Just cleaning up the apartment today (after calling in to work "sick" as I am so tired after a crazy day yesterday...absolutely insanely busy day yesterday) and came across this newspaper article.
Many people don't give diabetics enough of a break. Us diabetics have a lot of mood swings and down times you know? There's a definite corelation between blood sugars/insulin levels and a diabetic person's mood.
(see newspaper article (image) at bottom)
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
a quandry
i wish i didn't have diabetes. that i didn't have to come across as an OCD type person. adding and subtracting and fine tuning numbers and bg and what i ate. wish i could just be casual bout everything. eat this, eat that, work out at this time, sleep in till this time. but i can't. my life is ruled by the clock and my blood sugars.
this poses many problems. im actually wondering whether i can stay in the job where im at. i mean, im on my feet for 8 - 9 hours, cutting meat, serving customers, filling the counter, etc. This is quite physical work and a person needs to consume quite a few carbs to do this job. some of my coworkers will eat an entire McDonald's meal or 12-inch sub. that'll last them about 4 hours.
with carbs such an essential part to this job i wonder if now is the time that i should be considering switching jobs. perhaps a desk job would be a better option? i mean that can come with its problems too: little access to food (incase my bg is low and I need to eat), deadlines to finish projects, power structure, etc.
there is no perfect work place and im a strong believer in "it's what you make of it".
i've said before that i love blue-collar type work: carpentry, landscaping, meat cutting, etc. but when my bg is good i really enjoy sitting, studying, reading, writing too. all those things that i can't seem to concentrate on when my bg is high.
as my bg stabilizes over the next couple of weeks as i work out this new low-carb regime, i wonder if i am still going to be well suited for the job in which i work?
if not i will have to leave as my health is important. i need to give it the credit it deserves. i dont want to go blind, suffer kidney failure, and endure life without my toes/feet/legs.
(diabetics, as a result of poor bg control, often have circulation problems. these problems strike hardest in the feet where circulation requires more effort. if blood vessels are damaged due to high blood sugars the blood does not circulate as well. think of sitting water as opposed to running water. the sitting water that you see on those WorldVision ads. would you rather drink/wash in that or in a running stream? standing/sitting blood, like water, is similar. and when your circulation is weak you can suffer big time infection. gangrene sets in and yeah, its not pretty. thus the reason for the amputations among the diabetic population.)
anyways. i will try my plan out today. if i have to eat carbs i will. i won't be one of those anti-carb fanatics. carbs are good for you. they provide you with energy. carbs are harmful to you when you're body is not using them. if you have a desk job you want a low-carb diet. if you do a lot of exercise/physical activity you want to consume an APPROPRIATE amount of carbohydrates. avg. 150 / person / day. to give you an idea, a banana is 20 CHO, a piece of bread is 15 - 20 CHO.
anyways. thats it for now. take care.
this poses many problems. im actually wondering whether i can stay in the job where im at. i mean, im on my feet for 8 - 9 hours, cutting meat, serving customers, filling the counter, etc. This is quite physical work and a person needs to consume quite a few carbs to do this job. some of my coworkers will eat an entire McDonald's meal or 12-inch sub. that'll last them about 4 hours.
with carbs such an essential part to this job i wonder if now is the time that i should be considering switching jobs. perhaps a desk job would be a better option? i mean that can come with its problems too: little access to food (incase my bg is low and I need to eat), deadlines to finish projects, power structure, etc.
there is no perfect work place and im a strong believer in "it's what you make of it".
i've said before that i love blue-collar type work: carpentry, landscaping, meat cutting, etc. but when my bg is good i really enjoy sitting, studying, reading, writing too. all those things that i can't seem to concentrate on when my bg is high.
as my bg stabilizes over the next couple of weeks as i work out this new low-carb regime, i wonder if i am still going to be well suited for the job in which i work?
if not i will have to leave as my health is important. i need to give it the credit it deserves. i dont want to go blind, suffer kidney failure, and endure life without my toes/feet/legs.
(diabetics, as a result of poor bg control, often have circulation problems. these problems strike hardest in the feet where circulation requires more effort. if blood vessels are damaged due to high blood sugars the blood does not circulate as well. think of sitting water as opposed to running water. the sitting water that you see on those WorldVision ads. would you rather drink/wash in that or in a running stream? standing/sitting blood, like water, is similar. and when your circulation is weak you can suffer big time infection. gangrene sets in and yeah, its not pretty. thus the reason for the amputations among the diabetic population.)
anyways. i will try my plan out today. if i have to eat carbs i will. i won't be one of those anti-carb fanatics. carbs are good for you. they provide you with energy. carbs are harmful to you when you're body is not using them. if you have a desk job you want a low-carb diet. if you do a lot of exercise/physical activity you want to consume an APPROPRIATE amount of carbohydrates. avg. 150 / person / day. to give you an idea, a banana is 20 CHO, a piece of bread is 15 - 20 CHO.
anyways. thats it for now. take care.
Diabetes Downer
Well I'm at that point again (comes around every month or so) where I've decided to start taking serious action with respect to my diabetes management. I have to get better control of my blood sugars. I'm tired of them being up. Normal is between 4 - 7 mmol/L (Canada, Europe) and I often find myself 10 - 14.
I have to make this a priority. Even quit my job if necessary. My health is the most important thing. Let me repeat that for everyone: your health is the most important thing. Take care of yourself.
I've decided to start blogging a little more on my diabetes as it helps me sort of keep track of what I'm doing.
So today, is Day 1 of the low carb diet. I've tried this before and it worked quite well. Lots of vegetables, plenty of meat, and when I do eat carbs they should be "complex carbs". In other words foods that take a while to break down: pasta, potatoes and whole wheat bread are the best.
moderate exercise. I can't box for more than an hour as it will require me to eat too many carbs. Carbs that will be stored away while I'm exercising, but carbs that will be released a half hour after I stop.
Alright. So this is Day 1. I'll get back to y'all tonight.
I have to make this a priority. Even quit my job if necessary. My health is the most important thing. Let me repeat that for everyone: your health is the most important thing. Take care of yourself.
I've decided to start blogging a little more on my diabetes as it helps me sort of keep track of what I'm doing.
So today, is Day 1 of the low carb diet. I've tried this before and it worked quite well. Lots of vegetables, plenty of meat, and when I do eat carbs they should be "complex carbs". In other words foods that take a while to break down: pasta, potatoes and whole wheat bread are the best.
moderate exercise. I can't box for more than an hour as it will require me to eat too many carbs. Carbs that will be stored away while I'm exercising, but carbs that will be released a half hour after I stop.
Alright. So this is Day 1. I'll get back to y'all tonight.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Health Corner: Diabetes
I've decided to post a small blurb about diabetes and how to manage it. This disease is becoming huge in our society. We need to deal with it.
First of all there are three types of diabetes.
Type 1: patient's pancreas no longer produces insulin-producing beta cells. these cells were attacked and destroyed by the patient's immune system; they thought they were foreign invaders. hence the term, "auto-immune disease". can essentially strike at any age, although most likely to appear between 1 and 20 years old.
this it the type i have. i do not create my own insulin and thus i inject insulin. i have to balance the amount of insulin i take, with the food i eat, with the exercise i do.
Type 2: patient's body no longer uses their insulin as effectively. brought on as a result of obesity, years of smoking, lack of exercise. sort of like when you don't change the oil in your car for more than a year. parts just don't work as well. can be treated with exercise, a healthy complex-carb diet, and drinking lots of water. pills and/or injections are also prescribed to enhance body's insulin potency.
Type 3 (gestational diabetes): essentially Type 2 diabetes, although occurs in pregnant women. brought on as a result of extra weight gain and inability of system to convert the extra carbohydrates being ingested (as pregnant mothers are eating for two). can be treated with pills, exercise, healthy, balanced diet.
First of all there are three types of diabetes.
Type 1: patient's pancreas no longer produces insulin-producing beta cells. these cells were attacked and destroyed by the patient's immune system; they thought they were foreign invaders. hence the term, "auto-immune disease". can essentially strike at any age, although most likely to appear between 1 and 20 years old.
this it the type i have. i do not create my own insulin and thus i inject insulin. i have to balance the amount of insulin i take, with the food i eat, with the exercise i do.
Type 2: patient's body no longer uses their insulin as effectively. brought on as a result of obesity, years of smoking, lack of exercise. sort of like when you don't change the oil in your car for more than a year. parts just don't work as well. can be treated with exercise, a healthy complex-carb diet, and drinking lots of water. pills and/or injections are also prescribed to enhance body's insulin potency.
Type 3 (gestational diabetes): essentially Type 2 diabetes, although occurs in pregnant women. brought on as a result of extra weight gain and inability of system to convert the extra carbohydrates being ingested (as pregnant mothers are eating for two). can be treated with pills, exercise, healthy, balanced diet.
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