Stop the diabetes, I want to get off!

I had really disappointing results from my recent blood test -- since I lowered my dietary cholesterol to 5 mg per day or less by reducing meat, dairy, fish, and eggs in my diet, the LDL has gone UP (though the HDL and triglicerides are still good). I finally accepted a statin prescription for Crestor.

Also my A1C (aka HBA1C or glycosylated hemoglobin) went up instead of down. That's mainly because 1) I "forget" my nighttime insulin quite often, as well as the oral meds, and 2) I eat too much starchy food (even though it's whole grain), and 3) I don't prepare and eat the vegetables I buy.

And I don't seem to have enough energy to exercise, which is a symptom of uncontrolled blood sugar. But I need to exercise to help control my blood sugar -- it's a vicious cycle for sure.

David Mendosa is a type 2 diabetic who was overweight (BMI of 40) and had an A1C of over 14% when he was diagnosed. He learned how to manage his own DM and now has a BMI of 19 (very good) and an A1C well under 6.0, which is about what non-diabetic people average. I read his column (click here to read it: http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/75990/motivation?ic=6044) about what motivates him to control his own diabetes and to help motivate just one other person at a time.

You can imagine that I have a lot of work to do to get such control!!

Why do diabetes "professional" opinions differ from the diabetic community

I trust David Mendosa and his research and personal experience much more than I trust 1) a certified diabetes educator (CDE), 2) a certified dietician with training in diabetes management, 3) an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes, and 4) my family doctor with many patients with diabetes. Why? They aren't diabetic. Not one of them.

I haven't met a diabetes advisor since January 1995 that's diabetic. A CDE I met a year ago had never heard of gymnema sylvestre, which is a known effective hypoglycemic supplement (has been used in ayurvedic medicine for a couple thousand years). Everyone I've talked to says to make sure I get unrefined starchy carbohydrates so that I have "clean" carbs for muscle and brain function, but then they say that to handle the starchy carbs I also need to increase my medications, including insulin and statins.

Regarding statins, even though my last blood test results showed close-to-perfect cholesterol (total, HDL, and LDL) that's not good enough, and my doctor wants me on both ACE inhibitors and statins.

Fuck 'em.

Christmas vs. Diabetes

It's hard to be diabetic at Christmas. Especially if you have a sweet tooth, escalating carb cravings, and uncontrolled high blood sugar. My mom has given us an orange and a box of Smarties in our stockings for years. (She used to collect or buy little items and put them in -- and now that I'm in charge, I stuff my family's stockings; this year it was pencils, sharpeners, pens, notepads, sugar-free gum, cosmetic samples, pairs of socks and knee-high stockings, keychains, and other little items, and Mom got a little bottle of cream liqueur.) So this year I got the usual box of Smarties, an orange, a pair of knee-highs, and a bamboo spoon. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Stocking stuffers are a lot of fun! (Did I mention that both my brothers are now Type 2s?)

But please, even a box of Smarties can set off a chain reaction that has me gobbling anything with sugar or starch. It's amazing to me that my mind is screaming at me, "Slow down; no, STOP EATING THAT SHIT!!" Even if I've eaten a healthy dinner and have no appetite for veggies, I'll fill my face with pastries and other treats. It doesn't seem to be a matter of will-power. I can't have just one...

And the kicker -- I was given a box of Lowney's Chocolate Covered Cherries by a family member (I've been T2 since January 1995 and everyone knows it). I don't even like them. Did I toss them? Take the unopened box to work and share them? No, I ate them. All. By myself. Cursing myself bitterly as I shoved them in my mouth and wiped my sticky fingers on my jeans. I can't believe I've been blogging on and off on this for a year now and have made no progress; have even deteriorated. Systems analysis tells us we need data, which gives us information, which leads to knowledge and understanding, which leads to wisdom. I have the first three; it's the last two I need to work on.

But there's some good news on the horizon -- results of the low-glycemic diet for reducing HbA1c show positive results (but knowing low GI foods plus recognizing the glycemic load of foods is also important). http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081217/gi_diet_081217/20081217

I've mentioned the very wise David Mendosa's website before (http://www.mendosa.com/). He was onto low glycemic index foods for years before the supposed experts (http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm).