[adiantum]

G'day StoneGirl, I tolerated those symptoms for 10yrs & as no doctor could tell me what was wrong I figured that was to be my new life & it sucked.
Then one day my usual doctor was on hols & I had to see her replacement. She diagnosed T2 , enrolled me in a Diabetic class & I feel fantastic.
OK, its going to take me some time to return to house repairs etc but at least I have the energy & inclination to do them now.
I take no meds but must start & end the day with walking. I dont cheat on the diet as I never want to be so unwell again.

[adiantum]

StoneGirl, I'm so glad you found this wonderful forum. Theres so many people that educate, care & encourage.
Do you have a blood glucose tester? I bought mine on ebay & it has been invaluable to show me what foods I do best with.
You mentioning how you couldnt lift your arms was soooo familiar. I even convinced myself that I had MND or MS which is through my family.
Life does get better once that blood glucose is within a normal range of 4 to 7

[Achilles]

Originally Posted by fgummett

Way to go yourself Achilles... only three weeks since Dx and you seem to be passed the overwhelmed stage already Might have been a couple of years longer for me but I think we can all still relate to that initial feeling... trust me it does get easier

Well, not so much overwhelmed anymore because I found this forum and a lot of good info on what to do right away to help myself.

I am happy to report that being from Louisiana, I went to a crawfish boil after work today and had well seasoned (just right) boiled crawfish, with sausage and mushrooms. My BG numbers were 96 mg/dL 2 hours afterwards. I passed on the boiled potatoes and corn that were in the pot. I knew those would be bad for me.

Also passed on the Pastalaya. It is like Jambalaya but without the rice. Instead it is made with pasta. It is so yummy but full of carbs. I see some Dreamfields in the future here as I can cook all of this stuff myself too.

[Nyatema]

Hello everyone! I am new here, and just wanted to shout a quick Hello! to the house.

george

[Achilles]

Originally Posted by Nyatema

Hello everyone! I am new here, and just wanted to shout a quick Hello! to the house.

george

Well hello back at you. Welcome

[StoneGirl]

Well, I can tell I have a lot to learn. I listened to the book suggested, and the food I ate today was mainly all wrong. I thought I shouldn't eat sweets, so I had beef tips and rice for dinner, and for supper I had a baked potato, salad and a lean pork chop. So, I really shouldn't have done the rice nor the potato. Also, the pork chop may have not been the best. Some of the foods suggested sound a lot like high protein/low fat, but my daughter said she heard some friends say the South Beach Diet conforms a lot for what diabetics need, yet isn't quite as extreme as Atkins. What are your thoughts (ALL OF YOU) on this. I'm just starting to learn. One good thing: I like chicken/fish/leanBeef, so that's good. Also I like many green veggies. Do some of you have suggestions for things that spice or make tasty the veggies? Do you use any butter?

[Scrabblechick]

GARLIC!! Welcome to the forums and buy the jarred, minced garlic at the store. That will help veggies taste better than just about anything, IMHO. And get an Italian seasoning blend.

Yeah, the potatoes and rice probably weren't great, but eating lean pork once in a while is certainly not going to kill you.

I eat a low-er carb diet. Not ultra low. I shoot for about 100 carbs per day, give or take. Some folks on here have had success with eating only 30 or so grams of carbs per day, but I personally can't live like that.

You really do have to change how you deal with menu planning. More green veggies, much, much less starch. South Beach is a good meal plan for diabetics. Start reading labels compulsively. For things that don't have labels, google the food and "nutritional information" with it and voila! You'll have a dozen sites pop up that have this information. Also look online for low glycemic index foods. There is a lot of information about this, as well.

Low-carb alternatives are available for many favorite foods. The Hood company makes Calorie Countdown milk that is low carb and the Dreamfields company does a low-carb pasta that tastes good and doesn't spike your blood sugar.

As with the others, I echo the advice to get a meter and start testing yourself. That way, you'll have a good handle on where you are and where you're headed.

I totally understand about the insurance thing. However, with diet and exercise, you may be able to hang on long enough to get that going before you have to go on medication. Walking just 15-20 minutes can have a BIG effect on your blood glucose (BG) levels.

It is incredibly overwhelming at first. I was very nearly suicidal when I found out. If I'd been on here right after my diagnosis (DX), people would have been sending me advice to see a counselor -- YESTERDAY! Try to relax if you can, and do try to get a good night's sleep each night. That helps, too.

These folks here are great and they know their stuff. They won't steer you wrong. Take care of yourself and let us know how you're getting along. We really do care!

[jacobsam622]

Originally Posted by StoneGirl

Meantime, I don't know what kind of things to eat. I've tried to look on the internet, and this seems very confusing. When I feel faint, am I "too high" or "too low". Should I drink a Dr. Pepper or eat a Turkey Sandwich?

Can someone who has been at this as a Diabetic II, but isn't on meds, let me know how they understood and is there a cookbook, or a specific diet, OR .

Hello stone girl I take meds but the diet is the same with meds or without. You need to get this under control before it gets really bad. The symptoms for type 2 are as follows. during the pre-diabetes stage you gain weight not to worry once your bg gets above 300 you will start dropping the weight so fast you will think wow I discovered the best diet in the world. The more you eat the more weight you lose. Another great symptom is falling a sleep after eating a lot of carbs. Other symptoms include, Acid reflux (the stomach is trying to show it dis pleasure at be drowned in sugar), tingling in feet and or hands, eye problems, bleeding gums, and Mental confusion. Have you ever been somewhere really hot and was just dying for something to drink well thats how a person with undiagnosed diabetes feels all the time and along with this thirst come the inability to sit through a 30 minute TV show without having to pee. When my bg is high I get really sleepy and when I am low I get really jittery both cause mental confusion.
Here are few eating tips they apply maining to type 2's
There are several diets you can follow south-beach, Atkins, sugar-busters, etc, etc. The only one 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.

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

Never go to sleep with a low Blood glucose level when you wake up your bg will be really high. You have choice 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 recommend you read the sugar buster book .
your first gola is to keep your bg below 140. Your second goal should be to get your bg below 120.

Last you need to exercise at least thirty minutes the first twenty your body burns stored glucose



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

[StoneGirl]

Jacob, thanks. There are some really helpful things in your post. I am feeling overwhelmed, and specific things like this, that apply "now" are appreciated.

[princesslinda]

Welcome Stone Girl! You've been given a lot of great advice already.

Walmart has a "generic" brand meter "ReliOn" that is not as expensive as some of the others and the strips are cheaper, too. When you see your doctor and get a definite diagnosis, your insurance should pay for your strips and your doc should give you a monitor, as they usually have them on hand for newly diagnosed.

Testing is SO IMPORTANT for good control. If you test 2 hrs after your first bite of food you'll see how different foods affect your blood sugar and be able to make smarter food choices. We're all different in our tolerances, so what works for one may not work for another, and you won't know unless you test. When first diagnosed, I kept a food journal, listing everything I put in my mouth and the corresponding blood sugar reading. Before too long, I had a good list of things I could eat without problems.

I eat lots of green veggies, salads, all kinds of meats, fish, eggs, cheese and nuts. You can put any kind of spices on your veggies that you enjoy. I enjoy grilling asparagus with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper...to me, anything tastes better grilled.

There are lots of different flavors of s/f jello and pudding, and Breyers has a great Carb-Smart ice cream.

I buy the Mission Brand Tortillas at walmart, they are great... Dreamfields pasta is also good and is blood sugar friendly for many of us.

Post often, ask lots of questions. We're all here to help each other. You'll be fine.

[Chollyred]

Hi StoneGirl,

You've stumbled onto the friendliest diabetic forum I've found. I joined here a couple of weeks ago.

You've gotten some great advice from the folks here...the one thing I didn't see was to drink plenty of water. Lots of water.

Since I'm the only one in my family that'll eat green veggies, I've come to rely heavily on the Pictsweet and Bird'seye Steamers brand of frozen veggies. You throw the bag in the microwave and in 5-6 minutes, have great steamed veggies. Throw in a little Promise margarine and/or some ButterBuds for a little buttery flavoring. I like to take their Asian style veggies, add a little teryaki sauce and some grilled chicken to satisfy my craving for Chinese food.

Like PrincessLinda, I've found the low-carb tortillas great for making sandwich wraps. In addition to Mission, there are also other brands with even fewer cards. Look for any of the low-card tortillas manufactured by Ole' Foods (several brand names). Theirs are only 5 carbs per tortilla.

Since I'm also fighting triglycerides, I'm watching fats almost as carefully as carbs so I don't do regular breakfast foods. I'll often take one of the tortillas, put on a slice of fat-free smoked turkey breast, add a slice of 2% cheese and heat in the microwave. Add a little lettuce and a spoonful of salsa. Makes a great burrito for breakfast.

Once you start getting acclimated, you'll be surprised at what you can eat, and how little you'll even desire sweets. I attended a huge covered dish dinner last night. They had two tables of deserts. I found myself not even the least interested.

[StoneGirl]

I'm learning, but a bit confused about when to do the blood meter checks. I've heard from 3 to 10 times a day. I did get my meter and strips, and have had reading from 123 to 285. The 285 was about an hour after eating some lightly breaded chicken strips, about 2 bites of rice, and some broccoli. I expected it to be a decent reading, maybe a little high, but not 283. I felt very tired, exhausted, and could hardly finish supper. So, I need more info on getting numbers ready to take to the doc next week. It would probably be best to do 3 main meals, and 2 snacks, right? If it were you, when would you take the blood test? An hour after each meal? Someone told me to ignore all but the supper meal, and do a 1 hr and 2 hr check. But then, I won't know about various foods affect from the other meals. ???? I'll buy however many strips I need to get a good understanding, but I'm not getting concensus at all. Your thoughts - -those of you who have had Type II for some time - -what would you advise as to whether to eat 3 meals or 5 small meals - - and when would you take the blood samples?? Those of you who have begun to be "ole pro's" at it, can I'm sure give me some good advice. Much thanks - - -

[Achilles]

I'm new to this too. It is best to check 2 hours after your first bite on a meal. If you do that every day and eat 3 times a day then that would be 6 times. You may need to do this at first to see what / how your body responds to certain foods.

After you have figured that out, you can just pick one different meal a week to check. For example on Monday you might want to check how you do after breakfast. Tuesday before / after Lunch. Wednesday before / after dinner.

It is really up to you and how many strips you can get through prescription and what you can afford. No one is going to not tell you to not test 10 times / day if your fingers can handle it. Really up to you and what you are comfortable with.

2 small snacks is a good idea. Like a handful of nuts / almonds. Helps to balance out your sugar levels through the day. I'm still working on that too.

285 is too big of a spike. Most people shoot for 140 two hours after a meal. Besides watching carbs you also need to watch your portion size.

Hope this helps some and take care.

[jacobsam622]

Originally Posted by StoneGirl

I'm learning, but a bit confused about when to do the blood meter checks. I've heard from 3 to 10 times a day. I did get my meter and strips, and have had reading from 123 to 285. The 285 was about an hour after eating some lightly breaded chicken strips, about 2 bites of rice, and some broccoli. I expected it to be a decent reading, maybe a little high, but not 283. I felt very tired, exhausted, and could hardly finish supper. So, I need more info on getting numbers ready to take to the doc next week. It would probably be best to do 3 main meals, and 2 snacks, right? If it were you, when would you take the blood test? An hour after each meal? Someone told me to ignore all but the supper meal, and do a 1 hr and 2 hr check. But then, I won't know about various foods affect from the other meals. ???? I'll buy however many strips I need to get a good understanding, but I'm not getting concensus at all. Your thoughts - -those of you who have had Type II for some time - -what would you advise as to whether to eat 3 meals or 5 small meals - - and when would you take the blood samples?? Those of you who have begun to be "ole pro's" at it, can I'm sure give me some good advice. Much thanks - - -

Don't feel bad I did the same thing when I was first diagnosed. My god my wife was pregnant with twins I didn't have time for all this and to top it off No one bothered to tell me anything useful. I get sick of hearing how a lot of type 2 don't care for themselves but you know what the support for the newly diagnosed type-2's sucks.

Test two hours after meals
goals should be
morning < 130 ideal 95 -110
2 after meal 140 ideal = 85 -120
before bed 120 -130 never below a 100 help lower the amount of glucose released by the liver over night.

[sprzepiora]

Hello StoneGirl you should test just before you eat and then two hours after you eat.

GET A LOG BOOK! write down the before, after and what you ate. After a few weeks you will be able to look back and compare notes, it ill be really helpful for you to decide what to eat.

The check before will give you a base line to see how many points you jump based on what you eat. If you are running high eat less carbs, try to get your numbers down and some of the problems MAY lessen.

I was given a book called "Calorie King", this little book has so much info on carbs it isn't funny. It even includes tons of fast food joints (but I don't go to any

Find a food or two that you can eat a lot of that has very low carbs, I like peas.

Good luck