Type II Diabetes

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.

I am also 1.5 I dont know about a "cure" so much...once a pancreas is damaged the only fix is getting a new one! But, the disease is very manageable. For T2's with no damage to the pancreas you can certainly improve or reverse your insulin resistance which will help you manage your blood sugar better. My insulin resistance that I had is pretty much gone now...but my pancreas still does not produce insulin and I will still require it for life.

So sorry about your mom. Glad she's starting to recover!

The best advice I've come across is to eat to your meter. I don't have diabetes, but I have access to a meter and have learned what foods spike me. Like a previous poster, fruits, even bananas, have no adverse affect on me, but a piece of bread will send my blood sugar soaring.

If she's looking for online support, Diabetes Daily has a good message board.

I was diagnosed w/ Type ll diabetes a few weeks ago. AIC was 7 so at low end. Started MFP and have improved my eating tremendously as a result, and am starting to lose weight. i'm not on meds at this point and if i can control it thru diet/exercise, I may not have to be. I'm wondering though, how do other Type ll's spread out your carbs? How many do you each with each meal? Is there an ideal number per day? How many is too many?

Thanks for any insight on that.

Also, I lived on diet soda. I'm convinced it played a role in developing metabolic syndrome. I stopped when I heard I was diabetic, something i never thought I could do. Now it's water all the time, something else I never thought I could do as I never found it satisfying. But I've discovered it grows on you.

Anyone else have any thoughts on diet soda and metabolic syndrome?

Thanks for your feedback!

From Livingstrong.com:
Carbohydrate Counting
Patients with diabetes often need to count the amount of carbohydrates that they consume each day in order to keep their blood glucose levels low. Because each person is different, you may need to determine the amount of carbohydrates that work for your body via trial and error. Aiming for between 45 g and 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal is a good starting point, the American Diabetes Association notes.

Research which carbs are good or not so good for us, based on how they break down and affect the insulin levels. Choose what works best for you. Choose what you like. Limit carbs each meal so they are shared through the day. I choose carbs that break down slowly. Do not cause ‘Spikes’. I know if I do not have enough carbs. I will experience hypoglycemia and must get my blood/sugar level up. I keep glucose tablets handy in case I have too few, or wait too long. They are only a ‘fix’ and appropriate food must follow very soon after.

But it is a learning process. I eat salad, vegetables with meals. I may have a small portion of fruit for dessert. I avoid potatoes which convert fast. I keep steamed broccoli in the fridge all the time. Nice snack very low in caI but small carb boost. keep peanutes handy in case i need an occasional quick boost.(just a few, chew completely, they will help). Light colored fruits generally contain less sugars than reds or purples. Be very careful with fruits. They convert fast. Again research and if it helps, print out a list of those foods you will likely use on a daily bases, showing the carbs, sugars, & glycemic effect . There are charts available on line with all of this. Do what works for you. A fellow diabetic. Good Luck.

Thank you! Very helpful. I do have that sense of low vs. high glycemic carbs, tho not as clear about it when it comes to fruit. I adore fruit, and now realize I ate way too much of it leading up to pre and now "post" diabetes. So I've cut way back and pick and choose carefully for a variety of nutrients. Your color code on this is helpful. I will look for info online for more specifics.

Thank you for your feedback!

Does anyone with T2 D have high fasting blood counts? I seem to have that... my highest GLU counts tend to be when I wake up in the morning before breakfast. That seems counterintuitive to me. Should be lowest, I would think. So I'm wondering about other ppls experience with waking glucose counts. Are yours lowest, middle or highest when you wake up? Do you know what it might mean (in laymen's experience) to have high fasting counts? Of course, if you're a doctor, a response to this would be nice as well. Thanks!

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

This doesn't apply to all Diabetics though... I was 560 lbs. and diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic and had A1c of 10.0 and my Endo Dr. set me up with a nutritionist and from day one we never talked about a low carb diet.. We talked about the crap that I was eating (over 8000 calories a day) and the foods that I needed to be eating... I literally brought 2 - 32 gallon trash cans into the house and we threw everything out and replaced it all with healthy choices, complex carbs, fruits, veggies, nuts, lean meats, etc. I was put on a meal plan of 2400 calories a day and 240 grams of carbs a day. (60 grams @ 3 main meals and 20 grams @ 3 snacks) that was 3 years ago and I have lost a few pounds since then, and my exercise and diet today has me eating 3200-3400 calories a day and 320 grams of Carbs a day (80 grams @ 3 main meals and 25 grams @ 3 snacks) and the last 14 months I have been pre-diabetic with A1c of 5.3 average... I am only on metformin today and will be for life but my diabetes is in check and it wasn't from a low carb diet... I am not saying this will work for all but there are Diabetics out there that will respond differently, no one plan works for all.... Just my 2 cents...

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.

You have type 1 daibetes. I was referring to type 2.

I have T2 and I don't have sleep apnea. However, my b/f, who doesn't have diabetes and isn't overweight, does.

Does anyone with T2 D have high fasting blood counts? I seem to have that... my highest GLU counts tend to be when I wake up in the morning before breakfast. That seems counterintuitive to me. Should be lowest, I would think. So I'm wondering about other ppls experience with waking glucose counts. Are yours lowest, middle or highest when you wake up? Do you know what it might mean (in laymen's experience) to have high fasting counts? Of course, if you're a doctor, a response to this would be nice as well. Thanks!

This is referred to as "liver dump" and is very common for diabetics. Type I and II.

community.diabetes.org/t5/Adults-Living-with-Type-2/Liver-dump-question/td-p/215360

Personally I try to keep my carbs under 100, and usually come in at 25-50g per day.

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.

Really, I have never heard of a 1.5 getting off insulin since in reality a 1.5 is a slow 1. T1s are just insulin dependent and 1.5's ultimately are. Please make sure you continue to check your BG since 1.5 includes pancreas failure. It just happens slower than for T1s. In fact, most 1.5s I have known find that as they get on insulin they don't need met since they aren't resistant.

Does anyone with T2 D have high fasting blood counts? I seem to have that... my highest GLU counts tend to be when I wake up in the morning before breakfast. That seems counterintuitive to me. Should be lowest, I would think. So I'm wondering about other ppls experience with waking glucose counts. Are yours lowest, middle or highest when you wake up? Do you know what it might mean (in laymen's experience) to have high fasting counts? Of course, if you're a doctor, a response to this would be nice as well. Thanks!

Morning has always been some of my worse times. For some people, it is caused by having a big drop in BG caused by not eating all night. Then your liver tries to compensate by doing a glucose dump. Your liver stores glucose for just such emergencies. It helps to eat a snack at bedtime. For many half a sandwich is good because you get a combo of protein and carb. For others the problem is that their body over does the glucose dump in preparation to wake up. I guess everyone's body does a bit of a dump to give you the energy to wake up but T2s often go overboard. For me, the improvement came when I started taking Amaryl which increases the insulin production from your pancreas. I make a very low amount of insulin and I guess it isn't enough to handle the dump. For others, metformin is good because it increases your insulin sensitivity and keeps the dump from causing problems. For others it takes insulin or some other drug that will increase the insulin levels in your body.

Here is a nice supportive T2 group on MFP http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1789-type-2-diabetes-support-group

I am sorry your mother has T2 but it is good that she has found out and is getting it under control. Some damage can be reversed after a few years. I had signs of deterioration in my eyes and after a few years it improved and has not returned.

I was diagnosed 14 years ago. I was 34 years old, worked out 2 hours a day, was on the high side of normal weight and in general considered very healthy. I have never been diet controlled. At the time I was diagnosed I ate whole grains, lean meats, fruits and vegetables. The first month I was diagnosed they put me on the standard diet and I had minimal improvement. I have been on metformin since. For people who say that it is all about diet do not know what they are talking about. I was eating 25 grams of carbs a day and exercising, totally hitting a wall because of lack of carbs, for several months. It minimally improved my BG even with an increase in my met. I am somewhere around 5 to 10 lbs over my desired weight so it isn't always about weight, carbs, and exercise. Sometimes it is just bad genes. The goal is to stop the rot so if you need to take drugs to do that then don't feel bad. i will always have to take drugs and likely it will continue to increase every few years.

That being said, for many people their BG will improve if they take care of what they eat and how they exercise. For some, they may be able to get off drugs for years by losing weight etc. The only way to really know what you should be doing is to test regularly. Test when you try new foods or exercise. Test after your meals. bloodsugar101.com has a great explanation on how to do that. Your body is unique and what one T2 can eat another can't. So you need to find what is right for you.

if you both can attend a diabetes class that would be great. It is an excellent place to start and they will give you lots of information that will help you plan your diet. I personally think walking is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself. It is a great starter exercise and for some people it is all the exercise they ever need. For many T2s walking a bit after each meal helps them stay in control.

Good luck and feel free to add me.

Lucky, you're mother is blessed she found out. My mom died this January from undiagnosed diabetes, her levels were 1700...