I was at the laundromat and began talking to a truck driver (a woman). When you sit for hours doing your wash you get to talking.

She is 39, weighs 239 pounds and is diabetic since she's 29. She said "you're diabetic, what do you use?" I said "well, initially, 20 or so years ago, they put me on metformin which KILLED my stomach, I never got out of the bathroom"

She said "Oh my god, no wonder my stomach always hurts" "So what do you take". I began talking about Lantus and how it worked for me but of course I told her about my diet.

She then exclaimed "You don't drink beer???" I said "Beer, BEER???"
why on earth would I drink beer it's LOADED WITH CARBS. And diabetics have to watch carbs"

She said "I have to have my beer". I said 'what do you mean you have to have your beer?" She said "Well, I like the way it makes my FEET FEEL!!!"

I then said "have you noticed any problems with your feet?"

She said "Oh, yes, my feet are numb" and she took off her sandals and she pointed to certain areas of her feet (toes, down the side of the left foot), and she said "completely numb"

I then said (very kindly and without any pushing). "Do you realize that this is a side effect of uncontrolled diabetes, you most like have neuropathy"

I then asked gently "do you test your blood sugar"?

She replied "Oh I can't be bothered. I only test myself when I don't feel good"

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

I then said: 'You do know that beer is full of carbs, but what did you mean that you like the way it makes your feet feel"?

She responded "Oh I get a buzz in my feet and I love it"

She was asking me questions and I honestly answered her without any prejudice, without any interrogations, etc.

I simply shared my experience with diabetes and after listening she laughed and said

"I find this whole diabetes thing very annoying and I like my beer on the weekends"

I said: "Oh, you drink on the weekends, so how much does it take for your feet to get a buz, two or three cans of beer?"

She looked at me like I lost my mind and she burst our laughing and said:

"Two or three cans, are you nuts, I DRINK 18 CANS"

Since I do not drink, I don't drink beer, never have, so I don't know anything about a person's capacity to indulge, I just stared at her and said: "you're kidding right??"

She called the owner of the laundromat over and said "Maria, can I put away 18 cans of beer at one time or what?" The owner laughed and said "Easily"

I then immediately knew that anything I said would be to no avail so I just enjoyed her company for the next hour while we folded our clothes.

Now would someone please explain this way of thinking to me because I DON'T GET IT AT ALL!!!

Melody

Well, long term use of high alcohol doses affects the brain.
What she describes is "binging" and that is known to kill brain cells.

Combine possible brain atrophy with denial, and you have a pretty sad picture!

Tell me about it.

Do you know HOW MANY DIABETICS I KNOW THAT FIND DIABETES ANNOYING?

They tell me

"I have no patience for this, I have no time to have diabetes"

Good Lord!!!

lol

Melody

And it's not funny!!!

In the old days with no treatments these people just died.

Now we have so many ways to help medically, and granted it does take effort to be compliant.

Drinking releases a dopamine (addictive) reinforcement in the brain.
Being compliant to watch the diabetes does not.

This gal you describe is going for the addictive "hit". End of story.
She may die a lingering death, and there is not much anyone outside of her can change. She should get to an AA meeting or therapy IMO.

I can't imagine drinking 18 cans of beer in one night!

Mrs. D.

I can't imagine drinking 18 cans of beer in one week!!!

OMG.

I know many alcoholics who rationalize what they do. But when you add pancreatis to some of them, and then eventually they get diabetes, and the guy is only 32 years old, will not go to rehab and has his mom going to al-anon meetings because she has to realize that she can't FIX him.

And many parents think they can FIX an addict. Well, it just breaks my heart. I see this so much I can't tell you.

And there is now a beauty parlor in NYC which has a menu.

What's on the menu? Blow-outs.
They gave names to the blow-outs.

Cosmo, Daquiri, etc.

And I believe they serve drinks while you get your hair done.

Good Lord.

I think our younger generation is absolutely doomed when they are hit in the face with all this temptations and it affects their decision making.

Truly sad.

NIce chatting with you. HOpe you are OK!!!

Melody

Yes, I am okay now. Had a second "attack" when I started the metformin again... looks like with time I cannot tolerate it. It is causing my gall bladder to go nuts! I just am recovering from last week. A friend here on the boards suggested Kefir to me, so I am using that every day now, 5 days, and it has been amazing.

I am going to use it every day now. (it is a fermented yogurt drink with 12 (twelve) probiotic organisms in it! )

I know about kefir. I occasionally use fat free probiotic yogurt. But lately I use almond milk and have no problems. Not that I had problems, but everybody on the Vitamix forum, well they don't use any dairy products and they make their own milk from nuts. I'm going to eventually be doing that.

It's amazing the stuff you can do with this powerhouse.

I could never take metformin again. When I began taking it, oh my god, the runs I had all day long. And this was 20 or 20 years ago (before basal insulin). First that had me on diabeta, than glyburide, then glipizide, but I never learned how to eat. I never listened to what my doctor would tell me. This was my BAD EATING days when I used to self medicate with food. Thank goodness I no longer do that.

I used to live to eat.

Now I eat to live.

Makes a big difference. No one knows how long we have on this earth. I love it when people say "what the h are you eating like that for, don't you want to enjoy life, life is short enough, why can't you eat a big steak and fried potatoes?" And I would say "Yeah, I could do that but then that's the way I ate when I weighed 300 lbs and I don't want to go back to that way of living" They look at me and shake their heads and say "Well, we are all going to die someday so if I have to go, I want to go happy"

You have NO idea how many people tell me this every day (especially at breakfast) when they are digging into their eggs, home fries, sausage, and bacon (yeah on one plate) and some have french toast too. AND THEY ARE DIABETIC)

I don't say anything. One time one tried to pin me down and say "Don't you wish you could have a nice juicy steak and fried this and fried that, I mean you are going to die eventually!!!"

I looked them dead in the eye and said

"Who said we have to have an expiration date?


Shuts them up!!!

lol

Melody

Hi Melody,

I can try....

It's the "What I don't know can't hurt me" (a.k.a. Ignorance is Bliss)/"That applies to everyone else but not to me"/"We're all going to die from something; better this than AIDS or Cancer" mentality.

We must always remember that half of all people are below average.

Doc

Dr. Smith:

Only HALF???

Lately, (from the people I've been speaking to), It's a lot higher than half.

Sadly!!!


Thanks much

Melody

By definition, yes. I spoze you could always move to Lake Wobegone, where all the children are above average. (And that joke was old long before Garrison Keillor was telling it! )

I can commiserate; we've prolly all had days like that.

Doc