Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dennis on May 14, 2008 at 6:27pm

Thanks Kristin & Flo for all your help and tips !

Dennis

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jonathan on May 14, 2008 at 5:40pm

I was told that one of the benefits of going on the pump was a drop in a1c by about 0.5 to 1.0 for most people. I turned out to be one of those people for whom there was no overall change, but I did manage to keep the a1c stable while reducing my frequent lows.

About a year ago, I started aggressively carb and calorie counting and lost 45 pounds in 5 months. I also got my best a1c's ever, finally breaking through 7.0. Unfortunately, my diligence waivered, and my last a1c was a big step backwards. I've gotten back to the diligence, so hopefully the next will be better.

For carb counting, calorieking is the best. The book is small -- I have about 6 of them in various places and always have one with me. The website is better because it has so many different ways of measuring most foods and it does the calculations easily. There are also scales that have various food values plugged into them, so you just put the food on the scale, type in the code for the food or the letters, and it gives you the information. I had one for a while, but did not like it because everytime I wanted to weigh a banana and get the info on it, I had to go past Baby Ruth and other things that I did not want to see.

Also, a good set of measuring cups and spoons helps the process. It all makes meal time feel like calculus class, but it works.

As for weight loss -- there are two things that matter, in my view: calories in and calories out. I think it is a very simple equation. And, if I can do it, anyone can. Sit down with a dietician and talk about food choices -- ways to get foods that are more filling with fewer calories, without having to eat lettuce all day long. There are lots of good ways to do it. Good luck!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Patch on May 14, 2008 at 6:04pm

I don't use a pump, but I've been on insulin for many years. Last August, I weighed 316 lbs and could barely get out of my chair(which I didn't try very often). I blamed every med I took, every person that could eat anything they wanted, my heart condition, my Drs, my wife, and my life. Oh, I forgot to add my depression. Then my cardiologist referred me to a new Endo that was very aggressive in his treatment approach to big D. I still resisted but the Dr wouldn't let me use my excuses. He also finally got it through my thick skull that if I wanted to live for much longer I had to make a drastic change in my life. I now walk 5 to 7 miles a day, eat less than 150 carbs a day(probably closer to under a 100 carbs), and I have lost 80 lbs. I still have 50 lbs to go and I will get there. I don't diet, I made life style change and stopped blaming everyone and everything for my problem. I now accept the fact that only I can make the change and it is my responsibility to do so. Enough of the lecture, I just want everyone to know that the challenge can be interesting and fun if you want it to be.
In the "Last Lecture" the professor made the statement,"You are dealt certain cards in life, and it is up to you to play the hand".

Have a good one on me,
Patch

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dennis on May 15, 2008 at 9:08am

Thanks,Jonathan, Patch, for sharing your stories. They make me feel less alone, and make me think that I can do it !
Also I forgot to thank Jenny, "thank you'
I'm glad I found this web site !

Dennis

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brian on May 19, 2008 at 2:14pm

Have been a diabetic for 17 years. Never wanted to use the pump. My A1C are usually between 7 and 8. As low as 6.8, as high as 8.8. Back in November I went to a HS reunion and one of my old friends was a MiniMed rep. Her son is a diabetic. She told me about the continuous glucose monitoring system. I told her I've been waiting for this since two weeks after my diagnosis. I immediately went and got a pump and sensors (Insurance paid for pump, I paid for sensors). After 2 months of use my A1C was 6.6. I'm guessing now it's below 6.5. The data gets uploaded to Minimed and they give you some useful reports. I average 94% between 50 and 170, 3% higher, 3% lower. If you're serious about controlling. There's no better way (IMO) than the continuous glucose sensor.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jenny on May 19, 2008 at 3:37pm

Dennis,

The pump allows you to dispense insulin in more complex patterns, but the it won't really get the job done if you don't have a really good understanding of how many grams of carbs are in your food.

I'd suggest buying a food scale at a cookware store and spending a few weeks measuring portions on the scale and looking up the nutritional information. I use software from Lifeform. Fitday.com is another good source of nutritional information online.

You may find that the slice of bread you've been estimating as 20 g and dosing for 20 grams is really 35. That makes a difference in how far the insulin goes.

If you eat out a lot, it gets even tougher. I've been known to bring restaurant foods home and weigh them, and invariably they are always FAR more grams of carbs than I thought they were.

Alternatively, once you know exactly how much carb is in a meal you eat, you may discover that your insulin/carb ratio isn't what you thought it was (or what it was a year or two ago.)

I don't use a pump, I use shots, but over a couple years now I have been impressed at how often my carb/insulin ratio changes.

I have also found that my insulin often weakens as I go through a vial and my numbers will creep up as this happens unless I log everything and notice that I'm suddenly 10 or 15 mg/dl higher after eating a known meal than I would have expected.

That kind of stuff adds up!

Finally, if you are trying to cover a lot of carbs, well, that's tough. Most of the people I know who get very tight control with insulin seem to cut way back on carbs--exactly how far has to do with your unique metabolism. But I can't cover more than 50 g at once with any kind of precision and I do a lot better with less than that.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dennis on May 19, 2008 at 9:48pm

Thanks Brian, and Jenny, for the stories; interesting reading them all.

Dennis

▶ Reply to This

• 1
• 2