Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Small Changes - Big Differences

Small Changes - Big Differences

Not So Good Day
Good Day

 Making Good Habits

Have you ever made a decision to change something and yet
no matter what you do, things don't change?
You can see where my good habits aren't really habits.... yet.

Here are a few things I need to do

Environment matters:

Change your environment to help you make changes
Put your medication and vitamins where you see them to help you remember to take them
Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed
Make your bedroom a place to sleep
Put your books where you read
Buy healthy food and leave the junk at the store
Find what works and repeat it
Hang out with like minded people
Organize space for a specific reason
 

Automate:

It's easy to eat one of three breakfasts knowing my numbers will be okay
Attach desired habit to an already establish habit
so take medicine when brushing teeth for example
Habits free up time by eliminating the need to spend time deciding on
what to eat, when to work out, where to eat
 

Change my thinking

Start with repetition not perfection
Improvement compounds with time (like interest!)
Find like minded friends and interest groups
Find the benefit and pleasure in the new habit
Measure results - the graphs above are a measurement of each day
pictures measure some results as well (Yikes!!!)
 

Habits

Some things have to change
yet
the habits I need to focus on have been hard while living in a motorhome
Food
Exercise
Life
 
Food - eat right
Exercise - walk each day, add weights when possible
Life - stay positive, look for the good, and remember
Life is a journey and I should be designing my world
NOT
just floating and being a consumer watching time go by
 
Changes are easier said than done
but knowing what I need to put effort into
making my environment support my goals
and
automating good habits
will hopefully
make it easier to change
make it easier to enjoy
make it easier to create.
 
Have a great day, in all ways,
 
Jay
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Patient-Centered Care

Patient-Centered Care

 
American Diabetes Assoc. New Consensus Report
 
 
 

Consensus Report

How exciting!
Here is an except from the report.....
 
"The ADA-EASD Consensus Report recommends patient-centered care that accounts for each individual’s health history and status, weight, costs of care, and preferences. While the algorithms focus on the choice of diabetes medications, the report also highlights the critical importance of comprehensive lifestyle management and diabetes self-management education and support in the overall health of people with type 2 diabetes." 
 

Goals of  Care are Front and Center:
 
Prevent complications and  optimize quality of life.

 
This is great as I see my dad, who is in his 80s, suffer from uncontrolled diabetes.
 

7 Steps Done (at least) 2x a Year

1. Assess key patient characteristics
2. Consider factors that impact treatment
3. Share decision making to make a plan
4. Agree on a plan
5. Implement plan
6. Ongoing monitoring and support with monitoring blood glucose
AND
mental health, nutrition, weight, fitness, exercise, medication tolerance, stopping smoking, etc
7. review, return to step 1 at least 2x a year
 

Finally!

I am a complex person with a complex disease.
Put me in a room with other diabetics and we will have similar experiences
yet
we will all be very different.
Each of us can do the exact same thing and get different results
because
diabetes can have a mind of its own.
Colds, stress, lack of sleep, allergies or whatever a day throws at you
can make management difficult.
Add another health issue
- thyroid, heart, cancer, celiac, autoimmune, or anything else -
and diabetes becomes even harder to manage
 
 
I am glad the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes
recognize all patients deserve to be treated based on OUR individual life factors.
If your doctor is treating just your diabetes,
bring up this report and show them the steps.
All diabetics deserve and need to be treated as the unique people we are
for the best quality and length of life we can have!
 
 
Have a great numbers day!
 
Jay  

 

 

 

 

 
 

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

How Many Carbs Can I Eat?

An Opinion

 
 
I read this article with interest.
I want to eat healthy but now it seems healthy is a term that is just thrown around.
 
Here are just a few that I looked at
 
Paleo
Keto
High Carb
Low Carb
Smart Coffee
DASH
Mediterranean
Vegetarian
Vegan
Vegan Before 6
Volumetrics
Biggest Loser Diet
Weight Watchers
 

Where to Start

After reading about all the different diets
and
all the different opinions,
I like the statement by the ADA:
 
In the long run, the eating pattern that you can
follow
and
sustain
that meets your diabetes goals will be the best option for you.
 
I think I will start the Jay Diet.
Eat and test
Add exercise and weight lifting
Eat and test
Find a program to track food:
macros and micros
 
Let's see what happens!
 
What diet or eating program do you follow?
How have you made it your own?
 
Have a great numbers day!
 
Jay
 

 

 

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Lump in My Throat

The Lump in My Throat

My throat is sore
There is a lump in my throat.
The lump makes it hard to swallow.
 
I ask my Dr to take a look while on one of my many required visits.
Throat Area
 
Nothing.
There is no lump that she can feel or see.
No drainage, no allergy symptoms.
UGH!
 

Acid Reflux or GERD

No I say
I don't have acid reflux or GERD
I don't have heartburn or any burning feelings.
 
Do you burb?
Are you nauseous?
She asks question after question.
Some I say yes to like burping, bloating and nausea
which I kind of figured Metformin was the culprit
since it upsets my stomach a bit.
 
I learned all the symptoms I was complaining about:
sore throat
lump in throat
burping
nausea
bloating
are signs of GERD.
She gave me some ideas of things to do
AND
a warning that acid reflux was not to be messed around with.
If the suggestions didn't work, try OTC medications.
I really don't want more pills to take so let's see what I can do first!
 

Reducing Acid Reflux/GERD

Things to Do and Watch Out For

Eat small meals
Eat slowly
Chew completely
Lose weight
Don't lay down after eating
Avoid eating before bedtime
Watch citrus, tomato, chocolate, mint, garlic, onion, spicy and fatty foods
Limit alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee and tea
 Don't smoke
Beware of aspirin, ibuprofen, and certain medications
Wear loose clothing (No tight skinny jeans!)
 

Have Heartburn/Acid Reflux Now?

Stand up straight
Sip baking soda and water
Ginger
Licorice
Sip apple cider vinegar
Chew gum
Loosen pants and belts or any tight clothing
OTC medications
 

Just for Me

SO
I eat fast, don't chew, gulp, and tend to drink lots of soda.
Starting here -
changing the way I eat by slowing down,
chewing completely,
swallowing normally
and
sipping water.
Going to act like my granddaughter who takes 30 minutes
to eat
Oatmeal!!
 
Have you dealt with heartburn, acid reflux and/or GERD?
What has helped?
What makes it worse?
 
Have a great day!
 
Jay
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Freestyle Libre Sensor Placement: Inside Arm

Freestyle Libre Sensor Placement: Inside Arm

I can't wait to remove this sensor!

Freestyle Libre Placement Locations - User Guide

I attached my sensor on the inside location of my arm.
I won't put it there again!

 

Why Inside of Arm Didn't Work (For Me)


Inside My Arm

Too Sensitive

For me the inside of my arm is too sensitive
I could feel "pinches" and "pulls" in the skin and fatty area
That's the only way I can describe the quick intermittent shots of "ouch"
Kind of like getting a static shock - quick and surprising.

I can feel it when I sleep

Because I am a side sleeper the sensor is between my arm and side.
My rib cage does not like the sensor
so
I wake up to put my hand between my arm and side. Ugh

My skin itches

Not sure why but maybe the inside skin is more sensitive.
The outside of my arm is tanned and exposed to the world.
The inside of my arm is white, almost opaque, and thin.
And now it is itchy.

No Racerback Tanks

I occasionally wear racerback exercise bras and tanks,
The sensor caught the material at the arm hole of my tank.
Not just once but numerous times.
I don't need to rip off a sensor, I have and it hurts!!


Back to the Outside

I would like to try other areas,
for now I am going back to the outside of my arm.

Do you have different areas where you place your sensor?
Where do you avoid?



Have a great numbers day!

Jay
 

 

Monday, October 1, 2018

Chia Seed Revisited

Chia Seed Revisited

I received an email from diatribe about chia seeds.

Chia Seeds

https://diatribe.org/50-shades-chia-pudding-diabetes-breakfast-revolution
 
I tried them  - twice - about a year ago.
I threw both bags away.
They tasted like mold.
After throwing away the first bag I read up on chia seeds.
Ok -
maybe they were old
maybe they need to be refrigerated
maybe I need to eat them faster
maybe I made them wrong?
LOL!!
How can you mess up adding liquid and letting sit??

Still:
Second bag tasted like mold too.
Threw it away after trying a bunch of recipes that were supposed to hide the taste.

So much wasted time and food trying recipes that tasted moldy.
Do I try again?


Deciding to Try Again

 
 I decided to try again.
I bought a bag at Target -
I know
Target!
But I was there and decided to give it a try for $5.
 

Some Tips

Chia seeds are high in fiber: beware if you aren't used to eating lots of fiber
Bloating. Gas. Diarrhea. Constipation.  Just to mention potential side effects.
Take it easy when first adding chia seeds to your diet.
 
Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids which can thin blood out.
Blood pressure could potential drop.  If you have issues with either
of these, ask your doctor.
 
Monitor your blood sugar, especially if taking medication for glucose control.
Studies have shown that chia seeds may increase the activity of certain drugs.
As a diabetic I usually test more when eating something new or different.
 

No Moldy Taste - YAY!!

So I added a teaspoon to my cereal and there was really no taste difference.
So I tried a small amount of seeds soaked in a little almond milk.
Gel - I got thick milk with crunchy bits.
Now this wasn't a recipe or a way I would eat them but more of a test:
Was the moldy taste there?
It wasn't!!
I'm going to try to incorporate chia seeds into some recipes to see if
the added fiber makes a difference.
 
If you didn't like them like me
Try a different brand
Try a different store (old seeds are not good!)
Try a different recipe,
 
Good luck and have a great numbers day!
 
Jay
 
 
 
So far I haven't noticed any issues adding chia seeds to my usual breakfast.