Sick of the poking!

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nburns325
nburns325 Posts: 174
in Health and Weight Loss
Morning MFP friends!

I just had to vent and say I'm sick of poking myself to check blood sugar! It feels like my skin is starting to firm up in the places where I normally poke and it's making it tougher and forcing me to go deeper (which hurts!). Ugh! I'm learning to deal with the other aspects of diabetes, but this is definitely one of my least favorites!

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  • loseatonlady
    loseatonlady Posts: 160
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    Stick with MFP and MAYBE it's possible to stop it? In my weight loss journey I was able to do so, along with get off Blood Pressure meds too! It is possible! Best wishes to you & hang tight girl!
  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    I agree with loseatonlady.....I avoided going on insulin and was able to get off my cholesterol medication by losing weight and eating healthily. Watch your carbs -- those are key for diabetics.
    Kaye
  • billdavismqt
    billdavismqt Posts: 11 Member
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    That certainly does get tiring. I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for about 5 years. The good news for me is that because of successful lifestyle changes I have been able to be in much better control of my blood sugar. This has been possible largely because I now weigh about 90 pounds less than I did when I was first diagnosed and get much more physical exercise. Of course, changing eating patterns have been important. When I was first diagnosed I think that I was checking my blood sugar about 5 or 6 times per day. I m now able to monitor it just once per day unless I have some concerns. In addition to the weight loss (I still have more to go) and exercise, I still take the minimum dosage (500mg) of metformin twice per day. My A1C blood tests have been great and my doctor is considering taking me off the metformin. I am a little concerned about not taking that and am in no hurry to stop. I just went for my latest A1C and will be seeing her again in about a week. Last time I went in she cut by blood pressure meds in half. I think that the most important thing that the multiple pokes did in the beginning was to really help me to understand my diabetes. Through that understanding I was able to make the necessary lifestyle changes. The "pokes" helped me to see how what I did impacted my blood sugar levels. Good luck to you.
  • nburns325
    nburns325 Posts: 174
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    Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and advice. I was diagnosed with type 2 in 2003, but have been on a rollercoaster of a ride since then - taking charge and then not caring/worrying, etc. About 6 weeks ago, after a doctor visit and my A1c was 8.5, I decided that I needed to make serious lifestyle changes. I started walking 4-6 miles/daily and monitoring calories through MFP. I also started meeting with a diabetic educator and have made a lot of changes that I'm confident are true lifestyle ones I can maintain. Thus far, I'm down 13 pounds and feel great! My sugars are lower than they've ever been and although I don't do lab until August, I've been in constant communication with the DE and Dr and both are confident that if I can maintain the #s I'm showing now, we can cut back on some meds (to start). So I'm hoping that as more weight comes off and exercise becomes just a part of life, like eating and breathing, that I won't have to be on so many meds. I'm currently only supposed to test 1x/day, but have been a lot more to see where I am 1 hr and 2 hrs after meals, in the morning, after exercise, etc. Once I start to get a regular feel for what helps and hurts my bs, I'll hopefully feel more comfortable only testing the 1x/day.
  • sophjakesmom
    sophjakesmom Posts: 904 Member
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    That would suck! :grumble: I am sorry you have to deal with it. Good for you for taking charge of your health and trying to make a change. Good luck to you!:drinker:
  • billdavismqt
    billdavismqt Posts: 11 Member
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    That is what I did until I felt like I had a handle on things, too. It was helpful for me. One interesting thing for me that I have not heard about anyone else is that my blood sugar level does not go down after exercising. It obviously has over the long haul but I don't see that drop right away like most people. By the way by first A1C was 12.9! My latest results came in the mail today and it was 5.3. That is the level that it has hovered around for some time. Good luck to you. I really think that you are on the right track.

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