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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 14 to 38 of 38. Go back in thread:
Posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 19:33:02
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel, posted by whiterabbit on May 14, 2003, at 17:25:25
You mean my one purple Flintstone's chewable won't cut it? lol. I'll put on my list of things to do to look for vitamins that don't upset my stomach. I know it's possible. My prenatal vitamins didn't.
I know you're right about the acceptance. I also manage to "forget" to do my blood testing. I think I've done it twice this week so far. I know this is partly rebellion. And it probably isn't wise to think of things in black and white. No more white bread with melted butter. No more taco salads. It's bound to make things worse. Baby steps are the right idea. Hmmm... Maybe if I put those bowls out, I'd eat without thinking. And if I eat without thinking, I can't get so darn stubborn about it. Grapes I like. And maybe some cereal.
Thanks, Gracie.
Posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 19:55:13
In reply to Re: I can't believe how bad I feel, posted by noa on May 14, 2003, at 18:05:12
I might start reading the appropriate section of our newspaper. I remember seeing things like that available. Also seminars and things for people newly diagnosed. It might help. I wonder if anyone else is as stupidly stubborn as I am, or if everyone will be gung ho on lifestyle changes.
Posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 19:57:48
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel--Dinah, posted by shar on May 14, 2003, at 18:58:21
> I hope you can incorporate some of the things that will make you feel better, and if you have a tantrum or two...well, now you have something to blame it on!!
Hey, I hadn't thought of that little benefit! :)
Thanks, Shar. I feel so much better tonight after eating a decent (if probably not allowed under my diet) lunch, that maybe the memory will overcome my stubbornness. Hope springs eternal....
Posted by leeran on May 14, 2003, at 20:02:30
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 19:24:04
Just two days ago I read of a man who lived to be 104 - with diabetes - and he didn't have any of the typical side effects/symptoms.
I'll try to find that link and post it here.
I often wonder what happened to that friend I mentioned. She was more of an acquaintance than a friend. I would see her at the gym and then we did a few things socially with them - but that was about it.
I'll never forget the day she just yanked her shirt up in the gym locker room (not by my invitation!) to show me her implants. This is not psycho-social-babble related, but I just realized that I more or less have a theory that (some) women who have implants (the ones I've known) seem to be able to "depersonalize" their breasts after the procedure. I don't think this is a bad thing, I just have found it to be the case more often than not.
Posted by WorryGirl on May 14, 2003, at 20:20:43
In reply to I can't believe how bad I feel, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 10:21:47
Dinah,
Just a quick post. Someone in my family has diabetes, and I know that their mood is greatly affected by the balance of blood sugar. When too low or high on sugar this person can act drunk, unreasonable, childish, angry, silly, and impossible to reason with.
I've witnessed it firsthand and it has been downright scary. Once we were in a restaurant and heard the people behind us say that they couldn't believe someone was so drunk at lunchtime. This person was low on sugar.
Good luck with the diabetes and everything else.
Posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 22:42:31
In reply to Re: I can't believe how bad I feel » Dinah, posted by WorryGirl on May 14, 2003, at 20:20:43
Thanks, Worrygirl.
One of my bosses had that type of problem. He would get quite unreasonable and made no sense. Fortunately, if you told him he needed to eat some sugar, he would listen and eat the sugar. It was remarkable really, because in every other way he was completely out of reality, but he always understood that. Thank heavens. He's got an insulin pump now, and the difference in his temperament is marked. He's much less irritable and hard to deal with now.
Posted by judy1 on May 15, 2003, at 12:11:36
In reply to Re: I can't believe how bad I feel » WorryGirl, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 22:42:31
I hope today is a better day for you. After I had a seizure and a glucose reading of 40, I went to see a dietician and found that really helpful. I have a history of eating disorders, so I have to have a fairly rigid written diet to follow, and I still have follow-up visits with her when she fine tunes things. hope this is something you'll consider. take care, judy
Posted by whiterabbit on May 15, 2003, at 23:10:53
In reply to I can't believe how bad I feel, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 10:21:47
Go to www.eDiets.com
I'm totally impressed!
-Gracie
Posted by Dinah on May 17, 2003, at 13:00:53
In reply to Re: I can't believe how bad I feel » Dinah, posted by judy1 on May 15, 2003, at 12:11:36
I have an appointment with a dietitian on next Friday. I'm hoping she'll be flexible enough to be of use to me. I did manage to find a few things that I felt like eating the last couple of days. And Thursday was marvelous. I spent a good part of the day with my dad, away from the rest of the family, and remembered why it was that I enjoyed being with him. Maybe the secret is getting him away from my mom.
But even with that welcome respite, I find I'm spending way too much time curled up staring blankly at the TV. Fortunately, my moods don't seem to last all that long, so this too shall pass.
Posted by Dinah on May 17, 2003, at 13:11:22
In reply to Check this out » Dinah, posted by whiterabbit on May 15, 2003, at 23:10:53
It looks like it's got lots of good info. I've bookmarked it. Thanks!
Posted by wendy b. on May 18, 2003, at 23:32:50
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » whiterabbit, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 19:33:02
> Hmmm... Maybe if I put those bowls out, I'd eat without thinking. And if I eat without thinking, I can't get so darn stubborn about it. Grapes I like. And maybe some cereal.
Hi Dinah,
Sorry to enter this discussion so late... I'm sorry to hear about your diabetes dx, I hope some of the things people have suggested will help you out.Yes, grapes are so easy to munch on, they're healthy (if you wash 'em), granola bars, nuts (in small amounts), bananas, etc. Whatever is quick and easy to reach for. Although I find cooking to be very therapeutic at times (when I'm not working), the preparation - slicing, dicing, chopping - sometimes is too much for me to deal with... A lot of the time, I just want to be able to grab something and have it *right then*. When I shop, I get the pre-sliced fruit container the grocery makes for the produce department; it has sliced strawberries, washed blueberries (purportedly the world's most nutritious fruit), blackberries, and red raspberries. It's kinda pricey, but I'm willing to pay it because then I don't have to spend the time cleaning and slicing and ultimately throwing away a lot of my fresh fruit because I'm too lazy to stand there and do it myself... I can just grab it from the fridge and eat it right out of the container... piggy, I know, but my daughter and I share the same germ-pool. Also, check out the pre-cored pineapple if your grocery has it, it's much better than canned, and it comes in slices or chunks. Very yummy. And again, no fuss, no muss.
best wishes, and hoping your frustration level is lower by now,
Wendy
Posted by Dinah on May 19, 2003, at 16:15:45
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » Dinah, posted by wendy b. on May 18, 2003, at 23:32:50
Thanks Wendy,
Yes, I too buy the precut fruit. It seems wasteful on the surface, but since most of the uncut fruit ends up getting thrown away I'm pretty sure the cost evens out. And the pineapple is my favorite. Sometimes I can't quite believe how lazy I am. Can't cut and peel an apple for heavens sake.
I hope the dietition has some useful suggestions on Friday, but I'm not overly optimistic. I'm afraid she'll just give me a cookie cutter diet sheet.
And my mood is still appalling. Today, for the first time ever, I yelled at my son. I have never done that - ever, and I didn't mean to this time. Something needs to be done. What's the use of him having a relatively healthy but very crabby mother?
Posted by wendy b. on May 19, 2003, at 21:10:52
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » wendy b., posted by Dinah on May 19, 2003, at 16:15:45
Dinah:
> Yes, I too buy the precut fruit. It seems wasteful on the surface, but since most of the uncut fruit ends up getting thrown away I'm pretty sure the cost evens out. And the pineapple is my favorite. Sometimes I can't quite believe how lazy I am. Can't cut and peel an apple for heavens sake.
Well, you know, sometimes that's just how we're feeling. We don't want to be like that, but it won't last forever, and beating ourselves up won't help. I think I'm lazy, but the simple food ideas really get me through sometimes. So, the h__ with it... I can't be perfect.
Likewise with the following:
> And my mood is still appalling. Today, for the first time ever, I yelled at my son. I have never done that - ever, and I didn't mean to this time.Wow, Dinah. You have NEVER yelled at your son? That's amazing. How many parents can truly say they've never done this? (Any parents out there want to comment??)
If you aren't allowed to get upset, and *work through* your anger or frustration, and show your son that yes, Mommy's a person too (remind him of his own frustrations, kids have so many of them), then what you're saying, unconsciously, is that the whole gamut of emotions is not acceptable. Only the good ones are. That's not what you're trying to say, but the picture is painted for him in any case.
And Mommy isn't usually like this, but sometimes it's going to happen (I can't believe you've held it inside for so long), and then Mommy will feel better, and she will say sorry, and mean it, and show her boy that:
1) it's OK, and 2) it's a normal reaction to stress, 3) it can be worked through, and 4) we can come out the other side of the situation being stronger for it. Life: It's a Wild Ride.
Seriously, he needs a positive example, and you can show it to him. No one *enjoys* getting in such a state that we start yelling, but we are only human beings, and the struggle to be perfect will only end in disappointment. So it's not good to always want perfection out of ourselves or our loved ones. That creates its own trouble for children...
I read your comments about your therapist, and the trust factor, and when you gear up to telling him you're angry, he doesn't abandon you. So it's somewhat the same: your son may do something that prompts your anger, and you may lose it... but you want him to know you're still the same loving mom underneath everything, that it's not the person you're mad at, it's the behavior. I realize it's not entirely analogous, but the spirit is the same...
>Something needs to be done. What's the use of him having a relatively healthy but very crabby mother?Just tell him some days you're like a crab, and some days you're like a puppy, and some days you're like a kitty. He'll know what you mean... (even if you don't).
I sometimes make clawing gestures and a scrunched-up face, and tell my daughter I'm the Big Bad Mean Mommy Monster. It makes us both laugh, and we feel better. I used to do it more when she was littler, but I can imagine still saying it when she's 20...my best to you, you are way too hard on yourself, be gentler with Dinah,
Wendy
Posted by Dinah on May 20, 2003, at 0:37:09
In reply to Re: yelling » Dinah, posted by wendy b. on May 19, 2003, at 21:10:52
Well, I must confess that when he was a colicky baby, after a few nights of constant crying and very little sleep, I once yelled at him to shut up. And of course was instantly horrified. I'm not even really sure I yelled it. I know I at least said it. But I don't think he remembers that, and that was the last time I came close to yelling.
I hadn't thought of it in that way, though. My son does have problems with trying to be too good, and I hadn't thought about the fact that I might not be providing him with a good role model in that regard. I can't promise that I'll yell at him more often, but I will try to stop feeling guilty about it, and if it happens I'll try let him know that it's ok to occasionally lose your temper. And that someone can be angry but that it's not the end of the world, and he's still loved. After the initial shock wore off, he really took it better than I did. I am so determined to not be like my parents, that maybe I go too far in the other direction.
Mind you, I give him plenty of other examples of lack of perfection. :) Yelling just isn't usually one of them.
Thank you, Wendy, for the perspective.
Posted by mair on May 20, 2003, at 7:01:16
In reply to Re: yelling » wendy b., posted by Dinah on May 20, 2003, at 0:37:09
...for that wonderful explanation. I've never been able to yell at my kids without feeling terribly guilty afterwards, if for no other reason than it signifies a loss of control on my part. It's worse with 2 kids because invariably the other child will side with me and start yelling also, (or at least pitch in with not very helpful comments) and what is already a stressful situation deteriorates into something far worse.
Mair
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 20, 2003, at 8:17:28
In reply to I can't believe how bad I feel, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 10:21:47
There is an article in today's New York Times, citing links between Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel and an increased incidence of diabetes in younger people who would otherwise not be likely to develop it. The article mentioned how little knowledge there is on this, but did cite a Duke University study, which I think many of us read a few months ago, indicating an increased incidence of outright diabetes, but also Syndrome X and pancreatitis in patients who took atypical APs.
You have mentioned that diabetes does run in your family, but you are very young to have developed it, and it may well be reversible if you stay away from those APs completely and work with your doctor and a nutrtitionist. I do hope so, anyway!
Pfinstegg
Posted by noa on May 20, 2003, at 14:21:20
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » wendy b., posted by Dinah on May 19, 2003, at 16:15:45
The precut vegies can make it much easier to choose vegies as a snack--like the precut celery, or the brocoli and cauliflower, etc. Also, the baby carrots prewashed. And the bags of prewashed salad can help, too.
Posted by wendy b. on May 20, 2003, at 15:26:19
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » Dinah, posted by noa on May 20, 2003, at 14:21:20
> The precut vegies can make it much easier to choose vegies as a snack--like the precut celery, or the brocoli and cauliflower, etc. Also, the baby carrots prewashed. And the bags of prewashed salad can help, too.
Noa,Yeah, who INVENTED the pre-washed little carrots?? Whoever it is, s/he should get some sort of medal.
Also, the person who invented the orange juice boxes with the pouring holes on the SIDE of the box, rather than the old kind where you had to rip open the spout, and it always ripped wrong, or you couldn't get it at all...?my intellectual moment for today has now passed,
Wendy
Posted by BekkaH on May 20, 2003, at 18:20:04
In reply to Re: I can't believe how bad I feel » Dinah, posted by Pfinstegg on May 20, 2003, at 8:17:28
> There is an article in today's New York Times, citing links between Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel and an increased incidence of diabetes in younger people who would otherwise not be likely to develop it.
***********************************************For anyone interested in reading that article, jrbecker posted it on the PB Medication board.
Posted by Dinah on May 20, 2003, at 19:58:18
In reply to Re: I can believe how bad you feel » Dinah, posted by noa on May 20, 2003, at 14:21:20
Wow, I'm impressed, Noa. You eat raw veggies? I think I'd only do that if it was the last food on earth. No, I'm not afraid of death. Not even then.
No wonder I'm fat
Posted by wendy b. on May 21, 2003, at 5:52:54
In reply to Thanks Wendy..., posted by mair on May 20, 2003, at 7:01:16
> ...for that wonderful explanation.
Hi Mair, I realized when I woke up that I hadn't responded to your note, I'm sorry... I miss "talking" to you...
>I've never been able to yell at my kids without feeling terribly guilty afterwards, if for no other reason than it signifies a loss of control on my part.
Yes, and loss of control happens fairly frequently, because of our illness. We have so many frustrations, like children, because we are behind, or always late, or not getting enough done, or being misunderstood, or having problems at work.
> It's worse with 2 kids because invariably the other child will side with me and start yelling also, (or at least pitch in with not very helpful comments) and what is already a stressful situation deteriorates into something far worse.
Yes, I wouldn't know about that - as kids, we were always "to be seen and not heard," so siding with one of the parents verbally was a no-no. And we tended more often to have an "us-against-them" reaction vis-a-vis siblings getting yelled at, like it was the kids VS. the parents. We always perceived we were the wronged ones. And also I have only one child, so I don't have anybody siding with me, and usually, I am in the wrong, if I lose my temper with my daughter! But I see your point about having a third party participate in the madness.
I think when I got the mood-stabilzer (neurontin) in place, I blew up at my daughter a lot less. (Not that it was a lot, but at one point, I threw a Copko spoon across the kitchen - she wasn't in the same room, but she could see me and hear my f__-up ranting. The utensil that was made of material that supposedly never broke shattered into many pieces. I was shocked at this in myself...) Also, when the AD works, in this case wellbutrin, some of my frustrations and sadness cleared up. These along with some behavior mod. And also realizing in therapy the source of my "issues," coming from my own childhood.
Thanks for saying "thanks," it make me feel good about myself, and that's always helpful. I hope you're well, write to me if you can, I'd like that...large-ish hug,
Wendy
Posted by Dinah on May 23, 2003, at 14:53:04
In reply to I can't believe how bad I feel, posted by Dinah on May 14, 2003, at 10:21:47
Canned message about how diabetes worked that I already knew. Generic food chart. I tried to stop her. I tried to tell her that I knew all that. That I needed help finding something I would realistically eat, not a preprinted food plan. My husband tried too. Finally I sat teary eyed and wordless, staring at the diet sheet. And she got upset too, as it was obvious she wasn't reaching me. And it was over. A complete waste.
Posted by fallsfall on May 23, 2003, at 17:27:46
In reply to Re: Dietician was useless, posted by Dinah on May 23, 2003, at 14:53:04
I'm so sorry! What are you eating other than cut up fruit? How much are you eating now? Maybe we can give you other ideas, and you can make sure they are within the diabetes diet?
Posted by Dinah on May 24, 2003, at 9:37:46
In reply to Re: Dietician was useless » Dinah, posted by fallsfall on May 23, 2003, at 17:27:46
I know what I need to do, I think. I just had hopes that the dietition would be more individual in her presentation.
Posted by mair on May 25, 2003, at 21:32:19
In reply to Re: Thanks :) » fallsfall, posted by Dinah on May 24, 2003, at 9:37:46
"food" issues people have are all so individualized. It's a shame someone in her position couldn't deviate from her preprinted script. I've thought about going to a nutritionist before, but I think I have a fear I'll encounter someone like the dietician you saw - I'd like someone to help me come up with a realistic plan - not someone who's going to simply tell me a bunch of stuff I already know.
Mair
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