It's finally happened

[thestrangequark]

^I wish you the best of luck! It shows that you have initiative that you're attending that seminar, I know of so many people who simply ignore their disease. I'd really recommend looking into stevia, though. It's a natural sweetener unlike Splenda, and what is especially interesting is that there is evidence that it increases insulin sensitivity, and has "shown promise" in the treatment of obesity and hypertension. In fact, it has been used for centuries as a traditional treatment for type 2 diabetes. Because of shady lobbying by the artificial sweetener companies, stevia has only recently become available on the market, but there is a great soda brand, Zevia, which uses stevia, and you can get packets now. You can buy the extract as well, or the plant! Coca Cola is apparently working on a line of stevia sweetened products too.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Thanks. Buena salud to all of us. I recently heard of a brand name of artificial sweetener, Truvia, which was also mentioned in the link/article you posted. Isn't that the same as the one you mentioned? I'll look for it.

What's funny is that even before my blood sugar level got so high, I'd been using artificial sweeteners on and off. For the longest time, my mom (who first became diabetic when she was in her 50s) used Sweet & Low. That stuff is vile; I don't care to use that brand at all. I've also tried Equal, which tastes somewhat better than Sweet & Low, but not quite as sweet as Splenda, which my parents and sisters have been using for years now. One interesting article I once read claimed that Splenda might cause weight gain by destroying bacteria in the intestines that normally absorbed fats. Not sure if there was any merit to that study, but for awhile I stopped using Splenda.

 

[thestrangequark]

Thanks. Buena salud to all of us. I recently heard of a brand name of artificial sweetener, Truvia, which was also mentioned in the link/article you posted. Isn't that the same as the one you mentioned? I'll look for it.

Truvia is made from stevia, and another natural sweetener -- not artificial at all! Stevia is the name of the plant. Truvia is one of the brands that use stevia. However, stevia itself has no calories or carbs, whereas Truvia has a gram of carbs per packet, so that's something to be aware of. I like Truvia pretty well, and use it on occasion (it's good for baking), though I usually buy pure stevia extract. Just a warning, stevia doesn't taste like sugar. It is much sweeter for a start, so you need far less. I put one drop of the extract in a cup of tea and that's plenty. When I had a plant (which died while I was on vacation), I would simply brew one small leaf in my tea. I got used to the taste very quickly, though, and really enjoy it.

What's funny is that even before my blood sugar level got so high, I'd been using artificial sweeteners on and off. For the longest time, my mom (who first became diabetic when she was in her 50s) used Sweet & Low. That stuff is vile; I don't care to use that brand at all. I've also tried Equal, which tastes somewhat better than Sweet & Low, but not quite as sweet as Splenda, which my parents and sisters have been using for years now.

Not only are aspartame and sucralose vile, their affect on one's health is dubious. Aspartame can cause depression and suicidal thoughts -- something that's not particularly common knowledge. Splenda hasn't been around long enough to know whether it is benign or, like the other big arificial sweeteners, has dangerous side effects.

One interesting article I once read claimed that Splenda might cause weight gain by destroying bacteria in the intestines that normally absorbed fats. Not sure if there was any merit to that study, but for awhile I stopped using Splenda.

I'd never heard that, very interesting!

 

[Amaris]

^I wish you the best of luck! It shows that you have initiative that you're attending that seminar, I know of so many people who simply ignore their disease. I'd really recommend looking into stevia, though. It's a natural sweetener unlike Splenda, and what is especially interesting is that there is evidence that it increases insulin sensitivity, and has "shown promise" in the treatment of obesity and hypertension. In fact, it has been used for centuries as a traditional treatment for type 2 diabetes. Because of shady lobbying by the artificial sweetener companies, stevia has only recently become available on the market, but there is a great soda brand, Zevia, which uses stevia, and you can get packets now. You can buy the extract as well, or the plant! Coca Cola is apparently working on a line of stevia sweetened products too.

I hope you don't mind if I tuck away that little fact for myself. I've been using Splenda in all of my cooking and for all my sugar replacement needs.

J.

 

[thestrangequark]

^I am so furious with the lobbying that kept stevia out of the US market for most of my diabetic life that I feel a sense of responsibility for spreading the word about this wonderful plant (also called sweet leaf). I hope you enjoy it! For baking I sometimes go half and half with sugar, depending on the importance of the chemistry e.g. I would still put some sugar in bread for the yeast to rise. For soda I've switched entirely to Zevia. Unfortunately, it's not the easiest thing to find. When I visit Seattle I get it at PCC, and in NYC it's available at Food Emporium. It's not yet available at Whole Foods, but I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually showed up on their shelves. Now that it's an approved foodstuff, we will hopefully start seeing it in other products -- candy, cookies, and so on.

 

[Major Chord]

I have asthma, and Tic Disorder. It's basically a toned down version of Tourette Syndrome. It's somewhat more controllable, isn't present all the time, and (hopefully) can be outgrown in some cases. I twitch seemingly randomly (although I know what part will twitch, lately it's been the muscles in the right side of my face, previously, it's been my right thigh), and there are times when I can't exactly control what comes out of my mouth. Coprolalia used to be a problem ( frequent swearing...prefacing almost every word with fuck-___ was not fun, let me tell ya), but that seems to have passed, for the most part, as at least 95% of the swearing I do now is completely voluntary . Now, all my vocalizations seem to be grunts from deep in my throat. Those are a bit easier to hide. I've found that the tics are worse when I'm stressed or angry, which jives with all the research out there.

I went to a neurologist two years ago, who immediately put me on Paxil, because it has been shown to help in some cases. Turns out he wasn't telling me the whole story;that it only helps in about 12% of cases. He insisted I continue with it, instead of putting me on a med that has been shown to work. I was miserable. I had all the side effects of the medication, coupled with a feeling of moodlessness...that's too much for a 15 year old to handle. After that, the idiot put me on the med I'm on now, Keppra, which is an anti-convulsant. That actually works. Thing is, it's a med which you have to up the dosage gradually, until you're at a level that works for you. He had me up to 2000mg per day, a total of 8 little blue pills. I told him that at 1500, it worked the best, but he insisted I up it. I did, and the side effects (which I had been experiencing from the start), worsened dramatically. So, to help combat the constant depression, and tiredness, and mood swings (I burst out crying for no reason at an episode of Voyager. Although, I've heard many people do this... ), he put me on Lamictal, a second anti-convulsant, which is shown to improve mood. That just made things worse, so without telling him, I stopped taking the drug, and got rid of him as a doctor. I had a friend who saw him for a different condition, who stopped seeing him for similar reasons. He's a pill pusher, and too full of himself to listen to his patients. He's no longer practicing. All in all, I missed 44 days of school that year due to side effects from the medication.

I've been managing my meds, under my General Dr's approval, and I've dropped down to 500 mg of Keppra per day. Just enough to help me control the tics (they're still there, but easier to control), with none of the side effects. Happy ending, for now. I want to look in to behavioral therapy, and drop the meds for good, if possible. Turns out, the gene that makes me susceptible to this, runs in my family. It's the same gene that is present in people with OCD (my father, and me, to some extent), and ADD/ADHD (my cousin). Yet, through all this mess, I still find singing the most enjoyable aspect of my life. When I'm performing, or rehearsing, I must be devoting so much brain power to what I'm doing, because the tics are mostly gone. It's nice, actually. Kind of like temporary shelter from the storm, so to speak.

That's my little story...as for the topic, both sides of my family have a history of heart disease, and diabetes. I try to eat a rather good diet, and even though I don't get as much activity as I should, I'm trying to work on that. I want to drop a few pounds anyway. Might as well nip things in the but before they have a chance to grow.

So, can I join the club?

 

[Gryffindorian]

I'm glad you're feeling better for the most part, andorian.

One thing I've never hesitated to do is to replace my primary-care physician whenever I'm not satisfied (with his bedside manner, treatment, etc.). I've had Kaiser Permanente (in Northern California) for almost a decade now, and I saw different doctors before I was able to find the one I liked. My first doctor, who seemed like a nice guy, often downplayed or dismissed my symptoms. I dropped him after one year.

Many years ago, I had hematuria and became increasingly concerned that it could be the sign of something serious (prostate cancer, kidney disease, etc.). At that time, I had switched to a new primary-care doctor, one who graduated from Harvard Medical School but was a total ass; he thought I "worried too much" and whatever I was experiencing wasn't serious or life-threatening (he had hardly looked at my medical history and lab results). Eventually, I was referred to a specialist (urologist) who performed a cystoscopy procedure on me (ouch!) that didn't find anything abnormal (thank God!). Dr. Ass was right, but I still hated his guts.

My third and longest doctor, who left the organization not too long ago for reasons unknown to me, was probably the best one and with whom I was most compatible. He was younger than most other doctors I'd had and really addressed my health concerns, focusing on the long-term issues like family history of certain diseases while helping to ease my worried mind most of the time. Had he stayed, he would've been my doctor for life.

This new doctor I have isn't bad; I got him because most of my previous doctor's patients were referred to him. He has a tendency to focus on the negative (e.g., lab results), but I guess he's just doing his job, and I wouldn't expect anything less.

 

[Major Chord]

^Yeah, it's the doctor lottery that's kept me from going back to another specialist. For now, what I'm doing is working. Looking for another specialist to find something new is on the back burner, but really isn't a priority right now. Thing is, if he/she is going to put me on any medications or therapies that could really screw me up like last time, I want to make sure it's on my terms, i.e. during the summer when I won't miss any school. If there's one thing i've learned, it's to always, ALWAYS get a second, even third opinion. I put more stock in what the school nurse and my psychologist said about my condition than what the Neuro said. And, even though they're not necessarily as qualified as him, I'm glad I conferred with them, because what they were saying didn't jive with what the specialist said, and they both said the same thing. Majority rules, in this case. Also, I now ask about side effects first. If I don't like the sound of them, or they seem worse than the problem at hand, I immediately decline them, unless the doctor has a damn good reason to give them to me.

 

[Holdfast]

I am officially diabetic...

You know, you're going to want to control your other cardiovascular risk factors now. Keep an eye on your blood pressure. Less salt in your diet, for instance...

 

[Gryffindorian]

I am officially diabetic...

You know, you're going to want to control your other cardiovascular risk factors now. Keep an eye on your blood pressure. Less salt in your diet, for instance...

Certainly. Perhaps a grain per serving, instead of a dash of salt? That's one of the factors my doctor pointed out to me that I should watch carefully. See, I'm not much of a "salt" person, though. My older siblings like to use soy sauce when they eat, and my mom should really use less sodium when she cooks. However, I have a sweet tooth, which is my weakness. Oh, well, no more desserts (at least for a little while until I can get my numbers down).