Diabetes-Walk Me Thru It, Please

In My Humble Opinion
1

If this is the wrong place, feel free to move it, mods.

I went to the doctor yesterday for something entirely unrelated, and through the urine sample, I was found to be diabetic. The doctor doesn’t seem overly concerned, he gave me a month’s worth of Duetact and a diet plan, plus Welchol for cholesterol and to help with weight loss.

Right now I am feeling very frightened and alone in this, tho I know that there are millions of others with the condition. Does anyone have any advice to offer to help me thru this? Any do’s or don’t’s I need to be aware of?

Just feeling a little blue about it right now. I know I can LIVE with it, but how bad are the changes going to be?

A little background: I don’t eat a large amount of sweets. I bought a 12 pack box of ice cream bars over a month ago and still have 4 left. I don’t drink reg. soft drinks, only diet when I DO drink sodas… usually it’s iced tea. I have already bought Splenda at the doctor’s recomendation for my next pitcher. I do love my potatoes and bread, which I hear is a no-no. :frowning: I rarely fry anything… most meat is baked or grilled. LOTS of salads, I love them.

So… guide me, please.

2

I don’t have any first-hand advice to offer (sorry) but I do have a question for you before the others get here. You mention that you don’t eat large amounts of sweets, don’t drink regular sodas, and that you eat lots of salads. Are you overweight? If so, by how much. (Sorry if this is a personal question here, I’m curious to know what other risk factors you might have had since overindulgence in sweets doesn’t seem to be one of them in this case.)

3

Just a little thing I discovered today that even the pharmacists I work with didn’t know - the Welchol for your cholesterol also helps with diabetes! The mechanism of action is unknown, but there ya go, a double whammy! :wink:

4

Watch yourself when you’re drinking alcohol, it does crazy things to your glucose levels, and if you happen to be overweight (I don’t know if this is your case) then losing weight could help and potentially alleviate most of your diabetic like symptoms.

It’s not the sweets you really have to look out for, though they are a no-no, it’s the foods that are high in carbohydrates. Check your blood first thing in the morning, and before meals, usually.

My step mom and mom have diabetes, though they have two different types. It seems you’re not insulin dependent but if you don’t watch yourself, you very well could be.

There are no immediate risks to you, and not much will change, just what you eat and how often you think of the make up of the things you’ll eat.

If you have any particular questions, ask awayyyy, I will try my best to answer them!

5

Hm, get set up with a consult/class with a diabetic nutritionist, the insurance should pay for it. You can still have all sorts of foods, just in moderation and they will teach you how to gauge portion size and work out a nutrition profile for you specifically [mine is a specific number of portions of different stuff for teh different meals and snacks. Mine was a bit odd because I worked from home and could actually just do 6 equal meals spaced around the day instead of a more traditional 3 meals 3 snacks]

Ask your doc for something like mycardis, normally a blood pressure med but my endo uses it to help preserve the kidneys from damage.

Learn to check your feet for damage now before you have foot issues. I love my soft chennille fluffy socks, they keep my feet warm [which prevents flares of my pseudogout] and are soft and padded to protect my feet from casual damage, but are loose enough not to constrict circulation. Get a consult with a podiatrist for foot care.

Go to your opthamologist for a baseline eye exam, pay the extra for them to photograph your retina to have something to compare against, can help them spot nerve damage and other irregularities. I think I paid $30US for this.

Start doing things right now before troubles start, and try to prevent anything that you can. Keep those body parts attached!

6

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic which means, if you don’t watch it, you’ll go full out diabetic.

Watch your diet - basic rule: meat serving should be no bigger than the palm of your hand or thicker than your little finger; starches should be equal to the space that your four fingers take up closed against your palm and vegetables should be all you can fit in two hands.

Exercise: at least 1/2 hour per day - more if possible. This is very important.

Eat a little every hour or so…instead of one or two big meals a day. Lots of fibre, low fat stuff, vegetables, beans, quinoa, wild rice instead of white…

My big thing was no exercise and lots of dairy. Cheese is very high in fat.

Managed to get blood sugar under control and am fine - still under diabetic levels.

Good luck. There lots of information on heart and stroke foundation dot com.

As well, not so much diabetes kills you but the side effects; heart attacks, stroke, weight…so those are the reasons to watch your food and exercise.

7

I will try to answer the questions, I hope I don’t miss any.

Yes, I am very overweight, classified as obese.

I don’t drink all that much alcohol, no more than MAYBE averaging 1 beer a week.

I haven’t been given anything to check my blood yet.

I keep an eye on my feet already because I am prone to painful heel cracks. I have started taking better care of them.

I just came back from a very brisk 20 minute walk with all three dogs. When you have 2 Setters trotting beside you, you know it’s brisk. :slight_smile:

8

Eating sweets does not cause diabetes. Diabetes was a recognized and described disorder in Ancient Greece long before we had refined sugar and the only sweetener was honey - which was expensive and not common for the unwashed masses.

In fact, during hypoglycemic episodes, sugar can actually have an important role in treating diabetes but ONLY as directed by a doctor.

OK, look, you can be a vegetarian with the world’s healthiest diet and still have diabetes. There are several causes, and treatment varies from patient to patient. Even where diet is a major factor it’s not the ONLY factor. Do not start blaming yourself. The important thing is to focus on what you need to do to stay healthy from today forward.

It may (might, possibly, could be) that your blood sugar is not terribly elevated and your doctor is hoping that with medication it can be adequately controlled. If, however, there is no improvement in the near future you need more specific care. If your current doctor does not provide this then see a doctor with expertise in diabetes for a thorough evaluation and a treatment plan. Frankly, I’m a little disappointed your doctor didn’t seem to do much for you, but I’m sitting here behind a keyboard and it’s all very second hand.

For some people, it can be as simple as following a specific diet. For others, of course, there is a need for things like insulin and multiple daily monitoring and they still have complications. Most likely you are between the extremes.

Regardless of whether your diabetes is mild or not, complying with treatment and monitoring your blood sugars level is the best thing you can for yourself. Even if it goes into “remission” (possible for some who lose weight and change their diet, though not particularly common) realize the vulnerability is there and be sure to get checkups regularly for the of your life. Diabetes can be managed and lived with, even the more severe forms, but it’s up to YOU to take responsibility for what you eat, how much, when, take your medication, and so forth.

9

Everything aruvqan said, except don’t just see a nutritionist. Get yourself into a diabetes education class. Your insurance should cover it, because if you control your diabetes better, you will have fewer complications and will cost them less.

As a diabetic, you will be more prone to infections and your wounds will heal slower. Keeping your blood sugar in check will help you manage your infections and wounds better, and they will heal faster. Be careful of yeast infections. Yeasty beasties love diabetics, and will happily move in and multiply.

10

Ironically, it was a yeast infection that got me to the doctor in the first place. It was the first one I have ever had, and I had no idea what it was. Other that damned painful.

My food intake today:

Breakfast- bagel w/ a bit of cream cheese

lunch- salad, lite dressing, 12 tortilla chips

dinner- baked chicken breast, cup of wild rice, cup of mixed veg. with lemon pepper * Mrs. dash

snack- cup of grapes

Does this should like I’m on the right track?

11

I was diagnosed 12 years ago, and was probably diabetic several years prior to that.

As far as diet is concerned: The best thing is a low-carb diet. BUT: Not all carbs are equal. Learn about the “Glycemic Index”; it has to do with how fast foods are converted into glucose; you want foods that convert slowly, over time, rather than foods that spike your glucose immediately. So you’ll have to limit starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc. Also certain fruits. You don’t have to eliminate them completely, but eat smaller portions. Also eat lots of lean protein like poultry and fish. But get a book on the glycemic index, and follow it as closely as you can.

And if you’re getting any kind of aerobic exercise, keep doing it. This has been the most difficult part for me.

12

I was in the same spot about 7 or 8 months ago. The doc said my sugar levels were high and I should consider taking drugs to control it. I refused because those drugs are tough on the body. I lost 40 lbs and my readings are normal now.
Exercise is crucial.

13

Yeah, yeast infections are amazingly obnoxious. I forgot to mention, antibiotics will raise your blood sugar. When the doc prescribes an antibiotic for me, I sigh and say “Diflucan”. He sighs and says “OK”. Diflucan is the brand name of an oral antifungal medicine. Yeast infections used to be treated with messy creams and vaginal suppositories, available by prescription only. These things are now available over the counter, and you no longer have to use them for such a long period of time.

Your diet for the day sounds very good. You do have to be careful about the size of things like bagels and suchlike. The guidelines are given in ounces for a reason…the American producers have supersized muffins and bagels and hamburger buns. However, eating a little extra bread at the start of the day doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Oh, one more thing…watch your fats as well as your sugars/carbs. Too much fat in your diet can inhibit your insulin receptors in your cells. Items that advertise as fat free frequently have a lot of sugar to help boost the flavor. And items that are sugar free are often loaded with fat.

14

The only advice that I’ll give you that hasn’t already been covered is get yourself a glucose monitor and learn how to use it. I’m amazed that your doctor didn’t set you up with one. Most insurance companies will pay for the monitor and testing supplies. It is imperative that you know what your glucose levels are to know what to eat and how to treat ( eg. I have one med that I don’t take if my glucose is below 100).

Like some of the others in the thread have suggested, you probably should find a good internist who specializes in diabetes treatment. From the looks of it, your PCP may not be the best candidate. Educate yourself and you can live a pretty normal life with diabetes.

missred
(Type II diabetic, diagnosed 6 years)

15

Honestly, there is no way for anyone on a message board to tell you definitively one way or another. You really do need to talk to someone in real life about this, and even then you will need to self-monitor because everyone is different. There is no ONE acceptable diabetes diet. What works for one person may not work for someone else.

But - some things to think about. Is the bagel whole grain or white bread? Are the tortilla chips whole grain or not? How big are they? What else besides corn is in them? What was the salad made of? Just iceberg lettuce or mixed greens, some vegetables, and maybe some cheese on top? How does your particular system react to fruit like grapes? How large were the portions you ate? What effect did they have on your blood sugar? (You do have a glucose meter, right?) Are you overweight or not?

As an example of how diabetics differ - the man I took my FAA flight test with has had Type II diabetes for years but it is entirely controlled by diet, and he is not prone to abrupt swings in blood sugar (that’s why he is still legally allowed to fly airplanes). Said person is careful to avoid things like refined sugar or sweets that could potentially cause abrupt changes in blood sugar. My husband, on the other hand, although also Type II diabetes, requires medication to control it as well as a change in diet BUT he is also more likely to have significant swings in blood sugar and when it falls too low he must have a means of getting back up into the proper range quickly – thus, he is a diabetic who always has a small amount of candy on hand because there are times he eats it for medicinal purposes. I can’t tell you the number of times that people outside the situation have gone into a tirade over seeing him pop a couple hard candies - OMG YOU’RE A DIABETIC YOU CAN’T EAT CANDY YOU’RE GONNA DIE!!! Well, actually, at times if he doesn’t have that candy he’s gonna have serious problems.

However, the ONLY way to know for sure what does and doesn’t work for you, and what you do and don’t need, is to work with a doctor/nutritionist/other people to evaluate YOU as an individual and determine what works for you as opposed to what works for someone else.

16

Good advice from everyone here. I don’t have a lot to add, other than it sounds like you’re on the right track. Definitely get a meter - really, the only way to answer your question about “am I eating right” is to be testing your glucose a couple hours after you eat. You’ll learn pretty quickly what foods are OK and what to avoid. If your doc or insurance balks at getting you a meter, go buy the Wal-Mart brand - it’s only about $12 for the meter, and the strips are the cheapest out there. Alternatively, check out the various manufacturer’s sites for meters, they’re all willing to send you a free one (they get their money back when you start to buy the strips, which are more expensive than plutonium :-))

I’ll plug www.diabetesdaily.com as the best site I’ve found for good info and nice people.

Learn all you can about diabetes - it’s really not all that difficult to control if you make a little bit of effort and educate yourself. Lots of people don’t bother to do that, and they are the ones with eye and kidney problems.

Don’t be afraid of whatever treatment your doc recommends. There’s a lot of oral drugs out there that can help. Insulin is also a wonderful thing, not the “OMG you must have it REALLY BAD” kind of drug that a lot of people think it is. But many Type 2s can do wonders with diet & exercise, so try that first.

This is a pretty good book, has a lot of easy-to-understand info.

17

(usual medical advice disclaimers, blah blah blah)

First of all, you mention that this was found out “through the urine sample”. If this wasn’t confirmed with a blood test, you’ll want to do that to establish the diagnosis. The best way to do this is to get labs done while fasting; a fasting glucose over 126 is diagnostic of diabetes. (There are other criteria, but this is the most useful one.)

Unless a patient needs to start insulin right away, I sometimes won’t overwhelm them with a glucose meter at that first visit. Sometimes patients need to get used to the diagnosis before the lancets come out. You should eventually get one, though. If you’re well-controlled on oral meds you eventually won’t have to check it more than once a day, but it will help you establish control and it’s important to know how to do it.

A number you’ll want to get familiar with is your Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). Without getting too technical, this is a blood test that gives us an idea of your average blood sugar over the past three months. You want it to be less than 7 (some say 6.5, but others say 7.5). You’ll want to see the doctor every three months to get this checked, but make sure it’s at least three months; if you’re short by a day or two, your insurance (assuming you have some sort of it) may not pay for it.

You should definitely see a dietician, and if there are more substantial classes available to you about eating as a diabetic, you should take them. It’s important not to think about it as “going on a diet”; you need to change the way you eat. To that end, the perfect is the enemy of the good; a pretty good diet that you can maintain over the long term is better than a perfect diet that leaves you hungry and miserable and ready to give it up after two weeks.

A food diary is a good idea. Just get a little book, and write down everything you eat, in as much detail as possible (time, amounts, etc.). Most importantly, don’t show it to anybody–not your family, not your doctor, not anybody. That just encourages you to cheat. This is for YOU. Review it often–you’ll probably see patterns emerge, and concrete improvements that can be made.

Make sure your blood pressure is under control. Over the long term, it’s at least as important as controlling your blood sugar.

Finally, now is the time to make the changes. Establishing good habits now will make it easier to keep this under control. Losing some weight may even make the diabetes essentially go away. (It doesn’t always, but it can’t hurt.) Find a good doctor who understands that now is the time to be aggressive.

18

Wow… so much to digest about it all. Right now I feel like saying fuck it all and crawling under a rock somewhere.

I don’t have a meter, my doctor never mentioned one, and I would have no idea how to use it.

I am confused, frightened, alone, and short on money. Just the doctor’s visit and the prescriptions Monday were close to $200 after insurance. I simply do not have the money to be buying books amd monitors and replacement foods and taking classes.

So tired of it all.

19

On the subject of the glucometer and cost, someone touched on this earlier, but the Wal-Mart meter (ReliOn brand) runs 9 bucks, and 20, 50 or 100 packs of strips run 9, 20 and 40 dollars, respectively (note that this is less than half the cost of most of the other meters). Alternatively, at least in my neck of the woods, the OneTouch machines have a mail-in rebate, and as of a couple of months ago, the Ascensia meters were offering a printable coupon from the website. And in every pharmacy I’ve worked in, there are coupons lying about for free meters if you use a prescription. The test strips are very often covered under your prescription insurance, call your company first to see which brands they prefer.

20

I was diagnosed in November, so I know exactly how you feel. I went from thinking I was perfectly healthy to 6+ shots of insulin a day within about 4 months.

Now, four months in, I can tell you - it’s not all that big of a deal. Sure, you have to make some changes, and you have to get a bit more in tune with what you’re eating & how you’re moving. You might have to take some pills. Sounds like you’re a Type 2 so you’ll more than likely be spared the shots.

Monitors & classes are probably covered by your insurance.

Check your library for books. Or just check out the various web resources.

Overall, just keep in mind that you CAN do this, that the only thing that would be a big deal is if you ignore it. There’s a lot worse stuff to have happen to you that diabetes. The first couple months for me were the worse - you can probably find my threads here if you do a search. It’s a big shock and if you’re like me, you’ll be mad and in denial and just wanting the whole thing to go away. But it does get better, and in time, you’ll get used to it all.

I personally knew I had handled it the other night when my husband asked me “would you rather have an office job and sit in a cube all day, or have diabetes” and I didn’t even have to think - diabetes was better than a cubicle. :smiley: