Question for Diabetics

[bertha katzenengel]

I just got diagnosed last month. I'm learning to regulate what I eat, and I'm learning how what I eat affects my glucose.

I seem to be finding that not just the amount of carbs, but the type or quality (?) of the carbs that I ingest, will give me different glucose readings.

For example, two nights in a row, my dinners included 30 carbs. On the night the carbs were in the form of a bun (made myself a chicken breast sandwich on a hamburger bun), my 2-hr glucose was 154. But on the night the carbs were in the form of a small potato and some broccoli, it was 121.

Do you understand what I'm asking? In short, am I going to get higher glucose readings when I eat bread-type carbs than when I eat veggy-type carbs?

I am so ignorant. I feel like I'm dogpaddling and barely keeping my nose above water.

[Warpy]

1. First. take a very deep breath, let it out slowly, and relax

Remember, it's taken you a lifetime to develop the disease. You're not going to cut your life short by taking the time to learn one thing at a time.

Although that potato counted as a carb exchange, it actually contained less in terms of complex carbos than the bun did. That tater has a very high water content, unlike the bun, and that's what accounted for the difference. Carb contents are estimates, at best, as buns can vary from a tiny, ladylike snowflake roll to an enormous Kaiser roll that would take me two dinners to finish.

Learning your exchange numbers and how things will affect your blood sugar is a long process. Right now, you're observing how various things affect you, and that's good. Eventually, it will become second nature, a minor pain in the butt but something you're so used to that you no longer have to think too much about it.

Everybody feels overwhelmed at first, it's natural.

[bertha katzenengel]

2. Warpy, you're an angel.

Way to soothe. Thank you for this explanation and for putting me at ease. :hug:

[FloridaPat]

3. The more processed the carb food, the closer they are to sugar.

Whole grains will up the glucose a lot less than white bread. However, in the store when they say "whole wheat" read the list of ingredients. Most of the time half of it is white flour. You really have to watch those labels. The food industry wants to fool people as much as possible. Good luck

[kdmorris]

4. Like the others have said

Take a deep breath. I cried through the first month after I found out that I had Diabetes. I cried because I figured there was NO WAY I was going to be able to figure out all this balancing and counting. And half the time, my glucose readings didn't make ANY sense to me. But I got the hang of it eventually. People react differently to different types of carbs. I might as well be allergic to processed white flour (not the whole wheat flour), since even a small amount makes my blood sugar soar. Potatoes with the skin on do not. I figured it was because of the fiber content of each. The more fiber you have with a meal, the longer it takes your body to process it into glucose.

Eventually, you will be swimming backstroke and you'll be posting things on message boards like these to someone who just found out and is freaking out (which is completely normal, btw).

:grouphug:

[blondeatlast]

5. What you are experieincing is a result of the Glycemic Index.

You've probably already heard about it on those diet plan commercials, but it's quite real--and helpful to have some awareness of.

This site is a wonderful tool for any diabetic, and David Mendosa is a smart and wonderful man. He also is a big fan of a great book, "Diabetes for Dummies," from the wildly popular Wiley series. I highly recommend both--and I've been diabetic since the age of 7, so I consider myself something of an expert.

http://www.mendosa.com/

My dear BK, I know a man who just celebrated his 82nd b-day, is still working as a security guard at our very busy, inner city library (the one I work at), and has had Type 2 for over 40 years. He only very recently has begun to have to take insulin; up till recently he took oral meds, and he's going strong!

Take care and know that you are most assuredly not alone. This is a surprisingly busy DU group!