Type II Diabetes
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susanaemendez
Posts: 19 Member
Yesterday, my mother went to the doctor because she had been having frequent, extremely painful leg cramps. The doctor ordered a full-blood test and when the results came back, they indicated that her blood sugar level was over 600 mg/dL (normal levels should be less than 180 mg/dL). Her blood sugar level was so high, that the doctor sent her to the emergency room. Levels that high can be deadly.
She will likely be able to leave the hospital today, but of course, she has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and will have to make some major changes to her diet and lifestyle in order to manage the disease. Diabetes is hereditary and runs in my family, so this has been a huge wake up call for me.
Since January 1st of this year, I have lost nearly 30 pounds due to a healthier lifestyle, but I've been slacking a bit in the past few months. While I haven't gained anything back, I'm not losing anymore. However, now my motivation goes way beyond just wanting to lose weight.
Therefore, I've decided that I'm going to make a permanent change in my lifestyle side-by-side with my mom. I currently live with her, so I plan to research the disease with her, help her remember to monitor her blood sugar, plan our meals together, exercise together, etc. I don't want my mom to go through this alone, and I know adapting to a new lifestyle will be beneficial to both of us.
So, I'm reaching out to my MFP family to help me get started. Do any of you have Diabetes? What are some of your successes and struggles? Any tips? Any yummy recipes? I'd love to hear from you! Also, feel free to add me as a friend!
She will likely be able to leave the hospital today, but of course, she has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and will have to make some major changes to her diet and lifestyle in order to manage the disease. Diabetes is hereditary and runs in my family, so this has been a huge wake up call for me.
Since January 1st of this year, I have lost nearly 30 pounds due to a healthier lifestyle, but I've been slacking a bit in the past few months. While I haven't gained anything back, I'm not losing anymore. However, now my motivation goes way beyond just wanting to lose weight.
Therefore, I've decided that I'm going to make a permanent change in my lifestyle side-by-side with my mom. I currently live with her, so I plan to research the disease with her, help her remember to monitor her blood sugar, plan our meals together, exercise together, etc. I don't want my mom to go through this alone, and I know adapting to a new lifestyle will be beneficial to both of us.
So, I'm reaching out to my MFP family to help me get started. Do any of you have Diabetes? What are some of your successes and struggles? Any tips? Any yummy recipes? I'd love to hear from you! Also, feel free to add me as a friend!
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Replies
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I'm so sorry to hear about your mam. Glad its spurring you to take action too though
Have a look at the GI and GL diets. They have been used widely with diabetics to help stabilise blood sugar levels, to prevent the peaks and troughs of energy associated with varying insulin levels. Its very easy to follow
http://www.glycemicindex.com/ - there are recipes on there too and you can check the GI rating of most foods
http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index/
The south beach diet works on these principles too.
Good luck x0 -
Sorry about your mum, and good luck with your journey
My mum doesn't have diabetes, but most other people in my family do, and developing diabetes is one of my biggest health fears. I too could benefit from a healthier lifestyle. You aren't in this situation alone :flowerforyou:0 -
See if the hospital has nutrition services and set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist. Many insurances will help pay for it. Some hospitals also have diabetes education classes, you might check into those. Once she's out of the hospital she'll need to see a doctor regularly and they can recommend classes or nutritionists if you don't know where to start.0
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I'm a T1.5 diabetic. I was diagnosed in 2002. Eventually it got out of control and I was put on insulin, and eventually an insulin pump. After I had my first child, I hit rock bottom and knew my life had to change. I was taking massive doses of insulin and metformin. Within a year I was completely drug free.
It can be done! I like to tell fellow diabetics that there IS a cure. It's them.0 -
Get your mom on MFP, too. It's easy to get so caught up in counting carbs, that you end up eating too few calories -- and when that happens, your blood sugar can spike. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get my numbers under control, and THEN I realized I was eating less than 1,000 calories a day. As soon as i started eating more, my numbers normalized. At the next visit, I told the doc, and he oh-so-helpfully explained that when your body goes to its reserves for fuel, the cells release sugar at a higher rate.0
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See if the hospital has nutrition services and set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist. Many insurances will help pay for it. Some hospitals also have diabetes education classes, you might check into those. Once she's out of the hospital she'll need to see a doctor regularly and they can recommend classes or nutritionists if you don't know where to start.
This... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^0 -
Yesterday, my mother went to the doctor because she had been having frequent, extremely painful leg cramps. The doctor ordered a full-blood test and when the results came back, they indicated that her blood sugar level was over 600 mg/dL (normal levels should be less than 180 mg/dL). Her blood sugar level was so high, that the doctor sent her to the emergency room. Levels that high can be deadly.
She will likely be able to leave the hospital today, but of course, she has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and will have to make some major changes to her diet and lifestyle in order to manage the disease. Diabetes is hereditary and runs in my family, so this has been a huge wake up call for me.
Since January 1st of this year, I have lost nearly 30 pounds due to a healthier lifestyle, but I've been slacking a bit in the past few months. While I haven't gained anything back, I'm not losing anymore. However, now my motivation goes way beyond just wanting to lose weight.
Therefore, I've decided that I'm going to make a permanent change in my lifestyle side-by-side with my mom. I currently live with her, so I plan to research the disease with her, help her remember to monitor her blood sugar, plan our meals together, exercise together, etc. I don't want my mom to go through this alone, and I know adapting to a new lifestyle will be beneficial to both of us.
So, I'm reaching out to my MFP family to help me get started. Do any of you have Diabetes? What are some of your successes and struggles? Any tips? Any yummy recipes? I'd love to hear from you! Also, feel free to add me as a friend!
My dad is a type II diabetic, and has suffered unthinkable consequences from not keeping it under control. The good news is, it is usually reversible if the person can get down to a healthy weight. It's not an easy road, but it can be done, and I hope she's determined enough to push through to success. Feel free to add me as a friend, if you'd like to. :flowerforyou:0 -
? What is a TY1.5 diabetic???I'm a T1.5 diabetic. I was diagnosed in 2002. Eventually it got out of control and I was put on insulin, and eventually an insulin pump. After I had my first child, I hit rock bottom and knew my life had to change. I was taking massive doses of insulin and metformin. Within a year I was completely drug free.
It can be done! I like to tell fellow diabetics that there IS a cure. It's them.0 -
See if the hospital has nutrition services and set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist. Many insurances will help pay for it. Some hospitals also have diabetes education classes, you might check into those. Once she's out of the hospital she'll need to see a doctor regularly and they can recommend classes or nutritionists if you don't know where to start.
This!! I was diagnosed in 2009 my A1c was running 10.0 once my insurance found out that I was Diabetic they were knocking down the door to set me up with supplies, endo dr., and sent me to a nutritionist to work on a meal planning that would help me lose weight and control my disease,,, I have lost a few pounds since then and my A1c average 5.3 now (pre-diabetic) the keys to my success as been my diet and e"Exercise" has been a key component... You really do need to get moving..... Every diabetic is different in how their diabetes is effected by what they eat... Some can not handle carbs very well for which I am not one of them.. I eat around 300 grams of carbs a day, now the kind of carbs I eat today as to what I use to eat are hugely different... I would definitely go sit down with a nutritionist and work out a plan that fits your mother... Best of Luck...0 -
See if the hospital has nutrition services and set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist. Many insurances will help pay for it. Some hospitals also have diabetes education classes, you might check into those. Once she's out of the hospital she'll need to see a doctor regularly and they can recommend classes or nutritionists if you don't know where to start.
This... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just be careful. If the nutritionist is encouraging diabetics to eat 60g carb per meal, and several snacks a day... RUN AWAY! I learned the hard way that a controlled carb diet is better than a high carb one.
Check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/
I've learned so much about insulin and hormones just from living the Primal Blueprint.
ETA:
This one even more specifically:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/diabetes/#axzz23AptoGAa0 -
I have T2. Its a silent disease. The symptoms can be mild and annoying (like me) or very serious.
I dont have medical insurance so I couldnt do the classes or see an endocrinologist outside of the hospital. Do go with your mother to these classes.
Counting carbs is the main thing. The one up side (if you can call it that) to diabetes is that low carbs will help you lose weight. And, eventually, with the weight loss and keeping sugar readings under control, you can get off the meds.
Feel free to add me or just check out my diary...its public. Might give you some ideas.0 -
I second what the others have said, and I'd also like to add my personal experience. Not all bodies are alike, so not all diabetics are alike. I can eat fresh fruit all day and have perfect sugar readings, but others might have spikes from eating fruit. Listen to your body, experiment, and keep at it. It's worth the hard work to get your/your mother's numbers in line! I wish you the best
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I sent you a couple emails
Definately see a nutrionist - it was the first thing they sent me too. I pretty much eat paleo and that has solved alot of problems for me.
And I found out I have sleep apnea. And the sleep doctor says every body that has diabetes has sleep apnea. And he's right - every diabetic I know has sleep apnea. Sleep affects how we metablize insulin and sugar. If I sleep badly, my blood sugar the next morning is a good 40-100 points higher then normal.0 -
I'm a T1.5 diabetic. I was diagnosed in 2002. Eventually it got out of control and I was put on insulin, and eventually an insulin pump. After I had my first child, I hit rock bottom and knew my life had to change. I was taking massive doses of insulin and metformin. Within a year I was completely drug free.
It can be done! I like to tell fellow diabetics that there IS a cure. It's them.
True if you have type 2. Not true if you have type 1.
Diabetes is a tough disease. Some people tell you to stop eating fruit. I've always eaten fruit without a problem. In fact, I can eat cake, as long as I count the carbs. But juice, soda? Those things destroy me. Your mom will have low blood sugar for seemingly no reason and then high for seemingly no reason. It's a crazy life, but it's not impossible. Counting carbs is the most important thing a diabetic can do and get exercise. Type 2's can get off medication if they work hard.0 -
I sent you a couple emails
Definately see a nutrionist - it was the first thing they sent me too. I pretty much eat paleo and that has solved alot of problems for me.
And I found out I have sleep apnea. And the sleep doctor says every body that has diabetes has sleep apnea. And he's right - every diabetic I know has sleep apnea. Sleep affects how we metablize insulin and sugar. If I sleep badly, my blood sugar the next morning is a good 40-100 points higher then normal.
I do not have sleep apnea. Interestingly, none of the diabetics I know have sleep apnea. Your doctor needs to re-read his medical books.0 -
See if the hospital has nutrition services and set up an appointment with a dietician/nutritionist. Many insurances will help pay for it. Some hospitals also have diabetes education classes, you might check into those. Once she's out of the hospital she'll need to see a doctor regularly and they can recommend classes or nutritionists if you don't know where to start.
This... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just be careful. If the nutritionist is encouraging diabetics to eat 60g carb per meal, and several snacks a day... RUN AWAY! I learned the hard way that a controlled carb diet is better than a high carb one.
Check out http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/
I've learned so much about insulin and hormones just from living the Primal Blueprint.
ETA:
This one even more specifically:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/diabetes/#axzz23AptoGAa
^^^^ agreed. I eat paleo. My carbs come from fruit and the occosional baked tater. No soda. No bread. No pasta. No problems.0 -
Sorry to hear the news about your mom. I think it's wonderful that you are planning on going through everything with her. I don't know much about diabetes, but I wish you and your mom all the best! 0
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I sent you a couple emails
Definately see a nutrionist - it was the first thing they sent me too. I pretty much eat paleo and that has solved alot of problems for me.
And I found out I have sleep apnea. And the sleep doctor says every body that has diabetes has sleep apnea. And he's right - every diabetic I know has sleep apnea. Sleep affects how we metablize insulin and sugar. If I sleep badly, my blood sugar the next morning is a good 40-100 points higher then normal.
I do not have sleep apnea. Interestingly, none of the diabetics I know have sleep apnea. Your doctor needs to re-read his medical books.
Read this
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20050301/sleep-apnea-treatment-may-improve-diabetes0 -
Or read thisI sent you a couple emails
Definately see a nutrionist - it was the first thing they sent me too. I pretty much eat paleo and that has solved alot of problems for me.
And I found out I have sleep apnea. And the sleep doctor says every body that has diabetes has sleep apnea. And he's right - every diabetic I know has sleep apnea. Sleep affects how we metablize insulin and sugar. If I sleep badly, my blood sugar the next morning is a good 40-100 points higher then normal.
I do not have sleep apnea. Interestingly, none of the diabetics I know have sleep apnea. Your doctor needs to re-read his medical books.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/sleep-apnea-diabetes-type-2-_n_1539933.html0 -
I literally gasped when I read 600. Wow. Thank God she made it to the hospital and was diagnosed. She can absolutely beat this and your support will be vital on her new journey.
The rule I was given by my diabetic dietician that help me the most was never, EVER, put a carb in your mouth without a protein and/or fat. Follow this without fail. If she has crackers, have a little cheese or peanut butter with it. Fruit with the same or a few nuts. Cottage cheese with peaches. Fruit and yogurt. Whole grain bread with peanut butter. Research foods that combined, form a complete protein chain. Quinoa is wonderful as it's complete without the addition of anything else. You can even buy Quinoa flakes and use them in place of breading for crispy oven baked mock fried chicken. I'll message you with links to a few recipe sites I love.
When we become insulin resistant it's because our cells can no longer use insulin very well. Repeated spikes (high carb intake) is what causes it in most cases. Keeping her blood sugar as even as possible is key. She'll respond to certain foods well, certain foods poorly. It won't make sense and it's completely trial and error to figure them out. Rice for me is a no-go. Potatoes, no problem. Carrots send my numbers through the roof but strawberries don't. Makes no sense but each of us has our own list of these foods. She'll learn hers too over time.
The longer she can keep her numbers steady the more insulin sensitive she'll become. This is a lifetime of change. We can never be "cured" of Type 2 Diabetes. However, we can heal ourselves through diet, fat loss and being lightly active. A 20 minute walk 5 days a week is wonderful. There are also YouTube exercises she can do at home if getting outside isn't her cup of tea. Check out Leslie Sansone's walking videos for example.
I'm sending a friend request. I'll do anything I can to help and please let her know that the initial adjustment is the hardest part. It gets so much easier, testing becomes a normal habit and the food choices become second nature. Most of all, she will begin to feel like a new person with a renewed life.0
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