[Candace Yount]

Hi, Everyone.
My name is Candy and I'm 67.

I joined this forum when I was diagnosed with T2 several years ago (2012) but I never took my diabetes seriously.
I went on eating like I was a normal person, focusing a lot on burger joints. You could say I was a hamburger junkie.

I did my A1Cs when requested to. I developed neuropathy in my feet. I was prescribed Metformin and had a lot of side effects. My migraines returned with a vengeance.

In 2018 or earlier I started losing my balance and began using a cane to help me stay on my feet. I began falling a lot, not from dizziness but lack of balance even with the cane. I fell in 2019 going down an escalator on a trip to Las Vegas. Turns out I didn't have enough feeling in my toes to safely navigate stepping on the escalator. I had a lot of scrapes which the casino paramedics bandaged up. Since then, I've had a lot of scratches and wounds that weren't healing properly. It scared me enough to get an A1C on my own. My test results were 14.3 % with an average glucose of 364.

I was finally taken off Metformin and prescribed Glipizide which didn't do much for me.

I'm a Kaiser member and was assigned a diabetes consultant. I was really feeling rotten at the time and started faithfully testing my blood sugar and began to change my diet. Still my numbers remained high. I was put on Glimepiride (generic for Amaryl). Still my numbers were high. My consultant asked if I'd consider going on insulin. It scared me but not as much as what the consequences would be.

Along with my Glimepiride I was put on Humulin using a KwikPen. He started the dosage low (can't remember how many units). I started seeing improvements in my blood sugar but it was erratic. He finally upped the dosage to 2 units in the morning and 64 units at night. My numbers are a lot better, generally in the mid 200s or high 100s. I began an LCHF diet and my numbers have stabilized. My biggest problem with my morning sugars is that I often work late into the night and am hungry by about 11 or 12. I can't find a good snack that won't elevate my morning numbers. Any help with suggestions would be appreciated.

So sorry I wrote a book. Looking forward to getting to know everybody.

Candy

 

[itissteve]

Hello, Candy! Welcome to the forum!

Don't worry about "writing a book" -- we each have our diabetes stories and many of them are fairly long and have their twists and turns. I ignored my T2 for several years -- not completely; I kind of lower-carbed myself because I knew a lot of carbs at one time really made me feel crummy. But everyone has to get to that point on their own time. I'm glad you're at that time now. It will be a positive for your life.

What have you tried for nighttime snacks? There are many low- or no-carb snacks, like cheese, hard boiled eggs, cubes of salami, even snacks like Wisps which are salty rounds of grated cheese cooked into a cracker shape. Do you have any food restrictions?

I'm looking forward to seeing your posts in various forums here!

 

[Candace Yount]

Hello, Candy! Welcome to the forum!

Don't worry about "writing a book" -- we each have our diabetes stories and many of them are fairly long and have their twists and turns. I ignored my T2 for several years -- not completely; I kind of lower-carbed myself because I knew a lot of carbs at one time really made me feel crummy. But everyone has to get to that point on their own time. I'm glad you're at that time now. It will be a positive for your life.

What have you tried for nighttime snacks? There are many low- or no-carb snacks, like cheese, hard boiled eggs, cubes of salami, even snacks like Wisps which are salty rounds of grated cheese cooked into a cracker shape. Do you have any food restrictions?

I'm looking forward to seeing your posts in various forums here!

Hi, Steve. Thank you for the welcome.

Yes, I've tried a hard-boiled egg, ham, that's about it. Right now, it doesn't seem to matter. My fasting BG level in the morning is very high.
I've e-mailed my diabetic consultant at Kaiser and sent him my BG log for the last month but haven't heard back from him, mainly because it was late Friday when I e-mailed him, so I don't expect him to see it until Monday.

Candy

 

[itissteve]

I'm at a bit of a disadvantage with insulin dosing, but I wonder if your Kaiser doc would change the amount or ratio of the Humulin. I've found even the timing of when I take medications and supplements has an effect on how well they work on me.

 

[Candace Yount]

I'm sure he'll change the dosage once he sees my numbers for the last month.

As an aside, my husband is a chef 👩‍🍳 and made almond flour bread which I've really been enjoying.
This morning he made French toast which I'd thought I'd never have again.
😺

 

[alamogirl]

Hi Candy,

Welcome back to the forum. I was diagnosed back in 2017. My A1C was 10.5, and now it is 6.2% so it can be lowered. I'm trying to get back to the 5% range.

I had been having high readings in the mornings, but it looks like they are going back down. I cut my food intake around 8:30 to 9:00 pm the night before. Someone explained to me that sometimes your body thinks it's in starvation mode, so the liver pushes out glucose, then the pancreas pushes out insulin, and since my insulin doesn't work as well as a non-diabetic, my sugar level is high in the morning. Moderators...if I explained it incorrectly, please correct me. I surely don't want to give out incorrect information.

I started eating a boiled egg or a slice of turkey around 10:00. I find that it not always works. I have a friend whose brother is diabetic. His A1C was in the 12% at diagnosis. He refused to get on meds and lowered his A1C on his own by eating LCHF. Later, I found out that he only cut out sodas, bread, candy, and chips. He was still eating baked potatoes, carrots, diet sodas, and other foods that I've had to give up. His A1C today is in the 5% range. I just don't get it. Maybe it's because he's a 50 something male, and I'm a 60 something female. The mysteries of diabetes.

Hope you continue to hang around.

 

[Candace Yount]

Hi Candy,

Welcome back to the forum. I was diagnosed back in 2017. My A1C was 10.5, and now it is 6.2% so it can be lowered. I'm trying to get back to the 5% range.

I had been having high readings in the mornings, but it looks like they are going back down. I cut my food intake around 8:30 to 9:00 pm the night before. Someone explained to me that sometimes your body thinks it's in starvation mode, so the liver pushes out glucose, then the pancreas pushes out insulin, and since my insulin doesn't work as well as a non-diabetic, my sugar level is high in the morning. Moderators...if I explained it incorrectly, please correct me. I surely don't want to give out incorrect information.

I started eating a boiled egg or a slice of turkey around 10:00. I find that it not always works. I have a friend whose brother is diabetic. His A1C was in the 12% at diagnosis. He refused to get on meds and lowered his A1C on his own by eating LCHF. Later, I found out that he only cut out sodas, bread, candy, and chips. He was still eating baked potatoes, carrots, diet sodas, and other foods that I've had to give up. His A1C today is in the 5% range. I just don't get it. Maybe it's because he's a 50 something male, and I'm a 60 something female. The mysteries of diabetes.

Hope you continue to hang around.

Hi Alamo.
Sounds like you've accomplished what I've been trying to. My morning numbers were really high and I know it's because I eat something late at night. I often work till 11 or 12 even 1 in the morning. Naturally, I'm slumping 3 or 4 hours after my last meal. I've tried a hard boiled egg and it doesn't seem to matter. I've only been on Humulin 70/30 for a couple weeks and have just added Jardiance to my cocktail of meds, so we're waiting to see if that evens things out. I'm having a hard time adjusting to taking my insulin 1/2 before breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is the hardest. I'm so used to getting up, taking my BG and making my meal. Now I get up, take my BG, then my insulin and Jardiance and have to wait 1/2 hour. I know I'll get used to it.
I'm amazed at your friend's brother still being able to eat potatoes and carrots. I've learned to love pork rinds, and I make sandwiches with the almond flour break my husband makes for me. It's almost normal. This past weekend he made peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies with coconut and almond flour. They're super delicious and don't affect my BG at all.

I'm very grateful to be married to a professional chef. He comes up with all kinds of things I can eat where I'd be living off eggs and cheese if I were on my own.

Nice to talk to you!

 

[etherea]

Welcome, Candace!
I've was diagnosed 10 years ago and I'm still learning--much of it from this forum!
My BH was once a professional chef. He burned out on cooking by the time he left that profession, but he's really good about cooking now. He hasn't gotten as creative with meals as yours, but it is nice to have a personal chef.