Hello Everyone!

[fafafouy]

Well, I believe I am about to be diagnosed with Diabetes. Not sure which type but pretty sure I'm now part of the club. I've had a lot of stress this year and recently began losing weight without explanation. I chalked it off to all of the stress. At the begining of October i started getting terrible dry mouth which was followed by frequent nighttime urination and most recently major morning leg cramps. No amount of water would quench my thirst or make me feel hydrated. We scheduled our physicals earlier this month for this week. I went in Tuesday and gave my blood and urine and was supposed to wait until next Tuesday for the results. After getting up every hour Tuesday night and severe leg cramps I decided I couldn't wait any longer. Yesterday I had a friend in the office test by Blood sugar with her meter. I had only had coffee in the morning and I tested at 371! Of course, I've been freaking out and Googling ever since and already modified my diet starting with lunch yesterday :). I've been drinking water continuously and the bathroom has been my second office for the past 24 hours.
My girlfriend picked up a meter for me and I've been testing since before lunch yesterday. The lowest reading I've had was just before lunch today at 215. Going to the doc tomorrow to see what the plan is.
This has been quite a shock as I've not been more than 10 lbs overweight my whole life and I don't have a family history or a sweet tooth. The only "contributing factor" may be drinking as I have had many a toasty weekend since my college days.
Anyway...sorry to ramble but just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I'm sure I will be a regular visitor here and have already learned quite a bit from reading the threads on here. Cheers!

[Josselyn]

Hello there, fafafouy. You seem to be handling all of this very well, and in a sensible manner. I know you're still digesting what is likely to be your news from your doctor, but know that most of us freak out upon dx (diagnosis)...and use it to motivate ourselves.

Let us know how things turn out for you at the doctor's.
We're here when you need us.
As was said to me when I arrived here: "Welcome to the club you never wanted to join."

You're in good company here, and there's a wealth of experience and information available.

[CarrieJett]

Welcome!

First off: Don't blame yourself, you didn't cause your diabetes. You will have enough to deal with without that sort of bull#%@! Athletes, health nuts, little kids, and nuns all get diabetes. Other people will ask sometimes "So, did you eat tons of sugar or something?" because they like to think if you did something "bad", that means it can't happen to them.

I wasn't allowed sugar or junk food growing up, have always been athletic, so who knows? My buddhist girlfriend says it's my karma and that I must have done a lot of killing in my past life, and my mom thinks when I lived in the islands and got a lot of parasites they destroyed my health. Good an explanation as any.

Learn as much as you can, become an expert, and you can be the healthliest person you know. I feel like being diabetic can be a "mixed blessing". The awareness I have of my self, and the gratitude for each active and good day are some of the positive side effects. There's a lot of ****, as well.

This is a great place to learn from others!

[It Ain't Over]

fafafouy- When you get into the medical system I will guess the initial diagnosis will be that you are type 2. You may be, but with what you are writing here it is entirely possible you are a type 1, or 1.5.
Makes a big difference. Many here have in recent times had md's that were treating them for type 2 and they just got sicker. The difference is significant and the treatment for the various types are not the same at all.
Learn the language and ask a lot of questions of your md. I would want you to take notes. I know you are in a fog right now, high blood sugars and the stress of this all will make it that way.
I was diagnosed as a 'possible type 2' 31 years ago and sent home with diabanese pills. Went in after spending the week in the bathroom and drinking water that did not stay in place. After that and vomiting for a day and I went in and lab test was 440 bg. MD said that is not so high and you are probably type 2. By the way I weighed in at 140 lbs and was 5' 11". Great doctor that one was. I came back after a week on the pills and bg's were over 700. That got their attention and was hospitalized and learned all about insulin shots.

[fafafouy]

Thanks for the responses. I'm trying to stay positive but I don't think I've fully wrapped my brain around it yet. I am hopeful I can manage things and keep "it" under control. My biggest fear are the complications I've read about. They don't sound like much fun.
The other real bummer for me is the social aspect. Most of my friends are immature adults and we all like to throw down some cocktails on the weekends. Not sure how I'm going to deal with that adjustment but if that is the worst of my problems I guess I'll be doing pretty well.

[genie86333]

The other real bummer for me is the social aspect. Most of my friends are immature adults and we all like to throw down some cocktails on the weekends. Not sure how I'm going to deal with that adjustment but if that is the worst of my problems I guess I'll be doing pretty well.

Diabetes doesn't mean you can't have a drink or two, just that you'll have to be more careful when you do. I wouldn't advise it until your numbers are under control though, because alcohol can cause swings by itself (a high because of any carbs in what you're drinking followed by a low because your liver's too busy processing alcohol to do help keep blood sugar from going too low.)

Welcome to the forum. Stick around & you'll get some great info!

[cynthiazinn]

I am one of those that was originally treated as a type 2. Just being an adult does not make you a type 2! Not falling over nearly dead with a BG of 1200 does not mean that you can't be a type 1. Insist on having your c-peptide and autoantibodies checked. Don't take no for an answer! I wish someone had told me that.

[fafafouy]

Went to the doc yesterday. He put me on Metformin and I will be getting C-peptide test on Tuesday. He started me on 500mg pills to take once daily for 5 days then increase to twice a day. I took the first pill this morning with breakfast and hoping for no intestinal side effects. Reading some of the responses here I am worried. We have a trip planned for New Orleans to go to the Voodoo music festival starting next Thursday (thru Sunday). I asked the doc if it was okay to have some drinks while on the vacation and he didn't seem too worried about it. My physical blood results came back and my liver function, kidney function and cholestrol all came back normal.
I've read that Metformin can take weeks to months to regulate your BS. My BS had been averaging between 200 and 350 for before/after meals and morning fast. Other than keeping to proper diet and guzzling water, any words of advice while I'm having fun in NOLA?
Having read other threads here I know I am going to get everything from "DON'T DRINK ANYTHING!" to "Just have fun and don't worry about it."
Just looking for some common sense guidance and any tips like if I have some light beers throughout the day or an occasional shot, should I eat before, while or after I drink? Not a mixed drink guy so no worries for sugary mixers.
Thanks everyone and I'm so glad I found this forum.

[mortis505]

Welcome to the club you never wanted to join.

Enjoy yourself in New Orleans, but remember to test, test, test. That way you will know whats going on. As for common sense advice, well, use your common sense to just keep an eye on things.

Id recommend getting in to see an endo and asking for a GAD65 Auto-antibody test. This will be further indicative of type. Also see the last 2 links in my sig.

[CarrieJett]

Hey Fa fa ( I like your name) after years of the lovely big D, I have embraced my social drinking tendencies, with a major caveat: No One else is going to take care of you! Just be able to test and treat yourself. You will figure out how alcohol affects your blood sugar, just like you will figure out how popcorn, stress, or sex affects you. Be careful and keep living your life. You are your own science project.