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Hi all.
well my story....I had the AC1 test taken (mid day) back in July
Does the time of day make a difference?
I received the results Aug 17?
Since starting meds my morning numbers upon waking seem to range from
112, 135 (had 25g carb bar before bed), 112, 118, 79, 103
Before starting meds my morng range upon waking was 124
I'm trying to learn as much as I can, but I'm wondering how much "prolonged stress" has an impact on sugar readings
Additionally I'm having a really hard time with breakfasts...I don't seem to really find my grove until "dinner". I' don't know if it's my thoughts or what but things I used to find pleasure in eating for breakfast I no longer seem to tolerate well; i.e. eggs, oatmeal
Additionally can other medications impact your sugar levels; i.e. asthma Advair?
Any assistance or support would be greatly appreciated.
It would be nice to also have some friends...I'm not a blogger but I do like to email members specific questions.
Dee0 -
Hi Deeschange and welcome to this group. While I can't answer your questions ref BG readings ,I can assure you that this group is an extremely supportive one and I trust you quickly feel at home. Take your time to read through the various boards and get a feel for things. When you're ready to ask questions you will find a number of experienced people on here who are willing to share from their own experience. You will quickly find that Diabetes is a very individual condition in some ways and what works for one person may not work for you. Don't let this discourage you, very often it is a case of trtial and error before finding what works for you. If you haven't yet been given an appointment with a Diabetes educator or a place on a Diabetes course you should try to arrange a training session as soon as possible. These courses are excellent and provide really important information. I wish you well in your journey to a healthy and active life and will certainly help in any way I can.0
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Hi Dee,
A1C is an average of 3 months so the time of day it is taken isn't important.
Good for you that you are aware of what you eat the night before and how it impacts you. testing is really the only way to know what works and doesn't work. I suggest not just testing in the morning but do so about 2 hrs after you eat meals. Different people have different bad times so you want to figure out what your body does and how it likes or doesn't like certain foods.
For most people, stress has a huge impact on BG. Exercise not only makes your body work better but can relieve stress.
Oatmeal doesn't work for me, it is high carb and while healthy and high in fiber it send my BG soaring. Eggs on the other hand are low carb and I can eat all I want. Try different combos of food. Something can have the same carb count yet cause your body to react differently. Also be aware that different foods may absorb differently so testing at 1 hr, 2 hr, and 3 hr post prandial can be informative. Once you have figured out what your body does with different types of foods you will know the best time to be testing.
Yes, other meds can affect your BG. If you get sick you can go high. Pretty much everything has the potential to affect BG so frequent testing can tell you what is up with you.
Feel free to ask questions, it is highly likely that there will be several people who have experience with it.0 -
Thank you.
I eliminated oatmeal off my list of breakfast foods this morning.......0 -
Hello, my name is Allan and I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes March 30 2011. Hit me by surpise, but I knew something was wrong when my vision started getting blurry and the constant "being thirsty". My coworker forced me to the doctor, where my Blood Sugar read 250. Doctor said I caught it early and with a good diet and metaformin, I should be able to beat. Been an up hill battle, kidneys and blood pressure spiked drastically to my diabetes two months ago. Along with the metaformin, I'm on cholesterol and blood pressure meds. I've lost 18 pounds since July and have a ways to go.0
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Hi Alan and welcome to this group. You are blessed in that you had a coworker who cared enough to urge you to get medical help. The good news is that there is a lot which can be done to help us to lead healthy and active lives. If you haven't yet been given an appointment to see a diabetic educator or attend a diabetic education course I would suggest that you follow this up and arrange such a session. Many of us in this group have found such education to be both informative and encouraging. The other good news is that the people in this group are very supportive and understanding. Take your time to read around the boards within this and similar diabetes support groups and get a feel for the site. When you're ready to ask questions you will find lots of knowledgable people on here who are willing to share their experience with those more recently diagnosed. One of the first things to learn is that we are all different and react differently to various foods. What foods or meds suit one person may not suit you. Don't be discouraged but keep experimenting and testing until you find what works for you. You also need to recognise the need for total honesty in recording your meals. You need to be persistent and patient. There is no quick fix answer because what you are engaged on is a total lifestyle change. It may seem daunting but it can be done as can be testified by many of the people in this group. I wish you well in your efforts and will certainly help in any way I can.0
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Welcome to the club, Albeedat,
I have many of the same issues (and a he11 of a lot more) but have probably 30-40 years on you. Be thankful you found this while you are young, it is a little more difficult to correct as you get older. Congrats on the weight loss, that really helps as well as exercise if you can fit that in. With me, the carbs are what did me in, lot of pasta, bread, cake, cookies, pie . . I could go on and on. Now I limit my carb intake and “eat to my meter”. I log everything I eat so I can see what may spike my blood glucose. Good luck.0 -
Welcome Allan
I am a newbie diagnosis as well (Sept 2012) , but here's a "win"....since starting Metformin for the first time in many many years my blood pressure is finally leveling out.....I'm commited to losing more weight and cutting the carbs. I've received a wealth of information from people on this board that has already assisted in reshaping my thinking and tweaking my meals....
I think for me I need to develop a mantra or moto something like.... in time all things are possible
Dee0 -
Hello. Ed here from Indiana. I'm retired and have been diagnosed type 2 since 1995. I've gone the route from oral meds to Byetta to both Novolog and Lantus insulin injections. I'm also a carbohydrate addict and was blowing through all the medications as a result. My blood glucose was controlled some of the time but not all the time and not adequately. Increased eating and more insulin had me on a downward spiral of insulin resistance, weight gain and everything else associated with metabolic syndrome. I switched doctors this year and for the first time in my life feel like I'm getting treatment for me and not just a statistic.
The steps for me have been: Controlling Sleep Apnea > Learning that a low-carb diet is not dangerous > Breaking the carb addiction > Starting a low-carb life style > Fewer and less intense mood swings > At least some daily exercise > Reduced insulin requirements > Weight loss > Starting back on Metformin > etc. It's taken me a long time to get here and it will take awhile to reverse the process, but at least I'm on the right track now and there's hope. I will be very interested to see the numbers for my next cholesterol check and hope to lose enough weight to get off of the "high risk" medication band wagon. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to learning more from y'all. (deep southern Indiana)0 -
Hi, my name is Carl..I live in the city of myrtle beach south carolina. I joined this group because I am new to the Diabetes world and don't really know what I am doing. Dr. said to cut carbs down to 120grams a day. It is working well..however I am always on the go and need ideas of quick meals....Any Ideas?0
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Hey, Carl. Your best option would be to pack your own lunch and snacks. If that's not practical, here are some ideas I got by googling 'low carb fast food'. You can hitchhike from these or google for more ideas. Good luck.
"If you find yourself at a fast food restaurant and want something that will go easy on your blood sugars, here are seven options. They are not healthy options, but they won’t leave your blood sugars spinning.
1. Ditch the buns. You can order a hamburger without a bun at McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King. The resulting stack will only have a few carbohydrates for the condiments. Don’t forget to ask for a knife and fork!
2. Grilled KFC Double Down. With 3 grams of carbs, you can still get your sandwich fix. That said, I still think our D.D. Double Down is better.
3. McDonald’s Salads. The side salads only have 3 grams of carbohydrates – but check the dressings. The creamy caesar and balsamic vinagrette both only have 4g of carbs. For a full-sized salad, your best bet is the Caesar salad without chicken (7g carbs). A grilled chicken Caesar adds 30g carbs! The crispy chicken actually has 2g less carbs than the grilled. Go figure! So don’t make assumptions, check the nutrition facts.
4. Subway Salads. Remember when Subway was promoting those low-carb wraps? Well, they discontinued them a year or two ago. So the only option here is a salad (around 10g of carbs).
5. Burger King Fresh Apple Fries. To accompany your bunless burger or Tendergrill Chicken Salad (8g of carbs if you skip the croutons), try the apple fries. They are not fried and contain a mere 4g of carbs. Salad + dressing + apples < 25g carbs!
6. Chipotle. A burrito bowl (burrito minus the wrap) is a great option. You can enjoy lettuce, any meat, fajita veggies, cheese, and sour cream for 10g or less in carbs. Watch out for the dressing (12g), hot salsa (8g), and corn (15g).
7. Little Caesars. Sorry, no low-carb pizza options! But there are no grams of carbs in their chicken wings and just a gram in the mild or hot wing. Barbecue wings have 3g of carbs each, so watch out for those."
http://www.diabetesdaily.com/voices/2009/05/6-low-carb-fast-food-choices/0 -
3. McDonald’s Salads. The side salads only have 3 grams of carbohydrates – but check the dressings. The creamy caesar and balsamic vinagrette both only have 4g of carbs. For a full-sized salad, your best bet is the Caesar salad without chicken (7g carbs). A grilled chicken Caesar adds 30g carbs! The crispy chicken actually has 2g less carbs than the grilled. Go figure! So don’t make assumptions, check the nutrition facts.
That's got to be a typo or someone made a mistake reading the website. It's impossible that grilled chicken, a protein, would add 30g of carbs, not unless you literally coated it in a heavy layer of sugar. I just checked their website and there are only 10 grams of carbs total in a premium Caesar salad with grilled chicken.0 -
Hello, my name is Allan and I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes March 30 2011. Hit me by surpise, but I knew something was wrong when my vision started getting blurry and the constant "being thirsty". My coworker forced me to the doctor, where my Blood Sugar read 250. Doctor said I caught it early and with a good diet and metaformin, I should be able to beat. Been an up hill battle, kidneys and blood pressure spiked drastically to my diabetes two months ago. Along with the metaformin, I'm on cholesterol and blood pressure meds. I've lost 18 pounds since July and have a ways to go.
Hi Allan,
You are lucky you were diagnosed early. Even though I was being watched for a few years by the time they said I'd crossed the line I already had some retinal damage. With good control that has cleared up and my last eye check was still an all clear. And while 250 is high it isn't nearly as bad as some people have at diagnosis.
Welcome to the board. Diabetes is an ongoing experiment and you can learn a lot from the people here. We are also a very supportive group.0 -
Hello. Ed here from Indiana. I'm retired and have been diagnosed type 2 since 1995. I've gone the route from oral meds to Byetta to both Novolog and Lantus insulin injections. I'm also a carbohydrate addict and was blowing through all the medications as a result. My blood glucose was controlled some of the time but not all the time and not adequately. Increased eating and more insulin had me on a downward spiral of insulin resistance, weight gain and everything else associated with metabolic syndrome. I switched doctors this year and for the first time in my life feel like I'm getting treatment for me and not just a statistic.
The steps for me have been: Controlling Sleep Apnea > Learning that a low-carb diet is not dangerous > Breaking the carb addiction > Starting a low-carb life style > Fewer and less intense mood swings > At least some daily exercise > Reduced insulin requirements > Weight loss > Starting back on Metformin > etc. It's taken me a long time to get here and it will take awhile to reverse the process, but at least I'm on the right track now and there's hope. I will be very interested to see the numbers for my next cholesterol check and hope to lose enough weight to get off of the "high risk" medication band wagon. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to learning more from y'all. (deep southern Indiana)
Hi Ed,
Sounds like your are doing great. Breaking the carb cycle is tough. I spent several months on a very low carb diet and have found that it broke the cycle and now I don't crave them as much. Getting BG under control can really help mood swings. I think my hubs is much happier since the last few months I've been on amaryl I have less BG swings and also have gotten some of my female hormone issues under control for the first time since I was like 12.
Welcome to the board.0 -
Hi, my name is Carl..I live in the city of myrtle beach south carolina. I joined this group because I am new to the Diabetes world and don't really know what I am doing. Dr. said to cut carbs down to 120grams a day. It is working well..however I am always on the go and need ideas of quick meals....Any Ideas?
Hi Carl,
I hope your dr. has sent you to a diabetes education class. This will help you gain a lot of basic knowledge although T2 is really a continuing experiment to figure out what works for you which may not be the same as what works for me. MFP is a great way to track your carbs, especially if you are new to carb counting.
I'm cheap and find that restaurant food often has hidden carbs and a lot of sodium. The night before work I pack my lunch often using leftovers from dinner. On a day off you can prepare food ahead. Precook some chicken, prechop veggies etc. A lot of times I take sandwiches and veggies so it is easy for me to take a walk while I eat (I only take 30 mins for lunch). Hard boiled eggs are also a great low carb meal or snack. I make my sandwiches in low carb tortillas or those 100 cal sandwhich thins or pile meat and cheese between the two halves of one slice of bread.
Dinner is often a piece of meat flipped in a pan, veggies (I avoid canned because of the salt but often use frozen), and a salad. You get used to not having a starch all the time. I sometimes do eat potatoes, rice or noodles, just not every night. I also do stir frys a lot. Costco has a yummy stir fry frozen mix. I've also seen some groceries have prechopped stir fry veggies in the produce cooler. Lately, one of my fav quickies has been the Costco salmon burgers. I also take an unbreaded frozen fish fillet and either flip it in a pan or even zap it in the microwave.
I have that for me, I must have some kind of carby food for breakfast. I run 3 times a week and will hit the wall if I don't fuel my morning exercise. Even on non-running days I generally walk a few miles. I avoid juice (although there are some really good sugar free cranberry ones out there for a couple grams a glass) or other liquid carbs. I prefer whole fruit since the fiber helps slow sugar absorption. Mashed cauliflower is a pain to make but taste much better than you think. When I was on 25 carbs a day it was like heaven. With fast food I remove at least half the bun. I carry almonds with me to keep hunger at bay until I can get home to eat something healthier. Atkins bars make good, low carb junk food. Dark chocolate does too.
Welcome to the group!0 -
Hello, my name is Gary. I was diagnosed with T2 last August. Doc put me on 500mg of Metformin and said to make adjustments to my diet. I live in the South and have enjoyed Southern cooking for a good portion of my life. With the diagnosis we made major lifestyle changes in our household - good bye biscuits and gravy ;-) . To date I've lost over 100 lbs and my wife has lost over 60 lbs.
I'm still on the meds, I haven't seen my doctor in 6 months. I have an appointment with him next month to follow up. Currently I'm about 6 lbs shy of a healthy weight, at least according to the outdated charts in the doctors office. Anyway, I don't really know what to expect when I visit the doctor. I'll just roll with it no matter what he says. My goal is to eventually get off the metformin. I also take methatrexate to treat psoriatic arthritis. Although I don't drink my liver is taking some abuse from the combination of meds.
Although I've just now joined this group I have dropped in from time to time to read through the threads. It's good to hear from so many people that have learned to manage their T2.0 -
Hi Gary and welcome to this group. You've done very well to recognise that we are engaged on a lifestyle change and not a fad diet. What you and your wife have both achieved is highly commendable and you should congratulate yourselves. You say that you have been doing some background reading on the various boards. That is great to hear because the more information we have about diabetes the better position we are in to seperate sound information from the bad. I'm a bit concerned that you are having 6 monthly checks especially in light of the fact that you have experienced some kidney problems. I realise that different medics have different approaches. I'm in the UK and we have blood tests every 3 months to check A1cs, cholestrol and usually have urine checked to check kidney function. You don't say if you have attended or have been booked on to a diabetes education course. If your Dr hasn't done this I suggest you follow this up as quickly as possible. If you haven't had your feet checked for neuropathy or had your eyes checked for retinopathy you should speak to your Dr as soon as possible. The diabetes support groups on MFP are excellent are provide really good sources of information. The more you arm yourself with information the better position you will be in when talking to your Drs and the more questions you will be able to ask. Diabetes is a very individual complaint and what works for one person may not work for you. Each of us has to find out how various foods affect us. The good news is that with patience, persistence and honest recording of our daily intake we can lead healthy and active lives. When you're ready to ask questions you will find that the people in this and similar diabetes support groups on MFP are very supportive and willing to share their knowledge with other group members. I wish you well for the future and will certainly help in any way I can. Fell free to friend me if you think I can help.0
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Thank you Robert, I'll keep this in mind when I visit my doctor. My kidneys are fine. I get plenty of lab tests to make sure all is well with my liver, kidneys, blood glucose level, etc. My Rheumatologist draws labs quarterly and my primary care physician draws labs every 6 months. I feel like a pin cushion when it's all said and done. I selected my primary care physician based on his knowledge of diabetes.0
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Hi Gary,
Glad you decided to quit lurking and post. You and your wife have made amazing changes! Good job on the weight loss. While I don't believe weight is the deciding factor in getting T2 it certainly can make it much worse. I'm sure you will have a pleasant surprise when you get your A1C. Can you ask that your rheumatologist draw an A1C so you are being tested every 3 months? Livers can be amazingly resiliant. I have been on a bunch of different drugs since I was a teen and my liver function tests always come out a little off but have never dipped into the danger zone. I've even had my liver scanned and all sorts of tests over the years.0 -
That's a good thought, I'll talk to her about that the next time I see her. I understand that it's not all about the weigh, my mom also has T2 - I'm aware that genetics plays a factor as well.Can you ask that your rheumatologist draw an A1C so you are being tested every 3 months?
Testing shows my liver to be OK. That said, I would like to get off of a couple of my meds. I'm fairly certain that my blood pressure has dropped enough that I no longer need medications for controlling BP. I'll check with my PCP about this when I go in for the check up. I have hopes of getting off the metformin with diet control and regular exercise - we will see. I don't know of anyway to get off the meds for arthritis. It has improved with my dietary changes, but like T2 there's no cure.
You gotta have goals, one of my goals is to take fewer meds by improving my health through lifestyle changes.0
