I'm 67 and three years ago was diagnosed with Type 2

[legalsea]

Originally Posted by unit731

VA disability is automatic for Vietnam Veterans. For diabetes.
File a claim.
The VA does a good job with training/instructions for diabetics.

Interesting! I found this link for those interested:

Diabetes Mellitus (Type II) - Compensation

As you say, so long as the person was in Vietnam during the relevant period (1962-1975) and they subsequently develop Type II diabetes, they will automatically receive VA disability compensation without having to prove a connection.

[jambo101]

Start keeping a food journal of everything you eat, be honest about it and i'm sure a dietitian will give you advice on where you can improve your condition. You may come to find out that occasional cheating happens a little more frequently than you think.
"My Fitness Pal" is also a great site to document everything you are eating and get a readout of your dietary parameters.

[LeotheOrangeCat]

Keep working at it like you are and you will be fine.

[BellaDL]

Originally Posted by nicet4

When starting I used test strips every day but sort of got off that habit but I did start testing regularly a a few days ago.

Date Time Glucose level Remarks
08/26/15 06:20:00 AM 161 Within 5 minutes of waking up
08/26/15 06:51:00 AM 119 31 minutes later without eating
08/27/15 06:51:00 AM 136 Within 5 minutes of waking up but why is this so low compared to the 161?
08/27/15 09:45:00 PM 130 End of day shortly after eating a handful of dried cranberries (it's better than doughnuts)
08/28/15 07:28:00 AM 116 Right after waking up (I slept in, was tired)
08/28/15 11:21:00 PM 159 An hour after a church thing last night, was very bad and ate a lot of garbage. To say I was bad would be an understatement I even had some peanut M&M's!
08/29/15 08:56:00 AM 166 This morning after waking, still high.
08/29/15 10:49.00 AM 99 After moving around a bit but I did coffee with cream (no sugar, ever)

So let me ask how do my glucose levels look to you?

nicet4

Here are the guidelines which I use (don't remember where I got the information!)

For most people, good blood sugar levels are:
On waking up (before breakfast) 80 to 120
Before meals 80 to 120
1 hour after meal <200
2 hours after meals 140 or less (with >200 being diabetic and >140 and <200 being pre-diabetic).
At bedtime 100 to 140

From what I have read, the fasting blood glucose (on waking up) and especially 2 hours after meal values are good indicators of your diabetic condition.

In my experiene, the fasting blood glucose can vary from day to day based on 1) what I ate/drank the night before 2) how much exercise that I did the day before 3) how well that I slept.

I also found that stress and some medications also affect blood glucose levels.

I keep a spreadsheet of my blood glucose measurements and note what I ate, did etc. the day before for outlier numbers.

For me, I found that exercise has a big impact on blood sugar levels. My physician brother advised me to to at least 45 minutes EVERYDAY. You don't have to do anything strenuous, 45 minutes of walking is fine. I'd recommend getting a fitness device like fitbit or a step counter to monitor your activity level.

[Jimrob1]

Though your numbers need improvement, they are a lot better than many of us. Try to count your carbs, and limit them as much as you can. I was always taught to try to keep carbs between 30 and 40 per meal, and try to have protein in each meal. Carb control seems to vary from person to person though. Hopefully doing so will quickly bring your numbers lower. I also think you are like most of us with the Dawn Phenomenon. Glucose loves to rise during the night, and gives us those high AM readings.

Diabetes treats all of us differently from what I have learned, in my 4 1/2 decades with the Disease.

I could eat salads with nothing but lettuce, tomato, carrots, chicken Breast and a little oil and vinegar for dressing. Yet my glucose the next am is in the 140's or higher. Even though I take insulin I seem to be having, more and more trouble with glucose levels. I can easily shoot up in the 200's and 300's in no time, with just a few carbs. I walk at least 3 to 5 miles almost every day, and lift weights. I have done this my whole life, though I was a runner before the walking took over.

So I don't know what it is with Diabetes, and how some could exercise all day long. Yet their numbers are always high, and another Diabetic barely exercises and the numbers are much lower.

I think your doing very well, just keep at it, and bring your numbers down somewhat. You really want to keep those AM readings down. That 99 reading is where you want to be in the morning.

I wanted to add this about the VA and Diabetes. I believe as long as a veteran served in Vietnam, and develops Diabetes in the years after. Then Disability is certain. It wasn't always that way. At one time Agent Orange Exposure had to be proven. Now as long as the vet served in SE Asia, that's all that is needed for approval of disability. I applied many years ago, and I was denied. I could have appealed, but I was young and said the hell with it. Once you apply for disability with the VA, you can never apply again for the same condition. Or so I'm told. So the new law does me no good.

Just this week I went to the VA clinic in Lakeland. I wanted to see if I could start getting my Insulin, and all the needed supplies each month thru them. It would be so much cheaper for me to do so. It's gotten very expensive to buy all this every month. I was denied treatment, because they are not taking new patients. I can't seem to win, and what is really sad I retired from the VA. I'm pretty disgusted with them. However that's another story, and this one is about your numbers. Not bad just needs improvement. Best of Luck.