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If you ignore it, it doesnt exist right?

2K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  furball64801 
#1 ·
Am kidding of course, but that doesn't mean I don't think it 😄

My name Treasure and I am a newly diagnosed with type 2.

Quick history... Used to work in healthcare and was always curious about my symptoms
Pickiest eater ever! Bulimic for 20+ years, now overweight
Now been unemployed for almost 2 years
Learned to do extreme couponing and got myself a free meter this way, and knew the logistics to it being my work history. So I knew my high 200's wernt normal. But didn't want to take anything else on... So I ignored it
Now, car dying
House being taken in 3 months
No job or unemployment money
Single
No where to live
Son supposed to start college, no money
I do however have state Medicaid for the next 4 months
Oh, and a painful disease called interstitial cystitis

Update to last tues: judge gave me my date on my house, pain became unbearable, while in hospital also given a diabetes heads up. Sugars were mid 300

So now I can't avoid it since its known. My a1c?? Is only 8.6 but I guess should be lower?
I am on metaformin and something with an a

I have the type of doc who is laid back and doesn't push things.. So I am lost even were to start. I was told to lose weight, take meds and check sugar every other morning. In 4 months I will lose him as a doc. He was a bit upset that I knew I had high sugars and chose to ignore it. Plus I lose insurance, testing supplies, Meds...

So here I am. Going thru the worst time in my life with a diabetic elephant on my back to boot. I hope I can find some resources here. ;)
 
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#2 ·
Hello Treasure and welcome.

You've got a rather sad history there but with a bit of work the diabetic elephant doesn't have to be that heavy.

Your HbA1c isn't that much higher than mine was two years ago and it took me less than three months to get out from under meds and less than 6 months to knock my number into the low 5% values using diet only. I also lost my extra 30 pounds in weight over the same period.

Have a look at this site - Blood Sugar 101, and in particular How to Lower Your Blood Sugar - Using these ideas, you can knock this elephant down to a kitten and whilst kittens do sometimes scratch, they can be managed.

If you've got questions, ask away, the forum is packed with knowledge and experience that the members are happy to share.

Good luck, John
 
#4 ·
Hi Treasure - welcome to the forum. What you're going through is daunting - my heart breaks for your circumstances.

John is right though, diabetes doesn't have to be a massive burden, but change in diet is a must. My A1C was a lot higher than yours, and is now down in normal range taking just 1,000 mg metformin (cheap!)/day, and I could eliminate it if I were willing to give up the anorectic effect of it.

That said, navigating diet without any financial resources is challenging, no doubt. It seems the cheapest foods (pasta, rice) are often ones that are devastating for our blood sugar. However, eggs are cheap, and there's a lot you can do with an egg :) I nearly lived on tuna/egg salad the last month while on the road living out of a cooler, and my blood sugar loved it. Dark chicken parts on sale are cheap, and better than white for a diabetic because they're fattier.

Very sorry about the pending loss of your home. Stick with us as much/long as you can, and we'll help you get your blood sugar in line , which will at least make you feel better physically.

Glad you found us.
 
#5 ·
Welcome, Treasure...not a lot we can do to help you with that boat load of problems, but this one we can help you get that elephant down to a size you can handle! John's given you great advice and feel free to ask any questions that may arise as you walk along this road. You absolutely can lower your A1C fast...I dropped mine from 6.9 to 5.6 in a matter of 3 weeks.

Good luck,
 
#7 ·
[QUOTE="moon"That said, navigating diet without any financial resources is challenging, no doubt. It seems the cheapest foods (pasta, rice) are often ones that are devastating for our blood sugar. However, eggs are cheap, and there's a lot you can do with an egg :) I nearly lived on tuna/egg salad the last month while on the road living out of a cooler, and my blood sugar loved it. Dark chicken parts on sale are cheap, and better than white for a diabetic because they're fattier.

/QUOTE]

Hi, thanks for the welcome :)
I have a question about then chicken reference. I was under the impression white meat is less fattier then dark? That's not true? If not my problem just got worse, lol
 
#9 ·
I have a question about then chicken reference. I was under the impression white meat is less fattier then dark? That's not true? If not my problem just got worse, lol
Dark meat is fattier, you're right - that's what makes it better :)

Here's a great primer on a good diet for diabetics .. LCHF for beginners | DietDoctor.com .. and a good place to go to try and get your numbers down in a hurry. The more you can follow these guidelines, the more success you're likely to have.
 
#10 ·
Ok, yeah, as soon as I questioned that I realized I should look into that lchf thing. Which I could totally do. Maybe. Minus the Chicken. I go through spurts of disliking meat, except for chicken, but I only like white meat. Ok, in all honestly, I like white meat wrapped in some kind of yummy crunchy high carb batter. I gots som learin' to do ;)
 
#11 ·
Hi Treasure, :welcome: to the forum!! I can't add much to the advice you have already been given. Just another example that with LC/HF you can lower your A1c quite rapidly. I went from a 9.5% in Februaruy to a 5.8% 3 months later and then 5.7% one month after that.

You will probably have to throw out all the truths you have held about what is "healthy" food as you follow this diet, but believe me, it does work. Oh and I have lost about 15 pounds since Feb too!

Glad you found us!
 
#12 ·
I was told to lose weight, take meds and check sugar every other morning.
Hi, Treasure. I don't believe there is any way to control your blood sugar if you don't test a heck of a lot more often than your doc recommended. Most type 2s test fasting bg, then 1 and 2 hours after meals. Because I am prediabetic, my doc won't give me a prescription for testing supplies, so I bought an inexpensive ReliOn meter and strips at Walmart.

For me, the most difficult part of lc/hf is the high fat part, so I slather as much butter as I can on everything. One of our members, MCS, recently posted a new chocolate fudge recipe made with coconut oil, I'm going to try that tomorrow. I'd love to be able to get more of that healthy coconut oil in my diet.

Welcome to the forum.
 
#13 ·
I agree with Spunky on the testing, however, the good news is ... once you learn what you can eat and what your body won't tolerate, and get your diet dialed, the testing can be a lot less frequent.

When I was first dx'ed, some days I tested 8-10 times trying to figure this thing out. I was stressed when I learned my script for 4/day was being dialed back to 1/day ... and now, that is more than adequate. I test maybe every other day and save the other strips for days when I might try a new food, be ill, have unusual exercise, or anything else off my routine.

But now, since I eat so few carbs, there's not much in a routine day to mess with my numbers as long as I stay on program.
 
#14 ·
I agree about the testing instructions i was given. I have a love/hate thing with my doc. Hes known me my whole life, he tends to guess everything right. However, I often feel we should have more attention to things. Such as my son and I having asthma, mainly my son who's a runner. I am always being questioned as to why I was never offered a nebulizer. i don't know. And i do question this testing thing. But honestly I really feel like hes so close to retirement, and he rather be getting rid of patients, especially those of us on state medical aid. That's why i know in 4 months, when it ends, I won't have a doctor anymore. (He did refuse to see us after having a 200.00 bill even though hes been my doctor for almost 30 years. I convinced him to take us back when I got the money) And, I did see him a few years back after my eye doctor suggested I see him about diabetes. He laughed it off saying there was no reason to test for it.
 
#15 ·
It's really so infuriating, not being able to get medical care. I didn't know that Medicaid could just end when one doesn't have any financial resources. Clinics? Oh, you know all this, I apologize. It just sends my ears smoking. And the cost of testing strips makes them explode.

So - the best goal is to get things sorted out FAST! And can you get him to prescribe you more test strips? I'd surely pound on him for that. My endo first said one strip/day, and after I learned more I sat on him, telling him I needed him to help me help myself ... that I couldn't know what effect various foods were having on my body if I didn't test. I learned a lot here and on bloodsugar101.com and convinced him I was dedicated. He then prescribed 3 day, I winced and said, '4? Please 4?' and he did. It's worth a shot. You need to be testing now, but if you could get him to agree to something like 4, you could be careful with them and maybe even save some.

In the meantime, getting your diet nailed and somewhat second nature will be the best thing you can do for yourself.
 
#16 ·
No, to clarify its ending because I had Medicaid through Illinois all kids program. My son has it until he turns 19, which is later this year, therefore mine ends.

It is frustrating either way... On top of this now, and my I.c. I mentioned before I suffer with depression and anxiety. The state cut funding so on top of my list of fun in my life, I also lost my therapist and psych doc this month

I was looking at the local clinics website now and I think I fall in the 200% below poverty level they require for services...
 
#17 ·
Hi and welcome if you can walk you can help yourself. As the others have said lower carb more proteins and leafy green veggies with healthy fats help lower bs or blood sugar. We have to learn a new way to live for life, the old way of thinking fat is bad is what got most of us overweight, think about it how many you see that need to lose weight but what have they preached to us for years.
 
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