Health and Fitness, February, 2019

[LadyMaverick]

I am thankful for recovery from yesterdays blunder. Monitoring my blood sugar just moved up to the top of my priority. I am aware that I might have crossed over from being in pre-diabetic into a full blown diabetic and can't go back. Either way it was proven to me (again) that it is not a good thing to ignore.

My blood sugar this morning is 40 points above where I want it. I expected that after the sugar water drink and eating processed bread yesterday. I already knew that is exactly how my body reacts to simple carbs. It can handle the complex carbs in vegetables especially the green leafy ones. I can work with that. So now I start again. Can I bring my BSugar below 100 again by keeping my macros in line?

If I can't, then I'll report to the doctor, get the diabetic diagnosis and be willing to take medication.

Everyone has a different method of dealing with Low blood sugar.
I used to carry crackers with me at all times when I carried a purse/backpack. They are quick to chew, dissolve and swallow to get BSugar raised. But crackers crumble and can get stale.
My dad always carried peanut butter & crackers and a small bag of peanuts with him for BSugar reasons. But these items get stale and go rancid during the hot summer time.
I have not had good experience keeping juice in a box or orange juice bottle with me. It is too bulky to carry with me and tends to leak. If I lose the juice box straw then it is almost impossible to open with bare hands especially when my hands are weak & shaking from low blood sugar episode.
The glucose tablets have been my go-to for several years. They are small, portable and powerful. They aren't too much bigger than a quarter so they are easy to carry. I keep several of the tablets in my blood sugar testing case. I need to put some in my vehicle and also consider carrying them in my jean pocket.
The key for me is to keep that blood sugar kit with me and test on a regular basis. Knowledge gives options before it becomes an emergency.

[Harriet]

LadyM, oh I didn't realize you had glucose tablets already. That is an ideal option. In my mind, I was seeing you as starting from scratch to think about it yesterday. I actually awakened with second thoughts about mentioning the glove box, because even though that would be fine in today's weather, for instance, liquid (or maybe anything) left there could become rancid eventually in heat.

HRH took his blood sugar in the past. To my knowledge he never had a low that he could catch, though. He brought his A1C to 6 so drs were happy and he hadn't tested any more for years until this new treatment. It requires a high steroid dose and that drives bs up independently of food, and of course this goes on for half a year. Now he must monitor all the time and we've been learning. We just hope this doesn't force his body into a new normal forever and that after these steroids are ended he can get back to where he was.

Hoping you can figure this out and never have to go through that again, plus can bring bs to the level you want. Best wishes!

[Twins' Mom]

Yes, the glucose tablets are an easy choice. My dmom used to to keep those in her purse.

[LadyMaverick]

I found a small container with a screw on lid that will fit into my pocket. It will hold 2 of the glucose tablets. That gives me confidence that I will always have something with me. If I had the glucose tablet with me yesterday I could have made the 10-minute drive to get to the next Interstate exit. If I had tested it wouldn't have been necessary. I am filled with thoughts of IF ONLY.....

I have lost confidence in my ability to maintain blood sugar. It is going to take a while to build the assurance that it won't crash again.

I tested my BSugar twice this morning and both times it was higher than it should be. It is a LONG way from crashing so no worry there. Being too high isn't the best but I feel okay so I wanted to resume my normal activities so DH and the kids won't worry so much about me. They have been checking on me constantly since it happened yesterday. This morning we did normal things but as I was driving to church my body was vibrating. I am 99.9% sure my body was shaking from the cold (it was below freezing and strong winds). But now that I have lost confidence in maintaining BSugar I found myself becoming concerned that the body shaking was a blood sugar crash. ARGH.

I turned the vehicle around and came back home. One of my lessons learned is to not push myself. Especially until I can get BSugar leveled out. I explained to DH and DS10 that I was perfectly fine but I needed my body to stay warm and not vibrate/shake today. I encouraged them that I was fine & do not need someone to stay with me so they went to church.

[Nancy]

Coughing just a bit. Did 30 min. On the exercise bike. Moved some tables and craft stuff in the basement for the rest of my exercise.

[Lynlee]

LM
My suggestion is to not leave it so long between helpful meals, and to remember that aerobic exercise really burns up bs.
That was the real issue I think, the long fast followed by Y workout, then still no food, but the drive home.
Having helpful food after gym might help.
Take the IF time suggestions and follow that guide for eating. The meals might not be big, but they will help keep things more even.

For me there is about 3 or so days of bouncing around after my body has decided it has had a bs insult, and I'm trying to get back on track.

[Harriet]

LadyM, they are smart cookies to check on you, though!

HRH is frustrated to be gaining weight but dr says it's exactly what he expected, and to put up with it a few months longer. Steroids drive hunger up and you end up gaining. Also he has swelling because of this too, so he's staying mad at clothes and scale both. (and not thrilled with dr) Not supposed to be very active. Come on, summer. We're ready to be through with this.

Have done some research on auto-immune diseases in general and learned that some research points to sodium. Maybe some people can get away with high sodium in the diet and some cant. They're not sure, but of course the US and other western countries have rates that are going up, up, up. HRH has a buddy just diagnosed with RA. Seems when we mention it everybody's got a story from their family or friends these days. Genes have been ruled out because the rates are going up more rapidly than genes can change.

Got in one more perfect daily dozen day, so that brings me to 4 for the month. Doing extra cooking today that will help me keep up in the coming week. Soups, stews in the freezer to choose from the next time I need to take the thermos along.

[Nancy]

I have done 30 min. On the stationary bike this morning, and did snow removal.

[LadyMaverick]

For me there is about 3 or so days of bouncing around after my body has decided it has had a bs insult, and I'm trying to get back on track.

This is Day 2 since my BSugar insult (I like that description!) and I'm waiting for BSugar to drop back into a normal range. It is dropping from the highs that I had the last 2 days but I'm still 20 points away from the high side of the normal range. I am experiencing lightheadedness and weakness which is common when blood sugar is being lowered from being too high. Each time I have these lighthearted symptoms I immediately test to confirm that it is not low blood sugar. It is just the uncomfortable process of blood sugar coming out of high numbers and heading toward normal numbers. I am not going to push my body while going through this BSugar drop and give it time to recover. I am testing/monitoring my BSugar, pulse rate, and blood pressure as I go through this process.

I am tracking my food in MFP app to ensure that I'm eating enough and the macros. I am expecting good results, I just need to be patient.

I insulted my body.....now I am trying to apologize and showing my appreciation for what an awesome job it does. May sound a bit weird, but I am grateful for having a body that works so well......99.9999999% of the time.

[Lynlee]

LM - Your biology is different from where mine is at, so it may take more than 3 days for you.
I'd suggest consistent healthy eating at regular intervals, and having a suitable snack with you at all times rather than recourse to glucose tablets as a last resort.

I have in the past been to low blood sugars bounces after glucose tolerance tests, and then 3 days later I get a bad 'dream' fantasy things happening. The first gt test --- I has the levels stayed high and I was warned to keep an eye on it way into the future.
Also after eating forbidden sweets, 3 days later my mind is not in a good spot.

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The author of this book is long dead, but the advice is sound I think. He does cover the diabetes in the section that shows graphs of various bs tracking, and says its the same diet helps regular bs for diabetes, if remember correctly from reading this in the 80s. I think I've read it again since then. Its available for kindle. Pls don't be put off because its for the opposite condition. Its all about maintaining stability of bs levels. Diabetes 1 is a whole different thing needing insulin.
Hypoglycemia: A better approach by Paavo Airola
https://www.amazon.com.au/Hypoglycemia- ... B00C0APEMM

His suggestion was to do an hour walking or gardening before breakfast, and I've never had the tolerance for exercise on no fuel, but that might suit you when things settle. I can wander in a garden no trouble, but not putting in effort without getting low symptoms.