Fanfaire:

I just had to respond to what you wrote about your father who thinks he is fine if his sugar is below 200. He sounds exactly like my friend E. E has been diabetic for almost 10 years. Her weight is between 280 and 300 (could be more). Every doctor she has seen has told her "you must lose weight". Her response was "what do you know?". When she tells me this, I just tell her about what happened when I went to Cornell and went into their ACCORD program. I lost most of my weight, never looked better, my sugar is completely fine, I get all testing supplies and meds for free. They examine you from head to toe. They send you to their top eye specialist to check for diabetic retinopathy. I said "now why on earth woudn't you take advantage of this? It's free, and you'll get your sugar down". She once said "they'll make me go on the needle". I use Lantus by the way and it literally saved my life. I explained to her "no, they don't make you do anything you are not comfortable with, it's all up to you, they advise you, they support you, they examine you, but if you want to stay on oral meds, they will give you oral meds".

Her response "well, it's too far to drive into New York City". My response "we can take the access-a-ride, we can go to the appointment at the same time (yes, we can do this, I checked). You can go as my guest". It will just cost you $2.00 each way. For door to door service".

So when you give someone all the opportunity to make their life healthier, better and they shrug and say "No, I don't want to go", well, there's a lot more going on here than diabetes, let me tell you. It's the mind, the craving for the food, they don't want to make any changes in their eatings habits.

She has a diabetic stomach. She is ALWAYS sick. Always in the bathroom. She went to the doctor and they told her 'you have a diabetic stomach, you must lose weight and get your sugar down". Her response to the doctor "what the hell do you know"?? When she told me that I said "you know, no one can tell you how to maintain or even improve your health. You obviously don't want to hear anything from anyone, and that most certainly is your right, but let me explain something to you.......and I explained my neuropathy. Well, she said "well, you have neuropathy, I don't" and I said "what the heck do you think a diabetic stomach is??" I explained gastroparesis and she would have none of it. She claims the doctors don't know anything.

So yesterday (after yet another stomach bout), she calls me up and says "I don't understand why my sugar is 213" I said "you have diabetes, what don't you understand?" She said "but I cook healthy (she makes 15 chicken cutlets for her and her husband, he is 65, healthy as a horse, skinny as a chicken and can eat anyone under the table". She blames him for her diabetes. She says "if I didn't have to cook for him, I'd be skinny"

??????????????????????????????????????

I then said "okay, answer me this one, if you cook healthy, you claim you don't over eat, you claim you eat grilled chicken and vegetables, if this is the case, why are you still overweight?"

Her response: "oh, I like to pick at night, I like chips, and pretzels" I said "well, there you go, this stops tonight, and you'll have a head start.

Yeah, like that is going to happen.

Food is a double edge sword with a lot of people. They simply do not get it. She does not get it and she absolutely will not get it. She is now 63, and getting bigger. It's not going to change unless she wants it to and she does not want it to.

You obviously want it to. Your dad, unforunately does not. It's all in how the mind operates the body. If a person gets scared enough about their disease, they will say "oh, boy, I'm not going to let this disease control my life". That's what happened to me and my diabetes.

And with some people, it's the exact opposite. They control their bodies by NOT EATING. Happened to my closest friend. She's been anorexic since she's 14. I am going to her funeral today. She died two days ago. I was with her the day before. I held her. She could not stop the anorexia. She had cancer, but everyone says that if she had listened to the doctor and put good nutrients in her body,well, she might have had a chance.

Want to hear something that will blow you away???

When I was sitting next to my friend on Tuesday, she weighed at the most 60 lbs. It was nearing the end, hospice people were there and they had a little bottle of morphine which they administer via a dropper into her mouth.

She was sleeping. I will never forget what happened.

As the hospice nurse was putting the dropper into her mouth, she woke up and said clear as a bell "what are you putting into my mouth". The nurse said "calm down, it's not food, it's morphine". She quieted down immediately.

I will never forget this. Eating, Or not eating. It's depression, it's control, it's deadly, if it's not taken seriously.

You are one smart cookie. You will get your condition under control.

I do wish you the best. I'm proud of you.

You also educated me. I was under the assumption that if you get your sugar tested and it's 188, you are automatically considered a diabetic. You just taught me that it's pre-diabetic.

See, learn something new every day!!

be well,
melody