[Diabetes-Talk] Update on me, and couple of observations

[Jeanette Kutash]

Terri,

Most diabetic educators and nurse practitioners that I have met tell me that
totally eliminating sweets is the best way to guarantee that any of us will
go back to eating them without restraint.

True, it takes a while to get in the mind-set of eating them occasionally,
but it does work. I stayed on Metformen ten years too long with Metformen
and I have tried every kind there is and like you, now that I am off of it I
feel a million times better, so good for you.

Ask your specialist about either glucerna or boost. Both have a component
for diabetics and I have used them when I don't have time or don't feel like
eating breakfast but I need something to keep sugars stable and not have the
numbers rising. I typically use them once or perhaps twice a week. If you
like peanut butter, try PB2 which you hydrate with water but it is a lot
lower in fat. I have had good luck increasing my protein and keeping the
hungry horrrors away. Glad to see you are seeing progress and results that
help you to feel the hard work has made a difference. This is so crucial.
Keep working at it and it will work itself out.

Jeanette

  

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Terri Stimmel via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2021 9:23 AM
To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
Cc: Terri Stimmel
Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Update on me, and couple of observations

Hello everyone,


I hope all of you are well. Things are going pretty good on my end. I 
just wanted to give a small update on myself. But I also wanted to offer 
a couple of observations I have made. I would love some thoughts and 
input, if any of you would like to share your thoughts. So here we go.


First of all, I saw my new diabetes specialist in May. Actually, I 
believe she is a nurse practicianor. I started seeing her after the 
other lady I really liked, and had only seen twice, informed me she was 
moving out of state. She recommended the woman I am now seeing. I think 
she will work just fine. I don't want to say for certain just yet. But I 
go to see her for a 2nd visit, in August.


I can't remember what I have mentioned so far. So if I repeat myself, I 
do apologize.


I am now down to 20 units of treceba a day. My goal is to eventually not 
need this at all. And my doctors and everyone feel that this is an 
obtainable goal. But I still have work to do before this can happen.

I am also taking Ozempic. I can't remember the dose at the moment. I 
want to say that it is 2 MG once a week. But for some reason this 
doesn't sound right to me.


I am not having the low blood sugars as I once was. I do still have them 
ocasionally. But not like I was. And I can't wait to see what my A1C 
will be. I am hoping it will be lower. But we will just have to see. My 
numbers most of the time are staying within a reasonable range. So this 
is definitely promising.


One change that was made was, I was put on Metformin. They put me on 
1500 MG of the extended release. I took it just until this weekend. So 
for about a little over a month.

However, it caused a great deal of stomach upset way too often. So I 
reached out to the diabetes specialist, and she told me to go ahead and 
discontinue it. I really think this was the best decision overall. I 
have felt so much better just over the weekend.


I am still working on eating better. I am trying. But I still find it to 
be a big struggle. I am eating more fruit for a snack, instead of candy. 
As a matter of fact, I hadn't eaten any candy in about a month. Then I 
had a few star bursts this past Saturday. This is a big improvement for 
me, because for a while there I was having some candy every other night 
it seemed.

Also, I rarely drink a soda anymore. Even though I have been drinking 
diet for years, I really wanted to work on giving it up for good. I have 
gotten to where I only have about 1 a month. Although, it does depend on 
the situation I am in.

I did find these drinks I really enjoy. They are sugar-free. I haven't 
actually looked up the ingredients yet. You can find them at Sam's. I 
would think you could find them at other stores as well. They are, 
Nature's Twist. The 2 we have been getting are, blueberry lemonaide, and 
strawberry lemonade. Other than drinking one of those a few times a 
week, I drink water. Usually with dinner I have a glass of tea. But it 
doesn't have sugar.


I still need to work on increasing the amount of veggies I eat. As well 
as increasing my protein. I have a tendency to skip breakfast. I don't 
think this is really a good thing for me to do. Although, I did ask the 
nurse practicianor about it, and she didn't seem to have a problem with 
it. But sometimes I do wonder if it is the best thing. Honestly though, 
I struggle so much with knowing what I want, or what I could eat, that I 
then just don't eat. Which I know is not at all the answer.

I am also ordering out less, which is awesome! Oh we still have moments 
where we get a little crazy with it. LOL! But it is going much better.


That's the update. I feel like I am making a good bit of progress 
overall. I know if I keep working at it, then I will get to where I want 
to be. Sometimes though it does seem pretty slow-going. I know that's 
how it goes though. It can just be a bit frustrating, and discouraging 
at times.

Oh yes, I am slowly losing weight. I love this! It has made me very happy.


Now here are some observations I have made.


Ok, before I started having my primary care doctor take over my diabetes 
care, I was seeing an indocrinologist. I had seen this man for years I 
liked him, and I felt he offered good care. But I always felt rushed. 
And the office staff seemed very overwhelmed. It was a struggle to get 
anything done. So this was a huge reason I made the decision to switch. 
I am pretty happy with this decision.


However, when I was seeing the indocrinologist, I asked about seeing a 
dietician. I was told that he didn't recommend anyone. That it was best 
just to watch your portion sizes, and what I ate. So one day i mentioned 
this to my stomach doctor. And I found out that their office had a 
nutricionist. So for a while I talked with her. Until I switched my 
diabetes care over to my primary care doctor.


I say all that to say this.


Why does it seem that all of them pretty much say very similar things?

I get the portion control. That makes perfect sense to me. But it seems 
that while they do want you to eat more fruits and veggies, they don't 
seem to be too reluctant on other things. I mean, none of them are 
saying to have a slice of pie every night. But they seem to think that a 
couple times a week is ok. Which seems odd to me. I also think it can 
make things complicated.


Does this make any sense?

I feel like many times I can get very mixed messages. Which then of 
course gets me all mixed up. I know I am the one who makes the final 
decisions on what I eat. I get that, and I am very glad that I am able 
to make my own decisions.

But this back and forth and never knowing for sure, well it is a bit 
much. I know I have to do what works best for me in the end. And this is 
what I am attempting to do. I also don't want to seem as though I am 
ungrateful for the help, and advice. I am not. Nor am I trying to seem 
as though I am judging anyone. It just all gets very confusing.


Has anyone else noticed this? Or has anyone else had the same experiences?


Well that is all for now. I will write again soon when I have another 
update. And I will definitely let you all know what my next A1C is. We 
won't know until August.


Thank you, and please stay well.


Terri


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