2008 view of "Waiting For the Shoe to Drop"

Type 2 times: Waiting For the Shoe to Drop...

Type 2 times: Waiting For the Shoe to Drop...

This was my first posting post diagnosis in 2004. My wife was not thrilled about me talking about this to anyone* and hoped I would keep my mouth shut. Since then, I have met a large number of people with this illness and others I know have had complications:

At that time (2004), my brother Charlie still had a left leg and most of his right leg. His right leg ends in mid-theigh and his left leg ends in mid calf.

A friend's grandaughter was on the insulin pump; she has now graduated from high school and is still on the pump. She did "take off a summer" (2006) and just used injections.

Just before he started 10^th grade, her y0unger brother "came down with" type 1 diabetics as well and is now on the needle.

A friend of mine was using "lizard spit" but kept having adverse reactions to it and went back to metformin and something else. This is kind of a "no shit" when you conisider that

1. "lizard spit" is in a saliva of gila monsters,
2. gila monsters are venimous lizards,
3. "lizard spit" must be a conponent of gila monster venim!

Q.E.D.: To some people, injecting "lizard spit" is to inject gila monster venim!

If you like irony, consider the irony of my wife now being treated for "pre-diabeties". She still doesn't like to talk about her pre-diabetes but is a little more comfortable about talking about mine. I guess she's gotten used to it...

"So, why am I sprewing this out? Because my wife is embarrassed when I do mention "my condition" and posting my remarks to a blog sounds like a private confession that few will read. sigh"

Repentanance

I repent the stupid things I thougth about my brother and his blood sugar control problems years ago. That is years before I was diagnosed (7 May 2004) and after his health began to crap out. I found it easy to say "I can't understand why he has trouble keeping his blood sugar under control. Just eat the right food and it would be easy!"

Experience has taught me that "just eat the right food is horribly simplistic; I try to eat good but it it damn hard to keep the blood sugar under control. May be it takes more than working out and trying to eat right to reach this goal. Maybe it would take insulin or something than metformin but I am not willing to go there...

It is enough to make me think that God is kicking my ass to get me to begin proper thinking and to be more sympathetic.

I wasn't sympathetic after Charlie (my youngest brother) lost his right foot to a major infection and had to walk on crutches. I became far more sympathetic after breaking my left ankle around 6:25 pm, 13 June 2007, and then had to use crutches or a motorized wheel chair.

I suck when it comes to getting around whilst unable to walk but I look good on a motorized scooter/wheel chair*!

Here I am on the scooter I rode at the 2007 International Lions Convention in Chicago Illinois. We were at the McCormick Centre near the sales area..

^{* Yeah, I'm actually joking}

An interesting study of the increase in diabetic patients in the US.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27457618/

"Cost of diabetes drugs skyrockets for Americans
$12.5 billion spent in 2007; newer meds driving increase, researchers say"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27405027/

This is a very interesting article that I can't resist quoting in part:

CHICAGO - Americans with diabetes nearly doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in just six years, with the bill last year climbing to an eye-popping $12.5 billion.

Newer, more costly drugs are driving the increase, said researchers, despite a lack of strong evidence for the new drugs' greater benefits and safety. And there are more people being treated for diabetes.

The new study follows updated treatment advice for Type 2 diabetes, issued last week. In those recommendations, an expert panel told doctors to use older, cheaper drugs first.

And a second study, also out Monday, adds to evidence that metformin — an inexpensive generic used reliably for decades — may prevent deaths from heart disease while the newer, more expensive Avandia didn't show that benefit.[emphasis added]*

"We need to pay attention to this," said Dr. David Nathan, diabetes chief at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, who wrote an editorial but wasn't involved in the new studies. "If you can achieve the same glucose control at lower cost and lower side effects, that's what you want to do."^*

The studies, appearing in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, were both funded by federal grants.

Something to definitely keep in mind:

In the other study, Johns Hopkins University researchers analyzed findings from 40 published trials of diabetes pills that measured heart risks. Compared to other diabetes drugs or placebo, metformin was linked to a lower risk of death from heart problems.^*

A charming little piece: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24716880/)

Even a thin person can get diabetes
It's the sugar-coated secret of America's fastest-growing disease

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24716880/

This is a really scarry piece...http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24716880/

^{* I failed to site my sources; bad staffing and unintention plagerism on my part..}

when to check my post-dinner blood sugar?

What time should I check my after dinner blood sugar?

Shortly after I was diagnosed (around 10 May 2004), my Family MD told me to test my blood sugar twice a day, twice a week. He said to test my blood right after I got up in the morning and two hours before eatting dinner. This did cause me scheduling problems and I've since wondered if he forgot to mention testing the blood 2 hours after eatting as well. (Oh, well...)

Blue Cross had a Diabetes Nurse Education calling me every three months for a year. She wanted to teach me survival skills. Something interesting happened: she told me to test my blood sugar 2 hours after finishing my evening meal. So, I started doing this. My Family MD just shook his head but didn't tell me not to.

Yesterday, I went to the local Diabetes Support Group. It turned out that I was the only member to actually show up (the facilator, an RN names Anne, admitted to not calling and reminding members) and so she did a workup on me. This workup consisted of weighing me and asking about my eatting habits. Anne then worked out a "meal plan" for me.

Anne wasn't judgemental but she was upset at how much coffee and Diet Pepsi I drink. So, she told me to taper down my usage and eventually quit drinking such stuff. My wife is happy with this; she thinks I've been drinking too much of the DP and hasn't been bashful about telling me. I had 1 ½ cups of coffee today (one before breakfast and the ½ when I got to work at 3 pm) and two cans of DP: one with breakfast and the second with lunch.

But I digress and the reason I wrote this piece is my latest "Diabetes Team Member" (Anne) told me to test my blood sugar 1 to 2 hours after taking the first bite of dinner. So, that means I'll be testing no later than 8:32 this evening.

I wonder what other time I will be given some day.

On the bright side, Anne has been given free blood sugar meters by med representatives. She is going to give me a new one (a Freestyle^™ 2) to replace the Freestyle^™ that I've used for years. She said it would give the averages for morning fasting readings and post dinner readings separately.

I wonder if she can supply free test strips?