ok let me know if im the only one that feels like this. i was diagnosed officially with type 2 over a month ago. i had 2 gestational with my 2 kids, so i knew it was coming. so anyways, my sugar stays around 200 and doesn’t go down with diet, and the dr trying to regulate my insulin. i take metformin, which kills my stomach, and lantis and humlin . i feel like a pin cushion with all the meds and finger pricking. so with my sugar not going down, i just feel so defeated. like why am i starving myself if my sugar isn’t going to go down. any suggestions from ya’ll who have had this for sometime. i guess i just have no will power when it comes to my sweets. im a picky eater, so it makes it that much harder. let me know if anyone has any suggestions. thanks!
Hi, Kathleen,
I’m sure other people will have suggestions but what worked for me when I was diagnosed about 6 months ago was to cut back on carbohydrates. It isn’t just sweets that make your BG go up. You might want to read Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution. His recommendations are very strict, but the information is invaluable, and most people can get good control without going quite so low carb. If you eat less carbohydrates, your blood sugar will come down and you will feel much better.
thank you! I will def read his solutions. Im so tired of being tired and cranky!
Hey Kathleen, I understand what you mean about being a human pincushion! I was put on insulin immediately on diagnosis and switched to Metformin 4 months later. I hated poking holes into myself but it helped me gain excellent control.
Like Libby just said, you should be watching your carb intake. I actually counted carbs when I was first diagnosed and well, the habit has stuck. You can still have your carbs, just watch what you eat. I’m a very picky eater too and got even pickier after I was diagnosed. So much so that I waged war with my parents over what was being cooked for dinner. Now if I see things that I don’t agree with, I just head for the fridge, grab some raw veggies and chop them up to make me fuller. And of course I’ve had to wean myself off several favourite foods - yoghurt, potatoes and japanese sticky rice.
I suddenly thought of LADA but it is supposed to respond to insulin therapy, so I’m not sure about that.
not to sound stupid, but what is LADA?
LADA is Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of the Adult.
Check it out here: http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_types/diabetes_type_15.php
A number of people on this site have LADA and maybe they will chip in later.
thanks! I don’t think that is me, seeing i don’t respond to insulin well. but thanks for the article!
Kathleen,
I had two gestational diabetes pregnancies, and then twelve years later was diagnosed with Type 2. It turned out I actually DON’T have Type 2, I have a genetic form of diabetes, but in the process of figuring this out I did a lot of research.
When you say “Diet” do you mean a diet that cuts out the carbs? So many people are given extremely BAD diet advice that doesn’t work.
Please read this page and give this technique a try. It is from the alt.support.diabetes FAQ and has been used by hundreds of people to get dramatic improvements in control.
http://alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm
I just this morning heard from a lady who told me she had brought her 10% a1c down to 5.5 using this.
You can also read this page which has been very helpful to a lot of people (I wrote it.)
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046989.php A diabetes diet is different from a weight loss diet
BTW, 9 years after diagnosis I have an A1c of 5.6%. It can be done. But, at least for me, only by cutting back on carbs. No med, including insulin lets me eat the high carb diet full of fruit and “healthy whole grains” which push my blood sugar up much higher than insulin can deal with.
when i say diet, i mean the low carbs and low fats. my nutritionist suggested that. i have never been much of a dieter. but when i look at my 6 yr old and my 8 yr old, i figure i want to see them grow up and be here for them. i will def read those articles. i love this website and getting all this advice. it has helped me so much. thanks!
Kathleen,
If you aren’t responding well to insulin, it is either because you are using the wrong kind–for example using only Lantus, which only affects fasting blood sugars, rather than a faster meal-time insulin like Novalog, Humalog, or R to control spikes after eating or because you are using the wrong doses.
EVERY living thing responds to the right dose of the right kind of insulin. It’s a very basic part of cell metabolism.
i am using lantas in the morning, and humlin at lunch and dinner, then metformin at night. just doing what the dr tells me. i respond, but i was expecting my sugar to be down to 120 within the first month. didn’t realize it would take this long. of course, i have to eat the right things too, which i have a battle with that.
Kathleen,
You have to do some work to figure out what your insulin/carb ratio is. That takes using a standard food with carefully measured carbs and adjusting your Humulin up until you get the blood sugars you are looking for.
Also, with Humulin, if it is Humulin R I hope you were told that you have to wait an hour after injecting to eat! I use Humulin R, but if I don’t wait the hour it won’t match up with food!
it is R and noone told me to wait an hour. I take it and usually eat within 15 mins. Thats just great.
wow! 4 miles a day!!! Just hearing that exhausts me! Actually, i swim for about 30 mins aday. that seems to help a bit. I keep cheating, so i know that is one of my problems with regulating my sugar. but about 2 weeks ago, i decided no more, i need to deal with this, and quit playing around. My sugar was around 380 then. now i eat about 35 carbs per meal. i have lost some weight, but i have noticed my sugar is staying around in the 200. last night it was 388. i didn’t cheat any, but i didn’t exercise. Im trying everything. I like the idea of eating something other than carrots. not much of a treat for me! I will def try the almonds. I do feel like im starving non stop.
im sure the dr will have to adjust my insulin until it gets regulated. She already adjusted the amount of lantas. I hope she doesn’t on the metformin. that kills my stomach now! Thanks for all the good advice.
The insulins that you can take within 15 minutes are Humalog and Novolog. I use them when I’m eating out. But I use R when I’m eating at home because I like the more gentle way R works. It’s also 1/4 the cost.
Try injecting 45 minutes to 1 hour before you eat. I’ve gone as long as 1 hour and a half. If you are are high to start with, don’t worry about the timing. You should test at 2 hours but remember that R stays active for most of us for 4-5 hours.
I’d suggest reading the book Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution By Dr. Richard K. Bernstein. He explains a lot of things about insulin that my doctors never mentioned. Even if you don’t eat his diet, you’ll learn a lot. I eat more carbs than he suggests, but the most I can make work with insulin is 40-50 and the 50 doesn’t work too well so I try to keep most of my meals between 20-40. For me that would take 2-3 units of insulin, I figure 1 unit of insulin for 15 grams of carbohydrate except in the morning when it is 1 to 10. but I’m insulin sensitive. If you are insulin resistant you’ll need a lot more. Start with the dose you are currently using and very cautiously add small increments of insulin until you are hitting healthy blood sugar targets without going low at 4 hours.
yes she is mine she is 6, and i have an 18 yr old daughter, and an 9 yr old boy. they keep me very busy. between her going to college, and the other 2 with cub scout and girl scout, plus soccer im so exhausted. im going going going all the time. i have 3 dogs, but heaven forbid, they have to get outside. i started walking around the soccer field twice a week when they are practicing. i live in louisiana, and it is just too hot and humid to walk for a long time. that is why i prefer swimming.
anyways i tried that link and it said i am a yr younger than i actually am.
i ordered Dr Bernsteins book. It will be here on monday. i try to eat around 35 carbs a meal. and 15 to 20 for snack. i will try your suggestions about the insulin
Hi Kathleen. I remember when I was first diagnosed it took a couple of months for my blood sugars to normalize. When I was diagnosed, I was at 330 fasting BG. I ws prescribed Metformin and it takes a while to get in your system. I was so frustrated because I expected the medicine to work right away. I was eating hardly any carbs at all. I remember reading that you should not exercise if blood sugar is over 240, and of course mine was well above that. I was scared to exercise. After a while of just sticking to it then it slowly started to come down. I am currently on Byetta, Metformin, and Amaryl to maintain my blood sugar. I am currently trying to start exercising with the hopes that I can lessen the medications that I take. I’ve heard of many Type 2’s that once they lose a significant amount of weight can potentially get off medicine. I am just hoping to reduce mine. Keep up the good work of swimming. I think that is the best exercise there is. Hey, we have something in common, other than T2 we also both work in accounting! Take care and stay motivated! 
Diet and Exercise are extremely important. You need to change your lifestyle. Try lower carb foods. Go to a Diabetic Educator and Dietician. They are pro’s. My SECRET - For Your Eyes ONLY- Drink a lot of fluids. This will give you a feeling of being full. You may be thirstly and not hungry. This will curb your appetite. Also, if you desire sweets, there are many sugar free products on the market. Remember, they too have calories, so limit yourself on consumption. Just take baby steps and remember try to Diet and Exercise on a routine basis.
David K.