Living with Diabetes and Lapband

It isn't a friggin' needle!

It's a lancelet. Yes, I understand that the general public doesn't know what a lancet is, but that's up to the writer of the piece to explain.

Now, I have no idea if you can get AIDS that way, and I really wonder about the parents of a child that would do that. Not to mention the child!

Someone on the insulin pumper list has already mentioned the concern that blood sugar testing devices may be restricted on campuses as a result.

CNN.com - Official: 3rd-grader stuck 19 schoolmates with needle - Apr 29, 2005

Official: 3rd-grader stuck 19 schoolmates with needle

I find it somewhat amusing that she doesn't seem to realize that some Type 2's are on insulin. No oral meds.

The 'betes

Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2

The Diabetes Blog

This has NEVER made sense to me. If you know how insulin works, eating a particular food would not lower blood sugar.

However, some substances can reduce insulin resistance -- it has been shown in studies that I've seen that cinnamon can.

But that isn't the same.

Certain foods can also affect how fast other foods metabolize -- for example, dieticians usually tell us to eat our night snack with a serving of carb, protein and/or fat, so low down the absorbtion of sugar in the carb.

That's also why typical Mexican foods and Pizza are hard on diabetics. The fat contain slows the release of sugar in the carbs.

I agree with Tekakwitha that the Type 2 stereotypes don't help much.

The sad part, is that the people who need the most help with their diabetes, are the people who are stimatized by the sedentary and overweight label.

I "fit" that label myself. I've posted before I get real irritated when someone suggests that I exercise. I do. I have a home gym with a treadmill and weights and I work out 6 days a week. I run dog agility. I am still over 250 pounds.

Why?

Well, one problem is that I've had weight problems since I was in a car accident in college that broke my jaw. I've had sleep apnea ever since.

At diagnosis, I had had the sleep apnea for 15 years. I was sleeping 4-6 hours a night and exhausted all the time. I was actually falling asleep driving in Dallas freeway traffic.

When I was first treated for the sleep apnea I lost 100 pounds without trying. I was able to exercise every day, and almost enjoy it.

The moral of this: I'm not always convinced that the weight problem is the root of the problem. Certainly in my case, when I have everything right medically, I have no problem with weight loss.

Right now, not everything is right.

Diabetes Mine: Diabetes: Two Diseases in One

I'm not sure I SHOULD be singled out as a special case.

I'm also not sure diabetes CAN be prevented. I'm quite certain that in my case it couldn't have been.

Here's why I say that. I've known my genetic medical history all of my adult life.

All of my adult life my health providers have told me that I was borderline diabetic. I have always had fasting blood sugars in the 100-120's. I was even tested for diabetes when I was in high school.

None suggested putting me on oral medications until I was truly diabetic. In fact, because of the cardio vascular deaths of my father and his parents, I was put on statins a full year before the diabetes was addressed.

That physician clearly stated I was borderline at that point and that he wanted the lipids stabilized before he addressed the diabetes.

And in fact, I was still considered borderline until the day that diabetes was diagnosed.

One theory everyone has in my case, is that the diagnosis process is what destroyed my pancreas, and that I was borderline up until the day of my glucose tolerance test.

But here's the deal -- I have never drunk drinks with sugar in them. In high school I started on Tabs. I always drank unsweetened tea (can't stand the stuff, etc). I have never cared for sweet drinks. For one, I would get loggy after drinking one (remember, I have decided I am glucose sensitive). I have never been a huge sugar eater.

Our theory is that when I was put through the glucose tolerance test, my system failed, not able to cope with that much sugar in my system. I went from a fasting blood sugar of 120 the week before, to a fasting blood sugar of 400 the next week! I also had an immediate change in health and well being. I was literally sicker than a dog.

Also the oral medication didn't do much for me. Of course, going from pre-diabetic to diabetic in the space of 3 hours is going to be much harder on your system than someone who gradually became diabetic.

Everyone is passing on DLife's tip of using a Clinistix or Diastix urine glucose test strips to test whether or not a drink is diet or not.

Well, those aren't on my list to carry.

However, I do carry a blood glucose monitor and use mine to test drinks. If you don't want to download a "false" reading -- hit the calibrate button when you do and it won't be included on your download.

I usually end up doing it about once a month.

I guess the thing next thing to check is the cost of those test strips versus blood glucose strips. However, in my case since the insurance covers a sufficient supply, the glucose test strips are cheaper.

My decision not to tape DLife anymore has been validated (though I will admit, if I get a DVR with a second tuner I might try it again).

They are rerunning their first show already. And it's only been one for 2 months? Sad.

I'm quite sure that my long term sleep problems have contributed to my diabetes.

The good news, is that I show on my CPAP machine about 7 1/2 hours of sleep. Unfortunately it hasn't seemed to help.

Long or Short Sleep Time May Be Associated With Diabetes

Sleep duration of six hours or less or nine hours or more is associated with increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), according to the results of a cross-sectional study published in the April 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

One of the "fun" things about being so glucose sensitive, is that whenever my blood sugar is off, I get some kind of weird infection. That is also true of whenever I come off of antibotics, so add the two together, and I have a lovely cold sore -- first one I have ever had.

ARGH!

I got my graduation packet today, and I have filled everything out that I know how to fill out. I'm going to take it to school tomorrow, and once I have all the rest of the information I need, I'm going to fill it out, make copies, and then mail it after school.

It needs to be return receipt.

Oh, and in case you don't know -- I should be finishing a Master of Science from the University of North Texas, majoring in Computer Education and Congitive Studies.

Basically an education degree, though we focus on using technology.