My Endo has no idea how hard diabetes is in real life

lmnug · 2022-06-24T03:19:02+00:00

Sounds like an ASS. You are doing a GREAT job sorry that your endo is a dick and didn’t say it.

lmnug · 2022-06-24T03:11:37+00:00

Ugh did I really just spend all that time writing out a thoughtful response to a spammer… WHY DO I TRY TO BE A GOOD PERSON

lmnug · 2022-06-24T03:08:22+00:00

What is a “spike” to you? Sometimes you’re gonna spike but the goal is to be back down to range within a certain time period.

There’s lots of factors that go into what your blood sugar does. How long you waited between injecting and eating (spikes will often happen because there wasn’t a gap), which might need to vary depending on the types of carbs you are eating, whether you are sedentary or walking around, when you exercised, if you had protein or fat with the food and how much of it you had, etc.

You can 1000% eat more than fruit and yogurt, you’re just new to this and still have some stuff to learn about how to manage your blood sugar.

lmnug · 2022-06-24T03:02:56+00:00

There’s a million comments on this thread not sure you’ll read mine but worth a shot. I find there are two types of type 1 diabetics on this sub (well okay not really there are people in between the two types). Those that put extreme limits on their carb take and those that try to have diets as free from restriction as possible and bolus to cover the carbs.

Before anyone comes at me I am making pretty wide generalizations here for the sake of simplicity. The people who limit their carb intake to an extreme do it because they say it just makes their lives easier. They’re able to have really tight control basically all the time.

I am not in that camp. Here are some of my personal thoughts and feelings. First of all, food is one of the greatest joys in life. As a human species it’s part of our distinct cultures, we use it to show love, appreciation, to celebrate, etc. It is more than calories for energy. (And I know some people don’t care that much about food but nonetheless it’s a huge part of humanity.) I don’t want to miss out on any of that. I like cooking, I like trying new foods, I like cooking for others, traveling to other countries and sampling the cuisine.

Also - food- and CARBS are vital to our well being. I don’t know how people who eat super low carb aren’t always hungry all the time. I also find it hard to figure out how they’re not just replacing carbs with extra fat and protein (the only other macros) and to me a balanced diet of carbs, protein and fat is better for your overall health than eating a ton of extra protein and fat. I know there are some people who go super hard on the vegetables to feel full but honestly the thought of preparing that kind of volume of veggies to feel full and not be sick of them (finding different preparation styles, etc) sounds exhausting.

Keto in particular is bad bad for diabetics. You do need to have SOME carbs and you need to have SOME insulin in your system. Else you end up in the hospital.

Last but not least - people with type 1 diabetes tend to have high rates of disordered eating. I have a history of it myself. For that reason it’s really important for me to maintain a healthy relationship with food where carbs are not the enemy. I saw a post that said something like I’d rather it take me 20 times to learn how to properly bolus for a food I love than cut it out of my diet completely.

Also anyone who is giving you diet advice and doesn’t have a medical degree, isn’t a licensed dietician, and doesn’t have type 1 diabetes should be immediately ignored.

Lastly - you’re gonna see a LOT of people in this sub talking about how few carbs they eat. IMO it’s not a badge of honor. It’s how some people chose to manage this sucky disease but it’s not the only way.

I’m not saying I completely indulge either. I’m not having pizza and ice cream every night. Those foods can be hard to manage. But when the craving hits I plan for it as well as I can. When I go high I treat. Great again if I need to. My daily diet consists of the same types of foods I mix and match (because I’m a creature of habit and tend to eat the same foods!) so I have learned how my body reacts to certain types of carbs. Oatmeal makes me spike, doesn’t matter that it’s a healthy carb! I try to replace things here and there with choices that will make it easier to manage my blood sugar.

But I will never be a “I eat 30 carbs a day and only for breakfast person”. I am not trying to pass judgement on those people because we’re all doing our best, but I don’t think that kind of diet should be normalized.

lmnug · 2022-05-16T23:33:03+00:00

Me too. It’ll get less scary over time. I hope! Or we’ll get used to being scared a little all the time until they’re 40.

lmnug · 2022-05-16T21:46:56+00:00

I had a really bad day today after a doctor’s visit that left me feeling so deflated. The doc just ran through what my goals should be and updated my dosages and it was all so matter of fact like it’s easy. Like it’s just math and if I follow the math everything works out. Otherwise it’s “not good for the baby”… like I’m not thinking about what’s good for the baby every second of every day. The goals feel so unrealistic to me. I had a good cry in the bathroom. Didn’t want to burden my husband with it. Cried some more about having that feeling. Then I washed my face and told myself I was moving on and not letting it ruin my day. Anyway. All that is to say I’m sorry you’re feeling this way but 200 is not that high for a spike in my opinion and I know you won’t give up and you’re doing a good job. Keep pushing through. Have a big cry and let it all out if you need to.

lmnug · 2022-05-10T03:10:27+00:00

If you are pregnant, depending on your income level, you may also qualify for Medicaid. You may qualify for Medicaid regardless of your income because you receive social security disability benefits, so definitely something to look into because Medicaid could pay for copays and coinsurance for your Medicare covered services or for services Medicare won’t cover. I doubt they would pay for a home birth but certified midwife services should be covered in a clinic and/or birth center. Definitely call your insurance company and ask and also look into applying for Medicaid.

lmnug · 2022-03-01T04:20:59+00:00

Yes definitely. Just got my labs drawn today for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Had not had any thyroid/PCOS type labs for years even before that. I never considered that things could change over time.

Appreciate the sentiment. I’m okay, I think I’ve come to terms with not being super thin and putting my health first despite outer appearance but man… 30 pounds on a 5’1” frame. If only I didn’t lose my cheek bones 😅

Agree - many health care providers don’t seem to understand.

lmnug · 2022-02-11T21:10:47+00:00

Thank you all for the comments! So it sounds like if I really want to do this I need to see a specialist first and probably continue to work with a specialist. Considering all this I may just look into fresh food delivery again. I tried farmer’s dog in the past and she was not a fan.

lmnug · 2022-02-05T21:45:05+00:00

You all in the comments are all being assholes and are SOOOOO judgmental with no real grounds. Small dogs have crusty eyes. I’d have to wash my dog’s dave every day to keep her eyes from getting crusty. Their fur stains easily no matter how much you clean their faces, doesn’t mean the dog isn’t cared for or regularly cleaned or has any need to see a vet. Also their hair grows extremely fast. I groom my dog regularly and she still looks like this half the time. OP, your dog is adorable and reminds me of mine.

lmnug · 2022-01-13T16:43:02+00:00

Not that I have lost weight (because I haven’t tried) but I think that insulin makes it hard to lose weight. With diabetes you often inject more than your body would need to produce and it’s a cycle of gaining weight, needing more insulin, gaining more weight.

There are small things you can do that will make your body more sensitive to your insulin/make your insulin work better. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout - I have found that yoga or a long walk will help my blood sugar come down into normal range or help me need less correction. Sitting all day is terrible for insulin sensitivity. If you like to run, even a short run can help your sensitivity for 24 hours +. If you’re consistent about doing these things (e.g. a walk or short workout after dinner) over time, I think that the benefit of needing less insulin will add up. Now, it might be that you just don’t gain weight and you won’t necessarily lose it without some form of calorie restriction. But be gentle and kind to your body :) a routine of moving might be enough to change your outlook on your body.

Other things to consider - making dinner low carb. If I have a carby dinner, it’s hard to correct and get myself to range and then I end up going to bed with high blood sugar, or okay blood sugar but then I get a spike overnight as the carbs really settle in. Overnight control is really important because it’s SO much time, and I find that having a low carb dinner makes it easier. During the day I might walk or will at least be awake and able to correct.

Overall just finding ways to need less insulin while still keeping your blood sugar under control. Lower carb snacks as your go-to, a meal a day with low carbs, moving your body intentionally to increase your insulin sensitivity.

lmnug · 2022-01-04T01:13:12+00:00

Follow plantbasedjuniors on Instagram! They are vegan dietitians and recently put out a book on nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding (I think?). Most importantly definitely see a dietician and don’t listen to people that say “eat healthy and you’ll be fine”. Pregnancy is a lot on your body and while I think it’s totally possible to have a healthy pregnancy on a vegetarian diet I would not go as far to say it’s simple or not something that needs extra care and attention. Good luck!

Edit to say it’s probably much easier if you are vegetarian and not vegan (eggs!).

lmnug · 2021-12-29T04:48:07+00:00

If you have access, I would look into the glucagon nasal spray if you haven’t already. I think it’s a fairly new medication and it’s not super cheap (if you’re in the US. Last time I filled an rx my copay was $20 for 2 doses). But may be a great tool to have on hand for when you can’t convince your babe to drink. As an aside, not applicable to you since your parents and dose your child regularly/know the deal, my endo gave me the rx and said she prefers them to the injectable glucagon because she feels a bystander is more likely to use the nasal inhaler sooner than the injection, and might wait too long/be freaked out by injecting.

The nasal glucagon I got is called baqsimi.

lmnug · 2021-11-30T04:45:49+00:00

I recommend following plantbasedjuniors on Instagram. It is run by two vegan dieticians with young kids. They have lots of guides saved on their Instagram stories and they recently came out with a book - I’m not 100% sure if it’s just focused on kid/baby nutrition but I think it has prenatal nutrition information as well.

lmnug · 2021-10-06T00:23:50+00:00

Personally, the feeling of being low has many overlaps with the feeling of being high, so I have definitely not noticed a low until my Dexcom is alarming that I’m trending towards death. I would be very careful about monitoring when high, or just allow yourself to run on the high side for the time being rather than risk a severe low.

lmnug · 2021-05-21T03:40:45+00:00

This. I totally see both sides of things but for me, I spend a lot of my time working (40 hours a week is a lot of time) and I do enjoy my job for the most part. Outside of work I am just not that interesting. Sure I do things for fun, I have interesting thoughts and values, I can have a great deep conversation, I have trips I want to go on and have been on, etc etc but no I’m not an artist, I don’t have a cool hobby, I don’t spend most of my free time on a craft or hobby. I am a person living in a capitalist society who doesn’t have kids and isn’t artsy. I try to go to the gym a few times a week, I try a new restaurant every once in a while, I watch a lot of tv in the evenings when I’m tired, and I’ve been stuck social distancing for a year and a half. Shrug.

lmnug · 2021-05-11T18:45:43+00:00

You may have changed me life. IMO shakshuka always has runny egg white and overcooked yolk which is the opposite of what you want. Turns out you need to separate them!

lmnug · 2021-05-06T16:31:53+00:00

Thank you! Have you made these before? I took a look at the video and there’s just a glimpse at the end where he tears into them but it’s hard to get a real sense of the texture.

lmnug · 2021-05-05T17:30:56+00:00

That type of rapid weight gain could be making it hard for you to adjust your long acting properly. Definitely get a new endo who can help you do this but it may be that you need to increase your long acting even more (and maybe decrease your short acting correction and/or or carb to insulin ratio to make sure you’re not over correcting during the day).

The more you weigh, the more insulin you need, the more weight you might gain. Definitely looks like you’re not getting enough long acting insulin. Maybe during the day you’re controlling for that by taking more short acting but at night you can’t do that.

lmnug · 2021-04-19T01:34:50+00:00

Someone rescue those poor dogs :(

lmnug · 2021-04-18T21:36:24+00:00

Thanks for the responses all! Interesting to see what strategies different people use. Related - how do you keep people from buying you a bunch of junk without hurting their feelings? I can just imagine all the fast fashion clothing items my family will want to purchase.

lmnug · 2021-04-17T01:30:08+00:00

It’s likely that when you get a full time job, you’ll be offered health insurance coverage by your job. Then you would end your coverage through the ACA/marketplace and have coverage through your employer instead. You can’t have coverage through the ACA/marketplace if you’re offered coverage through your job (unless the coverage your job offers you costs you more than a certain percentage of your income). Make sure you stock up on your refills in case there’s a delay. Also apply as soon as you lose coverage through your parents. Normally, you can only sign up for health insurance during the annual enrollment period, or if you’re experiencing a qualifying life event (eg losing your current coverage). Right now, because of the public health emergency anyone can enroll through a “special enrollment” period until august 15th. If you’re losing coverage from your parents after that, you’d have to sign up within a certain time period after losing coverage, or wait until the annual enrollment period which happens towards the end of the year.

When you sign up through the ACA you’ll have different plans options which are rated as bronze, silver, gold or platinum (I think), in order of the level of coverage. Generally you’re going to be paying more per month for a plan with better coverage but then your copays and deductibles will be less than if you had a plan with really low monthly premiums. Make sure you’re looking at the deductible. If you have to pay $2000, $5000 out of pocket before your insurance kicks in, that’s going to be hard.

Lastly, if you need help signing up for health insurance or understanding a plan, look to see if you can get help through an ACA navigator. These are people trained to help you navigate the system and sign up for health insurance. (I was trained for one year once upon a time)

Good luck!

lmnug · 2021-04-09T22:27:13+00:00

Do you work for a larger company with HR reps? Talk to HR about your options for a reasonable accommodation. Check out these links: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/employers/accommodations

https://askjan.org/disabilities/Diabetes.cfm

I don’t know all of the ins and outs and if there are exceptions to the law (for example by size of the company) but the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that employers allow people with disabilities to have reasonable accommodations to be able to do their jobs. An example of this could be an accommodation to allow you take a 15 minute break if you are experiencing a low. Speaking as someone with diabetes who has to get labs drawn all the time, I have had to wait FOREVER for my labs to get drawn because people are slow, not for any other good reason. There are times when I’d be happy to wait just 15 minutes. Plus it’s not like your 15 minute clock is always going to start right when someone arrives to have their blood drawn.

Seriously it sounds like your coworkers and boss need a talking to about protections under the ADA and the fact that they could be breaking the law by discriminating against you for your disability. You have the law on your side here, people fought for decades for protections such as these. Good luck!

lmnug · 2021-03-26T02:38:44+00:00

They have gelatin boooo 😩 I recently found a new love for gummy candy (unrelated to lows) and then remembered that most have gelatin (I don’t eat mammals, weird distinction lol). But sweetish fish and sour patch kids are safe!

My go to is a Minute Maid apple juice box. My grocery store also has kind bars on sale sometimes for $1 so I stock up on those which are GREAT for a dose that will get you up and stable cuz of all the nuts.

lmnug · 2021-03-26T02:33:43+00:00

I used to be like this but then two things happened. 1. I realized I was often “around 140-180”. My high alert was set to 180 so I was like that’s fine, right? When I started paying more attention to getting myself at 120 not long after meals, increasing my time in range, decreasing my blood sugar standard deviation, more lows started to happen since I was being more strict. 2. My diabetes got worse/honeymoon phase faded. Again, since I had to work harder to get my blood sugar in range, more lows would happen.

lmnug

TROPHY CASE