Hi Kim and skrace - I was diagnosed in 07 and medication kept my A1c under 7 so I never took this disease very seriously. This spring I retired and decided to start tackling this with diet and exercise. I have about 60 more pounds to lose and feel so much better. You will find that MFP is a wonderful tool. Good luck! Toni

Welcome Phil
It sounds like you have a good program through the VA. I have really benefited from MFP. Logging my meals and snacks helps me keep my protein up and my carbs lower. It has helped me get in tune with how my body reacts to certain combinations. Toni

Hi Nova - this is a good place to be!

Good morning and greetings from North Carolina! Get ready for a novella. This is how it all started. I was in a high stress job, sitting at a computer all day. Too tired to work out and noshed on carbs all day. My weight sky rocketed over a span of 3 years. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2011. Didn't really accept it and basically ignored it. Then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and neuropathy. Setting the stage for auto immune diseases. In January of 2012 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was so bad, I could not even go to the bathroom by myself because my hands were so swollen and painful. I was on massive amounts of steroids.The specialist and my PCP recommended that I not go back to work, and they would not release me to go back to work. Finally, after much begging and pleading, they consented and said I could go back to work on a trial basis. Well, that didn't work out as I had planned. The RA inflammation factors went through the roof again and I was declared totally disabled. I went on SS disability and plummeted into depression. I had never NOT worked. I worked 2, sometimes 3, jobs since I was old enough to work, starting with babysitting jobs at 12. I was also a craftsperson. I quilted, painted, sculpted, made Renaissance costumes, owned a flower shop for 5 years before the economy took a nose dive, and every other hand craft there is. I even had to give all that up because my hands won't allow it. I have great difficulty holding a paint brush and get very frustrated. So, fast forward a year, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a double mastectomy, went through chemo and the usual treatments for cancer. Instead of losing weight, I gained weight. This past September, I contracted viral meningitis and 3 weeks ago I was hospitalized again for an unknown virus. I lost 12 pounds that time. Not the best way to lose weight. While I was in the hospital, they started giving me insulin shots. When I went to my PCP, I asked if I could stop the injections and just go with the oral meds. Sadly, she said no. She told me to bring her 2 weeks of blood sugar readings, one fasting and one 2 hours after my last meal. The glucose readings are all over the place. It seems to be a trial and error sort of thing. I know now not to eat pasta as my evening meal. I am scheduled to attend diabetes education classes starting the 13th. So, that's my story. I am hoping that by joining this group, I will get some tips on how to control my blood sugar, and what to eat, and when to eat it. Thank you for allowing me to join, and I look forward to meeting the group members.

Hello my name is Staci. I was diagnosed T2 about a year ago. I have since lost about 90 pounds and would like to loose a bit more. Currently taking Metformin 500 twice a day. Hoping that I can get off medication for good!!

good morning, Linda - my name is Tim. I was diagnosed in 1995 with type 2 diabetes. As I was reading your comments, I remembered I was put on oral medications. They worked for a a year or less. I was in the Philippines when I was first put on insulin. Since then I have progressed to having to use an insulin pump. An endocrinologist set the pump situation up. So an endocrinologist like Cathy mentioned might be an option. My A1c is still 7.5 - but it has been a lot worse. It took some adjusting but for the most part my blood sugar readings have been better.

Hi all, I'm newly diagnosed but being treated as a type 1 at the moment. I couldn't find a type 1 support group but I guess we're all here for the same reason!

I'm on 12 units of nova rapid with meals and 20 units of lantus in the evening. Also twice daily metformin.

I'm 30 years old with a wife and 2 boys (4 and 2). I need to lose around 30-40 lbs ideally but learn how to eat well for life so my kids will also start life eating well.

I enjoy cycling. I'd be interested to see if there are any other keen diabetic mountain bikers around ?

Hi my name is Chad,

43 and diagnosed with type 2 last week. I knew it was coming for years but lived in denial. I finally had to go in to the doc for a respiratory infection I could not shake and she did the blood work since I mentioned being fatigued. 194 fasting BG.

I am on a drug called Glumetza and working up to 2000 MG a day. The good news is I seem to have no issue so far with the med and every 2 days or so I seem to drop 15 or 20 points of BG. Last 2 days have been below 120 in the morning. I actually have more energy today than I have had in 6 months or maybe even a year.

What worries me is that I have been home for this week and been able to really focus on how I am going to handle this, but I travel, a lot. I am concerned that the road weariness and stress of the job are going to crush my resolve. I am in the IT industry; so sedentary, long hours, odd hours, significant travel, times of high stress are all things I have to deal with.

Are there any folks here who travel a lot, or who work in IT?

I was kind of hoping this site would help keep me honest with myself about what I am eating. I also needed something to help correlate the food I eat with the BG results.

Thanks,
Chad

clash71 wrote: »

What worries me is that I have been home for this week and been able to really focus on how I am going to handle this, but I travel, a lot. I am concerned that the road weariness and stress of the job are going to crush my resolve. I am in the IT industry; so sedentary, long hours, odd hours, significant travel, times of high stress are all things I have to deal with."

Chad,
I don't travel with my job nor do I work in IT but as a nurse we deal with stress as well. One thing I have found quickly is that you have to plan ahead for your meals and snacks. I'm a little OCD about organizing things so the food diary on this site has helped me immensely. I'll plan my meals that I'll eat at work before I eat at home, so that way i know how many calories, carbs, etc. I have available for what i want to take with me. It takes some planning, but at least that way I feel like I have some control on what I'm putting into my body.
Good luck,
Jennifer

Hi! I'm St George.
While in the pulmonologist office for Bronchitis I saw on my chart that I'm now listed as type 2 Diabetic. Have had high glucose for several years but no one mentioned diabetes. My Internist never treated me for it. I'd like to use a low GI diet to bring the number down but haven't found one. I've been using My fitness for several years with some success but I have only been viewing calories and exercise, not food content. Can it track carbs and Glucose Index?

SaintGeorge wrote: »

Hi! I'm St George.
While in the pulmonologist office for Bronchitis I saw on my chart that I'm now listed as type 2 Diabetic. Have had high glucose for several years but no one mentioned diabetes. My Internist never treated me for it. I'd like to use a low GI diet to bring the number down but haven't found one. I've been using My fitness for several years with some success but I have only been viewing calories and exercise, not food content. Can it track carbs and Glucose Index?

Hi St. George,

MFP will track carbs. Go to your home page on MFP, click Settings, then Food and Exercise Diary Settings. Under "Nutrients Tracked", add Carbohydrates. It's also useful to track Fat, Protein, and Fiber as well. I don't believe it has a specific setting for GI, though, but I could be mistaken. I haven't found low glycemic foods to be helpful for me, so I haven't looked for anything on MTP on it.

Your physician should be talking with you about this diagnosis and an appropriate treatment regimen. This isn't a disease you should have to tackle alone, and it can have serious consequences if not treated. If your doctor won't talk with you--find another. In any case, I hope you'll stick around and let us know what happens.

Hi, Selena here. I was diagnosed with T2D in January 2015. Before that, I had been on metformin for "insulin resistance" that was showing in my blood work (I have a very progressive GYN who does a ton of bloodwork), but I passed it (that's a nice way of saying it) within 15 minutes of taking it after severe cramping. A few months of that, and I stopped it in December. Now my PCP is trying to see if it can be maintained by diet, and so far I'm down 13 lbs. He doesn't have me testing right now, and I go back in March for a repeat A1C to see if the changes I've made have helped. I actually wish that I were testing, just so I could see if they are. I desperately miss my fave foods, but if this is how I have to eat to spend more years with my children, I will. Oh, and I had gestational diabetes, so I knew this was a very real possibility.

hello, new to MFP. diagnosed T2 approximately 3 years ago. had gestational diabetes 18 years ago, went away, then had it again 10 years ago. had been on metformin 1000mg, then 2000mg... too many side effects, tried onglyza about 2 months, not working. now have started farxiga this week. always looking for meal ideas! love pasta, rice, bread too much, it's sooo hard.

Hi! I was diagnosed with diabetes about 3 months ago (at 28) with an A1C of 8.1% They "think" it's LADA (type 1.5) I was on metformin 500mg BID for 4 days then it was confirmed I was in DKA (Don't ever go into DKA! Lol) spent 5 days inpatient and was discharged on lantus and novo rapid. Since then I have stopped the before meals novo rapid and slowly stopping Lantus and will be on no medication Not a group I wanted to join but sometimes the hardest things are really blessings in disguise!

I am Mary. I was diagnosed with type 2 on September 12, 2014. I was so shocked. I went for an eye blurring issue, doctor came in & said you have diabetes. Well my A1C was 12.2. I thought if you exercise as much as I do, you wouldn't have that kimd of issue. Wrong! I have always hike 1-3 hours a day. I went to a nutritionist followed the plan religiously, continued exercising. As of January 27, 2015 I am off of all my diabetic medications. My A1C is now 5.5. I never want to go back to the horrors at the beginning. My eyesight was so bad, I guess you can say I was scared straight. I have also heard that type 2 is a progressive disease, so I want to learn as much as I can, to prevent serious harm to my body.