Dennis, THANK U !
Becky, THANKS!
Honestly, some, though few days, days I have trouble finding 40 carbs per meal. I am eating veggies, grains, oats, some bread (Ezekial sesame), some fruits, some beans, hummus, sweet potatoes, avocados and NUTS and eat somewhere between 1600-2200 cals a day which is sufficient for me. Would you give some ideas of other foods/carbs to eat.
This is so exhausting!
P.S. I do eat my proteins; chicken, salmon, eggs, and some red meat.
That’s pretty much where I’m at too in terms of what carbs I eat and calories/day. I also eat a lot of tofu, sometimes tempeh, as well as seitan products, none of which I need any insulin for. Last night I had a “medium high” carb meal - homemade corn tortillas (1/4 + 1/8 c masa harina), grapes, cherries, pinto beans, and Bark Thins for dessert (24 grams) - all this was 68 carbs. The night before I had a “high” carb meal - 1/4 brown basmati rice, tofu cooked in a pomegranate juice-based Chinese-style sauce, cherries, pineapple, kiwi, and 15 grams 70% dark chocolate, all of which amounted to 81 carbs. Techincally the carb count was even higher, because I added a ton of veggies to the stir fry, none of which I counted towards my carb amount since I don’t need insulin for them.
I wouldn’t struggle to try to find more carbs - if 40 is what you like eating naturally, that’s totally fine! I personally don’t worry about carb number at all (some dinners I might even have as few as 25 carbs). Instead I focus on moderate portion sizes + nutritional content (a variety of protein, carb, vitamin, and mineral sources), as well as whether or not I’m in the mood for a challenge (e.g. one homemade biscuit). Sometimes I do well with the glucose levels, sometimes they’re less than ideal; but it’s never due to carb amount, but rather to not doing the right amount or timing of my insulin. Hope that helps.
i.e. 24 grams of Bark Thins in weight, which equals 14 carbs
As always, great info!
Laughing at the biscuit challenge.
Oh yeah, as far as cookbooks - I don’t have any related to diabetes, or any “diabetes-friendly” recipes. Again my goal is to just keep eating as normal as much as possible, and where not possible at the moment, work at getting better at doing so in the future. I have lots of good vegan cookbooks, and I get a lot of recipes online - there are a lot of food blogs, or I just search the Internet for recipes related to what I think I want to make.
Thanks for the welcome! I appreciate the support.
Hi Cathy! Welcome to the best club that no one ever wanted to be part of. My 15 year old daughter has T1D (diagnosed almost 5 years ago now). As others have said, it is a lifetime condition (until there is a cure) but it should not limit what you eat. It sounds like your doctor may be confusing type 1 and type 2, so you may want to look for someone with more experience with type 1 diabetes. There are no limitations on what you can eat - you just need to dose insulin accordingly. My daughter eats pizza, sweets, honestly pretty much whatever she wants and still maintains good control. It will take some time to figure out how you respond to certain foods (and this how best to dose for them). Food with a lot of fat and protein can delay absorption of the carbs, resulting in delayed high blood sugar. A continuous glucose monitor can be a great tool both for safety to alert you to lows but also to learn how various food affect blood sugar. Good luck and reach out to this community as you have questions.
Thanks for sharing, Diane! I appreciate the support.
Do you know what type of diabetes she has? I know that there is a marker that some people carry and if the body has been under stress or if the individual gets very sick, it can trigger diabetes. However, if it is type 1 diabetes I don’t believe it can be reversed. Type 2 definitely. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin anymore at all. It simply does not work. Type 2 the pancreas still works, just not fully but that can be turned around and can in fact start working at full capacity with a lot of discipline and a super healthy life style. I am not a doctor but have been living with type 1 diabetes for almost 40 years and this is what I have learned
It’s more than likely DT2. My cousin probably got mixed up. Thanks.
Wow, it is good to hear that one can live a long time with diabetes. I am coming up on my 60th birthday and was just recently - 2 months ago - diagnosed though I believe I had it for a few months before diagnosis.
The last few days I have started to feel the “pricklies” very mildly in hands, feet, arms, legs and very sporadically and not continuously. Can it come on very early after diagnosis?? I am not having a very good day today emotionally. I have one foot in the grave, so to speak, with this new symptom. Ugh.
Hi @HopeFloats2020. Hang in there. You’ve just been hit with a huge diagnosis and are trying to learn the basics - and now something else comes along. I’m not a doctor and would not dream of giving a diagnosis on a forum even if I were, but there is a condition called peripheral neuropathy which affects the nerves. The good news is some or many of the possible complications of diabetes can be managed with good control, which you are working on learning. So let your doctor know what’s going on so they can give you a diagnosis and start you on treatment. Take care.
Thanks, Dorie. blush:
First follow-up visit this Wednesday.
Another question for you all… I am thinking about getting a second opinion but I think it is too early to discount my Endo and the treatment plan. Opinions?
@HopeFloats2020 Cathy, a “good” doctor will not take offense to a 2nd opinion. if they do take offense then they are not a good doctor.
if you mean a 2nd opinion on if you have diabetes, well that’s a matter of your blood sugar. there’s a couple things to be aware of
lots of people start to make insulin for a little while after a t1 diagnosis. this is called honeymoon. it drives you mad because you might think the doctor was wrong or (like I did) you may thing that “it’s not diabetes and it’s going away”
type 1 type 2 type whatever, your goal is to control your blood sugar. Often times you need medicine. they kind of medicine you take is the one(s) that work.
if you use insulin, it does not interfere with your body’s ability to make insulin. if you can make insulin you will when your blood sugar is high. if you can’t then you need to take insulin or you will die. every muscle (including your heart) needs insulin to convert blood glucose to useable muscle fuel. if you don’t make insulin and you don’t take insulin you will starve…
c-peptide test can tell you how much of your own insulin your body can make
antibody tests can tell you if you have type 1 antibodies (this is not definitive, but can help determine if you are type 1 you will likely have antibodies)
your doctor and consultants are your best bet for medical stuff. just spilling what I learned over the years
Hi Joe and thanks. Second opinion and the treatment i.e., how much insulin, diet, etc.
I’m pretty certain my doc did all the blood labs to determine the type which I image would include the c peptide. Actually, I could look in my digital chart to see all tests and results.
Bottom line, I am not yet fully accepting of this. At every injection, I still say, even OUTLOUD, I can’t believe this is my life. I eat very well, take my meds, and I started walking 30 minutes a day but still get worried about the future and possible complications. Like I mentioned in a post today, I started to feel some pricklies the last few days and I have my self in the grave. I am a sissy.
@HopeFloats2020 you are NOT a sissy. No way. First thing is I don’t think it works that way. Your diagnosis was a physical and mental trauma. Emotionally you need time to recover. This starts with classic denial and then stages through to acceptance. It’s a process. A diagnosis is much like losing a person close to you. This is a grieving process. It takes time. Go easy on yourself. Negative self talk is really bad for you.
Stress alone can cause tingly and random or phantom feelings including pain. Classically back pain. But it could be anything or anywhere. When I get a sudden trauma even a mild one, sometimes my hands go to sleep.
Losses add. When you already have losses in your life the news of a new loss brings up all the other ones behind it.
You’re human. You didn’t do anything wrong. It sucks and it’s ok to be sad or angry or both. Or nothing. Just be aware that holding it in is worse than letting it out.
There’s close to 500 years of experience here by the regular contributors. You are in a safe place here. You are in the right place.
Therapy can help. Or a grief self help support group. I shut down and had undiagnosed depression for many years. I think over 25 years. Don’t be like me. Take advantage by talking about it with the folks here who are on this path with you. Ok sorry for the long post. My therapy appointment is in 30 minutes. -Joe
No need to apologize for lengthy post! I am thankful for this forum.
Chuckling at your last line. Hope it was a good one.
…Cathy
Cathy, you are right knowing that there are, or might be, complications,m but please don’t over-think to the point where those worries take over your life. Rather, keep in the front of you the thought that good, not even “perfect” - whatever that is - glucose management is the best path to avoiding complications. Nice that you are getting out walking, so let that be an initiative to living a full life. This diabetes thing should not hold you back from reaching your dream. Keep a positive attitude.
Before you see your doctor on Wednesday, I suggest that you have your questions written down so you don’t overlook your something that has you concerned.
@HopeFloats2020 I thought you might like to see a list of famous people with Type 1. We’re about the same age so some names will be more familiar than others😊 among the athletes, actors, musicians, people in public office and court benches. Of course the lists do not include the most important of all - everyday people like us - parents, children, teachers, the cashier at your grocery store, the health care worker, the contestant on Family Feud, your co-worker, the tech support person… You get the idea. Enjoy the lists.