Hi, my name is Dave, I am 52 and just got the phone call 2 days ago that my A1c indicated that I had T2, and that doctor wanted me to take Metaforin 2x a day. I first looked up the drug, then looked up what my A1c reading should read because the phone nurse had told me it was 6.5% and it needs to be closer to 6%.
Now that I was armed with the knowledge of how the A1c test revealed my glucose levels over the past 12 weeks, and also knowing the eating and lifestyle habits I have had during the Winter that will not stop, I made the executive decision NOT to get the medicine, and started to study how to reverse what had done. I am not sure what the doctor will think of my decision, he may fire me, but, if there is any way to correct my numbers without taking Metaforin or any pharmecuetical that has side effects, then lets try that first, April 11 the doctor will learn of my plan.

I would appreciate any and all suggestions on snacks without carbs.

Hi Tamara,

I eat cheese, almonds, nori, hummus & low carb pita for snacks. I want to get off my metformin if possible. So, I totally understand your goal. Good luck!

Kerri

Hi -- new member here. My name is LeAnn. I am 47 and was diagnosed last November. After being pre-diabetic for a year or so, I finally went over the edge. The dr. put me on 500 mg Metformin once every morning, told me to lose some weight, and scheduled me for a followup appointment in May. He did not have me monitor my blood sugar. I was a bit on again, off again about taking my meds and did not change my eating habits (carb-loving sugar addict). I was in major denial.

Last month, after a wellness screening at work showed my fasting blood glucose level at 185, I "woke up". A friend gave me a monitor, I ordered strips and lancets (what did we do before Amazon?), and have been checking my morning fasting levels for the last few weeks. I've been logging my food into MFP and have given up sugar (except for the occasional coffee creamer or breath mint) and am at Day 25 of those 2 changes. My levels are still high. Today was the lowest level I've monitored, and it was still very high - 173. Frustrating.

I'm trying to make small changes here and there. If I try to change everything at once, I know I'm setting myself up for failure. I'm slowly reducing my bread intake, switching over to whole grains, trying to eat more vegetables, and drinking lots of water instead of diet sodas, and, this week, I've returned to an exercise class that I had dropped out of and starting using a FitBit.

So...that's about it. Sorry for the ramble.

Thanks for the advice! Ready to tame this monster.

Hi earinabby, Welcome!

An initial diagnosis of diabetes along with a condition of severe anemia can bring along a wide range of emotions-and a lot of answered and unanswered questions too.

You'll quickly find this group to be very knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging-eager to help you whenever possible, as you move forward in improving and accomplishing your blood sugar management goals.

I encourage you to visit the bloodsugar101.com site along with seeking out the recommendation from your healthcare provider for a diabetes education course in your area, in addition to scheduling a visit with a registered dietitian too specializing in diabetes nutrition as many newly diagnosed with a condition of diabetes find these sessions to be very beneficial


The good news is this powerful tracking program and it's tools offered will help you to make improvements towards your blood sugar management and overall health and lifestyle goals when applied correctly.

There are countless people currently living with Type 2 diabetes who have successfully been able to reduce and even eliminate the need to take their blood sugar management meds-by adopting a few new lifestyle changes here and there.

Best wishes for your success and good health!

Thank you very much. I had to go to a free clinic for the initial consult and further follow-up after the hospitalization and it turns out that the Nurse Practitioner I saw is a registered diabetes educator in her regular practice. I now have insurance and she is my PCP. My insurance is Medicare because of the disability and I have already gone through the list of things they pay for to see what will help, both the diabetes and the weight. MFP has really helped so far and I hope to participate more in order to get the most out of it.

Hello everyone! I am finally going to use this fitness site as a tool to help me lose weight even though i have T2.

Hi - I'm new here. I was just diagnosed a few months ago. Having somewhat of a hard time losing weight since my diagnosis, but dropped a lot before (doesn't seem fair really, haha). Anyway, here I am.

Hello to all fellow T2D
My name is James, 2006 I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. I also have HI Triglycerides so eating has been a struggle. Since I started Fitness Pal a week ago I have lost 15 lbs and my bllod sugar levels have dropped to below 100 for the first time in a long while. Calorie counting has worked so far but I know I have just started and it will get hard to keep up with the low calorie diet. I hope I can get my weight down enough to were i can increase my calories per day. Hope everyone has success with get their goals meet. If anyone has ideas on low carb / Low calorie hit me up with your ideas.
Thanks
James

Hi everyone. I'm Barb. Was diagnosed in 2009 type II diabetes. Currently taking 2000 mg metformin, Janumet, and humalog insulin with meals. I was just in the hospital, diagnosed with COPD now. I've stopped smoking, 11 days now and trying my best to get healthy. I need all the support I can get. Feel free to add me as a freind. Maybe we can all help each other get on the right track and stay there.

Hi, I'm Kathy. I sent this letter to my Endocrinologist's office today:

Dr. XXXX XXXXXX:

I had the most disheartening visit with your nurse practitioner, xxxxxxx, today. I walked out of the examining room not only immensely saddened at her attitude towards me but extremely offended at accusations made by her in the five minutes I was there.

I realize that you will read this with a half-cocked eye because she is your employee and I, merely one of your many patients. But, I am giving a firm visionary caution to you that if you do not ‘reel her in,’ your practice is going to suffer. Perhaps it already has.

Those of us with diabetes have a hard road to bear – because one has to eat. It is not a condition where one can simply cut down on the salt or take a medication and manage it sucessfully. There are so many variables that contribute to being a success story when it comes to this disease. I’m not playing the victim here whatsoever. Believe me when I say, I am not a person that likes ‘excuses’ or that continues to let an issue occillate in perpetuity without doing anyting about it. I work for the Georgia Army National Guard in a very instrumental position and believe in the utmost personal responsiblity and discipline. When I started to your office approximately five years ago my relationship with you and her seemed acceptable. But on that note, something that has been futile is her cautioning me about my weight and to lose wieght the entire time, which should not be continually advised without some assistance in doing so (have you all heard of metabolic syndrome?). Well, my new physician has and knows that I need more assistance and care around combatting this condition than I’ve been given by Martha. I had to ask to meet with the dietician. This nor any other regimen than continuing to ‘up’ my medications has ever been suggested.

xxxxxx has been friendly in the past, but has always been somewhat ‘spastic.’ She rushes in and runs through conversations as if she’s had eight cups of coffee or is on some sort of stimulant. And, pardon me for saying this but, while she might be diabetic herself (I don’t know), she could have no clue what it is to be overweight all of your life and yet take good care of yourself and still not be able to eat much of anything without running your blood sugar sky high, no matter all of the medical credentials in the world. Over the past few months, I have absolutely eaten nothing but the most basic of foods and have controlled my portions substantially. Nonetheless, my blood sugar (both real-time and my A1C) have continued to climb.

One of her comments to me was that I hadn’t been into see you in a year. Well, lets’ see, if she read my chart and slowed down a little she might remember that I had a major surgery about this time last year. I was actually still recovering when I came in last April. And, we discussed my coming in in another 3 months and we would assess from there. The next appointment I was 7 (NO NOT 15) minutes late and the receptionist told me I would have to reschedule, that Martha’s schedule was too full and she was already running behind (and that’s MY fault?). So, I couldn’t even schedule an appointment again until this past Fall by that time.

As I recall I could not make that appointment, and so, rescheduled. I don’t remember all of the details of these events but I’m sure your charts have it documented. When I visited last, as I recall was the FIRST mention ever of putting me on fast-acting (mealtime) insulin. I asked that I make an appointment with your dietician and really try harder before that regimen was taken. I have a very active, high-paced job that requires I’m making sight visits throughout the week and to have to take an insulin shot everytime before I eat is not the most savory of thoughts to me. But, I was willing to reassess.

In the appointment today, xxxxx highly offended me. She rushed in and acted as if she’d seen an assasination of sorts. “OKAY, we’ve got to get you on fast-acting insulin!!” Your A1C is 13 and that is off of the charts!!! ARE you taking your medicine??? As if she’d never had a conversation with me in our lives much less the care and conerne with wich I’ve always exhibited towards my condition. Not only did she claim that she had wanted to put me on mealtime insulin for years (well, why didn’t you then?) but that I was ‘desensitized’ to the high numbers in the 200s and 300s. Are you kidding me? I am so concerned about my diabetes you can’t even imagine. I work with people who let their blood sugars run consistently in the 400s and don’t even seem to be concerned.

Furthermore, if you need to put me on a mealtime insulin regimen, that’s fine. Let’s do it. But don’t treat me as if a. I couldn’t care less about my condition, b. I’m five years old, and c. I’ve committed some egregious offense by having a disease that I’ve not found the magic bullet for. I’m fine with another regimen, but you have to remember that this is very scary for me as a concerned patient. I want to live a long, healthy, vibrant life and am scared to death of losing my vision. I would never be so nonchalant as to just lacadaisically trapse into the office whenver I feel like it, eat what I like, not take care of myself, not take my medicine. I am actually incredulous at the things she said to me.

When I asked if there are other tests that can be done to check my pancreas (like a test for pancreatic cancer which my maternal grandfather died of) she informs me that it doesn’t work that way and that we already know that my pancreas is dsyfunctional and failing because of my exorbitant A1C. Well, that’s comforting. And, in fact, there are tests for such things. But, Ms. Horn didn’t seem to think it important to discuss a serious concern like that with me. She acted as if I was crazy for even thinking that.

I exercise, take Metformin, Glipizide, long-acting Levimir insuling and watch what I eat. What else can I do – other than exercise more? To this, martha advises me that it’s really ‘she thinks’ because I’m overweight. And, that if I weighed, say, 150 lbs. I probably wouldn’t be going down this road. To which I explained I haven’t weighed 150 lbs. Since I was 13 years old. I’m not advocating obesity in the least but I am NEVER going to be a normal weight. I’ve not been since I was a child and I am a realist, not living on fantasy island. I don’t have to be at the weight I am, but I do not expect my weight to come down more than another 20 or 30 lbs. That would not be t facing the facts/history. For my height, actually, I should/could weigh as much as 180 lbs. And be considered within range for my bone structure. xxxxxx seems very ‘out of touch’ with what it is to have a weight struggle if she expects that I would or should ever weigh 150 lbs.

I told her I feel as if she was scolding me to which she says, “I am scolding you.” WHY? What have I, as the patient with a very disheartening condition who is really conscientious and cares about everything, done to deserve such acrimony? When I tried to respond to anything she said, she phsyically turned her face and body away from me and said, “I’m not going to argue with you.” I wasn’t trying to argue but to have an intelligent conversation with her. To respond to her comments, to find a path forward, to discuss and get answers to questions. She seems uncomfortable answering questions. That is sign of a poor professional in any capacity.

I am so dissapointed in your practice and in her specifically. I can’t recall ever feeling so condescended and lambasted by a medical professional for anything. And, at a such a vulnerable time for me as I feel as if this disease is going to take me under. And, I am not a quitter. I am able to master anything life has thrown at me but I cannot seem to get a handle on this. And, today, she added insult to injury. Very troubling to experience this lack of listening skills, care and compassion. Others might be crazy about her, but she has definately offended me beyond compare. I will accept the responsiblity for my own life and condition but there have been many issues with your office over the past year or so that paints a very unsettling picture where our healthcare profession is concerned. Today, I honestly felt as if Martha Horn was livid at me and trying very diligently to ‘ensure that there were no ramifications’ to her for not finding a regimen of care that could have transformed this into one of those success stories.

Today, Dr. xxxxxx, I’ve had an apple and a handful of peanuts to eat. And, my blood sugar was above 200 when I came into your office. And, I’ve lost about 10 lbs. since I was there last. To which Martha informed me that it was probably because of ketoacidosis rather than the fact that I’ve been avidly trying to take my weight down. Thanks for the kudos on that one, xxxxxx!

I will be requesting the transfer of my medical records from your office to the new. I sincerely hope you will take this communication seriously because I’ve been a big trumpeteer of yours through the years. But, I will not be returning to your practice. It might not break the bank, or marr your professional reputation whatsoever, but you’ve lost a very conscientious patient’s trust, good will, respect, and admiration. And, that’s a shame.


Anyone willing to read through this and share any thoughts? I'm very discouraged today.

Hi Kathy:

I hope that you can find a new physician who will address your concerns and get you in touch with a dietician.
You might check with your local American Diabetes Association and see if they have some free classes in your area.

It's certainly not easy to deal with this condition, and anybody (professional or otherwise) who thinks a couple of pat answers can set you straight, is sadly mis-informed.

Kama:

Metformin does have some side effects. :sad: When I started it I had diarrhea and really BAD gas. :blushing:
So.. ahm...it could be worse.

Best wishes with your renewed zeal to improve your health. This is a good place to be.
I have to encourage myself
every
single
day.

:flowerforyou: