Think like a pancreas
by Joe · 255 things on Twos
- Team work is key
- One must adapt insulin doses to all aspects of daily life
- Start guessing Allie’s blood sugar
- 90-150 is what we like
- Eating 📈
- Insulin 📉
- Exercise 📉
- Sleeping 📉
- The way to a woman’s heart is through her pancreas
- Popcorn and pistachios
- Symlin
- Slows down digestion so the blood sugars don’t spike right after eating
- CGM
- Continuous glucose monitor
- Immediate benefits of diabetes control
- Increased energy
- More restful sleep
- Improved physical performance
- Appetite reduction
- Brain power
- Stable moods/emotions
- Fewer sick days
- Healthier skin and gums
- Personal safety
- Predictable menstrual cycles
- Elevated blood sugars reduces energy levels
- high blood sugar is a sign that you may not be getting enough fuel into your body cells to burn for energy
- Our production of the hunger control and hormone leptin is diminished when sleep is inadequate
- Poor glucose control reduces the quality of sleep
- When Allie wakes up hungry/better glucose control?
- Keeping blood sugar near normal will result and improve strength, speed, flexibility, and endurance
- 80-140 mg/dl for physical activity
- High blood sugar can make us impatient, irritable, and generally negative.
- If blood sugar levels are up the amount of potential infections also goes up and are harder to shake
- Below normal blood sugar levels will usually causes surge of adrenaline and some degree of temporary brain impairment
- Let the fear and anger associated with long-term diabetic complications serve as a positive motivator
- Long-term benefits of blood sugar control
- Healthy eyes
- Healthy kidneys
- A string
- Adequate blood flow
- Proper nerve function
- Protective nerve sensation
- Minimal pain
- Healthy feet
- Intact memory
- Flexible joints
- Mental health
- Successful pregnancy
- 20,000 people go blind from diabetes each year
- 30% reduction with every 30mg/dL reduction in average blood glucose
- Same with kidney failure
- People with diabetes or 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart disease and five times more likely to die from heart disease
- Exercise, eating healthy, and cutting back on stress also reduce our risk for heart disease
- Same with a stroke
- Blood vessel disease in the leg is 20 times more common in people diabetes and some degree of claudication occurs in 45% of people who have had diabetes for more than 20 years
- 60 to 70% of people with diabetes will develop some sort of nerve damage in their lifetime
- Low blood sugar = higher overall quality of life
- Blood sugar levels influence almost every aspect of our physical and mental well-being
- Improving your blood sugar control will enable you to feel and perform better today as well as enjoy longer, healthier life
- People who have achieved tremendous success in life with insulin dependent diabetes
- Jay Cutler
- Halle Berry
- Bret Michaels
- Bill Davidson (of Harley Davidson)
- Thomas Edison
- Ernest Hemingway
- Nicole Johnson (miss America)
- Long acting diabetes medication at night with the green label
- Insulin’s job is to facilitate the movement of nutrients - particularly glucose - out of the bloodstream and into the body’s cells where they can be burned for energy
- Bolis insulin = bonus insulin
- Basal insulin = baseline insulin
- Fastest to slowest absorption
- Abdomen
- Arm
- Thigh
- Butt
- Genuine Joe artificial sweetener
- A1C - lab blood test that shows overall blood sugar average for the last 2-3 months.
- Get one done every three months
- The higher the A1C, the greater risk of developing and worsening eye, kidney, nerve, and heart problems.
- The higher the A1C, the greater risk of developing and worsening eye, kidney, nerve, and heart problems.
- If carbohydrates are present in a meal or snack, protein has little effect on blood sugar.
- Consumption of large amounts of fat can…
- Slow the digestion of carbohydrates (resulting in a slower glucose rise)
- Saturated fats can produce their own delayed rise
- Bc saturated fats cause the liver to become resistant to insulin
- After carbohydrates have exerting their effects
- Carbohydrates are the biggest effect
- Glucose
- Sucrose
- Fructose
- Lactose
- Starches (many glucose molecules linked together)
- Simple vs. complex carbohydrates
- Foods rich in sugar (simple carbs)
- fruit
- fruit juice
- raisins/dried fruit
- regular soda
- sports drinks
- candy
- chocolate
- cookies and cakes
- pies and pastries
- muffins
- milk
- ice cream
- yogurt
- table sugar
- honey
- syrup
- jelly
- beer
- Foods rich in starch (complex carbs)
- potatoes
- rice
- noodles/pasta
- cereal
- oatmeal
- bread
- crackers
- bagels
- pizza
- tortillas
- pancakes
- waffles
- beans
- peas
- corn
- pretzels
- chips
- popcorn
- matzah
- Whether the carbohydrates you eat are in the form of sugars (simple) or starches (complex) doesn’t matter. Both will raise your blood sugar the same amount.
- This process takes place quickly, beginning the moment food comes in contact with saliva in the mouth.
- The individual sugar molecules start reaching the bloodstream within minutes.
- Exercise is a great tool for lowering blood sugar
- Stress hormones can raise blood sugar levels
- Insulin is the only hormone that lowers glucose levels in the blood sugar while stress, sex, growth, and glucagon will increase glucose levels from the liver.
- Secondary factors that can influence blood sugar levels
- Tend to raise blood sugar
- Growth
- menstrual hormones
- later stages of pregnancy
- rebounds from hypoglycemia
- exiting the “honeymoon” period
- depression
- weight gain
- excessive sleeping
- caffeine
- steroid medications
- diuretics
- estrogen
- niacin
- Tend to lower blood sugar
- Alcohol
- heat/humidity
- heavy brain work
- previous intense exercise
- new/unusual surroundings
- socializing
- stimulating environments
- early stages of pregnancy
- Ritalin
- stress reduction
- depression treatment
- Successful diabetes management depends on three interlinked criteria: tools, skills, and attitude.
- The higher the gauge, the smaller the needle.
- The pen needle must be kept on the skin for five to ten seconds following the injection in order to ensure accurate delivery
- Integrateddiabetes.com/p_compar.shtml
- Symlin is a great add on to meal time insulin
- Metaformin can also help
- May reduce the doses required to manage your diabetes
- Do you have a CDE? Registered dietician? Mental health counselor? Exercise specialist?
- The best times to check blood sugar levels
- Before each meal and snack
- Prior to exercise and driving
- One hour after meals
- Before going to sleep
- During the night
- Record keeping can be very helpful
- When it comes to reducing the frequency of highs and lows, the culprit is not always one of the “usual suspects”
- Having diabetes is not about achieving instant perfection, it’s about making small improvements.
- The percent of readings in-range (or time spent in range) is the gold standard for assessing the quality of your diabetes control.
- Show me dem charts gurl
- Fiber does not convert into blood glucose very rapidly
- For those who are attempting to match their mealtime rapid-acting insulin to food intake, carbohydrates should always be counted in grams.
- Converting exchanges into grams of carbohydrate
- 1 bread exchange = 15 grams carb
- 1 fruit exchange = 15 grams carb
- 1 milk exchange = 12 grams carb
- 1 veggie exchange = 5 grams carb
- 1 meat exchange = 0 grams carb
- There are subtle differences in how quickly different carbohydrates raise the blood sugar, but all carbs eventually turn into glucose, so count them all the same.
- For example, 12 grams of carbohydrates from milk will raise the blood sugar more slowly than 12 grams of carbohydrates from bread, but after several hours the total rise will be equal.
- Subtract fiber from total carbohydrates
- The more accurate you are at carb counting, the better you will be able to control your blood sugar.
- Remove 50% of carbs of sugar alcohols (sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol) when counting carbs.