[Diabetes-talk] Spike.

[William and Bernadette Jacobs]

Contact the Materials Center Alan!  I think they might have 2011's.  I'm not 
sure.  But I do know what they have is in all forms, at least Braille and 
Large print.

Bernadette M. Jacobs
1st Vice-President of Diabetes Action Network

Please consider making a donation to the Diabetes Action Network because 
Diabetes is the leading cause of Blindness
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan Wheeler" <awheeler65 at windstream.net>
To: "'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.


> Reading this brings up a couple of things.
>
> First, would anyone be interested in me posting an old article 
> "Carbohydrate
> counting and the exchange list" by Ann Williams?
>
> Secondly, is there an accessible copy of the exchange list available?
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 10:58 AM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.
>
> Hmmm... That's very odd you've been told fruit is bad for diabetics.
> Since being diagnosed at age 4, and I'm now 30, fruit has always been a 
> part
> of my diet and encouraged by medical professionals. With any food 
> containing
> carbs, you have to fit it into your carb allotment for the day, but I've
> never, never been told to avoid fruits, and I've seen several endos, nurse
> educators and nutritionist over the past 26-1/2 years, and they always
> encouraged fruit.
>
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at:
> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael Park
> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 9:27 AM
> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.
>
>
> Back from gym and a pre-lunch sugar of 103 and just ready to face the 
> world.
>
> The problem here in South Africa is that if you cannot afford medical 
> care,
> which is the position in which I find myself, you have to depend on the
> government health care system to help you manage diabetes and unless as a
> diabetic, you become educated smartly, you will find yourself in a very
> perilous spot. The average doctor at our primary hospitals do not have a
> clue how to treat diabetes and they will not refer you to specialist
> facilities which can give you the proper treatment. Fortunately, I know 
> two
> very competent diabetologists through
>
> family contacts and through being an activist for diabetics in this 
> country
> and I get my advice from the two of them. So I just walk into the primary
> facility, shove the script which one of them wrote, under the nose of the
> doctor concerned with the expectation that the medication I need, and 
> which
> has been recommended by a competent diabetologist, will be issued. I have
> had no difficulty in this regard since the people concerned, are known to
> them to be very competent in their field--in fact, one of them is the top
> diabetologist in the country and he contributes regularly to international
> forums of doctors who specialise in the treatment of diabetes.
>
> I must also add that proverbially speaking, I have landed with my bum in
>
> the butter. My diabetes nurse care-giver is a dear friend of ours who also
> goes to our church. If I had to pay her for her services, help from
>
> her side would simply be out of the question and of course, the same also
> holds true for my biocheneticist who is also in our church.
>
> Regarding fruit, and this is a sore bone of contention I have with the
> dietition at our local hospital, fruit is said to be bad for diabetics on
> the ground that it contains lots of sugar. When one does not have a hypo,
> apples are rightly one of the best, if not the best fruit that a diabetic
> can have. I have eaten so many apples that they are growing out
>
> of my ears and I am thinking of setting up shop and selling some of my
> produce.
>
> It is true that apples have lots of sugar in them, but apples are among
> those snacks with a high glycaemic load and a low glycaemic index value,
>
> which in plain English means that apples have lots of sugar, but the sugar
> is a slow absorbing sugar.
>
> I don't want to wax to eloquently about sugar here, but suffice it for me 
> to
> say that all sugars are broken down into glucose. Some take longer
>
> to break down than others, hence the fact that, in order to avoid all the
> niceties of the Glycaemic Index, I usually just explain to folk that
>
> I counsel, that there are good sugars and bad sugars. The good ones take
>
> longer to break down into glucose while the bad ones break down to glucose
> quite quickly.
>
> In my terminology therefore, apples contain lots of "good sugar" which is
> there to help sustain one from meal to meal.
>
> My gripe with the local dietition is that she told one of the folks that
>
> I am counselling, that apples are bad because they contain lots of sugar.
> The response I meet with when I chat to the chap is this "are you
>
> a doctor that you can tell me that apples are good for me?" Of course, I
>
> have no response other than the fact that I know that apples are good for
> one on the basis of the road I have already travelled as a diabetic.
>
> Of course, my advice is being rejected by this person on the strength of
>
> what an idiot, who should not even be in practise and who should possibly
> even be shot in public, has told him. So, when he snacks, he eats sweets,
> chocolates and crisps with gay abandon and the sugar tests afterwards, 
> speak
> for themselves. All that I can do in a situation like this, is to 
> helplessly
> sit by and watch this person destroy himself.
>
> Regarding insulin too, I agree with you that it is basically a case of 
> each
> one unto himself. My own view on insulin, for the record, is that I
>
> personally believe that, come the day, and I will have to ultimately go 
> onto
> insulin. This fact holds no terror for me, although the rider to this
> statement is the fact that as little as I do know about insulin, it
>
> is something which should be treated with the greatest of respect.
>
> Now one can say all sorts of things about insulin, but I have deliberately
> refrained from taking that course of action, since much of what can be 
> said
> about insulin, belongs to the realm of speculation and some of the things
> might even be old wives' tales. I certainly do not wish to indulge in 
> urban
> legends, spurious statistics and the rest.
>
> However, come the day I do go onto insulin, I want to do it when a 
> suitably
> educated person is around to teach me what to do. For the moment, my nurse
> care-giver is anti insulin, and while I am not familiar
>
> with her reason for being anti, and I am not decrying insulin either, I am
> quite happy to live with her regime, since between her, my doctor friends,
> my dietition (not the one at the hospital), and my biocheneticist, they 
> all
> have things in hand. All I have to do is to go along for the ride and I
> don't need to fret about anything.
>
> My experience with probiotics and certain claims which my biocheneticist
>
> makes, make me optimistic about my chances of never going onto insulin at
> all and that I may even come off my sugar tablet in due course. Be it
>
> as it may, I will only go onto insulin if I absolutely have to.
>
> Nevertheless, I must agree with the sentiment that insulin is the greatest
> inovation in the treatment of diabetes, except perhaps for stuff called
> Byetta, affectionately known as "lizzard spit", which I believe, may in
> certain respects, even eclipse insulin. If folks are interested, I am
> prepared to share information on "lizzard spit" which I
>
> heard about at a recent educational meeting for diabetics. I will do so in 
> a
> separate post.
>
> Michael Park.
> I am not an expert, because "ex" means "has been" and "spert" is "a drip
> under pressure".
>
>
> On 2012/03/07 10:35, Bridgit Pollpeter wrote:
>> What you say is absolutely correct. I have been trying to explain to
>> people for years that you can't take the across the board approach
>> with diabetics. So many people think they know what a diabetic regimen
>
>> should be, but diabetes really is an individual disease. Whether type
>> 1 or 2, it affects us all in different ways, and so many variables
>> play a role that, again, will be different for people.
>>
>> My doctors are comfortable with my A1-C sitting between 7 and 7.5
>> because when I try to get it below 7, it means I'm having more lows
>> than anything. I've also had very few food restrictions since being
>> diagnosed 27 years ago since I respond quickly to insulin, have a
>> higher metabolism and tend to be more active. Now that I'm pregnant,
>> they actually keep telling me to eat more food in general, though I
>> feel like I'm eating a ton already, grin.
>>
>> Regardless of being diabetic or not, exercise works differently in our
>
>> bodies. What works for me, might not for you. This is a fact that
>> people are just starting to accept though the science has been around
>> for a while. Despite this though, any activity is good for diabetics
>> as long as you manage things and test frequently.
>>
>> There are some things that are important for any diabetic to be aware
>> of and routines to follow, and in general, certain glucose ranges are
>> the target for any diabetic to hit, but it's still very much dependent
>
>> on the person and other health/biological factors.
>>
>> I've never heard that fruit was bad for diabetics though. I've always
>> been encouraged to eat fruit in a day, and that it also makes for a
>> good snack. Over my 27 years of being diabetic, the nutrition info
>> always reinforced, and important for all diabetics, has been to watch
>> and count carbs, incorporate protein into meals and snacks, watch
>> foods high in fat especially trans-fat and make sure I'm following an
>> insulin regimen in proportion to the carbs I eat, and of course to
>> make "smart" food choices. Fruit has always been a food pushed
>> especially in place of sugary treats.
>>
>> Ultimately, a diabetics routine must be specific to that individual
>> and established by an endocrinologist. Inevitably things will change
>> and your routine will change with you, which is why it's vital for us
>> to communicate regularly with our doctors. We can ask advice and
>> suggestions from others, but at the end of the day, it has to be about
>
>> what works best for us and our lifestyles.
>>
>> Having said that though, I don't think it's wrong to be aware of what
>> is happening with diabetic research and consider various treatment
>> options. In terms of insulin, and I too am no expert, one of the
>> reasons some type 2's are placed on insulin sooner rather than later
>> is because at some point, many type 2's end up on insulin anyway; all
>> the type 2's I know personally have been, or are in, this very
>> situation. If you feel your current regimen works, fantastic, but it's
>
>> also good to be informed on other options, and those investigating
>> other options are not wrong to do so. I'm a type 1 and there is
>> currently no other treatment option than insulin, so I'm very aware of
>
>> how insulin affects the body, plus, I'm pretty sensitive to it. It
>> does work great for some type 2's if following a good management
>> system, and some possibly could benefit from it. I have nothing
>> against oral meds, I'm just saying don't discredit other methods, or
>> discourage others from at least investigating those methods.
>>
>> But really, to each his own, smile.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
>> Read my blog at: http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>>
>> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down." The
>> Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael Park
>> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 12:07 AM
>> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.
>>
>>
>> I'm a brittle type II diabetic and on tablets. I have very good sugar
>> control with just the tablets. This year, as from 1 January to the
>> present, for instance, I have only had 3 readings over 180 compared to
>
>> the 5 of last year at the same time. I manage this control without
>> starving myself and, to give you a good idea of the sort of control I
>> have, my average for the last 180 readings is 119. This is a bit
>> higher than the norm that I set myself, namely anywhere between 90 and
>
>> 117, although my averages, when compliant, seldomly drop below 108.
>>
>> I must stress that my sugar control is one that works for me, and that
>
>> it will not necessarily work for the next diabetic. What I am saying
>> here, therefore, is not intended as a definitive solution to the
>> problem, but is intended as presenting avenues to explore.
>>
>> Having said that, there are a number of factors that a type II has to
>> bear in mind when controlling his/her sugars. The most important
>> factor is to try and determine what your sugar management norms are.
>> These, as I already indicated, will differ from person to person. The
>> only way in which you will find out what your norm is, is to test
>> regularly, keep a thorough diary of your results and then to try and
>> identify patterns.
>>
>> Once you have identified your patterns, you need to try and refine the
>
>> diet you have been given, in order to re-inforce that pattern, that
>> is, assuming that the pattern is a good one. If the pattern is not a
>> good one, i.e. if sugars are too high or too low, then various things
>> will need to be fine tuned. You may need to vary your diet, or you may
>
>> need to change your medication. Bear in mind that the generic diabetic
>
>> diet simply does not exist in the sense that what may be good for one
>> diabetic, may not necessarily be good for another diabetic. As an
>> illustration of my point, I have found that I get better blood sugars
>> if
>>
>> I use rice as my starch rather than potatoes. While I love potatoes, I
>
>> only have those as a treat. For the rest, I stick to rice. I agree
>> that the potato thing may not be a problem for other diabetics.
>>
>> Consequently, in the light of what I have just said, I personally,
>> totally reject out of hand, the notion of "fits one, fits all" when it
>
>> comes to sugar management. The general norms laid down for sugar
>> management, is therefore, only a point of departure--nothing more.
>>
>> In short, I manage sugars through diet and exercise and I deal with
>> spikes as and when they arise. The advantage of keeping a diary is
>> that it is often possible to deal with the cause of spikes whenever
>> these arise.
>>
>> I know that David Mendosa and I would not agree, but I also use fruit
>> as
>>
>> a means of controlling blood sugar. I have a fruit at breakfast, a
>> fruit
>>
>> for my midmorning snack and a fruit for an afternoon snack. As far as
>> the late night snack is concerned, I have a far greater lattitude as
>> to what I can or cannot have. The fruit I usually have is an apple.
>>
>> Apples have a low glycaemic index value and a high glycaemic load
>> which means that the overall effect of apples on blood sugar
>> management, is to
>>
>> sustain blood sugar levels from one meal to another, so that they will
>
>> not drop too low.
>>
>> Another factor that could impact on the possibility of sugars spiking,
>
>> could be the medications you are on. These may not necessarily be
>> diabetic medication, but could instead, be medication you take for
>> other
>>
>> problems.
>>
>> As I intimated in an earlier post to the list, I have recently gone
>> onto
>>
>> probiotics because my immune system has effectively been fried by the
>> quantities of antibiotics I had been taking of late. I have learnt
>> that probiotics do tend to lower blood sugars, but other medications
>> again may tend to raise blood sugars, thus causing sugars to spike.
>>
>> In such cases, in the same way as I have to also do, one needs to
>> change
>>
>> the diet to suit the conditions, but one must make sure that you don't
>
>> starve yourself in the process either.
>>
>> Spiking blood sugars could also be due to infection. You may not have
>> the classical signs of infection, but that does not mean that you must
>
>> rule out the possibility of infection.
>>
>> If you are about to see the doctor, a test done to measure your blood
>> cell count, will be a definite tell-tail sign of infection if your
>> white
>>
>> blood cell count is up.
>>
>> There are numerous factors that could bring about a spike in blood
>> sugars, both environmental and personal/emotional, but I don't want to
>
>> try and make a complete list of the possible causes here.
>>
>> The question that remains is the question, what to do if my sugars
>> spike? I am going to assume here that spikes are in the vacinity of
>> 180 to about 280.
>>
>> One of the things I have often come across in diabetes forums both
>> here in South Africa and around the world, is the quick fix solution
>> and I am
>>
>> afraid that I would not want to be seen dead near some of the
>> solutions that have been proposed. The idea is to strike the right
>> balance between
>>
>> intervention and non-intervention and I personally am of the view that
>
>> if intervention is necessary, it should be an intervention which
>> should be as conservative as possible. If the intervention is drastic,
>
>> this could at best contribute to very unstable blood sugars and in the
>
>> worst case scenario, could even drive blood sugars down to dangerously
>
>> low levels. This could most likely be the case, especially if you
>> cannot ascertain the cause of the spike in the first place.
>>
>> Obviously, if you are on insulin and the doctor has given you a
>> sliding scale to administer insulin in the case of a spike, it is OK
>> to use that
>>
>> sliding scale. One would assume that the doctor would take all factors
>
>> known to him, into account when prescribing a sliding scale for the
>> administration of insulin.
>>
>> The sort of intervention which is the safest for type II diabetics not
>
>> on insulin, is just to insure that you drink enough water and if the
>> sugar levels don't drop, to make a plan to see the doctor.
>>
>> Obviously, if you are recording readings say, in excess of 280, you
>> will
>>
>> most likely find yourself on crisis territory and the doctor may have
>> to
>>
>> be contacted sooner or later.
>>
>> What to do if your sugars spike? One of the most important lessons
>> that my nurse care-giver has taught me, is to learn to listen to my
>> body and as far as it may be appropriate, to just do what my body
>> feels like doing. If your sugars are spiking or if they go the other
>> way, and you feel tired, that is perfectly OK.
>>
>> Let me mention that I basically manage my sugars through diet, tablets
>
>> and exercise. My exercise program has been designed by a
>> biocheneticist and having familiarised myself with what a competent
>> biocheneticist can do, I would strongly recommend that every diabetic
>> should see a biocheneticist as part of the treatment.
>>
>> Michael Park.
>> I am not an expert, because "ex" means "has been" and "spert" is "a
>> drip under pressure".
>>
>>
>> On 2012/03/07 00:08, Bridgit Pollpeter wrote:
>>> Yeah, I think some studies are showing that the sooner type 2's are
>>> placed on insulin, the better management they experience. I don't
>>> know how many doctors are considering this, and most type 2's I know
>>> on insulin were put on it only after the oral meds were not working
>>> as well. Is this something a patient can request even if their doctor
>
>>> isn't prescribing it? I'm very unfamiliar with type 2 other than type
>
>>> 2's have some level of functioning of the pancreas.
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
>>> Read my blog at: http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>>>
>>> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down." The
>
>>> Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>> [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of William and
>>> Bernadette Jacobs
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 3:53 PM
>>> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
>>> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.
>>>
>>>
>>> What are you eating?  Anything different?  Many times cold cereals
>>> can be a horrible culprit: pasta, breads, even some barbecue sauces,
>>> Are you on oral meds? or just insulin?  From my experience, I find my
>
>>> control, personally,
>>> is much better with Insulin.  I use Rapid-acting 15-20 minutes before
>>> meals, (on sliding scale) then I use Lantus at night.  I myself have
>>> felt
>> much,
>>> much better taking insulin.  If I had it to do all over again, I'd've
>
>>> gone straight to insulin in the first place.
>>>
>>> Bernadette M. Jacobs
>>> 1st Vice-President of Diabetes Action Network
>>>
>>> Please consider making a donation to the Diabetes Action Network
>>> because
>>>
>>> Diabetes is the leading cause of Blindness
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Alan Wheeler"<awheeler65 at windstream.net>
>>> To: "'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'"<diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 4:38 PM
>>> Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Spike.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi everyone,
>>>> For the second time in about a week, my blood sugar spiked into the
>>>> 190-200 range. I am going to my doctor on Friday, but in the mean
>>>> time, what
>>> do I
>>>> do
>>>> when my sugar has spiked like this? Do I sleep it off (which is all
>>>> I
>>> feel
>>>> like doing), or is something else recommended?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks in advance.
>>>>
>>>> Alan
>>>> "The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work that
>>>> you need most to do and that the world most needs to have done.The
>>>> place God
>>> calls
>>>> you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's  deep
>>> hunger
>>>> meet."
>>>> - Frederick Buechner's definition of "vocation" in his little book
>>>> "Wishful Thinking" Psalms 33:3 Psalms 150:5
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Alan Wheeler
>>>> Lincoln, Nebraska
>>>> awheeler65 at windstream.net http://twitter.com/#!/Country_Storm
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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