How many carbs do you eat?

I don't count carbs because I don't eat them, the "white" carbs, that is. Since I don't eat bread, potatoes, rice, or anything with sugar, I don't feel I need to count the carbs that are in vegetables that I do eat as long as my blood sugar is under control. (And "under control" is relative according to who's talking. The ADA and many doctors tell patients that they can have a certain level of blood sugar which is much higher than what a non-diabetic will have, so I don't follow that advice.)

I don't eat carrots as a vegetable alone but I'll have a salad with some shredded carrots or some pieces if they are in mixed vegetables. Otherwise I do eat lots of other vegetables and salad food like cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, bell peppers and all kinds of salad greens. Lots of these can be eaten cooked or raw. I eat a lot of these raw. And I eat cheese and nuts.

Your meter is what will tell you how you're reacting to the food you eat so, yes, test before and after. Something eaten alone will have a different effect than if it's eaten along with other food, particularly a protein and fat (like oil).

In my opinion, if your blood sugar is still at the levels you say they are after two weeks, then you'd probably be better off on meds to get the levels down. Metformin might be prescribed.

No, I don't eat any kind of rice.

I do make a marinated bean salad in which I put some cooked wild rice - but wild rice is not rice though it is a grain. In this salad I also put minced onions, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes and either chopped walnuts or almonds with curry powder, sea salt, olive oil and lime/lemon juice. At dinner this is a vegetable for me and in the summer it's lunch on lettuce leaves. It's actually a complete meal.

It took some adjusting when I decided to change how I ate when I was diagnosed but I'm eating better than I ever have as far as having fresh food.

I use canned beans that I rinse in a colander, usually two kinds when I make this: pinto, northern, navy, garbanzo but any kind is fine.  Beans have lots of protein and fiber, two things which are good for us.  I always put in the nuts because I like it crunchy.  Curry powder is tasty and it has tumeric powder which is supposed to be an anti-inflammatory.  The original recipe uses white wine instead of the lemon or lime juice and I do sometimes use that.

Type 1?  Then, I'm surprised that your blood sugar isn't higher!  You're probably still making a small amount of insulin.  (Then, please get Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.  As I said, he's also a type 1.)

The endo will tell you all about your diabetes since that's the specialist and I'm glad you're being referred to one.  Still, keep your daily log entries with the food and blood sugar readings and show it to him/her.

In the beginning, testing is the only way you will know how food affects your blood sugar, so don't worry about that.  I used up nearly a whole month's supply in 10 days when I started on this journey.

A writer!?  Now you have something else to write about!     I'm an instructor which explains why I overexplain things. 

A diabetic with uncontrolled blood sugar might have levels way over 200.  Some members have come here and said they were in the 400's (and some even higher) when diagnosed.  A type 2 may produce needed insulin but the cells might not be able to use the blood glucose running around the system, so that diabetic would need meds to help the body use the blood sugar effectively and efficiently.  That person is insulin resistant (like me).  A type 1 doesn't produce the insulin which is why insulin shots are needed.  A type 1 who is not treated may become thinner and thinner as the body consumes muscle in attempts to get energy.  This is why it's dangerous for someone who produces no insulin at all to remain untreated.  An endocrinologist treats all diabetics and sets them on a course with a correct balance of insulin (if needed) and possibly other meds.

I'm an ESL instructor and lived overseas and have traveled some although not recently.  Teachers may not be paid well (at least here in the States) but we get more time off than someone with an office job.  Of course when not working, we don't get paid. 

I've always been interested in cooking so when I had to change what I ate, I did a lot of online searching and found this website dedicated to low-carb matters:  http://forum.lowcarber.org/index.php?  It has lots of different sections.

Now, I drink water with lemon juice all throughout the day.  And I drink wine.  However, those on medication have to be really careful about drinking alcohol and should talk this over with their doctor.

Not for seven weeks?  Why so long?  What about your blood sugar?  It needs to be controlled!

What would I do? Let's look at the facts:

- You doctor tells you you're a type 1 diabetic but he doesn't put you on meds.

- Your blood sugar is between 120 and 200.

- It's 7 weeks before you can see an endo.


There's some confusion in my mind. Is he sure you're type 1? Why aren't you on meds to control the blood sugar until you see the endo? I realize it's not his fault that it will take so long until you do see the specialist (but that does concern me nonetheless).

If you're eating a decent diet of good food and not overloading on pizza, fried chicken and rolls, ice cream and cake and your blood sugar is still high, it's obvious to me you need some kind of meds to control it.

So, I guess I would say that I would find another doctor because it doesn't appear to me that he is treating you correctly. No, I'm not a doctor but I do know what to expect from one!

I think that when we're entering new territory it's hard to understand the entire matter since we haven't had this experience before and this is especially true if we don't know anyone who's been there. And this is only one reason the Internet is so helpful to us! Lots of information!

If your blood disorder is causing your body to turn into a type 1 diabetic, you may be doing this slowly as you may still be in the 'honeymoon' stage. Maybe you're putting out insulin in spurts and then not at all at times or maybe it's all happening gradually - I have no idea. However, the c-peptide should tell the doctor about your insulin output.

And the bottom line is: if your blood sugar is high and cannot be controlled by your diet, then you need meds and you need them before you see the endocrinologist. It seems to me your doctor can prescribe something to cover the time until you see the endo. This is a reasonable and temporary solution.

Yes, doctors may have conflicting opinions about what's going on but there is no doubt that your blood sugar is too high. However, I must say that many doctors allow diabetics to have higher parameters for blood sugar and may think that 200 is not that high. (Read through the Blood Sugar 101 site about what normal blood sugar is and you'll understand why that's too high.)

We have to be our own advocate and know as much as we can about our health and it's great that you're being proactive about your tests. And remember to ask for hard copies of these tests for your own records.

Good luck with the tests.

Two "confirming" diagnoses must be what the insurance is asking.  Of course, doctors don't want to diagnose on one or two lab results because of outside factors that might skew results. 

dtw, I highly recommend Dr. Richard Bernstein's book "Diabetes Solution".