Introduction/Type 2 Diabetes

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bwneurohr
bwneurohr Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
My name is Bruce and I have uncontrolled type two diabetes. I thought Weight Watchers would be a good way to get my weight under control but apparently the unlimited fruit and vegetables has caused my blood sugar to get even more out of control.

Yesterday, my primary care physician told me that with an A1C level of 8.0 for the past year, my heart has been damaged to a level equivalent to already having a heart attack. Apparently, the body may feel fine (as I do three 60-minute spin classes each week) but the sugar in my blood is weakening my heart, kidneys and other organs.

My PCP has referred me to an endocrinologist but I can’t get in to see him for 6-weeks. I’m taking no medication.

If anyone reading this has ideas on how I can best control my blood sugar through diet and good nutrition, I’m all ears.

Honestly, at 65 and our second grandchild due in October, I’m afraid I won’t be here with this high blood sugar...and I’m scared.

Thanks for listening and helping with resources you’ve found helpful.

- Bruce

Replies

  • daisies_and_kittens
    daisies_and_kittens Posts: 26 Member
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    You should demand a closer appointment and to see a dietician. You should be counting carbs and that should help you drop your A1C. MFP helps count carbs if you input exactly what you are eating. You may be surprised about how many carbs you are eating in a day.
  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
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    you would be surprised how your a1c will drop when you lose some weight. mine had dropped a full point just by doing that, without counting carbs.
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
    edited May 2019
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    Hi Bruce, I am 60 and have had Type 2 Diabetes for about 5 years, but really got serious about it when I went in for my April doctor appointment and my A1C was 8.5. My doctor put the fear into me about all the problems I am/will be causing my body. I am also really scared, but I consider this a good thing (sort of) as it has motivated me to really get serious, get going, and get healthy. If I can make some general recommendations. 1) Try to get in to see a dietitian ASAP. Your doctor may recommend a class, which is also good, but you may have to wait weeks for a new class to start. In the meantime, go right to the source and see a dietitian one-on-one right away. My dietitian showed me how to use my blood glucose monitor, and together we set up my nutrition goals using the My Fitness Pal website, which she recommended. She is a wealth of information. 2) Read and research. We must be our own advocates. Start with American Diabetes Association website, Google, etc. My dietitian put together a great 70-page handout for her patients. 3) Use that blood glucose monitor! Track more frequently to start, even if you have to pay out of pocket for extra test strips. I didn't use mine for 5 wasted years. I now track both blood glucose (sugar) AND carbs in my log. While many diabetics successfully follow a 'low-carb' diet, I do not and have settled into a more moderate 30 gram carb per meal and 15 carb snack plan that meets my blood glucose goals and the nutrition goals my dietitian and I developed together. But we are ALL different. Do what works for YOUR body. 4) If you are scared, like me, try to get some health screenings done for your own peace of mind. I am personally terrified of having a stroke. My doctor recommended our hospital, which does cardiac and vascular screenings 'on the side'. You have to pay out of pocket, but the costs are reasonable. It would be similar to the Lifeline screenings you may see advertised. Ask your doctor or dietitian about such a program. I am going in about 2 weeks, am terrified at what I will learn, but better to know. 5) Get an eye exam. It is recommended annually for diabetics, and should be covered by most insurance, as it is health related. Just had mine yesterday and was glad to know at least one part of my body is functioning properly! 6) Don't worry over the need to take meds. There are 2 schools of thought on that. Some people believe you can get off all meds through diet and exercise and they are successful at that. Other people believe it is better to stay on meds as a preventive measure. I feel each is right for that individual. But don't feel 'less than' because you need to take medication. This is something I have struggled with and have come to accept. 7) Join one (or more) of the My Fitness Pal diabetes groups. From "Community", go the bar above and click on "Groups". Type "Diabetes" into the search menu and a variety of groups will pop up. I recently joined "Type 2 Diabetes Support Group" and they have a great list of on-line resources to read and research. 8) Lastly, don't spend too much time beating yourself up. There is not much I can do about the damage I have already done to my own body. Grieve it and move on. And congratulations to you for all your hard efforts in the spin classes! Exercise is supposed to help with insulin resistance in our bodies, which is what gets me onto that stationary bike I don't care for. Best wishes for you, and apologies if I wrote too much!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Get a blood glucose meter. Test in the morning and after every meal. Count net carbs using MFP (add a fiber track using settings to make it easier to do the math) and track the effects of specific foods on your body. Only eat meals which do not raise your blood glucose above 140, preferably lower. Done.

    There are some other tips and tricks, but that’s basically it. Eating to the meter I lowered my a1c from 11 at diagnosis to 4.9 presently.

    Most people’s insurance doesn’t pay for a meter or for more than one strip per day unless they are on insulin. Spend your own money and buy your own meter with inexpensive strips and use them frequently. Seriously, what is more important that you could spend your money on? Every moment your glucose is above 150 it is gradually damaging your nervous and circulatory system. I recommend the Bayer Contour next, but Wal-Mart also makes an inexpensive meter.

    Losing weight and regularly exercising will improve your insulin resistance and help you eat more while maintaining good glucose control. Timing of exercise to lower your blood glucose is important. Three short walks after meals is better for control than one longer walk. Some diabetics find that strenuous exercise temporarily raises glucose, so test and find out of this is true for you.

    The main thing, though, is to limit the carbs per meal to what your body can handle. The thought of Weight Watchers recommending unlimited fruit to diabetics makes me enraged. You can fix this. Best of luck.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Oh, and if you can handle it without gastric side effects, I’m a fan of metformin. Unlike most diabetes meds there’s a low risk of low blood sugar, and it acts as an appetite suppressant for many people, which is helpful if you need to lose weight.
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
    edited May 2019
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    Along with rheddmobile, I also use and recommend the Bayer Contour Next meter. Check with your insurance company to see which meters and test strips they cover. Mine will cover the Contour Next with pre-authorization from my doctor for 'medical necessity' (I tried other meters and failed at drawing blood). I also use Metformin, and even when I reach all my goals, both my doctor and dietitian see great benefits in staying on the Metformin for life, hopefully at a reduced amount. I am coming around to that belief.
  • chelny
    chelny Posts: 179 Member
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    I don’t have much advice as I am newly diagnosed too but there is a Type 2 Diabetes support group within MFP groups, with some helpful pinned posts. Come join that community!
  • mskatz1966
    mskatz1966 Posts: 36 Member
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    Hi. lots of good suggestions above; have you received your medicare card? If you have, it is going to save you a ton of money; if not, get it right away. I am 75 and have had phase 2 diabetes since 2004; recently my endocrinologist got me onto "trulicity" which is covered by medicare with optum rx--the long distance pharmacy I use. I also take metformin but have cut my dosage in half; recently, in the past three weeks with a controlled low calorie (1200 to 1500 calories per day), a low carb diet--trying to stay under 100 carbs, cutting out sugar, white flour, all breads and pastas, cutting down on fruit, eating more salads and virtually unlimited good vegetables (mushrooms, spinach, broccoli,etc.), no starches, and tracking foods, I have lost 11.8 lbs in three weeks and intend to keep losing weight. I started at 250 lbs and am only 5'8" tall. I expect my A1C to drop dramatically in three months as my blood. sugars have already dropped dramatically from the high 100's to the low to medium 100's. I have used a glucometer for years and years--the one touch ultra, but recently I spent a little extra on a free style libre monitor with a reader; one buys 14 day sensor for about 45-60$; the meter (a one time expense costs about $80-85). It's a godsend; you can track your blood sugar without pricking your fingers so you can see how individual foods shoot up your blood sugar. There's a lot to learn here, but you should be motivated. My fitness pal with a carefully worked out food plan and some critical medical accountability will save your life. Onwards.
  • ultra_violets
    ultra_violets Posts: 202 Member
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    I was in much the same boat as you in December. My A1C was 8.1, I'd been eating completely out of control for most of last year, I was addicted to carbs and scared. I spoke to my doctor and, with her approval, I started the keto diet on January 1st. Now it's June 1st and I've lost 50 lb. and dropped my A1C down to 6. You can do this. You can take back control of your life and your health. Keto may or may not be right for you. I found it easy to adapt to, because I was so tired of being scared and sick that it wasn't difficult to cut out the junk, the sweets and the fast food. It's also easy to stick to, since I'm satiated and not having hunger pains or cravings. Talk to your doctor first, but keto may be something you may want to explore. I know from comments I've seen on other sites that it's helped a lot of diabetics turn their lives around and even get off medication altogether. Best of luck.
  • GabbieRunsAllDay
    GabbieRunsAllDay Posts: 10 Member
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    I do fairly good with linting carbohydrates in each meal. I spoke to a dietician who recommended:

    60gr of carbohydrates each meal.

    Eat one meal every 4 hours

    Have a snack with 15gr of carbs between meals

    This helps keep my blood sugar from going very high to very low.

    Low blood sugar can be immediately hazardous to you.

    High blood sugar will kill you over time.

    Keep up the spin class routine.

    Don't be hard on yourself, you can't give yourself diabetes.
  • GabbieRunsAllDay
    GabbieRunsAllDay Posts: 10 Member
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    Spacing out your meals it's almost as important as what you eat.
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
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    My markers were meeting the pre diabetes criteria and were flirting with the T2 critieria in Feb this year - here in the UK, there is a lot of focus on trying to get the weight down first before drugs. In some areas, the NHS are trialling a monitored, very low calorie (yet nutritionally balanced) diet for a short period of time. Essentially the aim is to get the body weight down pretty quickly and off the internal organs, the thought being the pancreas cannot manage insulin properly when its wrapped in lard. In some, T2 has actually been reversed - note, this is not a given for everybody AND it must be discussed with your doctor first AND it must be monitored. They are also offered support through into maintenance which as the boards here will show you, can be a danger zone.

    I did follow this diet @ 800 NET calories for 8 weeks (I did food rather than meal replacements) and although still overweight this is now my only risk factor for diabetes - BP, BG and waist size are now in the acceptable range. I am now at 1500 calories a day to get the rest off.

    There are lots of strong views on here about VLCD however I think this shows us there may be a context where they are appropriate with the right support and monitoring.

    The upside of a very low calorie diet using food instead is you can find a macro that works for you - clearly sugar and refined carbs should be on the lower end. There is most definitely a place for complex fibre rich carbs in your diet :)

    Here's a link where there is lots of info - again, just to be clear to everyone, if the OP is interested, this is one to talk through with the GP/MD first.

    https://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/diabetes/reversal/#publicinformation

    I think this point is of particular interest because it reinforces that there isnt a one size fits all rule on this as to who is at risk - it is perfectly possible to be slim on the outside and have your internal organs wrapped in fat.

    "A crucial point is that individuals have different levels of tolerance of fat within liver and pancreas. Only when a person has more fat than they personally can cope with does type 2 diabetes develop. In other words, once a person crosses their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes develops. Once they successfully lose weight and go below their personal fat threshold, type 2 diabetes will disappear.

    Some people can tolerate a BMI of 40 or more without getting diabetes. Others cannot tolerate a BMI of 22 without diabetes appearing, as their bodies are set to function normally at a BMI of, say 19. "

    OP - you are clearly motivated to support your body and I think you have already crossed the biggest hurdle in accepting what has happened and that you need to do something about it.

    Good luck - I think you've got this !

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