Really Heavy Sigh

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GW I was so sorry to read this. What a challenge. When I used to write diet plans for individual diet needs at the nursing home, the kidney/low potassium diet was the hardest to do by far. I hope you can stick with it and keep your health!
 
When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I made a promise to myself. "If I could have two tsps. of sugar and cream in my coffee each day, then I would give up all sweets and desserts." And today I control my disease totally by diet alone. That was more than ten years ago. And there are time when I get yelled at because my sugar levels are too low. And I have absolutely no desire for any sweet foods. I look at them, and my poor tummy wants to retch because I am just looking at them. At first I was on the pill for the diabetes. But when my sugars got to be too low, I was taken off them. Now it is mostly protein and some small portion of carbs.

It just takes some real determination on the patients part as just how much he wants to be called a diabetic. I have enough wrong with me and I don't need another disease.
 
Leg cramps - milk always stopped this for me. I only got them when for some reason I wasn't drinking as much milk as normal (for me, which is about a quart to a quart and a half per day). Now that I can't have that much milk (because 12g carbs per cup, and I don't drink ONE CUP of milk at a time) I ward the leg cramps off with calcium supplements

RE foods that allegedly CAUSE diabetes: This is a total myth. They are now even starting to recognize that being overweight is not a CAUSE of diabetes type 2, it is a SYMPTOM. Sugar intake doesn't "cause" diabetes. Eating fruit doesn't "cause" diabetes. Either can make underlying diabetes obvious by causing symptoms to flare, though.

RE Fruit: Some people tolerate fruit very poorly while others tolerate actual sugar very poorly, and some can't tolerate either. I don't know what it is about our metabolisms that makes the difference. I can eat a cupcake once in awhile with no problem but watermelon (and many other fruits, including bananas) will give me the sulfur burps in no time flat. I don't eat watermelon at all any more, and if I limit myself to just one banana 3 to 5 days a week, I'm ok. I can have a couple of small apples. That's it. But no amount of sugar (That I can tolerate at any rate) EVER gives me the sulfur burps.

I use liquid sucralose in my tea nowadays, and I've actually found that adding a few drops to a bit of peanut butter makes a high protein low carb snack that I can stand to eat (don't care for peanut butter as a rule). I think it cuts the salty flavor, it doesn't actually taste sweet this way. About a T of this seems to cure the munchies, which I fortunately don't get often. Even that small amount is filling for me, where sometimes if I've been eating a lot of meat (which you almost have to do when you can't have carbs) I find that not to be satisfying. Next time I buy peanut butter I'll try a low salt variety (as well as sugar free) and see if that helps with the palatability.

These days I am relying heavily on stir fries sans the usual rice accompaniment, or with shiratake noodles that I find in the fridge section in Asian groceries. Lots of tofu, lots of paneer dishes. Wish I could find more diabetic friendly packaged foods given that cooking hurts my back and I tend to avoid it now that there is only me to cook for.

If you have only tried shiratake noodles as a pasta substitute and found them nasty, I agree, as a pasta substitute for Italian and similar dishes they are awful. They're great in stir fry though. Lots of fiber and no carbs unless you get the type made with tofu, then there are like 2 or 3 carbs and 5 calories in a 7 oz package. Otherwise the are 0 carbs, 0 cal.
 
I am officially on dialysis now and have to follow the CKD diet. But all is good. I know the foods I can have, and those I can't. So far my ootassium numbers have been perfect, along with my blood sugars, and blood pressure. I have to watch my phosphates, and sodium.

I appreciate all of the support. It makes me feel great that there are such caring people as all my Friends here.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Chief, did they say just how long the dialysis would be necessary? I ask because, when I lived in Tacoma, I had a girlfriend who was on it, and when her daughter went off to college, she asked me if I would be interested in learning how to run her three times a week.

When they first placed her on it, they told her if she followed the diet and I MADE SURE that I would be available to run her that she just might be able to reduce the runs or even possibly come off it. But she had some bad habits that she wasn't willing to give up.

I ran her on Mon, Wed. and Fri. After her Friday run, she would get dressed and head for the nearest bar room, get roaring drunk and stay that way until I ran her on Monday. Forget the diet. That was just a big joke to her. Ate anything if it fit her fancy to want at that moment. Unfortunately, her Monday run was always the longest. I notified the hospital and they cut my runs down to two days. She had to go into the hospital for her Monday runs.

Fortunately for me and not for her, on one of those Monday runs she had a massive heart attack and didn't make it. She was one stubborn person. "If I have to live with this for the rest of my life, then I will do what I want."

I have had some crazy jobs over the years. But I think that was the most difficult. Listen to the doctors and stick to that diet. And definitely do not miss any of your runs.

Good luck. And please do keep us informed on how well you are handling all of this. All of us are rooting for you.
 
Chief, there are times in your life when you have to be your number one. It's hard work tackling illness, and your family is so very important - as if you didn't know!
OH and I both have health problems, and we try to be positive, although at times it's very hard. I've wondered where you've been. Take care and all the very best.



di reston



Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde
 
Tofu can have a protective effect for kidneys. If you eat enough of it it can lower the amount of protein excreted with your urine. I would strongly suggest upping your tofu intake considerably. It really is delicious when properly prepared.

Try the firm or super firm, freeze it IN THE PACKAGE, then thaw, drain and press lightly. Marinate as you choose. This changes the texture and most 'murcans find it more palatable, at least initially, when prepared this way. I like it either way but tend to freeze it more often than not for convenience sake - then I don't have to check dates to see if the tofu in the back of the fridge is new or old, LOL!

I usually pan-fry the entire block in a nonstick pan with no oil. Then I cube it and marinate. I always use an Asian marinade (includes things such as minced ginger, minced lemongrass, soy sauce, sake or mirin, and some kind of hot sauce like Rooster Sauce or sambal oelek, you can also use minced garlic, minced galangal, some coriander or thai basil, like that). I use the leftover marinade in the stir fry.
 
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Tofu can have a protective effect for kidneys. If you eat enough of it
Try the firm or super firm, freeze it IN THE PACKAGE, then thaw, drain and press lightly. Marinate as you choose



I love tofu and can eat it every day if I had to. My wife just made a stir fry with it and cashew nuts and it was like cashew chicken. I like to make stir fry with veggies or an omelette with diced firm tofu and whatever fridge veggies I have, it’s kinda like an egg foo young

Tofu is good for high blood pressure that’s why I eat it
 
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