User's
Manual
Press BACK on the bottom of this page to return to the previous page.

Chapter 8 - Sample Users and Other Profiles

The following are profiles of four people who have diabetes and how they use BALANCE PC to help maintain good blood glucose control.
  • Marjorie


    • Marjorie is 35 years old, 5'6", 125 pounds, and has had Type I Diabetes (insulin dependent) all her life.

    Marjorie's Current Program:
    • Blood glucose readings are taken 2-3 times each day
    • Insulin injections are scheduled before breakfast (mix of 4 units Regular and 18 units NPH) and before dinner (8 units NPH)
    • Exercise consists of 1 hour of step aerobics twice a week and 30 minutes of weight-lifting twice a week, totaling about 3 hours of exercise each week.

    A Day in the Life of Marjorie:
    Marjorie starts the day at 6:00 a.m. Her pre-breakfast blood glucose level is 120 mg/dL. She's happy with this reading, and wonders if it has to do with the amount of insulin she took before dinner yesterday.
    BALANCE PC gives her the answer. She looks at the Daily Analyzer Graph in the Diabetes Manager for yesterday. It clearly lays out protein, fat, and carbohydrate levels for last night's dinner, snack, bedtime blood sugar tests, pre-dinner insulin shot and any other relevant events. With all the cards on the table, it's easier to understand why her pre-breakfast blood glucose level was 120 mg/dL.
    At 6:05 a.m., she gives herself an injection, a mix of 4 units Regular and 18 units NPH. This is her usual morning mix, but the day is not going to be typical. She has a busy morning planned and a stressful presentation after lunch. Is this the best amount of insulin for her to take?
    BALANCE PC shows her similar days in the past with insulin dosages that worked well. There's no need to "guess" when your daily history is so accessible.
    She eats breakfast a half an hour later:
    • 1 banana
    • 1 cup of 100% bran cereal
    • 1/2 cup of 1% milk.
    After breakfast, Marjorie attends her 7:00 am step aerobics class. This class lasts for one hour and is at a medium intensity level. After 30 minutes, Marjorie takes a quick break for a snack - 1 cup of orange juice. At 9:00 am, she arrives at work. By 10:00 a.m. she's feeling low. She has an apple. 2 peanut butter crackers and a diet coke. Will this tide her over until lunch?
    Check BALANCE PC and find out. Two weeks ago she had the same snack at 10:00 a.m. and it didn't tide her over to lunch. So this time, she'll try 4 peanut butter crackers instead.
    At 10:45 am. she begins to feel anxious about a sales presentation she is scheduled to give at 1 p.m. What effect will this stress have on her blood sugar level?
    Past records in BALANCE PC indicate that stress causes Marjorie's blood sugar levels to rise. Her notes in the Smart Health Calendar recommend taking ten minutes to relax and do deep breathing. This tends to relieve her stress and lower her sugar level. She takes her own advice and finds that it works! Her stress level is significantly reduced.
    At 12:00 noon, Marjorie eats her hag lunch at her desk:
    • 1 chicken sandwich (5 oz. chicken breast, 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 T mustard, and
    • 1/2 cup sprouts)
    • 1 cup of raw carrots and celery
    • 2 low fat oatmeal cookies
    • 1 cup coffee with 1% milk.
    After lunch, Marjorie takes a quick walk around the block. She believes the exercise will help balance her sugar levels and relieve any lingering stress. Back at the office, the presentation goes well. Around 4:00 p.m. she has an afternoon snack-a cup of tea and a hag of unsalted pretzels.
    Since she's going out for dinner with friends, she tests her pre-dinner blood sugar at work at the end of the day. This reading shows 146 mg/dL, a bit higher than she'd like. She wonders why. Was it lunch, the stress, or something else?
    Marjorie will record these events in the daily Calendar for future reference. She lists all the various factors that may have contributed to the high reading (stress from the presentation, morning insulin injection, lunch, snacks).
    At 6:30 p.m. she takes her second dose of insulin for the day, 8 units of NPH. A half an hour later, she has dinner at a local pizza restaurant. Her meal includes:
    • 2 slices of pizza
    • 2 cups tossed salad
    • 2 T low-calorie blue cheese salad dressing
    • 4 oz. glass of red wine.
    Marjorie arrives home at 9:30 pm. She takes 5 minutes to record the day's events in BALANCE PC on her computer. At 10:30 pm she goes to sleep.
  • Joseph


    • Joseph is 52 years old. 5'l 1" tail, 196 pounds, and has Type II diabetes (diet controlled) which was diagnosed 2 years ago.

    Joseph's Current Program:
    • Blood sugar readings are taken 1-2 times per day.
    • No diabetes medications are scheduled. Joseph's condition is treated with diet and exercise.
    • Meals are planned in advance with a nutritionist and nurse educator who have designed a weight loss program.
    • Exercise consists of basketball games, twice a week, 1 1/2 hours each.
    A Day in the Life of Joseph:
    Joseph wants to maintain tight blood sugar control to avoid having to take pills or insulin. As a result, he tries to test his sugars twice a day. When he wakes at 7:05 am. Joseph's pre-breakfast blood sugar level is 160 mg/dL, higher than he'd like, yet a level he's been having difficulty lowering.
    With BALANCE PC, he looks closely at his previous day's activities leading up to this pre-breakfast blood sugar reading. By having a dynamic record of events in his life, it is easier for his doctor and him to piece together the reasons for his high reading. and find solutions.
    At 7:30 am, after showering and dressing, Joseph has breakfast, which includes:
    • 1 cup raisin bran with 1/2 cup whole milk
    • 1 T wheat bran
    • 1 banana
    • 1/2 cup orange juice.
    Joseph arrives at work at 8:45 am. At about 10:00 am, he eat a snack - 1 container of non-fat mixed berry yogurt. He knows it's important to have snack throughout the day, but he's unsure what effect they have on his blood sugar levels.
    BALANCE PC has extensive computerized encyclopedias on diabetes and general health. Within seconds he can jump into the Diabetes Encyclopedia and read about how snacks affect blood sugar levels.
    At lunchtime, Joseph eats leftovers from last night's dinner prepared from Meals and Recipes in the BALANCE PC Library:
    • 1 serving of Roast Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
    • 1/2 c mashed potatoes
    • 1/2 cup steamed broccoli
    • 2 glasses water.
    BALANCE PC features dozens of delicious and healthful recipes. In addition, it has weekly meal plans for the following special diets: low sodium, low fat, vegetarian, lactose free, and diabetes meals.
    At around 3:30 p.m., Joseph develops a headache. He takes 2 AdvilŪ with his afternoon snack of an apple. Will this headache affect his blood sugar level?
    Joseph records the headache as a symptom in his Smart Health Calendar. He enters a comment and the medication he took. Later that day he tests his blood sugar level and evaluates whether the headache or any other event during the day may have caused it.
    Joseph stays at work later than usual tonight and does not have time to prepare dinner before his workout. He stops at McDonald's for a quick dinner:
    • 1 Large Fries
    • 1 Big Mac
    • 1 Diet Coke
    BALANCE PC's Diet & Weight Manager makes it simple for Joseph to evaluate his meals for the day. The Nutrient Audit shows the largest sources of fat, sodium and cholesterol. He sees that the Big Mac accounts for the single biggest source of fat in that day's foods - 26 grams of fat to be exact!
    Tonight he takes a snack (1 banana) after about 45 minutes of playing basketball. He tests his blood sugar before bed - 100 mg/DL. He's pleased with this reading. and feels that exercise plays a big part in helping him maintain good control. He wants to know more about how exercise affects his sugar levels.
    He looks in the Library under the Diabetes Encyclopedia for more information, then reviews his last few weeks of data to see if his blood sugars were better on the days that he played basketball.
  • Janice


    • Janice is a 14 year old teenager, is 5'3" tall, 95 pounds, and has had Type I Diabetes (insulin dependent) since she was six.

    Janice's Current Program:
    • insulin injections are taken 2 times each day
    • Blood sugar readings are taken 2 times each day
    • Exercise consists of after-school cheerleading, from 2:30-4:30 pm. 4 days a week.

    A Day in the Life of Janice:
    Janice wakes up at 6:00 am and immediately takes her pre-breakfast blood sugar level: 115 mg/dL. She prepares a mix of 4 units Regular and 18 units NPH and gives herself an injection. At 6:45 a.m she has breakfast:
    • 1 1/2 cups oatmeal with 1/2 cup 1% milk
    • 1/2 cup orange juice
    • 1 slice wheat toast with 2T peanut butter.
    After breakfast, Janice prepares her lunch and snacks for the day.
    She starts school at 7:50 am. Between classes at 10:00 am, she eats an apple. At 11:00 am she leaves school for her quarterly appointment with her doctor anti diabetes nurse educator.
    She's proud of the good control she's had during the past three months and wants to review her medical data with them.
    By Clicking the "Print Health Status Report" button in BALANCE PC, Janice's key events of the last 3 months are automatically printed out for her. They include blood sugar test results, insulin and medication history, symptoms, exercise and many other factors she'll want to review with her health team.
    Back from her doctor visit, Janice eats her lunch in the school cafeteria at 12:15 pm. It includes:
    • 1 tuna salad sandwich on rye bread, with lettuce and 1 T light mayonnaise
    • 1 Diet Coke
    • 1 peach yogurt, low fat
    • 1 apple.
    Janice goes to cheerleading practice from 2:30 to 4:30 pm At 3:30 pm. halfway through practice, she has her afternoon snack (1 bag Air-Popped Popcorn and a small box of raisins). Janice would rather not have to snack like this because it calls attention to her. But her nurse says it's important. She wonders why.
    The BALANCE PC Diabetes Encyclopedia explains this to Janice with suggestions for a variety of snacks (see "Raising Your Blood Sugar").
    Before dinner, she takes her second dose of insulin for the day- 10 units of NPH and 4 units of Regular. Dinner is served at home at 7 pm:
    • 1 baked potato
    • 1 T lowfat sour cream
    • 6 oz. broiled salmon
    • 1/2 cup green beans.
    At 9:30 pm, Janice craves something sweet. She has 1 cup of canned pears in natural juices. Janice's bedtime blood sugar level is 210 mg/dL, much higher than usual. She wants to know why she tested so high and whether she should take additional Regular insulin to help balance her blood sugar level.
    The Daily Analyzer can help. Before taking additional units of insulin, she goes to her mother for help. Together, they look back in her computer records for another day when she craved sugar and tested high at night.
    She sees that 28 days ago she had a similar pattern - she was getting her period. At that time, she took 4 units of Regular insulin at bedtime. Her next morning's pre-breakfast blood sugar reading was 68 - too low! Now she has better information for planning this shot. She chooses 2 units instead of 4, and goes to sleep feeling better informed and more confident about what to do.
  • Bill


    • Bill is 55 years old, 5'9" tall, and 195 pounds. He was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes (takes oral agents) 10 months ago.

    Bill's Current Program:
    • Blood sugar readings are taken about once a day
    • Blood Pressure (BP) readings are taken periodically
    • Metformin, an oral agent, is taken 2 times/day with meals.
    • Hypertensive drugs: Vasotec
    • Exercise consists of two 30-minute sessions on the NordicTrack each week
    A Day in the Life of Bill:
    Bill starts his day early because he is scheduled to take a business trip later in the morning. He tests his blood sugars once a day, at his doctor's insistence. His pre-breakfast blood sugar reading at 5:10 am is 90 mg/dL. Should he modify his meals and/or medications today to account for the effect of travel?
    Bill uses the Smart Health Calendar to find previous days when he traveled, and see the relationship between his meals, medications and blood sugar levels. One of those days worked out well, so he uses it as an example for planning future days.
    For breakfast, Bill has:
    • 2 cups of coffee with milk
    • 2 fried eggs
    • 3 slices of bacon
    • 1 onion bagel with 3 T cream cheese
    • 1 glass of orange juice.
    After breakfast, he spends 30 minutes exercising on the Nordic Track.
    BALANCE PC lets Bill easily track his exercise in the Health Calendar. Monthly reports show his exercise, blood sugar levels, blood pressure and weight, allowing him to see relationships between them.
    After exercise, Bill quickly packs his overnight bag, including snacks and some glucose tablets, and rushes to the airport to catch a 6 - hour flight west. He arrives at his gate feeling shaky and dizzy. This is not the first time he's gotten low blood sugar on a travel day. He wonders if there's anything he can do to avoid this in the future.
    The Daily Analyzer shows the relationship between Bill's breakfast, aerobic exercise, and the stress of rushing to the airport. By examining these events more closely, he discovers ways to keep his sugar levels down.
    To feel better, he decided to have his mid-morning snack early, at 9 am:
    • 1 cheese sandwich on rye bread with mustard
    • 1 orange.
    Two hours into the flight, Bill realizes he forgot to order a special dietary meal. He takes a chance and eats the standard airline chicken entree, served at 1 pm. Bill tries to guess the calories and carbohydrates of this meal:
    • Baked boneless chicken breast with orange sauce
    • 1/2 cup white rice
    • 1/2 cup cooked green beans
    • 1 slice pound cake
    • 1 club soda
    With BALANCE PC, Bill will never have to guess nutrient values again. He can build this meal front the food list and find its exact calories, carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
    Bill arrives at his destination at 5:00 pm feeling very tired. His blood sugar level feels low, so he eats an apple and some cheese and crackers.
    He's not sure if this will be enough to tide him over until his next meal at 7:00 pm.
    BALANCE PC can help Bill decide if this snack is enough to tide him over until 7:00 p.m. He accesses this information quickly to plan his meals and snacks without guesswork.
    Dinner, which he has with two business associates, consists of:
    • 1 martini
    • 8 oz sirloin steak
    • 1 baked potato with sour cream
    • 1 dinner roll
    • 1 1/2 cups tossed salad with vinaigrette dressing.
    After dinner, Bill walks on the treadmill in the hotel exercise room before going to bed, hoping to work off the large meal. He wonders if walking an extra 15 minutes will help him wake up in better control the next morning.
    By taking a few minutes each day recording important events like hind and exercise, Bill can take the guesswork out of his future.

    GO TO THE TOP
    		 GO TO THE PREVIOUS PAGE
    Copyright © 2000 Proactive Metabolics Inc. E-mail webmaster