I am a 38 year old mother of 3. have two boys 10 and 12 and 3 year old daughter. i am 5'4 and weigh 108 pounds. my normal blood pressure is around 100/60, cholesterol is 182, triglycerides 97. i've never been overweight, never had gestational diabetes. i am a smoker who is currently down from 2 packs a day to 13 ultralights a day, i'm cutting one a week till i quit. i was diagnosed two days after my birthday, july 12, 2013. my a1c was 6.1. i thought it would be easy to get that down, just cut all the junk and processed food ( which we didn't eat much of any way) Not! my doc thinks its LADA but my antibody test came back negative. i keep testing and results are crazy. organic brown rice noodles Bg 178! whole grain whole wheat pita pocket bg 226. i am so scared my baby is only 3. my fasting numbers in the morning seem to be getting higher. 102 this morning. doc gave me 500mg metformin xr to take before bedtime, how long till this helps? i'm losing so much weight, cuz i'm scared to eat anything! really scared about the prospect of insulin. having issues, with crying, anger, and fear of dying from this. any info would help. also i walk an hour each night, can't do alot more because i have fibromyalgia.
Hi Stephanie. I'm so sorry you are going through this; a new diagnosis can definitely be overwhelming but you have no doubt come to the right place. Lots of experience strength and hope here so take a deep breath and welcome home. I know it feels impossibly huge now but bit by bit it will fit into your life and become, if not effortless, somewhat routine. We've all been there.
My guess is that it is highly likely you are type 2. Did you have a full suite of antibody tests? Also a c-peptide test? If you are not doing so already, I would see an endocrinologist, not just your regular PCP. I would push to get clarity on your diagnosis and then push for appropriate treatment. Many people are scared of insulin at first, but it isn't something to fear, it is the best possible treatment with a lot less side effects than oral meds. Shots hurt less than pricking your finger does.
My suggestions: Get Blood Sugar 101 online or in book form. Read Melitta's Tips for the Newly Diagnosed.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/profiles/blogs/melitta-s-top-ten-tips-for-the-newly-diagnosed-person-with-adult Comment: Your numbers you report are not the least bit surprising for what you report eating. I thought I ate very healthy when I was first diagnosed: I'm a vegetarian, eat only whole and fresh food and no sugar. But I then realized how much high carb food I ate and have had to change that. "Organic brown rice noodles" are possibly the worst food second to a banana split. Many of us can't eat rice at all and some of us can't eat pasta or very little. Ditto "whole grain whole wheat pita pocket". Too high carbs. Some Type 2's get better results with whole grain versus white, but for many of us (especially type 1's) it makes very little difference. A lot of what you thought before about healthy eating is not relevant for Diabetes. Learn to "eat to your meter". Eat something and test 2 hours later. If you are always high when you eat that thing than you have to either eat less or not eat it at all. If the metformin doesn't help at all chances are it's because you're type 1, not type 2.
This will get better, I promise and you will love a long and happy life with your family.
thanks zoe. just so overwhelmed, keep crying. i want to do this right. just started metformin 2 days ago? so maybe not enough time yet? testing everything i eat at 1 hour and 2 hour because i want to avoid ANY dangerous spikes. don't know if doc did c-peptide test. he did consult with endo. they weren't gonna give me any meds, but i showed the doc my numbers and he was willing to give to me. just really scared right now. any tips on gaining weight?
so if i have type 1 i'll just keep going downhill despite anything i try?
Yes, "highly likely she is Type 1!" Thanks for catching that, Shawnmarie, I type too fast for my own good.
Hi Stephanie. I am a mom of two daughters ages 10 and 12. It is scary, especially new diagnosed, and Zoe is absolutely correct, it will get easier. I would definitely find an endocrinologist that you like and can easily talk to. My endo is awesome, and she really works with me. As far as food choices, I like the paleo diet for athletes....I have good blood sugar results with the food. I do not follow it strictly bc every diabetic has different results to different foods. I eat what works best for me. It is a bit of trial and error at first, but you will get it. There is so much education and this site is truly awesome.
Going downhill?? No, absolutely not! There are nearly 30,000 of us on here and most of us are living happy, healthy, normal lives with our D. Yes, there is a lot to learn and it takes time and attention to manage Type 1, but it is hardly a death sentence!! We have people on here that have been Type 1 for over 50 years, and that was before all the modern technology like pumps, cgms, even meters! You can do anything with Type 1, that you did before it! Type 1's drive ocean liners (Hi Sam!), are athletes, are parents, probably engage in just about every activity that any other random group of people do! You will not go downhill!
And if by "go downhill" you mean "need insulin" do not think of it that way. Many people get the mistaken idea that needing insulin means they have failed. For a Type 1, and for many Type 2's as well, insulin is life. Insulin is something the normal pancreas makes. Unfortunately our pancreases are not normal. They either make too little or have trouble using what they make. So we need to get our insulin from the outside. Current thought is leaning to thinking even Type 2's can benefit from starting early on insulin. For LADA/Type 1's the belief is that they should be started on insulin early to slow down destruction of the beta cells. Many people on here have struggled with orals (and side effects) and high numbers and feeling like crap and when they went on insulin thought, "I feel so much better,and now I can enjoy eating again, I should have done this sooner."
thank you. are you type 1?
so i need an endo to make full diagnosis and possibly start insulin early to save beta cells? can i ask how old you were when diagnosed?
I was 58 on diagnosis, Stephanie; now 64. I was misdiagnosed as Type 2 initially due to my age.
Yes, I would see an endo, they are much better equipped to handle and treat your D, especially since there is a question of Type.
I am type one. I was diagnosed at age 18 when I went off to college. I have had two kids, and I am a runner. I just signed up for my first adventure race in October 2013. We can do anything anyone else can do....we just have to be better prepared. :) I use an insulin pump(been pumping for 13 years),and just started using a CGMS(continuous glucose monitor)three weeks ago. I love my pump and once I found recommendations on this site for tape to hold my sensor in place while running, I love the CGMS too.
Hi Stephanie,
It's really scary to get this diagnosis. Zoe gave you great advice! I was diagnosed Type 1 a year and a half ago. Like Zoe, I really recommend Jenny Ruhl's book "Blood Sugar 101." It was so helpful to me! Jenny also has the website here. And Melitta's tips that Zoe linked to are really, really wise and helpful!
Zoe is so right that what we thought was "healthy eating" is not the same for Type 1 diabetics. Organic carbohydrates are still carbohydrates. Hi-carb vegetables are still hi-carb. It's a big adjustment. But there is a wonderful wealth of information here and people with a lot of experience!
I think that many people here will tell you that it's really scary to be ill and get diagnosed with Type 1. But after awhile, we adjust to this new version of our lives.
For me, learning as much as I could about Type 1 and how to deal with it helped a lot. Learning from people on this website that it's quite possible to lead an active, interesting and happy life with Type 1 was so heartening. You and I are lucky because there are so many more tools and so much more information available than there was 20 or 30 years ago.
Best wishes,
marty1492
Stephanie, ditto the advice from zoe. a complete antibody panel and a c peptide test will give you a straight up diagnosis. i was diagnosed at 36 and was completely surprised when they told me it was type 1. shawnmarie is right-insulin makes things so much easier, you will be back to your regular self, full of energy with insulin.
its really scary at first, and you may be angry and scared for a while, but were all here to help you through this.
thank you all so much, just left a message for my doc to put in a referral for an endo. kinda a crapshoot as to who i'll get with my insurance, but better than just an md i assume? meanwhile i'll just test test test and try to keep my numbers as low as possible. has anyone been able to obtain "normal" numbers (not diabetic numbers) while on insulin?
thanks marty. it is so scary for me, i need to move past the part about why, because nothing about this diagnosis make sense. the whole disease part, extremely scary. also i feel like i'm extremely hypersensitve to diabetes affects? i drink and pee (probably 20 times a day) when my sugar hits above 170 my feet go numb and i feel sick, headache. my doc says this makes no sense since my a1c is only 6.1 also i've had all these symptoms since i had my daughter 3 years ago, just didn't realize they were abnormal till i got a high fasting glucose on bloodwork and started doing some research. so i'm wondering, if i can keep my carbs in control even if its type1, does that mean i will need less insulin over the years?
Your mealtime insulin doses will be based on the carbs you eat, so yes, the fewer carbs you eat the less insulin you will need to "cover" them. Your background or "basal" doses will not be dependent on what you eat. Type 1's generally take fairly low doses of insulin, and during the initial "honeymoon period" they are lowest. But really we are all different and there is no "right or wrong dose". The right dose for each person is what keeps their blood glucose in target as often as possible.
You are in the right place and you are asking the right questions. My advice is don't fear insulin. You will feel much better as you gain control of your blood sugar.
When I bolus (take insulin before meals) properly I am within target. I sometimes underbolus because I don't want to run low but I'd rather be a lil bit higher than normal than be low. And When I say target I mean 4-7 mmol which is 72-126 mgdl. I'm from canada so we use different units for blood glucose readings.
Dear Stephanie,
There are others here on TuDiabetes who know a lot more about symptoms and alleviating them than I do. What Zoe says in her posts here is really good and clear.
I'm guessing (someone else will know better) from what I've read before, that once your blood sugar is under better control, you won't be so susceptible to symptoms at relatively low numbers. I don't know for sure. And it's much more important how you feel than what your doctor says is "normal" to feel!
One really good thing is that now you know what is out of whack and that there are steps to take that will lead you to feeling better. That's really good news!
And a book like "Blood Sugar 101" will answer a great many questions and do it in a well-thought-out sequential fashion so that it is easier to follow. It was the first book I read and it helped me a lot!
I was just reading here on TuDiabetes in "New to Diabetes" in the "Forum Discussions" there, the one titled "How Old (when you were diagnosed)". It reminded me of all the people here and all the different stories and lives affected. And there were several people there who were close to your age when diagnosed.
You are not alone!
Best wishes,
marty1492
thank you!