Hi everyone. My name is Dan and on October 8, I was officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes with an A1C of 11.1! But, back on September 24, when I went to see my eye doctor because of blurred vision, I became very aware of the fact that I was diabetic. My optometrist asked if there was diabetes in my family and I told her yes. She said that I should get test. But that question finally got me to think about what issues I had been going through for most of September and I finally put 1 and 1 together. I had the unending thirsts and frequent urination, the rapid weight loss and finally the blurred vision. Not sure why I didn’t realize this sooner. I had lost 15 pounds and couldn’t figure out why and I was not overweight though I was on the border.
On that day, September 24, I immediately went on a low-carb diet. About 3-4 days later, all my symptoms were gone, my near-sightedness went away but I had far-sightedness. I now understand why as it was explained to me by my optometrist. I had blood work officially done about 9 days later. The results? 11.1 A1C and 223 fasting blood glucose. So, in the short time I had started my low carb diet, my average had already come down from the 270 range to the 220.
I met with my doctor on October 8. I was expecting that I would at a minimum be put on oral meds. But, because he saw that I was proactive in changing my diet, he told me he was confident I could get blood glucose control via diet and exercise. He also encouraged me to take some supplements including the Carlson Nutra-Support for Diabetes. I was thrilled that he was giving me the option to get control through diet and exercise. I have since confirmed his confidence in me.
Following Dr. Bernstein’s diet, my blood glucose average is 114 which would allow me to join the 5% club! Outside of 2 readings out of about 60 since I started testing myself, my blood glucose rarely tops 120, even after meals. My readings are usually between 92 - 115 though sometimes at dinner with my bigger meals, I will go into the 120’s. My doctor is thrilled and feels I can do even better since I haven’t really kicked in my exercise program yet. All of this has been done just with the diet.
At first I felt like I would be miserable being on this diet and the significant restrictions but lately, I have come to enjoy it. I look for what I can eat vs what I can’t and I have been introduced to foods I had never eaten before like spaghetti squash. Man I love that stuff! I make my own meals for work and when my wife and I do go out to eat, I go for a nice juicy steak, salad and steamed veggies. I am growing to appreciate and love this diet!
Per Dr. Bernstein’s recommendation, I got the Accu-Check Aviva and I love this meter! I purchased the software that comes with it and I email the graphs and reports it creates to my doctor. He really appreciates getting them and feels he can get a great view of how I am responding to the diet.
When I was diagnosed, the first thing I thought was, oh no, I have to poke myself! I have a fear of needles so I stressed up to the day I got my meter. But, using the lancer device, I have found that it doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, my doctor gave me a schedule that would have me testing 22 times in a week with more testing done on some days than others. Well, I am testing on average 6 times a day! So, thankfully the fear I had was not necessary and I love being able to see where I am at at various times of the day. I’m looking forward to testing out some different foods after I complete my first month of testing.
I feel this diet and this information has saved my life and will give me a much better quality of life going forward. I do not need to fear this disease, just have a healthy respect for it and do what I have to do to control it. I’m up to the task as I have plenty of motivation to stay healthy (wife of 29 years, 3 grown kids and 3 beautiful grandchildren)! I happen to have a great doctor who fully supports what I am doing. In the end, it is each individual’s responsibility to manage their disease and to do their research. In 5 weeks I have gotten my blood glucose under control. Maybe 5 weeks isn’t the norm, but the point is that you CAN get your levels under control in a short amount of time with this diet, if you stick to it faithfully.
I have been lurking on this website for a few weeks and I look forward to reading your input and possibly providing some input as well.
Today, I am 22 pounds lighter and was able to buy new jeans with a 36 waist, down from a 38 Smiley Everyone says I look great and I have lost about 7 pounds since going on this diet. I plan to drop down another 10 pounds to about 175 on this 6’2" frame.
So, that is my story. I’m excited about the changes, I feel better than I have all my life and my wife and kids tell me that I am more stable emotionally (laid back) now that my blood sugars aren’t out of control. My vision is almost completely back to normal and I no longer need my reading glasses! What seemed like a tragedy 5 weeks ago has turned into a great opportunity to take care of myself and I am doing great!