[Fifi_Peanutz]

Hello Everyone

My name is Fifi. I am a 29 yr old woman form South Australia in Australia. I am a social worker and I currently work with people who have complex mental health issues; I love my work and am very passionate about assisting my clients in their move towards independance.

I love to read (fiction and non fiction) and listen to music (from classical to metal to Indie). I am quite eclectic. I collect elephants (statues, soft toys etc) and as my younger sister is an artist I have started getting involved in the art scene also.

I was diagnosed with Type 2, 3 weeks ago now. Type 2 is in my family on my fathers side. Both his parents had Type 2 and one of his younger sisters had Type 2 which progressed to Type 1.

My Dr is taking things slow for me and at the moment I am on Diamicron 60mgs 1x a day and adjusting my diet

So, so far Type 2 has meant adjusting my diet (I was a sugar addict lol) and getting over my phobia of needles... I had not ever had a blood test until my Dr needed to do one to find out what was going on for me. Even pricking my finger takes a gallon of bravery.

I will be joining a gym soon and I am tackling this semi aggressively... I want to get into a good healthy routine and not get slack...

Hmm... if you would like to know anything more please dont be shy, say hello

much love
~Fi~

 

[Fifi_Peanutz]

Oh, I guess I should mention how I came to be diagnosed.

In June I was made redundant; I found my current job, which atm is as a support worker for people with complex mental health issues. For this job I had to undergo a physical/ medical. The Dr at the clinic did a urinalysis and found some ketones and consequently referred me on to my family Dr.

My Dr did a urinalysis and then a fasting blood test... which came back positive for Type 2 diabetes. He is easing me in and I recently had a second fasting blood test (I will get the results by the weekend).

So in a way it was a good thing that I lost my job, or I would not have found out. It was only after my diagnosis that I looked back and realised I had a few symptoms... excessive thirst, drinking lots and visiting the toilet every 5 seconds...lol. But I thought that this was due to all the stress 2010 has thrown my way (major relationship breakdown, a lot of personal changes and a sexual assault).

I think I have rambled enough.

 

[breezeonby]

:welcome: Fifi! I am very happy to meet you. Thank you for joining the forum. There is a wealth of information on the forum and much love and support! And I'll speak for myself, I can always use the help of a person who works with people with mental health issues. I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks and depression. For the most part, they are controlled with medication. Would you mind sharing what some of your glucose readings are? It sounds as though you know how important diet can be in controlling your blood glucose. Please visit often and take care!

 

[Richard157]

Welcome Fifi! Isn't Fifi a French name? I'm curious, you may have some French connection in your family.

This is a good group for getting help and asking questions. There are some very experienced type 2 diabetics here. Ask all the questions you want.

Richard

 

[breezeonby]

Fifi, don't worry about the needle phobia, you will get used to pricking yourself and in time it will not bother you. I am not saying that it will not hurt, because my fingers still get sore occasionally from testing. I guess it has something to do with the way you cock the lancing device and wait for the lancet to hit your finger. :hurt:

 

[Shanny]

Good to meet you, Fifi . . . welcome to our community.

Everything seems a little overwhelming at the beginning, especially if you've already had a tumultuous year, but you begin to get used to the routine as you see your blood sugars dropping, and you'll notice you feel better too. It's good to hear that you're up to the challenge and have already made plans to gain control of your disorder. There's just no time like the present!

Come visit us often and ask anything you want to know . . . you can get a pretty good idea of how we manage different issues, just by prowling through the threads from recent weeks . . . we're nothing if not a chatty group!

So happy to have you with us!

 

[jeremiahtren]

Hi nice to meet you.

 

[Fifi_Peanutz]

Ooh Hello everyone

Wow... Thank you so much for such a warm welcome It is so nice to meet all of you

So, I will do my best to answer some of the questions you have asked... and everyone feel free to read the answers...

breezeonby:
I have been a social worker for 2 years and in 3 similar but unrelated feilds. I still have so much to learn. When I studied I did not focus on clinical work but on advocacy/ research and policy; but if anything I am a good listener... I too experience anxiety (GAD) and have had psoriasis (a stress related skin disorder) since I was 12 yrs old.
As for my readings I am happy to share all of those thus far (8 in total). Here we measure levels with mmol/L's... this may differ in other parts of the world. At the moment I am testing before breakfast for a fasting reading and then 2 hours after my lunch and dinner as I was instructed. My readings have been:
21st/8th: 7.1mmol/L
22nd/8th: 9.2; 8.8 and 9.5 (after dinner I had one ferrero garden )
23rd/8th: 9.1; 8.8 and 8.2
24th/8th(today): 11.1 (I dont understand why it was high??)

Richard:
Fifi is actually a childhood nickname as if Peanut... so I combined the two. My name is Effy which is short for Efthimia; which is greek. I am half Greek and half Irish/ English.

Again, thank you all for your responses.

Much Love,
~Fi~