Type II Diabetics - Let's Support Each Other

cathyv0409

This must be the week for bloodwork I had mine done yesterday and I'm anxious (excited anxious) to find out the results when I see the doc tomorrow.

Katz, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss!

I'm going to look up the metabolic resistance training. That sounds interesting!! Thanks for mentioning it, JR

Patty, I don't know what kind of tester you have. I use the Accuchek Compact and can test on my forearm (although I usually use the heel of my hand). I love it because it comes with barrels loaded with 10 strips and I don't have to put a strip in each time I test. Hang in there!! Those rotten plateaus are SO hard on us mentally. I'm glad you are noticing your waist shrinking but understand what you are saying about the number on the scale being way too important sometimes.

Have a great day all!!
Cathy

jrbanta

My 13 year old black lab, Leo, took a turn for the worst yesterday after we left for work. We don't know what happened but now he won't eat, he can't climb up the stairs (has been difficult for him), and last night his breathing was labored. This morning he did drink water but still hasn't eaten. He managed to get outside to do his thing but now is laying at the bottom of the stairs and looks sad. I really don't want to have to make a decision about his quality of life...Makes me too sad to think he wouldn't be here anymore.

How are you doing Katz?

katzpawz

My 13 year old black lab, Leo, took a turn for the worst yesterday after we left for work. We don't know what happened but now he won't eat, he can't climb up the stairs (has been difficult for him), and last night his breathing was labored. This morning he did drink water but still hasn't eaten. He managed to get outside to do his thing but now is laying at the bottom of the stairs and looks sad. I really don't want to have to make a decision about his quality of life...Makes me too sad to think he wouldn't be here anymore.

How are you doing Katz?

jrbanta: I am so sorry about your Lab. We were just at that same point. Chess was still eating, but he could not get up by himself and we were having to help him walk outside to do his business. The last week or so that we had him, he and I slept on the ground floor (with me on the sofa) because he couldn't go up or down the stairs to the bedroom.

We're still adjusting. The remaining two dogs seem to be fine. I think they had already written off Chess as a viable member of the pack. The house does seem much more quiet, but we're getting used to it. I'm feeling that we did the right thing at the right time, even though I miss him.

You and Leo are in my thoughts. I know you'll take good care of him.

katz

jrbanta

After my lab work and one work appt. this morning I may call in sick and stay home with him. I thought about sleeping next to his dog bed last night but then didn't because I wanted him to rest without me. He tends to stay awake when I'm with him and I wanted him to rest. I laid with him for awhile and he wagged his tail a little and he liked being petted. So we'll see how today goes and tonight. Can't stand this... Thanks for your thoughts.

qtpiesmom

So went to the doctor today, he told me Im doing everything correct. My numbers are low but not to low even when I had spaghetti the other day all numbers below 7. He said thats a good thing exercise in doing what it needs. We talked over weight loss and doing it safe. Gonna do blood work again in June but Im also going to be with a different doctor that specializes in diabetics. There is a new drug on the market for diabetics that will help with weight loss as well. SO got a referral to the new doctor to get on this new medicine which is injectable once a day.
I had to stand on the scale so I lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks, yeppie for me

How are you ladies

jrbanta

What's the new drug for diabetes that helps with weight loss?

WalkingGirl1985

About 10 years ago my doctor said I had signs..was hovering on pre-diabetic. Right now my blood sugars have been stable. Going for another check on things during the summer. Also, my blood sugar tends to go low when i don't eat enough, so gotta make sure I eat enough, not over..and keep fueled.

qtpiesmom

Its called Victoza its an injectable from of Januvia and its supposed to help lose weight and its only given to diabetics. Once a day injection. Once I make it to that doctor Ill let you know but know here in Canada it can take 3 - 4 months to get into a specialist.

cathyv0409

JR and Katz, my thoughts and prayers are with you! I admire you for doing what is right for your pet even though it is so hard on you. My daughter had to make that decision for one of her beloved dogs a couple of years ago and I think it may have been one of the hardest things she has done even though she knew it was right.

qtpie - I have an appointment today and will ask my dr. what he thinks about Victoza. Thanks for the heads up!

You all have a wonderful day. I will check back in after my dr. appt with my A1c results.

Cathy

katzpawz

Thanks Cathy.

We miss the old guy, but the remaining two dogs are much more settled. I think they knew it was time.

How did things go at the doctor?

Cheers,
katz

cathyv0409

Good morning friends,
I had my dr. visit yesterday and my A1c was 5.8!!!! I was hoping (and expecting) it to be lower but was so excited to actually see it that low. My blood pressure was 108/70 (it has run a steady 140/80 for 30 years) and my iron and potassium were back up where they belong too! Overall, it was a great visit.

Thanks Katz for asking!

Everyone have a great Friday!
Cathy

jrbanta

Cathy- that's wonderful. I get my results next week. You must feel so good about what you've been doing for your health and seeing such good results.

Update on Leo, my dog- Well so far I think he doesn't want to leave us yet. He rebounded yesterday a little bit and ate some food. He's climbing the stairs to be with us and wants to be petted alot. He's enjoying eating the snow and has started barking to go out again. He's lost a lot of weight so we'll see where this goes. He's not totally himself but seems to be more energetic. Not time yet to make a decision... Thanks for all your kind thoughts and comments.

Jenny

katzpawz

Jenny: Glad to hear that Leo is doing better. What a lovely photo for your profile pic.

I hope you get good news from the doc.

katz

katzpawz

Good morning friends,
I had my dr. visit yesterday and my A1c was 5.8!!!! I was hoping (and expecting) it to be lower but was so excited to actually see it that low. My blood pressure was 108/70 (it has run a steady 140/80 for 30 years) and my iron and potassium were back up where they belong too! Overall, it was a great visit.

Thanks Katz for asking!

Everyone have a great Friday!
Cathy

Great news!! Way to go!

PoleBoy

Hi, I have type II, and eventually I was put on metformin for it. I don't take them any more because my blood sugar is well controlled now I've lost the weight.

I don't understand these funny numbers you Americans use but I was hitting 300 mg/dl before breakfast when I was 300+ lb, but now I'm around 165 lb I'm between 65-100.

Of course, I expect that'll go up a bit when I go back to maintenace.

I do have MFP show me my sugar intake, but as I eat a lot of fruit it tends to be quite high (but as it's not the HIGH GI of refined sugar it shouldn't be a problem). I'm currently aiming for 50% carbs, 20% fat and 30% protein.

I kinda stopped going to my Diabetic Nurse - she wanted me to stop blood testing and stay on the metformin, I wanted the opposite. Anyway, my Doctor nagged me into getting my HbA1c done, so we'll see what that reveals.

My weightloss has reached a plateau and I'm finding it hard to stick to my calorie limit when after four weeks I've seen zero loss on the scale, the inches on my waist have been shrinking but I don't know what it is about that scale number, it just seems so much more important

For managing your diabetes it's the waistline that's more important. But I've no idea where to measure my waist and to be quite honest it's an area of my body I avoid thinking about because it just upsets me. I'd rather be fat than deflated

monkeygirl6

Cathy those results are just awesome! Thats why we are on this lifestyle change!

Welcome poleboy! I think I understand the number issue I was having, when people talk about numbers like 5-6 they are talking about a1c results. it's good to know that with the weightless the blood sugar numbers can be controlled without drugs, which is a goal for me.

katzpawz

Cathy those results are just awesome! Thats why we are on this lifestyle change!

Welcome poleboy! I think I understand the number issue I was having, when people talk about numbers like 5-6 they are talking about a1c results. it's good to know that with the weightless the blood sugar numbers can be controlled without drugs, which is a goal for me.

In the U.K., the same scale is used for daily testing that is used for A1c.

I'm from the U.S., now living in London. It's taken a while for me to get used to using the different scale for daily testing.

Congrats poleboy on the weight loss and getting better control of your diabetes!

PoleBoy

UK daily blood testing is mmol/l. I thought HbA1c was % glycated haemoglobin,

katzpawz

UK measurements: the scale is the same; at least that's how the diabetes nurse explained it to me.

cathyv0409

Good morning everyone!
I hope everyone is having a great day! I'm off to work soon...which means walking across the living room into my office

Patty, did you get your new blood tester? If so, are you getting more accurate readings with it?

Poleboy, didn't you say you were had some bloodwork done? How did it go?

I'm really not sure what the different measurements are. The tester I use at home shows my readings for that moment and I think are supposed to be between 90 and 120. The A1c is supposed to measure my average blood sugar readings for the past 6 weeks or so. I found this chart that compares them
http://www.diabetes.com/blood-sugar-control-matters/a1c.html

Everyone have a wonderful day!!
Cathy

PoleBoy

Phoned for my results today - my HbA1c is 5.4% (which corresponds to a UK estimated average blood sugar level of 5.2 mmol/l, or an American estimated average blood sugar level of 108)

katzpawz

GREAT JOB!!

I'll get my results when I see the doc next week.

I had only just resumed my exercise in full force, after having surgery, about two weeks before my blood work was done. So I'm not expecting a terrific A1c, but I know from checking my blood sugar at home that my number are tending back downward!!

Have a great day!
katzpawz

jrbanta

I have my checkup with my doctor on Thursday morning but they did the A1c blood draw last week. I got my results today and I'm pleased that it dropped from 6.0 (August) to 5.6 (now). So improvement... My morning glucose has been in the 90's 2 of 3 checks this week so that makes me happy too. The other one was 113.

Leo, my dog, is back to being a happy guy. Much relief here, we weren't ready to lose him. Maybe he is sick of winter?

Well now that the birthday celebration is over and my two bad eating days are done, I'm back on track today. Nice logging and exercise. My sugars were a little over today but that was from my yogurt and an apple for an afternoon snack. I'm tempted to have a piece of apple pie from my son's bday (haven't had a piece yet) but I'm going to say no and not have it.

Well I'm tired and ready to go to bed so good night for now. Hope you all have a nice day tomorrow!

Jenny

katzpawz

@Jenny: Congrats on your numbers coming down! Good luck with your doctor's appointment. Those always stress me out!

I'm glad that Leo is feeling better.

See my doc on Tuesday, and we'll go over my labs and talk about my weight loss (or lack thereof). I've lost inches from exercising, but I don't seem to be losing weight. I've also had a couple of very low blood sugar readings recently. I'm starting to wonder if it might be time to make some changes to my meds.

Hope everyone has a great week!
katzpawz

jrbanta

katpawz- I know what you mean about getting nervous for the appt. When I was first going through my dx for Type II I was nervous at my checkups and my blood pressure was slightly elevated over two appts. They then said I needed a high blood pressure meds and I had never had high blood pressure before except when pregnant 3rd trimester. I was not happy. The diabetic counselor explained it would help keep my kidneys healthy so I accepted it but would still like to be taken off of it eventually.

My scale numbers are dropping very slowly but that's the way it always is for me so I just go by how I feel. I know I've lost inches and toned up so clothes feel so much better. I seem to lose at the end of the month so I've been weighing in this week because I feel like I've lost which I have taken off about a pound. Perseverence!!!!!!!! Takes a lot of patience doesn't it?

Jenny

katzpawz

Jenny: Here in the UK, the doc's office doesn't have the extra large blood pressure cuff. I guess they just don't have that many patients my size, but they still should have the right cuff. Anyway, my bp always measures border-line to a little high, and I know it has to be that the cuff is not the right size. Before I moved over here, my bp was always really good. The doc used to be baffled that I could be this heavy, diabetic and NOT have high blood pressure. I don't think he believed I am as active as I am.

One really cool thing that has happened since moving to the UK. Doctor's offices are in neighbourhoods/residential areas. My doc is literally on the next street from my home. I see him occasionally while I'm out for my walks, so he KNOWS that I'm working hard trying to get the weight off.

That's my rant for the day!!

Cheers,
katz (Kelly)

PoleBoy

I have "white coat hypertension" - AKA getting high blood pressure at the Doctors'

They were looking to put me on meds for that, but I got a Boots "clinically validate" wrist blood pressure meter, and used it daily - my Diabetic Nurse accepted that - YMMV

They did have a large cuff at my practice, I'm surprised that after the first time they didn't sort the problem.

katzpawz

I hear you on "white coat hypertension." I used to get really stressed out at doctor appointments. Primarily because it didn't seem to matter that my A1c was down, or my weight was down, it was never enough. I don't think that man has ever said an encouraging word to a patient in his career. The sad thing is that as endocrinologists go, he is one of the best in Atlanta. He really knows his stuff, but he has no bed-side manner at all.

I'm very happy with my doc here. He was proactive in having me screened for womb cancer when my mother was diagnosed with it. As a result, we found that I did have the very beginnings of it, so I've surgery and am fine now.

Happy Wednesday!
katzpawz

chroi23

Hi everyone...been a while since i was in this forum (keep having to refind it...lol).. I was wondering how often you all check your blood glucose...i was diagnosed 22 feb 2011 with a fasting blood glucose of 126 and my a1c was 5.7-ish...can't remember the exact # but i know it was under 6. Anyhow...the PA i saw wants me to only check my blood after i wake in the morning. To me that doesn't seem like enough since i'm needing to learn what it is that i can and cannot eat and the impact of things i eat on my blood glucose levels. So i've been checking first thing when i wake...just before a meal...and 2 hrs after a meal. That ran me into trouble as when i called in to have my scrip of test strips refilled they told me i had to wait 'til may 'cause they gave me 100 strips for 100 days. Anyhow, i have since called and talked to someone at the clinic and they said they'd see about getting a new scrip put in for me. Am i just being silly checking that often? i think my highest test was @ 189...and i have lows of the 60s when i don't have a snack or get busy (not very often for either of those extremes..but trying to cut that out all together) so i know i still have a lot to learn.

qtpiesmom

Depending I test sometimes 4 times a day if Im going to the doctors the week before SO I can show him. I test in the morning and 2 hours each meal. If its not a time when I am doing to the doctors. I will test in the morning and when I feel icky to see if Im low. But I dont test all the time. I used to test to see results of certain meals, meals that contained higher amounts of Carbs to see what it does to my numbers but I dont anymore because I live in the range of 5 - 8 most days in Canada our meters read the same as A1C.

Oh and a tip to find the post again on your profile page you have what threads you have posted in at the bottom left of the page.