Type 2 diabetic, dealing with pricks daily

REDMANIV

I am getting started on my Saturday. Fasted Glucose taken about 3 hours later than usual. Also had some late night snacking as I stayed up way too late so I use the term fasted loosely in this case. Last thing that I put into my mouth was about 7 hours ago. Still though numbers came in at 127.....planning to have a decent day of eats on this end. I got me exercise day in as usual. Got some shopping done to get some healthier options for me round the house. Y'all have a great Saturday and stay strong!

tbright1965

Had labs done on 7 Feb and on my 14 Feb Dr Appt I was told my fasting BG was 180 mg/dL. So 500mg Metformin and a visit with the diabetic coach/dietitian. I was 265# on 14 Feb and today 242#.

Average fasting BG has gone from that 180 to 105-110 after about a 7-8 hour fast. This morning, for giggles, I took my BG before my 1 hour spin class at 113mg/dL and then an hour after that class and it was 85mg/dL.

I was placed on a 2250 calorie/day diet, with 225g carbs, no more than 60g/meal and another 45g in daily snacks. I'm pretty active as I can get on my bicycle and go for a 100km bike ride and burn roughly 800-1000 calories/hour if I keep an 18-20MPH pace. 28-32km/hr for our metric friends.

Dr expects that he'll get me off the daily metformin as long as I watch my carb intake and remain active. Oh and lose another 20-40# of weight.

Shocking, you cannot do the "Little Chocolate Donuts" John Belushi SNL breakfast skit (it's on YouTube) everyday, no matter how active you are.

It runs in the family, so it's no shock that in my 50s I'm facing the same as my mother in her 70s and grandmother in her 90s, both still alive.

I may suffer/experience a bit of "dawn effect" as I've taken my BG level after an evening 60 minute spin class and be in the 80 something mg/dL range, have a very low carb dinner of raw spinach with hard boiled egg, cheese, tomatoes and a measured portion of a salad dressing, so not more than 10-15g of carbs for that meal.

I can wake up after 7 hours of sleep and have a fasting BG of 110-120 mg/dL.

Dawn effect is where your liver manufactured glucose from fat because it thinks you are starving during your sleep induced fast.

REDMANIV

@tbright1965 awesome job on getting your numbers down! Sounds like the doctor has you set up pretty good. Great news that you will be able to get off of the meds soon. Unfortunately with my body I am not certain if I will ever get off the meds. I am currently on 4 times your dose of metformin and when I am on point with my diet the best my fasted levels get when taken first thing in the morning is in the 90's. I normally average around 113 fasted with my normal exercise and diet.

I get my blood drawn this Tuesday...........then will have an appointment with my Dr the week after that.

Keep up the great work and thanks for the share on the "Dawn effect"

Cheers!

nowine4me

I am not diabetic and can only imagine how difficult it must be to manage medications and conflicting advice on nutrition. Please, please, please watch the movie Forks Over Knives on Netflix (or wherever). It features experts and research based evidence that a plant based diet can reverse diabetes. You may not buy into it, but it’s worth 90 minutes of your time to explore.

tbright1965

REDMANIV wrote: »

@tbright1965 awesome job on getting your numbers down! Sounds like the doctor has you set up pretty good. Great news that you will be able to get off of the meds soon. Unfortunately with my body I am not certain if I will ever get off the meds. I am currently on 4 times your dose of metformin and when I am on point with my diet the best my fasted levels get when taken first thing in the morning is in the 90's. I normally average around 113 fasted with my normal exercise and diet.

I get my blood drawn this Tuesday...........then will have an appointment with my Dr the week after that.

Keep up the great work and thanks for the share on the "Dawn effect"

Cheers!

FWIW, I'm 5'11" and at 242# today. I started at 265 on 14 Feb, because I was eating like crap.

Like I said, I'm pretty active. Hit the gym and/or a bike ride (20+ miles) 5-6x/week unless it's my on-call week and then I get what exercise I can get.

It was easy to lie to myself because even though I weighed 260+, I could outrun most everyone in my cycle group. I am built big, but not 265# big. Chest 50" waist 38" so I wore athletic cut suits. No one looking at me would guess I weighed that much. Usually 20-40# less.

So, easy to deceive myself.

But, at some point, you cannot outwork bad habits. Stopping for a chocolate milk and a pack of chocolate donuts on the way home was a bad habit.

So today, it's food scale and MFP (suggested by the Joslin diabetes coach/dietitian) to track everything.

I wanted a gyro from the local gyro restaurant, so I got one, to-go, sauce on the side and disassembled and measured out everything. Weighed the Pita, Meat and Sauce to discover the whole thing was on the order of 1100 calories for a 7" Gyro. And before, I would get the 9" and an order of fried mushrooms, or if I was feeling guilty, the salad. I could easily eat the 9" in one sitting and not blink an eye. Today, I see that would be on the order of 60-70% of my daily calorie allowance and who knows the macros on a meal like that.

So I ate half the 7" and logged the 114g of Kronos Gyro meat, 57g of Pita and 1 measured T of Tzatziki sauce. That comes out to 569 calories 38g carbs 36g fat 23g protein. Well under my 60g/meal carb limit, and close to that 40% carbs, 60% fats and protein mix, but probably too heavy on the fat.

But with that knowledge, I know the following meal has to have more protein and far less fat.

So a raw spinach salad with lots of fresh veggies, some grilled chicken breast, with either a measured portion of salad dressing or wing sauce on the chicken if I'm craving that hot wings taste. What a way to get that wings flavor. Boneless, skinless CB tossed in 2T (measured) wing sauce and then dumped atop 4c of raw spinach, some cut up green, red and orange peppers (about 1 pepper in total.) And a measured portion of cheese if I have room in the diet. Certainly an approximately 400 calorie salad with the cheese. Very few carbs either with or without the cheese.

I try to keep measured snack portions around. Bryers Ice Cream Cups that are only 100 calories. Cheese sticks, Detour low carb granola type bars. I keep them in the car too for those on-call weeks. Better a 140-170 calorie Detour bar than the 6 pack of chocolate donettes at 410 calories and 41g of carbs or about 20% of the daily allowance.

What works for me is trying to get something more than sugar and fat for my 225g of carbs each day.

nvmomketo

I am was prediabetic. My main symptom was the reactive hypoglycemia that was mentioned in the OP: the feeling of getting a low BG but it is actually just from rapidly falling BG, possibly without ever getting a low. It used to hit me about 2 hours after eating and tended to be the worst in the late afternoon: I would get the cold sweats, headaches, dropping BP, and my hands shook so much that people noticed... I actually passed out a couple of times.

I started following the book, Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, once I realized my FBG was creeping upwards. He is a doctor, and a T1D, who invented self testing many decades ago. His plan is to lower insulin needs (natural or not) through a low carbohydrate diet with moderate to high protein. If you don't eat the carbs, your BG won't go up as much. Made sense to me.
http://www.diabetes-book.com/

If helped me realize what my reactive hypoglycemia was too. Once I no longer relied on glucose for my fuel, I never got those symptoms anymore even though my BG was consistently lower than where it used to be when I had low symptoms. If I keep my daily carb limit very low, I am fine. If carbs go above 150g in a day, that's when some symptoms start creeping back in.

meritage4

I've been type 2 now for almost 3 years.
I did really well with a low carb diet and walking for exercise when first diagnosed. I also take 3 metformin a day.
Sugars were awesome and doctor was super impressed.(I lost 57 lbs)
I find I can't be as strict with diet on an ongoing basis and have gained 30 lbs back.
The good news is I am back here and trying again and my HA1C levels are fine.

jgnatca

When miracle cures abound my default position is to check the credentials. I trust the ADA site. My T2 diabetes is in remission from significant weight loss. Gastric bypass helped as it changes the balance of hormones. Metformin was my friend as well as stringent meal planning during my decade as a diabetic.

Forks over Knives is not on my trusted list.

REDMANIV

Hello everyone. How has the journey been going? I dropped into the Dr office on Tuesday for my blood draw. I head back next week on the 17th for the results. My blood sugar has been in the low 120's the past few days. I have been rolling a little heavy on the carbs so that's understandable. Heading into a restricted cal day so know things will be looking good for Friday. Have an shaping Thursday everyone.

CeeBeeSlim

Hi All. When do or have any of you see an endocrinologist in addition to your pcp? Taking care of elderly mom with diabetes but having trouble having her A1c stay at goal. Up and down!

jgnatca

Sorry, I’m Canadian so my experience may be different. My dad with multiple medical issues plus T2 has a nurse practitioner assigned to him to review his A1C and diet every couple months.

[Edited to add] if I were you I’d ask for a referral for your mom.

REDMANIV

Hello @CeeBeeSlim if your PCP is very knowledgeable on treating T2D then you would be ok. It would appear though that you might need to also see an dietitian which would help with getting your mother on a diet that would support getting her A1C numbers at goal. The more information that you can get on the subject the better, there are many references online and in books on how the foods we eat and exercise effect our bodies. Asking for a referral certainly wouldn't hurt though. Hang in there.

CeeBeeSlim

@jgnatca @REDMANIV Thanks for the guidance. I think a dietician is a great idea - more for my dad! My mom is recovering from a stroke so my dad and I are responsible for her entire diet. When she’s with me her, A1c numbers are in range, when with him (I’m not there), they’re elevated. It’s the southern diet, the “joy” she sees in her face when he presents her with the sweets, etc. It’s strange but I think it’s because he doesn’t “see” the diabetes, it’s easy for him to dismiss it. Maybe the dietician can better educate him than the arugula-eating East Coast no-tasty food daughter! Sigh!!

concordancia

CeeBeeSlim wrote: »

@jgnatca @REDMANIV Thanks for the guidance. I think a dietician is a great idea - more for my dad! My mom is recovering from a stroke so my dad and I are responsible for her entire diet. When she’s with me her, A1c numbers are in range, when with him (I’m not there), they’re elevated. It’s the southern diet, the “joy” she sees in her face when he presents her with the sweets, etc. It’s strange but I think it’s because he doesn’t “see” the diabetes, it’s easy for him to dismiss it. Maybe the dietician can better educate him than the arugula-eating East Coast no-tasty food daughter! Sigh!!

This reminds me of my father in law. He didn't trust a nursing home to stick to his mother's no sodium diet, he said as he prepared her a cheese sandwich.

REDMANIV

Hello T2D MFP loggers. How have things been going your way? I got the results of my blood glucose test back and my doctor certainly was not impressed with me letting my diet get out of control. I did find out some good information about how the A1C test works and I have invested in quite a few books to gain some more knowledge on my life as a diabetic. I will be back in to see the Dr again in July and hopefully with the changes I have made to my diet and exercise I will see my numbers drop back down to the range my Dr wants them to be in. He has shifted me from checking my BG from fasted in the mornings to two hours after my largest meal of the day. He said this will give me a better idea on how my body is processing and handling the different types of foods that I am consuming. If my numbers are higher than 150 then I will need to make some adjustments. So far so good though for now, my numbers after my largest meal have been averaging in the 110-120 range. It feels as though I am on a pretty good track now, time will certainly tell the tale though. If you are new to T2D (Type 2 Diabetes) drop in and let us know how things are going.

PKM0515

REDMANIV wrote: »

Hello T2D MFP loggers. How have things been going your way? I got the results of my blood glucose test back and my doctor certainly was not impressed with me letting my diet get out of control. I did find out some good information about how the A1C test works and I have invested in quite a few books to gain some more knowledge on my life as a diabetic. I will be back in to see the Dr again in July and hopefully with the changes I have made to my diet and exercise I will see my numbers drop back down to the range my Dr wants them to be in. He has shifted me from checking my BG from fasted in the mornings to two hours after my largest meal of the day. He said this will give me a better idea on how my body is processing and handling the different types of foods that I am consuming. If my numbers are higher than 150 then I will need to make some adjustments. So far so good though for now, my numbers after my largest meal have been averaging in the 110-120 range. It feels as though I am on a pretty good track now, time will certainly tell the tale though. If you are new to T2D (Type 2 Diabetes) drop in and let us know how things are going.

I really appreciate your honesty. Around here, so many people seem to get a diagnosis and, BAM, 3-6 months later their A1c levels are in the 4-5 range. I struggle constantly, and it gets depressing.

Good luck on your journey!

dsboohead

T1 here. Diabetes T2 is a fast growing disease. It relies on lousy diets and being overweight for its existence.
Being Insulin dependent is a tight rope and tracking everything going in my mouth and weight loss is controlling readings.
Keep up good works and control your diabetes.

theresabrown77040

Hello everyone,

I was first diagnosed with T2D in 2016. I was put on the drug of choice - Metformin - had severe gi issues. discussed with multiple health professionals. Those discussions pretty much fell on deaf ears. My PCP told me I did not have a choice, I had to take that med. Which lead to years of noncompliance and chasing other options to try to get A1c and BGL within acceptable levels. I did have good luck following the Whole30 way of eating - for 9 months. However, when I allowed myself to "eat normally" for the holidays, that turned into a year and a half of being non compliant and no monitoring of health concerns. I happened to wear a new pair of shoes that caused a blister on the ball of my foot, and within a mere 4 days, developed a diabetic ulcer that was infected and caused me to be hospitalized.

After explaining to everyone I encountered why I had been non compliant, I was met with looks of confusion and words of encouragement and told that there are other options. First being that we needed to get my BGL down! and A1c back on track, see a GI specialist, see an endocrinologist, and begin taking insulin.

I decided that was all well and good, but that I also needed to follow the Whole 30 or at the very least Paleo way of eating because I knew I could do that and that it had helped.

I am 2 months post hospital, my BGL is between 77 and 150, I test 4 times a day, I am off of all insulin, I am taking Victoza, Glipizide, and Jardiance. I go in for blood work next month to recheck my A1c. I am sending in my results of my BGL every 2 weeks to both my PCP and my Endocrinologist. PCP is very excited about my progress, Endocrinologist is still skeptical since it has been relatively a short time period and doesn't think I have the ability to keep up with the progress I have made.

In these past 2 months, I can tell you, I have felt like pure hell as my sugars have been leveling out. PCP keeps assuring me, stick with it, it will get better. Endocrinologist keeps tweaking meds to help with symptoms, and to help keep the levels down as long as I follow my regimen. PCP recommends following a Glycemic Index diet. Endocrinologist recommends following the Keto Diet with no more than 50mg of carbs per day.

What I have found so far is the Keto Diet is very similar to Whole 30 and Paleo, however, Keto limits the micro nutrients to 75% Fat, 20% Protein, and 5% Carbs daily. Whereas the other 2 are just as long as they are compliant, it doesn't matter how much you eat of what.... I have not been able to follow the Keto Diet to a T, however, I am trying and do see results in both BGL and in weight loss. I am down 10 lbs since May 24th, and I am told that the Jardiance does help with weight loss as well. The other meds promote weight gain, so I am glad to see the numbers on the scale continuing to go down.

I also have resumed wearing my Fitbit. All of these things that "keep track of things" for me help me to be aware of what I am doing and how things affect me. When I think I am being good as far as eating foods that are compliant, because of the glycemic index, it may not be good for me specifically, but is still a healthier choice for example a sweet potato instead of a white potato...

Also if I want to indulge in say a chip, I get Veggie chips and count out the number that are considered a serving and that has made all the difference too. If I don't count out the serving, and just guess when to stop, my BGL goes higher than I want it to be even if it is still in an acceptable range. I would like to keep my levels more consistent rather than swinging from one end of the range to the other. AND with the steps I have been taking, I have been able to keep them on a pretty consistent level by eating much of the same foods every day. It isn't adventurous, but it allows me to get things under control and then make a change every now and then to see how my system deals with small changes one at a time.

Thanks for allowing me to ramble on and I hope some of the things I have been learning about myself will help others of you.

REDMANIV

theresabrown77040 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I was first diagnosed with T2D in 2016. I was put on the drug of choice - Metformin - had severe gi issues. discussed with multiple health professionals. Those discussions pretty much fell on deaf ears. My PCP told me I did not have a choice, I had to take that med. Which lead to years of noncompliance and chasing other options to try to get A1c and BGL within acceptable levels. I did have good luck following the Whole30 way of eating - for 9 months. However, when I allowed myself to "eat normally" for the holidays, that turned into a year and a half of being non compliant and no monitoring of health concerns. I happened to wear a new pair of shoes that caused a blister on the ball of my foot, and within a mere 4 days, developed a diabetic ulcer that was infected and caused me to be hospitalized.

After explaining to everyone I encountered why I had been non compliant, I was met with looks of confusion and words of encouragement and told that there are other options. First being that we needed to get my BGL down! and A1c back on track, see a GI specialist, see an endocrinologist, and begin taking insulin.

I decided that was all well and good, but that I also needed to follow the Whole 30 or at the very least Paleo way of eating because I knew I could do that and that it had helped.

I am 2 months post hospital, my BGL is between 77 and 150, I test 4 times a day, I am off of all insulin, I am taking Victoza, Glipizide, and Jardiance. I go in for blood work next month to recheck my A1c. I am sending in my results of my BGL every 2 weeks to both my PCP and my Endocrinologist. PCP is very excited about my progress, Endocrinologist is still skeptical since it has been relatively a short time period and doesn't think I have the ability to keep up with the progress I have made.

In these past 2 months, I can tell you, I have felt like pure hell as my sugars have been leveling out. PCP keeps assuring me, stick with it, it will get better. Endocrinologist keeps tweaking meds to help with symptoms, and to help keep the levels down as long as I follow my regimen. PCP recommends following a Glycemic Index diet. Endocrinologist recommends following the Keto Diet with no more than 50mg of carbs per day.

What I have found so far is the Keto Diet is very similar to Whole 30 and Paleo, however, Keto limits the micro nutrients to 75% Fat, 20% Protein, and 5% Carbs daily. Whereas the other 2 are just as long as they are compliant, it doesn't matter how much you eat of what.... I have not been able to follow the Keto Diet to a T, however, I am trying and do see results in both BGL and in weight loss. I am down 10 lbs since May 24th, and I am told that the Jardiance does help with weight loss as well. The other meds promote weight gain, so I am glad to see the numbers on the scale continuing to go down.

I also have resumed wearing my Fitbit. All of these things that "keep track of things" for me help me to be aware of what I am doing and how things affect me. When I think I am being good as far as eating foods that are compliant, because of the glycemic index, it may not be good for me specifically, but is still a healthier choice for example a sweet potato instead of a white potato...

Also if I want to indulge in say a chip, I get Veggie chips and count out the number that are considered a serving and that has made all the difference too. If I don't count out the serving, and just guess when to stop, my BGL goes higher than I want it to be even if it is still in an acceptable range. I would like to keep my levels more consistent rather than swinging from one end of the range to the other. AND with the steps I have been taking, I have been able to keep them on a pretty consistent level by eating much of the same foods every day. It isn't adventurous, but it allows me to get things under control and then make a change every now and then to see how my system deals with small changes one at a time.

Thanks for allowing me to ramble on and I hope some of the things I have been learning about myself will help others of you.

Awesome share and thank you for lending us some insight into your journey, your struggles and your successes! Congrats on getting the scale to move down. It certainly looks as though you are on a really good path towards getting your BGL where it needs to be.

I go back in next week to get my blood drawn for my next batch of tests. I am a little over 2 months into a new eating lifestyle and I have been doing a ton of fat burning exercises. By the time I see my Dr again I should be down right around 20 pounds. Hoping for some really good A1C numbers as I have really attempted to stay on track.

Keep up the fantastic work and check in from time to time to let us know how you are doing.

REDMANIV

SaraKim17 wrote: »

REDMANIV wrote: »

Hello T2D MFP loggers. How have things been going your way? I got the results of my blood glucose test back and my doctor certainly was not impressed with me letting my diet get out of control. I did find out some good information about how the A1C test works and I have invested in quite a few books to gain some more knowledge on my life as a diabetic. I will be back in to see the Dr again in July and hopefully with the changes I have made to my diet and exercise I will see my numbers drop back down to the range my Dr wants them to be in. He has shifted me from checking my BG from fasted in the mornings to two hours after my largest meal of the day. He said this will give me a better idea on how my body is processing and handling the different types of foods that I am consuming. If my numbers are higher than 150 then I will need to make some adjustments. So far so good though for now, my numbers after my largest meal have been averaging in the 110-120 range. It feels as though I am on a pretty good track now, time will certainly tell the tale though. If you are new to T2D (Type 2 Diabetes) drop in and let us know how things are going.

I really appreciate your honesty. Around here, so many people seem to get a diagnosis and, BAM, 3-6 months later their A1c levels are in the 4-5 range. I struggle constantly, and it gets depressing.

Good luck on your journey!

@SaraKim17 Keep you head up my friend. Things will certainly get better as you figure out how to navigate your way through this journey. Being dishonest when it comes to my T2D will only end up hurting me physically in the long run. I have had to face the reality of leading a healthier lifestyle and making better choices if I ever want a chance at maintaining my BGL where they are supposed to be.

Thanks for the share and have a good weekend!