Knowledge is power, powerful knowledge is a blessing
I did not test this morning as I am running in twenty different directions. Hold on a minute - I will test now while stressed out.BS - 153 OUCH - I ate 2 hours ago. I had an Asian wrap and some unsalted french fries. I know that is bad but I was hungry.
BP - 134/83 (home machine) - Ouch - up from normal reading and it equates to a 110/70 at the VA. - HR - 63 it also is up.
So what is going on with my body. I have not done that much to change today from my normal days.
Let me walk through the past couple of days and paint a picture for you, then I will explain why this is all important.
Past three days
Starting Monday I was preparing for the Sr. Olympics Golf tournament so I golfed on Monday and Tuesday and then had to work in the afternoon to make up for golfing. So I did not do any exercise. I nearly stayed with my food routine except on Monday I ate late at a restaurant. On Tuesday I had a box lunch at the golf tournament.
Wednesday I got up early to take off for work and spent an entire day working hard to make up for Monday and Tuesday and then ate again in a restaurant but had a light salad.
I did not do much testing except in the morning and Monday was 102 and Wednesday was 113 - what caused the spike last night and into the morning.
Today the routine continues but today I got up late and had an early morning meeting. So I hurried out of the house and did not test or take my green drink. For breakfast I had a small bowl of Greek yogurt with fresh raspberries and some almond nuts. Really bland food and not all that bad.
So what is going on. Before giving you what I think is the answer, let me explain how I think I know the answer. Understand everything I am going to say - bits and pieces will come from other posts in this blog so you might have to look back but I will keep it to a minimum if I do.
Building Knowledge
You have heard me mention the community within the American Diabetes Association and how we all exchange information. There are a few themes that come through loud and clear from the experts - not me but them.
Food impacts my body different than yours
We all know that we are diabetics which means there is something a little off in our natural body processes. We are either making too much insulin, not enough, or our blood cells are not taking in what they need - so they scream for more and the pancreas provides. Thus the cycle of a diabetic. This happens in a constant real-time state - meaning it is a perpetual motion event and does not have a starting and stopping point - it is continual.
Therefore, we not only have to understand our bodies but how does diet, exercise, supplements, and medicines impact our body. Why can I do the same thing each day and get different readings?
This is precociously what needs to happen - you need to know your body at all times and know how to regiment it. After all, we know that training our body to process properly is the key. Routine is better than random; meaning eating, sleeping, working, exercising, and all other daily actives when done nearly the same each day will help our bodies and blood sugars be consistent.
How do I know - testing and routine
Testing is our weapon of choice. How often do you have to test?I go to the VA and they asked me to test on Tuesday mornings for a fasting reading and on Thursday afternoon after eating. Much to their credit, they were trying to give me routine. I followed their guidelines for years but eventually realized, after doing my research, that I needed to test more often during my journey and life style change. I needed to know how my body would react to food, sleeping, exercise, and even stress since all of these contribute to my blood sugar levels.
I will not go into details on things you can find on the web:
How to Test: WebMD - http://diabetes.webmd.com/how-test-blood-glucose?page=1 This article is a general article on the concept of testing and what it means.
Step-by_Step instructions - http://www.livestrong.com/article/221926-testing-blood-sugar-level-at-home/
When to check - http://www.ehow.com/way_5297172_time-check-blood-sugar.html
Basically you need to know what your fasting level is - that is best taken in the morning after you wake up. You need to know what it is before you eat and after you eat. Journal what you ate and what it did to your blood sugars.
Taking it one to two hours after you eat - and this time can depend on what you have eaten. The glycemic index of food can make a difference. I will discuss this in more detail in the next post. But in a sense, the higher the glycemic index the faster it turns to sugar and the sooner you should test. So sometimes it is best one hour after and sometimes it is best two hours after.
Know what you test before you go to bed. Know how you are testing after exercise - what is happening to your body as it burns some of the fat and sugar out of the system.
I hope this quick review makes sense.
What is going on with me?
So now I have some knowledge I can apply to what is happening and I can start to gain some knowledge - powerful knowledge to control my sugar levels.
- I have not been eating a very consistent meal plan these past few days and my body knows it. Stepping out one day or one meal is not bad, but four days - I am asking for trouble.
- I need to make sure I move back to a more consistent meal plan to can some control
- Each day in the gym I burn about 600 calories and get my blood circulating. I have not done any of that for three days.
- Get back to the gym tonight
- Stress is a big play. I have stress associated with taking on an additional contract, stress with my current contract, and stress with the golf tournament. Again, a little stress once in a while my body can handle, but not a steady diet of it.
- Look to close down or manage something differently
- Do not set too many expectations that cause stressed deliveries at work
- Hand some of it off to others
- No matter what, stress down a little
- My sleep pattern has been all wrong and it usually is. However, given all of the above, I am a walking time bomb for now as for my blood sugar levels.
- Get some rest this weekend
You see, I now have the power knowledge to manage my blood sugar levels. I did that so I am control of my disease - not the medical industry. I did that so I could adjust daily not ever six months when I went to the doctor. I did that - because I want to be a CONTROL FREAK when it comes to my diabetes.
May God grant you the wisdom to test and get to know your body. Learn to listen to what it is saying. Give it a chance to scream in your ear - HELP! God help us gain power knowledge so we can have power over our ailments - end the end this is what you ask us to do with your temple.
Bob,
Great Post!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the stress and change of routine upsetting the cart. When people with diabetes get run-down physically or mentally it does effect our blood glucose levels. This past weekend beginning on Friday morning was like that for me. I don't know if you read my post at the Watering Hole regarding my dog Jasper who became quite ill, but no sleep and the worrying about him caused my fasting levels to go up. I lightened up my menu some during the day and was able to get things back to normal.
To me testing is the best way to learn your bodies requirements to establish an eating plan for life. Diabetes is not about being on a "diet" it is a meal plan that you must continue to live with. I also know that taking some liberties with that plan every now and then, is good for me mentally. I don't plan the splurge, others do it on a regular schedule, like once a week. Somehow the spontaneity of breaking my rules just makes it more enjoyable. Am I obsessive, yes. My husband thinks I don't eat enough, but I know that I do and eat the right things for my diabetes management. I have learned to think outside of the box and I eat low-carb veggies at all three meals. Most people don't eat raw cabbage, broccoli, carrots and celery for breakfast, but it is a standard thing for me now, I top it with mayo. I eat 1/2 cup 4% cottage cheese adding some spice like cinnamon and a small amount of vanilla. Proscuitto panino, deli roast beef, or leftover meat from dinner, and I have a less than 15 carb meal.
I highly recommend alternative flours like almond meal flour (almonds ground very fine). I can now enjoy waffles with hardly no carbs. Tapioca flour is also low in carbs. I have found that my creativity has blossomed in the kitchen. I enjoy good food and am finding ways to lower carbs, but not taste.
Another long winded tale for you Bob.....we southerners know how to make a long story short don't you know.....LOL
And, I would participate in a survey!
Marty
Marty,
DeleteI have reached the top of my game when I get a great post from you! In all honesty I am very grateful that you enjoyed it.
I do not know where the community blog is out - must find it.
The survey was just that - a thought that if we as a community could drive a statistic - like the 5% clubbers tend to eat around 15 carbs per meal, and they do something for an exercise plan - I just thought it would be a nice thing for us new people to see and be encouraged by.
I wanted to do it in a place where no one's name was required and could be very private.
I am stubborn, so I will find a way to do this. I just think it would be huge for those of us trying our hardest to get some where and know others are there and how do they do it.
Thanks again for the comments and constant reading.
I also tested for the first time after exercising tonight as you mentioned - new thing to look at - thanks.
Bob