No idea where to put this, had the scare of my life!!!

Hi,

I would highly suggest reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107

Here is a review: http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading97.html

Watching your fat intake is just as, if not more important, than watching carbs. You want to follow a low-fat diet (this doesn't mean NO FAT AT ALL)... it just means you want small amounts of GOOD fats.

Went with my hubby to his doctor's appointment. He has type 2 diabetes. They gave him an A1C test to see what his average blood glucose levels are...his average was running around 400-500 gah!!!! His doc said if this isn't under control in 6 weeks he will have to go on insulin. Insulin!!! I do not want him to have to be on freakin insulin!!! That feels like the kiss of death to me! I am so flipping scared for him...I mean when she was talking to him I had to leave the room...I had to go get a hold of myself :"( ....the good news is I think it scared my hubby too....he ate a salad from subway for lunch :huh: I didn't have to say a word to him about it. I was speechless. I am really hoping that this woke him up and he lays off the candy bars...fake wheat bread...and potatoes...Well, with 2 steps forward we still had one back....hotpockets, he bought hotpockets. 36 grams of carbs in one! ONE! It is just as bad as the freakin potato! Well at least he is beginning to read labels and is coming over to my side :devil:

We aren't done shopping we still have to get produce and chicken. Hopefully I will be able to talk him into sprouted grain bread!!

Hi there,

I'm a Type 2 insulin dependent diabetic, and was diagnosed almost 30 years ago, and can empathize with you and your husbands fears and concerns. It's an extremely daunting experience when first learning of a diagnosis of diabetes.

I'm happy to hear he's taking his new diagnosis seriously. Does your husband have a glucose meter? If not, he needs one. Eating to his meter, testing before meals and 2hrs after will tell him what specific foods raise his blood sugars and which ones don't.

I echo booboo68's nutrition suggestions, adopting a lower carb lifestyle. As you mentioned, the white carbs, such as bread, rice, cereal and potatoes have high carb content and will need to be eliminated. Eat to your meter as we say.

This great website below has a lot of easy read and understand information related to diabetes management and blood sugar control. I encourage you both to check it out, as it's been a huge help to me over the years.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php

Another great diabetes site with low carb recipes and support forums for both you and him.

http://www.diabetesdaily.com/forum/

My Fitness Pal has a very supportive, encouraging and helpful Type 2 diabetic support group and I encourage him to join us.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1772-type-2-diabetes-support-group

I've successfully managed my Type 2 diabetes for 30 years and have no complications. In fact, since joining MFP and working this program as intended, I've lost weight and significantly reduce my diabetes meds. A diagnosis of diabetes isn't a death sentence unless it's left uncontrolled.

Please feel free to message me if you think I might be of help to you and your husband, and I wish you both much success on your new journey.

My diagnosis one yr ago is what kicked my butt in gear. I just stopped bad carbs that very day. One year later my hga1c went from 8.6 to less than 5. He has to hit that wall all by himself.

Hi,

I would highly suggest reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107

Here is a review: http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading97.html

Watching your fat intake is just as, if not more important, than watching carbs. You want to follow a low-fat diet (this doesn't mean NO FAT AT ALL)... it just means you want small amounts of GOOD fats.

Real research has never backed up low fat diets as being any better than any other kind of reasonable diet. However quite a bit of research has shown that low fat diets give worse results than other types.

To the OP: read this link. If it's too long for you, just skip to the very last sections (11 & 12):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299312/

An 8 percent weight loss has been shown to markedly improve diabetes, as long as you are insulin resistant and not insulin deficiant. I watched a tv show on pbs the other day about HIIT exercise. In the show, the host had borderline insulin resistance. After a 6 week exercise program of HIIT (this was relatively modest, with 20 seconds of intense exercise x3 per session, three times a week) he imporved his insulin sensitivity by 25 percent. Of course, he should not t do any exercise until he gets his doctors ok, especially HIIT!!!!!
Mike

Hey, I am a diabetic too. But I've been working out and eating clean. My GI score is come back to 'prediabetic' range.

Its not much.. but small changes lead to great result.

Diet, drill and drugs. That's the key.

Don't expect miracles to happen overnight. It will take time but the result would definitely be long lasting.

Your honey is going to need a glucose meter and plenty of testing strips. I like the Relion Ultima because the strips are cheap and you can test after every meal, which lets you keep a log of which foods raise your blood sugar to unacceptable levels.

Has he been referred to a dietician? If not I would be going to see one. Much better than dodgy internet recommendations

Agree. I'm also a nurse who has taken care of diabetics for 25 years.
Type 2 DM and insulin does not need to be seen as the kiss of death.
Insulin can be a temporary tool until he can control his sugars with dietary alterations.
The bodily devastation caused by uncontrolled blood sugars should be much more alarming to you than insulin injections.

It's so scary. I was recently diagnosed as a type 2. Although I am on oral meds, I use my food intake and exercise to help control my blood sugars. A referral to a dietician is a smart thing to do. There is so much advice out there and in here. Try not to be swayed by fear (which is normal) and then duped into some weird diet. There really is no such thing as a diabetic diet. I hope the stress eases a bit. Carbs, fruits, etc.....a dietician and even a diabetic nurse or endocrinologist can help you and your husband understand what to do. The ADA site is fabulous and has the most current information. My heart goes out to you and to your husband. Peace and Blessings.....

Hi,

I would highly suggest reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/Neal-Barnards-Program-Reversing-Diabetes/dp/1594868107

Here is a review: http://www.vegparadise.com/vegreading97.html

Watching your fat intake is just as, if not more important, than watching carbs. You want to follow a low-fat diet (this doesn't mean NO FAT AT ALL)... it just means you want small amounts of GOOD fats.

I would have to seriously suggest you (your husband) NOT follow the above recommendation for Barnard's book. It's not-so-thinly disguised vegan propaganda

I second the recommendations to check out http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.php. You can also access it at bloodsugar101.com Lots of research explained in an easy-to-understand way.

And I also highly recommend http://www.diabetesforum.com/ The ADA website diabetes.org is semi-helpful. the forums have some really knowledgeable folks, especially the posters Alan (http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/) and Lizzy(http://lizzysdlounge.com/)

Finally, if you want the opinion of a doctor rather than a layperson, I highly recommend Dr Richard Bernstein. He's an endocrinologist with Type 1 diabetes. Much of his book is available free online http://www.diabetes-solution.net/

and, I almost forgot (OK. I did forget, but editted to add) http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

^^^^ all of this!^^^^
Do your homework - go on line and read every thing Alan and Lizzy have to say on the ADA website!
Be sure of the type 2 diagnosis - did they do any other testing other than the A1C? I was just diagnosed the end of January - had sugars in the high 400's and was in diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA). The ER doc assumed since I was 60 that I had to be a type 2 - not the case - I was a LADA Late onset Autoimune Daibetes in the adult - I am a type 1 and am insulin dependent. The treatments are totally different and if I had not had the sense to insist on additional testing i might not be here now. They did not pickup on the fact that type 2's do not usually present in DKA, that 10 units of insulin will not bring a type 2 down to 120 from 450 in 2 hours not to mention that my BMI was 23! I learned a lot from the ADA site, and from Lizzy and Alan. Lots of good info and they will answer your questions too!

Insulin is not something to be afraid of - it can/is a life saver. It is not so difficult to figure out and is not painful to use!
Have your Doc write for a glucose meter and test strips and follow Lizzys advice on how/when/how often to test. Knowledge of you numbers and what the foods you eat do to them is vital.
If he is a type 2 insulin use can be a temporary assist in getting his sugars down while the dietary changes and oral meds kick in.

Getting over the initial shock can take a while - but remember that there are worse things that can happen to you than needing to poke fingers frequently and use insulin. He will feel so much better when he gets things under control. I'm sure he will be glad to see the fatigue, thirst, constant urination, vision changes, joint pain, lack of libedo, balance issues, etc disapear when he gets his number down.

You may need to be his advocate - and you need to be more educated than he is so you can lead him in the right direction. The diet changes will be good for both of you!

I was diagnosed T2 14 years ago. I have to say that the big goal is to get BG under control however that needs to be done. If it means he needs to be on insulin then that is what he needs. It doesn't mean he will need to stay on it forever. When BG is elevated it causes a host of problems that many people generically refer to as rot since that is more or less what it does to your body. You can go blind, lose circulation in your extremities and end up having to have them cut off. Ultimately, you can stroke out or have a heart attack. Your risk is greatly reduced if your BG stays in optimal range.

So do not freak out about any meds. I have to say that for many T2s they can be on meds and get off as they improve their health. If he is overweight he can improve his BG by losing weight, exercising, and watching carbs. It is not failure if you cannot get off meds. I am not terribly heavy but my BG control continues to get worse despite a lot of exercise and eating fairly decently. I am in a normal range for weight and often get very obsessive about running. I have lived on 20 carbs a day before and still had high BG. In my case, it requires lots of drugs to keep me healthy but if you ever met me you would never know I was diabetic unless I told you.

He needs a meter and a visit with a dietitian. Go with him so you know what he is being told to eat. Realize that you cannot make him do anything and it will be a battle to get him to do something he doesn't want. He should go to the bloodsugar101 site that has been recommended. There is a good description of how to eat to your meter which is very important. What works for me may not work for someone else. It is an ongoing experiment even now after all these years.

The diabetes group here at MFP is great and supportive. I used to participate in it but I'm pretty busy and don't have time to post there anymore.

Good luck!

I am a type 1 diabetic so I understand how scary this is! I would recommend also to check out www.diabetesforum.com.

I just recently joined there and here, and there are so many type 1 and 2 diabetics who are so friendly and helpful. That site is the reason why I found and joined this one and the reason why I am trying to work on being healthier.

Good luck with everything, it's scary but he can do it!

Also, trust me, the insulin is not an excuse to not try to eat well. I've learned that the hard way because I tried to do that for the past several years, and now I am 27 with beginning stage retinopathy and slight neuropathy from uncontrolled diabetes. It may seem like you can just take as much insulin needed to eat whatever you want, but it comes back to get you.

It's not a death sentence! My hubby is type 2 diabetic, has been for 30 years, and he's on daily insulin. He leads a normal life, he's active and happy.

I think the biggest reason I am freaking out is I think that if my hubby goes on insulin it will give him an excuse to quit trying to be under control. You know without meds, diet and exercise....I just hope he gets this under control!

It is actually the opposite - there is a lot involved with taking and dosing insulin properly so you do not go too low or too high.
You need to time your insulin properly so your insulin peak matches you food peak. You need to match the amount of insulin to the amount and type of carbs. So there is a lot more to this than just "throwing" insulin at things.
I find to keep good control I have to be totally accurate with my carb, fiber and protein counts for each meal, then calculate dosing based on what my current BG level is and then factor in how much insulin might still be working from prior doses. It takes attention to detail and honesty with what you eat and drink, it takes a lot of testing to see how foods effect your numbers.
This will be a work in progress - and your understanding of the process and support will help him a lot.

A good book to read again and use as a reference is "Using Insulin" by Walsh, et al. it is the best book I have seen.

http://www.amazon.com/Using-Insulin-Everything-Need-Success/dp/1884804853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366026176&sr=1-1&keywords=using+insulin