[Shanny]

Hayley? You're missing a golden opportunity to take charge of this right now and save yourself a lot of grief later. 200 is not the magic number for being diabetic. Your postprandial levels are diabetic levels. Non-diabetic people can eat anything they want and all they want, and still be at 120 an hour later, and most are under 100 by two hours later: that isn't 180 - it isn't 134 . . . it is under 100 . For you to be non-diabetic or "pre"-diabetic, you would need to be under 100 two hours after eating.

As you are beginning to notice, this disease progresses unless we take strong measures to arrest that progress. If you take those measures now, you'll reap the benefits of control all the rest of your life.

Being in denial is something that usually comes with the diabetes package, as it often does with any disturbing disorder, but the sooner you can stop assuming and start accepting, the more your body will thank you by not deteriorating and developing complications. If you go above 140 very often or stay there very long, your body is sustaining damage to kidneys, blood vessels, eyesight and other vital systems. To quote a diabetic friend of mine, "You have a dangerous disease. The complications can be very devastating. " The choice is yours: see a doctor and begin to make the adjustments in your diet that will prevent these high sugar levels. The rice, beans, bread, pasta, potatoes and muffins are not helping you now. Please give this serious consideration if you've gotten attached to your fingers & toes, and being able to see clearly.

 

[Shanny]

...those meals appeared to be fine for me to eat, and now they are not. That's what I'm confused about.

That's the thing about this cussed disease - just when we think we have it figured out, it makes a U-turn & we're back to the drawing board again. We're never "home free" . . . we can't relax our vigilance for a darn minute!

I was diagnosed at a free clinic here in Missouri, so it sure can't hurt to look it up & give a call. All the initial bloodwork I had done was at no cost to me either.

I have since aged into Medicare, but for many years I was without health coverage too, and I sure know what you're going through. Trying so hard to be careful & stay well. The times when I had to use the free clinic, the wait lines here were long & sometimes I'd wait and still be turned away. It's just not civilized that citizens have to go without such a fundamental service as health care!

Since you're already testing regularly, give Pam's advice a try, and you'll not only see lower more stable levels, you'll have a head start on gaining control.