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Introduction

1665 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Richard157
My name is Paul and I'm just now joining this community. I've had Type I diabetes for over 40 years now. At 52, I struggle with some minor complications, mostly to my feet and kidneys. I'm tightly controlled, using a Paradigm 522 pump and check my BG 10-12 times daily.

My greatest frustration is how difficult it is to find a consistent level of readings even though I work so hard to manage them.
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Hello Paul: :)

It's Nice to meet you. Hey, 40+ years with the Big D. Very Good. Congratulations.

Complications of the feet and kidneys, I do not consider minor since they do turn into something worse. I do hope that you are being looked after by your Endo. for these complications. Good sugar control is definitely a must, as you know. I'm sure that you have worked hard to keep your sugars under control. We understand that it is not an easy task to do sometimes whether by pump, MDI or oral meds. There are times when our sugars go out of whack for reasons we don't understand. Those times happen to everyone on occasion.

A pump is a Great system for Diabetes maintainance but you must understand how it works(taught and followed by your pump Rep and pump Educator), how to count carbohydrates, what your I:C Ratio is(your Endo or Dietician can tell you this), etc.

Keeping a log of all your tests, exercise, foods and drinks that you consume is helpful to show to your Endo and Dietician so that they know your schedule and perhaps will know why the sugars are not in line.

I eat 5-6 small meals to keep my sugars more balanced. Most of my meals, i.e.: a coffee, yogurt and piece of cheese or a banana and a handful of almonds with a glass of water, a small chicken salad with a tea and cookie or a tuna sandwich with a milk or a fruit smoothie with a water, or 3/4 cup of stew with a piece of rye with a water or a small bbq steak with a cup of brussel spouts, etc. Less carbs, less weight, less meds. You, as an active Guy, would need more, of course.
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Hello Paul, welcome aboard! I am a Type 1 with minor complications, I use the MM 522 pump and I test 12 times per day. Sound familiar? Lol! The similarity ends there. I am 69, diagnosed in 1945 at age 6. I had minor neuropathy and retinopathy and some other nerve damage. The pumping and tight control has caused those problems to disappear. I hope you and I will have many more years without any bad complications. Thanks for joining us, I am looking forward to you sharing your next posts.

Richard
Hello Paul: :)

It's Nice to meet you. Hey, 40+ years with the Big D. Very Good. Congratulations.

Complications of the feet and kidneys, I do not consider minor since they do turn into something worse. I do hope that you are being looked after by your Endo. for these complications. Good sugar control is definitely a must, as you know. I'm sure that you have worked hard to keep your sugars under control. We understand that it is not an easy task to do sometimes whether by pump, MDI or oral meds. There are times when our sugars go out of whack for reasons we don't understand. Those times happen to everyone on occasion.

A pump is a Great system for Diabetes maintainance but you must understand how it works(taught and followed by your pump Rep and pump Educator), how to count carbohydrates, what your I:C Ratio is(your Endo or Dietician can tell you this), etc.

Keeping a log of all your tests, exercise, foods and drinks that you consume is helpful to show to your Endo and Dietician so that they know your schedule and perhaps will know why the sugars are not in line.

I eat 5-6 small meals to keep my sugars more balanced. Most of my meals, i.e.: a coffee, yogurt and piece of cheese or a banana and a handful of almonds with a glass of water, a small chicken salad with a tea and cookie or a tuna sandwich with a milk or a fruit smoothie with a water, or 3/4 cup of stew with a piece of rye with a water or a small bbq steak with a cup of brussel spouts, etc. Less carbs, less weight, less meds. You, as an active Guy, would need more, of course.
Terrie -

Thanks for the introduction and advice. I just had my 3-month check up with my Endo - all labs are in check (6.1 A1C). We continue to work on reducing BG volatility. I agree that diet plays a significant role - types of food play havoc on me. I think fatty foods are a big obstacle. Anyway, I appreciate your encouragement.

- Paul
Hello Paul, welcome aboard! I am a Type 1 with minor complications, I use the MM 522 pump and I test 12 times per day. Sound familiar? Lol! The similarity ends there. I am 69, diagnosed in 1945 at age 6. I had minor neuropathy and retinopathy and some other nerve damage. The pumping and tight control has caused those problems to disappear. I hope you and I will have many more years without any bad complications. Thanks for joining us, I am looking forward to you sharing your next posts.

Richard
Richard -

Good to hear from you. Fortunately, my complications are minor. I'm glad to hear you're doing well. Stay in touch.

- Paul
Hi Paul:

You're Welcome. Hey, Great A1c. Congrats! I just had my Endo appointment this week. My A1c is 6.4. That's the 3rd time in a row. I see my Endo every 6 months.

Yes, some foods raise the blood sugar unbelieveably. Since you use the pump, don't you use the dual-wave or square-wave to manage the high fat foods? I know that even I have have to take 2 shots of Insulin usually 1 1/2 hours apart, for those types of food. Or perhaps your basals need a bit of tweaking?

Another thought, since you have had Diabetes so long it may be possible that you have gastroparesis. It is a type of neuropathy that can cause digestion to be delayed by many hours.
I hate to butt in here but how does the high fat foods affect the insulin? Is it that it slows the absorption of carbs and you need to adjust your insulin to compensate for the slow absorption?

By the way, Paul, welcome to our group. I am glad you decided to join us.
Ruby, I don't adjust my insulin when I eat fatty foods unless there is a lot of it. I rarely eat a very fatty meal except when having several slices of pizza or a 12 oz steak. If I do have a fatty meal like that then I save about one quarter of my bolus insulin for 90 minutes after the meal.

I haven't spoken to you in awhile Ruby, how are you doing?

Richard
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