[DocWhitley]

I am Will and after suffering with a herniated disk that is pressing on a nerve for over a year... I finally threw my hands in the air and surrendered and decided to go for the surgery. Had my pre-ops done and i get a call.."Will, I think you have Diabetes" Wow! Today my second test results have come through and it has been confirmed. I have type 2 Diabetes and if that is not bad enough... Surgery was canceled. My Doctors has told me that after looking at all my test results I have had that he believes the fact I have not been able to move a lot and exercise was a very big factor in my new condition. Today I started to monitor my BS and they have been 376, 425, 325 and 420. I start meds tomorrow while saying ggod bye to as much Sugar as possible... That with daily trips here I hope to get my levels down to a point that I can have Surgery and start exercising and hopefully one day be able to manage my condition with Diet and Exercise... I guess we all have Dreams.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Welcome to the forum

im not surprised your operation was postponed. right now, your body would have a hard time healing after such a procedure

i hope that you visit us regularly. This is by far, THE best place for us diabetics to talk freely and openly about whats going on with us.

Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, as i feel that there are no "dumb" questions

You can do this, you can.

-Eric

 

[diabetes86]

welcome

I had the disk surgery in 1996 10 years after DX as a diabetic.
the surgery did wonders for me I'm not 100% I still get back pain, but its much better than I was before the surgery.
good luck.

Now on to the new problem.

Its carbohydrates that raise BG.

Sugar is a carb so is pasta, rice, potatoes, bread and most fruit, grapes being really bad.

a bowl of mashed potatoes is worse for your BG than a bowl of table sugar.

 

[onaughmae]

I am Will and after suffering with a herniated disk that is pressing on a nerve for over a year... I finally threw my hands in the air and surrendered and decided to go for the surgery. Had my pre-ops done and i get a call.."Will, I think you have Diabetes" Wow! Today my second test results have come through and it has been confirmed. I have type 2 Diabetes and if that is not bad enough... Surgery was canceled. My Doctors has told me that after looking at all my test results I have had that he believes the fact I have not been able to move a lot and exercise was a very big factor in my new condition. Today I started to monitor my BS and they have been 376, 425, 325 and 420. I start meds tomorrow while saying ggod bye to as much Sugar as possible... That with daily trips here I hope to get my levels down to a point that I can have Surgery and start exercising and hopefully one day be able to manage my condition with Diet and Exercise... I guess we all have Dreams.

Welcome Doc, glad you found us. So sorry about your diagnosis, but really...I promise it isnt the end of the world. Many diabetics are actually healthier *after* diagnosis. Managing your carbohydrate intake is the key to managing your blood sugar. It isnt just sugar. All carbohydrates turn into sugar as they are digested. I recommend that you see a diabetes educator that will help you with nutrition. For now...check out a good carbohydrate counter. I recommend CalorieKing.com they also have a book you buy that is cheap (around 10 dollars). They have serving sizes and carb counts for most foods, including already prepared foods and some fast foods.
A good place to start....around 30-40 carbs for breakfast, 45-60 for other meals....no more than around 15 for snacks. I would test before meals and at least 2 hours after you eat. Your blood sugar should be back down to pre-meal levels within that time. If it is not...you ate too many carbs...lower the amount you are eating and try again. Some of us can tolerate more carb than others. A lot of it depends on the progression of your disease and what type of medication you are taking. For instance, I am an insulin user and can tolerate a few more carbs than maybe someone on no meds or on oral meds only.

Please poke around the site, there is so much info available here including some pretty awesome low carb recipies

Feel free to ask all the questions you need and again, welcome

 

[Shanny]

Welcome, Will. How disappointing to have the long-postponed surgery delayed yet again. The quickest way to get it back on the schedule is to gain control of your diabetes, and the others have already described how that is done. Eliminate carbs. The more carbs you can cut, the faster your blood glucose will drop, and the sooner they can re-schedule the surgery.

My herniated disk is cervical, so no back pain, but definitely some neck/shoulder trouble.

 

[Richard157]

Will, I have bulging discs from doing too much heavy lifting. I have a prescription from my neurologist for physical therapy. I know herniated discs are more serious though. The surgery will make things so much better for you.

In the meantime, you can follow a very low carb diet. Some type 2 diabetics eat as little as 50 grams of carbs per day. If you cannot get your blood sugar to drop to a good level, there is always insulin. You could use insulin temporarily to get in shape for surgery. After surgery you could stop insulin and use diet and exercise. I have read about type 2 diabetics using insulin for a short term in situations like this.

Richard

 

[DocWhitley]

Thank you all

for opening the door for a place for me to talk. I will not lie I am in an extreme state of depression right now from all of the recent events, but I did not allow that to interfere with what I needed to do. I was helping a friend to day so I got to sleep in, but was up at 8:30 to take my meds gluburide-metformin, Vit C,Multi Vit, Clomid, and 2 Percocets for the Pain. Tossed on some Eggs (I NEVER EAT BREAKFAST, so this was a new experience) cut up a tomatoe (which I did not eat because I was not sure what the carbs were like) and tested my levels- 238 Since I really did not know what recordings my Doctor wanted i tested every 2 hours and those results were- 235, 203,193,136(had a Chicken Sandwich no bread for Lunch with unsweetened Ice tea),110 (Dinner- Pork Chops, Broccoli and a glass of water with meds), 117, I will be taking it again at 11 and I have my alarm set for 3 am to re-test. I went very strict on carbs today because I wanted to get my BG down to a Reasonable level bbefore trying to monitor what food does to me. I really wish I saw a Diabetic Counselor or Nutritionalist when I found out, but i could not get an appointment till next week. Well time for me to go search the form to find out what my BG level should be when I go to sleep and what carbs will affect my BG level... Thanks in advance for all the help this forum will give me

 

[Philly Bud]

Will, I'm pretty new here myself, and my Type 2 Diabetes is still not entirely under control, but things are getting better.

I'm learning that CARBS ARE THE ENEMY.

This is a nosy group, so tell us more about yourself. Any family history of diabetes?

 

[DocWhitley]

For the Nosey ones

Will, I'm pretty new here myself, and my Type 2 Diabetes is still not entirely under control, but things are getting better.

I'm learning that CARBS ARE THE ENEMY.

This is a nosy group, so tell us more about yourself. Any family history of diabetes?

I know I can not say I have it under control yet but, I will say that in less than a week I have had BG test in the following ranges
<100-------- 9 samples
101-120----- 3
120-140----- 2
140+-------- 5 times (2 in in 150's and 3-168 after Eating)

I have included all my meds in my Signature now well all except Gasx but, I take that as a courtesy to my wife. I am sharing because I do not know what Stomach problems metformin causes others... I am having none.

Family history-
Mother just told me that my great Grand mother is the only person with a history
Father side- No history at all

I link mine to basically a year of immobility while still consuming carbs. Could I have had this eventually in life... It is Possible. I was a proud Navy Corpsman who did every march my Marines were doing and then taking care of them while they were resting before a major car accident left me in the hospital with a broken back. I was 5'9" and a Very Healthy 172 at the time. Participated in 3 triathlons and swam the Bay on an anuall Bay bridge swim 2 times but my back injury ended that and for over 10 years I allowed myself to deteriorate. I am now paying the Price.

When I get the Herniated disc repaired I have decided that I will be going back to the way I was... Just with out the Carbs. I have bought a bike. I joined the gym. I have set goals to accomplish over the next year. These goal are not options for me because I need to take back control of my life
Next years goals
North East Sprint Triathlon :
triathlon : Swim 750 meters, Bike 15.5 miles, Run 3.1 miles
Weight:175 Currently I am 226

Now as far as Carbs being an Enemy.... Since I am a Ravens fan I kind of look at them as the Eagles.... They are a challenge... But I know we can beat them! (for those that are in other Countries the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens are 2 American Football teams)

 

[ThoseBackPages]

One day at a time, thats all we can do

 

[DocWhitley]

True Statement

One day at a time, thats all we can do

Right now I find myself breaking that day down to 2 hour increments. I hope you are feeling better and you were able to get warm.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Right now I find myself breaking that day down to 2 hour increments. I hope you are feeling better and you were able to get warm.

Yes, sometimes we have to break it down, nothing wrong with that.

i am feeling warmer, thank you for your kind words

 

[Motobis]

Hi Will,

I just got out of the hospital and was hurting bad. The MRI showed 3 Bulging disks but it seems only one is currently pressing against a nerve. So plan on doing it naturally as I am having some success with pain management and am looking into spinal decompression therapy to see if the disk problem can be handled.

Sorry to hear you have Diabetes and those BS levels you describe are somewhat on the high side so yes, there is work to be done there.

As we may be in a similar boat will be interested in how you do and as I have T2DM since the 90's will be happy to help if asked!

Good luck with both your discs and your diabetes!

Motobis