New to the forum, but not diabetes

[xray_a]

I was diagnosed as a type 2 last spring after a routine physical. My fasting blood sugar at the time was 126, which I know isn't sky high, but high enough for my doctor to make the diagnosis. My A1c at the time was 6.9. I went through a round of diabetes education classes, and tried to control my diabetes with diet and exercise. This worked to keep my post meal numbers down, but my fasting levels stubbornly stayed in the 120s. So my endo added 1000mg of metformin to the mix, which again worked for awhile. My fasting numbers have slowly crept up again to over 100. Through this whole process, we have been trying to get pregnant. I've had the blessing of both my OB and my endo since my A1c's have always been below 7.

Trying to get pregnant hasn't worked out so far, so we are proceeding to more aggressive fertility treatments. Before we could do that, my insurance company required that I consult with various specialties, like anesthesiology and a maternal/fetal medicine specialist. I met with the MFM doctor on Monday and their office would like my A1c to be below 6. I'm close, but not quite close enough, my latest A1c was 6.4 from a few weeks ago. Given that the metformin seems to be losing its effectiveness for me, the MFM doctor consulted with my endo and they both agreed that I should start insulin now to get the really tight control I will need for early pregnancy.

I'm very nervous about starting insulin and really feel like this is just one more thing I've failed at. I'm afraid that once I go on insulin, I will be on it forever. I'm also afraid that I will gain weight, since this is one of the things my CDE warned me about. Most of all, I want to do what's best for my future pregnancies, and if insulin is what it takes, then that is what I will do. I guess I'm just looking for someone to tell me it will be okay and work out in the end.

Angela

[jenb]

Hi Angela. First and foremost - YOU HAVE NOT FAILED!!!!! Your pancreas needs an assist and insulin is a great tool for T2's.

Reducing the starchy carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta, grains, etc.) is a really good place to start, despite information you may have gotten to the contrary. This is your first line of attack on blood sugar. Concentrate instead on the really wide array of other veggies - salads, dark leafy greens, squash (summer and winter), cauliflower, kale, broccoli....this list is enormous. Use grains and legumes sort of as condiments - sprinkle a little Quinoa or some black beans over a salad for instance. Enjoy the foods you find around the perimeter of the store. Keep in mind that the lower the fat content of dairy products, the higher the carb count, so that should be a consideration in your diet. Forego dried fruit (bye bye raisins!) in favor of things like berries and reduced quantities of citrus and apples. Check out the Diet & Nutrition section here for tons of suggestions.

Here are a couple of books that will help you understand how insulin works: Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner and Using Insulin by John Walsh. These will help mitigate that sinking insulin fear factor. Knowledge is power! Your blood sugar is not horrible and I don't think you'll need much insulin to wrestle it into control. Weight gain should not be a problem with the tiny doses of insulin you're likely to use.

So....I am here to tell you that it will be OK. Good control of diabetes can make you the healthiest person in your family. So ironic!

Jen

[FightDiabetes]

Hi Angela, I am new to this forum too and my doctor warned me about prediabetes about 2 years ago when my blood sugar started creeping up from 90 to 112...then to 114...till it finally hit 125. I was not taking her seriously, not paying attention because I just had no clue what I was doing. My A1c was below 6 at the time. I was going through menopause at a young age and the cravings for sugar and carbs was ridiculous and I went crazy on them. I didnt gain much weight but what I did gain went to my belly which is horrible for adding to the Blood sugar problem.... Well my A1c hit 6 and she said THATS IT! she put me on metformin and I hated it, hated how I felt so I stopped taking it and got serious. I have been doing great, having a heck of a time giving up carbs more than the sugary treats but have cut way back. My A1c has not gone over 6~~~exercise daily, get your heartrate up there for at least 30 minutes and cut wayyyyyy back on the carbs and junkfood and sugar and give it 3 months and you will see results, but you gotta be good haha!! (I shouldnt talk) but seeing as how you want to start a family then if you do it and stick with it you WILL be successful. You really will. My main point is that you are prediabetic and technically if you get a reading of 126 more than one or 2 times you are diabetic.....you can do this but do it now and take it seriously...I wish I would have 2 years ago because I would have had that jump on this, now I really have to buckle down because I have no more room for movement with my numbers!!!!

[Hammer]

xray, if insulin is what you need, then go for it. If you go on insulin, you haven't failed, you are simply using the medications that work best for you. I use insulin and I love it. Insulin is what your body needs so why not use it? As for the insulin needles....have you seen them? They are so thin that you don't feel them when you inject. They are not like the needles they use to draw blood, they are much thinner. I rarely feel the needle when I inject and those times that I do feel it, it feels like a tiny pinch that is hardly worth mentioning. If you do the finger pricks to take a blood glucose reading on your meter, that finger prick hurts more than the needles do, and the finger pricks don't really hurt, so you can imagine what the needles must feel like.

Don't get all worked up over something that you've never tried before because once you try it, you'll see that the anxiety was all for nothing....the needles don't hurt. As a side note, if your insurance covers it, ask for the insulin pens as they are easier to use. Once you've determined your correct insulin dose, you'll see your BG levels drop dramatically to a more normal level, and once you've gotten those levels down, you can continue with your fertility treatments.

[jwags]

When I was on the lower levels of metformin it did nothing. It wasn't until I raised it to 2550 mg that I saw consistent numbers under 100. I also eat a very low carb, high fat diet. I know when you are pregnant they want your bgs even lower than normal diabetics.

[xray_a]

I'm beginning to see that the diet that my diabetes educator gave me isn't the greatest. I've been limiting my carbs to about 30 per meal, with snacks ranging from 15-20 carbs each. This is a huge reduction for me from what I used to eat and drink. I could down a 2-liter of Coke in a day. Weening my body off of that was pretty tough, but I've done it. I will still occasionally have a Coke Zero, but they tend to give me headaches. I have already started reading in the Diet and Nutrition section, but my main question is, how do you learn to eat green vegetables when you don't like the taste of them? I love green beans and zucchini squash, but I think those will get pretty old if I eat them all the time. Any suggestions?

[Ela]

There are other veggies; cabbage, cauliflower, egg plants, green beans, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, peas. I also often use frozen veggies (peas, corn, green beans) - they don't seem to bother my BG. You have to try and test each veggie though as everybody is different and while I don't have a problem with carrots for example, I heard that some people do.

So most days I eat something like cauliflower or heated up frozen veggies instead of pasta or potato + some salad from lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers with some dressing. I love mayo the best, but also use others, there are some (Valden Farm for example) that are carb free or very low carb. Also I make some vegetable soup and sometimes boil some hotdogs right in there! It may sound weird, but I actually like it this way. Don't be afraid of experimenting and eating "strange" combinations as long as they are BG friendly.

After a year of refining my menu I think I'm happy with it and don't crave anything anymore as I eat delicious food I like. You can do it too.

Good luck!

[jenb]

There are a bunch of low carb websites out in web-land, so do a google search and enjoy! Also, if you like to paw through cookbooks, any of Dana Carpender's collections of low carb recipes will give you a lot of ideas. This site is also a really good source of fun ideas. I got one of my favorite tips here from the member Foxl - using mashed cauliflower in place of potatoes (great with a little cream and butter!) or cauliflower pulsed in the food processor til it's the size of rice grains, then treated as though it's rice - like Tofu, it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. You can even make great fried "rice" with it! Also try Acorn or Butternut squash - you can bake them, mash them, make pies with 'em....

It's all about adventures with food. Keep experimenting and enjoying veggies beyond salad!

Jen

[TeddySue]

Here are a couple of books that will help you understand how insulin works: Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner and Using Insulin by John Walsh.

WOW! I just went to eBay and bought both books! I just kept reading, EVERYWHERE, to buy these two books and I finally did it. Thank you for finally getting me to see how important these books can be. ALSO, I've been hearing, from a dear friend, that she uses Quinoa and here you are talking about Quinoa! Thank you. Now to get to the store and buy some.
TS

[Moonpie]

welcome. Stir fry almost any veg with lots of garlic & olive oil, & they will taste good (imo)

[masa_inn]

Angela,

I think that being low-carb and VERY active (as much as you can, cardio, weights - whatever) is your best bet. I was able to bring my FBS from 126 to mid-80s this way. last three months I barely moved, and my BG has crept up considerably.

I'd say, if you are afraid of insulin, try low-carbing and moving, moving, moving as much as you can. Give it 2-3 months and then decide whether you want insulin. Chances are, you won't need it.

Most important - you are not a failure. I know how you feel – I was the same when I had to start antidepressants.

Good luck!