Follow the low glycemic load and other tales from the Wizard of Eats

photo by Charles Earl

 Charles and I have been trying some diabetic friendly recipes, including Morroccan lentil soup and a lasagne dish that uses zucchini instead of noodles, both were terrific. He’s learned to make really good omelets as well. There have been some cooking disasters, like when I burnt the oatmeal in the slow cooker. Maybe it was the pecans, I substituted for the almonds? I dunno. On that day I did dishes, over and over again. The fridge was stuffed with fruit and vegetables and I felt overloaded, overwhelmed and I admit I burst into tears and went out for my walk which I saw as a mandatory walk. We talked and I got through it, thanks to Charles. This is a very different lifestyle from the one we  had pre-diabetes diagnosis, and that’s less than a month ago.

 Today I had a good Zoom meeting with the dietician from the Community Diabetes Education Program of Ottawa (CDEPO). She was impressed by how much we’ve changed things and also reminded me that there are 21 meals in a week, to focus on the big picture and not be too concerned about the small slips etc. I continue to need this reminder.

 She was also surprised that I had had only the one A1C test. I’m going to see my doctor in May and perhaps we’ll do another test for confirmation or something. I was surprised when the temp doctor didn’t want us to do another blood test for confirmation. She was adamant about it and quite intimidating, so I just let it lay.

Another friend who had diabetes was given many tests before the diagnosis. I’m high though, at 9.5 on the A1C.

 Thanks to reading and research, especially Bright Spots and Land Mines by Adam Brown of diatribe.org, I learned about the continuous glucometer, which may be a better way for me temporarily to get an accurate portrait of blood sugar spikes and lows. I’ll get a loaner and a webinar and it’ll be hooked up to my phone along with inputting info to the CDEPO. I won’t have it for more than the temporary period, but it will be helpful.

 I continue to research recipes and am hoping to figure out more physical activities to add. One issue is that I fall asleep after dinner for about an hour. I can’t seem to do anything else. I’ve had crushing fatigue since my health crisis. It’s something to figure out and work on.

 Also, I’ve been monitoring my blood pressure with a wrist cuff blood pressure monitor for the last few weeks. I kept dinging the high blood pressure alarm when I had it taken at the doctor’s because the cuff squeezing my upper arm makes me ultra claustrophobic. So the blood pressure is somewhat lower with the wrist cuff, but still too high. I’ll have to talk to the doctor about that too. I want to discuss with her the following:

 New test, blood pressure, fatigue, glucometer (prescription to see if I can get it partially covered via special devices in insurance benefits). I will also need to let my eye doctor know about the diabetes diagnosis so I can get free eye exams every two years. I get my eyes tested yearly because of a worry about retina detachment risk.

 I’m also hoping to connect with a medical professional with expertise relating to the relationship between my lack of a colon and diabetes. While my small intestine should have adapted to take on the role of the absent colon, how much is that the case? I have a very intimate relationship with my digestive system, since the food stays in my system for only an hour or an hour and a half, then voids.

 Chia seed pudding caused my BMs to slow right down and increased the bulk significantly to the point of some pain when I had a bowel movement. Since I’ve increased the fruit and veg intake, I have noticed some increase in density and slower BMs, but not to the point of blockage. I will try to add in some more grains, such as quinoa again when I can.

 Continuing with the meal kit service is working for us too. We pick lower carb options. We reduce portions of potatoes to only 100 grams per person, and we switch out veg like corn for a salad.

 On last Saturday’s walk, we ended up at a pub for half pints, but I had a Cesar salad with salmon, so that was good. The dietician said not to feel guilty about the occasional treat.

 We no longer have any junk food in the house. That happened fairly quickly after the diagnosis. I eat one small square of delicious dark chocolate nightly. I’ve also discovered how delicious Greek or Icelandic yogurt is when loaded up with berries, walnuts and shredded coconut. I sometimes even add vanilla and cinnamon to it, or to the oats.

 So I’m somewhere, eating the rainbow. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore. The Tin Man has met the Grinch and ended up with a really large heart. Ok, I’ll stop with these allusions…I'm in a better state of mind...for the moment.