[Constantin74]

Hello everybody,

I am happy to have found and joined this forum as I can see
I will learn a lot, especially from the experiences of people.

I am writing from Turkey, a Turkish citizen, male, age 56.
5"9, 174 lbs.
I was a prediabetic for 15 years, but finally got type 2 diagnosis recently: fasting glucose 130 - 140, A1C 6.9. Highest levels for me till now.

I have been put on Metformin 500 mgs twice a day.

I must say that I was not watching my diet all this time, I was eating much and as I liked. Now I started with a diabetic diet; but I will need to learn a lot about proper dieting. And need to learn all about correct exercising etc. Only recently I started with 30 minutes/day treadmill walking at 3.1 miles/hr rate.
I attempted to lift 10 lbs dumbells and immdtly felt bad
with a heart rate of 160 - 180 and irregular heartbeats..
Have serious sleeping difficulty; can not sleep before 6.00 - 7.00 am, and then I can sleep for 4 -5 hrs only, waking up not rested not relaxed. Fasting blood glucose 140 - 150 at waking up (at noon time..). But 2 hrs from meals it is quite low, like 140, with Metformin. My diabetes situation got bad after
I entered into this sleeping problem in the last 6 months.

Long introduction.. Thanks fr reading.
Constantin74

[Evermont]

Hi Constantin, There are studies that show a direct connection between sleep problems and Type 2 diabetes - some threads here on DF about that too. You might try a google search for "sleep hygiene" for lots of tips, and talk to your doctor about it too.

Check with your doctor before taking on any serious exercise changes - just to be safe.

[KarenBC]

Welcome Constantin!

[kgm0612]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you found us!

Karen

[Constantin74]

Thanks for the messages and valuable recommendations. Hope to write news of success..

Having mentioned success, I would find it helpful to hear the views of "experienced" type 2's on what should realistically be expected from success in "keeping diabetes under control.."

If desired control is achieved (e.g. A1C is kept within 6.0 - 7.0) for many years to come, with correct diet exercise etc, does that mean the likelyhood of diabetes complications (heart attack, stroke..) will be as good as or not significantly higher than a non-diabetic? (A non-diabetic who does not watch his/her diet, probably getting blood sugar hikes once
in a while, getting no exercise etc..) Or, are the diabetes complications inevitable for a type 2?
I hope this makes sense to read..

Constantin74

[princesslinda]

You raise some very good questions, many of which i've asked myself. I like to think that because I eat right, get exercise and keep my A1Cs within acceptible levels, that this will mean my risks for complications are that same as anyone else with normal blood sugars, but I really don't know if that's the case, as diabetes is a progressive disease.

HOWEVER, if I do all I can do and STILL have complications at some point down the road, I won't wonder what I could have dnoe differently. I do think being proactive can at least stave off the complications longer than if we did nothing.

I watched my mother, a very non-compliant T2, die at 54 of renal failure, after having an amputation in her 40's, as well as being nearly blind from retinopathy. She always ate as she wanted, just popping an extra pill to compensate.

When I was diagnosed, I knew I had to avoid her situation, so I've tried very diligently to maintain good control.

As for heart attack risk, a diabetic is viewed as having the same risks as someone who has already had a heart attack. That's why its so important that we live a healthy lifestyle and have regular medical checkups, so if problems do develop, they are caught quickly so they can be successfully managed.

[davef]

Hoş geldiniz Constantin,

I hope I got the little bit of Turkish right, if not, what I wanted to say was "Welcome", glad you found the forums. This is a great place for information.

As Linda has said you have raised some very good questions. Personally when I started down this road, my Doctor said we needed to set initial goals that were realistic and achievable. He wanted me to lose about 14lbs weight and get my fasting BG down to about 110 (from 378). Well six months in, my fasting BG is rarely above 108 and I have lost 50lbs, my A1c has gone from 11.9 to 6.2, so my new goal is to get my A1c below 6 (I'd love 5.2) and lose another 20lbs.

We cannot be certain to avoid complications, but we can certainly do everything in our power to reduce the risks, the first step is getting good control of you diabetes and keeping it in control.

I personally think it's best to aim for an A1c of 5-6. You mentioned in your first post about a "diabetic diet", for me you are being given old thinking. As a diabetic, you can eat whatever you please but should choose not to eat somethings, don't be fooled by "diabetic foods" they cost more money and are no better for you. Instead you need to be eating what everyone should eat - a healty diet, the only difference is you need to ensure that in that diet you have things which work for your BG levels. You find out what works by testing, testing and then testing. Test each morning and night, in between, test before each meal and two hours after your first bite of food. You should aim to be below 140 two hours after first bite. Watch the number of carbohydrates you eat in each meal and the total for the day. Carbs will spike you practically more than any other food. I tend to avoid things like rice, pasta, white bread and potatoes.

Believe me, if I can do it then anyone can.

Visit often and ask lots of questions,

[patricia52]

Welcome. I am so glad you joined us.

[DCaplinger]

Welcome aboard. I hope you find this site and the users as helpful as I did. This is a special group of people, and you'll be able to find answers for just about any questions you may have.

Regards,

[Constantin74]

Reading the messages I feel more motivated and even better informed than when I last spoke with my doctor..

And about the rather depressing statistic that David has mentioned, that a diabetic is prone to a hearth attack as much as a person who previously had an attack, I am inclined to look for a way out of it..: That statictic should have been derived from the number of all diabetics who have a heart attack, whereas the incidence /statistic should be different for the body of diabetics who achieve succesfull BG control. There are many diabetics who do not conform at all and who carry on with BG counts of 300 - 400 all the time. The hearth attack incidence of all those would fall under that gross statistic I guess, and, if we can control our diabetes succesfully we can believe that that comparison /risk status would not be valid for us..

[jacobsam622]

Welcome to the forums

[Evermont]

Originally Posted by Constantin74

...I am inclined to look for a way out of it ...

This post (link) show 9 ways out of it - and the relative importance of each.