[neohdiver]

I hope only temporarily

Diagnosed as somewhere on the spectrum 6 days ago based on a fasting BG of 140, along with hypothyroid & extreme vitamin D deficiency.

I've just started on both Metformin (500 mg), home testing, and drastic change in diet.

2 hours after eating my BG was 136 yesterday & 116 today. My understanding is that 5 &6 days in is too soon for the change to be due to Metformin. So whatever is going on must be relatively mild. I'm guessing I'm one of the folks who has a high BG in the morning (when the fasting BG was measured)

My goal is to lose weight, get my vitamin D under control - which may normalize the thyroid numbers, then get off metformin (I'm tolerating it now since the thyroid meds can trigger diabetes, so better safe than sorry.)

That said, everyone over 59 who is a descendant of my maternal grandfather is diabetic - so even if I can stave it off for a while by getting my weight under control and balancing my carb intake, I was not at all surprised by last Friday's visit.

[dano]

Welcome to the Forum!

Read through the first three threads in the Type 2 Section, when you get a chance, if you have not already done so. These threads will most-likely help you a lot. Self education is one of the keys to successful management of your diabetes, along with a healthy / sensible diet and exercise. Basically, diabetes requires a life-style change for the better. Good luck with your control and management.

[neohdiver]

Thanks. I've read through the materials. I'm leaning toward using the glycemic load to guide my eating choices (although the numbers are harder to find - and likely less reliable since the GI comes from human tests which are not necessarily consistent). But it makes sense to me to look at the entire picture - the combination of the amount of spike caused by the GI, weighted by carbs, and adjusted for the positive impact of fiber.

And I know myself well enough (from prior weight losses) to know that if I count my way to a healthier weight (or better diet) I can't maintain it. So I'll have to internalize the characteristics of balancing choices so I am not relying on a daily tally.

So far, so good. Down 6 lbs in 7 days (mostly water weight in the first couple of days) & my highest reading today was 111 when I woke up, with 3 post meal/snack readings. Not bad for pre-Metformin really kicking in (although at a week, I suspect it is starting to), with a BMI that puts me hovering between Class I and Class II obese.

If I get down to the weight I should be, I may be able to keep my numbers in non-diabetic land for a few more years just by healthier eating. But even so, my time is coming. (My grandfather (the strong genetics in our family) was diagnosed more than a decade younger than me. My mother was diagnosed about 10 years older than I am - largely because she didn't realize doctors don't routinely check blood sugar so she didn't know she was diabetic likely for several years after she was. Her brother managed to fend it off until he was about 20 years older than me.)

[neohdiver]

5 days of monitoring at least 3 x a day - average 111.3, high 136, low 92.

My spouse has been diabetic for years. Our doctor didn't give me any guidance, but told me to talk to her to figure out what to eat because her A1c is really good (from his perspective) in the 6-range. What he doesn't realize is that she spikes like crazy because she has no clue what a carb is. (She's on a relatively heavy dose of metformin that keeps her average in what is generally thought of as a medically acceptable range.)

But - I don't know how many times she has asked me how many carbs a piece of chicken has . . . and we went to the same catered meal yesterday. 2 hours post meal her BG was 242. Mine was 118. We both ate stuffed cabbage (including rice). She also ate potatoes, cooked carrots, and a heavily frosted pumpkin cupcake.

Anyway, she's laughing at me monitoring like crazy to figure out what I can eat to minimize the fluctuation.

I'm hoping (probably in vain) that talking about the choices I'm making will both educate her and influence her own choices.

[dano]

It sounds as if she should take some lessons from you. Potatoes, carrots and deserts are very carby as you well know.

[Army_Wife]

Originally Posted by neohdiver

5 days of monitoring at least 3 x a day - average 111.3, high 136, low 92.

My spouse has been diabetic for years. Our doctor didn't give me any guidance, but told me to talk to her to figure out what to eat because her A1c is really good (from his perspective) in the 6-range. What he doesn't realize is that she spikes like crazy because she has no clue what a carb is. (She's on a relatively heavy dose of metformin that keeps her average in what is generally thought of as a medically acceptable range.)

But - I don't know how many times she has asked me how many carbs a piece of chicken has . . . and we went to the same catered meal yesterday. 2 hours post meal her BG was 242. Mine was 118. We both ate stuffed cabbage (including rice). She also ate potatoes, cooked carrots, and a heavily frosted pumpkin cupcake.

Anyway, she's laughing at me monitoring like crazy to figure out what I can eat to minimize the fluctuation.

I'm hoping (probably in vain) that talking about the choices I'm making will both educate her and influence her own choices.

She should definitely be doing exactly what you are doing! You are doing a GREAT job!!! I wish her luck and success in harnessing her BG!

I was lucky in having a daughter in law who taught me how to gauge carbs, AND other sugars (you must watch both when choosing foods), and now I am a diet controlled diabetic (T2). It is not as hard to harness as people think! You seem to be on the perfect path! Kudos to you!!!!

I work with my doctor hand in hand in my health care. I have gone from 2,000 mg of Metformin (4 tablets) a day to 500mg a day (1 tablet) and now A1c of 5.7..from 11.8 last June 2014.

I am aware that everyone's bodies differ. So I can only really speak regarding my own struggle.

Discipline, proper diet and exercise have worked wonders for me.

And yes, I can still eat everything I like- IN MODERATION. If I want pizza, I know that I can have 1-2 slices, or if I want a cheeseburger (which I rarely eat that stuff), I eat half of the burger, and a handful of fries (potatoes raise BG and burn off slowly). I still eat rice (only a cup or less) another slow burner carb raiser. But I definitely keep that to a minimum.

I have learned how certain carb amounts affect my numbers and my body, and I have learned my portion control, which is important.

I wish everyone so much luck in their fight against this disease/illness! It may seem hard but you all can do it! Do not give up! I'm definitely not giving up. I plan on living a happy, full life, and without complications from my Diabetes!

[neohdiver]

Originally Posted by Army_Wife

She should definitely be doing exactly what you are doing! You are doing a GREAT job!!! I wish her luck and success in harnessing her BG!

I was lucky in having a daughter in law who taught me how to gauge carbs, AND other sugars (you must watch both when choosing foods), and now I am a diet controlled diabetic (T2). It is not as hard to harness as people think! You seem to be on the perfect path! Kudos to you!!!!

I work with my doctor hand in hand in my health care. I have gone from 2,000 mg of Metformin (4 tablets) a day to 500mg a day (1 tablet) and now A1c of 5.7..from 11.8 last June 2014.

I am aware that everyone's bodies differ. So I can only really speak regarding my own struggle.

Discipline, proper diet and exercise have worked wonders for me.

And yes, I can still eat everything I like- IN MODERATION. If I want pizza, I know that I can have 1-2 slices, or if I want a cheeseburger (which I rarely eat that stuff), I eat half of the burger, and a handful of fries (potatoes raise BG and burn off slowly). I still eat rice (only a cup or less) another slow burner carb raiser. But I definitely keep that to a minimum.

I have learned how certain carb amounts affect my numbers and my body, and I have learned my portion control, which is important.

I wish everyone so much luck in their fight against this disease/illness! It may seem hard but you all can do it! Do not give up! I'm definitely not giving up. I plan on living a happy, full life, and without complications from my Diabetes!

Just had another quick head slapping conversation with my spouse. I mentioned that the watermelon she just picked up would probably be ok, since even though it has carbs, it has a low glycemic load. Her response was, "fruit has carbs?" I gave her another way to think about it - if it has roots, it has carbs. The only question is how many - and how they impact your BG level.

It's all a learning process. There are signs she may be willing to learn - she asked if I would chart her BG. The challenge will be both tastes (her ethnic background runs to greasy pasta/white bread), and capacity to learn (she has memory and reasoning issues).

I'm now at an average of 110, 14 days into my new regime, and have only tested over 140 once. Since I've deliberately tested at times I should be high (1 & 2 hours after eating), it is probably a pretty realistic average. I'm also down 7 lbs. I look forward to the day when my fingers get a rest - but that will have to wait until after I've tested my regular food combinations repeatedly (since I've already noticed that even with the same food, how my body reacts is not always consistent - so a few tests will be required).

Looks like you're doing fantastically well, as well! Congrats! Since I've been on restricted diets before, I know I'll be able to manage short term. You're past short term for most people, but for me the danger I will relapse starts at around 3 years.

[neohdiver]

He posted the results of the bloodwork he took the day of diagnosis.

Blood sugar (don't recall if it was fasting or not - but it likely was) 162.
A1C - 7.2

Since that day, I have not had any "sweets," and have been limiting my carb intake - and picking carbs that are high fiber and/or low glycemic load. My goal is to be under 50 net carbs (I've been beating that consistently), with blood sugar staying below 140.

I've missed being under 140 three times (in 3+ weeks), but my average BG, deliberately looking for highs by testing at 1, 2, and 3 hours after each new food item is 109, and the last two days my fasting BG has been below 100.



My doctor's comments (to the note I wrote him at two weeks reporting very similar numbers): "sugars seem reasonable." This, from the man who told me to check every once in a while a couple of hours after eating to make sure they were under 180, and told me to check with my spouse (who regularly clocks 230-300 two hours after eating) to see what I should be eating.