So by now I’m assuming that you saw a doctor, got lab and blood tests done and received a medical diagnosis. Right ?
DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, I’m not going to tell you what to eat or what to do, this is just a guide of the lifestyle I follow. This is what has been working for me. Anybody with diabetes or any chronic illness should be under the care and supervision of a doctor and expert in the subject i.e. endocrinologist, primary care physician, nutritionist. I’m not that person, I’m someone who has been living with type 1 diabetes for 8 years, I’m someone who wakes up and goes to sleep with this… every single day.
Let me say it again: being diagnosed with any type of diabetes needs to be done by a certified doctor/physician and my recommendation is to get a different opinion or evaluation from different doctors. This includes lab tests.
You do not go on google and type: I’m feeling weird, I’m thirsty, my stomach hurts… and ask: do I have diabetes? Or start asking random people online their opinion about your “symptoms”. NO, you don’t do that.
You find a doctor, in my case or for diabetics in general, the endocrinologist will be your main doctor, or person who will assist you in this journey.
The doctor and his team, nurses or staff will guide you and teach you about checking your blood sugar, injecting insulin and developing the best treatment plan depending on your own specific requirements.
I want to clarify something, and it is the following: your diabetes is not the same as my diabetes. It is not. What do I mean? Diabetes is not a one size fits all. NO.
Diabetes is different for kids, teens, adults and older people.
It is very unique to each person.
Why is it different ?
Remember, diabetics, in our case type 1, need insulin in order to control blood glucose and the insulin requirement or quantity varies according to your age, gender, weight, occupation, lifestyle, physical activity.. There are many factors involved here. Diabetes is a very complex illness.
This is why your primary doctor will help you determine the best treatment plan for you to follow.
But that plan ultimately leads or let me say that the main goal of any treatment towards your care for diabetes is the following: to maintain normal, in range glucose levels. That’s it.
By checking our blood glucose constantly and injecting insulin when we eat; we are pretty much manually making our pancreas work so it does the same exact function as a non diabetic or a person with a full working pancreas.
Remember our pancreas does not produce insulin so we need that external insulin supply in order to make it work. Otherwise, the food we eat will not be absorbed by the cells in our bodies and our blood glucose will go high.
If that’s not clear, here’s a brief explanation:
We need to calculate and inject insulin for the food we eat in order to maintain normal glucose levels. These glucose levels need to stay within a certain range in order to avoid health problems and future complications.
Ok, so how do I check my blood glucose ? Your doctor will explain this, but essentially you will need:
- Glucose meter
- Test strips
- Lancets
- Lancing device
Once you discuss your treatment plan with your doctor, they will tell you when to check and what your blood glucose levels should be.
Here are the target ranges from the American Diabetes Association:
Fasting: 80 – 120 mg/dL
Before Meals: 80 – 130 mg/dL
2 Hours after meals: Less than 180 mg/dL
mg/dL means milligrams per deciliter
At the beginning you will find this kind of annoying, well not kind, but really fucking annoying, why? Because you need to check your blood glucose as soon as you wake up, before breakfast, before lunch and before dinner. Sometimes even before eating a snack and you will need to check again two hours after eating meals, this is in order to see how your body is responding to the food you eat and the insulin or the medicine you are taking.
The doctor will probably ask you to keep a record of your sugar levels, this is called a blood glucose log. You will create an excel sheet or get one online and write down the amount of insulin you take, the food you eat and the glucose level readings.
You will need to do this for a few days or even weeks. Doing this will help your doctor create the best treatment and figure out insulin requirements for you. Remember this is your diabetes, yours and very unique.
Remember the game of numbers from my previous post ? That’s what I’m talking about here. And the main goal: to maintain normal, in range glucose levels.
This is the life of a diabetic. I wish I had something better or more encouraging to tell you right now but here’s what I’m going to tell you…
If I sound too harsh, or negative or pessimistic, you are welcome to stop reading and get the fuck out of here. Don’t take this personal.
I don’t want to be all rainbows and butterflies, because this is not what diabetes is about, I want to be honest, I want to be realistic.
So here it goes…
Life is hard, life comes with some suffering in it. And that’s why I have decided the following:
I’m going to face this head on, I’m gonna own this, every minute, every rep, every fucking second of it. I won’t back down, I will not waver.
I’m going to lick my finger and taste my own blood when I check my blood glucose, but then I will spit it out. I will not let this define my life, I will not play victim, I refuse to feel sorry for myself. I will enjoy this fucking workout…
I will accomplish everything I’ve set up myself to do and more…
I will find meaning and purpose in my struggle.
You will not live the same way you were used to, your life will change when it comes to your food and your lifestyle choices. Embrace change. I’ve embraced change.
You will question many things, you will be sad, frustrated, you will feel envious of people who have a “normal” life and don’t have to worry about this illness.
You are going to complain and that is okay… it’s part of the process.
Somedays will suck, some days will be better.
This is a journey… and your attitude and mindset will be the main characters in it. Remember that: Attitude and Mindset.
“I will help you build the mindset required to fight diabetes every single day through healthy eating and exercise so we can literally @dieabeast”
So what happens when your blood glucose is not in target range or in ideal blood sugar levels ? This is when we talk about high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) and low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). The next blog post: High and Low Blood Glucose Levels will explain these two in more detail…
@dieabeast