scara
12-06-2006, 07:25 AM
Happy Birthday Diabetes!!
Been debating about this post for the last week, but I just had to post something for two reasons...
1. this site and the people that post here got me through the first few months.
2. maybe it will help someone else get through the first bit a little easier.
So, here is my story!
Things started out the same as most (seems to be the only consistency with anything diabetes related) all my efforts to loose weight suddenly worked REALLY well and I lost 10 pounds or so, also desperately thirsty and hitting the can 20 times a day.
I went to the doc and came back with a blood sugar reading of 25 and a diagnosis of diabetes.
That was a BAD day. I knew nothing about diabetes really, basically I was the type of person that pisses me off now. :fisheye:
I assumed that my diet was forever changed, that beer was out for good, bread and candy were distant memories and that my life would be years and years shorter. I even entertained the thought that I wouldn't make it to today. The idea of control was completely foreign to me, I was completely freaked out and faced my mortality for the first time.
My GP started me on Metformin and gave me a massive pile of handouts including some with a meal plan based on units of starch, veggies, protien.. all very scary and restrictive. I think I ate very little that first while but kept my blood sugar pretty decent. Still though, there was no actual control, just getting by... and not well.
Around this time I found Diabetes Forums and started reading... a lot.
With the information on this forum I started to ask intelligent questions about my treatment, I pushed to get off of Metformin and onto insulin ASAP as I read it might prolong the honeymoon period and I figured that I would have to get used to insulin anyway so I may as well start sooner when my body was making some of it's own to assist and smooth out the learning curve a bit.
NPH was prescribed.
That sucked. I was eating to match the insulin, going low if I didn't have lunch at exactly noon, sometimes a bit sooner. Armed with the information from this site I pushed my GP into prescribing Levemir and Rapid. I also made arrangements to get to see an Endo.
With Levemir and Rapid things started to come together, I was figuring out some of my old favorites again, trial and error with your favorite meals isn't so bad!! I was using a scale to assist and keep the food as consistent as possible to get the ratios dialed in. This site also taught me to drink again. WOOHOO!!
Through all this I have to say that I have been very lucky. I seem to be Type 1.5, and things have remained very stable so far. 1 unit of rapid per 30 grams of carbs, and 6 units of Levemir at night. I have not had any morning sugar issues and no unexplained highs or lows (though some took some figuring like when my Levemir overheated and died).
Thanks to all I've read I've managed to live a better life and slowly improve my A1C's.
Dec 05 - 10.0
Feb 06 - 5.8
April 06 - 6.0
June 06 - 5.3
Nov 06 - 5.1
Some other things I've learned:
The first needle is full of terror, but it's not as bad as you think it will be.
If you hit a nerve with the needle, try another spot.
Never blindly trust your Dr., question everything, it's your health, not theirs.
Don't think about the long term, you never know what it will bring anyway, just get through the next day and the next week.
Post here as much as you can and try to help out others cause it's a silver lining.
This whole thing is extremely personal and emotional.
Food will be less stressful once you figure it out.... so far, not free of stress though:rolleyes: just a lot less than before.
There is a lot of out of date info out there and a pile of type II info, try to weed out what applies to you.
Dr.s hate self-diagnosis; sometimes they are only good for writing the prescriptions you decide you need.
Well, that might be all I have for now, I honestly can't thank you all enough for all the help this site has been to myself and my wife. This past year has been the most difficult I have ever had to face. My goal is to not let this thing shorten my life or reduce my quality of life too much and I am well on the road to that goal.
I don't post as much now as I used to, but I do read through and add my 2 cents when I have something good to add.
Take care everyone and I hope you have a great holiday season!!
Scott
Been debating about this post for the last week, but I just had to post something for two reasons...
1. this site and the people that post here got me through the first few months.
2. maybe it will help someone else get through the first bit a little easier.
So, here is my story!
Things started out the same as most (seems to be the only consistency with anything diabetes related) all my efforts to loose weight suddenly worked REALLY well and I lost 10 pounds or so, also desperately thirsty and hitting the can 20 times a day.
I went to the doc and came back with a blood sugar reading of 25 and a diagnosis of diabetes.
That was a BAD day. I knew nothing about diabetes really, basically I was the type of person that pisses me off now. :fisheye:
I assumed that my diet was forever changed, that beer was out for good, bread and candy were distant memories and that my life would be years and years shorter. I even entertained the thought that I wouldn't make it to today. The idea of control was completely foreign to me, I was completely freaked out and faced my mortality for the first time.
My GP started me on Metformin and gave me a massive pile of handouts including some with a meal plan based on units of starch, veggies, protien.. all very scary and restrictive. I think I ate very little that first while but kept my blood sugar pretty decent. Still though, there was no actual control, just getting by... and not well.
Around this time I found Diabetes Forums and started reading... a lot.
With the information on this forum I started to ask intelligent questions about my treatment, I pushed to get off of Metformin and onto insulin ASAP as I read it might prolong the honeymoon period and I figured that I would have to get used to insulin anyway so I may as well start sooner when my body was making some of it's own to assist and smooth out the learning curve a bit.
NPH was prescribed.
That sucked. I was eating to match the insulin, going low if I didn't have lunch at exactly noon, sometimes a bit sooner. Armed with the information from this site I pushed my GP into prescribing Levemir and Rapid. I also made arrangements to get to see an Endo.
With Levemir and Rapid things started to come together, I was figuring out some of my old favorites again, trial and error with your favorite meals isn't so bad!! I was using a scale to assist and keep the food as consistent as possible to get the ratios dialed in. This site also taught me to drink again. WOOHOO!!
Through all this I have to say that I have been very lucky. I seem to be Type 1.5, and things have remained very stable so far. 1 unit of rapid per 30 grams of carbs, and 6 units of Levemir at night. I have not had any morning sugar issues and no unexplained highs or lows (though some took some figuring like when my Levemir overheated and died).
Thanks to all I've read I've managed to live a better life and slowly improve my A1C's.
Dec 05 - 10.0
Feb 06 - 5.8
April 06 - 6.0
June 06 - 5.3
Nov 06 - 5.1
Some other things I've learned:
The first needle is full of terror, but it's not as bad as you think it will be.
If you hit a nerve with the needle, try another spot.
Never blindly trust your Dr., question everything, it's your health, not theirs.
Don't think about the long term, you never know what it will bring anyway, just get through the next day and the next week.
Post here as much as you can and try to help out others cause it's a silver lining.
This whole thing is extremely personal and emotional.
Food will be less stressful once you figure it out.... so far, not free of stress though:rolleyes: just a lot less than before.
There is a lot of out of date info out there and a pile of type II info, try to weed out what applies to you.
Dr.s hate self-diagnosis; sometimes they are only good for writing the prescriptions you decide you need.
Well, that might be all I have for now, I honestly can't thank you all enough for all the help this site has been to myself and my wife. This past year has been the most difficult I have ever had to face. My goal is to not let this thing shorten my life or reduce my quality of life too much and I am well on the road to that goal.
I don't post as much now as I used to, but I do read through and add my 2 cents when I have something good to add.
Take care everyone and I hope you have a great holiday season!!
Scott