Diabetes Talking

Question:

It’s not good enough to be put on "big white pills"… you need to know their name and what they are supposedly doing for you.

And their side effects.

Response:

Welcome to the group. You’ll get a lot of great info here and support. But you have to learn one most important thing:  YOU are the captain of your health team.   You need to grab hold of the reigns and take charge. It’s not good enough for your doctor to tell you your "sugars are a little high"… you need hard facts and numbers.

Becky and Mike, I found out I was diabetic (Type 2) this past March, and I can tell you from my short experience that Jennifer is offering some excellent advice.  After three months, I am still very much in an experimental mode with respect to what I can and can’t eat, and expect that I will still be experimenting for a long, long time. The good thing is that as you continue to experiment, you will begin to accumulate a list of things you can eat with no problem, and a list of things to definitely avoid (pizza, unfortunately, has fallen into the "avoid" category for me).  These lists will have to be your own, because different foods will affect different individuals in different ways.  That’s why you’ll see this abbreviation–YMMV ("Your Mileage May Vary")–so often in the posts in this group. Exercise is fantastic for helping to control your BG’s.  My main exercise right now is taking a brisk walk with my dog for thirty minutes every day.  Even though my dog stops to sniff several times during the walk, this regimen has greatly improved my BG’s. I can tell you that for the past three and a half months I’ve experienced shock, depression, confusion, disgust at high BG’s, dismay at low BG’s, but, finally, an increasing confidence that I can manage this thing. Good luck!   -Joe-

Response:

Becky – Your first step should be to get a new doctor. You’re on some medication, and he’s telling you to check levels a couple times a week?  This guy should be prosecuted! JD

Response:

sounds like glucophage to me.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Big white Pills??? do you not know what they are??? Big White Pills??? David — "Damn Butterfly" . He put me on big white pills

Response:

Hi Becky… Welcome to the group. You’ll get a lot of great info here and support. But you have to learn one most important thing:  YOU are the captain of your health team.   You need to grab hold of the reigns and take charge. It’s not good enough for your doctor to tell you your "sugars are a little high"… you need hard facts and numbers. It’s not good enough to be put on "big white pills"… you need to know their name and what they are supposedly doing for you. It’s also not good enough to check your BG 3x a week… you need lots of info in the beginning to help you take control of this disease. Here’s the info I give all newbies: There is so much to absorb… you don’t have to rush into anything.  Begin by using your best weapon in this war, your meter.   You won’t keel over today, you have time to experiment, test, learn, test and figure out just how your body and this disease are getting along.  The most important thing you can do to learn about yourself and diabetes is test test  test. What you are looking to discover is how different foods affect you.  As I’m sure you’ve read, carbohydrates (sugars, wheat, rice… the things our Grandmas called "starches") raise blood sugars the most rapidly.  Protein and fat do raise them, but not as high and much more slowly… so if you’re a T2, generally the insulin your body still makes may take care of the rise. You might want to try some  experiments. First:  Eat whatever you’ve been currently eating… but write it all down. Test yourself at the following times: Upon waking (fasting) 1 hour after each meal 2 hours after each meal At bedtime That means 8 x each day.  What you will discover by this is how long after a meal your highest reading comes… and how fast you return to "normal".  Also, you may see that a meal that included bread, fruit or other carbs gives you a higher reading. Then for the next few days, try to curb your carbs.  Eliminate breads, cereals, rices, beans, any wheat products, potato, corn, fruit… get all your carbs from veggies.  Test at the same schedule above. If you try this for a few days, you may find some pretty damn good readings.  It’s worth a few days to discover. Eventually you can slowly add back carbs until you see them affecting your meter. The thing about this disease… though we share much in common and we need to follow certain guidelines… in the end, each of our bodies dictate our treatment and our success. The closer we get to non-diabetic numbers, the greater chance we have of avoiding horrible complications.  The key here is AIM… I know that everyone is at a different point in their disease… and it is progressive. But, if we aim for the best numbers and do our best, we give ourselves the best shot at heath we’ve got. That’s all we can do. Here’s my opinion on what numbers to aim for, they are non-diabetic numbers. FBG                         under 110 One hour after meals       under 140 Two hours after meals     under 120 Recent studies have indicated that the most important numbers are your "after meal" numbers. They may be the most indicative of future complications, especially heart problems. Listen to your doctor, but you are the leader of your diabetic care team.  While his /her advice is learned, it is not absolute.   You will end up knowing much more about your body and how it’s handling diabetes than your doctor will.   Your meter is your best weapon. Just remember, we’re not in a race or a competition with anyone but ourselves… Play around with your food plan… TEST TEST TEST.  Learn what foods cause spikes, what foods cause cravings… Use your body as a science experiment. You’ll read about a lot of different ways people use to control their diabetes… Many are diametrically opposed. After awhile you’ll learn that there is no one size fits all around here.  Take some time to experiment and you’ll soon discover the plan that works for you. Best of luck! Jennifer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i just wanted to let you fellow peoples know that reading your posts has helped me in figuring some things out.  My doctor just recently notified me that my blood sugars were starting to get a little high. He put me on big white pills and told me to check my levels 3 times a week.  Not knowing what to check for, your posts about when, what and how has helped me alot to understand some of the numbers i am getting.  I dont want to wait for the 3 month checkup to find out if i am doing anything wrong, food wise.  thank you for your help. Becky McDade

Response:

Big white Pills??? do you not know what they are??? Big White Pills??? David — "Damn Butterfly"

. He put me on big – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – white pills

Response:

Big white Pills??? do you not know what they are??? Big White Pills??? David

Probably Glucophage.

Response:

i just wanted to let you fellow peoples know that reading your posts has helped me in figuring some things out.  My doctor just recently notified me that my blood sugars were starting to get a little high. He put me on big white pills and told me to check my levels 3 times a week.  Not knowing what to check for, your posts about when, what and how has helped me alot to understand some of the numbers i am getting.  I dont want to wait for the 3 month checkup to find out if i am doing anything wrong, food wise.  thank you for your help. Becky McDade

Response:

What does he mean "a little high"? Is he trying to not tell you that you have diabetes? If so, he’s not doing you any favors. Get a copy of your lab report, with all results (and "lab normal ranges") so you know where you really stand! And find out what those pills are! bj

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i just wanted to let you fellow peoples know that reading your posts has helped me in figuring some things out.  My doctor just recently notified me that my blood sugars were starting to get a little high. He put me on big white pills and told me to check my levels 3 times a week.  Not knowing what to check for, your posts about when, what and how has helped me alot to understand some of the numbers i am getting.  I dont want to wait for the 3 month checkup to find out if i am doing anything wrong, food wise. thank you for your help. Becky McDade

Response: