[Carmenbezz]

Hi Everyone,

I 63 years young and was diagnosed with diabetes in 1995. It has been a cycle of trying various meds over the years and those that seemed to work well were extremely expensive. My last A1c was 8.3 up from 7.9, three months ago. I was taking Meformin 1000 mg twice a day and Humulin 70/30; started at 12 units twice a day and I am now up to 25 units twice a day. I can tell by my numbers that my A1c is not going to be much lower. I will be seeing my doc next week and am considering asking her about Jardiance. I will check the forums for more info but if anyone has info they would like to share now it would greatly appreciate. Thank you...we are on this roller coaster ride together.:wink2:

 

[moon]

Hi Carmen - welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear you're having a tough go with your diabetes. Mind sharing a bit about what your diet is like? One of the things I was told when diagnosed, was that I could eat something like 180 carbs/day. Well, I couldn't! The best thing I did for my diabetes was give up carbohydrates except what I got from vegetables and nuts. I stopped eating bread, grains, potatoes, rice, oatmeal ... and was able to stop the medication they had put me on. This was going from a 14.7 A1c! The best thing I learned was: there is life after carbs, and I can eat really well on very few of them.

Are you testing after meals to see what your blood glucose is doing? That gives the best picture of what certain meals/foods are doing.

Jardiance isn't a drug I'd want to be on. You can read a bit about why at Jenny Ruhl's Blood Sugar 101 site: SGLT2 Inhibitors, Farxiga, Invokana, Jardiance. Questionable New Drugs

You're right: we're on this roller coaster together. But, the good news is, the roller coaster doesn't have to be a really high one

Glad you joined us!


http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/36474059.php

 

[MaJoie]

Hi Carmenbezz. Welcome to the forum. We try to avoid the rollercoaster using these techniques:
How to Lower Your Blood Sugar
for these reasons:
The Laws of Small Numbers - Diabetes Solution - Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. A Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars. Official Web Site
We're glad you have decided to join us here.

 

[VeeJay]

Welcome Carmen

This is a great place for getting help and being motivated toward gaining good control of diabetes. While meds and insulin are very helpful, the majority of us here have found that one of the keys to control is to reduce the foods that cause blood glucose (BG) to rise in the first place - carbohydrates.

A reduction of carbs, and an increase in testing is what is essential. Especially if one is on insulin - don't want to go low.

Can you tell us what your diet is like? Perhaps we can help you tweak it so that you don't have to go on yet another drug - maybe eating a low-carb diet could allow you to reduce the insulin you need.

 

[gailbuf]

Welcome Carmen! I'm 61 years young. For me the LCHF diet is very helpful in keeping my blood sugar stable.

 

[Carmenbezz]

Thank you all so much,

I was on Dr. Bernstein's diet (introduced to me by a naturopath) several years ago. It did work wonders for me. However, I had a heart attack in 2012 and my cardiologist advised me against this diet because of kidney issues. I also developed an anxiety over eating meat. So I was going back and forth with it and realized my cardiologist was not happy with my working with a 'naturopath' and wouldn't approve of anything she suggested, even the supplement I had been taking for years for neuropathy he was against, and yet that is what worked for me. I am seeing a new doc next week and after reading your responses I called her and confirmed that she would be willing to work with me on the LCHF and supplements that helped me in the past and not add another drug. She agreed that I knew my body better than anyone else after all these years and her concern is to keep the numbers low with lesser meds. What a breath of fresh air that was to hear. I guess I was looking for an 'easy' way out by the Jaridance. I am so glad I joined this forum as already I have been given amazing information and support. I am going to work much harder at the low carbs, high fat, low glycemic diet. There is no easy way out; it takes hard work and commitment. I had my fasting blood work done this morning and I am anxious to see the results so I can have a place, once again, to start from. My fasting #'s have been 150 to175 and they fluctuate mostly up from there. I have only myself to blame for not eating more low carb foods. Suggestions other than meat would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully, as I work towards the lower numbers, I will be able to help others as you have helped me so much already as we continue on this roller coaster of highs and lows working towards better control.

 

[MaJoie]

Carmen do you have a blood glucose meter? Are you testing your own blood sugar? It would be very helpful to you in determining what foods work for you.

 

[VeeJay]

I'm glad we've been of some help to you. Also, that you're going to see what appears to be a very supportive doctor.

There's no reason you should think you have to force-feed meat. There are other perfectly acceptable proteins within the LCHF way of eating: eggs, dairy/cheese, fish (if you like it) and chicken (if it is only red-meat you shy away from). LCHF assumes a moderate amount of protein only. What's most important is low carbs and high fats. And the fats are what makes this plan so satisfying (what's not to like about butter!)

There are a few sticky threads at the top of this section Diet and Nutrition that may give you some meal ideas. While most of the entrees contain meat, there are some side dishes (especially cauliflower with added fats - cheese, sour cream, etc.) that would be appealing to you.

 

[moon]

I am seeing a new doc next week and after reading your responses I called her and confirmed that she would be willing to work with me on the LCHF and supplements that helped me in the past and not add another drug. She agreed that I knew my body better than anyone else after all these years and her concern is to keep the numbers low with lesser meds.

Now that's how to be pro-active! Something tells me you're going to be very successful with your new approach

 

[Carmenbezz]

Carmen do you have a blood glucose meter? Are you testing your own blood sugar? It would be very helpful to you in determining what foods work for you.

Yes I do...I have been checking them four times per day...morning fasting; pre lunch, pre dinner and bedtime. Plus early am when I wake up sweating (only happened a few times recently) and my numbers at that time were always around 110-115, which is low for me when my average was 169 for the past month.

 

[VeeJay]

You might give this testing protocol a try:

test before eating (which will tell you where your BG started from before a meal)

Total the carb grams for the meal/snack you are about to eat

test 1hr after the first bite (this is when the highest spike usually occurs)

test again 1hr later

If any of these BG readings are above 140, then you know that you need to reduce the carbs the next time you eat. Keep reducing carbs until your BG doesn't go above 140 at any of the readings.

Many of us here eat less than 50g carbs per DAY, and some (like myself) less than 30g a day. The "Eat to your meter" way of testing will pinpoint for you what foods you need to eliminate or greatly reduce portion size, and it won't take long for you to see really good BG levels.

 

[VeeJay]

I just went back are re-read your first post and see that you are on insulin, so you'll need to approach this carb reduction slowly so you can make adjustments to your insulin.

At some point you might consider replacing the combo insulin with separate basal and bolus - which will give you much better control and reduce the risk of going low when reducing carbs.