Walking along the beach in Bali. The early morning heat starting to kick in I become aware that my fingers have turned into fat sausages that feel funny and constrained when I bend them.
The day we left home I put a libre link on my arm. It’s a small sensor with a tiny filament that pierces your skin and monitors blood sugar continually. A recent innovation that makes management of the different forms of diabetes so much easier. The guess work of how your body responds to food, activity and life in general, removed.
It’s no surprise to me that my fingers are swollen. 24 hours sitting around and eating too much processed food on an airplane have meant that for much of the journey my blood sugars have been dangerously high.
When I was first diagnosed 8 years ago I could hardly see as my vision had gone completely blurry. The effect of too much sugar on the small capillaries in my eyes. The same effect on the blood vessels in my fingers. Inflamed by sugar. The same sugar that makes the blood more viscous. Both contributing to my fat fingers.
I’m still struggling as we’re travelling light a small backpack is all we have for the next two weeks and I’m having to rely a lot more on restaurant food. Here in Bali rice and noodles are staples and neither are good for type 2 diabetes. Diet is critical and over the 8 years I’ve had the disease I have come to understand the foods that really bring out the worst of my body. Processed foods are a no. So fried white rice for breakfast doesn’t work.
I’m experimenting. I’ve bought some mung beans and had these mixed with some hot chillie sauce and roasted peanuts. Different to my usual overnight yoghurt oats. Better than the previous day.
As I go on this trip I will adapt using the information that the sensor provides me. I’ve stopped eating any rice and foods with processed flours and I’m now managing to stabilise my blood sugars once more.
it’s hard as I’m relying on others to cook for me. Much of what’s on the menu so far consists of highly processed foods that appeal to tourists.
