Newly Diagnosed

[ujay065]

Hi, I was admitted to the hospital with a diabetic ulcer on my ankle. To make a long story short, I was in the hospital for 6 days, and after about 8 or 9 sacks of antibiotic that i received by IV, was sent home with another two weeks of 800 mg antibiotics, and something new. I found out that I was a diabetic. I had never known it before, but here it was. The doc told me that I was 7.2 on the A/1c test, and that I would have to take medication, which he prescribed, Janumet. I'm supposed to have 75-100 carbs per meal, and am still trying to find what and how much I can eat. I know it has to be smaller portions . I kept some of the menus of the meals I received at the hospital, and am getting some ideas as to what and how much I have to eat. I'm in my early 70's, and this is all new to me. By the way, the ulcer is healing nicely, should be completly healed soon. Thanks for listening.

[mortis505]

Hello ujay and welcome to DF!

75-100 per meal??? Dear God, why didn't they just put you on a diet of chocolate cake?

Look for foods low in carbs. Avoid or limit "white" foods such as rice, potatoes, Pasta, and breads.

Sadly many Doctors still use the ancient ADA info to load up on carbs for a diabetic. Science has changed in the last 20-30 years and many now realize that carbs = sugar.

Stick around, ask lots of questions, and enjoy yourself.

[ujay065]

Hi Mortis505, and thanks for the welcome. You know I got a sheet from the hospital dietitian, and it gave a few sample meal suggestions, and right on top it's highlighted in yellow, to have 75 carbs per meal. Some of the meals I got in the hospital had some bread and potatoes but also meat & chic, veggies and diet canned fruit. Should I be eating something different than what the dietition suggests? All of the meals ranged from 60-80 carbs. I'm a type 2 diabetic. Sorry I didn't mention before.

[mortis505]

Have you been given a meter to do at home testing with? Best words of wisdom I can give you are eat by your meter. You want to be under 140mg/dl at approximately 2 hours after a meal.


From Carbohydrate Counting (http://www.diabetes.org/food-nutrition-lifestyle/nutrition/meal-planning/carbohydrate-counting.jsp)

Carbohydrate Counting

Carbohydrate counting, or "carb counting," is a meal planning technique for managing your blood glucose levels. Foods that contain carbohydrate raise blood glucose. By keeping track of how many carbohydrates you eat and setting a limit for your maximum amount to eat, you can help to keep your blood glucose levels in your target range. Finding the right amount of carbohydrate depends on many things including how active you are and what, if any, medicines you take.

The ADA is slowly coming into line but many "dieticians" haven't gotten the memo yet.

Get with an Endocrinologist if you can.

[ujay065]

Hello Mortis505, Yes I was given a meter when I left the hospital. I test 2-4 times a day, in the a.m., and before and after some of the meals. I've been in the 100-120 range for alot of the readings, but have had some spikes in the 140-160 range. This a.m. I was 128 after fasting. I know these are not the optimum numbers to have, but i'm trying to do the right thing. I'd be happy to receive any and all comments and suggestions from anyone reading my messages. Thanks---

[Granny Shanny]

Welcome aboard, Ujay! Good to hear the ulcer is healing well.

As you continue to modify your diet & test at proper intervals, you'll begin to notice which foods cause the most uproar with your BG and you can choose to avoid those in the quest for lower readings. Regular soft drinks, fruit juice, and most of the "white" foods are no-nos for me - rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, anything made with sugar and/or white flour. A lot of fruits are "iffy" too, but I discovered I can have an apple, if I use a dollop of peanut butter on each wedge.

There are products on the market which purport to be diabetic-friendly, sugar-free, or no-sugar-added, but you'll learn to read their labels instead of their advertising, because some of these are wolves in sheep's clothing. Anything containing corn syrup, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup or most any other ingredient ending in "ose", are going to be trouble.

As you prowl through the threads on this forum, you'll find little pearls & nuggets of management expertise . . . from diets to timing of meds/meals/etc. Some will work for you, some will not . . . that's the exasperating part. What works for one may not work for the next one, and what worked for me last week may not even work for me this week.

So welcome to the club you didn't want to join. We're just happy you've joined our forum & I hope you gain much from coming here to share with us.

[kgm0612]

Welcome to the forum, Ujay!

Be sure to test often & limit your carbohydrate intake. Try avoiding or limiting the amount of potatoes, rice, pasta, & white breads. You will notice a big improvement in your readings if you do so.

Karen

[genie86333]

Hi, Ujay!

Well, if you're only getting into the 160's with 75 g of carbs a meal, I'd say that's not too bad!

However, as you said, 160's aren't the optimal range, so the best thing to do is to cut back on the carbs until your numbers reach optimal levels. Others above have given the best info about that!

After that, keep an eye on things, because over time you may notice that the same meals cause higher levels & you may need to adjust medication or amounts of carbs you're eating at that time.

Stick around here. You'll learn a lot.

[ujay065]

Hi All, I would like to know what is a good sugar level to retire with for the night? I know that everybody is different, but there must be some kind of average that is not bad and to not have to worry about going too low, below 80 or so while in bed. Sometimes I wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning mildly sweating, and think that my sugar is low. But, when I do a test at that time it is around 125-130. I feel that a little higher at bedtime is better than lower. Can anyone enlighten me a bit on this. I've been testing before meals, and if I see it's above 140-150, I postpone eating for an hour or two. And, sometimes the glucose level will drop 20-30 points in a matter of a few hours. Thanks----