Diabetes II

FluffnStuff

This may of been touched on before, but I have been away for months and am at that desperate stage.
Both of my parents have Diabetes II and although it's common in my family I have nevee bothered to find out much about it.
Well, being obese, not working out for months and HORRIBLE eating the last year may have sriven my body over the edge. I have many of the symptoms listed on websites, but do not have any financial/insurance means for all the testing, etc.
So, with that all in mind what should I do? I haven't been able to utilize this site because my laptop is on the fritz. Also, limited income(went from being a teacher to working at the mall and as an aide), space(living at in-laws,who's kids eat everything...without asking), and to top it off...just got married to my fiance once he returned from Iraq...and he's 80% completely different.
Help!?!?

stormieweather

The methods of controlling diabetes through diet and exercise are good habits for everyone. So, until you can get tested, I'd say to behave as though you do have it and live accordingly.

Eat smaller meals-5 to 6 times a day.
Limit sugar-in particular avoid simple carbs
Drink lots of water
Get regular exercise - walks/run, gym, workout to DVD's, etc.
Get your weight down to a reasonable level via a (healthy) calorie deficit and exercise
Eat lots of veggies and low GI fruits
Get enough fiber
Don't smoke or drink (alcohol has an extremely detrimental affect on a diabetic)
Learn to manage your stress
Keep a close eye on your feet-treat them well, watch for cuts, infections, sores, etc. and see a Dr immediately if you see one.
Brush and floss and take very good care of your teeth.
Get immediate medical attention if anything unusual occurs (severe night sweats, blood in urine, fainting, an infection that won't heal, eyesight changes, etc)

mrsyac2

try eating low glycemic index foods- exercising and being active in general

the good thing about Diabetes II is that you can control it simply by changing your diet and losing weight-

so get moving- You can test your blood sugar on your own too they have at home test simple prick of the finger.

But regardless get moving and start eating right- Just because its in your family doesn't mean you have to get it if you do what is right for your body- Somethings in life you can control

PatB52

Stormie has given a dynamite list!

I know from recent experience that losing just 10% of you body weight can make a dramatic difference in your blood sugar levels. I've only lost about 5% so far and my glucose levels are incredibly improved. I am exercising 6-7 days a week (mostly walking) and logging my food here at MFP. I'm having to be very careful what I eat to keep my calories where they should be, but it's working!

I hope that you can find a way to be seen by a physician. It will be better if you know for sure that you are or aren't diabetic. If you aren't, the tips given will help to stave it off, possibly for years.

katznketo

I have Type II. Or let's say it does not have me. My doctor insisted I go on meds. They destroy your kidneys, put you on dialysis and make you fatter.

So i got off all carbs - you know the bad ones. I eat 1 ounce oatmeal in the moring, and apple and an egg.

for lunch I eat meat and veggies and salad. pear in the afternoon

Dinner is same as lunch. If I exercise, i'll add a carb like oatmean bar I make myself, 1/3 cup rice or beans. It I am eating every 3 hours a vegg/protein or fruit/protein.

Hope this helps. My A1C's are below 6. Oh, and I walk every morning. That is a must.

I did not have health insurance either. So I went to a low cost clinic that ran me about 60 dollars. But I say just get a glucose monitor. They are free if you are low income. Also, the meds are free to if you contact the company. But try to do this by testing yourself, and walking. You can do it. I am Be blessed, kc

FluffnStuff

try eating low glycemic index foods- exercising and being active in general

the good thing about Diabetes II is that you can control it simply by changing your diet and losing weight-

so get moving- You can test your blood sugar on your own too they have at home test simple prick of the finger.

But regardless get moving and start eating right- Just because its in your family doesn't mean you have to get it if you do what is right for your body- Somethings in life you can control

Do you happen to know any good websites that have a list of glycemic foods?

Sorry I can't respond to everyone right off... my lap top is a pain to work with and it's tough doing it from my cell phone.

BrendaLee

Since you don't have insurance, maybe you could check with your local pharmacies as I believe a lot of pharmacies do inexpensive or free blood sugar clinics- there may also be other blood testing clinics in your area. If not, try to find a friend or family member who has a monitor, and have them check your blood sugar after an 8 hour fast, and 2 hours after a meal. You can look up online what the numbers mean. Really, it's a shame you can't see a doctor...this is your health we're talking about, there has to be a way for you to have your sugar tested to either set your mind at ease, or so you can handle it if you are having a problem. Diabetes is nothing to mess around with. Is there no free clinic you can go to?

__


Here's a list of foods and their GI values:

http://www.nutricoach.net/low_gi_foods.html

&

http://www.myfit.ca/glycemic_index.asp#

FluffnStuff

You guys are great, thanks for all the info.

I have started working out again, and when cooking I make pretty healthy meals. I have struggled with eating at least 3-4 times a day so more will be a struggle but I know I need to work on it. Any glycemic info will be great.

I will try to get medical advice, etc when I can.

Azdak

I agree that you definitely need a monitor. I l think you also least some basic lab work--Lipid profile, kidney function, and HgA1c at the minimum. There are resources available to help with low-income individuals w/out insurance. Diabetes is an big issue in low-income communities and the long-term costs if left untreated are quite high, so I am pretty sure there are more resources available for care than for other disease conditions.

There are also many online resources available for diabetes education. You can start off with www.diabetes.org, which is the American Diabetes Association.

IMO, Type II diabetes is a medical condition that you can significantly affect with lifestyle changes. Daily diet control is very important (and that's where the monitor comes in) and weight loss is crucial. You can try to work on a program yourself. If you succeed, great; if not, it is necessary to seek professional guidance from a diabetes educator and registered dietitian. There can be many different causes and interacting medical factors, so there is no "one size fits all" approach.

Others have listed some guidelines to follow. If you test regularly, you will soon find out what foods affect your blood sugar. In my case, I was surprised that, for me, some items that I had thought would be "forbidden" (alcohol, ice cream, potatoes, to name threee) had almost no negative effect, but others (commercial rice meals--e.g. rice a roni, uncle bens--fat-free salad dressings)--sent it skyrocketing.

I had had some intermittently high readings for the past several years, but was able to dismiss them by telling myself not all were high and that the high ones were due to not fasting long enough. Last March, I had an HgA1c test that came back 6.9. That was my wake up call. I also had limited health insurance and financial resources--i.e. I had insurance, but was still paying the deductible and was unemployed at the time. I invested in a meter, the initial lab work, and 1 session with the diabetes educator. I bought my test strips on Ebay, joined MFP and started scrupulously keeping a food diary and glucose reading spreadsheet, in addition to rigorously complying with my exercise routine. Within a week or so of regular monitoring, my resting values and post-prandial numbers settled into the "approved" ranges, and 53 lost lbs later, my HgA1c in August was 5.8. It can be done.

Good luck.

FluffnStuff

Also, I LOVE to cook. So lower glycemic recipes would be awesome. My habits weren't awful, but bad enough to have me concerned. Losing weight has been a struggle for years, even when 100% focused (minus eating more than 3x) the weight really didnt come off much.
I really want to be healthy more than get skinny.;

Azdak

Also, I LOVE to cook. So lower glycemic recipes would be awesome. My habits weren't awful, but bad enough to have me concerned. Losing weight has been a struggle for years, even when 100% focused (minus eating more than 3x) the weight really didnt come off much.
I really want to be healthy more than get skinny.;

dlife.com is a diabetes website with a lot of good recipes. I made a few modifications, but for the most part did not skimp one bit on my cooking for dinner--you just have to learn how to fit it all into your overall meal plan, how to add "bulk" w/out adding calories, and how to do portion control.

mrsyac2

try eating low glycemic index foods- exercising and being active in general

the good thing about Diabetes II is that you can control it simply by changing your diet and losing weight-

so get moving- You can test your blood sugar on your own too they have at home test simple prick of the finger.

But regardless get moving and start eating right- Just because its in your family doesn't mean you have to get it if you do what is right for your body- Somethings in life you can control

Do you happen to know any good websites that have a list of glycemic foods?

Sorry I can't respond to everyone right off... my lap top is a pain to work with and it's tough doing it from my cell phone.

you can just google it and it will come right up to many different sites and lists