Newly diagnosed

MHouck · #1 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 08:32 AM

So I was recently informed that the pains in my feet were a result of my blood sugar being over 200. I just turned 49 years of age and although very active, will admit that I am slightly overweight and my diet sucks. So My endocrinologist puts me on a drug called Janumet twice a day. This along with more exercise and monitoring what I eat has kept my count down around 125-140. Its been 2 months now and I still have the pain in my feet.

Will this ever go away or is it something I have to learn to deal with?

Any other advice that anyone can give me about this NEW lifestyle and living with Type 2 and/or the drug Janumet would be forever appreciated!

Psycho Penguin · #2 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 08:37 AM

Diabetes never goes away, sorry. It's fairly easy to control once you het the hang of it but you'll never know all the answers. Everyone is different and you will have good days and bad days. That's all the advice I can give because I am a type 1.

Penny · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 08:42 AM

Hello and Welcome here.

I am not sure it ever goes away completely. My doctor said mine would stop when my control improved, it did not. It does have days when I barely notice it though. Others on the forum take medication for it and get relief and still others have had it go away completely. Now my doctor basically told me to learn to live with it because I take too many pills now. Sometimes I can take 2 aspirin and it feels better. I think we are all different though and you should talk to your doctor about it. Sounds like you are making good progress though, so maybe with a bit more control yours will go away.

buddy7 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHouck

Will this ever go away or is it something I have to learn to deal with?

Any other advice that anyone can give me about this NEW lifestyle and living with Type 2 and/or the drug Janumet would be forever appreciated!

Good evening and welcome to the forum, we're here for you! We know how it can feel when you have diabetes, the initial shock, anger, denial, the confusion about what it means for your life now and for the future, sometimes you just wish it will go away.
Coming to terms with your diabetes means understanding it and managing it, that's why we're here to offer you the support and information to help you manage your diabetes and live a more balanced healthy life.
There's no doubt that diabetes requires a lot of responsibility and self-discipline, so, if you're feeling frustrated or unmotivated to keep up your diabetes self-management, remember you're not alone, and the good news is that there's a lot you can do to prevent other diabetes complications. Here are some tips:
Understanding the negative feelings about diabetes are normal.

Talk to your GP or diabetes team about your feelings.

Set small and achievable goals that you can meet.

Post here often, ask as many questions you want.

And be realistic, don't let diabetes get you down, diabetes is a progressive condition, you'll have it for the rest of your life, no going away, remember! there's no cure for diabetes, only control.

I took the liberty in sending you a link on the drug Janumet.

I do hope my post will be of some help to you now, and for the future.

B/7 ESSEX UK.

buddy7 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 01:04 PM

Sorry here's that link!!

davef · #6 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 01:21 PM

Welcome to the forums, glad you found us. The initial time after diagnosis can be overwhelming and the emotions Buddy mentioned will come to the fore. However it is manageable, you can get control and live a healthy life.

Personally I would have different targets than those set by your Doctor. I aim to be below 110 first thing in the morning (fasting), and to be below 140 two hours after first bite of a meal.

Testing is a key tool, often under-stressed by our Doctors and so under used by ourselves. If you test before and two hours after first bite of a meal you will quickly learn how different foods work.

I really can't comment about the problems you have with your feet, but often when we get blood sugars under control we find an overall improvement in our health.

I would also recommend the book "The first year: Type 2 diabetes" by Gretchen Becker, I found it easy to read and very informative.

Visit here often, ask questions,

shutterbug · #7 (**permalink**) 10-23-2008, 06:10 PM

Hello and welcome to DF. From what others have posted here in the past, you should feel better in a few months after you bring your BS levels under control.

Good luck.

MHouck · #8 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 06:08 AM

Thank you all! Your info and support is much appreciated!

I was only told to test my BS before breakfast and dinner. If I do it after eating as well, is 2 hours the time frame I should use to see how my meal affected me?

Also, I enjoy a few cups of coffee each morning usually before I eat. Will this have an effect too?

MHouck

davef · #9 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHouck

I was only told to test my BS before breakfast and dinner. If I do it after eating as well, is 2 hours the time frame I should use to see how my meal affected me?

Also, I enjoy a few cups of coffee each morning usually before I eat. Will this have an effect too?

I think most people go with the 2 hours after first bite, there are some places that recommend 1 hour. I find that using the 2 hours has been good enough to get my sugars well under control and I have halved my A1c.

For me, testing is the key to learning and that's how you would find out if the coffee you drink effects you sugars. I find I can drink coffee and even Lattes, some people find plain black coffee will raise their numbers. When I joined here I was advised to test, test, test and it worked for me. Now that I know how most foods I eat will effect me I don't always test as frequently but I generally do.

Kanga · #10 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 07:18 AM

I am only one month into this journey so I am still learning, but I wanted to welcome you to DF

mosha · #11 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 09:05 AM

I was Dx'd (age 32) on 9/1 and have been on Janumet 50/500 2x daily since 9/14. I have found it to be pretty easy to stay under 130 at all times of the day just by lowering carbs/sugar and light exercise. My readings when dx'd were 260ish. As long as the Janumet keeps working I'll be ok with this treatment.

At the beginning I was testing before and after every meal to see what specific foods would do to my BG reading. Coffee w/Sweet & Low has no affect for me.

Kirby3131 · #12 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 09:13 AM

My feet have been highly sensitive for the past few years and was just diagnosed with diabetes a month ago. The pain was much worse the first few weeks after diagnois. Now they are just tingley, but no longer painful. I have it on my list of things to talk to my Dr about when I see him next week. I've been a little overwhelmed with all of the other info that I hadn't gotten a chance to talk to him about my feet.

I just wanted to let you know that another newbie is also experiencing something similar.

Kirby

Basketball Mom · #13 (**permalink**) 10-24-2008, 11:53 AM

MHouck

That could be early signs of diabetic neuropathy. I had the "tingling" sensation in the beginning. Early stages you can prevent it from getting worst by maintaining you blood sugars. If you do not and ignore it, it will get worst. I have severe polyneuropathy now with no sensation in my feet and it has progressed to my upper extremeties.
Stay on top of that see a podiatrist or neurologist if it worsens. It is too late for me. Good luck