[at-l] Type-II diabetes

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

WhoAh,

Reference your post, dated 03-06-05, asking about hiking with Type II 
Diabetes.

No matter how much you like your general practitioner, get a specialist, an 
endocrinologist.

My endocrinologist prescribed, first, appointments with a nutritionist.  
This may seem a frill to you, as it did to me at the time, but I quickly 
changed my mind.

Different people, at least different diabetics, process foods differently.  
What works well or poorly for me may not work the same for you.  A 
nutritionist will start you analyzing YOUR dietary needs, how they change, 
and learning what to minimize or avoid.

Use your blood-glucose monitor with some frequency.  Learn how YOU process 
different foods.  When you hike, you may be able to add another entire meal 
to each day.

I have experienced such oddities, to me at least, as a large slice of 
sugar-loaded pie raises my blood-glucose numbers.  We all would expect that. 
  The surprise is, most of my sugar increase is from the crust.  If I am 
desperate to eat a slice of pie, but it would exceed my allotted 
carbohydrates when combined with what I?ve already consumed, or will 
consume, I could just have a small nibble of the pie crust and devour the 
filling.

One average, smallish, razor thin, flour tortilla is equivalent to two 
slices of store-bought white bread, FOR ME.  This is both good and bad news. 
  The bad news is a lunch at Taco Bell (ugh) will be fairly small if it 
includes flour tortillas.  (Corn tortillas, on the other hand, have 
relatively little effect upon my blood-glucose level.)  Good news includes 
that I now know this about myself, and I can simply carry a couple flour 
tortillas with me to counter low blood sugar when I hike - virtually no 
weight and no volume.

FOR ME, a problem with the Snickers Bar is, a large quantity of sugar causes 
my blood-glucose level to spike.  It rises quickly, remains a relatively 
short period of time, and drops like a stone.  Spiking blood-glucose levels 
are credited with causing blindness and the amputation of one or both legs.  
I haven?t weighed a Snickers Bar or a can of sardines, but the sardines 
would work better FOR ME, supplying energy without the sugar spike.

Yes, I know, one Snickers Bar is far more satisfying than a pound of 
sardines, at least for non-Scandinavians.  But, you know, life isn?t always 
fair, and these are the cards you?ve been dealt.  Play them the best you 
can.

All my physicians would love it if I hiked non-stop, except, of course, for 
the occasional doctor?s appointment.  I doubt you need to worry about 
hiking, per se.  You will need to take some precautions, paying closer 
attention to how you?re feeling, and having some proper food readily 
available.

You are responsible for how well and how long you live, and for how quickly 
or poorly you die.

Best of luck.  See an endocrinologist and a nutritionist.

Steve