Posted on 04/05/2009 8:19:05 AM PDT by neverdem
My first symptom was numbness in both feet, which got worse over 3 or 4 years WITHOUT a diagnosis of incipient diabetes - even though I had a fasting glucose test every year! Today, 5 years AFTER diagnosis, I managed my sugar with diet only until last August, when I started walking on a treadmill 5 or 6 days a week.
The diet is pretty informal - no measurements, but I do not consume sugar, non-diet drinks, or more than a spoonful of rice or potatoes. I occasionally have a bread heel or a taste of pasta, but only a fraction of a serving.
I eat meats - and some fats - along with full servings of vegetables, cheese, and some fruits. Fruit juices raise my glucose, and so do oranges, but most other stuff is OK.
My twice-a-day average glucose is 90 over the last 30 days, and has not been over 110 (30-day avg) since two weeks after diagnosis. My A1c has dropped from about 8.3 at diagnosis to about 5.5 over the past 3 years. But my neuropathy is still about the same “moderate to severe” and I am starting to have vision problems - age-related (70) cataracts, and possible glaucoma (more tests next week). Also, I am having some intermittent double vision. All this is new, so I can’t blame it on elevated A1c.
I have learned a few things. Each of us has our own glucose response to various carbohydrates, so don’t assume that what works for you will work for anyone else, or vice versa.
I couldn’t pass a field sobriety test, or even stay upright in a shower with my eyes closed unless I maintain contact with a wall.
I can’t walk or run on an uneven surface unless I REALLY watch every step. That’s why I now walk on a treadmill, with a very smooth surface, adjustable incline & speed, a strong bar to hold for support, and indicators for speed, incline, time, pace, heart rate, and estimated calorie usage.
“Diabetic” shoes are generally drastically overpriced JUNK! They have a fragile layer of padding and a oversized toe box to allow room for the inserts, but no shock absorption in the shoe itself. The “accommodative insert” is the critical part, but it does not absorb shock either.
Once, I started intensive walking - 45 minutes, 4+ mph, 8+ incline - I started having serious problems with wearing out my shoes from the inside. And I also had blisters on many parts of my feet - heels, several toes, and worst of all, the balls of both feet. I FINALLY got good advice from a pedorthist (makes custom inserts) - Get RUNNING shoes with good shock absorption AND room for the inserts. I settled on Nike “Structure II”, plus some high-tech socks that will NOT wrinkle. No blisters since, and I am going faster and farther than before, at a 12 incline. I’m down 50 pounds since August 1!
I will be 70 this year,
The ultimate ancestral homeland was someplace with a lot of glaciers and marine mammals!
I lived in the Rolling Valley area of Springfield, VA from Nov 1966 to Jan 1969. At that point, my family moved back to Chula Vista, CA. The time I spent in Springfield and in Federal Way, WA made it clear that my metabolism was better suited for cold weather. Spring and Fall are delightful times of year in Pocatello. Winter is cold, but not particularly harsh. Summers are hot and dry. The long days (sunsets as late as 9:13 PM) are a characteristic that I came to enjoy during the time in Federal Way, WA.
I have a very strong suspicion that this is generally true, and that the ADA is merely formalizing what has been the de facto standard for years.
Of course, diabetes research has been going at such a breakneck pace, it's not surprising that the "standards" are well behind the current practice.
We have a mess of cousins living up in Alaska. They’ve done very well.
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