediately started driving. I would expect that a few things would have prevented my narrow escape on the highway. 1) I would have seen that, even though my blood sugar, when tested, was slightly above my target level, that I was trending downward and needed to compensate and 2) there would have been an alarm well before my blood sugar got into the twenties as I was driving. (I bet you’re all glad you’re not on the Massachusetts roads.)

I never go ANYWHERE without my meter (and candy in my meter case), but I will certainly forget to do things that most others would remember.

How often do you need to calibrate? Is it just the day that you put in your sensor, after waiting for it to “get wet” or is it every day? What do I need to put reminders in for?
Thank you.