how abt a list of free foods ... a sample beginners diet
condenced list of what lab goals can be set for 6 mons
after dx..

also state this is 99% for T2's --- since much for a T1 will
be very different.

RK, t1

I started this game a little over 30 years ago
and I am still learning.  There are few simp;e
recipe answers.

When these groups operate well they  provide
a continuous flow of information and
support for diabetics.

It may be an open usenet situation
but sane,decent people respect it's
goals..

You will learn and ask the
questions for what you need..

I can only speak for myself but I am
very limited but I try.

Diabetics are not all the same.  You
have to find your condition   and
develop a program that fits you.
It will change in time.

The first step is to find the proper
doctor.

Do not listen to a single person or
advertising blurbs.

I hope someone here will post some good links
for you to view.
                                Guy

er
doctor.

Hi Bob

It's a start. But wait - there's more!

To get the full detail, read this "Newly Diagnosed" page at
the web-site associated with this usenet group:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.

Hi, bob--what Alan said!

It changes and it's individual, since we don't all have the same blood
pressure, hormone mix, etc.  I've found I've had to make changes as
cold weather has set in, for example.

I'm also surprised the medical community doesn't educate patients more
on diabetes.  The scare-tactic
ads-posing-as-public-service-announcements from big-pharma are not
helpful--they just want us to remember the company name and to "ask our
doctor" about their pet drug.

I never thought much about diabetes until I was diagnosed with
"pre-diabetes" (aka diabetes that just hasn't had as much time to do
damage).  Now I'm riveted by the topic and keep trying to learn as much
as possible.

At least you have a meter that will give you a lot of good information
you can print off and discuss with your doctor at your next visit.

pc

Hi bob...

Here's the advice I give all newbies... give it a shot for a week and
see what your body is up to.

Sounds like you're planning a move to take control of your diabetes... good
for you.

There is so much to absorb... you don't have to rush into anything.  Begin
by using your best weapon in this war, your meter.   You won't keel over
today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test and figure out just
how your body and this disease are getting along.  The most important
thing you can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test  test.

More than most anything, what you eat will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

And more than anything you eat, carbs will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

So, the most important information you can begin to compile about
yourself, is how your body handles carbs.

This sounds like you would need a low carb food plan right?

You don't... what you need to uncover is YOUR   Personalized Carb Number.

Which actually works better for most everyone.  Because low to one
person is wildly high to another, but waaaaay too low for someone
else.

Is low carb less than 30g a day?   Is it anything less than the
Pyramid reccomendations?

Finding your Personalized Carb Number is easy.

Here's how you can figure out your own Personalized Carb Number.

The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is:

What do I eat?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing.

What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great
results on wildly different food plans.  Some of us here achieve
great blood glucose control eating a high complex carbohydrate diet.
Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too
much.  Still others are somewhere in between.

At the beginning all of us felt frustrated.  We wanted to be handed
THE way to eat, to ensure our continued health.  But we all
learned that there is no one way.  Each of us had to find our own path,
using the experience of those that went before, but still having
to discover for ourselves how OUR bodies and this disease were coexisting.

Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best
for us.  You can use our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually
you'll work up a successful plan that is yours alone.

What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you.  As I'm
sure you've read, carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice... the things our
Grandmas called "starches") raise blood sugars the most rapidly.  Protein
and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly... so if you're
a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise.

You might want to try some  experiments.

First:  Eat whatever you've been
currently eating... but write it all down.
Test yourself at the following times:

Upon waking (fasting)
1 hour after each meal
2 hours after each meal
At bedtime

That means 8 x each day.  What you will discover by this is how long
after a meal your highest reading comes... and how fast you return to
"normal".  Also, you may see that a meal that included bread, fruit or
other carbs gives you a higher reading.

Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs.  Eliminate breads,
cereals, rices, beans, any wheat products, potato, corn, fruit... get all
your carbs from veggies.  Test at the same schedule above.

If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good
readings.  It's worth a few days to discover.

Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your
meter.

The thing about this disease... though we share much in common and we
need to
follow certain guidelines... in the end, each of our bodies dictate our
treatment and our success.

The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of
avoiding horrible complications.  The key here is AIM... I know that
everyone is at a different point in their disease... and it is progressive.
But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give ourselves the
best shot at heath we've got.
That's all we can do.

Here's my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers.

FBG                          under 100
One hour after meals       under 140
Two hours after meals     under 120

or for those in the mmol parts of the world:

Fasting                              Under 6
One hour after meals         Under 8
Two hours after meals       Under 6.5

Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your
"after meal" numbers. They may be the most indicative of future
complications, especially heart problems.

Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic
care team.  While his /her advice is learned, it is not absolute.   You
will end up knowing much more about your body and how it's handling
diabetes than your doctor will.   Your meter is your best weapon.

Just remember, we're not in a race or a competition with anyone but
ourselves... Play around with your food plan... TEST TEST TEST.  Learn what
foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings... Use your body as a science
experiment.

You'll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their
diabetes... Many are diametrically opposed. After awhile you'll learn that
there is no one size fits all around here.  Take some time to experiment
and you'll soon discover the plan that works for you.

Best of luck!

Jennifer

Keeping your blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible can be a
lifesaver. Tight control can prevent or slow the progress of many
complications of diabetes, giving you extra years of healthy, active life.

But tight control is not for everyone and it involves hard work.

By the Numbers

Good control means getting as close to a normal (nondiabetic) blood glucose
level as you safely can. Ideally, this means levels between 90 and 130 mg/dl
before meals, and less than 180 two hours after starting a meal, with a
glycated hemoglobin level less than 7 percent. The target number for
glycated hemoglobin will vary depending on the type of test your doctor's
laboratory uses.

In real life, you should set your goals with your doctor. Keeping a normal
level all the time is not practical. And it's not needed to get results.
Every bit you lower your blood glucose level helps to prevent complications.

What Tight Control Does

No one knows why high glucose levels cause complications in people with
diabetes. But keeping glucose levels as low as possible prevents or slows
some complications.

The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) proved it. Researchers
followed 1,441 people with diabetes for several years. Half of the people
continued standard diabetes treatment. The other half followed an
intensive-control program. Those on intensive control kept their blood
glucose levels lower than those on standard treatment, although the average
level was still above normal. The results? In the tight-control group,
compared with the standard-treatment group,

 a.. Diabetic eye disease started in only one-quarter as many people.

 b.. Kidney disease started in only half as many people.

 c.. Nerve disease started in only one-third as many people.

 d.. Far fewer people who already had early forms of these three
complications got worse.

Living With Tight Control

To get tight control, you must pay more attention to your diet and exercise.
You must measure your blood glucose levels more often. And, if you take
insulin, you must change how much you use and your injection schedule.

In intensive therapy, you provide yourself with a low level of insulin at
all times and take extra insulin when you eat. This pattern mimics the
release of insulin from the normal pancreas.

There are two ways to get more natural levels of insulin: multiple daily
injection therapy and an insulin pump. Both are good methods. Your choice
should depend on which best fits your lifestyle.

In multiple daily injection therapy, you take three or more insulin shots
per day. Usually, you take a shot of short-acting or Regular insulin before
each meal and a shot of intermediate- or long-acting insulin at bedtime.

With an insulin pump, you wear a tiny pump that releases insulin into your
body through a plastic tube. Usually, it gives you a constant small dose of
Regular insulin. You also have the pump release extra insulin when you need
it, such as before a meal.

With either method, you must test your blood glucose levels several times a
day. You need to test before each shot or extra dose of insulin to know how
many units to take and how long before eating to take it. Also, you may want
to test 2-3 hours after eating to make sure you took enough insulin. You
must adjust your insulin dose for how much you plan to eat and how active
you expect to be.

You do not need to figure these things out on your own. Whatever method you
choose, your health care team (your doctor, dietitian, diabetes educator,
and other health care professionals) should spend a lot of time teaching you
about it. Your team will help you make guidelines for how much insulin to
take and when. You will also come up with guidelines for eating and
exercising. These guidelines may change several times as you test them out.

You shouldn't try tight control on your own. A good health care team is a
must. Choose a doctor who understands diabetes well or is willing to learn
for your sake. Your doctor should have ties with other health professionals
you need, such as dietitians and a mental health worker. If you live in a
small town, look at your options carefully. You may be better off driving to
a city to see a specialist.

How to Keep Going and Going

Starting a program of tight control is exciting. But it can also be
overwhelming. How do you keep from running out of energy?

One way is to start slowly. For example, you might start by checking your
blood glucose more times each day. Get used to that first. Then start
multiple daily injections. Once you're used to those, add your new exercise
program and make the changes in your diet.

If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes, look honestly at yourself. Are you
still angry and depressed that you have diabetes? If so, you already have a
big challenge facing you. You may want to wait to try tight control until
after you've come to terms with the changes in your life.

Keep your goals realistic. No matter how hard you try, your blood glucose
readings will not be perfect every time. If they are often too high or too
low, you should talk to your doctor about whether your plan needs to be
adjusted. But if "wrong" levels happen only sometimes, that's life. With
practice, you will become more skilled at choosing the right insulin doses
for various situations.

If you need to, take a breather from the new routine. Having some time off
may make it easier to stick to your plan when you start again.

Pluses and Minuses

One big reason to try tight control is to prevent complications later. But
tight control has effects you can enjoy right now. You will probably feel
better and have more energy. Also, because you adjust your insulin dose to
your life, and not the other way around, you have more freedom. You can vary
your activities more. And you're not locked into having your meals at the
same time each day.

Tight control is especially good for pregnant women. It can reduce the risk
of birth defects in the baby.

But the DCCT found two major problems with tight control.

First, people had three times as many low blood glucose reactions
(hypoglycemia). You will need to be alert to the symptoms of hypoglycemia so
that you can treat yourself quickly. Also, you should always check your
blood glucose levels before you drive.

If you often have low blood glucose reactions when you try tight control,
talk to your doctor. You may need to ease up on your goals or go back on
standard therapy for a while.

Second, people on tight control gained more weight than people on standard
insulin treatment. The average in the DCCT was 10 pounds. If you are
concerned about putting on pounds, work with your dietitian and doctor to
devise a meal and exercise plan to prevent it.

You should also consider the cost. You will need to see your health care
team more often. Pumps cost about $5000, and pump supplies run $60 to $80 a
month. Multiple injection therapy is much cheaper. But you will still use
more supplies, like test strips and syringes, than before.

Tight Control and Type 2 Diabetes

The DCCT studied only people with type 1 diabetes. But doctors believe that
tight control can also prevent complications in people with type 2 diabetes.

Most people with type 2 diabetes do not take insulin. You may be wondering
how you can achieve tight control without it.

One way is to lose weight. Shedding excess pounds may bring your glucose
levels down to normal. The key to losing weight and keeping it off is
changing your behavior so that you eat less and exercise more. Your doctor
should work with you to find an eating and exercise plan you can stick to.

Even if you don't need to lose weight, exercise is helpful in controlling
your blood glucose levels. It makes your cells take glucose out of the
blood.

You will need to check your blood glucose regularly. You should decide with
your doctor how often. Once a day or even once a week may be enough for some
people with type 2 diabetes.

If exercise and good eating habits are not enough to keep your glucose under
control, you doctor may prescribe pills. And if these don't work, you may
need to take insulin.

People with type 2 diabetes should talk to their doctors before starting
tight control.

Tight Control Is Not for Everyone
Tight control is not safe for everyone with diabetes.

Children should not be put on a program of tight control. Having enough
glucose in the blood is vital to brain development. Some doctors say that
tight control should wait until a child reaches 13; others say after the age
of 7 is okay.

Elderly people probably should not go on tight control. Hypoglycemia can
cause strokes and heart attacks in older people. Also, the major goal of
tight control is to prevent complications many years later. Tight control is
most worthwhile for healthy people who can expect to live at least 10 more
years.

Some people who already have complications should not be on tight control.
For example, people with end-stage kidney disease or severe vision loss
probably should not try it. Their complications are probably too far along
to be helped. Some people who have coronary artery disease or vascular
disease should not try tight control. People who have hypoglycemia
unawareness probably should not go on tight control.