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Diabetes Support Group
Diabetes Support Group:
Learning you have diabetes is a scary thing. We all know someone who has lost a toe or a foot or a life to diabetes and when the doctor tells us, we have it, many things can happen. We can go into denial, get angry, become depressed, try hard to act as if we don't care. Or we can do the right thing. Find a support group of caring people that understand, research and learn more about the disease, learn about the newest ideas and treatments, find out about pills, insulin, nutrition
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Diabetes Support Group
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Welcome to the Diabetes Support Group. Our purpose is to support each other, be an understanding ear, learn, and discuss the latest research, insulin, medication, dealing with doctors, diet, exercise, diabetic Nutrition and more, much more. So if you have diabetes or live with someone who has please join in the discussion. We would love to have you.
Spammers I will delete you immediately so don't bother putting your stuff here.
10 months ago
Recent Messages
Welcome
Gerald and Nutritional. Please post how we can help you with your diabetes problems. We will all do the best we can to support your and help you keep on track. Share with us what medications your are on and how you are doing. We are happy you are here.
Ups and Downs of Blood Sugar
I am finding that my blood sugars go down and then up again. Sometimes this happens when I eat and when I am fasting. When is a good time to test blood sugars? Sally
Help with diet cokes
Ok, usually when we eat out, I get unsweet tea, I know from the first sip that it doesn't have sugar, but sometimes, I really want a diet pepsi or coke. How do I know that it's really a diet drink? we went to a drive-in tonight for burgers and I really think my coke wasn't diet, I just had a bad feeling about it, but I can't taste the difference anymore, especially since I'm used to diet Pepsi and this was diet Coke. I drank just a little. When I checked my BG two hours later, it was higher than it's been in over a week! Not really bad at 135, but I've been running 105 - 109, highest was 118 after exercise. I just can't help but think that maybe it really wasn't a diet coke.
Have any of you dealt with this?
Have any of you dealt with this?
Strips
I firmly believe that most meters and strips get the same results. Having said that I must tell you about a new program from Freestyle.
Freestyle has a new meter out, mine was free through a card in DIABETES FORCAST.
The meter cane with a card noted a new program. It will pay up to $50/month for strips and sends you a new meter when a new one comes out. Because I test 8-10 times a day my 200 strips per month cost $68 after insurance. I used the program this month (have to call first and register) and my strips cost $18 talk about a savings.
I love this meter anyway but this really makes it the one I want. (Also you can test other than on your fingers, I use my palm, it is small, and easy to read. This new model does not require coding.
Freestyle has a new meter out, mine was free through a card in DIABETES FORCAST.
The meter cane with a card noted a new program. It will pay up to $50/month for strips and sends you a new meter when a new one comes out. Because I test 8-10 times a day my 200 strips per month cost $68 after insurance. I used the program this month (have to call first and register) and my strips cost $18 talk about a savings.
I love this meter anyway but this really makes it the one I want. (Also you can test other than on your fingers, I use my palm, it is small, and easy to read. This new model does not require coding.
New Tack in Research
We can change your cells and cure your diabetes
view link
Another interesting line to be pursued. Keep donating to diabetes research funding and keep writing your Senators and Representatives. I think the breakthrough will come within my lifetime. (age 66, eons age calculator 79)
Wayne
view link
Another interesting line to be pursued. Keep donating to diabetes research funding and keep writing your Senators and Representatives. I think the breakthrough will come within my lifetime. (age 66, eons age calculator 79)
Wayne
Emotions
Hello, everyone. I HAAAATE this disease. I have type 2 and cannot seem to get and stay a foot from shore with weight loss. Ciarra1234
Dating with Diabetes
THRIVING WITH DIABETES
Dating and diabetes
The waiter arrives. He places the entrees in front of you and your date. You look at the food. You glance towards the bathrooms. What do you do? Do you check your blood glucose at the table or do you politely excuse yourself and hope he or she doesn't think something is wrong?
Dating can be hard enough. Dating with diabetes puts another twist to things. In addition to the "Where are you from?" and "What do you do?" conversations, should you initiate the "I have diabetes" conversation? If so, when do you bring it up? Before the appetizers? After the third date? On your wedding night?
Let Life Happen
On top of the "I have diabetes" conversation, there is the rest of the Diabetes 101 syllabus that you could offer your date (maybe wait until the plates are cleared). Bolusing. Carb counting. Hypoglycemia. The list could go on and on.
One approach to dating and diabetes is to let life happen and explain as needed. "I find that the majority of people are quite uneducated about diabetes and that when they see how nonchalant I am about everything, it piques their curiosity. They want to ask more questions," shared Karen, a fifty-something from Wisconsin. "The way I look at it, I should manage my life, including my relationships, versus letting diabetes manage them. If they can't handle that, they're not the kind of person I want to be with anyway, so it wasn't meant to be."
From the Other Side: Tips on Dating a Person with Diabetes
Written by Howie, a thirty-something from Washington, DC, the significant other of a person with diabetes
Learn as much as you can. The more you know, the better you can understand the physical and emotional experiences of your partner. It helps to share that common bond and provides comfort to your partner in discussing his/her feelings if they are going through extreme shifts in their blood sugar levels for example.
Offer to become involved. Gauging how involved you should become in your partner's blood glucose and meal planning can be difficult. Some partners might not want that much involvement, and others do. However, offering that support shows you care and can provide your partner an emotional lift. Sometimes I inquire about what my girlfriend's glucose reading is after a test. If it is low, then I will offer to help her find something to eat or drink. If it is too high, then I know not to suggest having a meal right away.
Be flexible surrounding meals. I generally eat on a structured schedule - breakfast before going to work, lunch around 11:30 and dinner when I get home from work. However, one with diabetes might not always be able to eat on such a structured schedule; it may depend on his/her blood glucose level at the particular time. In my relationship I have learned to be more flexible in my meal/snack schedule, but we have also communicated that to each other that if one person is hungry and the other isn't (or can't eat at that particular time), then it is acceptable to go our separate ways.
"When I watched Karen so casually measure out her dosage and poke her arm right through her clothing, I thought she's one tough cookie!" Karen's new fiancé Rob commented. "I had always hated shots. The idea of piercing the skin with a needle would make me cringe. But I found her more attractive as a result of the experience."
Twenty-something Dayle from Washington, D.C., brought her boyfriend along for the ride of day-to-day living with diabetes. "When I first went on the pump in college, my boyfriend accompanied me to the training sessions. My diabetes educator found a loaner pump for my boyfriend so we spent the first few days pumping saline solution together. I think it helped him to develop understanding and empathy for my diabetes lifestyle."
"Diabetes is not something that should be kept secret," advised twenty-something Dana from Alabama, "unless you would rather say you're just part of a not-so-secret international club that subscribes to rigorous blood glucose testing, reverence of A1C numbers, and a lifelong addiction to insulin!" jokes Dana.
By being open about your diabetes, you can help to make the other person feel more comfortable. Jim, a former boyfriend of a person with diabetes weighed in, "If the fact that she had diabetes made me feel uncomfortable, educating me on the various aspects simply resolved that problem."
No big deal?
Let's face it - diabetes is serious. But if you look healthy and act healthy, then it can be easy for your partner to forget it takes a lot of effort to maintain this level of good management.
"There is a downside to my openness and matter-of-fact attitude. My boyfriends have often assumed that because I'm always testing and bolusing—and because they've never seen me have a bad reaction, get sick, or lose consciousness—that diabetes is 'no big deal,'" shared Miriam, a forty-something from Maryland.
"The guy I'm currently dating said that to me recently, adding that he thought I was 'doing really well' with my diabetes. I was surprised, because I often complain to him about my frequent high blood sugars and try to explain the destructive long-term consequences of less-than-optimally controlled diabetes."
On the other hand, diabetes is not an automatic death sentence - for you or your love life. "When I was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago, I thought my love life was over," commented Keith, from Indiana. "Who would knowingly date a 'diabetic,' right? But on a blind date, I made a short comment about my diabetes while I was reading the menu. I found out that my date had been diagnosed with diabetes when she was 15! We ended up talking for hours... and we even put a friendly wager on which one of us had the better A1C result at our next doctor's appointment! I can only say that having diabetes actually helped me get that part of my life back."
Love and Understanding
Finding someone who is compassionate can make a big difference when dealing with difficult situations. Having a sense of humor also helps!
"My guy's 'no big deal' attitude did come in handy when I went on the pump last December," Miriam said. "I was really worried that he would be turned off by the whole 'medical-ness' of it, but it doesn't bother him at all. I, on the other hand, am still struggling with the logistics when it comes to sex and the pump!"
Recently, twenty-something Allison from Virginia was preparing for her wedding and contemplating the switch to a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system at the same time. "With the thought of having a family in the next five to ten years, my fiancé Ross became my biggest cheerleader and advocate when we decided I should try a CGM. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the pre-wedding budget!"
But Ross had different plans. Two days before the wedding, he presented Allison with a CGM starter kit as an early wedding gift. "I joked with Allison that I wanted to have an additional life insurance policy for the person I loved the most," quipped Ross.
Needless to say, the wedding gift was a hit. "As Ross was taking off my garter at the reception, he checked the CGM that was stuck in my thigh holster to make sure everything was going smoothly," said Allison. "Naturally, that made our guests cheer all the more!"
For more information or assistance, contact the American Diabetes Association National Call Center at 1-800-DIABETES.
Dating and diabetes
The waiter arrives. He places the entrees in front of you and your date. You look at the food. You glance towards the bathrooms. What do you do? Do you check your blood glucose at the table or do you politely excuse yourself and hope he or she doesn't think something is wrong?
Dating can be hard enough. Dating with diabetes puts another twist to things. In addition to the "Where are you from?" and "What do you do?" conversations, should you initiate the "I have diabetes" conversation? If so, when do you bring it up? Before the appetizers? After the third date? On your wedding night?
Let Life Happen
On top of the "I have diabetes" conversation, there is the rest of the Diabetes 101 syllabus that you could offer your date (maybe wait until the plates are cleared). Bolusing. Carb counting. Hypoglycemia. The list could go on and on.
One approach to dating and diabetes is to let life happen and explain as needed. "I find that the majority of people are quite uneducated about diabetes and that when they see how nonchalant I am about everything, it piques their curiosity. They want to ask more questions," shared Karen, a fifty-something from Wisconsin. "The way I look at it, I should manage my life, including my relationships, versus letting diabetes manage them. If they can't handle that, they're not the kind of person I want to be with anyway, so it wasn't meant to be."
From the Other Side: Tips on Dating a Person with Diabetes
Written by Howie, a thirty-something from Washington, DC, the significant other of a person with diabetes
Learn as much as you can. The more you know, the better you can understand the physical and emotional experiences of your partner. It helps to share that common bond and provides comfort to your partner in discussing his/her feelings if they are going through extreme shifts in their blood sugar levels for example.
Offer to become involved. Gauging how involved you should become in your partner's blood glucose and meal planning can be difficult. Some partners might not want that much involvement, and others do. However, offering that support shows you care and can provide your partner an emotional lift. Sometimes I inquire about what my girlfriend's glucose reading is after a test. If it is low, then I will offer to help her find something to eat or drink. If it is too high, then I know not to suggest having a meal right away.
Be flexible surrounding meals. I generally eat on a structured schedule - breakfast before going to work, lunch around 11:30 and dinner when I get home from work. However, one with diabetes might not always be able to eat on such a structured schedule; it may depend on his/her blood glucose level at the particular time. In my relationship I have learned to be more flexible in my meal/snack schedule, but we have also communicated that to each other that if one person is hungry and the other isn't (or can't eat at that particular time), then it is acceptable to go our separate ways.
"When I watched Karen so casually measure out her dosage and poke her arm right through her clothing, I thought she's one tough cookie!" Karen's new fiancé Rob commented. "I had always hated shots. The idea of piercing the skin with a needle would make me cringe. But I found her more attractive as a result of the experience."
Twenty-something Dayle from Washington, D.C., brought her boyfriend along for the ride of day-to-day living with diabetes. "When I first went on the pump in college, my boyfriend accompanied me to the training sessions. My diabetes educator found a loaner pump for my boyfriend so we spent the first few days pumping saline solution together. I think it helped him to develop understanding and empathy for my diabetes lifestyle."
"Diabetes is not something that should be kept secret," advised twenty-something Dana from Alabama, "unless you would rather say you're just part of a not-so-secret international club that subscribes to rigorous blood glucose testing, reverence of A1C numbers, and a lifelong addiction to insulin!" jokes Dana.
By being open about your diabetes, you can help to make the other person feel more comfortable. Jim, a former boyfriend of a person with diabetes weighed in, "If the fact that she had diabetes made me feel uncomfortable, educating me on the various aspects simply resolved that problem."
No big deal?
Let's face it - diabetes is serious. But if you look healthy and act healthy, then it can be easy for your partner to forget it takes a lot of effort to maintain this level of good management.
"There is a downside to my openness and matter-of-fact attitude. My boyfriends have often assumed that because I'm always testing and bolusing—and because they've never seen me have a bad reaction, get sick, or lose consciousness—that diabetes is 'no big deal,'" shared Miriam, a forty-something from Maryland.
"The guy I'm currently dating said that to me recently, adding that he thought I was 'doing really well' with my diabetes. I was surprised, because I often complain to him about my frequent high blood sugars and try to explain the destructive long-term consequences of less-than-optimally controlled diabetes."
On the other hand, diabetes is not an automatic death sentence - for you or your love life. "When I was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago, I thought my love life was over," commented Keith, from Indiana. "Who would knowingly date a 'diabetic,' right? But on a blind date, I made a short comment about my diabetes while I was reading the menu. I found out that my date had been diagnosed with diabetes when she was 15! We ended up talking for hours... and we even put a friendly wager on which one of us had the better A1C result at our next doctor's appointment! I can only say that having diabetes actually helped me get that part of my life back."
Love and Understanding
Finding someone who is compassionate can make a big difference when dealing with difficult situations. Having a sense of humor also helps!
"My guy's 'no big deal' attitude did come in handy when I went on the pump last December," Miriam said. "I was really worried that he would be turned off by the whole 'medical-ness' of it, but it doesn't bother him at all. I, on the other hand, am still struggling with the logistics when it comes to sex and the pump!"
Recently, twenty-something Allison from Virginia was preparing for her wedding and contemplating the switch to a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system at the same time. "With the thought of having a family in the next five to ten years, my fiancé Ross became my biggest cheerleader and advocate when we decided I should try a CGM. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the pre-wedding budget!"
But Ross had different plans. Two days before the wedding, he presented Allison with a CGM starter kit as an early wedding gift. "I joked with Allison that I wanted to have an additional life insurance policy for the person I loved the most," quipped Ross.
Needless to say, the wedding gift was a hit. "As Ross was taking off my garter at the reception, he checked the CGM that was stuck in my thigh holster to make sure everything was going smoothly," said Allison. "Naturally, that made our guests cheer all the more!"
For more information or assistance, contact the American Diabetes Association National Call Center at 1-800-DIABETES.
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