[xx_Chris_xx]

Hello all. So I wanted to introduce myself and say hi... I'm a southern guy about to turn 42. About 5 days ago I went in for a routine check up and got a phone call from my GP. Basically he told me I'm diabetic. My fasting number was 244. I go back tomorrow for follow up and training... Do to vacation and Easter

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Sorry hit send by mistake.

So with time on between I went out and got a meter and started testing. Now I went low carb right away, but still my numbers are bad. Went I get up fasting is between 180 and 200. Two hours after a meal its between 240 and 250.
I have so many questions, fears, and concerns I don't know where to start... so I thought I would start with hi.. hi.

 

[Jeremymc1]

Hi Chris and a warm welcome to you! Hang in there, you will get control over this. We are all here to help each other. Interesting that your readings are going up so high after eating, even though you are doing lower carb. Can you give me an example of your meals? Also, it probably took some time for the diabetes to manifest, it is going to take some time to get control over it...but you will!!

Cheers,

Jeremy

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

hey Jeremy. First off thanks for the welcome. It's good to see so many out there trying to help others in need.

I have been trying to keep good records of everything I do so to answer your question I will run down today for you. By the way, I work rotating shifts (which I'm sure is not helping me any) so the times my seem strange.

I got up at 2 and got my fasting number, 173. Best ever... had 3 eggs with a 1/4 cheese and 2 pieces of bacon. 1% milk to drink. 2 hours later I checked my bs and I was 161. I have no idea why it went down, but I was happy about that.. for dinner I had a salad with walnuts, red onion, and a small amount of crumbling blue cheese. Also a small piece of chicken grilled. Coke zero to drink. This was at 5:30. At 8:30 I checked and I was a 239. Without any other food or drink I checked again at 10:15 and I was a 231.

I have no idea what's going on with me. I'm trying to read everything I can and hope to get some answers from the Dr tomorrow.

Also scared to say anything to my work, but that's another post altogether...

 

[Raindance]

Hi Chris, and welcome. Do you know yet whether you are type1 or type2?

Milk has a lot of carbs in it, and I believe, the lower the fat content, the more carbs. Use heavy cream diluted with water instead. (I just learned that on this forum today.) Make sure cheese is natural, not processed. If the label says 0 carbs, it is the right cheese. I wonder how many carbs were in your salad dressing? It is important to read labels, every carb counts.

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Hey,

No I don't know yet if I'm t1 or t2. I'm guessing t2, but really I have no idea. The salad dressing was lite dressing and the label on the cheese said 0 carbs. I was guessing the salad was around 10 g of carbs total. But i really don't know the carb count in fresh fruits and veggies. I'm good about reading the label, but if there is no label then Im lost...

Good tip on the milk. I thought I needed to drink milk every day ( I read that somewhere i think ) I was never crazy about milk in the first place.

 

[Raindance]

After you make a few more posts, you will be able to receive private messages. Once that happens I will PM you some info. that should help you a lot. I won't post it here 'cause it would just bore the folks who already know the info.

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Thank you very much, any info would be great.

BTW, to round out my post, I just did my last check before getting some sleep. After 9 hours without any food and only water to drink, plus a 30 min workout at meal break I'm still at 175. I just don't understand..

Thanks again for everything. I look forward to talking to you soon....

 

[jwags]

Hi Chris, Welcome to our exclusive club. Unfortuneately you have the password to join- Diabetes. No one knows what causes diabetes- genetics, environment or the food we eat. Whatever it is the result is our pancreas cannot handle a normal load of carbs. It really doesn't matter whether they are healthy good carbs like milk or whole grains or junk food carbs like Doritoes. It probably took you quite awhile to become diabetic and may take awhile to lower your bgs. A lot of us can't do it without some kind of oral meds. I take 2550 mg of metformin. Many D's also have signaling problems, that means the signals between liver and pancreas are just messed up. So our liver often gets the signal our bgs are low ( when they are not) and turns stored glycogen into extra glucose, spiking our bgs. This often happens at night while we are sleeping. So even though we have not eaten in 10 hours our bgs start climbing. Many of us have found that low carb diets work best because they limit the glycogen that get stored. When I was dx'd my fasting was 240 and HbA1c was above 10. I am now in the 90 range in the morning and HbA1c of 5.3. So it can be done.

 

[Guest]

welcome Chris there's so much to take in when newly diagnosed. On the food front I noticed you mentioned onion... that is very high in fructose and could also be cause of your BGLs rising... especially considering it rose after eating that with the dressing and all. I only know this as I did the low FODMAP diet (you can find more info on the net about it) this year and I found out just how much food has fructose (or a form of it) in it... so much food really. Fructose of course is a carb too. Also be careful of sweetners found in drinks and food, as anything ending with 'OL' is in fact fructose and can affect your BGLs. It's really about portion control mainly though.... personally I eat carbs all the time, but in smaller portions than what I used to eat. You also get a handle on what your own body can tolerate after a while by using your meter to test constantly. We're all so different and not one label fits all so to speak. I'm sure you will find this a great place for support and info. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[Shanny]

Hello Chris, and welcome aboard. I hope we'll see you today with an update from your doc. We're nothing if not nosy . . .

 

[beefy]

Hi Chris and :welcome: from me too.

I'm 45, and had a slightly higher fasting # than you at diagnosis, and very similar numbers when I first started testing.

I'm a type2, on 2x1000mg of Metformin ER (Extended Release) controlling my sugars with Met, diet and exercise. I was diagnosed 4 months ago.

Here's the good news for you: Your numbers WILL get better, but it will take a little time.

My doctor added Metformin for me right away, I went low-carb and started exercising daily, and it still took more than two weeks before I started seeing any number I liked. So just be patient, things will get better.

You mentioned fruit in one of your posts: I suggest that you STOP eating it until you sugars start to stabilize. Then start with small amounts of lower-GI fruit, testing 1hr after eating to see if you can tolerate it in your diet.

For me, I found I can only tolerate berries, granny smith apples and very small servings of pineapple (1/3 cup) or watermelon (1/2 cup). But we're ALL different. (FYI, I usually have my fruit for the day in my meal immediately after my workout... that way many of the carbs go to replenishing glycogen stores, instead of raising my BG's much...)

Many find their BG levels do their best when they eliminate: Potatoes, Corn, All flour products, All grain/cereals of any kind, and fruit... and add daily exercise to the mix. Once your glucose levels get better, testing with your meter to see what you can, cannot tolerate is the best way to go. Learn how to do this by reading up the "How to Lower your Blood Sugar" post at Blood Sugar 101, a really valuable resource.

Good luck, it's nice to meet you! :wave:

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

it's offical. T2

Hello Chris, and welcome aboard. I hope we'll see you today with an update from your doc. We're nothing if not nosy . . .

Hey there Shanny,

thanks for asking. I went to the doc this afternoon and its offical, and stamped in my manila folder at their office. I'm a diabetic. Type 2, insulin resistant.

So the plan is diet and exercise and check BS on a regular basis, no meds. and I will go back in 2 weeks. I like the plan, i'm just worried its not enough. I have been checking my numbers for the past few days and they are still hanging in the low 200's. I have change my diet a lot, but not seen a big change. How long will it take to start going down?

An example of my numbers is tonights dinner (however its a bad example, didnt eat as well as i could, family came into town today) I cooked a cheese burger on my grill, not from eating out. A salad with walnuts, red onion, blue cheese, and lite dressing. An a glass of red wine. I put my carb count at about 40g for the meal. Two hours later my BS was 232. I thought I could eat about 150 g of carbs in a day(i read that somewhere) im guessing that's wrong.

Anyway, i guess today is the first day of the rest of my life. I really have no clue at this time as what to do, so i will continue to read and connect with others that are in the same boat...

As a side note, I'm really craving a big choc. chunk cookie right now... And my kids easter baskets, that are laying around the kitchen, are not helping. Lord give me strength.

 

[beefy]

...I thought I could eat about 150 g of carbs in a day(i read that somewhere) im guessing that's wrong...

Most likely that's about 3 times the carbohydrate you can safely handle.

I consume up to 100g a day, but I also do anywhere from 1.5 - 3hrs of intense exercise 6 days a week and likely eat twice what you do.

Most of the people controlling their blood sugar well with diet and exercise alone are eating 20g to 60g of carbohydrate daily.

 

[Shalynne]

Welcome, Chris!

Glad you found us ... sorry that you had to. You'll find lots of info and support here!

I'm new to the Big D too. Type 2, but put on insulin on Day One. (My numbers were ... bad.) I cannot control anything without that stuff, even if I stick to lettuce and water.

When my numbers refused to improve after a couple of days, I asked the Dr. about changing my meds. She told me what to look for, when to change and how much to add.

I had to increase my insulin twice, and change procedure once, before I could get any control at all. And it's still ... a process.

So's learning how to do the low-carb thing. Others here know far more than I do.

 

[Raindance]

Beefy is right, 20 - 60 carbs per day, but spread out through the day. If you eat too many at one sitting, your bs will spike.

My husband has faithfully stuck to the 30 carbs per day for the month since he was diagnosed, and all of his numbers have been great. But Sunday he said he had been a good boy so he could afford to eat what he wanted for one meal. I told him it doesn't work that way, but my diabetic sister who believes a diabetic diet includes vanilla wafers every day, egged him on.... grrrrr. He had a omelette, which was fine, but 1/2 a biscuit with a little gravy and a few bites of hash browns. 2 hrs. later his bs was 155, and that scared him straight again, thankfully.

Today for the first time I made a Carbquik waffle with no carb syrup for him and my diabetic son. They acted like I was giving them gold, the waffles were great and they only had less than 4 carbs each. If you know what to eat and don't mind cooking or have someone willing to cook for you, you can have some good food. Makes it a whole lot easier to stick with it.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Chris, welcome to the forum.

My advice is:

quit carbs cold turkey, aim for zero man made carbs each and every day.

start reading what a "portion" really is, most americans have no idea.

start walking as much as you can, everyday

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Hey there jwags... thanks for the welcome. Im happy I found a place so quickly that is fill with good people and lots of info.

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Hey Shalynne, thanks for the warm welcome. Sorry to hear about all the stuff your dealing with, with D. I'm still taking it one day at a time and hope to stay off meds. but my numbers still are not great. Im a little worried the Dr. may add meds soon. we will see.

On the bright side I did have my best fasting number yet this morning. 144.

 

[xx_Chris_xx]

Thanks for your welcome. I really like your advise. Im in, I'll give it a try. Thanks