I am new here and fairly new to Type 2 I really dont want to believe I have this crazy disease. I’m 47 and I really hate having to go through this. I’m a little heavy set lol I thought I would use that one, and I have had high blood sugar levels as far as I know for about 1 year. I am now on Metformin(maxed out) Glyburide(maxed out) and Byetta 10 MICgrams. When I started taking the byetta it helped a lot and I think my lowest reading was 170 but after about 3 months now I’m back up to 250 to 280.
Maybe its because I eat wrong.
Am Type 1 now?? Is oral medications and Byetta just not going to work for me?
I try to change my diet somewhat but I of course struggle with that. I work 2nd shift in a plant so I get some excercise but probably not enough. A little more history I take blood pressure medicine and it has been doing great! I Play bass and sing and harmonize in a praise band at church. ( I love that)
You know they have a lot of good food at the church LOL To sum up I already gave up smoking Hooray!
Don’t drink anymore to speak of Hooray! But now I have to watch what I eat?? I know I can still eat good things that arent too bad for me but watching that and handling that 24 hrs a day is a bummer. What things are left in life to enjoy? Yes I know what you are thinking there is still that. I guess what I’m asking is do I need insulin? Can I eat what I want or is that now just out of the question even with medicine? Hope i get some replies. I’m a little frustrated with this whole thing. I have a feeling I am going to get an answer back that my ears won’t want to hear but Im sure it will be for my own good.
Give it to me straight and dont sugar coat it. hahah Am I going downhill the way I’m going?
Hi Mark,
Welcome! Worry not–you’ll get lots of replies. Awesome people here to help.
Ok, you said not to sugar coat, so here goes. Let’s see how tough you are:) But first, congrats on quitting smoking!
Yea, it’s a downer handling this 24 hours a day & welcome to the club. You can do it & we’re here to cheer you on!
It’s your choice if you want to live a healthy, long life. To do that, yep, you need to control your BG. To control it & feel tons better because no one feels good at over 200, you have to basically do three things–the right meds, limit what you eat (& as a result lose weight) & exercise. Know I haven’t said anything you don’t already know.
Whether you’re on oral meds, Byetta or insulin, you can’t eat anything you want in the quantities you want. It’s that simple. Sorry.
Byetta wasn’t working if your lowest BG was 170. Way too high. But, meds alone don’t control BG if you’re eating too many carbs & not getting enough exercise to burn those puppies up.
Do you see an endo? Ask your doctor to do a C-peptide test (shows how much insulin your producing), a GAD antibody test (this shows if your pancreas is under attack) & a thyroid panel (thyroid problems are common in diabetics). The C-peptide & GAD will help you to know what “type” you are & the treatment needed. Vit D deficiency seems to be common among us, so a test for this would be helpful.
If you’re not, learn how to count carbohydrates & write down how many you eat per meal. Many on-line carb counters. Portions count, so you need to watch this.
Forgot the ADA guidelines they gave you because it’s too high carb for most diabetics. Lots of info here for you to search on low carb eating & a wealth of info on the web. Two great sites for low carb recipes are The Low Carb Cafe & Linda’s Low Carb Menus & Recipes. There’s also a food forum on Tu D. Promise you there’s a lot of yummy things to eat. Once you cut those carbs, the carb cravings go away. Eating protein, low carb veggies & fat, you won’t be hungry & you’ll lose weight & keep it off. On a low carb diet you can drink, IF you drink distilled alcohol (zero carbs), wine, low carb beer in moderation. Of course, you’ve got to watch what you mix the liquor with–no juice, no sugary stuff.
Keep testing: first thing in the morning, 2 hours after meals, before meals & before you go to sleep. Keep a record & show it to your doctor.
If low carb eating doesn’t bring your numbers down with your meds, talk to your doctor about insulin. Even if you are a Type 2, insulin will help. Insulin will also protect your pancreas beta cells & it has less side effects than meds.
Jenny’s web site is excellent http://www.bloodsugar101.com. She also has a book that’s fantastic. www.diabetesincontrol.com is another good site.
Tons left to enjoy in life. Being alive for one. Changing what you eat will change your life for the better.
Hello Mark. First and foremost, Im glad you are here. Many of us here may be or are still undergoing similar predicaments you have now. You are not alone. If you love life and the people who cares for you, nothing is unattainable. You have to have discipline and control over your life. Nothing is easy if you want things permanent…you have to work for it.
Im a type 2 myself. I got diagnosed more than a year ago. I have a family history of diabetes and yup…Im also constantly battling with my weight before. What??? I cannot eat what I want anymore??? The first question I asked. Yes! ( The world suddenly fell on me!) No more Coke, no more snicker bar! Then again…I love life. No diabetes will defeat me… So, here goes… I started to count everything I eat…carbs…sugar…fat content…etc. Maybe you can see a nutritionist that can help you design a diet plan specifically for your needs. I love to cook myself. And I discovered that there are many yummy recipes that are diabetic friendly. Then, exercise, exercise, exercise (yup…we have to do that). I kept an open communication with my endo. And I kept myself informed. I read books…surf the internet, learned things how to battle and live the life of a happy and healthy diabetic. Lastly, I got a strong support from my family and friends. Friends that you will find here at TuDiabetes, We would be happy to support you.
Now my diabetes is controlled. I take 2 mg of Glimiperide each day. Topped with having a healthy lifestyle. Nope…its not always peaches and cream because I have moments too. But I can eat a little of my favorite things now…
So Mark…youre not alone. You can do this. We will be happy to help you. But you have to help yourself too (wink, wink)
Mark,
There’s not much more I can say that Gerri & Teena haven’t already said so well.
Except. I am a Type 2 and the food thing was so overwhelming for me. I tried to change one bad habit a week (it takes 28 days to truly change a habit). First to go was the bread, cut it out all together, my BG went down drastically. Then I moved on to the next habit to change. With this and the meds I have brought my post prandial numbers from 400 plus down to 140-180 range. Not perfect but in 3 months it, and in retrospect, it was kind of easy. This without a nutritionist to help.
I have been having a VERY difficult time finding a doctor that does not have their own agenda (ie. one endo’s office was a huge ad for Actos.) Surprise! He wanted me to stop the meds I had been on and start taking Actos with absolutely no reason he was willing to tell me and not running any tests other than my A1C. Hopefully when I go to the new doctor we will be able to start making my food choices healthier and bring my numbers down the rest of the way.
My point is, it can be done with a little dedication. And yes, it has consumed most, no ALL, of my free time up until now! But, when the whole family gets together (my husband and I have 6 children 32 yo to 3 yo, not a typo! and a 6 month old grandson) I know the reason why I am giving up all the foods that I love, I am gaining time with the people I love!
Best advice, find a doctor you can trust that will listen to you and start changing your diet.
Regards…
Check out this page and try the technique described there. It has helped hundreds, possibly thousands of people with Type 2 get back into control:
Thanks all for the Welcome! Yes it’s a real 5 string Bass not just a Prop! LOL
I asked for no sugar coating and I appreciate the straight answers. It really looks to me me that I have to get back
to my stir fry dishes with the good veggys I can have and the lean beef and pork and chicken I like to do up. Also cut those
starches and sweets. But I am seeing more clearly that I must start an excercise program. I am not big on walking the streets or the malls or anything like that but I wonder if an excercise facility would be a good place to go? Treadmill etc…
How much excercise does one have to perform a week to show some me any improvement?
Hey Mark,
Glad you haven’t been scared off:)
Cutting out grains (rice, pasta, bread, wheat, cereals) & those carb laden potatoes, beans, etc. is great.
Do the type of exercise you like the best, or hate the least. See if there’s a gym that will give you a free month’s membership to try it out first. Some will do this, especially in our hard economic types.
You should start by exercising 3x a week, combo of cardio & weights. Start slow, set realistic goals, mix it up so you don’t get bored & have some fun.
I will start looking now for a club and really try to put those cold turkey thoughts in like I did when I cut out my 1 1/2 pack cigarette habit. What did it for me for those was I wasnt being able to get my breath anymore and when your a singer and love to do that you really know its time.
With sugar though It hasnt scared me yet so its hard to get that same frame of mind. But I have a feeling you dont want to wait for that to happen because it will be a bad sign most likely. one I can’t reverse like quitting smoking.
It’s funny, I always tell my wife I am waiting for the magic pill! LOL You know the one that will control my metabolism like I was when I was a teenager. Just eat what you want. hahah You will lose the extra weight
and then once you lose the weight the dose is cut back just enough to keep the model weight.
Then all the other diseases will go away too. There you go! Simple.
She then tells me the only thing that will help me is diet and excercise and I tell her thanks for busting my bubble. LOL
When you find that magic pill, let us all know!
Compared to quitting smoking, this will be easy. I worked with someone many years ago who was a former heroin addict. He said it was easier to quit heroin then cigarettes.
Yea, you sure don’t want to wait until your kidneys are damaged, your eyesight fails, your heart gives out & you have no feeling in your feet. All that scares me witless. BG over 140 consistently causes damage to your organs. No doubt about it.
Your wife is a wise lady who loves you.
Ok here we go…
Thanks!!!
YAY!
You can do it! I can tell you’re a man of conviction who enjoys life.
Take it in baby steps. Any exercising is good & more than you’re doing now. Too many changes at once is overwhelming.
Keep us posted on your progress, ok?
Oh I will! I need to get those other tests done too. My new doctor has not taken any blood or done any of those tests yet. You would think he would have done that right off to see for himself wassup? I think he wanted to see what happens after raising my byetta to 10 MIC. This is of course was with the agreement of the BG diet Im supposed to be on. I have to get back on track there too. I’ve been slacking. It really tells me too when I slack because I have to go more often and I get quite thirsty. Oh the tell tale signs! Oh woe is me…
Good!
You’d think, but they lump us all together & give us meds. Easier for them, bad for us. Is this an endo? If not, get a referral to one. Doctors see so many Type 2s that they just look at us as one more diabetic without giving us the individual treatment plans that we really need.
Ugh, can’t stand that thirsty, running to the bathroom thing. My head starts pounding, too.
Forgot to mention something. Once your BG starts coming down to a more normal range, you may feel like you’ve got low BG. Very common & nothing to worry about. Your body has gotten used to such high BG that normal starts to feel low. This doesn’t last long as you adjust back to being “normal.”
Thanks so much for all the advise! I am really going to work on this and hopfully I will have some better news next week. I work 2nd shift 4 days a week. 4 - 10 hour days. Whats nice though I get friday thru monday afternoon off. Cant beat that… My job is a bit stressful though because I am a 2nd shift supervisor, human resource, quality inspector, disipline giver, etc… So I have Stress! hehe I know it comes with the job but you know what I mean. Sometimes you get angry at work and have to hold it in…Don’t go Balistic! LOL
That can’t help matters.
Mark:
Another country heard from! Here I am to tell you how practical the advice was about keeping your BG in stricter control. I am one of those who didn’t and am now paying the consequences. Please do go to my home page and read my profile. It may have an impression on you…at least I hope it does!!
It’s so hard. I’m here to tell you that it isn’t a picnic. You do have to combine exercise and diet along with meds. Those are three things that are hard to integrate. BUT, it can be done. And, if you’re in decent physical shape, it can be accomplished a lot easier than some. Unless you have had a history of going out to a gym, I kind of doubt the success of that plan. Most people join a gym and then never go unless they have someone to go with who will pull your cord each time you don’t want to go. If I could, I would actually go out and invest in my favorite piece of equipment rather than having to go out each time. I watch a lot of TV and could do the exercise while watching TV. My problem is that I no longer able to exercise unsupervised. Take it from me, do it now while you can.
Without going into the whole story now, you can only benefit from a regular regime to ingrain into your brain. That way, when you do slip up (and believe me, you will), you will have a pattern to back you up. Make it a habit and it will see you through when you don’t want to particularly do 30 minutes of exercise and watch your diet! I didn’t establish that and, now that I am unable to, I have fewer options to fall back on. (Read my profile. I think it’s interesting!
Good Luck! Keep on talking to us. Sooner or later, it will click!!!
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
You’re most welcome. Easy to give advice:)
Sounds like a very stressful job. You’re responsible for a lot! Must be even harder in these economic times. Yep, stress is tough on BG. Would be nice to go ballistic every once in a while, wouldn’t it! Not to beat a dead horse, but exercise is the best stress release there is. Not exactly an aerobic workout, but my husband set up an archery target for me in the backyard. Can’t tell you how good it feels to send those arrows soaring with certain imaginary faces on the target:)
Ooooooh Gerri:
Secret aggression!! If I can send you a picture of my former bosses, can you do a number on them in your back yard too?
(Just kidding.)
Lois La Rose
Hi Mark.
Welcome Home. I have been watching this discussion and you have gotten some excellent advice. Gerri leads very well. I know it is a struggle. It is for all of us. But now, I know you are going to make it. You have us all with you and any time you stumble you will have us reaching out to help you. You truly have your head on straight and have shown us you carry yuor sense of humor with you. You need to be able to laugh and mostly at yourself. This will help a great deal Any time you need we will laugh with you or hold you when you cry or stand ten feet away when you are spitting mad And heck we will even come over for our share of the cake when you get to have some again LOL. I believe in you Mark. My best to you…
Be happy to! I’m telling you, it feels great to let one rip into a target.
Heard people do the same with bowling. But, I can’t bowl. Not much release when you can’t knock pins down!
Well thanks everyone I am listening and I will keep you all posted!
I really am going to need help with this stupid disease! See i don’t want to say the word…