Update on last post

No longer excited. That 600 calorie diet? It's only for the morbidly obese ...

laters

New research from Diabetes UK - can diet reverse type 2?

Very exciting.

Can a very strict and low calorie diet, whilst under medical supervision, reverse type 2?

An old schoolfriend's uncle did this and no longer has type 2.

I think I'll wait for a little more research, then find out if I'm a likely (meaning likely to succeed) candidate for this.

600 calories per day sounds like a nightmare to me ... but for a few weeks, it's more than worth it.

PLEASE NOTE - DO NOT, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO THIS AT HOME WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION!!!

Raising Awareness

I'd like to raise awareness of this disease, because I am certain that my late husband had type II. It's just that it wasn't diagnosed.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it?

But looking back with hindsight, it is now very clear to me today that Cliff had even more symptons than I had. The last one being, "every time I eat, I have this bloated uncomfortable feeling" to which I advised, "you need to go to the doctor's".

Oh how I wish I'd known then what I know now ... he'd still be here.

Diabetes, coupled with his high blood pressure. He didn't have a chance.

If he'd been on the DASH diet, he'd still be here.

There are no words for the guilt that I feel.

without health care for diabetes

this is how bad health care is in the United States.

as i've written, i do not have health care either. i have to wait on April 2012 to be signed up at work. i have to work there a year. other bridge insurance programs deny me for one of two reasons: i am considered pending at work, or i have a pre-existing condition, the diabetes/high blood pressure. so i get denied.

if i want health care for this 10 month interim, i would have to pay $350 a month. and then it would kick in after the $5000 deductible.

i can't afford that. and i don't want to go to jail. so i am falling, falling, falling through the cracks.

i am going to have to pay for the class out of pocket. hundreds and hundreds of dollars will rack up over the next 10 months. i can't imagine how much. $400 for an office visit? lab fees? the class?

i sometimes feel like i am circling the drain.

that's the difference between me and Boo. between not having health care and your government serving it's people.

i wish you peace.

I really like these mini-slideshows courtesy of Diabetic Living:



Power Foods for Diabetics

Top Diabetic Snacks (USA)

Top tips for grocery shopping

Glucophage and B12 deficiency?

Great! Better ask for a B12 test next time I see the diabetes Nurse:

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/articles/oral-medicines/how-much-do-you-know-about-metformin/all/

MyPlate for Diabetes on Livestrong

I've been doing pretty well with my food, by that I mean I've been behaving.

What's helped me? Using the Livestrong MyPlate D (Diabetes) tool. It tells me how much sugar, carbohydrate etc I've had and what my targets are. There's even an option to check you're drinking enough water, what your blood sugar levels are, and if you've walked or done other exercise during the day. It might be easier for Susan and I to compare notes there. There's a facility on there to let your friend see your food diary (but not anyone else :-)

I'm going to tweak "MyPlateD" so that it is aligned with the DASH eating plan, and ensure that I'm getting enough magnesium and potassium too to get the most out of this free online tracker.

And as for managing my stress? Well I've been setting the alarm half an hour earlier than usual, and using that time to sit still and just "be" for ten minutes, eating breakfast before I leave for work (which seems to help my energy and emotional state considerably), and read for 15 minutes. I'm loving this extra time in my day ... it starts me off in a good mood. At work, if something irritates me, I try deep breathing exercises instead of whinging ... and makes me feel like an adult instead of a petulant child. I don't know if this helps me or just makes life more pleasant for my colleagues, LOL ;-)