The stories tell us who have had diabetes, we may sound trite. But think of them as people who were once healthy, they could eat without worrying about the amount of carbohydrates consumed, and they assumed that they had pretty feet and hands, and a beautiful rosy skin color, do not put on weight when coming Christmas because not yet suffering from insulin resistance, and had never experienced a diabetic coma, foot amputation, loss of sight, loss of a kidney and whose families could live their lives without being busy with them all the time, whether in a hospital or at home caring for a diabetic in a wheelchair.
"Like most people who have undiagnosed diabetes, I did not believe that I could spend my horrible nightmare that I lived a year ago. Because of my family background, my brothers told me often to review me, I could bring high sugar, but answered that I did not want to know if he had diabetes, he preferred to live in peace .. First I inflamed foot after using boots that I had a little tight, but I thought it was going to remove the inflammation and did not go to medical care, despite all the symptoms pointed to diabetic neuropathy.
By persisting inflammation and pain, I attended the Social Security which just gave me an anti-inflammatory. But my problems continued to increase and the days went to a healer who praised as the best in the world, but this great and ignorant charlatan bade me get super swollen and sore foot in hot water and salt !. My foot burst like rotten fruit and then on some fingers amputated my foot came, and the long months of recovery, depression and grief, I am now under the special care of a nutritionist and naturopath, and could recover some of my health, and I say partly because the severe damage caused by years of undiagnosed diabetes and bring the high sugar irreversibly damaged my feet, and always run the risk of serious infection if I neglect my diet.
Surprisingly, I do not need drugs to control my sugar, which always varies between 80-100 naturally and through out a complete, nutritious and tasty food, and be active. Above all, it is amazing to see how my new eating habits have thinned me. There is no happiness if good health!
Nine months ago, when my 45th birthday, I had no inkling that I am diabetic approached. Like many middle-aged men, he is visiting a doctor only when a muscle spasm in the back, or the flu made me buy a prescription. When my wife Liz asked me to schedule a routine inspection last spring, I nodded and did nothing. She asked me quite strongly because it was gaining too much weight - weighed 125 kilos - and I kept nodding. After two months of insistence, she asked me to make an appointment with the doctor as a favor to her, and in June, I agreed. My last physical was in 1999. At that time, my doctor (call Dr. McFerrin, because their attitude is "Do not worry, be happy") says that my cholesterol was high (272) - and he should lose weight and exercise more. I nodded.
A few days after my physical examination, Dr. McFerrin called to say that my total cholesterol had risen to 304 (anything below 200 is normal) and my blood sugar - or the level of FPG - stood at 169. At that time, diabetes meant nothing to me, because nobody in my family had suffered and suffered and knew nothing of high or low glucose values. In addition, the voice sounded almost casual doctor. I only recommended to return for a new blood test in a few days to see if the numbers were accurate. I did, and this time my blood sugar was even greater - 206 - while cholesterol hovered around 300.
"I'll put on medication," explained Dr. McFerrin with the same insouciance as always. He wrote a prescription for a medication I was taking after breakfast and dinner for lower my blood glucose levels. To my cholesterol, I was prescribed a statin. "You must follow a diet to lose at least 20 kilos and exercise more and come back in a month," he said casually, and added that it was for a few weeks, and could call another doctor in your clinic if you had any questions related to my diet.
The doctor never mentioned my diabetes, and I had no idea what a level of blood sugar normal. That night, I was researching on the Internet and discovered that the level of blood sugar less than 110 milligrams per deciliter of blood is normal. A reading of 110 to 125 is "abnormal" or "high". And when you go up to 126 or higher means you have diabetes.
I could not have been more surprised, disgusted with myself and depressed. A chronic disease, diabetes occurs when the body does not produce or properly use insulin, and therefore, is unable to maintain normal levels of blood sugar. Usually it is genetic, but neither my mother nor my father have, nor my grandparents, or anyone close to me. Often, people have warning signs that have developed the disease, including frequent urination, unusual thirst, or weight loss, extreme hunger and even after fatigue, irritability, frequent infections, blurred vision and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. I do not.
I am producer of a television program called "Good Housekeeping" television news and had recently interviewed Dr. Robin Goland, director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, in New York, who - remember had said that a well- Once is diagnosed with diabetes, you need to take action immediately.
Armed with this knowledge, I gave the news to my wife and my parents, who insisted that seek a diabetes specialist. This time, I took the advice to heart and made an appointment with Dr. Goland.
The night before my visit, my wife and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant. I had read enough about diabetes and cholesterol then had a fairly rough idea about what I should and should not eat. So heroically just I ordered a salad and a pasta with garlic and oil, avoiding firmly delicious breadsticks. Then I made an unforgivable sin: I ordered a Sprite soda. My wife jumped out of his chair and ran out of the table - to express its acute rejection and fear that the Sprite kill me in minutes. I did not take it.
When I met with Dr. Goland, I thought he would agree that Liz had overreacted. No way. Instead, Dr. Goland said that there are some foods you should now do everything possible to avoid them. The soda was one of them, but now I know that sugars "light" my health problem worse.
That's when I found out that it was not only sugar but generally all carbohydrates which worsened my condition of hyperglycemia. According to Dr. Goland, the number of carbohydrates you eat increases your level of blood glucose. No matter whether the carbs come from a chocolate or mashed potatoes (or soda). If you eat or drink more than four servings of carbohydrates (one equals about 15 grams) in a meal, the blood sugar will rise. (A plant with only five grams of carbohydrates, counts as one-third of a slice. A slice of bread counts as one serving)
To track blood sugar, Dr. Goland told me I would need to measure my level of blood glucose four times a day jabbing index finger with a lancet, dropping a little blood on a strip of paper, and inserting the strip into a plastic digital meter. He asked me the results faxed to his office the weekend. And when my blood sugar went up too, must send a record of everything I had eaten that day.
Likewise, Dr. Goland ordered me to do exercise for 20 minutes at least three days a week to lose weight and better control my diabetes. He stressed that a healthy diet and regular exercise would have the added benefit of lower my cholesterol. I then had no idea what had to do cholesterol and diabetes. I would continue taking Glucophage and statin.
"Do you take an aspirin a day to prevent a heart attack?" - I wonder. I shook my head. "You must do it now." On the advice of Dr. Goland, I had my eye exam, since diabetics are at risk for glaucoma - leading to a progressive loss of vision. (Now I need my eyes examined every year.) He also had to see a nutritionist to talk about my diet and learn how to take my readings of blood sugar. My eyes were wide. But the meeting with the nutritionist was a real revelation.
Before her, I thought he had good knowledge of what was a healthy meal at a Chinese restaurant: wonton soup, sesame chicken, a bowl of white rice and hot tea (no egg rolls!). Proud of myself, I met with the nutritionist and I made the glucose test for the first time. Five seconds later, I was petrified with disbelief. My blood sugar was 251!
How could that be? I loved Chinese food, and I know that is a kitchen with which diabetics have to be careful. That's partly because the tickets have been dipped in a sweet, fried dough, and partly because diabetics should not eat a whole plate of rice loaded with carbohydrates.
I discovered I manage my intake of carbohydrates is not like dieting. You can not enjoy a meal of whatever it pleases me and spare in the next, and hope that everything was normal. Once you eat too many carbs, they enter the blood and red blood cells and damage your body. In fact, it is important to eat three meals a day at about the same time each day.
But what could eat, plus vegetables, lettuce (not every day!), And fish? The answer: a little of everything around and almost none of some other things like sweets and fruit juices. The nutritionist told me low extremely varied and nutritious without missing anything, except foods with high carbohydrate content such as juice, sugar, desserts, pasta, rice and fruits excess carbohydrate diet.
As I write this, I'm going into my fifth month as a diabetic. I am leading a fairly normal life. I lost 20 pounds because I force myself to walk more during the day, and also to use my treadmill at home for 20 minutes three times a week. My cholesterol has plummeted from 300 to 130, and my reading of blood sugar normally range between 85 and 105. In fact, have been so decent that Dr. Goland now allows me to take readings twice a day instead of four.
He constantly kept below 100 glucose level in the blood, has freed me from many diseases and fear of dawn one day with a gangrenous foot and amputation. Since my diagnosis, my wife has been devoted to cook and prepare healthy but tasty foods at home, bejo treat a nutritionist and naturopath Mexican I met through the Internet a few months ago, and who treats us away because she lives in Nayarit state .. I never went to see Dr. Mc Ferrin I mentioned at the beginning. Nobody really cares about your health, you should never see.
