New diagnosis of Diabetes; want to improve by evening habits

@contentandwell, JK I don't know if it's just a problem for diabetics or if it is a problem when the amount in the body is too much. I never knew anything about it until I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 and my endo did the profile. My potassium was out of range. I didn't ask him if all diabetics have this problem or just me. At the time I knew so little about diabetes that I was still in the mindset of not even knowing what to ask. I don't see him again until February I'll ask him then or I imagine you could Google and find the info. I bet Mayo has information on it too.
@retiredteacher, Carol
Volunteer Mentor

@contentandwell @retiredteacher I was a diabetic for several years and no one said anything about bananas or potassium. It was not until I was diagnosed with CKD that I had to watch my intake of potassium (and sodium and phosphorus) because my kidneys couldn't handle it.

@marvinjsturing I knew nothing of potassium's role until my endocrinologist ran my blood profile. If it's in normal range, then there apparently is no problem, but mine was too much over, so that was one of the items he told me to avoid. I think mine does have to do with my kidneys and the carbs in bananas. I still eat one occasionally. They are good for my husband's heart disease, so what's good for him doesn't work for me.
I haven't had time to research yet with the holidays, but eventually I'm going to check it out, and see what's going on. Then when I go for my appointment, I'll ask my endo.
@retiredteacher, Carol
Volunteer Mentor

@retiredteacher I just went and checked my test results -- I have just about every test possible every month for my transplant team. My potassium is within range, going from 3.5 some months up to 3.9 sometimes. The range is 3.5 to 5.3 so bananas are definitely not a problem for me -- only the carbs in them are a problem. I do try to fit them into my carb allowance because they really are good for you.

They keep an eye on my kidneys also because the immunosuppressants have made my creatinine go a bit high. I have to drink 80 - 100 ounces of water a day to keep them flushed. My creatinine number is still slightly higher than range but low enough that it is acceptable. Not much they can do about it, they have tried two different immunosuppressants and the one I am on apparently is less problematic.
JK

As a diabetic myself, I can relate to some of the problems we have. I take Tradjenta once a day, Novolog before meals, and Basaglar at bedtime. If I don't have a reasonable (yeah, I know, what does reasonable mean) bedtime snack apparently my liver kicks in and makes too much glucose overnight. Have been on this regimen several months and A1Cs have been normal as well as finger sticks.

My biggest problem is dietary because I'm also in stage 3 renal disease and must watch potassium and phosphorus and have a history of kidney stones so have to limit or avoid foods containing high amounts of oxalates.

Going on a strictly vegetarian diet (no meat or dairy whatsoever) has helped with both issues. The only animal product I use is egg white so it's not quite a vegan diet. It's been a real challenge balancing carbs and vegetable protein with low-potassium, low-phosphorus foods but my in 8 months my GFR has gone from a stage four 28 to a stage three 37.

Of course, different diets and different meds work differently for different people, just thought I'd share what has been working for me lately.