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I Forge Iron

Life Goes On...........


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Life goes on and so does the pain. I been feeling more listless than usual, just thought it was the summer heat, so I hauled my rear over to the doctor and he ran some tests or course, well that's his job. Now it seems to add to my intractable migraines, bad back ( from top to bottom), bad feet, bad knees and gout, I have swung over to the dark side of blood sugar, diabetes. Mind you now it is just over the line, A1C of 7.1, any thing over 7.0 is considered diabetes. He said it has been a steady increase for the last six years by about one half percent and now over the 7.0 mark. Now I get to change my whole diet and daily finger sticks, not to bad I guess. Just one more blasted iron in the fire! One of these days one of them is going to get overheated and burn. In all things give thanks :blink:

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I'm 51 and was diagnosed with high blood sugar bordering on diabetes about three years ago. I decided not to go down the medicine path and went on a diet and exercise routine that allowed me to lose 40 lbs. My feet and knees quit hurting, my blood sugar dropped back into the normal range and my resting heart rate dropped 12-15 bpm. I would still like to lose another 20 lbs but it's primarily for cosmetic reasons.

And to answer the next question, I quit snacking and started walking, then running - and now do 9-12 miles a week. If I snack or don't exercise, my weight goes back up so it's an ongoing lifestyle change.

I hope you get the diabetes under control because it is an insidious enemy.

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My wife has wrestled the diabetes beast for about 28 years now. The resulting heart attacks, loss of much of her vision, stroke, neuropathy and all that goes with it is manageable even though it seems so burdensome at times for her. Having a routine for your maintenance, exercise, eating a proper diet and keeping a steady outlook help. As you say, give thanks in all things ... every day for my wife above ground is a blessing ... like the man said,"if I had known I was going to last so long I'd have taken better care of myself!" Hang in there BentIron you can prevail!!

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I have swung over to the dark side of blood sugar, diabetes.

Hang in there, my friend. I was pre-diabetic (mine had been creeping up too) and back in November, before I had to have a stent put in an artery in my heart (blocked near 85%), I weighed in at 260. I just hit 204 the other day but, in spite of losing 56 lbs, last night thought I was going to have to go to the hospital again - I was having chest pains and the 2nd Nitro I took didn't initially work. I was about to take the third one after which if you're still in pain they tell you to call the squad. Fortunately the pain finally subsided and that was the end of it... I'm pretty sure that barring an accident, when I do finally check out it will be because of my ticker.

I've got the bad back, bad knees, bad feet, crummy eyesight, "tennis elbow" from hammering, one artery that's still 60% clogged and two others that are 30% - and my forehead just keeps getting bigger and bigger ;) I'm not old, but I'm definitely on my way. It gets more interesting every year :blink:

One thing my mother always used to tell me, and I still hear her to this day and do it when I remember to, was "Offer it up." Whenever I'm in pain, discouraged or even smack my toe on the coffee table, I try to remember to offer up that pain as a prayer for others.

I'll say some prayers for you tonight before I hit the hay.

Joe
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Just a thought for you, take it how you will.

A good way to get your body back closer to a proper state is to go on a strict vegan diet for 3-4 months. Then after that time slowly reintroducing meat, eggs, cheese, milk etc. back into your diet. It allows your body to recover itself, which it is built for. If you do it and cheat you will really feel a difference in how you feel after eating meat. Makes you wonder if thats how you regularly felt. I've been doing it for a couple months, not strictly, and I feel so much better. My energy is way up, my weights going down regularly without extra exercise outside of work, my insides feel much better. etc.. It is quite hard to do but seems worth it. You could even just try for a week and see if it is worth it to you. You'll already notice a change after a week. Its alot easier if you like beans, lentils, etc.
Hope this helps.
Aaron

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As far as diabetes goes two other things to cut WAY back on (if not eliminate)are processed sugar and especially alcohol.
My wife got me going on teas and infusions(mostly nourishing herbs) and now they are all I drink besides water(except for ONE cup of coffee in the AM,one of my remaining vices).
It really is an amazing difference to see what cutting things like soft drinks,fast food,and red meat out of your diet will do.
I also dropped 30 pounds and have FAR more energy.Need less pain meds too!

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One of the problems is I can't exercise, if I could I wouldn't be in the fix I'm in. I have struggled with the intense pain from my back now for twenty-one years. The pain has increased exponentially each year it seems. The migraines get worse too. If I could go for a walk I would be over joyed but when you got this nerve that has been on fire in your right leg that leaves you unable to walk twenty-five yards without nearly collapsing it's hard to exercise. I have gone to physical therapy till I could scream. The last one I went to sent me home, he told my doctor he wasn't into torture, there wasn't anything that I could do. If I sit really still and don't wiggle to much the fire isn't to awful bad, right leg on fire, left leg continually feeling like water running down outside of leg, right and left arms have continual ulnar nerve pain that sometimes feels like a worn crawling under skin and sometime little finger and half of ring finger have no feeling, pain under right shoulder blade from when I was holding onto steering wheel when rear ended, right shoulder had to be reconstructed so it is still in pain, I had really high arches in my feet and somehow I broke three metatarsal bones in each foot and they were set but broke again so the foot doctor let them heal as they were, now the bones in right foot are in a lump of calcium all together, I hobble at best, right hip socket will need to be replaced sometime in near future but not before back is fused they say and busted gut. Sometime I wonder how did I go from an active, well muscled, vigorous male to a gimped up old man, Oh, now I remember, I got rear ended by a young man talking on his cell phone trying to put the Binky back in his baby boy's mouth while doing fifteen miles an hour over the speed limit while I was stopped at a signal light, that's how. Every day I try desperately to surrender the pain to my Savior and my God but sometimes it just overpowers you, now I know how my friend Job felt at the end of the day. And after all that there still isn't any way for me to walk further than a few yards without so much pain I'm looking for a bus to step in front of. :)

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A good way to get your body back closer to a proper state is to go on a strict vegan diet for 3-4 months


The only way this might work is if I took "vegan diet" to mean I only ate vegans.... Be kind of like grain fed beef?

Kidding of course but my diet is nothing but meat eggs and cheese. And I am healthy as an ox and have no problem working long hours every day...

My comment would be if it works keep doing it. If it does not. Change
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Kidding of course but my diet is nothing but meat eggs and cheese. And I am healthy as an ox and have no problem working long hours every day...

My comment would be if it works keep doing it. If it does not. Change

The problem is that you won't find out how your current plan is working till you get into your 50's+. Then it's often too late or at least much harder to turn back.
Best of luck to you. It must be great to be 39!

Bob
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I don't know about a total vegan diet either, I eat a modest amount of meat, usually chicken or pork as I don't like beef all that much. Grew up in the desert so fish was not something we ever had very often as a kid, I do like shrimp but it is high in cholesterol. Last weeks blood tests were very good for a man my age and weight or so says the doctor, cholesterol and triglycerides were in the middle of the range and the good and bad blood fat numbers were also good and my blood pressure was a little on the low side but he said that just meant the blood pressure med was working. I take niacin for cholesterol and don't eat eggs or bacon, eat my raw fruits and veggies but when you have a hard time doing your 30 minuets a day of aerobic exercise you just slowly build up the fat and after twenty years of not being able to do less each year it finally adds up to quite a bit. I have kept a log for the doctor for two years now and he is amazed at how much I don't eat. I gave up my homemade bread about fifteen years ago along with pie and cake, the neurologist said they were contributing to my migraines, they weren't. I also gave up soda pop for the same reason, caffeine and artificial sweetener, neither were, so now all I drink for recreational liquids is caffeine free iced or hot tea. Gave up beer a long time before('76) that because it contributed to my gout and that it one painful disease. When they tell me to give up my raw veggies that will be a significant blow to my moral, just gotta have my fiber. :blink:
Thank you for your prayers and concerns. :)

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The problem is that you won't find out how your current plan is working till you get into your 50's+. Then it's often too late or at least much harder to turn back.
Best of luck to you. It must be great to be 39!

Bob



I hope your wrong Bob.... I really do I do try and eat well and mind what it is i stick in my soup sucker... I have tried to eat green leafy stuff, have friends that lead a vegan or vegetarian life style.... I can do it for a short while but it just wipes me out... I get light headed and weak and feel awful.... I have kept track of my "diet" for the last 10 years to maintain my weight and what works to keep me in the 200-210 range is about 3500 calories a day... 80% protein 10% fat and 10% carbs.... No refined sugar or flour if I can help it... In my mid 20's I was 275lbs... I now am a solid 210 and my bloodwork shows Im in far better shape than most... I just quit going but I saw a bariatric doctor every other month for the last two years... So its not like I am just saying "Im Good" without knowing where I stand... It works for me and I hope it continues to... If not I'll change....
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MM,

I can readily assert that age is a definite factor - I was a bangin', goin' son-of-a-gun until I hit about 42 and then everything started falling apart. I ran, lifted weights, practiced martial arts, etc. but I was on the "see-food" diet so never watched what I ate and eventually ballooned to 240. I feel much better now at 205-210 and would like to be around 185-190.

Of course, genes and lifestyle also play a role; my grandfather did hard manual labor for most of his life and was pretty stout well into old age. He really didn't start looking and acting like an old man until he was about 85 and passed away at 90 so he is my role model for trying to stay in shape.

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As far as diets go (and by that I mean what we eat, not going on one), a friend of mine who also has a heart condition told me about a book that his Cardiologist actually "prescribed" that he read called "In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto." I've read it and it's a good book if you're trying to take care of your heart (like I finally am after years of neglecting it).

The problem with the Western diet are the highly refined foods that are in the grocery store these days. The book's summary is, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Basically it's about eating the way people used to eat before the modern food industry and nutritionism was born. If you think you're eating healthy by eating "low fat" or "fat free" or "cholesterol free," think again.

The biggest problem I see with eating well is that it's not cheap. Refined foods, on the other hand, are cheap and easy. When you start talking about fresh fruits, lean meats & veggies and 'from scratch' recipes with no preservatives and such, it can get pretty pricey, not to mention the fact that it takes a lot longer to prepare a good meal from scratch than throwing something cheap & quick in the microwave or going through the drive-through and ordering from the dollar menu.

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About twenty-five years ago or so we had a vascular surgeon at church that was teaching out of Exodus and Leviticus. He was going through all the health laws of the Jews and how to apply them to modern eating and living. Like I eat shrimp which is not acceptable be they are a sort of scavenger like crabs and clams and oysters just sit there and filter feed so they are easily contaminated so the Jews were forbidden to eat them. The same for fish without scales are usually carrion eaters so you shouldn't eat them. It was all very interesting to hear it from a doctor that saw the results of bad diet when he would do vein transplants for legs that were all clogged with fat deposits. That's one thing I feel blessed with so far is clear arteries. The doctor said some work to have good clear arteries in their heart and some are just born lucky, he expected to find lots of plaque build up because of my weight but there was none. It, the weight, just comes from not being able to move without screaming in pain. I used to be a vigorous person, never able to sit still for very long and this just fries my brain. :blink:

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At 51 years they diagnosed me the diabetes (very high and dangerous), I went out of the hospital with injections 4 a day of insulin and medicines (here in France, they give some rather fast insulin now), I decided to be on a diet by myself, without the opinion of the doctors.

The result is simple, having lost 17 kilograms, I do not have diabetes anymore of the whole, I need no more medicines or insulin.

My blood tension is again normal, the other thing is : eat as before is impossible, I am going to have to follow my diet for the remainder of my life.

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Well my blood sugar is now somewhat better but is sure is a pain keep it there, no more just eating a simple bowl of cereal for breakfast and a glass of iced tea that's for sure. Got to have some fruit, protein and a very small, tiny amount of cereal but it's working. Must have a small low fat protein snack at mid morning, gag me, usually cheese and fruit, then a low carb lunch with more protein, afternoon snack of raw vegetable and protein(not again), then a low carb supper with more protein(again?) and vegetables and fruit(fresh), then before bed another low fat snack. This is sure hard on this old rice burner! :( I have lost five pounds but I'm sure it's around here somewhere waiting for me. :blink:

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Type 2 diabetes sure is a tough change. I was diagnosed a couple years ago and have been fortunate to only have to take oral meds and watch my diet. My weight hasn't been where I would like it and my A1C has usually been around 7.1 to 7.3...in the past I have been able to control my weight easily by reducing carbs (especially starchs and refined sugars) but now that I am married with a couple kids in the house it is much harder to stick to that diet since they like lots of pasta. However in the past few months I have been able to make a few adjustments that has allowed me to reduce my carbs; not as much as I would like but better than before. My wife has commented that when I eat propery and don't cheat I have much more energy to get things done around the house and I am not as growly. In June I had lost nine pounds since the last doctor appointment in February but my A1C jumped up to 8.5! My doctor said that even watching my diet the disease can progress. I didn't start on insulin yet but if it is that high at my next visit in September I am thinking I had better get used to giving myself shots.

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One thing I have noticed about my diet changes(I`m not diabetic BTW,SWMBO watches what I eat due to high blood pressure and cholesterol)is that once you`re into a more healthy diet your body adjusts and things like refined sugar,starches,excess carbs and salt really make themselves known if you try to go back to them for whatever reason.
Fast food and carbonated soft drinks make me feel ill now and I avoid them completely.
Unsweetened tea tastes good to me now as do raw or lightly steamed veggies.
You settle in and start to feel better once you give your body the fuel it really needs.Try to go back and it`s like putting diesel in your car instead of gas.It just ain`t gonna run right till it`s all out of your system.
Like everything else at this stage of the game,it takes time.Stick with it and the benefits will be well worth it.

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Just keep track of your blood stats, according to my doctor I'd a been better off with less carbs in my diet and more protein for staving off diabetes.


I too was given the curse of diabetes in Oct. 09 Like you I was just over 7.0 for A1C mine was 7.1 and the life style change came. I was sent to diabetes classes at the hospital and man did I learn alot. For me a low carb high protein diet works for my body well and have been able to keep my A1C at 6.2. and still can have a few low carb beers :D I am only 48 and all the years of punking iron and standing ladders has take its toll. Some mornings like today it brings tears to my eyes just to swing my feet over and touch the floor and stand up. If it was not for my back quack I not sure where I would be. I wish my brain would stop writing checks my body can't cash. :huh: I hope you feel better Bentiron. I too understand what you are dealing with. ;)
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Good luck to everybody having troubles,

the body is only made to do so much and as a trades person your always doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

hopefully you guys can keep going its just a matter of keeping moving no matter what

I know its gonna be me talking about this kind of stuff X amount of years from now

I know old guys with metal feet and all kinds of stuff
my old man broke his back 3 times
both his pinkys are paralized
once a giant sign fell on his foot with a steel toe boot and sent it though the floor and shattered his heal.

I personally have shattered my thumb knuckle I know I will be paying for that in 20 odd years

after awhile you no longer have hands they become mitts

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Don't you folks be terrified by INSULIN.. Eat right and still do the best you can,but be aware that insulin,if you wind up having to go on it, is a LOT more natural product than the medications they put us on. The first woman who they used it on way back when was a little girl with a death sentence of TYPE 1 Diabetes. They gave her plain pig insulin (only thing they had) and she lived to eighty. Diabetes is not a death sentence. It is, however, a WAKEUP call to eat right.
None of us need Big Gulps(yuck) or fast food. SHOP on the OUTSIDE aisles of the grocery store!!!!!Think about that one. Good food is on outside aisles,middle aisles have pre-prepared xxxx... The most criminal aisle is the childrens cereal aisle!!! 99% of the cereal is so high in sugar it's terrifying. Cereal companys should be fined,tarred and feathered for what they are doing to kids in order to make a buck(or millions of bucks).

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