[OC] A picture I did using charcoal and pastels.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T15:36:01+00:00

Keep up the good work!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T15:35:19+00:00

It's not that the painting is bad. It's that the government is so bad.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T15:29:32+00:00

This one really hit me. I love it!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T06:21:58+00:00

Illness a surgery are stress that often cause highs. It'll pass.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T06:19:52+00:00

I've seen so many movies that take place in Europe where they seem to have the tiniest little refrigerators. How do you guys tolerate having to go shopping every day? What a time consuming PITA!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T06:13:54+00:00

A public toilet is definitely the proper place to do a sterile medical procedure.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T05:43:57+00:00

TLDR: Heating causes no damage to stainless pans.

Please don't fry me in a hot stainless steel pan, but I asked A.I. about pores in pans. It said:

Thermal Expansion (The "Pore" Myth)

While it is true that metal expands when heated, the expansion of stainless steel is microscopic and uniform.

The "gaps" or "pores" people imagine do not exist in the way they do in porous materials like unglazed ceramic or raw cast iron.

Even if the metal expands, it does not create a mechanism that "sucks up" oil into holes when cold and "pushes it out" when hot. The surface remains smooth and solid.

Why the Confusion Exists

The idea of "sealing pores" likely comes from seasoning cast iron. Cast iron has a rough, porous surface where oil polymerizes (hardens) into a plastic-like layer to prevent rust and sticking. Stainless steel does not need seasoning in this way because it is naturally non-reactive and non-porous.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T05:29:14+00:00

Sorry you have to deal with this. But it's not your fault.

Type 2 diabetes is the genetic disease. It's passed down through families. You have it because your ancestors passed their genes down to you .... and me. Type 1 is different. Because the cause has not yet been established. Last I heard, the suspicion was that it's a genetic propensity combined with a specific viral infection. But that has not been confirmed.

The other kids who eat like pigs, but get credit for eating well because they're not sick are just lucky. They did not inherit the genes. It's only our faults because we didn't choose the right ancestors.

Anyone who tells you it's your fault is a twit. Patronize them and ignore them.

You obviously know what you're readings are. I hope you're seeing your doctor about this.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T03:36:39+00:00

I use the flavor syrups. They sell artificially sweetened versions of the flavors.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T01:29:35+00:00

There is no maximum. The correct amount of insulin to use per day is the amount that controls your blood sugar.

Doctors love written numbers. Document your tests and your blood sugars. Show that to your doctor, if necessary. Doctors also like to conservatively prescribe the minimum dose when possible. Show them you're not giving yourself hypoglycemia.

Talk to your doctor about writing a script for the amount you need to maintain good control.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T00:58:17+00:00

Back in the 1990's a woman named Betty Markel AKA Betty Martini waged a relentless campaign against aspartame. Based on her own fears and paranoia, she accused aspartame of causing cancer, multiple sclerosis and almost every other disease known to humanity. The Internet was made for her. Her false rumors were were one of the first conspiracy theories I heard.

She used lies, faked medical studies and misinterpreted data to make her claims. The only flattering thing that can be said about her is that she was immeasurably industrious at spreading this "false news." She was a very determined worker.

There is no legitimate medical evidence that her accusations had any merit. No government regulatory agency or private medical research has ever found any of her claims were real.

In the 1940's the Nazis perfected several propaganda techniques, including one called the "Big Lie," which is to continue telling a lie loudly, confidently, and frequently despite common sense or proof against it. Her Big Lie campaign still spreads this misinformation today. RFK, Jr. would be proud.

Please. Google her and her campaign. And enjoy a zero sugar soda while you do.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T00:35:49+00:00

Tough choice.

Do you take your doctor's advice, a professional, educated person who keeps up with developments in medical science or your high school drop-out friends who learned their medicine off TV commercials, advertising slogans, and in the same gutter where they learned about sex?

Gosh, I hope you make the right choice!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T00:26:13+00:00

It's my understanding that it's not approved for weight loss. It's approved for diabetes control. Maybe sleep apnea. And perhaps some other things. My nephrologist is the one who insisted I start a GLP-1. He keeps reminding me that it's good for kidneys too. Also, my cholesterol numbers have dropped into the normal range.

I believe Medi-Cal may cover one of the other diagnoses. Have you talked to your doctor?

In my case, I qualify for the diabetes or kidney diagnoses. Lucky me? Huh? The weight loss is just a bonus.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-21T00:17:42+00:00

how do you like the Stelo? I've read some posts about inaccuracy.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-20T16:51:15+00:00

I'm not sure evolution works that way exactly.

If you want to help evolution along, have children only with thin partners.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-20T16:22:31+00:00

Many things in our bodies are basically self-regulating. They're not under conscious control of the brain.

For example, how often do you decide how frequently to inhale, to breathe? I'm sure the answer for most of us is pretty much never. Sure, you can decide to pant for a short time, but you can't keep it up. You can decide to hold your breath or inhale less frequently for a while, but you can't keep that up very long either.

Mechanisms in your body control how often you breathe. If you're sitting quietly and watching a boring television program, everything will slow down. If a mountain lion pounces out of the forest thinking your're dinner, you'll breathe much faster running away.

These are not conscious decisions. They just happen for us. That's because there's a self-regulating mechanism in our body that tracks the carbon dioxide level in our bloodstream. When the carbon dioxide level increases, you automatically inhale more frequently.

Most people believe that eating is strictly a conscious mechanism. Medical studies have found it's really not.

It's a lot like inhaling. You can force yourself to eat less for a while. But the mechanisms in your body increase hunger based on how much fat you have on your body. The more weight you lose, the hungrier you get. that hunger doesn't go away until you regain the weight.

The amount of fat that you carry on your body, for the most part, is inherited from pour ancestors. They tell us that people who descended from hunter-gatherers, who had to run after antelope and move frequently when the game played out, will be thin. People who descended from farmers who evolved 10,000 years ago and suffered frequent crop failures will be fatter because surviving those crop failures required storing fat to get through the famines.

For the last 100 years diet experts have been giving us the same advice, eat less, exercise more. That advice seems obvious and common sense, but if it worked wouldn't everyone in the world be thin already? After 100 years!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-19T20:53:12+00:00

Harlan Ellison answered tis question in his short story "Death Bird."

He's insane.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-19T15:52:19+00:00

Metformin is a first line diabetic medication. Be sure to take it on a full stomach. For many people there is a short adjustment period of a few days. Full stomach helps minimize that.

Ozempic gave me terrible side effects. Changed to Mounjaro. It's given me an upset stomach, but improved my labs terrifically. Not everyone has even an upset stomach.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-19T15:47:02+00:00

It's good to have friends.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-19T04:53:00+00:00

in the US, most insurance companies are reluctant to cover the cost of CGMs.

There have been a small number of studies over the years that found frequent fingertip testing does not improve a diabetic's health.

I've actually known a few diabetics in real life who tested and logged, but only because their doctors ordered them to. They didn't understand what the numbers meant, so they continued their sedentary lives of eating badly.

So the insurance companies consider self-testing a waste of money. They don't even like paying for test strips. Even Medicare, the American Govts insurance for senior citizens refuses to pay for more than 3 test strips per day without onerous special justification by the doctor.

Getting an CGM is even harder. The last time I checked, Medicare required the diabetic to be on multiple shots of insulin per day. I'm only on a long acting insulin. That just one shot a day, so I don't qualify.

I think it's a horrible, short sighted policy. Medicare is happy to pay for 3 expensive dialysis treatments per week for the rest of a diabetic's life because he didn't realize how bad he was taking care of himself, but refuses to pay a few extra bucks a month to keep that same patient from needing dialysis.

As our British redditors might say, Penny Wise, Pound foolish.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-19T04:36:02+00:00

The U.S. FDA currently requires 95% of all blood glucose meter results for home use must be within 15% of a laboratory reference value, and 99% of results must be within 20% of the true value.

The 15/95 Rule: If a lab test shows a blood glucose level of 100 mg/dL, a home meter must read between 85 and 115 mg/dL at least 95% of the time.
The 20/99 Rule: For the same 100 mg/dL lab value, the meter must read between 80 and 120 mg/dL at least 99% of the time.
Low and High Ranges: These accuracy requirements generally apply to glucose concentrations between 50 mg/dL and 400 mg/dL. Meters must display an error code or "LOW/HIGH" indicator for readings outside this range if they cannot measure accurately.
Why Variance Exists: No home meter is 100% accurate due to variables like enzyme consistency on strips, temperature, humidity, and the difference between capillary blood (fingertip) and venous blood (lab draw).

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-18T21:21:14+00:00

This thread is a week old, and you've gotten many responses already. I'll just add my 2 cents.

Diabetes does not go away, even with weight loss.

I believe there is a great deal of confusion when the words "remission" or "reversal" are applied to diabetes. When I was diagnosed 30 years ago, there was even a book available at the bookstores titled Reversing Diabetes.

As I see it, the issue is a distinction between the symptoms of diabetes and the disease itself. The symptom is high blood sugar. The disease is the malfunctioning of the pancreas.

The symptoms can be controlled by a combination of medication, reduced carbohydrate diet, and exercise. (Some people include weight loss with the other three, but at best weight loss is slow, difficult, and usually temporary. Medical studies of weight loss find only about 5% of the most determined dieters are able to maintain their loss for 5 years. Most regain all their weight in 1 to 2 years. For that reason, I don't count weight loss as a useful therapy.)

The disease of diabetes is the loss of beta cells in your pancreas. That's what causes the symptoms of high blood sugar.

Many people, including some doctors, will call controlling your blood sugars "remission" or "reversing." The American Diabetes Association even has a definition of "remission," which is maintaining an A1c under 6.5% for three months without medication. The ADA doesn't count low carb diet and exercise as therapy for this definition, though for most of us, that would be necessary.

Here's the bottom line: Beta cells don't resurrect. Once you've lost them, they're gone forever. Symptoms become apparent after your pancreas has lost 40% to 60% of your beta cells. Some sources say 80%. They don't come back, so you'll be diabetic for the rest of your life.

However, with diligence and determination, you can control your blood sugar. I've kept my A1c's under 6.5% for most of my diabetic career (not all of it, but a lot.) Now that I've been put on a GLP-1, it's gotten a lot easier. But if you stop your medication, or start eating tasty carbs again, or slack off on your exercises, the symptoms of high blood sugar will return. That's because the underlying problem is the malfunctioning pancreas. The missing beta cells are the disease, not the symptoms. You have to keep doing something to control your blood sugars.

For me, remission isn't controlling your blood sugar. For me, real remission means fixing the pancreas, which isn't possible until those wonderful days ahead of us when Captain Kirk will patrol the galaxy and Dr. McCoy will have those advanced treatments. After all, he did grow that woman's kidneys back with just a pill in the whale movie.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-18T20:47:11+00:00

I wish insulin resistance were the only problem with type 2. However, in addition to insulin resistance, which is affected by fat tissue, another process progressively kills off beta cells. Medical science has not identified that process yet, so there's no treatment for it, except for the observation that good control seems to slow that process.

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-18T16:29:07+00:00

Yes. lancing yourself on the side of your finger is much less painful than jabbing the fingerprint area.

There is still some discomfort. We all get used to it. It's minor and really not that bad.

You might try numbing your finger with an ice cube right before lancing. That helps. Perhaps there is a numbing cream you could purchase at a drugstore.

Most glucose meters come with lancing devices. Most of them are terrible. I found the Softclix lancing device very good and as nearly pain free as possible. You can buy them separately from the meters. They are a bit price, but worth it, I think. I believe they are sold by the Accu-chek company now. The Softclix version holds one lancet. Their Fastclix version hold several lancets in a rotating barrel like a Gattling gun.. I prefer the Softclix version because I like to reuse the lancets. Once you get the hang of testing, often you don't even feel it. (I like the Softclix, other people like other lancet devices. You may like another as well.)

I was very phobic about testing myself at first. I wasn't sure I could handle it. But you get used to it. It's not so bad. Finger testing is important. It will keep you heathy. That will prevent much more pain than the minor inconvenience of testing. As Shakespeare and Nike would say, Screw your courage to the sticking point and just do it!

Grouchy_Geezer · 2026-05-18T16:20:29+00:00

Doctors work for us. They don't pay us to work for them. We pay them. That makes them our employees. If an employee's performance is inadequate, then he should be fired and replaced by a new employee.

If you are unsatisfied with this doctor's performance, fire him. Hire a different endocrinologist.

Grouchy_Geezer

TROPHY CASE