I am trying to get my diabetes under control but I hadn't taken meds in months. The ones I was put on made me sick and my mom didn't make me and appointment to change them. That lead to my a1c being up to 12. I was down to a 7 or something around there. I just went to the endocrinologist yesterday and got new meds and they called today saying how high me a1c is and that I must go in tomorrow. I keep getting upset and stressed about it and no one understands because none of them have to deal with it. I feel discouraged and like I'm doing something wrong. :(
Hi Corrine, I'm sorry you're having a hard time.
Diabetes is a disease where the devil is in the details. What everyone told me at the beginning is that each diabetic must become an expert in their own disease -- that's because no two bodies are exactly the same.
If you want to feel better -- and you can feel better than you do now with an A1C of 12 -- then you have to make up your mind to learn everything you can and take charge of your diabetes to the extent that you can. Are you keeping a journal? Are you testing your blood glucose several times per day and writing down the times and the values? Are you writing down every speck of food or drink you put in your mouth and looking up the carbs in each item, getting a feel for how many carbs you are eating and how they impact your blood glucose? Are you getting exercise every day and keeping that logged in your journal, too, so you can see how exercise impacts your blood glucose? Are you writing down how you feel: symptoms like nausea, strong thirst, light-headed, unusually sleepy, etc.? You can use this journal when talking with your mom or your doctor or other diabetics -- it will help everyone understand better what's going on with your diabetes.
If you're feeling overwhelmed (everyone with diabetes feels overwhelmed sometimes -- that's perfectly normal) are you able to pick ONE good diabetes habit and start with that? A good place to start is to test your fasting blood glucose every, single morning just as soon as you get up. Write it down in a notebook, and start learning about your fasting glucose. Do it every day for 21 days -- no excuses -- and it will become a habit, like brushing your teeth or changing your clothes.
Next, start tracking your total daily carbs and where the carbs are coming from. Are you eating a lot of packaged, processed food? Vegetables? Fruit? Once you have a clear picture, you can start making adjustments and see how these impact your blood glucose. I recently cut out bread, pasta, rice and other starchy foods and eating more green vegetables and salads instead. It took a few days to adjust, but now I feel MUCH better and my blood glucose numbers have been MUCH improved.
I'm sorry to say that diabetes isn't a disease where you can just take a pill or a shot and ignore it. Diabetes is "manageable" but YOU have to manage it. In the end, it's your body, your eyes, your feet, your kidneys, your heart -- you have to take care of yourself for the long haul.
If you want support and advice, you've come to the right place. Try giving more details: what are your new medications? What dose did your doctor give you? When/how are you taking them (morning, night, with food, etc.)? People here are happy to help. We've all been where you are: new to this and feeling lost and like we're doing it wrong. That's a very common way of feeling, even among long-term diabetics -- but it can and does get better.
Well said, Jean.
I think many of us are really hit hard with our diagnosis. I felt like I had been given a death sentence. I felt like I had been lied to by my doctors and that nobody understood. I was angry and depressed.
But over time, I've come to realize that in truth, diabetes is far from a doomed dark fate. Diabetes certainly s*cks. And if you don't take care of it, it will surely kill you. But we have very powerful tools in our hands to control this condition. You can take control of the situation and get everything under control. It can take some time and effort to figure out what you need to do, but there is no reason you can't get this totally under control and live a long, healthy happy life.
First question is whether you can make appointments yourself? Even if you're not 18 or the insurance is not in your name, you should be able to schedule doctors' appointments.
Second question - an A1C of 12 is pretty darn high. Are you definitely a T2? Have tests been done to rule out T1 (c-peptide, antibodies)? I feel like I ask this question all the time on here, but I've read so many posts/stories of folks who were initially misdiagnosed as T2, only to later find out that they were actually T1. I think docs are very quick to categorize folks as T2s without doing the proper testing. That jump in your A1C is very disconcerting.
And now some advice - I am a T1, but one thing I've learned that I think applies to ALL medical conditions is that you (the patient) have to be your own advocate. The doc spends all of 10 minutes with you, while you spend every minute of the day with your own body. You know what works and what doesn't. And everyone is different. No two people react exactly the same to medication or anything else.
If one medication isn't working for you, demand to try another. Also make sure to speak up if you don't feel like the right tests are being ordered or if you don't feel like you're receiving proper care. And if you don't like the doctor's response, there is always another doctor! Some folks have to shop around until they find an endo that they see eye-to-eye with.
When I was dx'd 5 years ago my HbA1c was almost 11 with fastings in the mid 200's. My HbA1c now is in the low 5's and most of my numbers are around 100 or lower. I even had a 77 today. I do take Metformin ( 2550 mg). I take it in 3 doses with 2 of those doses in the early morning to stop the liver dumps I get mid morning. I also restrict carbs to about 30 per day. By doing that I avoid the spikes that cause too much glycation and high HbA1c's. I also exercise every day. I either walk 4-5 miles or I play tennis for 2 hours. When you are diabetic you have to take control of your diabetic body. Go to Blood Sugar 101 on the internet. Follow her program. The only one that can do this is you. It is your diabetes and you have to take control. If you were on Metformin and it caused problems you should have called the doctor immediately to ask for the extended version. Even with medication you still need to watch your carbs and exercise. Diabetes is for life so you need to find a management system that works for you.
Hi Corrine,
Thank you for expressing your frustration! It sounds like you are in a difficult situation! Please know that many of us here have felt the same way at one time or another!
Most all of us go through a time where it all seems overwhelming and just so hard to make progress. I really hope that your endocrinologist listens to you and helps you find a medication that works well for you.
Please keep us posted and remember that we support you and we understand!
Best wishes,
marty1492
Hi Corrine: I agree with MyBustedPancreas, have you been tested to be sure that you do not have Type 1 diabetes? It is an important distinction, because people with Type 1 diabetes need insulin, not medications for Type 2 diabetes. Can you ask your doctor to perform antibody testing (GAD, ICA, IA-2)? If you are antibody positive, you have Type 1 autoimmune diabetes. And get the c-peptide test, too, as that is very helpful but not a definitive test. Let us know how you are doing!
So far my new medications are working. They have me back on metforman and added glimepiride.
that's excellent news! and no ill side effect I hope
That's good news! How are you feeling? And how are your test numbers doing?
Hi dear we are all sailing in same boat no worries best medicine be happy
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Hi Corrine,
So glad that your new medications are working well for you!
Please keep posting about how things are going for you!
Best wishes,
marty1492
Most excellent news, Corrine! Go you! Go you! WHOOO HOOO!!! :) (Insert Snoopy-dance here!).
Glad you are doing better. It is discouraging and we all sometimes feel like we're doing something wrong. The reality is, we all just muddle along and it takes some time to figure out what our bodies want.