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Hi my name is Nicolene and Im from South Africa.I was diagnosed with T2 about 2 weeks ago.So Im fairly new to this. Im using metformin x2 per day.Im feeling kinda depressed about everything.I keep asking myself how I could let things get out of hand like this.And then I still dont know what I should eat and when I should eat,what I should avoid etc.I feel so lost.I went to test my blood sugar today and it was even higher than what it was on the day they diagnosed me,which depressed me even more.The Nursing sister did give me some very good advice and tips.Firstly Im obese so I need to lose weight to try and reverse my diabetes.I have been an inactive user of MFP for a long time,so today I decided to browse the groups in search of a support group for diabetics.So happy that I found this group.I look forward to being a part of this group.0
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Welcome Nicolene. You are in the right place. I have been dealing with my diabetes for a few months now and am morbidly obese. I have lost 43 lbs since late December. My biggest changes came with dropping all soda and sugared drinks. I only drink tea or water. I also dropped rice, pasta and bread. If you have any questions, I will send you a friend request. We can do this together.
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Hi. My name is Don. I'm glad to have found this group. I was diagnosed T2 in November, 1994 at age 49. Like a lot of people, I took oral meds (Glucophage and Glyburide) but didn't give my condition its due. My A1c readings were consistently in the 8.0 - 8.6 range for years and years. I was, somewhere along the way, put on Lantus twice daily at 45ml each injection. Diabetes, as you all know, is a disease that does its damage silently. In April, 2005, I went stone cold deaf in my left ear as quickly as one turns a light switch on and off. The cause - nerve damage. There is nothing that can be done and a hearing aid would have no effect. After that I got serious.
I ultimately asked my primary physician for a referral to an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist ordered a C-peptide test that indicated my pancreas was producing so little insulin I would otherwise be considered a T1. The damage to the pancreas is presumed by the VA to be the result of ingesting too much Agent Orange while in Vietnam. The VA ultimately approved me for an insulin pump. I'm thrilled that since I've been on the pump (7 years) I have had A1c labs of 7.0, 7.1 & 7.3 with every other result being between 6.3 and 6.9. I have the labs done twice every year.
I was averaging about 70 units of insulin/day in the past. But, since I started here at MFP on 12/27/14 my current 31 day rolling average of insulin use is 36 units. I've not only changed my eating habits; but, I've been doing quite a bit of cardio that I hadn't done before. I'm down 28 pounds in this time. I've reached my original goal weight; but, I am going to attempt to lose another 10 - just at a little slower rate.
If I could offer any wisdom from my experience, I think the 2 things I would hope all diabetics would do are:
1) Take this disease as seriously as you do anything in your life. It truly is a life and death condition.
2) If you are taking multiple injections (each meal and each snack) daily, see if you can be prescribed a pump. Use of a pump is so much easier than 5 - 7 daily injections and provides the best control possible.
At my age (69), I've been able to test the general ability of the medical community in a variety of ways; and, I'm happy to report the physicians I deal with are doing a fairly good job. As I've told my family doctor, my endocrinologist, my urologist (prostate cancer in 2007), my cardiologist (quad by-pass in 2001) and my nephrologist (chronic kidney disease since about 2007), I am the healthiest cancer surviving, insulin dependent, heart patient with chronic kidney disease that any of them has. Funny thing is they all agree. I have refused to allow any of these things to slow me down. I do what I want, when I want.
I hope I can offer help, insight and support to others in this group.0 -
When my sugars get down below 60 I get the shakes very badly. If they get up around 280, I can fall asleep within 5 seconds of sitting down.stephenrhinton wrote: »Unlike many people I hear talk about diabetes I cannot 'feel' any difference between my sugar highs and lows.0 -
Greetings, I'm Robert and tend to use "fish2find" on most message boards, blogs, media ect. I made it 46 years on a DGF diet and followed very few dietary rules. In December my body shut down and I was hospitalized with pancreatitis. Ok, that cleared up most of my denial. LOL
The doc says my blood sugar ran about 350 most of the time. I knew my eyes went to crap over the 4 months before I was hospitalized and Ive been sweating non stop for a couple years. I knew things where bad but figured they would fix themselves.
What hit me the worst was my parents and my kids in my hospital room, the look on there faces, them dealing with my passing was awful and really shook me up.
When I was out of the hospital (Mid December) I joined MFP and started a life change. I was 295 and looked like doo doo.
On the bright side I've lost 65 pounds since December and enjoy healthy foods that I previously refused to try. I'm walking at least 2 miles and hope to get off the meds one day. Ill go one day at a time.
Previously my triglycerides averaged 2000 plus. Last checked they are still high, but only like 350 high and no longer 2K high.
This site and the people have been a big help to me and I'm learning all the time. I should probably mention that I've been a nurse for 25 plus years and so is my wife. I think many assume that we would be experts in nutrition with that back ground. I guess I missed some classes in that area. LOL
Thanks for having this group, I appreciate having folks knowing what I'm dealing with available for support.
Thanks for reading,0 -
Hi Y'all!
My name is Ginger and I am recently diagnosed with T2. My Grandmother had it and always knew there was that chance, but kept holding on to that hope that is would skip me (even though most other family issues haven't - LOL). MY A1C was 6.3 with an average 134. So it doesn't sound bad, and am hoping that maybe we can at least get me off the meds (Metformin 1500mg daily). I know small changes can lead to bigger changes but I must admit when you start doing the research to find out how to eat, when to eat, what to eat, etc, it really is a bit overwhelming. I'm not sure how much help I will be to others, but will do my best to support anyone any way i can. Anyway, after reading a few of these posts and such I felt comfortable enough to join the group. Thank you.0 -
Hi! I'm Linda, and I joined MFP yesterday. So far, so good, but I have a horrible sweet tooth. Until I can afford (or need) to go grocery shopping, I have to use up the foods I have in my pantry and fridge. I have lots of regular Jell-O gelatin and pudding, Reddi Whip (share it with one of my cats; she gets a 1" squirt every other day), ice cream, Lindt chocolate, Cheetos, Cracker Jack... you name it, I have a wealth of comfort foods here (I'm also an emotional eater).
My last A1C was 8.3 (late October). I figured it was high because it was only three months since I lost my husband (4-year battle with cancer) and moving, so I was eating whatever, whenever; I asked the doctor to help me. I'm on 40 units of Lantus pen every night. I've stopped eating anything sweet as a late-evening snack, so my fasting blood sugar, according to my meter, is under 150. This morning, though, it was 147, and I don't know why, as I didn't have anything sweet as a late-night snack and took my insulin as directed. The last several days, I was 110-120. I looked at my food diary, and I don't see where I had too much sugar or carbs or anything like that. And I wasn't abnormally stressed yesterday, either.
I plan my food ahead for the day so I don't have to wonder what to cook (leading me to overeat something I shouldn't have), and I can adjust what I'm going to eat as I need to. I really like MFP; besides the insulin, my doctor "told" me (not a suggestion, it was an order!) to come here. I'm so glad I did; it was the best advice he's given me so far.
I need help, as the foods I have here are full of sugar and fat. I can't throw out the bad food, as I can't afford to replace it, but I'll replace them as they run out. For example, instead of Jell-O full-sugar chocolate pudding, I'll get the sugar-free; instead of full-fat cheese, I'll get the low-fat cheese; instead of a large piece of homemade lasagna (or spaghetti and meatballs, along with garlic cheese bread), I'll have a small piece and no garlic cheese bread. I'm afraid, though, that I'm going to crave some of these foods and go crazy with them until I can slowly eat them up and replace them with only the good stuff.
Eating three meals a day is tough for me; I usually skip one. I know that's not good for me, but if I'm not hungry, I don't eat. I guess it's about developing a new habit. Any suggestions or help I get here are going to be priceless. Thank you for being here!
Linda0 -
I was diagnosed in January after my 2nd heart attack. I tried to be in denial about it since the doctor was so casual in my diagnoses but another doctor told me straight up, "You're on Metformin. You have diabetes. There's nothing near or almost about it." Now comes living with it so losing weight and learning to eat properly are not optional. I find I know almost nothing about T2D and having to learn is almost overwhelming. I'm hoping I can find support and wisdom here in this group.0
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Hi I am a t2 diag in 2005 did great with bs numbers then had no health care for 9 years new dr will decide if i go on insulin or victoza..i am currently studing a 30 day plan that has already been a good refresher course, i am now off crackers and pretzels i crave salt and crunch foods not sweets, i am now eating cup of salad a day, learning new foods , i love walking and working in my garden, it my carb cravings that bring me down, my bs two weeks ago was 285 its now 145-165 when i test l hour after my noon meal, giving up all sugars and diet sugars and diet cola has gotten me better numbers..i am cancer survivor with hashimotos i love doing tai chi for seniors...hearing is half gone, blurry vision, leg neuropthy as a result of no health care for 9 years..i am a work in progress would love to learn recipes for healthy clean salads ,, its hot in az 92 so i dont do hot foods in summer..thanks0
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Hi, I was diagnosed last year as pre-diabetic and tried to do the diet and exercise routine and that didn't work out for me so about 2 weeks ago I went to doctor for an authorization for eye surgery and to my surprise he said he could not authorize because of my high sugar levels and high bp too. So his recommendation was to get me started with meds. I started taking the tradjenta 5 mg 1 per day and for my HBP keep taking Atenolol 100 mg per day and add cosaar 50 mg 1 per day. I started MFP for login purpose of my calorie intake and also tracking all my fat, carbs, sodium, sugars...ect. I'm hoping to get good results for the next four weeks, so far I'm able to handle all my daily logins for all meals and staying within my calories, though sometimes I go over on my fats. I have stopped eating breads and pastas and sugary foods. My bs goes anywhere from 118 to 234 and I'm having a hard time in finding the right foods to keep my bs stable. I will keep searching new recipes and foods to help keep me on track; if not the dr. will just probably give me different meds to try:(:(
I enjoying reading all the posts here on this T2 forum. Good luck to all.0 -
Ok, more sad news. Originally, my doctor said I could live without checking my sugars on my own, going for A1C evals instead. Well, now I am full-on insulin-dependent and have to cut up my finger or arm according to meter instructions, after getting sick recently. At least Mom has been through it, so I have free diabetes education!Hello. My name is Zoe Bevers. I was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, with sugar going down after drastic lifestyle change. I don't like needles, so I don't want to test myself if I don't have to. I am also on Metformin, like another member, as well as harsh diet and extreme exercise. I love myfitnesspal to let me know how many calories are left in each day. The hard part is that I am in a wheelchair, limiting my exercise options to horse riding and hand biking, 1 hr weekly and 30 mins-1 hr daily, respectively. I also must eliminate ALL flour and sweetness (BOOO!) from my life.0 -
Thanks! I just left the doctor, who told me that I now must poke myself, can't get out with only A1C as a guide to how to live. Unfortunately, what probably led to this is the fact that I was just hospitalized for a wound-related infection, which apparently does rotten things to blood sugar. Now I'm stuck in denial again, as I was at diagnosis, and confused about just about everything regarding this nasty disease. I know this sounds mean, but I thank God for a mom who has walked down the gestational and Type II Diabetes roads before me, so she is the ideal diabetes educator for me, though I would love to see what you guys are learning. I do appreciate your tip regarding using other parts of the finger. I will add that my doctor says that my arm might be a comfortable site. I personally cringe at that idea because phlebotomy (sp?) in the arm really hurts me, often leaving a mark.Hello. My name is Zoe Bevers. I was recently diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, with sugar going down after drastic lifestyle change. I don't like needles, so I don't want to test myself if I don't have to. I am also on Metformin, like another member, as well as harsh diet and extreme exercise. I love myfitnesspal to let me know how many calories are left in each day. The hard part is that I am in a wheelchair, limiting my exercise options to horse riding and hand biking, 1 hr weekly and 30 mins-1 hr daily, respectively. I also must eliminate ALL flour and sweetness (BOOO!) from my life.
Hi, Welcome Zoe!
Glad to hear your blood sugars have come down as a result of the new lifestyle changes you've made. Being diagnosed with a condition of diabetes for many people brings with it a wide range of emotions at first.
As T2D's we're carbohydrate intolerant. The myfitnesspal program is a powerful tracking tool when applied correctly in helping us track the carbs we eat. Each of is unique in how the various carbs we eat effect our blood sugars. Testing before meals and 2hrs after is an important part of the learning process of how the choices we make affect the blood sugar and the target goals we set for ourselves with the help of our healthcare providers.
By eating to your meter you'll quickly learn, what effects the food choices you've made had on your blood sugars. I can empathize with your dislike of needles. Testing can and will be somewhat uncomfortable at times. I've found ways to reduce this discomfort by changing out my testing lancets before each test. I also found more comfort by using the sides of my finger tips instead of my finger pads. Rotate your lancing sites too. Most lancing devices give the ability to dial back the depth. I'd recommend starting at the lowest setting and dial up until you are able to produce a large enough sample for a test result.
It's great you have an interest in riding and hand biking too given your limitations. Google is your friend when looking towards adding additional exercise routines to your temporary or permanent wheel chaired lifestyle.
This community is very eager to help and support your efforts through sharing knowledge and advise whenever possible along with offering genuine encouragement too.
Best wishes for your success and good health!0 -
Hi! I'm PattiAnn. I was diagnosed in November of 2013. I'd like to lose 30 lbs by the end of this year by exercising and eating like an adult by using MFP. How do I know that I have the correct percentages of carb/protein/fats? Thanks! I'm excited to start the second leg of this journey
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Hello Everyone, My name is Abel and I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes a couple of years ago, i am also taking metformin and losartan, i have started my fitness pal about 2 months ago after it was recommended by my weight loss doctor and dietician, and I am happy to say that i have lost 14lbs since i started watching my calorie intake and reducing my carbs, i take phentermine everyday and walk about 3 miles daily. I am open to other suggestions and tricks for weight loss.0
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Hello, my name is Geri. I was diagnosed in 2012 with an A1C of 12! I am currently on Metformin with a small dose of Glipizide in the am to bring down my FBG. I have serious dawn phenomenon issues. I am usually between 136 (a good day) and 175 in the am. Does not matter what I eat, or if I eat, or what time I eat the night before - always high in the morning. My goal is to lose some weight to see if that will make a difference. It is so frustrating!
My A1C has been in the low 6's lately, so I really need to get control.
I have tried the diet recommended by the diabetes nutritionist I saw, but I am one of those people who cannot have "just a small serving" of sweets or other limited items. So, I am returning to a LCHF diet that worked for me in the past. I know this time that it is not something I will give up once I lose the weight, I will have to be one of those who live on it. Besides, I do feel better on this WOE than when I eat carbs and sweets. I just need encouragement to follow through.0 -
I had gestational diabetes with my last child 20 years ago. I'm not a stranger to diabetes and was told that I would probably develop diabetes again when I got older. Looks like I got older.
I found out that I am diabetic when test results came back from a physical required to get term life insurance. The letter arrived on April 18th, 2015. I was shocked to find a very high blood sugar and A1C (over 13). They denied the insurance.
As soon as I found out, I started back in MyFitnessPal and scheduled a doctor appointment. I am currently on metformin, in the process of the clinic education and working hard to lower the blood sugars. My blood sugar is still high, but is coming down.
There has been a lot of stress this past year due to health issues with my son and financial issues. I have a small business that is failing (partly because of the time required to take care of my son and also losing a prominent client.)
The exercise I've started up again has helped me feel a lot better. Experienced just a little of the 'runner high' - but these issues have not gone away.
I am very encouraged by reading the experiences of others - both success and stories of learning - even if by hard knocks. Right now, I feel as though I'm in danger, it is a strong motivation to work at it. But as the numbers get normal, I will very likely need support to keep things up. I appreciate that a group like this exists here.0 -
Hello all - new here. Have had type 2 for 3+ years. Had gestational diabetes twice before that. Have done well with diet and metformin in keeping my A1C under 6. I have more than 150 to lose, and am just getting started. Glad to find this group!0
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Hi:
I'm new, so not sure if this is where I start. If not, if someone could please advice. I'm T/2 taking metformin & Glipizide. I hate it and I really hate Diabetes. I'm retired after many years of being a Long Haul Truck Driver. I'm married and my wife and daughter who is a RN nurse. I at the point, I don't know if life is worth living anymore. Anything and everything I go to eat I get hollered at. I feel like I'm alone. I was put out on disability early because of T/2. My social security isn't enough to support me and with no pension, I feel like I screwed. I hate this Diabetes thing. My wife and daughter tell me the reason I keep getting so angry is my PTSD. Yes I'm a vet and yes I have some real issues after 2 years spent in Viet-nom as a marine. But that didn't cause my diabetes. My wife and daughter tell me I need to loose 50 pounds. I'm 6ft large frame and weigh 250 lbs. Now I love my wife but she 5ft 2 and weighs 225lbs and she on me 24/7 about eating to much and the wrong thing. I sorry folks obviously I'm very mad and just venting but how the hell do you put up with this 24/7.0 -
Hello,
I was diagnosed T2 in 2012.I am on Metformin XR 1000mg a day. My FBS have been around 140 in the mornings and I know it is diet related.
I am 41, married, and a mom with 2 awesome boys. Diabetes runs in the family and I feel I have not been taking proper care of myself. So my husband and I have joined MFP together to start our journey of weight loss, so we can become healthier for ourselves and the family. We are also including the boys who will benefit from eating healthier and doing exercise also.
I am a Veterinary Technician and my job is very physical and demanding. I want to be able to keep up with everyone. We share 4 cats, a dog and 2 cockatiels. Happy I found this group.
Heidi0 -
Hi I am a cancer survivor with Hashimotos been on Metformin for 10 years I do a lot of gardening yard work walking tai chi...all of a sudden my bs numbers start shooting up I keep a food log on paper for my dr..and a exercise log...the Metformin wasnt working and so this June 3rd they will start me on Lantus Insulin picking up the bottle and syringes today...YIPES ..nervous but hoping this will help have a refresher diabetes class this Friday and the Nurse training me how to use the syringe June 3rd I figured if i can beat cervical cancer and thyroid cancer I can learn how to inject myself...I am a mild carb junke crackers anything salty with a crunch so i tossed it all outside to birds and am eating a low carb atkins meaty menu with lots of raw veggies.today is my first day also with no diet cola..gezzz thought it was ok but its not..so good bye to crackers and diet cola..will chat with anyone and like friends who are on insulin pens or inject and see how your controling your numbers..thanks for any info or help0
