I Never Have Hunger Pains

I been that way my entire life

First of all, I want to apologize to all my readers for taking a few days off.  I own my own business and have been extremely busy trying to close some deals.  Anyway - my apologies and hope to get back to the blogging on a regular basis.

For those of you who reached out to see how I am doing - I truly appreciate your concerns.

I do ask that you continue to pray for our friends in the Pacific Rim who have had major storms and many deaths along with the devastation.

I also ask that you pray for the millions of Americans who have lost their health care coverage due to this new law.  I do not dare what side of the political aisle you are on, people in this great nation not having health care coverage is simply ridiculous.  Please pray that our leaders can get their heads out of the anus and make it all work!  I can say all of that because this blog is about our bodies and bodily functions!

As I mentioned I have been busy and the not eating has always been a problem of mine.  So I will let you know what the last three days of readings have been and why this blasted disease is such a problem.

Thursday - 11/14 - BS - 77

Friday - 11/15 - BS - 112

Saturday - 11/16 - BS - 102

Is that not crazy, and what causes this to happen?  Well, as I have said many times - each of us are different and this disease impacts us in many different ways.

I have truly never had a hunger pain in my life and my body does not tell me when it is hungry, like other people's do.  So in the middle of all of this work stress, Kathy and I attended one of our bible study groups on Wednesday.  Around 7:30 (after eating at noon and nothing else all day), my stomach started to growl and both of us were shocked.  Neither of us has ever heard my stomach growl.  So we talked about it coming home and laughed but also discussed it on a serious basis.

So, like always, I thought instead of saying, "I have never had a hunger pain.".  I should look into it and see if there is a reason.  Since my doctors have always said my diabetes come from starving my body of what it needs - maybe I should find out.

What is a hunger pain?

Also known as hunger pangs, hunger pains are feelings of discomfort deep in the stomach. A hunger pain is often a low-grade discomfort that is just strong enough to notice. However, some people do experience hunger pains that are somewhat sharp and intermittent. There are several reasons why an individual may experience stomach hunger pain from time to time.

The most common origin of hunger pains is the fact that the individual has not consumed food or drink for an extended period of time. Muscle contractions begin to occur when the stomach has been empty for several hours. As the contractions take place, the sensation may be somewhat unpleasant and interpreted as painful. When this is the reason behind the hunger pains, a quick snack is usually sufficient to eliminate the discomfort.

So I guess I have been lucky I have never felt one of these.  My stomach growling for the first time did not hurt, but I am assuming that was my body's way of letting me know it needed something.

Before going on, when I am running low on my sugar level, I will start sweat, and I mean a lot.  I can turn a dry shirt into an old wet mop in a hurry.  I will start to feel light headed, and I will feel weak.  Now I have felt that many times before and that tells me time to add a few carbohydrates in the body.  On Monday, I think I will talk about carbohydrates and why they are important.

So am I lucky in not having pains?

What could my body be telling me?

People who tend to suffer with low blood sugar may experience hunger pains when glucose levels begin to drop. The lack of a proper amount of glucose in the blood causes the stomach contractions to commence. Usually, the contractions are mild at first, but become increasingly stronger until the individual consumes something that provides the right type of carbohydrates to restore a safe glucose level.

Another possibility is that the stomach hunger pains have nothing to do with being hungry or experiencing a drop in blood glucose levels. The pain may be caused by some gastrointestinal disorder that is in the early stages. While the sensation is similar to that of plain old hunger pains, consuming food and drink does not make the discomfort go away. When this is the case, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. Often, gastrointestinal disorders can be isolated and treated quickly if caught early.

Women who are currently pregnant may also experience hunger pains related to their condition. Pregnancy hunger pains may occur due to the shifting of the baby, causing pressure on the stomach muscles. There is also a chance that the mother is not ingesting the proper amount of nutrients to adequately nourish both the child and her body. In most cases, consuming foods that are high in nutritional content will easy the pains quickly.

Last time I checked I was not pregnant but I thought it might be good to add that in anyway.  Sarah, my daughter, does tease me from time to time that she really does think I delivered a baby in the past two months with my big ole' stomach going away.  But I can assure her I did not deliver a baby and I can assure you I am not pregnant.  If I was, I would be off enjoying my millions!

What should I be doing?

While in most cases, hunger pangs are simply the body’s way of indicating it is time to eat and drink, the presence of constant hunger pains could be a sign of something more severe. Regardless of age or gender, a qualified physician should investigate frequent abdominal pain hunger that does not seem to be satisfied with a normal diet.

Remember I do not have these at all!

It might be something to do with my stomach – say, too much acid or an infection or something.

It might be something else entirely – my hormonal system for example. Or it might be a psychological problem.

It is an important problem to understand and the best thing I can do is get myself checked by my doctor.

You see, what might seem normal to you as a diabetic, may in reality not be a normal function of the body for other people.  Explore your normalities and see if they are really abnormal for a normal functioning body.

IF SO, SEE YOUR DOCTOR AND DISCUSS IT - US DIABETICS DO NOT HAVE A NORMAL FUNCTIONING BODY AS IT IS.  WE NEED TO ALL PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

It has taken me 60 years to figure this out - do not wait around - monitor and observe everything.  I may have something wrong and would have been nice to figure it out when I was younger.

May God help us to listen to our bodies, even when they are silent, they are still speaking to us.  May he grant us the ability to listen with all of our senses.  May he also give us the courage to step forth and discuss our issues with our family, our friends, and our medical professional team.  May he grant us the wisdom to research and learn what our bodies need.

Bob,

What Does My Body Want From Me? - Part 5

The big day - creating a journal

I want to welcome our new visitors and it appears we have picked up someone from Germany.  Welcome to the blog and I hope you get some valuable information from each post.

BS - 101 this morning.  Appears I am at 100.  The following chart identifies where you fall in the spectrum of diabetes:

Fasting Blood Sugar Levels - This is the one taken in the morning
Normal - 70-100 mg/dL
Prediabetes - 101-125 mg/dL (I am on the low side of this and appears to be my level)
Diabetes -125 mg/dL and above

Since I have been as high as 530 and often in the 200s - I was and still am a diabetic.  I have not cured it - I am just managing it through a life style change.

BP - 112/74 (home machine) - HR - 62 still holding good on this.

Whew, the big day is upon on and I feel like we have been preparing for a golf tournament.  Now we just have to execute what we have been working for and make this thing happen.

I am going to ask you to dig deep down inside yourself and make a simple pledge to stay with the journal for 90 days.  I am asking for ninety days for two simple reasons - our A1c measures in a 60 -90 day cycle so it is a nice rhythm to get into.  Secondly, if you do this for 90 days, it will provide a lot of information as to what is going on.  For me - the journal helped me bury in my mind the things that impact me so when it starts to occur again, I can understand quickly how I have gotten out of sync with my numbers.

We have discussed a lot of different things in the past two months and hopefully I will bring them out in this journal again - not to explain but to remind.

I hope you have a computer and can do this on a spreadsheet as it really helps to track and see progress.  I have a VA portal that has some of the tools to help with the journaling but not all of the tools.  You can also use the free one at https://247.diabetes.org/Home.aspx they have some of the basic information you can use.

There are many others and some cost.  I did not find any that measured what I wanted to measure so I created my own.  There are also many meal planners on line but again, I did not find any that was really exceptional.

You can do the research and maybe you will find one on the internet that works for you.

So let's get  started.

For every line item in the spreadsheet I would keep track of calories, carbohydrates, Glycemic Index, and Glycemic Load, Protein, and Fiber.  All of these help monitor what is going on.

I created a daily sheet and then created one for the week's average followed by the monthly averages, and then a program average.  Yes, I know this is a lot but is not your body and health worth it.  It took me 60 years to destroy my body - I guess giving it back 90 days to learn how to repair itself was not all that bad.

What I drink.

I do not consume much alcohol, if any, but I had a line in my spreadsheet for the following items:

Red Wine, Alcohol, Water, Coffee, Milk, Fruit Juices, and Soft Drinks.  By monitoring these I could see what I was adding to my body through drinks and what the impact might be.  After reading about juices and their GI and GL I gave them a toss along with most of my coffee and soft drinks.  Went back to water with a squirt of B-12 flavoring.  I got some taste and pleasures and add some B-12.

What I smoke.

At one time, I smoked so I had that on my chart - how many cigarettes or cigars did I smoke a day.  I quit that habit two years ago so this time around I did not have to log anything in my journal.

Oh, Oh.  I think I just let out a dirty little secret - it appears I have tried the journaling more than once.  Yes I have - as a matter of fact 3 times.  So I am an expert at starting and stopping.  But this time around, I knew I wanted to change and I was going to stay with it.  I was going to journal and test and make sure I knew what was going on.  I succeeded this time and that is why I am asking for 90 days.  I always thought I could do it for a couple of weeks and be done - did not work.

What is my sleep pattern.

Add a line that allows to to register when you went to bed.  Add when you might have actually fallen asleep and another column for when you woke up.  I am a tosser when I go to bed so there might be times I went to bed at say 10:00 PM but did not fall asleep until midnight.  Remember, we are trying to determine YOUR SLEEPING pattern not you in bed pattern.  Rest is good but it is the sleep our body needs to regenerate its energy and strength.

I also added in after a while, my mood or did I feel like I was under any stress or bother.  I had a journal just for my feelings - they play a big part as well.  Right now I am stressed out with some work stuff so I know it is there.  I have the ability to move through it now without spiking my sugar levels.

What medicines and supplements.

I had a line in my spreadsheet for reach medicine I took and when I took it.  I did the same thing for my supplements.  I found that I often missed my medications or did not take them at the right time.  This is important.  Most often I would forget to take them to work.  By journaling, I realized this and it become obvious.

I created myself a little container and took it to work with me on Monday's so I had my noon medications and supplements at all times.

I still do that with my supplements so I stay on top of it all.

What exercise did I do.

There are not many resources out there to help determine the calories you are burning or what exercises are helping you.  Again, there are ones you can pay for but I did not feel it was worth it.  So I simply created a line to show what exercises I was doing.  In the beginning it was walk the dog for two miles in the morning and evening.

Now it is a daily routine added along with the walks.  The important thing - do something.  Logging it will show progress.

What am I eating.

There is no question this one is difficult and consumes a lot of time.  I can only apologize but still encourage you as this one is the big one.  It will tell you a lot about your eating habits, patterns, and how much you are taking in of the important food groups.

Yes, I created a spreadsheet that had basically blank line items.  Across the top I had Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Evening Meal, and Evening Snack.  I had a place I could log when I ate.  remember, us diabetics are driving for consistency - our body works better that way.  We want to eat and take our medications about the same time.

For each food I consumed, I had the grams, weight, or measurement.  I am a simple kind of guy so I have the basic same foods so mine was easy.  But I would also list the carbohydrates, fiber, calories, and fats for each food group.  I was into understanding GI and GL so I logged that as well.   At the end of each line and day I would have a total of each number.

I found out some interesting facts about my eating habits and times I missed and times I would not eat enough.   This is just not about measuring over eating - it is about measuring how we eat to fuel our body properly.

How is my blood glucose doing.

This is the big one - this is the one we are after at all times.  I had a spreadsheet to run this and a good meter that had memory in it.  I set my meter and made sure the clock and time was correct so it could help me monitor what was going on.

I tested when up woke up - Fasting test.  This will let you know what is happening to your body at night.  You will also be surprised how your sleep patterns impact this one.

I tested before I ate and after I ate.  Remember, testing after eating has been discussed as 1-2 hours.  I would learn to play and see what works best for you.

This is critical and may be you do not have to do them all for all the days.  I started out monitoring each one everyday.  When I discovered that certain foods did not spike my sugars, as much. I would stop.  Or since I tested in the morning I had a good idea what breakfast would do so I would skip breakfast test.

I did the same for my snacks until I settled in on them.

I often tested at night before I went to bed.

All of this was in my journal and as I started to make my life style changes I could see the results and was encouraged in so many ways to continue on.  It is why I say - give it 90 days.  If you are making changes and serious about controlling your diabetes, then you will see results.  The slightest gains will make you feel AWESOME!

I ask you now to give it some thought, ponder on it.  If you are ready to go on a journey, start your journal.  You know you and your body.  I am very detail orientated and want to know everything so mine was detail - yours may not be.  Make it YOUR JOURNAL for YOUR JOURNEY!

May God grant us one simple thing - the heart to listen to our bodies and change them as he would want us to change.  May we truly make our bodies as the temples he desires.

Best of luck on this one,

Bob,

PS.  You need any help setting up a spreadsheet - just email me and I will help - bob.dant@gmail.com.  If you have a difficult time getting the strips you need, you email me and I will see what I can do.  Do not let fear stand in your way or a shortage of resources - we are here for you.

What Does My Body Want From Me? - Part 1

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.

1. 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.
1. I need to make sure I move back to a more consistent meal plan to can some control
2. 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.
1. Get back to the gym tonight
3. 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.
1. Look to close down or manage something differently
2. Do not set too many expectations that cause stressed deliveries at work
3. Hand some of it off to others
4. No matter what, stress down a little
4. 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.
1. 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,

I Still Hate Exercise

But my body does not!

BS - 113 this morning.  Since I have missed exercise for two days while on my golfing spree - and my sugars were up this morning - I would discuss exercise and diabetes and how I am doing

My love for exercise

If you did not catch my first post on this, please read, but I do hate exercise and I still hate it.  I have been at it for two months now and I can say the lifestyle change has been great and my body now desires the workout.  But for me - I still hate going to the gym to work out.

I have always walked the dog for 2 miles - say one and sometimes two times a day.  Many times I cannot walk the dog and my wife walks the dog - like a kid I picked up the dog and now she has to take care of him.  She is so sweet!

This exercise probably helps but not that much.

We diabetics need to do more.

My routine now is 1 hour on the tread mill where I start with a pace of 3.0 for 5 minutes to warm up.  Then I increase the speed to 3.5 and every 5 minutes I raise the incline 1 degree.  There are times I will raise the speed to 4.0

This is followed by 45 minutes of lifting weights - various forms of lifting.  I will focus on legs one day and arms the next day.  However, each day they both get some work out.

How does exercise help control blood sugars?

• Improves your body's use of insulin
• Burns excess body fat, helping to decrease and control weight (decreased body fat results in improved insulin sensitivity)
• Improves muscle strength
• Increases bone density and strength
• Lowers blood pressure
• Helps to protect against heart and blood vessel disease by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol
• Improves blood circulation and reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke
• Increases energy level and enhancing work capacity
• Reduces stress, promoting relaxation, and releasing tension and anxiety

Too much stress?

Intense exercise can have the opposite effect and actually temporarily increase your blood glucose levels right after you stop exercising. This is especially true for many people with diabetes. The body recognizes intense exercise as a stress and releases stress hormones that tell your body to increase available blood sugar to fuel your muscles.  If you have diabetes you may need to check your sugar after exercise to see if this happens to you. 

I do not take my kit as I do not do extreme exercise but I might be getting there.

Are there times we should be careful?

In some cases, you should hold off on exercising if your blood sugar is very high and your body is producing ketones. Ask your doctor about if and when you should hold off on exercise.

How does exercise help control blood sugars?

Normally, insulin is released from the pancreas when the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood increases, such as after eating. Insulin stimulates the liver and muscles to take in excess glucose. This results in a lowering of the blood sugar level.

When exercising, the body needs extra energy or fuel (in the form of glucose) for the exercising muscles. For short bursts of exercise, such as a quick sprint to catch the bus, the muscles and the liver can release stores of glucose for fuel. With continued moderate exercising, however, your muscles take up glucose at up to 20 times the normal rate. This helps lowers blood sugar levels. At the same time insulin levels may drop in anyone not taking insulin so the risks of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is minimized.

My request of you!

Please do your body justice and start doing something today.  I cannot explain how great I feel these days and the energy level is up there.  I cannot say it is all exercise; but on the days I do not go my body knows it.  My lovely wife has been asking me for years to go exercise versus sitting around on the couch or working at my desk.

As always, she has been 100% correct.  So I am pleading with you, Get Up, Get Going, and Get To Doing Something!  This will be your new motivator and we will all use this to make changes.  Your body needs it and your loved ones will enjoy the new you.  You being the closest loved one you have.   But most of all, your blood sugars will enjoy not being so high.

If you stay with something for 21 days it becomes a habit and it will become a lifestyle change.

For a guy who hates to exercise - my body now asks for it and it keeps me motivated, 

Set a goal - take 15 minutes out of the day and promise yourself you will do something today requiring some exercise.  If you do nothing - take a 15 minute walk after a meal.  If you walk a little, add 15 minutes or increase your walking speed.  If you are walking a lot, them time to do something else.  

But please - add some exercise - do not be like me and let it go for so long - make it part of your daily life style. I promise - you will appreciate the move you just made.

God grant us all the ability to Get Up, Get Going, and Get To Doing Something!  May he give us the internal strength to motivate ourselves and to take care of these precious temples he gave to us.  We are only in them for a short period of time; so lets treat them as well as we can.

Bob,

Diabetes - Sources Of Information

These are the sources I used to find out how to deal with diabetes

BS - 102 this morning.  Not bad but still a little higher than I would like
Did not take my blood pressure today as I was in a hurry.

I thought I would take time to list the great sources of information I used to help me in my journey and still use.  I am now moving into researching minerals which is one of the last steps to take.

Online Sources

WEB MD http://www.webmd.com/, yes, there can be a lot of advertisement but then again, they are putting out a  lot of information - someone has to pay for it.

Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/, they have less advertisement and I have always trusted them as I lived in Minnesota and you get to know just how good they are when treating a patient.

Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/, yes, I am a big fan of Wikipedia and I do know that just about anyone can put something in there.  However, to get definitions and some basic understanding it is a significant source of information.

Books I use

Diabetes without Drugs, The 5 Step Program to Control Blood Sugar Naturally, Suzy Cohen, RPh; http://www.dearpharmacist.com/.  Suzy worked as a retail pharmacist and a consultant to nursing homes.  It is there she developed the passion to look at life without medications.  This book was my number one read and follow as it made sense to me - diabetes management without medicines.

Beat  Diabetes Naturally, Michael Murray, ND; and Michael Lyon, MD.  Michael Murray is one of the world's foremost authorities on natural medicines.  Michael Lyon is one of America's experts on diabetes management.  The book contains a lot of information.

The Diabetes Solution Kit was a kt I received when I ordered the two books above.  I purchased the books from Barton Publishing and Joe Barton is a believer in natural remedies.

Dr. Neal Barnard's Program For Reversing Diabetes, Neal D. Barnard, MD.  Neal has completed several studies on diabetes management through the vegan diet.  His studies have linked lower blood sugar levels to the elimination of diary and meat products.  Both of these products block our cells from processing insulin correctly.  This was my first book and what I tried first but I now realize I was not serious.

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, Michael Murray, ND.  My son worked for ECHO and they sold the book in their book store.  There was one page on diabetes and it said take cinnamon.  The website for ECHO book is http://www.echobooks.org/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=1851. Just a huge place for information on all sorts of information on nature's food store.  A must visit and please give kindly.

The Healing Foods, Patricia Hausman and Judith Benn Hurley.  There is a lot of good information in this book.

The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program, Dr. Richard F Heller and Dr. Racheal F. Heller.  The book has some great information and a lot of recipes to back up what they say.

New sources

Since I have started the journey I have joined the American Diabetes Association and have a found great information there. http://community.diabetes.org/ 

One of the nice things about the organization is the community message boards.  This is a great place to get information from other diabetics or support members.  The following link is for T2 diabetics and where I am active - http://community.diabetes.org/t5/Adults-Living-with-Type-2/bd-p/Adults-Living-with-Type-2.

In the community there are two people who know a lot and have also created blogs and I thoink they are worth noting:

Alan Shanley -  http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/ 

LizzyLou - http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/ 

May God grant your the courage to look into these sources of information and may he also grant you the wisdom to follow the ideas that make sense for your body and your journey.

Bob,

Stress - How I Manage

Breakneck speed world we live in causes high sugar levels

I want to take this moment to welcome our new followers from India.  Welcome to my blog and hope you can find some good information in the blog.  As always - add comments or email me - happy to get to know everyone.  

Also for my loyal readers, sorry I took yesterday off, it was a very event filled day with presentations, looking for new contracts, and getting work done on the contract I am on.

FBS - 110 this morning (stressful day yesterday along with late night snacking - bad combination)

BP - 121/65 (home machine - I have to get a new one) - HR 62

My life with stress

I live in a high powered world - technology.  I have also been a senior player in companies as the CEO and COO which comes with a lot of stress.  My wife has always said you are stressed and need to calm down.  But I am convinced of one thing - God did not gives us men ears to listen to our wives.  Must have been one of his big humorous moments. It takes a doctor's study to convince me stress has something to do with my diabetes.

Back to the wife for a moment.  I would argue and say my job does not cause me stress.  You see, I used to think being stressed out was the same as having stress.  Not the same and the following study does a much better job of explaining how stress impacts diabetes.

http://diabetes.webmd.com/features/stress-diabetes 

Stress and Diabetes

From the article "When you're stressed, your blood sugar levels rise. Stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol kick in since one of their major functions is to raise blood sugar to help boost energy when it's needed most. Think of the fight-or-flight response. You can't fight danger when your blood sugar is low, so it rises to help meet the challenge. Both physical and emotional stress can prompt an increase in these hormones, resulting in an increase in blood sugars."

The article goes on to say "When blood sugar levels aren't controlled well through diet and/or medication, you're at higher risk for many health complications, including blindness, kidney problems, and nerve damage leading to foot numbness, which can lead to serious injury and hard-to-heal infections. Prolonged elevated blood sugar is also a predecessor to cardiovascular disease, which increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes."

Intervening wife

As my wife has always done, she brings things into my life as subtle changes and under a direction I can accept.  Being stubborn is one of my strong traits - notice I did not say string suit.  For instance, I did (maybe still do) suffer from road stress - not road rage but at times I could really tell the driver off in the other car; while my windows were up.

So to help, we were driving in her car and it had Christian music on.  We started talking about it and she mentioned how it helped keep her calm when she was driving.  Next thing you know, I have all my radio channels turned to Christian music and I listen to nothing else but Christian music.  It helps me going to work and it calms me down when returning from work.

Oh yeah, the road anger; still there, but when it flairs up - I quickly let it go.

In our church group, we mentioned last year listening to Christian music.  One of the members this week says she has kept it up and it works wonders for her drive.

Removing life's boombox

I have also taken a step - not by accident - by removing the TV from my home office.  I am and can be very frustrated by our political system; regardless of the party.  My blood is already going just talking about it.  I used to listen to political talk shows all of the time.

When not doing that, I like high-action movies so I was spending time trying to focus on work and have that in the back ground.  Needless to say my life was 24x7 constant on.  

By accident means the cable company raised my rates to a point I could not justify the payment I had to make to watch the shows.  So, I took the TV out of my home office.  It is so quiet in there now and I focus on work.  Oh yeah, I now listen to Christian music over the internet.  My blood gets stirred from a different direction.

Turning out for a few minutes a day

At the office, I will take periods where I will go to my car and just sit in silence and try not to think of anything and just let my mind and body be still and quiet.  Christians have something we call Centering Prayer and that is like a deep meditation with God.  I go on that journey sometimes while at work.  It does wonders for the mind.

I do not want you to mix the concept of being still for a moment and taking a nap.  A nap is good, and probably does remove the stress, but it is not giving you techniques to turn out loud volume stress.

So if you are "NOT STRESSED OUT", that does not mean you do not have stress.  Having stress and being a diabetic is not good.  As the article points out, even an injury causes our bodies to have stress.

I hope you can use some of the techniques in the article to reduce some of your stress.

May God grant each of us the opportunity to "Be Still And Know That He Is God" as he desires us to know.  May he give us ways to find stillness in this world that screams in our ears, mind, and hearts loudly 24x7.  May he grant us the peace we need to heal our bodies.

Bob,