/r/diabetes

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For humans living with diabetes: discussion, issues, and news.

/r/diabetes

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1

Enhanced Diabetic Tests

Hi, I’m getting a regular test suite for diabetes. I was wondering what tests aren’t usually done but probably ought to be. Things I should be tracking that aren’t in the default (Comprehensive + lipids + kidney + liver) or which have more detailed versions. Ideally covered by decent insurance.

For instance, I always get a hs-CRP which I need to request but is covered. I try to get a Vitamin D test but those are often not covered (for bogus reasons).

What do you add or wish you had added 10 years ago?

Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/12/03
05:48 UTC

1

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0 Comments
2024/12/03
05:38 UTC

1

It's so hard to be diabetic when you are unstable

When you are constantly in survival mode, wheen will i get to eat next, will i have somewhere to sleep, can i afford my supplies or will i have to go without. I was FINALLY in a place to see an endocrinologist. Its been over 10 years since i was in a stable enough place to see someone. And as soon at i did, not even a week later, eviction for some crap that want even my fault. Its the same story over and over again. Homeless, living with other people, living with dangerous people, no transportation, and i better hope my last paid off shoes don't get hooked because it's cold outside. How is anyone supposed to live with this when they haven't had a bed in over 10 years. I'm getting my best man, at over point working two full time jobs while trying to go to school to get out of this mess while being homeless. Hotels are expensive. Please tell me I'm not the only person who's life is like this!

Before your ask, no i don't have family i can live with, or friends, or anyone that can really help me. I cant get a loan, i don't have anyone to borrow from, im in stupid debt from being kicked out at 18 and having to struggle through trying to stay alive. Debt from school

0 Comments
2024/12/03
03:53 UTC

1

Body temperature. Cold Chills.

I don’t know what to do. Every time I eat something I get sudden chills. Especially during dinner. I get a heating pad and have to wrap up in a blanket. What am I doing wrong?

4 Comments
2024/12/03
03:44 UTC

4

I'm having fun

So my sensor is reading 2.3 and the finger poke is 2.1 yet I don't feel very low, I have no idea what is going on.

3 Comments
2024/12/03
03:42 UTC

2

A list of Glucose meters that test liquids for sugar when in doubt

I'll start please leave a brand if you know of them:

Contour Next One Will read as 10 mg/dl

Relion Platinum Will read as LO

these glucose monitors will read blood glucose and can test for zero carb drinks using the same strips compatible for their respective devices.

6 Comments
2024/12/03
02:28 UTC

10

How high can it go?

I was just curious… I’ve heard of people who have their glucose in the 300’s but does it go higher than that? What’s the highest you’ve heard of?

83 Comments
2024/12/03
01:39 UTC

4

Brain fog?

Hey there all, I’m posting cause I could use some support. Frankly recently (like 2-3 weeks) my brain has felt super foggy and slow. I googled it and I know it could be diabetes related or something else and I’ve got a Dr appointment in a couple days to check it out. However, I’m looking for support/advice. Frankly my BG and A1C have been absolutely crazy, mostly due to neglect by me. I want to be a better diabetic and do better but I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this? Constant fatigue, brain fog, brain running slow, feeling busy, etc. I’m curious if anyone knows any ways I can try to work through this? Any tips or tricks? Anyone who’s been through similar? Am I stuck like this or is there a way past it? Someone tell me something other than WebMD telling me I’ve got brain cancer.

Edit: last A1C was 10, BG numbers range from 84-350 if I don’t pre-bolus enough. I’ve lost 50lbs so far trying to be/do better but its taking awhile.

6 Comments
2024/12/03
01:02 UTC

22

Exploring a new-ish take on a meal. Newly diagnosed. All feedback welcome

18 Comments
2024/12/02
23:29 UTC

3

Galaxy Watch Ultra - How to use with CGM

Can anyone help?

1 Comment
2024/12/02
23:25 UTC

0

So 2.5 years into it

I have had diabetes type 1 for 2.5 years now and im almost 20 now my highest 3 month avg has been 7.0% and on avg 6.4%. My highest sugrar level has been 18.6 for about 2 hours. Longest high has been 6 hours. For the past month i gotten my sugar to be 13.5 once and it has been the highest. The first the half year after diagnosis i had only perfect sugar levels. The other year and 11 months i have had sugars in perfect ranges but id say on avg twice a day i have had my sugar go up to 10-14 only for 2 hours max after eating and after that 2 hours is up it falls back to normal. Never had dka or very bad highs or levels thank god. So anyone with more years diagnosed under the belt how have i been doing? Sugar ranges are about 20% in range on avarage.

0 Comments
2024/12/02
22:03 UTC

6

Advice: I have no idea what I am and my doctors do not either.

Ive never made a reddit post and pray I don’t ramble too long here, but I have been in the world of diabetes for about 6 years now. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 18 after going into severe DKA (highest sugar was 783). I spent a week in the hospital and learned so much about it all, living on CGMs and pumps for about a year or so. During Covid I noticed a negative impact from insulin, this was my honeymoon phase which I had been told was relatively normal.

Being a young experimental guy I just decided to stop taking it and see what happens and my sugars were at an incredibly normal level. To give some context, I was much more active during COVID and cooking regularly.

With this I ultimately stopped doing any diabetic treatment until 2023 when all of the symptoms came back and I went to my family physician (aged out of my pediatric endo and never got an adult one) who put me on metformin and changed my diagnoses to type 2. This confused me a LOT but I went with it with things being relatively normal until earlier this year when I hit another spike of sugars, while on metformin, that was taking a huge toll. Now at this point in life, I am a musical theatre actor so my lifestyle is not the most sedentary, and while I do not eat the best it’s still much better than my past. After going back to my family physician (about 6 times in 6 months) she was incredibly confused and started to speculate Type 1.5 so she sent me to an endo who essentially said I wasted my time by visiting his office as I am clearly type 2.

I know the safest thing is to just go with his word, but I am now on one daily insulin dose and metformin and still struggling with my numbers. Idk if anyone has a similar story or can just provide some solace/peace but man could I use it right now. I have fallen into this spiral of self depreciation and feeling like I am crazy for thinking something with that type 2 diagnosis is off.

TL;DR - I don’t know what’s going on and neither do my doctors!

15 Comments
2024/12/02
22:54 UTC

9

Why are some hypos more intense than others?

Typing this as I am shaking and overtreating myself out of a very bad hypo episode.

8 Comments
2024/12/02
20:56 UTC

6

Lowered A1C after being high for about a year.

Due to chronic sinus infections and not being able to get rid of them, my sugars were all over the place. Steroids were given, a huge mess. Now I’m on a new pump and it’s been keeping me in a much more normal range. Average so far has been 190, compared to the 11.6 a1c I had. My question is, changing lower like that after being higher for so long. Did it make anyone else feel kind of weird? Sort of off balance sometimes? Just seeing if anyone else experienced it and if it’s normal.

4 Comments
2024/12/02
20:48 UTC

14

Continuous Glucose Monitor

Hello, I am new here. I am a T2 diabetic with a terrible needle phobia, which means I rarely test my blood sugar and it's gone uncontrolled for too long. I still can't imagine the daily finger pokes, so I'm considering the continuous glucose monitor. However, I have a recurring nightmare that it will be ripped out of my arm in a gruesome accident, and I just need to hear from people who are familiar with this product, to set my mind at ease. Does it hurt going in? Can you feel it at all times? Do you wear anything over it, to keep it from falling off or being ripped out by accident? Is one brand better or more comfortable than others? Thanks!

52 Comments
2024/12/02
16:45 UTC

9

I’ve found the sweet spot! But Thanksgiving took it away.

0 Comments
2024/12/02
15:24 UTC

1

Got tested for MODY today.

Ab negative type 1 diagnosis currently. Almost a year. However off all long acting now and mostly off fast acting. 95% in range. I spike but it comes back down. Some days are worse/better than others. So my endo got wondering if I have MODY instead. Despite a lack of family history. Test can take a few months so here goes... Just want a definite answer really :/

0 Comments
2024/12/02
15:16 UTC

3

My honeymoon seems to be over?

This year I have had T1D for 3 years. It wasn't as difficult as I thought I would be. Had my blood sugar under control all these years and doctors said that I had an unusually long honeymoon period. This was me a week ago. Not that eventful, a few lows that were quickly fixed. A lot of time spent in range.

https://preview.redd.it/fjz9wh4z7g4e1.jpg?width=957&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d44a503836bbbb71114ef61a4ee281f239f421d4

This is me a few days ago. The same can be said for today.

https://preview.redd.it/1j6ectg38g4e1.jpg?width=959&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=909674c93f0d72913b59dc414fc5e480356cb749

Hitting 17- 18 is very unusual for me. A lot of time out of range. I haven't changed my eating habits. Still count my carbs. I moved my ratio from 1:10 to 1:8 but still seem to struggle to come down after a meal. Had to double my basal. Insulin needs seem to have skyrocketed in a mere matter of a week. It's an actual challenge to keep my sugars in check now.

4 Comments
2024/12/02
14:55 UTC

1

Rising blood glucose during aerobic exercise

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced a slow rise in their sugars during aerobic exercise. In this case I had no carbs or insulin on board except basal. Don’t really know what else I can do to avoid this except pre bolus for exercise (I know I sound crazy). Red line is the start of exercise.

I have been observing this every monday for the past 6 weeks when I do zone 4 training in the pool.

Has anyone else experienced this and found a reliable remedy?

Thanks

4 Comments
2024/12/02
13:27 UTC

0

What external factors actually affects blood sugar readings?

Hey y’all I was wondering what actually affects finger prick blood tests. I’ve read that squeezing your finger affects it, that soap affects it, and that alcohol swabs affect it. Do any of them actually matter much?? I always wash with this “dial antibacterial defense” stuff because I thought it was pretty plain but it does say fragrances on the back, as well as menthol glucose dioleate, and I have no idea if that’s some sort of sugar because it says glucose lmao. Anyways I always wipe my hands off super dry with a clean paper towel and I try not to touch anything. I do squeeze my fingers to get blood out though. This post was probably too wordy but you get what I’m saying: do these things affect the readings?

5 Comments
2024/12/02
12:47 UTC

4

General rule of thumb?

My understanding is that in general, if you subtract grams of fiber from grams of carbs in a food, you get a ballpark of how many carbs you are actually 'eating'. Is this true?

Edit: Net carbs is the term I should have used.

6 Comments
2024/12/02
13:07 UTC


4

Loving my new insulin!

For some context, I’ve been using NovoMix and Humalog for years as part of my diabetes management. Recently, my doctor informed me that NovoMix is being phased out and recommended a replacement: Ryzodeg.

Previously, my routine involved taking NovoMix in the morning and using Humalog during other meals. When I transitioned to Ryzodeg, my doctor advised me to simply replace NovoMix with the same dose of Ryzodeg, at the same time of day. Initially, I followed this guidance but quickly noticed that Ryzodeg seemed too strong for me. During the first week, I experienced frequent lows, prompting me to gradually adjust my morning dosage downward.

Even after reducing the dose, I still experienced dips in blood sugar an hour or two after meals. To address this, I decided to experiment by skipping my usual Humalog injections entirely—and to my surprise, this stabilized my blood sugar levels.

Now, weeks into what I call my "Humalog-free experiment," I’ve found that a single morning injection of Ryzodeg is enough to manage my blood sugar effectively. Even better, I’m using half the units I used to take with NovoMix.

At first, I was frustrated by Ryzodeg's higher cost—it's about twice as expensive as my old pens. However, it seems to be saving me money in the long run since I no longer need Humalog. That said, I still plan to keep Humalog on hand for emergencies when fast-acting insulin might be necessary.

Overall, I’m impressed with how Ryzodeg has simplified and improved my routine.

6 Comments
2024/12/02
06:15 UTC

1

New insurance won’t cover any CGMs…

I got a new job with new insurance starting 10/1 and it’s great insurance, except for the one thing I take that they won’t cover- CGMs.

I was using the Libre 3 until this past summer. I had a couple of bad ones in a row where they just failed; one of them just fell out of my arm, so I was already frustrated with them. Then the 3 Plus came out and the pharmacy wanted a new rx from my endocrinologist, and I got busy and knew I’d have new insurance soon and didn’t bother getting a new rx.

So, I’d been flying blind for a few weeks- I hate poking my fingers. I hate carrying the monitor around. I just can’t make it part of my routine. I take Ozempic and it’s been working, so for the last couple months, I’ve just been watching what I eat. I saw my endocrinologist a couple weeks ago and my A1C is consistent with my visit a few months ago.

But I know I need to get back on the CGM. We talked about my options for getting one without insurance- basically, pay for the Libre 3 Plus out-of-pocket, without insurance coverage, or she recommended the Stelo to me.

I have an FSA, so that would cover my costs whichever way I decide to go, but that’s still my money paying that, just pre-tax, and I have other copays I’d like to be able to use that on. I’d have to elect to put more into it next year than what I chose at sign-up.

With GoodRx, I can get a two Libre 3 Pluses for about $73 each. $83-ish without the GoodRx.

Two Stelos are about $50 if I sign up for a subscription.

So, obviously Stelos are cheaper. What are the downsides of it that people are discovering? Any tips to make either of these cheaper? I know there’s an Abbott Rio coming out, maybe soon?

4 Comments
2024/12/02
05:56 UTC

18

What are the most common expenses you face as a diabetic, which you feel are way too overpriced ?

Hey everyone,

I am type 2 diabetic. I am trying to understand what kind of non-food related medical expenses i may have to face in the future and want to budget for it in advanced. I dont need to take insulin and will be managing diabetes primarily via diet and exercise. For example, I expect to spend either on a CGM / strips. Is there anything else i should expect ?

56 Comments
2024/12/02
05:51 UTC

0

How would cgm look on people without diabetes

Hey guys I was wondering what the cgm curves would look like on someone that doesnt have diabetes? Would it be like a stable line that moves slowly between the normal range? Or would it go up and down fast in the range? Has anyone tested that? Some people use cgm to see if something is wrong so maybe someone knows how it would look like?

13 Comments
2024/12/02
05:47 UTC

6

I felt awful after eating junk

I ate very high carb foods today and I felt so sick after eating them. My glucose went way above what it typically does and I still feel awful. This is a good reminder of why eating right is so important.

13 Comments
2024/12/02
04:59 UTC

18

Ways to check if a drink has sugar in it?

Unfortunately I don’t trust my own tastebuds to tell of a drink is zero-sugar/diet or regular. Usually, I have my boyfriend check for me, though I get a little worried when I’m by myself. Are there any ways to check if your drink has sugar in it or not?

Editing to add that this is about fountain drinks from restaurants, not bottled drinks.

44 Comments
2024/12/02
04:48 UTC

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