New to Diabetes and need Support

[Lucinda]

:confused: Hi All. This is my first post on this site, and I am looking forward to having a place to come to share the ups and downs of this disease. Sometimes, I feel very alone in it. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this past January. I am really frustrated, as I try to get my blood glucose numbers to normalize. They are all over the place. I am newly on Metformin (three weeks in). I am noticing a lot of depression, and feel like my body is going crazy inside, I think I must be experiencing a lot of anxiety. I quit smoking 75 days ago. I am trying to get healthy. I will be turning 50 on May 26th, and realize that I had better get healthy now...or, perhaps the alternative will happen...maybe never. I am just so very tired. I have hardly any motivation, and I just want to sleep. I have a lot of problems with insomnia. Right now I seem to be in a phase where I actually can sleep, and that is all I want to do. I am trying to get myself motivated to start exercising, but feeling the way I do, I haven't started yet. I just feel so..."blood sugary"...if that makes any sense to any one out there. Any support or thoughts would be welcomed. Thanks much...Cindy (Lucinda)

[adiantum]

G'day Lucinda,Welcome to Df & please allow us to hold your hand whilst you go through this stage of getting healthy.
Tell us about your blood glucose testing. Do you use a meter & test 2 hrs after a meal. What are your readings?
Do you follow a low carb diet
That fatigue is really awfull but will dissapear when your readings improve.
Good on you for giving up the ciggies. 75 days is fabulous :D

[Jan B]

Lucinda,

I know exactly what feeling "all sugary" feels like: awful!

Keep the faith . . . you will get to feeling better. Test often, and keep the carbs low if you are still struggling with high numbers. Like Adiantum asked, what are your readings/numbers? As much as exercise sounds exhausting, it REALLY can help your mood a LOT.

Happy almost 50! I'm only 3 years behind you, with a b-day just a couple days before yours. I promise you when you get stabilized blood sugars, the moods won't be as all over the place!

[princesslinda]

Welcome Cindy, glad you found the forums....so much information and support available here.

Its frightening to get that diagnosis...and I do remember how bad I felt physically at that time as well. I assure you that once your blood sugars normalize, you won't believe how much better you'll feel.

I hope you have a monitor and are testing regularly. Testing 2 hrs after your first bite of food will allow you to see how different foods affect your blood sugar and help you make smarter food choices. Many of us have found that we have better blood sugars by minimizing carbs, esp. potatoes, rice, pasta and white breads.

You hang in there. Look around, ask lots of questions, learn all you can about this new chapter in your life. Once you get things "back to normal" you'll feel great....ready to face 50!;)

There's a great book for T2s you should read, you may have seen us recommend it before: "Type 2 Diabetes, The First Year," by Gretchen Becker. Full of great information!

[davef]

Cindy,

Welcome to the forums, you have found a great place for information, the people here are always ready to help and support.

The early days can be overwhelming and feeling down, annoyed etc are all normal emotions. But please believe that things will get better and that this is not the end of the world. Metformin can take some time to really kick in but you can help it by, as Jan said, watching your carbohydrates.

You will feel so much better when you have your sugars under control and you will get them under control. I was diagnosed last November and now feel better than I have in YEARS.

I would recommend you check out a book "The First Year:Type 2 Diabetes by Gretchen Becker" it is very informative and easy to read.

Testing is one of your most important tools as it is through testing that you will learn which foods work for you. As Jan says, test two hours after your first bite of food, this will tell you how the food you ate impacted on your levels. What are your numbers right now? Many of us aim to have a Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG) of 110 or less and have a Post Prandial (2 hours after first bite) of 140 or less.

Personally I avoid things like pasta, rice, white bread and potatoes as I don't tolerate them well and the are full of carbs. I have heard that Dreamfields low carb pasta works for people.

Visit and post often, never hesitate to ask a question, thats how we learn and test, test, test

[shutterbug]

Cindy,
Welcome to the forums. Spend time going through some old posts for all questions that you may have.

Metformin take 3-4 weeks to start working. So hopefully, you should see your BS numbers go down gradually. But, the key is what you eat and how much you eat. Have you seen a nutrionist yet? I'd say that would be a good thing to do (if you have insurance coverage for that). Ask questions here and people here are very kind and helpful and you'll definitely get an answer here.

welcome again!

[morrisma]

Welcome to the club Lucinda!

I can say with absolute certainty, you are not alone in this. The lethargy will pass as you get better control of the blood sugar. Taking a walk, even for 30 minutes, will help a lot. Lots of good advice here. Hang in there.
Mike

[kgm0612]

Hi Cindy & Welcome! Great bunch of people willing to jump in and give new members support & encouragement.

Karen

[mzteacher]

hi cindy,
welcome....you have found a great place to learn how to deal with this disease....lots of information and great people...it is important to start moving...i see big differences when i do...the diet advise you have gotten is great....but walk around the house...around the block....what ever you can do to start!
i hope you'll be feeling better soon....it is a very tough diagnosis to hear....
good luck and keep us posted....it is nice we are not alone!
susan

[MarcS]

First off welcome to the forums! Like everyone has said so far, once you get used to the Metformin and you're exercising, and eating a low carb diet (one that you can work/live with), you will see the numbers, and your energy raise.

[Lucinda]

Wow!!! You are all so amazing!!! I did not expect so many wonderful responses!!! Thank you all so very much...from the heart.

To answer the question of if I test or not, and what my numbers are, I was told by a nurse to test 3 times a day just before meals. I test first thing in the morning, and my number is usually close to 200. It goes down to around 167 or so in the afternoon, and then is up near 180 or 190 later in the day...although, the past few days the numbers have all gone down by about 10 points each (I hope this is the Metformin starting to work). I have never been told that I should test two hours after taking the first bite, but that makes so much more sense to me than testing just before I eat. I will start doing that. I think this new way will give me more feedback. SHOULD I CONTINUE TO TEST FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AS WELL????????

I have not seen a dietician yet...I'm in between health insurances...but have been doing a lot of reading. I am learning about the Glycemic Index, and about how our bodies as diabetics work...or should I say, don't work. Thanks for the book recommendation. I need all the knowledge I can get about this.

I appreciate all of you being here, and being so encouraging and ready to lend a helping hand, or maybe just an ear. It really is hard to hear that a disease wants to control your life, but it is even harder to think of having to try to take back the control, and to do it all alone.

Last night when I first wrote, I was feeling really yucky inside. I am doing better today. Thank you all so much...Cindy

[adiantum]

I'm glad your feeling better today Cindy.I too was feeling very alone & facing this so I'd be lost without this forum.
I'd continue with the testing first thing in the morning & then 2 hrs after the meal.
200 is still too high to start your day & you will feel better when it comes down to about 105.
Checking the GI is excellent.
Try a little extra exercise even if it's dancing around the house. Moving the bod is equally important as the diet

[Lucinda]

Thanks, Adi...I like the dancing around the house idea! :) I wonder why it is that I feel shakey and sort of panicked when I am in the "normal" zone. Being at 105 seems like I would be too low feeling, even though I know it is in the "normal" range. I was 114 a few days ago, and really did not feel right. Are there any explanations for this?

Oh, and would it be alright to add you as a buddy?

Thank you, Cindy

[adiantum]

Oh, and would it be alright to add you as a buddy?

Thank you, Cindy

My pleasure ;) & feel free to pm me whenever

I dont know why your feeling shakey at normal levels & hope someone can explain this.
Try to walk 30mins a day , or in 2 lots of 15mins .
I'm glad I dont have a web cam as I even dance/exercise when on the computer
Just stick to it & you will feel heaps better

[alicat61]

[QUOTE=Lucinda;334376]Thanks, Adi...I like the dancing around the house idea! :) I wonder why it is that I feel shakey and sort of panicked when I am in the "normal" zone. Being at 105 seems like I would be too low feeling, even though I know it is in the "normal" range. I was 114 a few days ago, and really did not feel right. Are there any explanations for this?)

:) Hi Cindy,
I'm glad you found this wonderful site. Lots of good information to be found. The reason you feel shakey and feeling not right is that your body has become used to running with higher blood sugar levels. So when your levels drop to so called normal levels you get the feeling of a low blood sugar level. As your boidy gets used to the lower levels it will adjust.
It just takes time.
you need to keep testing to see what is happening thats all.

[Lucinda]

Thanks for that information, Alicat. This is all so confusing, but slowly, I am catching on. Thanks to you as well, Adi, KEEP ON DANCIN' !!! Cindy

[jacobsam622]

To answer the question of if I test or not, and what my numbers are, I was told by a nurse to test 3 times a day just before meals. I test first thing in the morning, and my number is usually close to 200. It goes down to around 167 or so in the afternoon, and then is up near 180 or 190 later in the day...although, the past few days the numbers have all gone down by about 10 points each (I hope this is the Metformin starting to work). I have never been told that I should test two hours after taking the first bite, but that makes so much more sense to me than testing just before I eat. I will start doing that. I think this new way will give me more feedback. SHOULD I CONTINUE TO TEST FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AS WELL????????

Hi Cindy being diagnosed with this disease can be very overwhelming

First find a diet that works for you and get on it right away
I am on the sugar-busters
list
includes

Sugar-busters
Atkins
Weight watchers
South beach
The zone
Eat to your type
etc
etc
The most important thing you need to do in the begining is change the type of carbs you eat once you have firmly established a diet routine then work on cutting back on portion size.

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.

You can 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

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, hotdogs 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: Dreamfields, Wal-Mart has good brand

rice = brown rice, wild rice

sodas = diet only

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
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

I recommend you read the sugar buster book .

You should always test in the morning until you gain tight control. Not only will testing in the morning help you determine how well your control is it let you know whether you are fit to drive to work.





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

[Lucinda]

The trick is to convince your liver not to dump a load of glucose into your system.

Jacob, thank you for all of the great advice! Can you tell me more about "convincing [my] liver not to dump a load of glucose into [my] system"? I have heard about this "dawn syndrome" and would like to know exactly HOW to trick my liver. Any more info that you can give me would be much appreciated, as I have been very concerned and confused as to why my sugars are so much higher in the morning after fasting. Thanks, Cindy

[morrisma]

Cindy,
You sure do attract a crowd! :D Good for you.

As to feeling low at what we'd consider normal levels, can you borrow a different meter for a few readings? Or maybe a different vial of strips? Meters are inherently inaccurate (+-20%) but most are likely to be 'off' in the same direction for any given vial of strips. Lots of variables (finger vs arm, squeeze vs no squeeze, lots of others) for certain but you might be lower than the meter is reading!

The morning, fasting reading is important because that is one number that is unaffected by daily, changing variables of food, stress, activity, etc. Your doc will pay close attention to it.

I find that a small glass of red wine before bed tricks my liver often. Google Dawn Phenomenon.
Mike

[jacobsam622]

Jacob, thank you for all of the great advice! Can you tell me more about "convincing [my] liver not to dump a load of glucose into [my] system"? I have heard about this "dawn syndrome" and would like to know exactly HOW to trick my liver. Any more info that you can give me would be much appreciated, as I have been very concerned and confused as to why my sugars are so much higher in the morning after fasting. Thanks, Cindy While you sleep your liver produces glucose to keep your bg from going to low. About an Hour before your normal time for waking your liver produce alarger amount of glucose to prepare you for the day in a normal person this is perfectly fine in someone with diabetes it makes our blood sugar higher type -1 can control thourgh basal insulin where as type-2 have to use the force or some other type of mind games to convince the liver not to drup to much glucose. That is why you should never go to sleep with your bg to low. I take 4mg of amaryl and I eat a snack before bedand if my bg is not high enough I eat a hand ful of nuts(cocktail of cashew).

[Lucinda]

Thanks again, Mike and Jacob. I truly appreciate your feedback, knowledge and advice. Since I came to this message board, I am already feeling a lot less lost and confused in all of this. Your support here means so much. My numbers are even better today!!! 147 on waking, and 149 two hours after breakfast!!! That is great for me!!!

I did Google "Dawn Phenomenon" and found a lot of information on the subject. Boy, our bodies sure do a lot, don't they!!! And they are pretty smart, too!!! I just wish I had treated my body better through my past years. Perhaps I would not be in this position. Well, I am, so I will do all that I can to get healthy, and start a new way of living. I quit smoking 78 days ago, and I can at least say I am walking the walk on the road to better health.

I am sure that I will have many more questions...thank you all so much for being here...Cindy