Thursday, March 31, 2011

Day 74

1:10 p.m.
Well, I started my day learning a new lesson.My fasting BG was much higher than normal - 117. 

I had a pretty big lunch yesterday so I was not hungry at supper time and thought I would skip supper and just eat a bedtime snack of peanut butter. But, at bedtime I still wasn't hungry and the thought of a spoonful of peanut butter was making me feel as if it would gag me, so I passed on that also. Got up this morning and took my BG and had 117. So I thought "Well, lesson learned. I cannot skip meals even if I am not hungry".

For a brief second I wondered if it was failure to take my meds. At lunch I looked over and realized I had forgotten to take my evening meds - not just last night but the night before also. That is practically inexcusable since I have an alarm set on my cell phone to remind me every evening. Problem is - the cell phone sits in my den with me and not in the kitchen, so I have developed a bad habit of hitting the alarm button without getting up to go take my pills. But then again, my understanding is that it took time for the Metformin to build up in my system, so surely missing 2 nights in a row did not affect my BG that quick. So, yeah, skipping supper is looking like the guilty dog again.

So, new rule is I will eat supper,even if it is a small supper, whether I am hungry or not. I also plan to place a small travel alarm in the kitchen (where I keep my daily pill organizer box) - that will surely make my lazy behind get up and go to the kitchen to shut it up.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Day 73

2:30 p.m. 
Fasting BG was 101 - not as low as I would like it, but better than 110.

Hubby took me out for my Margarita Lunch today. BG was 154. I have been shooting to stay under 150, but some people on the Diabetic Connect discussion boards say their doctor says 160, yet others say their doctor says 135. Hard to know. It is one of the questions I have for him on my follow up in May. Until then I will just keep shooting for 150.

Some days my fingers feel like pincushions, some days not so bad. Today is a pincushion day. Wonder what makes them feel more sensitive on some days more than others?
Just another wonder in my mind.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Day 72

9:30 p.m.
Fasting BG was back up - my spoonful of peanut butter failed me. But I will try again tonight and hope that last night was just a fluke.

And I had a really good lunch that didn't hit my carbs hard. Had Sauerkraut and Wieners - love that, just love it! 

And tomorrow I will have a Margarita Lunch date with hubby dear so I will see how hard a Margarita with my meal hits my sugar. Hoping for the best.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Day 71

9:15 a.m.
Fasting BG was 99 today.I'm not sure what is considered a "high" fasting number, but mine has been creeping up for the last couple of weeks - not significantly, but enough that it affects and limits my choices for breakfast (which I rarely ever ate until my diagnosis in Jan.).

I send my glucose #'s to my doctor every other week and I even pointed this out to him (this past Friday) but he was not really concerned - he just said that my "Glucoses look quite good overall." So I have to assume my fasting BG's are not high enough to be a "medical" issue.

From my diagnosis until recently my fasting BG was in the 90's (even a couple down in the 80's). But these last couple of weeks they have been consistently in the low 100's (102 - 111). And, while that may not be high it does mean I have to choose a breakfast that raises my BG less than 38 - 47 points. Which has been a struggle since cereals and oatmeal seem to hit my sugar hard. Even just my morning coffee with Splenda was causing a 26 point rise by itself. So, though trial & test I found that Truvia has less effect on my BG - so my coffee now gets sweetened with Truvia (every little point I can knock off helps).

But my fasting BG was still starting higher than I wanted it to so I tried a few of the recommendations I read in the discussion boards on Diabetic Connect (my favorite Diabetes forum). I tried a handful of peanuts at bedtime - no help. I tried cashew nuts - no help. I tried some sliced ham and American cheese - no help. So I bought a jar of peanut butter (a food that has not been kept in my cupboard since my children got grown & moved out). I ate a spoonful Sat. night just before bedtime and my fasting BG for Sun. morning was 97! I again ate a spoonful last night just before bedtime and my fasting BG for this morning was 99 (not as low as yesterday, but still below 100)!

So far the spoonful of peanut butter seems to be helping so I will be eating peanut butter at bedtime going forward. 

I am so glad I found the Diabetic Connect group (you can link to them in the sidebar) - there are so many great people on there who have so much hands-on experience to share. Always so helpful and friendly to the "newbies"!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Day 70

9:30 p..m.
Fasting BG was 97 - YAY!! Under 100, just where I like it - only because it takes the stress out of what I can eat for breakfast.

And, I ate a spoonful of peanut butter last night just before I settled down for the night. I read in a discussion board that peanut butter at night helped some people. maybe I will be one of those people it helps. We'll see. I'm going to eat another spoonful of it tonight and see if tomorrow is another good fasting BG day!

Have another headache, but I took a couple of Aleve for this one rather than Excedrin PM again. Not sure what is causing me to get headaches - I generally blame stress. And it's not that anything particularly stressful has happened, it is just that I get stressed real easy. And I believe I suffer from Noise Anxiety, so having a hyperactive 6yo for the weekend is a guaranteed stressful weekend.

Okay, off to eat a spoon of peanut butter and settle down so my Aleve can do it job.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Day 69

6:45 p.m.
Fasting BG was down to 102, and I slept well last night (without Excedrin PM, I might add).

But if stress does cause a rise in BG, I may see a high number when I test at 7:30. I ate food that I have eaten & tested and it did not cause a spike, so if it is high then I will certainly blame stress. I get stressed quite easily, and today I have had an extra dose of stress just from trying to guide a 6yo in a game that is probably a year or two ahead of her age. But I made the mistake of introducing her to it a week or so back and she loves it, she just doesn't have the ability to read the tasks or the reaction time to be even close to okay at it if left to her own abilities. And I say "okay" because that would precede acceptable or good or excellent. And she has wanted to play it ALL day.

Then I had to follow that with getting her shampooed and bathed without getting her cast (cast from her hand all the way up to practically in her armpit - so not a lot of room for securing a plastic bag to keep it dry).

But . . . I did manage to get her bathed and shampooed without doing damage to the cast and I finally told her she had played on the computer enough for one day, so now she is in the other room playing with dolls and I am about to take something for a stress headache.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Day 68

9:30 a.m.
Well, fasting BG went back up to 110 this morning. I did not take 3 Excedrin PM before bed last night, so now I have more suspicion in regards to how well I sleep affecting my fasting BG.

I also tested oatmeal again this morning using Truvia to sweeten both the oatmeal as well as my coffee - oatmeal failed again . . . or, maybe not! If I subtract the 6 points difference of my fasting BG for today to balance out to what I had yesterday, then the oatmeal would be within range. I really need to figure out how to get the fasting BG down & keep it down so that breakfast does not start with a handicap everyday. Tomorrow I will retest the Jimmy Dean Breakfast bowl with the Truvia sweetened coffee to see if I get a repeat of yesterday. Of course I will have to do some math based on my fasting BG. Ugh! Have I ever mentioned that I really never cared for math? This is karma getting me back for not giving match the attention it deserved in school!

Okay, enough ugh. I found a nifty page on one of my bookmarked websites that I want to share - Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculator

A good article about your resting metabolic rate. there is also a calculator to figure out how many calories you would consume to lose 1 pound per week or how many calories to maintain your current weight. Handy handy!

Snipped from that article: 
Calculating Your BMR
The easiest way to measure your BMR is to use an online calculator, like the one at My Calorie Counter. This calculator factors in your height, weight, gender, and age, and activity level, then assesses how many calories you need to eat daily just to maintain your current weight.
You can do the math yourself, using the appropriate equation:
 
• If you’re a man, your BMR is equal to: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years). For example, if you’re 170 pounds, 5’11”, and 43, your BMR is 66 + (6.23 x 170) + (12.7 x 71) – (6.8 x 43) = 1734.4 calories.
• If you’re a woman, your BMR is equal to: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). For example, if you’re 130 pounds, 5’3”, and 36, your BMR is 665 + (4.35 x 130) + (4.7 x 63) – (4.7 x 36) = 1357.4 calories.

Next figure out your total daily calorie requirement by multiplying your BMR by your level of activity:
• If you rarely exercise, multiply your BMR by 1.2.
• If you exercise on 1 to 3 days per week, doing light activity, multiply your BMR by 1.375.
• If you exercise on 3 to 5 days per week, doing moderate activity, multiply your BMR by 1.55.
• If you exercise 6 to 7 days per week, doing vigorous activity, multiply your BMR by 1.725.
• If you exercise every day and have a physical job or if you often exercise twice a day, multiply your BMR by 1.9.

If the man in the example exercises 3 days a week, doing moderate activity, his daily caloric requirement is 1734.4 x 1.55, or 2688.3 calories.

If the woman in the example exercises 6 days a week, her daily caloric requirement is 1357.4 x 1.725, or 2342.5 calories.

This calculation gives you the number of calories you burn in one day at your current level of activity; in other words, this is the number of calories it takes to stay at the weight you are if you don’t change anything.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Day 67

12:30 p.m.
BG was 102 this morning. I took 3 Excedrin PM at bedtime again. I also had my Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl this morning and had my coffee sweetened with Truvia again today and my BG was only 127 after breakfast. Splenda sure is looking guilty right now. Saturday or Sunday I will test my Jimmy Dean and have my coffee with Splenda and if my BG is is high again I will just eliminate Splenda going forward.

Of course, with Diabetes I don't think anything is guaranteed considering I was using Splenda for two months before it started acting on my BG. So who knows, eventually the Truvia may hit my BG too hard also. I don't know what I do then. As much as I hate the thought of it, insulin may be in my future again one day. But knowing I have done my due diligence to control my BG with diet & exercise I certainly won't look at it as having failed. Sometimes the pancreas just doesn't do it's part to help.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Day 66

10:00 a.m.
BG was down slightly - down to 102. I slept better last night, but then again, I took 3 Excedrin PM followed by a nice warm shower about 8:30(ish). Not sure what time I fell asleep, but it was shortly after I laid down with the TV on because I honestly can't recall seeing more than part of an episode of House Hunters International. 

I also tested the Truvia sweetened coffee versus the Splenda sweetened coffee of yesterday (wasn't really hungry this morning so it was a good opportunity to test it since yesterdays coffee was sans breakfast also). The results: Truvia just kicked Splenda's backside! The Truvia sweetened coffee only raised my BG by 4 digits - 102 to 106. I plan to repeat both as a double check, but right now it looks like Splenda is on it's way out the door!

I'll eventually get around to testing the nighttime snack of peanut butter on crackers, but these last few nights I have not felt any after supper hunger so no snack was required or eaten. 

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Day 65

9:30 a.m.
BG was 105 again - no snack last night & I even slept better last night than the last few nights, but still a higher BG that I expected. And I am feeling somewhat frustrated by the struggle to find a breakfast that is quick & easy & still [plays well with my BG. And yes, it really needs to be quick and easy since I'm not and never have really been a "morning person". But today the frustration has caused me to sit here and search for possible solutions online, which means I actually skipped breakfast (even though I know I shouldn't). But I did, and having done so I thought "Well, let me check and see if my BG has dropped to a better number and maybe I will just eat a late breakfast" . . . Well What the Heck? My BG was up to 129! WHY? All I had was half of my cup of coffee and I used Splenda and sugar free coffee-mate! What is going on here? Geez, I see more testing of theory in the near future. I now need to test "just" coffee with Truvia and sugar-free coffee mate against coffee with Splenda and sugar free coffee-mate and hope it tests better because I really would rather drop coffee completely rather than have to drink it black. If it is just the Splenda, well, I can fix that. I also need to test my oatmeal with coffee using Truvia and sugar free coffee-mate, and test oatmeal with no coffee at all. Probably a few other combination's to test out also, but for right now I need to hunt for information on the possibility that my fasting BG would continue to go higher as a regular occurrence if I skip breakfast as a habit (not that I plan to, but I need to know either way).

For general entertainment, I found the following interesting. Seems a lot of people we hear of has/had Diabetes, but you never really heard them referred to as Diabetics. Just an example of how Diabetes does not  really define a person.

Famous People with Diabetes

Diabetes is a pain, but it doesn't have to stop you from achieving your greatest ambitions. Here are some people with diabetes that have risen to the very top of their respective fields. If you have someone to add, please post a link in the comments!

Actors/Directors

  • Jack Benny, '50s television host
  • Halle Berry
  • Wilford Brimley, of television and films, "Cocoon" and "The Firm"
  • Delta Burke, of television's "Designing Women"
  • James Cagney, producer, director and actor
  • Nell Carter, of the television show "Gimme a Break"
  • Dale Evans, actress, singer and wife of Roy Rogers
  • Stephen Furst, actor on the television shows "St. Elsewhere" and "Babylon 5"
  • Jackie Gleason, funny star of "The Honeymooners"
  • Gordon Jump, actor on "WKRP in Cincinnati"
  • Mabel King, actress who played Mama on "What's Happening"
  • Marcello Mastroianni, actor who appeared in 142 films
  • Jerry Mathers, actor of "Leave It To Beaver" fame
  • Mary Tyler Moore, actress and star of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Read her Larry King interview where she discusses her experience with diabetes.
  • Richard Mulligan, actor on the television show "Empty Nest"
  • Minnie Pearl, entertainer, actress on the variety show "Hee Haw"
  • Aida Turturro, plays Tony's sister on the Sopranos
  • Ehster Rolle, actress on the TV Show "Good Times"
  • George C. Scott, Academy Award-winning actor
  • Jean Smart, actress on "Designing Women"
  • Kate Smith, singer, actress who sang "God Bless America"
  • Spencer Tracy, famous leading man of Hollywood movies
  • Mae West, actress
  • Jane Wyman, actress on "Falcon Crest"

Political Leaders

  • Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen of Jordan
  • Yuri Andropov, former premier of Soviet Union
  • Menachem Begin, Israeli prime minister
  • Lucille B. Chapman, a five-time Menominee Indian tribal chairwoman
  • James Farmer, civil rights pioneer
  • Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet premier
  • Janet Jagan, president of Guyana
  • Fiorello LaGuardia, New York mayor and the airport's namesake
  • Winnie Mandela, South African anti-apartheid leader
  • Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the infamous Chilean dictator
  • Anwar Sadat, Egyptian leader
  • Mike Huckabee, Republican Presidential Hopeful

Business Leaders

  • James Conkling, founder of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
  • Bill and John Davidson, heads of Harley Davidson motorcycles
  • Tom Foster, former head of Foster Poultry Farms
  • W.L. Gherra, of Payless Drugs
  • Howard Hughes, industrialist
  • Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's fast food restaurants

Musicians

  • Nat Adderley, jazz trumpeter
  • Ray Anderson, jazz trombonist
  • Hoyt Axton, folksy baritone, songwriter and actor
  • Syd Barrett, of the rock group Pink Floyd
  • Johnny Cash, legendary country singer, known as "the man in black"
  • Carol Channing, Tony Award-winning singer/actress in "Hello Dolly"
  • Mark Collie, contemporary country star
  • David Crosby, member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  • Miles Davis, legendary jazz great
  • Freddy Fender, actor and country singer
  • Ella Fitzgerald, jazz vocalist
  • Mick Fleetwood, singer in rock band Fleetwood Mac
  • Jerry Garcia, lead singer of The Grateful Dead
  • Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter
  • Mahalia Jackson, singer
  • Waylon Jennings, country singer
  • B.B. King, rhythm and blues star
  • Patti LaBelle, pop singer
  • Peggy Lee, '50s songster
  • Tommy Lee, of heavy metal band Motley Crue
  • Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway composer
  • Meat Loaf, singer
  • Bret Michaels, lead singer of the rock group Poison
  • The Pump Girls
  • Elvis Presley
  • Brad Wilk, member of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave

Scientists

  • Morris Braunstein, scientist
  • Thomas Edison, inventor
  • Albert Ellis, psychologist, rational emotive therapy
  • Cynthia Ice, developer of Lotus software
  • George Minot, first person with diabetes to receive Nobel Prize in medicine
  • Lois Jovanovic-Peterson, scientist, endocrinologist, author of "Diabetic Women"

Sports

  • Wasim Akram, Pakistani cricket star played from 1984-2002
  • Arthur Ashe, tennis legend
  • Walter Barnes, former Philadelphia Eagle turned actor
  • Ayden Byle, runner
  • Bobby Clarke, hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers, Flin Flon Bombers
  • Ty Cobb, baseball player for the Detroit Tigers
  • Scott Coleman, first man with diabetes to swim the English Channel
  • Buster Douglas, boxer
  • Kenny Duckett, football player for the New Orleans Saints
  • Chris Dudley, New York Knicks basketball player
  • Del Ennis, baseball player
  • Curt Frasier, hockey player for the Chicago Black Hawks
  • Bill Gullickson, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
  • Gary Hall, Olympic gold medalist in swimming
  • Jonathon Hayes, tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs
  • Catfish Hunter, pitcher for the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees
  • Jason Johnson, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
  • Billie Jean King, tennis player
  • Ed Kranepool, baseball player with the New York Mets
  • Kelli Kuehne, LPGA golfer who wears a pump on the golf course
  • Jay Leeuwenburg, offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
  • Calvin Muhammed, football player for the Washington Redskins
  • Steve Redgrave, 5-time Olympic gold medalist and type 1 diabetic
  • Jackie Robinson, baseball star who broke the color barrier in the Major Leagues
  • Sugar Ray Robinson, boxer
  • Ron Santo, third basemen for the Chicago Cubs
  • Art Shell, NFL player and coach
  • Michael Sinclair, defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks
  • Bill Talbert, hall of fame tennis player
  • Scott Verplank, a golfer on the PGA tour and a member of the recent Ryder Cup team for America, is a type 1 diabetic.
  • Jersey Joe Walcott, boxer
  • Wade Wilson, NFL quarterback
  • Bob Woolmer, cricket player and coach has type 2 diabetes

Writers/Reporters

  • Richard Bartlett, film
  • June Bierman, author of books on diabetes
  • Fran Carpentier, editor of Parade magazine
  • Sylvia Chase, ABC News Reporter
  • Ernest Hemingway - 20th Century Novelist. Born on July 21, 1899, Ernest Hemingway grew up to become one of the greatest novelist of the 20th century. He wrote such works as The Sun Also Rise, 1926; A Farewell to Arms, 1929; and For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1940 just to name a few. He also received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.
  • Walt Kelly, animator and Disney founder
  • Bruce Andrew Peters, internationally published, award-winning photojournalist
  • Mario Puzo, author of "The Godfather"
  • Anne Rice, "Interview With a Vampire" author
  • H.G. Wells, writer, "The Invisible Man" 

Monday, March 21, 2011

Day 64

12:45 p.m.
Fasting BG was down to 105 - not as low as I want it to be, but better than 110 or 111. And I didn't try the peanut butter snack last night - I was tired and my neck was hurting so I just munched a few cashews since those can be easily munched while in the recliner with a neck pillow to help the pain. I will try the peanut butter, eventually. I am also curious about whether my sleep, or lack of could be the culprit. For the last few weeks I have had a hard time getting a good nights sleep. I will wake about 3 - 4 a.m. to go tot he bathroom and after that I never get a good deep sleep - I will wake every 30 - 45 minutes to an hour. And I know it is short little bursts of sleep because the digital clock is staring me int he face telling me it has only been a short sleep. May have to try some Excedrin PM or one of hubby's sleeping pills and see if I sleep more solid. And if I do, does it make my fasting BG better.  

Ate one of my Jimmy Dean breakfasts this morning. It took my BG up to 155. Not quite as high as Friday, but higher than it needs to be. So, I have Jimmy Dean makes my sugar high, Special K cereal with Almond Milk makes my sugar high, oatmeal makes my sugar high. But, I'm still not ready to resort to lettuce for breakfast yet.

Oh, did I mention that my Wii Fit Bank turned silver Friday? I don't think I did. so, it looks like every ten hours logged gets an upgrade. I don't know how many levels the little bank has, but usually you see things go Bronze - Silver - Gold - Plantinum. I guess they could throw in a Titanium. Not sure. But then again, I'm also not sure that future upgrades come at 10 hour intervals either. Theoretically they should have stepped he progression up also. Something like Stainless to Bronze after the first 10 hours - Bronze to Silver after an additional 15 hours - Silver to Gold after an additional 20 hours - Gold to Platinum after an additional 25 hours - Platinum to Titanium after an additional 30 hours. That way rather than capping after 50 hours it would not cap until after 100 hours. (For those who are encouraged to work harder for the next upgrade, you know.)

Okay, that had little to nothing to do with Diabetes, guess I need to go entertain myself with other distractions now. (:

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Day 63

5:15 p.m.
Fating BG was down a bit, but not down enough to feel happy about it yet. Didn't test after lunch today - too many distractions - I had to look over a stack of papers my Mother-in-Law brought over & figure out what she was concerned/confused about. And, with all that I just didn't think to set a reminder. Not a biggie, I will check after supper. 

I had hubby dear pick me up a small jar of peanut butter today. I'm going to try a snack of peanut butter tonight. And, yes, I had to have him buy some, because, unlike a lot of mainstream America, we just don't keep peanut butter in the cupboard. There's really no one here to eat it up and it usually goes bad so I just stopped buying it. But this is a small jar. And, I don't think we have had a jar in the six years since our youngest granddaughter was born, so if push comes to shove I will see if she likes peanut butter. I'm betting she does since she LOVES peanuts (and she loves Reese's candy)!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Day 62

4:15
BG was 101 at fasting, ate the same breakfast that I have eaten as my "safe" fallback for the last 60 or so days and whadda ya know? It shot my BG up to 161! Where is my safe fallback? What happened? At this rate I will end up eating lettuce for breakfast too! Not sure why the change, but if it continues I will have to search for a better breakfast option. As much as I would hate to have to actually cook first thing int he mornings, that may be what it comes down to. Gotta work on my last resort game-plan.

well, I just wasn't hungry at lunch so I had a protein bar - taste horrid, but at least it serves to prevent a low sugar episode.

I tell ya, Diabetes is a 24 hour job!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Day 61

12:45 p.m.
BG about the same. 

Not much to report today. A nice slow Friday, just the way I like them. So far the only exciting thing to happen to my Friday was losing the hot water for a minute while in the shower. Wow! I tell you, that will wake you up fast! Usually we only lose water int he shower if someone turns on a faucet somewhere else in the house, but everyone knows this and does their best not to "shock" whoever is in the shower. But today hubby was outside and grandson was glued to the computer playing a game and both said they did not turn any water on, so no explanation - but it sure revived my listless old self! 

Well, since I have nothing to write about I think I will share a link to an interesting article on someones Diabetes blog (gotta be somewhat productive you know). The Mystery of Coffee and Diabetes I'm not seeing any BG spikes from my coffee so I will keep in in my life for now :D

Okay, that's all for today - TTFN

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Day 60

9:00 a.m.
Fasting BG was 108 and that was with no attempt to create a balance overnight with any type of evening snack. Still not sure that these numbers are cause for concern, but they are higher than what I was getting two, three, four weeks ago.

I also found something on one of my discussion boards that better explained ho the A1c test determined that I had had Diabetes "at least" three months before my diagnosis. The test is actually called a HbA1c (I think I got that right). It is a hemoglobin A1c test. When the blood glucose is high, it attaches to the hemoglobin protein in red blood cells, forming hemoglobin A1c. Red blood cells have of lifespan of 90 to 120 days, and once the glucose has combined with the hemoglobin in red blood cells, the hemoglobin A1c remains in the blood for that length of time. The amount of hemoglobin A1c in your blood simply reflects an approximation of your glucose levels over the past 3-5 months.Pretty interesting. I guess I knew I always have blood, but I never thought of blood having a life span. Now it makes me curious about what happens to the blood cells at the end of their lifespan? They don't pop out through my skin so are the living blood cells eating them? Little cannibal blood cells! Eeeek!

Well, I got tired of waiting for a lower fasting BG to re-test my oatmeal so I had oatmeal for breakfast today. I test for that at 9:45. More to come . . .

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Day 59

8:30 p.m.
BG is about the same, but the ham & cheese snack last night failed it's test. It did not help with the fasting BG, in fact, it was higher this morning than other mornings. Just not sure what to do now. I guess if I could get up the will I could try 2 tsp of vinegar at bedtime, but that may be a last resort.
However, last nights Chicken Casserole passed it's test. BG at an hour and a half after was below 130. And the casserole was good so I will keep that one int he line-up.

And, here it is almost bedtime before I get a chance to post - some days I just don't know where the time went. :/

Well, okay, off the PC and on the recliner - time for a little TV and time for my neck to get a little rest.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Day 58

5:00 p.m.
BG is good - if 109 fasting is to be considered good. These higher fasting numbers is something rather new. And, they may not really be considered high, but from what I have had until these past couple of weeks they are high. This is something I will just have to talk to my doctor about when I see him again. 

So today I test two new foods, well, one food and one drink. I have not had a Caramel Latte since my diagnosis and today my daughter called asking me to go online and reload her Starbucks card for her (I had her credit card information from something else I had done for her son online yesterday), and when I went to the Starbucks page my mouth just yearned for another Caramel Latte! So I added some money to her card for me a Skinny Caramel Latte! BG was 84 before I drank any of it so I will check that after 1.5 hour. And the Skinny Caramel Latte was good, but I know the regular is better. I did have to add a small amount of Truvia to it to add a little more sweet. But all in all it was a real treat! :D

The second item to test today will be the Chicken Casserole my grandson loves . . . well, at least he loves it when his other grandmother makes it and he loves it when his mom makes it so lets just see if he loves it when I make it. More to come.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Day 57

2:00 p.m.
So, fasting BG was even higher this morning than yesterday - interesting considering I did NOT have any snack at all after supper. Next test is to see if a nighttime snack of ham and cheese slices will help. More to come.

Did not test after lunch today - will check after supper. 

Well, not much to report so I will comment on my Wii Board dude in my Wii Fit Plus - I think the little board that does my weighing and checks my center of gravity is cute. Almost too cute. He is cute enough that when I am not in the mood  or don't have time for the "Health Tip" he offers and I click the NO button, I feel bad that his cute little shoulders droop and he looks dejected! How sad for him! And I really shouldn't feel that bad, I mean, for one thing he is just a pixel image in a Wii game, but for another - he DID have something to do with my little Wii character being changed from the slim, trim, cute little Mii I made of me to the (shall we say) chunky Mii I see when I turn the Wii Fit on. But still, I feel bad telling the poor little fella no.

And, speaking of my little Wii Fit friends. I failed to mention that my little Wii Fit Piggy Bank changed a few weeks back from the metal looking color (kinda silver, but I hate to say silver since a real silver may be next) to a Bronze Piggy! I have a Bronze Wii Fit Piggy! And I have to mention that he is bronze because I think he may change color for me again soon! Watch for a future update on that!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Day 56

5:30 p.m.
BG good. 101 for my fasting and 107 after lunch. Which was good since we went out for lunch and I had Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Fried Mozzarella Cheese sticks at Logan's Steak House. I was afraid the batter on the chicken AND on the cheese sticks might have pushed my sugar up a little more than that, but it didn't and I'm glad for that!

This next week will be Spring Break and I will have my grandson here with me. If my daughter would ever send me the recipe she has for the chicken casserole he likes then I might get to make that this week and test it against my BG numbers. We'll see. (Updated at 6:20 p.m. - just got off the phone with my daughter and I now have said recipe. - I see another "test" in my near future - LOL)

Going to test a theory on my fasting numbers. I've been looking into it, and while I don't think my fasting numbers are high enough to be considered the "Dawn Phenomenon", they have been higher this past week, but I had also been eating the Murray's Sugar Free cookies for my late snack rather than my Hot n' Spicy Pork Skins. Cookies have some carbs, but not what I considered 'high', whereas the pork skins have no carbs. So, it's a theory, but I have to test it out. If I don't figure out what has caused my fasting number to be slightly higher than I want then I will never have it low enough to retest the oatmeal! So yep, test the late snack then test the oatmeal!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Day 55

2:00 p.m.
BG looks good. Fasting BG was still slightly higher than I want it to be to test my oatmeal again so it is still on hold. 

Sent my Glucose readings to my doctor yesterday afternoon and his response was to stay with the same meds and routine, that being 500mg Metformin twice a day and test BG twice a day - fasting & once at 1.5 hour after a meal (random). So far - so good! :D

Here is an interesting article I read about the history of Diabetes - Scientists and physicians have been documenting the condition now known as diabetes for thousands of years. From the origins of its discovery to the dramatic breakthroughs in its treatment, many brilliant minds have played a part in the fascinating history of diabetes. Read the full article HERE.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Day 54

4:00 p.m.
BG good today. Finished with today's bloodletting and emailed my last two weeks to my doctor. I think they are pretty good. I had about three high's these past two weeks (since stopping the daily insulin injections), but they were caused by what one might consider "healthy" foods. I'm still working it all out, so hopefully those three highs will not cause any change in the current game plan.

I also did not test the oatmeal with just Splenda this morning because my fasting number was 105 and a lot of mornings it is in the 90's, so I want to give it a fair chance when I test it again. I will wait for a morning when my fasting number is better than today was.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Day 53

9:00 a.m.
BG is good. Didn't test the oatmeal today. Just wasn't really in the mood to force myself to eat it and especially knowing that it may spike my sugar again. And I will test it without the Splenda Brown, but I WILL have to put something on it. I've had pretty good luck with Truvia in making sweet tea so I will put Truvia on it. For today I just went with the tried & true Jimmy Dean. 

I was on one of my Diabetic Discussion Board sites yesterday and one of the threads asked " In reflection, can you remember when you became Diabetic? Not when you were diagnosed but when changes started happening?" I started thinking about it. I knew when I wasn't. I knew I developed Diabetes, certainly, between April 13, 2010 and January 17, 2011 because my BS was 96 in April 2010 and was 612 in January 2011.

As for recognizable symptoms I started having hypoglycemic episodes about 6 months before I was diagnosed - I had excessive tiredness for about a month before my Dx - excessive thirst for about 2 weeks before my Dx and blurred vision (to the point I had to be within 24 inches of a 22" PC monitor and was no longer safe behind the wheel of a car) for less than a week before my Dx.

My doctor stated that I had Diabetes for more than 2 weeks in response to a question asked or a comment made by my husband the day of my Dx. Of course I later understood his reply was based on my A1c being 12.46.

So, recognizing when? I can say, with what I now know about Diabetes, that I recognize symptoms from about July 2010 (six months before my Dx) - I just did not know they were symptoms of Diabetes. I actually suspected, at that time, that I was Hypoglycemic. Which, to me, was a reasonable assumption since my daughter was Dx'd Hypoglycemic 15 years ago and my granddaughter was Dx'd Hypoglycemic in November 2010 and I was having Hypoglycemic episodes. A reasonable assumption, in my humble opinion.

Well, okay, gotta get finished with a couple of things so I can get to my exercises.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day 52

9:45 a.m.
BG is good (so far - lol), no, seriously, it is good. The only time I take a risk with it being elevated is if I need to test foods to see if or how much they affect my BG. Like tomorrow, when I test oatmeal again. But for today I had my Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl so my BG is good. Probably going to have a big Spinach salad with strawberries, real bacon pieces, pecan halves and some shredded Manchego cheese with Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing for lunch. Either that or another BBQ since hubby bought 2 lbs of meat yesterday. Only thing is he will have to go but more buns today since we finished off what we had yesterday. We'll see. Whichever I have for lunch the other will most likely be supper so BG should not be an issue at all today.

And, it's my exercise mid-week off day, so even my legs will be happy today! Which is good because my head woke up not so happy. Started with being extra tired last night & falling asleep earlier than usual, which only leads to waking in the middle of the night & having a hard time getting back to sleep. And that just makes me lay that getting angry that my sleep is interrupted. So that is exactly what happened - I was wide awake from around 3 till 4 in the morning. Finally fell back asleep, but never was in a good sleep, still woke somewhat every hour or so till I got up at 8 - with a headache to boot. Hopefully it will get better, I haven't taken anything for it yet because it is a mild headache, but if it gets worse I will take some Aleve. I have to take so many meds as it is that I hate to add something ofr a headache if it is a mild headache.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Day 51

6:00 p.m.
BG was good at fasting and was blown by breakfast. And the thing is I ate what I thought would be a better breakfast option than the frozen Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls, but it wasn't! And what is this better breakfast you ask? Oatmeal! Yep, suppose to be good for you oatmeal! Now, I will confess I did not eat that mushy horse feed plain, heck, I'm just a poor soul trying to figure out Diabetes, not a martyr! I did put some Splenda brown sugar in it to make it at least a little palatable. And it may well have been the Splenda Brown Sugar that did it since the package does say it contains some real brown sugar. So I will give the mushy horse feed another chance and use Truvia, but I really don't care if it fails the next test or not since I don't like oatmeal and I was only trying it as another possibility for breakfast. But that will be Thursday because I don't think I can handle mushy horse food 2 days in a row anyway. 

But, on the bright side - hubby brought home BBQ from our favorite BBQ place and I had two for lunch and my post meal BG was only 102! WooHoo! Love that BBQ.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Day 50

8:30 a.m.
Fasting BG was good.

Well, I woke up dreading that it was Monday. Poor Monday, it gets such a bum rap - kids hate it cause they have to go to school & parents hate it cause they have to go to work. Some grandparents dread it because they have to go to work also, but that's not my case. No. I dread it because it means exercise again. Six weeks of this and I am still not caught up in the exercise feel it, need it, love it, gung ho. No, for me it is still a matter of dread. Oh, don't get me wrong, I will do it, for my health, but I just don't look forward to it. 
I think today I will do a 20-minute Free Step and then 3 sets of the 10-minute Cardio for Beginners. That will help with the last 30 minutes since it takes me at least three to get close to be in sync with the girls on the DVD, so for the entire time I will be distracted with just trying to change from heel kicks to lunges. And forget about grapevines! That is an accident just waiting for me. I tried them a couple of times when I worked out to this DVD Friday and had no luck. I know "how" to do them, and at one time in my life I actually did do them, but that was 20 years ago in a Jazzercise class in a school gym where there was plenty of room to move around and I suspect that even then I may not have been moving in a straight grapevine from side-to-side but probably in a diagonal. Good thing there was plenty of room in that gym!

Okay, onward to my e-mail and other internet business before I get on with & get the exercising over with for today!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Day 49

2:00 p.m.
BG looking good. Had homemade hamburgers for lunch (yum) and BG tested good. I had a small serving of fries and ate 2 bites of baked beans. I would have eaten more beans and less fries, but hubby dear tasted the beans straight from the can and said they tasted good and didn't need to be "doctored". I always doctor baked beans unless they are Bush's Southern Pit BBQ Beans. Those are good straight from the can. Otherwise I add brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar and a little lemon juice (all various amount - never measured - just added by site). Well, lesson learned - don't trust Dear Hubbies opinion on baked beans!

Day 48

Ha! Missed another day! But, in my own defense I was tied up almost all day on a craft Blog-Hop that I was part of , and being part of it I felt an obligation to try to visit the other blogs on the hop. I just didn't realize when I signed up for it that there would be 130 some-odd blogs to hop. But it was a good Blog-Hop for a good cause - a group that collects handmade cards to send to deployed troops for them to write home on - provided to them free of charge.

Curious now? You can see my craft Blog entry here: My Craft Blog-Hop Blog Entry

Friday, March 4, 2011

Day 47

12:30
Fasting BG was good. 

I haven't tested for my second test today. I will test after supper tonight so I can see how a favorite casserole fares on the BG scale - enchilada casserole. I ran the recipe through and the numbers are pushing the limit, but I have logged my breakfast & lunch and I have enough allowance it today's targets to allow it, it is just a question of the glycemic index and how it will hit my sugars. We shall see.

And, the 6 year old granddaughter has gone home, so hopefully the quiet will help lower my stress level today and thereby reduce the stress effect on my BG. 

Today I tried a different exercise. First I did the 10 minute Wii Free Step then I switched to a Cardio program on a DVD that I recently bought. Cardio for Beginners. I worked through the basic 10 minute routine four times to complete a 50-minute workout. Sure glad no one is here to watch the comedic moves I make as I try to keep up and keep the rhythm. I am sooo uncoordinated - really rather embarrassing. Nope, I'm certainly not ready for a public gym or YMCA - not yet - not by a long shot!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Day 46

12:10 p.m.
My cereal failed the BG post exercise test. It was lower after the exercise, but higher than I need it to be - 162. I guess cereal is on it's way out. I will slowly finish off what I have in the kitchen, but I won't be replacing it with more cereal. 

And today, for the first day since my diagnosis I actually forgot to take my fasting BG test! But, in my own defense, my day has been slightly off anyway. Started off with a text message from my daughter that woke me and once I responded to her I sat at my desk waiting for her reply - which never came. When my hubby came upstairs from his basement Man-Cave I realized I had not started coffee yet so I immediately moved to the kitchen. Got the coffee going & went out to my carport to bring in some Pampered Chef things my daughter had dropped off. Got distracted looking at my new items and once I had those looked over good i moved right back tot he coffee pot and a new dilemma. This one surrounds the fact that my granddaughter was dropped off yesterday afternoon and this caused me to be further thrown off by knowing that within five minutes of waking she always starts asking for food. So now I was trying to decide if I should postpone my cereal test until next week when she will not be here. Obviously I decided to go forth with the test today. I just went ahead and prepared what I could before I started exercising so that when she woke and asked for breakfast I could easily finish it up in five minutes or less. As I prepared hers I also prepared mine except that for mine I went ahead and poured in the milk and doctored my coffee and proceeded to eat. It was not until I was about half way through my exercise that I realized I forgot the fasting test. Oh well, sometimes life happens . :/

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Day 45

10:00 a.m.
BG was good for my fasting check and I haven't decided which meal gets the random post-meal finger stick today. I usually go with the one that I suspect may impact my BG the most, so . . . hmmmm, haven't yet decided what to have for lunch or supper.I'm thinking meatloaf sandwich for lunch and salad with fresh fruit for supper. If I go with that then I will definitely check after lunch since there are crushed crackers in the meatloaf and bread is a certain carb, although the bread we have switched to is lower in carbs than many - only 15g per slice, so with about 15g in a 3oz slice of meatloaf I will be about 45 g, but I would still test since it is also a matter of the glycemic indexes of those foods. And, salad is always a safe meal on the carbs, so I would opt to not test that meal most anytime. 

Okay, not a lot for today, but I have laundry to get to and a new technique for cardmaking that I saw a tutorial for and I'm anxious to get to my craft room and try it! TTYL :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Day 44

10:45 a.m.
BG was up after breakfast, but I expected that since I ate the same cereal breakfast that shot it up on Saturday morning. But after exercise it was down to 96. I expected that too since I have already determined that exercise makes my BG drop, sometimes too low, but always a drop. 

So, next I will test a theory and see how it works out. Today I ate breakfast at 8:00 a.m., tested at 9:30 - BG 244, exercised 9:30 - 10:30, tested at 10:30 - BG 96. So, since tomorrow is my exercise off day I will test Thursday morning by eating the same cereal breakfast at 8:00 a.m., start exercises within the next 10-20 minutes so as to be finished by 1.5 hour mark for the post breakfast test. This way I can see if locking those two, my cereal breakfast and my exercise, will keep my BG where it should be. Of course I will discuss this with my doctor when I report my BG reading to him next week on Friday.

Exercise was still a struggle, but I don't think I felt the struggle until the last 5 minutes or so. One reason is because for the first 10 minutes of the second 20-minutes session I added a bottle of water to each hand and concentrated on working some arm exercises. Each bottle weighs 18oz according to my kitchen scales, even though they are 16oz bottles of water. Go figure. That's okay, I just wanted to be sure they weighed at least 16 oz.  

I sure hope I'm going to be able to stand the heat once summer hits because right now I have to get into shorts and a tank top, pull my hair up off my neck and turn the ceiling fan on high just to keep from dying from the heat!  Summer may be a killer for me - eek!