It’s true that diabetes involves managing sugar (glucose) in our blood stream and there’s much more to it. Over time, I’ve watched those family members who have diabetes deteriorate as they deal with their sugar problem. To my knowledge these individuals are not conscientious about caring for their diabetes. Maybe if they saw it as a chronic disease (one that never gets cured) requiring ownership and commitment to managing blood sugar they’d be doing better?

Periodically I read that diabetes management involves just cutting out the sugar. I know from my 33+ years with diabetes that blood sugar control involves much more. It begins with an understanding that nearly everything we eat turns to glucose in our digestive system. One key parameter is how quickly food becomes sugar. This is called its glycemic index. I frequently do a look-up in the index to evaluate the amount of insulin required to process the food I’m about to eat. In my body, bagels are among the worst in terms of how quickly they raise my blood sugar. Bagels have a glycemic index of 72. By comparison, ice cream is listed at 61 and that’s been proven in my body, i.e., ice cream doesn’t raise my sugar level as fast or as high as bagels.

I am shocked that manufacturers list their products as “no sugar added” and that’s supposed to make them OK for us with diabetes. My reply is, it all depends. The product may indeed be good to eat without undue pressure on my body to process the food. It’s always a good idea to check the list of ingredients to see what it’s made from. The myth here is accepting these products as being part of a category OK foods without further investigation. Reading the labels is thus very important.

Finally, there’s the myth saying that too much sugar causes diabetes. I’ve learned that there are hundreds of variables that impact blood sugar including mood, amount of sleep, exercise and many more. Overall diabetes is a disease involving insufficient insulin to process the food we’re eating. When glucose fails to enter our cells due to lack of insulin or our bodies are resisting our insulin, it stays in our blood stream and the concentration increases.

It’s hard to simply define diabetes; however, I know for sure that reducing sugar intake is only one element. What myths have you learned? Please offer a comment for other readers.

My mom never wanted to talk about my diabetes and I surmise that on some level, she felt guilty that I had been diagnosed with Type 2. I’m guessing she read that diabetes is a genetic disorder, thus she and my father were to blame. This is of course not the case.

Over the past several years I’ve been a student of diabetes and have learned that genetic predisposition is only one factor for those of us with this disease. If my mom were still alive on this Mother’s Day, May 13 there are several things I’d like to share with her.

First and foremost, I forgive her for any blame in my diabetes. My logic is that if my diabetes were only from genetic sources there was nothing she could have done about it. This may not have been sufficient reason for her to forgive herself, but it’s a start in the right direction. Next, I would tell her that there’s much we can do to help those with diabetes. I’m sure I could have enrolled her in supporting my efforts to help others with diabetes. Finally, I would tell her that I’m actually grateful for my diabetes, so there’s no need to feel guilty.

My diabetes gratitude is based on the blessings I’ve received over the past 33+ years. I’ve learned an enormous amount about how my body functions and thank my diabetes for providing the impetus for me to learn about achieving proper health. As I’ve said repeatedly in previous posts, I derive joy from achieving self-care mastery. I can’t say I’ve mastered blood sugar management; however, I can say I’m improving every day.

If I could, I’d tell my mother that I’m OK with having diabetes and in no way is it her fault.

Given that our brains require a healthy supply of blood and oxygen, weird behavior can occur when out of balance. Even in my early days on oral medications, I remember feeling very cranky periodically, but didn’t relate it to my diabetes.

Now that I’ve been on Novolog for more than 10 years and test at least six times per day, I’m much more in tune with the relationship between my blood sugar level and my mood. When I’m having high BG, watch out since I may be nasty. My dear wife has learned to ask me about my sugar level when she senses my ugly mood. More often than not, my sugar is well above 200 and I feel belligerent.

On the other hand I become almost child-like when my sugar is low. I typically feel weak and my brain function is definitely impaired. If my wife is trying to have a conversation with me I may be unresponsive to her or act like I’ve had too much to drink. Given that I don’t drink alcohol the cause of my confusion is low blood sugar. I try not to feel guilty when I’m ugly to my wife. I’d like to give her an award for putting up with my moods and I’m doing a better job these days in controlling my BG level.

If you’re new to diabetes, be prepared for mood swings. Your partner or friend may feel that they’ve caused your mood; however, in all likely hood it’s caused by BG swings. Of course, the antidote for mood swings is better BG control, but I’m sure you knew that.

Good luck…this is an amazing journey.

I realize that each of us experience life differently and that goes for diabetes as well. My blog site is where I share elements of my life related to mastering blood sugar management. My expectation is that others will enjoy my posts, particularly when they’re coming from the real me.

It’s not always easy to share my mistakes and errors in judgment; however, being me says that I’m willing to let others know so that possibly they won’t have to make the same mistakes. In the business world I called this approach “failing forward”.

My mental health demands that I pay attention to my mistakes, like taking insulin after guessing my blood sugar readings. Every error I make is a source of learning if I own the action that produced the error. I remember a friend who had just experienced a major heart attack and said, “I just had a heart attack for you, so now you don’t need to have one yourself if you get the lesson.” I find that many people believe that mistakes happen to other people, thus no reason to pay attention. Such people could be headed for a disaster.

My goal is to live every day in joy as I look for lessons that will help improve my sugar management. I try to look at each moment of my day with fresh eyes so that I’m open to learning something new. I’m pleased with my progress with diabetes and am happy to call myself the Joyful Diabetic, even when I’m not feeling joyful.

Over the next few months a team of medical professionals and non-medical coaches will be developing an agenda, recruiting sponsors and speakers and doing fund raising to cover the costs of the event. This project began in earnest last fall when I purchased “Peer Leader Manual.” Next, I loaned it to the head of our CDE team. She was interested and in late February we held a meeting to discuss possibilities. Our medical team in Pittsfield, MA has now reviewed this action item and we’ll be meeting on May 3 to keep the ball moving forward.

The force that drives me is caring for the millions of us with diabetes who never receive any education. There are now over 25 million diabetics and about 15 thousand Certified Diabetes Educators. Do the math to discover the complete overwhelm of our medical professionals. One of the few options available to us is to implement Peer Leaders.

The Jamboree is a beginning and I’m planning on following that up with the organization and development of peer-run support groups where we can each talk about our issues and challenges. I have high confidence that we’re moving in the right direction.

Stay tuned for updates as we plan this event.

Carbohydrates are a class of food that is quickly absorbed by our bodies and in many cases, like bagels, pack a huge load. I know from previous experience that consuming foods with high carbs is injurious to my blood sugar management. While skiing last year I learned a valuable lesson when I ate a large bagel for breakfast and ended up later in the morning with BG over 500! Please click http://www.joyfuldiabetic.com/2011/02/18/the-power-of-bagels/ to read the post. This experience was the real beginning of my interest in increasing my focus on carbohydrates.

Last week I noticed that I’ve developed an inventory of foods I typically eat. This inventory is stored in my head and is easily retrievable when needed. I have even successfully extrapolated the estimated carbs in foods that are similar to those in my inventory. But, not so fast. This is very tricky.

I know that a piece of my favorite bread contains 20 carbs, thus I estimated that the English muffin that I ate last Friday morning contained 30 carbs. I’m sorry to say that my analysis was incorrect as my BG rose from 111 to 237 about 3 hours after the meal. I just looked up the carbohydrates in an English muffin and discovered there are only 23. So, something else pushed up my BG. Other items in my meal included 3 small pieces of ham, a cheese omelet and a small piece of cantaloupe.

Investigation continued as I looked up a cheese omelet and found they contain 4 grams of carbs, but since the omelet I ate was large, I estimate the actual carb load at 6 grams. A cup of cantaloupe contains 14 grams; however, I only consumed about ¼ cup, so that’s not the culprit. Finally, there’s the ham, but a slice of ham contains only a little over 1 gram. I also drank a cup of coffee containing a small amount of Half & Half. The Google says that ¼ cup contains 2.6 grams and I didn’t have anywhere near that amount. So, even though I’m feeling cocky about my carb consciousness, I’m unable to explain this BG increase.

Let’s agree that managing blood sugar is not a science and everything is approximate. I’ve noticed that I can do everything exactly right and still produce a high BG. The question for me and others is what to do about this?

Most of the time I’m aware of carbohydrates in foods I’m about to consume and this is essential to computing the amount of insulin to compensate for the carbs. I used to guess about the number of units to take and now my Endocrinologist has convinced me to accurately estimate carbohydrates and then use the wizard in my insulin pump to help determine my insulin dosage. Even though the results from Friday are not OK, I’m committed to working more on this aspect of blood sugar management. I have a positive attitude and plan to continue learning more about causes of increased BG.

Please offer any advice to others about your carbohydrate consciousness.

Now retired and working with fellow diabetics I’m sure all of us want encouragement. Managing blood sugar is very challenging and even when we do our best it’s sometimes not enough. I conclude there are far too many variables involved in the functioning of blood sugar control. Things can be going very well and then we experience a period where control seems impossible. When this happens to me I start investigating the causes for poor control.

Almost without exception I’ve been able to find the cause or causes for my poor control. In some cases it’s been giving myself permission to “pig out” and the negative impact on my body has lasted for several days. Most recently, I had three consecutive BG readings over 200. I concluded that I wasn’t getting insulin and indeed that was the culprit. I found that my insulin infusion set had pulled out of my body. My pump was still delivering insulin, just not into my body.

And so, I encourage my readers to continue working toward self-care mastery. Please know that it’s not a linear path and that perfection is a direction rather than a goal. I compliment each of you for doing your best. Take credit for what you’ve accomplished and give yourself a healthy pat on the back. And remember that a positive attitude is a wonderful thing, particularly when you’re faced with setbacks.

Ever since declaring myself The Joyful Diabetic over four years ago, I’ve had a goal to be in enJoyment all the time. I have yet to feel joy in every moment; however, I realize that I am joyful most of the time. And what’s even better, I’ve recently been able to transcend a terrible mood by thinking joyful thoughts.

As I interact with others, I’m beginning to recognize that I’m a joy carrier. When I join a group of people working on their common interests, like the Occupy Movement, I typically show up in a joyful mood and in a few minutes many others are also experiencing joy. I conclude that joy is infectious and we can not only feel wonderful ourselves, but also stimulate others into feeling their joy.

When I’ve felt sadness, I’m now realizing that this dark mood provides effective contrast, thus stimulating my goal of continuous enjoyment. I appreciate the quote from Ralph Marston, author of the Daily Motivator:

“Enjoyment gives you the power to fully accept what is,

and then to make the very best of it. Enjoyment is a

profound gift you can continually give to yourself and

                                                                                                to all of life.”

                                                                                                                                                        Ralph Marston

Please know that it’s much easier to manage your blood sugar when you’re feeling joy. Try it yourself and then comment for others to hear and enJoy your experience.

For example, as I’ve posted previously buffet lines are a big challenge for me since too many choices seem to short circuit my inner will power. I have found that seeing myself going through a buffet line choosing all the best foods for me works. I don’t always stop to visualize, but when I do it tends to lesson the power of food over me.

I was in sales for years and learned to spend a few minutes before meeting with customers to visualize a great meeting. I know my effort had no impact on the others in the meeting; however, it did have a positive impact on me and meetings went better.

When I just don’t feel like exercising, seeing myself walking and enjoying nature helps. I also work on seeing myself with a big smile on my face after a walk, knowing I’ve done something good for my body. I’m motivated by feeling good and controlling my blood sugar. For me, getting out there is a big first step but once I’m walking or riding my bicycle I feel great.

All of this reminds me that science knows very little about how our brains really work. They know some elements of brain function, but mostly it’s a mystery. Clearly science is learning about the power of positive thinking and who knows, maybe one day there will be clear proof that positive imaging supports a positive outcome. My game is to continue using visualization since it works in many situations for me.

As you ponder this post, what are your thoughts? Do you visualize situations before they happen? Please comment to share your experience with others.

For we diabetics, doing something now can be critical even though we may not feel like it or might not have a Round Tuit. It’s so easy to decide not to test blood glucose because we don’t feel like it or because we’re tired. The folks at dLife have taught me to “test, don’t guess” so I decide to do it now and I’m always glad I do.

It’s hard for me to believe how often I give myself permission to not exercise and I’ve got a long list of reasons (excuses) why I’m not planning on exercising. I’m learning to really investigate my reasons for not exercising and to do it anyway even if it’s raining or snowing. I’ve got a long way to go on achieving my exercise objective, but I’m making progress. Now that the weather is warmer I’m looking forward to cycling in our beautiful valley. I feel better about exercising when I’m able to vary the workout. In addition to cycling, I’m part of a Tuesday hiking group. I find the camaraderie of the group members an added incentive to get out there.

As you look at your own life and the decisions you make, please consider “do it now”. If you’re like I am, you’ll discover how wonderful you’ll feel when the task is complete. At times I feel motivated by visualizing how good I’ll feel when I’ve overcome my resistance and accomplished the objective. My advice is to listen to your inner voice and teach it to “do it now”.