Humans Are So Contradicting...or is it only ME?

Eversince I am dignosed with Diabetes, I withdraw myself from my friends for 1-2 years. I felt that they will look at me at a different way. I even felt that the whole world will look at me at a different way. I was very demoralised.....
Slowly, I began to realize that Diabetes is going to be part of me for the rest of my life. From denial and withdrawal, I moved on to acceptance. Accepting that diabetes will be with me for the rest of my life. I start to let some of my closer friends and colleagues know that I have a condition. Not because I wanted to announce to the world but I need their understanding and also to look out for me when I have hypos.....They will know what to do and not let me pass out.
Somehow, more people know that I am diabetic. Some of my friends told me that its common now and they do not feel I am any different from other people. Nothing to be shy away just because I am diabetic. At the back of my mind, I still have this impression that people will look at me at a different way because I am different from them. I am type 1 and I need to live with needles.
Though I will appear in a diabetes related magazine soon but I still feel I will be ostracized by "normal" people. [Devil is working now to tell me that i will be ostracized, even when Angel is trying to tell me that I am normal]

Completed by Certificate in Basic Diabetes Education Course

It's been a long time since I update my blog. Sorry to my readers....

Recently, I attended a short course organized by Touch Diabetes Support. The course is called: Certificate in Basic Diabetes Education.

Spent 4 Saturdays at the Center learning more about diabetes and how to better to manage it by food and diet and also exercise. Frankly speaking, I had this condition for 12 years and should know all the basics about Diabetes Management. Eversince I had this condition, I would say I "alienated" myself from people. I do not want to join support groups because I think I can manage it myself on my own. As long as I stay away from sweet stuffs like ice cream, deserts, cakes, etc, I should be fine. If I monitor it and inject the right amount of insulin and visit doctor every 3 months, I should be ok.

Joining this course has helped me "open" myself up a little and also learn more about diabetes management. What I have gained from this course:

1) Make new friends with has the same condition as me. Somehow their acceptance level of this condition is higher and faster than me. It took me a few years before I can accept this condition is already part of me.

2) I used to shun away from muffins, cakes or biscuits with sweet fillings because they are sweet and will raise my blood glucose to a uncontrollable level. But I learnt that I can still enjoy these food as long as I test myself before consuming. Of course I still need to watch what I eat. Good thing is that I am not a person who loves to eat. I just eat to fill my stomach only. Once in a while I will still have cravings but if my blood glucose level is normal, cravings for these food will not cause me much harm.

3) Food labels reading. I used to wonder how to read these when I am in the supermarket. What they means to me and how I can apply them and eat healthily.

4) Carobohydrate counting. This is the most challenging topic because it can be very confusing for me. Maybe I am too hard up on the carbo exchange and food and try meeting it... I think I need lots of practise and guidance on this. I might get lost with the exchanges...

5) Glycemic Index. Some food has high GI and some has low GI. All along I thought ice cream able to help me get my glucose back when I am having hypos. Even doctors told me ice cream might not help me in my hypos but I do not know why. From this course, I know it has low GI, that's why it does not raise my glucose level fast enough.

6) Fruit juice will raise my glucose level. I have no idea before this. I all along thought that doctors and dietitans encouraged us to eat fruits so fruit juice will bring no harm. I am wrong. Fruit juice go into our blood stream faster and hence will raise our glucose level high faster than eating the real fruit.

7) Better off to be FAT and FIT than SKINNY and SEDENTARY. All along, I thought fat people are not healthy. But I am wrong again. FAT and FIT people in fact are healthier than THIN people. Next time when I talk to a FAT person, I will need to check if he/she does exercise. haha

8) Knowing new friends from the course also helped me to know there are many interesting things and food outside that is beneficial to us, diabetic.

On the last day, we had a short test. Phew....I passed the test. Before we leave for the day, we were sharing of our action plans. One of the course mates shared something very interesting:

He learnt to love his pancreas!

Well, my pancreas gave up on me. :( But I will need to love other organs like kidney, heart and my limbs.

Will try to join more activities and get support from friends who care about diabetes.

Exercise Really Does Affect My Sugar Level

In my earlier post, I mentioned that there is a difference running in the gym and at the open park. Eversince that run in the gym, I have decided not to go gym anymore and diligently go East Coast Park for my regular jog. Been testing my sugar level everytime before and after my jog. For the past 2-3 weeks, it seems like the jog in the park did not have any effect to my sugar level. I was very panic....Been asking myself: What Happened??? Why I did not see any reduction in my readings? Not been eating anything special but why did I not see my sugar level maintaining at the moderate level?
This week, has been diligently recording my readings. On Wednesday, I went to East Coast Park again for my regular jog.......Before my jog, I took my readings: 16.9 (so high coz I took a slice of bread earlier). I jogged for almost half hour and tested my sugar immediately after my jog...oh, my god! It went up to 18.3!!! That was high........told myself to test again before I take my dinner.....So, before my porridge dinner, my sugar readings was 15.3. Hmmm...still high....but if I recall, the reaction of my sugar will probably kicks in like 5-8 hours after my jog.....
So, I tested the next morning when I wake up from bed....4.2! Phew....finally came down......
Subsequently, the readings for the day has been good....between 5.5 - 6.7....in between there is hypo of 3.2. After that, has been stable in the readings.....
So, exercise does help to stabilize my readings .... but what happened to the past 2-3 weeks?

Jogging in Gym vs Jogging in the Open

This is a delayed posting. Just wanted to share what I have found out last week.
It was my routine jogging day and planned to go East Coast with my colleagues for our regular jog. But it was raining heavily @ East Coast and we decided to head to our company gym.
Before the jog, I forgot to test my glucose level but I did remember that I had a slice of bread 1 hour before my jog. I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill and it records a 4.17km. That's the usual distance and timing if I were to run at East Coast.....
After the run, we decided to head for dinner......before my dinner (which is ~ 50 minutes after my run), I tested my glucose level..... got a surprise! My meter read 16 mmol!!!
I recalled my CGMS readings that on my running time, my glucose level will actually drop....so, what happened? Guess, I did not do something right again..........
This week i will be going east coast for my regular jog (cross my fingers it wouldn't rain again) and will remember that i need to test before my run........

CGMS Trending Results

Today went down to SGH to see Dr Soh. He will be explaining to me the readings on the CGMS meter.....great! I will know how well I have fared and what I need to do in the future.....
Somehow, Day 1 of the test is a little bit unstable but rest of the days seems to be fine. However, there are some days which the readings on the meter is different from the finger pricking readings.....need to guess what happened that day....
Takeaway from this session:
1) Testing is important before and after exercise because there will be changes to the sugar level
2) When I know that my sugar level will be low a few hours after excercise, then I should lower my Glargine for the day so that I will not run into Hypo. Most prob my Dr did mention abt it but I probably forgotten about it....
3) Pre-exercise snack is important so that I will not run into Hypo while running.

My next extreme sports will be the OCBC 40km Cycle event next year.......Not sure how I can take it but guess I need to train and monitor my results at the same time.

After My 5km run

Before my 5km run yesterday, I got the CGMS device removed. Gosh! So much relieved that this is removed. Else, I will be uncomfortable with my run.
Below will be my testing results before and after the run.

Pre-breakfast@ 5.58am 6.8 mmol. Gave myself 18 units of Glargine and 6 units of Humalog. Took 3 cream cracker biscuits and a bowl of Quaker oats.
After the run @ 9.45am 5.9 mmol. Went for snack with friends. Took 2 pieces of steamed yam cake and coffee "neat" (meaning, no milk and no sugar)
Pre-lunch @ 12.59 pm 7.4 mmol. Since I know that the run will make my sugar go low, I gave myself 8 units of Humalog eventhough the plate of fishball noodles looks like 3 CHO portions.
Pre-dinner @ 7.03 pm 4.2 mmol. Before this, I actually felt hypo @ around 5.45pm and took canned apple juice from vending machine. Gave myself 10 units of Humalog before dinner.
2.5 hrs later @ 9.32pm 3.3 mmol. Hypo again! Did not take sweet drinks this time round but I took around 4 pieces of raisin biscuits and a glass of milk.

After the run, I experienced hypo twice. If I run in the morning, the hypos will come late in the afternoon or evening. Since most the time I run in the evenings, then my hypo will come around 3-5 am in the morning. Maybe next time what I will need to do is to inject less Humalog for my dinner.

Fibre May Keep Diabetes At Bay?

Saw a report the other day on Yahoo website. There is this article that says that fibre MAY keep diabetes at bay. Wonder will is also help to reduce the glucose level in our body?

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20091029/tts-health-australia-fibre-79adaf4.html