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Motivation/Emotions

Diabetic Connect Member purple69688

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i need help

by purple69688
October 6, 2009 4:58 PM
22 Replies
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i need help with techinques on how to lower my blood sugars. i have done everything i can think of including just eating nothing but veggies and nothing seems to be working.i would also like to inform everyone that i am currently taking 190 units of insulin a day. please help me firgure something out, and yes im a little over weight

Tags: diet, motivation

From Replies
Diabetic Connect Member mamaoak
mamaoak
mamaoak replied October 6, 2009 5:31 PM 

you have to lower your carb intake and exersise. and lower your callories as well.

Diabetic Connect Member Harlen
Harlen
Harlen replied October 6, 2009 5:49 PM 

I know what you meen I have ben there
do you know how to carb count?
Its hart to get and frustrating
But when you get it down so will your Bs
wish you the best H

kathy g replied October 8, 2009 3:28 AM 

hi harlen, i know what you mean, we have a hard time carb counting to and my sons blood sugar also go low to. i am really scared at night when he does his insalin cause i am afraid his blood sugar will go to low and he will go into another sesiour. he already had two.

John Crowley replied October 8, 2009 2:51 PM 

Kathy, welcome to the group. Yes, there are a couple of things you can (and should) do to help at night. First, have your son test his blood sugar at night just before he takes his insulin at night (I'm assuming from what you've said that he takes a long-acting insulin at night). His blood sugar should be 100 (or a little higher) before he goes to bed.

Also, have him eat a small snack right before bed that contains a little bit of carbs plus some protein. Something like a few crackers with some cheese. Or a piece of toast with peanut butter. That will help keep his blood sugars steady through the night.

If you're having a lot of trouble during the night, you should do some blood sugar testing in the middle of the night for 3 or 4 nights in a row. Wake your son up around 1 a.m. and test his blood sugar. Then you'll have a better idea about what is happening while he sleeps. He may need to cut back on his night-time insulin shot. If you do the middle of the night testing, that will help your doctor to know what adjustments might need to be made.
Diabetic Connect Member John Crowley
John Crowley
John Crowley replied October 6, 2009 10:54 PM 

First of all, it sounds like it would be great for you to visit with a Certified Diabetes Educator. Here's a link to find one in your area.

http://www.diabeteseducator.org/DiabetesEducation/Find.html

Second, you do need to be careful by assuming that all veggies are good for your blood sugar. Potatoes, corn, peas, and other starchy vegetables are terrible for your blood sugar.

When you tried all vegetables, what did you eat? How long did you try it? What kind of blood sugar numbers were you seeing?

It is concerning that you're taking a large amount of insulin each day and not seeing better results. What insulin are you taking? Do you use a pen or do you draw up your own shots with a syringe? Do you store your insulin in the fridge?

kathy g replied October 8, 2009 3:22 AM 

hi john,my name is kathy i am new to this group, i did not know that peas,corn and potatoes were not good for the blood sugar, and why didnt my sons doctor or nurses tell us about that. my son is a diabetic and he has been struggling with it for five years now.he has had two sesiors which scared me to death, i almost lost him three times.i am always a nervous reck i cant hardley sleep, i am aways checking on him. do you have any advice for me,and have you had any exsperiences like this with your son.

John Crowley replied October 8, 2009 2:57 PM 

If your son takes a fast-acting insulin (such as Humalog or Novolog), it is easier to cover foods like potatoes and corn. That may be why your doctor didn't make a big deal about it. However, you should still know and understand that starchy vegetables do cause blood sugars to rise very fast. And misjudging a portion size of mashed potatoes, for example, can make a big difference in blood sugar control. In fact, at our house, whenever we serve mashed potatoes, or corn, or rice, we always serve them with a measuring cup, so that my son knows exactly how many carbs he's eating.

Deleted User 59603 replied October 9, 2009 8:20 PM 

I saw your post about your son and wondered if he is typeII or type l? My mother was struggling for years with type ll and we tried to regulate it with diet, she watched everything she put in her mouth, and it worked, but it wasn't fun, she got fed up with all the work to keep it straight. She is 80 years old, and wants to just enjoy her life. She is doing that now since we found out about Dr Stephen Cherniske and a nutricutical called Ageless Xtra. www.180AboutFace.myunivera.com She is having great results and no longer has to measure and count everything in her mouth. I'm glad we kept looking. Your son is younger than my mom and has many more years of health issues to deal with. Please let me know if you have any questions, dnc.castle@gmail.com. God Bless.

Julie D replied October 9, 2009 2:47 AM 

John...thank you so much for the link to find a certified diabetes education. For some reason, my doctor seemed to ignore my question about finding a dietician or someone who can help me figure this whole diabetic eating thing out. I have become so frustrated not being able to get my bs to stabelize, and know I need to find a new doctor who will listen to me. I can't wait to call the CDE I found and hopefully she can help me get back on the right track...with food AND a new doc!!! Thanks, again John
Diabetic Connect Member US331242
US331242
US331242 replied October 7, 2009 1:43 AM 

I agree with John. But something that I learned that made everything clear to me. You need to balance protein, carbs and fat.

Most fo us were told to eat no more than 30-40 carbs per meal, right? But were you told that if you don't eat protein and fat that your body will have issues processing the carbs and if you eat too many carbs they become fat? Were you also told that when caffeine breaks down in your body it raises your glucose level?

Here's the formula: If you are eating 35 carbs then you need a minimum of 28 protein and maximum 14 in fat. This will help everything properly absorb. CARBS / 1.25 = PROTEIN ... PROTEIN *.5 = FAT

So the next time you eat veggies, fruits, candy, pasta, or anything that breaks down to a sugar, know the number of carbs it has, and make sure you have the proper balance.

Oh and the real story on caffeine is this, it actually slows down your ability to metabolize food and the larger the dose the slower your food metabolizes. With a diabetic this is already an issue so caffeine can double the problem. In 2004 a study was completed to show that caffeine increased blood sugars 48% on average in type 2 diabetics.

Granted there are more rules that you can learn from your Diabetes Educator, but this has helped me lose over 50 lbs as well as change my blood sugars from over 320 to a 130 average. When I plateau, I'll ask for more rules to build into my everyday life...it's a process and a lifestyle change.

John Crowley replied October 7, 2009 4:48 PM 

Hey, can you point us toward that caffeine study? There has been a lot of discussion about diet sodas on this site. And if what you're saying is accurate, then you may have solved the mystery for some of our members who have sworn that sugar-free diet sodas indeed did raise their blood sugar. Perhaps it was the effect of the caffeine that was causing the blood sugar rise.

US331242 replied October 7, 2009 5:35 PM 

Sure I'd be happy to. the studies (2004 & 2008) were done at Duke University by Dr. Lane. I had the privilege of reading the entire study back in 2004 and it was fascinating.

I searched Google using "caffeine blood sugar study". There are a lot of results but they are all using the same study/source here are some key ones:
1)WebMD -- http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20040726/caffeine-hamper-b...
2)Rueters -- http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSN252279722...
3)http://www.talkaboutcoffee.com/does-caffeine-increase-blo... (STUDY BREAKDOWN)
4)CBS News -- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/29/health/webmd/ma...

Deleted User 59603 replied October 9, 2009 8:25 PM 

Dr. Stephen Cherniske is doing some great work on the Caffeine and Diabetesll issues. Check out www.universascience.com. If you are a licensed health care practicioner you can also get access to the published study results. Please let me know if you have any questions, dnc.castle@gmail.com My mother is doing great, and we feel so much better since we started applying these nutricutical scienctific products to our life. I'd love to share the gift with you.

kathy g replied October 8, 2009 3:32 AM 

hi us33, thanks for the advice i didnt know about the caffine intake and what it did to the blood sugar

Sherrance replied October 9, 2009 2:37 AM 

Hi US
Thanks for that formula. This is great info for me. I never knew. I just signed up here. I'm going to pass this on to my friends!

US331242 replied October 14, 2009 4:47 PM 

Last edited about 1 month ago

For some reason, this is hard to get out of doctors and nutritionist. My guess is, because it is math and there is a US phobia on that topic so, they try to show the balance in pictures of things like plates, pyramids, and cartoonish things that those with a scientific mind just don't get.

When I finally got the formula, everything started to work better for me. It's still hard to stick with it, but at least now when I feel off, I know what to do to get back on track.

I'm glad I could help! Maybe it will work for you too.

GettingHealthy replied October 9, 2009 6:23 PM 

Great info! I had no idea about the caffiene and would like to see link also.

Deleted User 59603 replied October 9, 2009 8:28 PM 

http://chetday.com/nocaffeine.htm
www.univerascience.com
www.180AboutFace.myunivera.com
dnc.castle@gmail.com

check it out.... we did and made huge changes that have impacted our lives in an incredibly positive way. Love to share the gift!

TRKnight2007 replied October 9, 2009 8:48 PM 

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Tony

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Anonymous replied October 12, 2009 4:30 PM 

Hi. I am new to this forum but not new to diabetes. I do not take insulin by the grace of God, but my diabetes has been out of control for almost a year. I finally decided to get back on track. One of the first things I did was look into what I should be eating. Basically food in its natural form is okay as long as it's portion controlled. There are a lot of myths out there that just aren't true. I found out that if I keep my doctor appointments, get my blood checked regularly and start eating and exercising that I will have control over my diabetes. I have gone off track a little due to an overdue family reunion and a baby shower. I know that as long as I keep monitoring my food intake and take my sugars every day, that I will get back on track. After all--I don't want to undo that work that I started. Believe in yourself. Get a buddy that is a motivator who can boost your morale and get you to want to stay on track. You can do it. It's all worth it.
God Bless

Diabetic Connect Member AngieKH
AngieKH
AngieKH replied October 13, 2009 2:39 PM 

Are you currently on an insulin pump? My husband and I struggled for years and we are both on insulin pumps now and it has been a life changing difference
Diabetic Connect Member OMIRI
OMIRI
OMIRI replied October 23, 2009 10:17 AM 

I believe it would help you to learn how to count carbuhydrats and get appointment with a Diabetic Educater. he or she could show how to calculate them and how much insulin to take to cover what you eat.