[kimba1]

Hi All
I have been lurking for a little while and thought I would finally join in. I was diagnosed with type 2 in April of this year and have been struggling ever since I do not feel my doctor is helpful at all and early in my diagnosis I actually came across a doctor who is a specialist in the field and I am hoping to go to her. I actually hate going to the doctors but I really feel I have no control atm and I desperately need someone to just guide me in the right direction. I realise I need to be the one who does the work but I feel that some of the people I have seen (such as the nutritionist) were not helpful at all in showing me what I need to do. Anyway sorry if this sounds down and out, it is not meant to. I am just struggling with it all and hoping to gain control soon

 

[SerotoninSurfer]

Welcome, you are not alone.

Hi All
I have been lurking for a little while and thought I would finally join in. I was diagnosed with type 2 in April of this year and have been struggling ever since I do not feel my doctor is helpful at all and early in my diagnosis I actually came across a doctor who is a specialist in the field and I am hoping to go to her. I actually hate going to the doctors but I really feel I have no control atm and I desperately need someone to just guide me in the right direction. I realise I need to be the one who does the work but I feel that some of the people I have seen (such as the nutritionist) were not helpful at all in showing me what I need to do. Anyway sorry if this sounds down and out, it is not meant to. I am just struggling with it all and hoping to gain control soon

I was just diagnosed a month ago, I understand the whole "what exactly should I be doing?" feeling. These forums are a great place to ask questions from people who are dealing with diabetes (some for decades!). I am fortunate to have a doc I can relate to; he's not mch for bedisde manner but we're both analytical people so we get along ok. He referred me to an all-day program at the local hospital for diabetics that is supposed to cover diet, nutrition, self-care, etc. It's not until next week but I am hoping it will be good. Until then, I am cutting the carbs as much as possible, checking by blood sugar ("bg" here) 2x per day and logging the results in a notebook. I also jot down how long since I ate and if it was a meal or snack. I've learned to eat some protein (peanutbutter) right before going to bed and it keeps my sugar level during the night. There's lots to learn, and the best thing you can do is read everything you can find. Docs are good but the better questions you can ask the better off you are. It makes you feel good too, giving a little more feeling of empowerment. YOU ARE NOT YOUR DISEASE, and YOU CAN MANAGE IT. It won't always be easy, sometimes frustrating, but this is something can and will bring under control. Odds are you know diabetics (even if you don't realize they are diabetic). It's always good to have someone to talk about it face-to-face, even if it's just daily stuff like "my sugar went up last night, I wonder why?".

You will lose some days, and win others... but just hang in there.
Sorry if I ran long, I just felt I could relate somewhat.
Take care,
Surfer

 

[SerotoninSurfer]

Kimba-
Did you realize you were showing your email address in your post? You put it in the "location" field and everyone can see it. If that was an accident, yu can change it in the profile.


cya!
Surfer

 

[Gizmo]

Hi, Kim. As long as your doctor is giving you the right medicine (if you are on meds) in the right amounts, I don't think there is any need to see a specialist. Most doctors are dumb as rocks when it comes to diabetes, even some of the specialists, and most nutritionists, so the best thing you can do right now is go to Blood Sugar 101 and educate yourself. If you depend on the professionals, you'll probably never be able to get your bg down.

Are you on any diabetic meds? Do you have a meter? How often do you test? What has your bg been running, and what was your A1c? The answers to these questions will help us help you more. Welcome aboard.

 

[kimba1]

Kimba-
Did you realize you were showing your email address in your post? You put it in the "location" field and everyone can see it. If that was an accident, yu can change it in the profile.


cya!
Surfer

Hi Surfer :0
Thanks for pointing this out...but it will not let me edit anything apparantly until I have 5 posts up-so I guess I better start posting quickly lol

 

[kimba1]

I was just diagnosed a month ago, I understand the whole "what exactly should I be doing?" feeling. These forums are a great place to ask questions from people who are dealing with diabetes (some for decades!). I am fortunate to have a doc I can relate to; he's not mch for bedisde manner but we're both analytical people so we get along ok. He referred me to an all-day program at the local hospital for diabetics that is supposed to cover diet, nutrition, self-care, etc. It's not until next week but I am hoping it will be good. Until then, I am cutting the carbs as much as possible, checking by blood sugar ("bg" here) 2x per day and logging the results in a notebook. I also jot down how long since I ate and if it was a meal or snack. I've learned to eat some protein (peanutbutter) right before going to bed and it keeps my sugar level during the night. There's lots to learn, and the best thing you can do is read everything you can find. Docs are good but the better questions you can ask the better off you are. It makes you feel good too, giving a little more feeling of empowerment. YOU ARE NOT YOUR DISEASE, and YOU CAN MANAGE IT. It won't always be easy, sometimes frustrating, but this is something can and will bring under control. Odds are you know diabetics (even if you don't realize they are diabetic). It's always good to have someone to talk about it face-to-face, even if it's just daily stuff like "my sugar went up last night, I wonder why?".

You will lose some days, and win others... but just hang in there.
Sorry if I ran long, I just felt I could relate somewhat.
Take care,
Surfer

Thankyou for the support It does get hard and I obviously have many up and down days lol The program you are going to sounds like a great start and a way to get the basics down I wish there was something like that over here.
I have also tried to cut down on carbs and fats as a start so hopefully I will see a difference soon Good luck with it all

 

[kimba1]

Hi, Kim. As long as your doctor is giving you the right medicine (if you are on meds) in the right amounts, I don't think there is any need to see a specialist. Most doctors are dumb as rocks when it comes to diabetes, even some of the specialists, and most nutritionists, so the best thing you can do right now is go to Blood Sugar 101[/url] and educate yourself. If you depend on the professionals, you'll probably never be able to get your bg down.

Are you on any diabetic meds? Do you have a meter? How often do you test? What has your bg been running, and what was your A1c? The answers to these questions will help us help you more. Welcome aboard.

Hi
I am on Metformin, Lipitor and aspirin .... I have no idea what A1c is -sorry lol. I have a meter and have been trying to test regularly, just life gets in the way.... ATM in the mornings the bg was anywhere from 4.5 to 5.9, but the last few days it has been higher at 6and 7???

 

[siapaya]

Totally agree with Gizmo, you can browse the http://www.bloodsugar101.com/ , and for me, that website helps to encourage me to accept my diagnose.

Welcome to the club!!

I just realize your medication, some person experience that Metformin only will not be enough, if you cant do low carb diet ( like me, a total failure in low carb diet ).

Low carb diet, some friends here describe as eat as little carb as possible ( 30-40gr / day ).

 

[Gizmo]

( like me, a total failure in low carb diet ). Low carb diet, some friends here describe as eat as little carb as possible (30-40gr / day).

No, siapaya, you misunderstood. Lots of people here are on a low carb diet and are eating much more than 30-40gr per day. You don't eat as little carbs as possible, you can eat as many carbs as your meter will allow you to eat. Everyone is different with different goals, so some people eat very low carb so they can lose weight faster or because they want to keep their bg super low. Some people can eat what I consider to be a whole lot of carbs and still keep their bg down. You have to eat to your meter. When you try a new food, you test before eating, then test 1 and 2 hrs. after eating to see how much that new food spikes your bg. If it spikes it too much, you remove that food from your diet. After doing that a while, you will know what you can and can't eat.

I just realize your medication, some person experience that Metformin only will not be enough, if you cant do low carb diet ( like me, a total failure in low carb diet ).

It is not a good practice (to say the least) to try and rely on taking more meds so you can eat more carbs. Even if you did use this method, you would still have to cut down on carbs because when it comes to food, carbohydrates are the main thing that will raise your bg, and no diabetic medicine on the market today will allow you to eat all the carbs you want and still keep your bg at a safe level. If you know what to eat, you can eat low carb and not feel like you are depriving yourself of anything. Only you and your meter should be determining how many carbs you eat per day, not how many someone else is eating. I love food, so believe me, if I can stick with a low carb diet, anyone can.

Sorry to hijack your post, kimba1 :focus:

 

[Gizmo]

Kim, when your doctor called to say you have diabetes, he probably told you a number. That was the result of your A1c test. An A1c tells you how your bg has been doing over the past few months. This test is usually repeated about every 3 months to keep track of whether or not you are getting good control of your bg.

ATM in the mornings the bg was anywhere from 4.5 to 5.9, but the last few days it has been higher at 6and 7???

Our bgs are usually higher in the morning, for different reasons. If you eat something very low in carbs and high in fat (many on the forum eat sausage and eggs for breakfast every morning) your bg should start dropping soon after you eat.

Here is a link to a post I made a while back when someone was asking what they should be eating. Hope it helps you out.

 

[jwags]

Welcome to the forum. I was dx'd 4 years ago and floundered for several years before I found online forums. I think most of us are in the same boat. Even in the US doctors and dieticians tell us very little about this disease and what causes it. I was never told what normal bgs were so I thought I was doing great until I found out that normal bg was 70-100 most of the day. So now I aim for numbers in that range. Basically higher carb meals cause your bg to spike. So experiment with different foods and test 2 hours after to see how your body reacts. Pick the meals that give you the best numbers. Since we all have different levels of pancreatic function and we are on different meds or insulin we may react differently to foods.

 

[siapaya]

You have to eat to your meter.

It is not a good practice (to say the least) to try and rely on taking more meds so you can eat more carbs.

Thanks Gizmo for the correction.

Im bad at both, so, you are right, my opinions were totally wrong

I'm learning, and keep learning to find my way in this diabetes world ..

 

[kimba1]

Thankyou everyone for all the support and great information I am taking it all in slowly
The website Blood Sugar 101 has been very informative and I am still trawling through all the information...
As for carbs -this is the hard one lol I love my bread and potatoes and rice (not so fussed on pasta). Anyway this week I have cut out all bread-it is a start and I have been doing well (although I miss my vegemite toast )!
Gizmo thankyou for the link, I am about to go have a look now Oh and the number was 12.8 if that makes any sense??? I remember (through my tears lol) him saying it was diabetes and that number was the reason......

 

[Gizmo]

the number was 12.8 if that makes any sense??? I remember (through my tears lol) him saying it was diabetes and that number was the reason......

That translates to an average bg of 320 over the past few months. You should be able to get a much lower A1c number next time, as long as you stick with low carb.