[debbietavikfran]

I was diagnosed at 39 after having two children late in life, with type II. I have been hypothyroid since 28 and glucose intolerant from my early 30s. I have really had a hard time with my blood sugar especially at night. My Doctor, who is a specialist basically told me today I had to go on insulin therapy since my 4mg of Amaryl wasn't working and my morning bs is about 180. I think with some direction, ie carb direction like I found on your board, I will be able to much more easily manage. Tonight I had about 30 carbs for dinner and my blood sugar right now is about 130 and I am sure my morning started out high. I just want you all to know that I hate being diabetic and having to have all of these dietary exceptions but that I appreciate not feeling so alone by finding this board. If anyone is in the Richmond VA area and knows a good endo please let me know. I need some one to give me options, not more medicine.

Thanks...

[princesslinda]

Welcome Debbie, glad you found the forums. I moved your post to its own thread so others could see and reply to it easier. I'm sure some of our VA folks will weigh in soon.

[amccrazgrl]

Hello and Welcome Debbie.
I'm avaible to talk if you need someone local.

I'm in the Richmond area Hanover County.
Send me a PM...I don't know how far of a driving distance you would consider. My endo is very good. She tells you how it is and very good at her job. I'm her easy-ist patient though.

Firstly I'd like to say being diabetic isn't the worst diesease(spelling) you can have. Its one of the most easy-ist things to manage. Hopefully you being a type 2 all you need is excerise and a diet to get better control.

I've been type 1 for 12 years now and using the insulin pump for almost 3 years. The only other meds I take are 10mg of lisnipril in AM and 10mg of Zetia in PM along with my daily Vitamin D.

[kgm0612]

I'm not from your area, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum, Debbie.

My advice would be to test often, keep a log of what foods you're eating so you'll know which ones you do well with and which ones you need to limit or avoid, and try to get in some form of exercise (walking is great) if you're not already doing so.

Karen

[jacobsam622]

Originally Posted by debbietavikfran

I was diagnosed at 39 after having two children late in life, with type II. I have been hypothyroid since 28 and glucose intolerant from my early 30s. I have really had a hard time with my blood sugar especially at night. My Doctor, who is a specialist basically told me today I had to go on insulin therapy since my 4mg of Amaryl wasn't working and my morning bs is about 180. I think with some direction, ie carb direction like I found on your board, I will be able to much more easily manage. Tonight I had about 30 carbs for dinner and my blood sugar right now is about 130 and I am sure my morning started out high. I just want you all to know that I hate being diabetic and having to have all of these dietary exceptions but that I appreciate not feeling so alone by finding this board. If anyone is in the Richmond VA area and knows a good endo please let me know. I need some one to give me options, not more medicine.

Thanks...

Hi Debbie at lease You have one good thing going for, you are in Virginia Wish I was there. You can take the person out of Virginia but you can't take Virginia out of the person. Back to the point of my post. I take 2mg of Amaryl in the morning and 4 Mg's before bed and my bg are getting better everyday. After you have been taking diabetes meds for a while their effectiveness starts to wear thin as the diet and exercise slack off. For four years I was able to keep my A1C below 6.5 with just the meds then because of stress the meds stopped working as well so had to make a complete life style change. I don't want my twins growing up with out a father and I am sure you feel the same about your children growing up without a mother. I was diagnosed while my wife was pregnant with twins and I was 42 and my wife was 39. The last thing I want is to be put on insulin for two reason one: too easy to slack off and two the diabetes educator told us that once we(type 2 ) go on insulin its for life. Did I mention the hate needles part.

Here are a few tips to help you get control

The only diet I don’t recommend is the one created by the ADA. Their idea of bg control is out of date and designed to get more people to follow it and not to make people healthy. The ADA feels that only type-1s should maintain tight control. They feel Type-2 can’t handle the added emotional responsibility of maintaining tight control and deal with all the other issues.
Your bg goals
Morning below 130 -----------------------ideal around 95 - 110
2 hours after meals below 140 ---------ideal below 120
Before bed below 140--------------------ideal 120 to 130
Never go to bed with bg below a 100 when you wake up your bg will be =>130.
As you gain more control the number should get tighter.

To determine carbs subtract fiber from the total carbs. You can also subtract artificial sweeteners.

Traditional wisdom says = Portion control is a must and do not get seconds. I like my way better get small portions that way you can get seconds It is an old Jedi Mind trick

Foods you can eat:

Meat = Beef well trimmed, chicken, fish broiled or baked, eggs, hot-dogs without bun.

Nuts - most nuts are low in carbs, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, and almonds any that have total carbs of less then 10g.

spreads buy no sugar added jelly or try one of several reduced sugar brands , no sugar added Peanut butter – good for cholesterol

vegetables = almost anything but corn If you eat corn stick
with the small kernel corn on the cob. Eat lots of Green beans it raises good cholesterol.

Sugar free ice cream or no sugar added, sugar free jell-o

Chocolate that has a cocoa % >= 60% or low carb chocolate

Breads = whole grain or low carb whole grain.

Pasta = whole grain: Dream-fields, Wal-Mart has good brand

rice = brown rice, wild rice

sodas, = diet only

water= In Virginia you can drink tap water

Alcohol = Low carb beer, brands like Michelob ultra, Miller-Lite, there is at least two others. Red wine or wine that is at least 13% alcohol Horton wines In Virginia make some very tasty red wines

I Like the four wise man myself: Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Jose Cuervo, Johnny Walker


avoid high carb food any anything with a lot of refined sugar or white flour

Fruit = try different ones to see how they effect your BS. Remember a sugar is sugar no matter how big or how small. Avoid fruit high in fructose

if you have acid reflux avoid eating fruit at meal time.

General rule if it’s brown then its OK for diabetes.

Never go to sleep with a low Blood glucose level when you wake up your bg will be really high. You have choice eat a small snack like hand full of peanuts or drink a glass of red wine or a low carb beer. The trick is to convince your liver not to dump a load of glucose into your system. I recommend you read the sugar buster book .




HbA1c
(%) Avg. Blood Sugar
(mmol/L) (mg/dL)
4 3.3 60
5 5.0 90
6 6.7 120
7 8.3 150
8 10.0 180
9 11.7 210
10 13.3 240
11 15.0 270
12 16.7 300
13 18.3 330
14 20.0 360

[xteach]

Jacobsam622 gave you great advice and info.

Don't be afraid of insulin! I've been a diabetic for 28 years and it has saved me and countless others. I wear a pump, which I highly recommend to anyone on insulin.

It sounds like you are only checking BS about 2 times a day. Do like jacobsam622 said and check before every meal and do some post-prandials (2 hours after). I don't do post-prandials very often, but the more you check your BS, the more you know about how your body is reacting to food, insulin, stress, so on. It helps a ton - and, no, your fingers do not become numb or sore. Especially if you are in good control with no neuropathy!

Good luck! ! !