[ldinct]

Hi, new to the board.
I was having symptoms- tingling in feet and hands, pain in feet and toes, getting up in the middle of the night, etc. Had my FBS done and it was 88, I was shocked. I have high bp, high cholesterol, partially blocked caratoid arteries and I am overweight. I also have 3 siblings with type 2. Only one is still alive, the rest died from massive strokes and one other one from COPD. One was diagnosed early and he died at 46, one diagnosed in 50's and died at 60 and the other one diagnosed at 55 and still alive. One sister who died at 54 of a stroke did not have it, she was fairly thin though.
I'm 50, and I'm thinking I should have a GTT or that AC1 thing or whatever it's called. I should be happy with the good news, but I'm thinking maybe it's not so good. Am I worrying needlessly?
You think my Dr. with family history would have ordered more tests. I am a sugar addict, I know i should cut down on carbs, but can't. I'm thinking I better find a way. I feel like a ticking time bomb on many counts.
Nice to find you all.
LDinCT

[fgummett]

Hi LD in CT.. Welcome to DF! Glad you found us. All good questions... from your family history and description it does sound like Type 2 Diabetes may be on the cards for you, BUT either way you can use this as a wake up call to action and start taking better care of yourself. Lots of tips here on DF!
If I were in your situation, I would be asking for an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and an A1c (aka HbA1c). The OGTT will show how well, or otherwise, your body reacts to a sudden load of sugar, and the A1c gives a 90 day or so (lifespan of your red blood cells) average of your blood sugar. Both of those together with a repeated fasting blood sugar should help to give a fairly definitive answer. It is possible to have a good fasting BS while still tending towards Type 2 Diabetes. The fact that you crave sugar suggests to me that you are already on the path to D... with Type 2 the blood sugar may be high but the sugar cannot get into the cells which send out hunger signals and cause a real craving for fast acting carbohydrates (as real as our need to breathe or drink water). Hopefully you do not yet have full-blown D but as above, either way, I would take this as a wake up call If the results are OK this time I would still ask to have them repeated annually.

[xMenace]

Welcome.

Diet, exercise, weight control - the big three.

Michael Pollan on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos

[shutterbug]

Welcome to DF. Hopefully everything will be ok with you. Like xMenace said, diet, exercise and weight control is the key!

Good luck!

[notme]

Hi LD and welcome to Diabetes Forums. Because of your family history, I would ask your doctor to do an A1c. However, because you already have blocked arteries, high cholesterol and high blood pressure you should be taking all the precautionary steps to avoid the same outcome as your siblings.

My Mother had blocked carotid arteries and she got them unblocked. She had high cholesterol and takes blood pressure medications. She has also paid dearly for no exercise and is now in a nursing facility trying to recover from bypass surgery and lack of muscle tone. She said if she could do it all over, she would listen. Please consider taking her advice and make the changes to your diet and exercise now. It is never to late to start eating healthy and getting some moderate exercise. Check with your doctor and see what he recommends and then follow his advice.

Welcome! We are glad you joined.

[ldinct]

Yeah, the big 3. I am a moderate exerciser, I strength train weekly and walk every day for 30 mins, but it doesn't really make a dent. I'm not a big eater, just a bad eater. Cupcakes and sweets. If I didn't eat that stuff, I'd probably only eat 1500-1600 calories daily. I've tried lots of stuff- hypnosis, weight watchers, atkins & going vegetarian. My new plan was to go lo carb for the regular food and then have a desert or two with food daily. But, the regular excuses get in the way, I'll have a slice of pizza and then a couple of cookies.
I've heard that if you cut out carbs the cravings go away, but I haven't seen that.
I actually feel physically nauseaus and my stomach burns if I don't finish a meal with something sweet. I have heartburn meds and they help somewhat.
I was actually thinking some kind of antidepressant. I read somewhere it might help with addictions or cravings. I've been chomping pens at my desk every day like crazy. I put it away and then I find one of them in my mouth again. I only write with pencils which I won't chew and have hid the pens in drawers, but have just taken one of out my mouth. Ugh maybe therapy...
Sorry to vent, nice to meet you all, I'm sure I'll be around one way or another.
LDinCT

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by ldinct

Sorry to vent, nice to meet you all, I'm sure I'll be around one way or another.
LDinCT

No sorries allowed! We all love a good vent Seriously. There's not one of us without issues.

Try coming here daily and following the posts. Most of us addicts do this because it really does help us keep on track.

YouTube - Diabetic Diet and Carbohydrates

[homeschoolmom]

Hi,

I can relate to your love of sweets and carbs!! I ate a huge bowl of moose tracks ice cream every night for about 3 months!!! (I was really craving it one summer.) Anyway, a fasting blood sugar of 102 stopped that habit pretty quickly. I have found a few ways to "cheat" that might help you break the sweets habit. First, sugar free jello is actually pretty good, and it shouldn't affect your blood sugar. Also, if you like to bake, try using agave nectar. It is sweet but has a low glycemic index compared to honey and sugar. I use it in place of sugar (you only need 1/4 cup for every cup of sugar) in things like muffins, banana bread, and chocolate ice cream. The recipe for choc. ice cream from David Lebovitz using agave nectar can be found on the internet. It has a lot of protein (5 egg yolks) and unsweetened chocolate and is to die for!!! My fasting blood sugar is always low when I eat it the night before. Also, if you really crave a sweet, try eating it in place of a carb for your meal. I know it's not as healthy as a vegetable or fruit, but once in awhile it's ok. Lastly, if I'm really craving a sweet dessert, I'll eat it right before I exercise, and it rarely affects my levels. Good luck to you!

[ldinct]

Was thinking I needed to try the agave. They have been sold out at Trader Joes. Went to the volcanic agave site and they are sold out of everything except squeezable packets. What do I buy the bottle. Is it one 1/4 cup liquid for 1 cup sugar? Any recipes out there- cookies, cupcakes, etc?
LDinCT

[homeschoolmom]

I'm not sure where you live, but in New York there is a bakery called Baby Cakes that makes almost everything with agave. You can also order their cupcakes and breads online. I have not tried their stuff, but the bakery is very popular. You can order agave on Amazon pretty cheaply. Also, Amazon sells several agave cookbooks. One note - not all agaves are the same glycemic index. The Madhava brand raises my blood sugar considerably while the Volcanic Nectar brand does not.