Diabetes - Scrambled Brain Issues

I have this nagging suspicion that having diabetes and extra large glucose molecules floating around my vascular system may in all likelihood have a potential impact on my BRAIN. Why you ask.........

Well, for one there are definite links to dementia and vascular disease. It is also becoming obvious to me that mood and diabetes are intricately linked.  I mean I not only notice this in my own actions and moods, but now in those of my two other D kids under my direct care. 

Of course the obsessive part of me, or my brain, asks questions like; how early does the small vessel damage in the brain occur? Is it inevitable? And am I turning into this monster as I go about my day-to-day activities? Or, is it simply normal responses to everyday stresses causing my temper to flare, and my words to fly, often inappropriately, and almost always too quick for me to control.

Then there are my Kids. The ones with Diabetes of course. They are notoriously more temperamental then the other siblings. My teen is, lets just say, unbearable some days, and linked to poorly controlled sugar levels, sleep patterns, and the typical hormonal fluctuations she is unfortunately afflicted with solely based on her pubescent phase of life. Undoubtedly annoying to me nonetheless.

Back to my brain. I admit I have insurmountable domestic responsibilities. We moved again, and have just recently started a new school year at differemt schools. Sounds a lot like typical life. Changes, the ebb and flow, the usual. But is my mood, behavior, and my ability to handle stress some how worse and more difficult to manage because my small brain  (not my size, he he) vessels are being ravaged over time by the occasional elevated sugar levels?  So really, has diabetes and high sugar levels "Scrambled My Brain"

Anyone else out there in the D-sphere find that concentration, temperament, memory is effected from having diabetes for many years or at the very least when your diabetes is completely messed up.

I wrote this post a few months ago, and have since found out my thyroid was really, really low, and since taking synthroid, my memory and concentration has improved, but I still pose the above question.

ED phone Home - Diabetes, Depression and Sexual Health

It's time to talk about this topic. I am by no means making fun of E.D. (Erectile Dysfunction) as we all know it is prevalent with 40% of all men over 40,  or something like that.  But like the movie E.T. we all want our E.D. to phone home or connect and work again.

What about Libido and its relationship to depression or using antidepressants? These are also topics that need to be hashed out, talked about, and openly discussed.

The odds are even worse for men with Diabetes. Glucose is a huge molecule, jamming up blood flow and damaging our penile highways, effecting erectile strength, sensation, and over all drive.

As I have mentioned in past posts, E.D. doesn't get talked about enough during clinic visits. My health care providers dodge it. Asking things like; "So.....how are things working down there?" or they don't ask about E.D. at all.

I hear that if you have diabetes then you have a 50% likelihood of developing depression.  What that means to me is that there are a lot of diabetics taking SSRI's which are an  anti depressant medication that may make you feel happier but not happy "down there" as they are notorious for decreasing sensation during intercourse and  libido. Shitty deal really for the person taking them and their partner.

What are the options?.......let's see......

Adding another med. Like Wellbutrin - an antidepressant that minimizes the sexual side effects but can increase agitation and anxiety in some individuals. Not good if frustrated over the above ED and lack of libido issue.

The blue pill, well those are good for ED in some cases,  but not so good to increase ease of ejaculation, sensation due and abating the effects caused by the SSRI. 

The stress that ensues when a man in his prime can't "climax" or in some cases"can't stay hard enough" to please his partner and or himself. Yes, you got it, major feelings flood the brain, like, "I suck in the sack" or "I am useless, whats wrong with me" thus leading to performance anxiety the next time around, and if you are the avoident type a mere lack of all around initiative and libido ensues. The partner in this case is often left feeling "unattractive" because all of the sudden the man can't "climax"   This effects the sexual intimacy in the relationship in some cases. No libido, performance anxiety, less flirting, less connecting, greater distance, and then the inevitable both parties give up. Okay not in all cases but you get my point.

Once again diabetes effects all areas, Mood, Depression, libido, decreased sensation, E.D.

What do we do about it?

 Well, I am hoping my readers can contribute. I have no clue.

Trev    

             

Can Exercise Kill You?

Okay I must admit the title sounds a little ominous. But in my reality participating in physical activity can  in effect make diabetes harder to control and can cause serious fluctuations in blood glucose. As anyone who has been jolted out of bed at night (sweating, shaking and fumbling for a quick source of carbohydrate only to rebound the next morning into the high teens) with an extreme low due to exercise performed earlier in the day. Sorry for the run on but need to get my point across.

The Canadian Diabetes Association recently sent out a News Letter that had some stats about what type of support Canadians get from Province to Province. There was one number or stat that stood out regarding exercise and diabetes. "Ninety per cent do not have a fitness expert to consult with when they require specific advice about how exercise impacts their diabetes." Interesting.....but not surprising.

In the past 20 of my 30 years living with a dead pancreas, I know I sound melodramatic, I have found it extremely difficult to find a health or fitness professional locally to assist me in this area of my diabetes management. Sure you get basic guidelines, like feed your activity or reduce your insulin by a certain percentage prior to exercise, but I must admit that as usual, my approach and control is the result of self awareness and self experimentation using my trusty glucometer. 

As I age, and routines change; I am still learning new things about exercise and diabetes. For example; that if I perform a high intensity workout I often require extra insulin prior to the work out. Once again due to the stress response mentioned in the last post. Crazy, as I have always been instructed to feed or reduce for activity. I also understand that everybody reacts slightly differently to exercise, stress, food, etc.  So it is likely hard to narrow down specific exercise recommendations.

Back to the stat; 90 % of people - That's a high percentage who would benefit from a specialist in exercise and diabetes. I also notice that there's a  lack of detail out there on exercise and diabetes, and that any info out there is difficult to weed through and unfortunately these details and lack of accessibility can in some cases be crucial to all diabetics (Type 1 in particular) So hopefully in the future our health care team will also include an exercise expert focused on diabetes or the option to see one. I doubt it though, as my docs over the past few years tell me that active people are a rarity these days so if a person is doing anything remotely resembling exercise, that is good enough. But what about the select few of the Type 1's out there that require expert support in the area of exercise?  Trial an error is good but there are certainly tips I would have loved to know years ago that I know now regarding nutrition, glucose response to the different types of activity, etc.

What I have learned using myself and observing my kids in terms of exercise and diabetes:
-over training is not good, my limit is 2 intense work outs per week.
-If i train near my max heart rate I typically don't need to feed the activity and generally require a bit of rapid insulin
-If I train at a low intensity I either have to lower my insulin by 30 % (Thanks to my Nurse educator) and this seems to work, or feed the activity 10-15 gms of CHO for every 1/2 hour - keeping in mind we are all different and I am sharing what works for me.
-If I don't drink enough fluid or water during the time during and prior to the work-out then my sugar level tends to really spike with high intensity training.
-I get sick really frequently if I workout more the 3 times a week with high intensity training (circuit weigh training, Muay Thai Boxing, and never work out more then an hour (includes warm up)

Even with frequent testing and self observation, fine tuning etc, I still have the occasional low, and would still love a good guideline and expert advice and feedback on the specifics, like carb loading and intake on training days, specific tips to stay healthy looking through the goggles of a diabetic paradigm. Questions like; will a certain activity worsen or accelerate any diabetic complications?

Feel free to point me in the right direction. And overall I do believe that just the right amount and type of activity will keep up healthy but too much of any activity is damaging.

Cheers!

Trev

CHANGE is GOOD but can be STRESSFUL

Change is the one constant in life that is inevitable. Be it the weather, relationships, jobs, homes, and the list goes on. Change can be self induced or in some cases imposed. It can be predictable and unpredictable. Change in any of the above scenarios can also wreak havoc on our diabetes control.

Fluctuations and Change are one of the things us folks with diabetes must contend with daily. The past few months we (my family) have gone through some Change. The change was imposed and we were forced into a decision and subsequent change. Regardless of what the change was, I just want to share some observations related to blood glucose control through this period of change.

Imposed change (to me) results in more stress when compared to self motivated change. I react emotionally first then intellectually second. It is the emotional reaction that messes with my diabetes control. Emotions tend to evoke a physical reaction, and before you know it my glucose levels become more difficult to control.

Why is that? It's that damn "Stress Response" I tell you it may have been handy for our Neanderthal ancestors, but it sure sucks for modern day folks.

In summary; I get emotional, my brain responds buy telling my adrenal glands to pump out adrenaline which basically tells my liver to produce more glucose and also conserves the glucose I have floating around, which as you can well imagine sucks for us diabetics. We don't need the extra energy (glucose) to run from the tribe up the river trying to steel our food - which was likely the scenario our ancestors faced on a frequent basis. Point is stress = crappy high sugars.

Needless to say that when the change passes the glucose gets easier to control and insulin requirements go back down to pre-change levels. I guess what I continue to tell myself and my kids with Type 1 is that change will happen, so test more often, correct more often, and listen, discuss, and address your emotional response because not doing so seems to make the physical response more turbulent.

I notice this (change - emotions - physical) reaction with many things. Sleep deprivation really messes up my emotional regulatory system or more easily put make me a very moody or as my kids would say a very grumpy dad. Sleep, I've learned is crazy important not only in stress reduction, but in decreasing insulin resistant, which is not as important to type one diabetics. We just crank up the dose to accommodate.I have also learned that getting enough sleep is the only solution to getting rid of that stubborn fat that hangs over the belt buckle.

If faced with change, and feeling emotional, get it out, talk it out, it will pass like all other things, and most important of all,  test that blood sugar A LOT.

Cheers!

Trev

Emotions First - Then Facts

"My Dog is a Fabulous Listener"

I thought I'd Drop A quick line to the DOC.  I was initially going to write in detail about my latest visit to my Endo's Office and Diabetes Team....but about halfway through I thought, damn this is boring.

So I just wanted to say......that a few things need to be highlighted about what I think is an essential patient encounter, so if any Nurses, Doctors, or anyone dealing with the public reads this I hope you all take a similar approach. This also includes me as I also need to perfect this skill, just ask my wife.

I know, get to the point already!!!

My Diabetic Nurse did a great thing during our meeting.

She asked; what I felt about my diabetes, more specifically what I hated about it.  Which paved the way for a positive and open interview. It was Great! Great, because had she not addressed the emotional aspect of dealing with Diabetes I likely would have left the visit with little motivation to move forward and make changes.  Instead I felt open to listen to her as she did to me.

After the emotion was out of the way we got into the numbers and facts, which she also suggested some valuable changes I did not pick up on being immersed in analysing my kids diabetes management.  Long story short, I hope I treat others the same way in my encounters.


 I want to give a quick thanks to my diabetic Nurse! 

Cheers!

Trev   

Hippies, Sweat & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Don't Forget this!

Okay, thought I'd drop a quick line on the ole Blog.....

Or my latest adventure in the fitness realm.

So, as I'm getting home from my hour long boxing class, my wife has this brilliant idea to invite me to her late evening Yoga class. To quote her directly, "Its not that hard, relaxing really."  So I say, alright, and off we go.

On the way she pulls out a giant water bottle and tells me I'd better drink up. I say, alright, as I knew we were on our way to a "Hot Yoga" class.  I down a few gulps to rehydrate my already dehydrated body, remember, I'd already done an hour of sweating.

We arrive, and the place is all ZEN and hippyish.....conversations like, ya, made this really awesome vegan dish last night, totally delicious.....Buddha in the corner and the overwhelming smell of SWEAT, not to mention the scantly dressed young people strolling around, looking like they'd been swimming, and in dire need of a serious baconator super sized meal....you get the picture. Anyhow.....

I walk into the studio area, dimmed lights, mats and half naked (kidding) people all around, and roll out my yoga matt my wife provided, and my, get this, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle towel atop my mat, and follow suite. Lying flat, the fans shut off, and this small Yoga lady who would likely kick my ass, enters and soothingly, in this meditative , I am going to put you into a deep trance, type voice says, "Welcome, find your breath, own your breath, let go of today's worries.....etc....." Then, the HEAT hit me, and the torture commenced, upward and downward dogs, kids poses, dancing and warriors poses.  By the 30 minute mark my thighs were knotting up and I was cursing my wife for bringing me here post intense, dehydrating workout.....I WAS DYING FAST.....and the skinny little man in the front was oh so effortlessly, twisting himself into these wacky postures. 

The class finally ended, my sodium was likely borderline critical, and I'm surprised I didn't seize, froth at the mouth or just drop dead, but yes people, I endured. And I didn't go into kidney failure.

On the way home, and a litre of fluid later, I started to feel really good, relaxed, calm, limber, almost an energized focus, with out the intense buzz I'd get after an intense anaerobic workout. I felt damn good! A little stinky but good!

My diabetes, kinda behaved itself.  Before class, 7.2 mmol/L(multiply by 18 for USA)post 13 mmol/L likely due to the 2 classes in a row and the dehydrated state I was in. 

I Enjoyed Sweating my Ass Off - and have now put my notice in at the Thai Boxing place to join the Hot Yoga instead.  Now any Macho people out their, remember don't knock it until you try it.
Anyone else try this out? How does it effect your Diabetes?


Cheers!
Trev

High Intensity Workout Highs - Not the Endorphine High

"Me High on Endorphins"

Okay,

You'd think I would have this diabetes thing down to an exact science by now. But it would seem apparent -that I do not.

It is easy to tell others what to do with their diabetes, analyse their log book, tweaking a thing or two, but when it comes to me, damn it's hard. 

Why is that?

Or better yet; where is this post coming from?  Well, as always, I'll tell you.  I went to another Martial Arts session last night. This time, I took a wrestling/ground fighting class, and immediately after that class I took the Muay Thai kick boxing class. I know what you must be thinking; why when I almost vomited the last time? Well I just had to try it. And I didn't barf, but it seriously made managing my glucose really difficult.

Before the first hour (wrestling) class I tested my sugar and it was 8 mmol/L so I drank a diluted 10 grams carb energy drink and did the class.  One hour later I was 9 mmol/L, not to bad.  I drank another 10 gms carbs and did the second class. Post 2 hour workout another test and it was 9.5 mmol/L.  Downed a Litre of H2O and drove home. Got home tested again, and I was 13 mmol/L but seriously starving at that point so I made my self an Omelet (3 eggs) had 1/2 cup cottage cheese and a handful of blue berries. I took 1 unit to correct the glucose (1 unit for 3mmol/L  but since I had a two hour workout and it was nearing bed time I reduced my correction by 50%) I took 3 units to cover the meal, which is typical. I then read some books to the kids, had a long shower, tested again about an hour later and damn, 14 mmol/L.  Frustrating but I said to myself, it has been over a year since I've pushed myself with such a high intensity workout of that duration. So I went to bed. Couldn't sleep, as I was obsessing about the sugar level, and still a little wired from the class. Tested 2.5 hours after last bolus and still 13 mmol/L.  I am always hesitant to correct this late as I am prone to some serious lows between the hours of 2-3 am. So, I once again took half of what I would normally take or 1 unit of rapid and went to bed. This morning I woke up at 8.8 mmol/L.  Now I would prefer to wake up between 5-6 mmol/L.  Oh well, not bad really.  Now what do I do with this experience?

I am obviously thinking about it and in unison sharing it, but I'm considering a few things.....

The type of workout was very much anaerobic whereby I exerted myself intensely for a certain amount of time, say 3-5 minutes, followed by brief 30-60 second rest period. In other words not a consistent activity like cycling or running.

What effect does this have?  Well it generally causes an increase in blood glucose for me, followed by lower levels over the next 24-48 hours. Now, I usually don't go intense for over an hour.  From what I've read anything over 48 minutes and your body goes into a catobolic state or breakdown mode, tapping into fat and protein stores, and thus leading to muscle wasting, over training and injury.  To me this equals a whole lot of stress and inflammation, which I assume, leads to my increased blood glucose. If anyone out there wants to provide a juicy more accurate reason please do, I would appreciate it.

Is it increased cortisol production and gluconeogenesis causing insulin resistance, and an increase in liver out put of glucose?  Or is it simply poor balance on my part, not enough insulin?  or perhaps both?  Now I am considering hiring a biochemist or sports medicine expert to edit and add content to my blog.......and selfishly answer my burning questions.

Today, I am still "Out-of-Whack" or having hyperglycemia. Which is frustrating and confusing, however, it was the first two hour session, and based on the ramification perhaps this guy is only meant to do a one hour session, but I am stubborn and if a non-d person can do it, then so can I.

Now I am just whining. But seriously,  I think I have to try it again, take the full correction amount, and reduce my carb supplement or try a different form of carb like a piece of fruit before each session. Trial and error again and again until I figure it out. 

 I wish for a time when things can be simple, a time when I can just go do the class, and not think about diabetes, glucose levels, and the ramifications an activity may have on my health.  Oh, then again that would be called a cure.

Cheers and thanks for listening. 

Trev 

I'm Gonna Hurl!!!

"My tough guy pose"

I have recently joined a Martial Arts Training Centre to get back into Muay Thai Boxing. And, let's be honest to get my Ass back into shape, not that I am a coach potato, but let's just say these last few years of sedentary jobs has not been good for the belly roll over the belt scenario, but rest assured I can still see my feet and other important body parts.....TMI

Anyway, so on a whim, I arrived home from work and the house was rather quiet, yes it does happen on occasion. Kids were out, little one watching barbie on the tele, and my wife taken a much deserved cat nap.

I tossed my shorts, and tank top into a bag and decided to drive out to a Martial Arts MMA training centre. This was two weeks ago now. I gear up, grab a rope and jumped right in. The classes are one hour long, and boy they are intense. 15 min warm up, skipping, shadow boxing, push ups, burpies, just think boot camp training. Okay, so I limped a bit the next day after the first couple of classes. Then last night......

WHOLLY CRAP, what the hell was that.....It was a different instructor, and I seriously thought he was trying to kill me, no seriously, between hacking, spewing and nearly coughing up my upper lung lobe, being light headed from non stop heart rate in the 200's for far too long (in my opinion) I really thought I was going to hurl.....blow chucks, vomitus uptacous, what ever you want to call it.  So did I?  Not on your life as this is a sign of weakness, in my book. 

I huffed and puffed and the warm up ended and we moved on at a much more reasonable pace, thank god, as I truly think if the warm up had of been even 1 minute longer, I would have done the run of shame to the can to relieve myself. 

Now, I suppose I should link this back to diabetes in some way.........Well I can say that training has always felt good, contrary to the above session (it does get easier) but seriously though, it has an amazing blood glucose lowering effect as our muscles and liver are refilled with glucose that is consumed and lingering around the blood stream that would otherwise be doing insidious silent damage....I know I am dramatic.

But more importantly, it is great to connect mind and body, by focusing on movement, proper technique, as I am totally in the present moment.  It is a fabulous stress relieving thing for our overly taxed body and mind. 

So I have officially joined, no backing out now. I look forward to doing the class minus the extreme urge to barf.


Cheers!

Trev 

Passion = Never Giving Up

"Muay Thai Fighter's Stance, careful she
has a wicked right hook"

Hello All you Fabulous People!

Well Summer is drawing to a close, and school will soon be back into full swing with; homework, teachers, taxi service, lunches, diabetes questions and meetings. My house will indeed be cleaner with the offspring away all day but somehow the school routine still makes life equally busy, with the chaotic before school launch sequence, and the after school, squeeze all things into 4 hours before bed sequence; only to get up and do it all over again 5 days a week. I am tired mentally just contemplating the above........

So after the above run on sentence, I suppose I should get to the point post.

I read somewhere that passion and research don't mix as the passion I suspect can cloud or bias the researchers view, and therefore effect the results of the study. 

So as I was walking(Briskly uphill of course) on my treadmill, as this was easier then dragging 5 kids, and 2 dogs through the hood, I got to thinking about the above statement.

Then I pulled out my iPhone, yes I have one too, and watched a 6 part series on Dr R. Bernstein.(Youtube Link) He explains his story and how he has had diabetes for 63 plus years, how he was doing the "run-and-shoot" or "Basal-Bolus" method years ago, and how he paid 650 bucks for one of the first glucometers on the market, apparently the size of a shoe box.  This guy talks about his journey from being an engineer who attempted to sway the medical profession to look at intensive diabetes management as this was working exceedingly well for him, and to his dismay, was turned down every time, being told things like "People will never manage diabetes with a machine" hmmmmmm were they wrong.  He eventually became an MD when he was in his forties to increase his swaying power with in the medical community.

What's my point? Well, he was passionate to share with the medical community what he discovered through passion, and his own desire to improve glucose control, and prevent an early death from diabetes.  A lot of what he was doing to himself 40 years ago has only recently become mainstream.

I personally think passion is crucial to moving forward in all research since passion to me, equals motivation to act, to challenge conventional thinking and ask what can we do different or better. It is like fuel, if you believe strongly about something, this provides the energy to move forward and do something about it.

Even us individuals with Diabetes or caring for a child with D. We are I believe, Scientists, or capable of being scientists. By testing, trialing, and reviewing the results. What worked, what didn't. Being passionate about living well with diabetes.  Reading everything as objectively as possible, and using the best evidence to guide us in how we all manage diabetes. I also believe in asking questions, not just to your doctors, but to your self. There are hundreds. Will I need more insulin at forty, or less, will this Kickboxing class need added pre-carb snack compared to my bike workout, the questions are numerous, and personally provide me with the passion, and motivation to read about the topic, test, trend, experiment and improve my diabetes management. I am still learning. For instance in my twenties I was heavily into Muay Thai Kickboxing, and always assumed I'd need a lot of Carb to cover the workout. But now, 18 years later, I am realizing that it is more anaerobic and therefore, it would seem I almost need no additional carbs. Live and learn.

I guess my message is even though Diabetes sucks, beat it through passion, a passion to learn as much as possible, and keeping an open mind, become your own lab rat, if it isn't working try and try again, what ever you have to do, never give up.  I know it sounds cheesy, and I apologise, but there is truth to this. Only we, those living with it, can change and improve our health.

Cheers!

Trev

Emotional Paradox

The other morning as I was drawing up my smallest Type 1's injection she looked up to me and asked,  "Can I take my needle dad"

I paused; my thoughts were immediately mixed. I felt proud and sad almost simultaneously. Here was this small bright blue eyed sweet innocent child asking if she could stick herself with a syringe full of insulin.

I embraced the fact that she wanted to try, thinking, wow, once again her bravery astonishes me. I finished drawing up the insulin and handed her the needle.

With out a moments hesitation she pulled up her shirt and did it.  Just like that, no pause, no second guessing herself, like I see my adult patients consistently do, where they pause, then proceed, not this kid, she just DID IT!

She looked up and smiled, and said, that didn't even hurt. She was beaming with pride.

I took the needle, and said; "great job you brave princess", and gave her a high-five. Than, she ran off to get to the stuff kids do, what ever was on her mind.

This sparked a memory of when I was 9 years old, sitting on my bed, staring at the syringe my dad had handed me, only I hesitated, for quite a while, and gradually stuck the needle into my thigh. I was afraid, and I remember thinking, I hate diabetes, I hate taking this stupid needle. Why oh why? But time passed and here I was witnessing my little girl, so gracefully showing initiative and injecting herself, like it was just a normal thing to do.

I am so proud for her and also sad.

Diabetes, once again, forces its presence into my soul, causing a paradox of emotional turmoil.

Trev.

It Would Seem that Diets are Like Fashion

They are always recyled with time.

I just finished reading a paper from the Journal of Diabetologia called Diet, Delusion and Diabetes.

Gives a very creatively written overview of the history of diet and diabetes.  Enjoy.

Diet, Delusion and Diabetes

Trev

The Obvious isn't Always Obvious...

"Relinquishing My Mental Frustrations"

I have this crazy hobby, or maybe obsession.  

I read anything and everything related to nutrition.  I mean everything....Research, Diet Books, Blogs, you name I read it.

I read it with a pair of Diabetic Glasses on, looking for ways to improve my health(and others) I have written posts about food, and controversial topics like What's Up with the Food Guide and Pro Carb vs. Low Carb so one could say I am a little biased in my opinion.

I am now trying to figure out why so many in the medical profession (at least the ones I meet)tend to not agree with reducing the carbs.  So I started looking into what knowledge the General Practitioner gets regarding Nutrition. 

I asked a brand new, wet behind the ears Resident or Family Doc in Training how much education he received in the area of nutrition during his medical degree.  His response was, "Hardly Any" 

Hmmmmm. So I decided to pull a Medical Physiology Textbook written by Guyton from the shelf to have a look at what these doctors review in terms of Insulin Metabolism, and the storage of Macronutriants, like Carbohydrate, Protein, and fat.  Thinking, there must be a profound reason we are offering the general public a guideline to consume a diet that contains 65% carbohydrate. So I flip it to the pertinent section. And read the following:

In time, the insulin plays an important role in storing the excess energy substances.  In the case of excess carbohydrate, it causes these to be stored as glycogen mainly in the liver and muscles.  It causes fat storage in the adipose tissue.  Also, all the excess carbohydrate that cannot be stored as glycogen are converted under the stimulus of insulin into fats also stored in the adipose tissue

Okay, so they are taught in medical physiology that insulin is the main stimulus for fat storage. So I ask myself, what causes increased levels of insulin in the human body?

Excess Carbohydrate causes an increase in blood glucose, which in turn cause an increase in insulin which in turn gets stored as fat.  Apparently most of the world has missed this point.

Okay, I also read from the same text, now this is for those interested in how to up the fat burning engine in your body, which definitely includes me. 

All aspects of fat breakdown and use are greatly enhanced in the absence of insulin

Short quote. Now in the complete absence we'd be dead, so I guess what this Medical text is suggesting is that in cases of reduced insulin levels, we set our metabolism up to burn more fat then if we have higher levels.

So as I read this from a Medical Text Book on Physiology, that Doctors use to reference, I question how the hell we can in good conscious tell people to increase their insulin levels beyond capacity, when basic Insulin Metabolic Theory indicate the outcome of doing so?

What's my point?

Well, I guess I don't understand why the obvious isn't noted, and practiced. Perhaps it's the "Hardly Any" training some groups of health professionals receive in the area of nutrition. However, even the Professionals that are trained in the area of nutrition still encourage this high carbohydrate approach.

Who knows.

Trev 

Source:

Textbook of Medical Physiology, Guyton, Arthur C.8th Edition, WB Saunders Company, 1991. pp. 858-859. 

The Hardest Job on The Planet is........

I read a post on the DOC that prompted me to write this.  Just want to say hang in there all of you fabulous parents who have been forced (no-one asked you) to take on the role of EXTERNAL PANCREAS.

PARENTING in my humble opinion is THE HARDEST job on the planet!!!

Now, before you say ya, whatever, what do you know, you're a man, please hear me out.  True.....I certainly haven't stayed home full time as long as my better half parenting our brew has. However, I stayed home for a year, with a New Baby a 2 and 4 yr old, while my wife did her teaching degree, and I worked nights on the week-end to pay for the rent, and oh, my diabetes supplies. AND----

 It was bar none, the HARDEST year of my life. This was all before any of our five offspring had Type 1 diabetes. Okay, what am I getting at, I am, in a man way,  trying to say,  I kinda, sorta had a glimpse of how tough and emotionaly exhausting parenting is at times, and this is with out throwing TYPE 1 DIABETES into the mix. 

My wife and I have lost more sleep in the last 41/2 years out of 13 years of parenting thanks to that STUPID disease destroying 2 of our kids Beta Cells.

I'm not sure when----.but hopefully with better technology, or ANYTHING to make diabetes safer and or less stressful, to aid us in our role as the crazy multi-testing, carbohydrate calculating, meal planning, nocturnal worrying substitute for a dysfuncional pancreas that our child and us have to put with, just maybe----Things in time will get a little easier. 

From one caring house full of Type 1's to another....I thank the DOC for sharing, as it is nice and unfortunate at the same time to know there are others who understand and are there for all to listen to.

Cheers.

Trev

The Things We Find

As some of you may know, I have a few Diabetes People in DA House.

And, any of you with kids, or even those who have been temporarily exposed to these tiny creatures, it is a known fact that possessions can,  and will mysteriously disappear in their company.

I have found my missing watch buried in the closet around dolly's neck. I have stumbled upon the TV remote underneath my toddlers pillow, and the list goes on, and on........

So the other night, I was looking for my daughters fancy glucometer, the Contour USB port one, to no avail.
So I decided to evoke my right as commander in chief to start Operation "FIND ALL THE DIABETES STUFF"  So it began.....

After about an hour of rummaging, cushion flipping, junk drawer emptying, doll house searches, we had a pile of supplies on our counter.

We had glucometers, Pens, Empty Pens, Needles, Needle TIPS, Empty and full test strips, Lancets,  and empty vials of insulin. Crazy the amount of stuff, I honestly didn't know we had.

As I was matching all the strips to meters to lancets to cases, I thought of the DOC, and how odd it is that this really is the norm for us folks.

Instead of finding the remote stuffed between a couch cushion, we find a meter, instead of finding a pen on the counter we find an insulin pen.

Bizarre how normal it becomes.

Cheers!

Trev 

Where's the off-ramp from Life in the Fast Lane?

I need to tell you how I feel, not complain, but try to create clarity through expression, if you know what I mean. Sometimes getting it out, opens the cranial paths to solutions and ideas. So here goes.

Is it just me or does life get quicker as we age?  It seems that with each passing day, there are less and less hours, and each passing day seems blurrier then the last and before you know it,  you're staring at yourself in the mirror asking yourself;  "where the hell did that year go"   Too Fast I say!

I recently picked up a second job, so I work Monday to Friday and on the week-ends. Crazy but the cost of living is insane. I desperately want to minimize the unessential things in our life but feel trapped being the Father of a rather large number of Offspring who look to me to provide their every need. My wife also works full time.

Okay,  to put it bluntly, somethings gotta give.

I persistently argue with myself saying, "It's temporary" or "It is good to be busy" but This Life in The Fast Lane is going to take its toll eventually.

Take its toll on my diabetes and health that is.  I find it harder and harder to exercise. Meal planning is also more challenging. This winter resulted in the highest A1C I have had in many years. And I can't help to charge my busy life as the culprit and cause of my poor diabetes control.

Time is limited and I sooo need it to heal, manage, and improve my health.

Any PWD knows that stress makes diabetes harder to control, well, I guess that has been my issue.

Ideas to improve above dilemma:

-Cancel all unnecessary distractions, like the hundreds of channels through our cable provider.
-Focus on eating healthy - Already doing that
-Quit both jobs - kidding - Money is unfortunately as important as Oxygen at the moment.
-Baby steps - short work outs at lunch maybe - More playing at the park, even when tired, as it's good for me and the kids.
-And any other ideas the DOC wants to throw my way - thanks in advance!

On a positive note - Seen my Eye Doctor yesterday, and zero evidence of Retinal issues, eyes are good!

Well, just letting my thoughts channel through fingers - to keys - to screen in an attempt to find the off-ramp.

Cheers!

Trev

Play Time Anyone?

"Play Time"

It seems that people are still checking in on Three 2 Treat even though I haven't been devoting any time to writing. I am really honoured that folks all over the world, like Russia, Greece, and wow the UK, huge shout out!!!  

I have been attempting to simplify my life a little bit, well, mentally, stripping away the numerous distractions, activities, hobbies, etc, in order to reflect on things.

Diabetes was one of those things I needed to, well, cut back on, if you follow me. It consumes my home life, work life, my online life, my kids, etc.  Its a huge consumer of my mental energy that inevitably distracts me from enjoying the finer things in life like play time.

I have been spending time focusing on Playing, Yup, Playing.   Getting excited to come home from work and go to the play ground to play on the climber, swing on the monkey bars, chase the soccer ball, kids and dogs around the field. Walk in the grass barefoot, lie on the grass and examine the clouds. Just be in the moment, enjoying the smells, feeling the breeze and the sun radiating down it's life giving energy.  Playing is Great!

It seems that as we grow older some of us forget to play. I know I did. Sure....we take vacations, go to dinner, drink too much on occasion, but I'm referring to non-goal oriented, unstructured unrestricted totally let loose play!  Man it really is invigorating and fun!

I was getting so caught up in work, diabetes, writing, commitments, life, tasks, lists, that I forgot to PLAY.

So I am asking you all to give it a try, no goals, no objectives, in the moment, Play, just like kids.

Cheers!

WARNING;
Excessive playtime may result in serious happiness, improved relations with loved ones and pets, better blood glucose control, weight loss, better cardio, toned muscles, happy children, cool parent syndrome, serious stress reduction.  It is recommended to gradually increase play time to avoid the above sudden side effects.

Time to Recruit My Team

"There's No I in Team"

My Life is a Whole Lot of Diabetes.  Almost Too Much. 

As my regular readers are aware, I Treat Myself, 2 Children, and Also assist hundreds of patients with their diabetes.

I try my best to assist everyone in the above scenario, but I waver to admit, I am doing a piss poor job with my own diabetes.  I do okay, but I'm frankly in desperate need for an objective opinion on my diabetes. 

As luck would have it, I work with a Nurse, who is also a CDE(certified diabetes educator) who works part-time with my old Endo and her under grad degree prior to nursing was nutrition. Cool, eh?!  So I was complaining about diabetes, and the type one support deficiencies in the system(my opinion of course) and after some discussion she offered to take a look at my trends.

I thought for a brief second, and said "that would be great".  Not only would this take the pressure off me a little, but I would be accountable to give my numbers to a respected colleague weekly to review.

I then thought, I need to take advantage of what I tell others to take advantage of.  Like pump courses, even though I do know a lot, but I have never formally taken the pump training, I just read and digest, and do, so to speak. 

I am also going to ask my family doctor for a re-referral to my Endo.

The neat thing is, my new team will allow me to be helped as a patient, which is a little weird for me, but is likely what I need to feel better, supported, and in better control of my diabetes.

How important is your Diabetes Team or Endo to you or your loved one with diabetes?

Trev

Shocking News - Embarrassed Teen



"Note Pink Shirt Standing to the Left,
She is Not impressed"

 I knew it would happen, but nothing ever really prepares you for what I am about to share.

Last night my oldest daughter Dareian had a Soccer game. During the game she started out with a bang, scored a goal, ran like a cheetah, and totally kicked ass. But I noticed her slowing down closer to half time.

As any concerned Improvising Pancreatic Substitute would do, I ran up to their huddle, and said to the coach, "Can I borrow her?"

She was immediately unimpressed.  She slid away from the group and completely shunned me, her dad, I was hurt, then I whispered to the coach, and awkwardly added, "She has Type 1 Diabetes (like he didn't already know) and we need to test her sugar"  He nodded in agreement.

I then jogged back to my area of refuge, wanting to crawl under a rock. Feeling completely rejected, and confused, to unintentionally embarrass her was different then my purposeful attempts of past.

On reflection, I new the time had come, where she was now transitioning into a self conscious, or overly conscious teen, who unfortunately tend to be hyper aware of their social surroundings. A VERY SAD DAY

10 minutes later, once all attention was back on the game, she jogs over and allows me to test her. She was high, which happens with these adrenaline pumping games.  I gave her some water, and told her she was doing really great out on the field!  She patted me on the shoulder, and ran back to finish the game.

My baby is getting all growed up.

Trev

Dear Diabetic Life

Tomorrow is my 39th  Birthday. Yes, 39 years I have existed on this earth. I have had diabetes now for 30 years, wow, hard to believe.  On my drive to work today, and after dropping my children off, I watched them stroll up to their school. I had a flash of my childhood, or more precisely my childhood prior to being "Diabetic"

I was in my back yard. Kingston Ontario, basking in the warm May sun on my birthday 33 years ago. I was 6 yrs old. I think of this memory often. Not sure why, I think because it was a fond memory. Things were simple, play, gymnastics, swimming, and nothing else.

I remember eagerly awaiting my friends to arrive for my 6th birthday party. I remember hot dogs, cake, treats, laughter, and all that good stuff. I remember biking, and feeling free. I am grateful for my childhood. I am grateful to have been loved and now to be able to love.

I am glad to be healthy still despite my life challenged with diabetes. I am grateful to be still fighting, and meeting the challenge.

I don't feel happy or sad about my birthday tomorrow, just grateful. Funny how that is, as my life progresses, and mortality presents itself, things of importance fall into place.

Family, good health, and enjoying life.


Trev

Diabetic Muffin Man VLOG

Well as Promised, here is my first Baking VLOG and my second installment of the Diabetic Muffin Man.

And the finished Product!

Cheers!

Trev