Diabetic and in trouble

[PStanley]

I am a noncompliant diabetic. I am not proud of it...but I am operating on limited information or maybe too much information from the wrong people. I go to my family practice doctor who gives me Glucophage and Actos. If the Actos makes me sick or my ankles swollen then he says don't take it. The full dose of glucophage 500 XR 4 x a day makes my stomach upset so I only take 2 of them in the AM. I have dieted my way to diabetes going on every diet to control my 270 lbs for the past 30 years. I am tired ALL the time. My head hurts and my toes are numb on the bottoms. My fasting BS this morning was 237..After a shake for breakfast consisting of 1 1/2 cups milk and 10 frozen strawberries w/ 2 pk Splenda...my BS went up to320. I am not an idiot although I feel like one...I teach 8th grade language arts to middle schoolers and and have been a successful educator for years, have a husband and 2 grown sons. They all see me as a smart intelligent person but this diabetes thing is a puzzle I can't figure out.... I don't get why milk and fruit would raise my BS levels to those levels. My blood glucose levels seldom go below 230. I know this is bad...really bad...but I don't really trust the doctors to give me the advice I need because they are not where I am.....I realize you cannot tell me what to do...but I would like to hear how you have been able to lower your glucose levels, what meds you are on, what you eat, and how you get past the times when you want to bury your face in a hot fudge sundae or a plate of nachos. Do you exercise????? [QUOTE]

[Debi Warne]

http://www.diabetes-normalsugars.com/

This is a sight by a Dr. who has had type 1 diabetes for 50+ years. He has a book out that you can read online or buy a copy -- I think Amazon.com has it pretty reasonable.

I bought the older version of his book and it has helped me understand what is going on in my body better.

Milk and fruit has sugar in them, that's what raises your blood sugars. Carbs, starchy foods, sugars all turn to glucose in your system quickly which makes your sugars go up. They can also cause a lot of crashes where you will feel weak and hungry.

Eating a diet with adequate protein, lots of vegetables and fat will help not only to lower your blood sugars, but stabalize them.

You can also check out atkinscenter.com

Dr. Bernstein suggests you have 6 grams of carbs for breakfast and then 12 for lunch and 12 for dinner.

It is a big change when you've been used to eating any other way, but it works well.

I have been a diabetic for 8 years and eating this way has helped me so much. You can check out others here, PepsiMax was insullin dependant and is now off insullin, she watches closely what she eats. Lisa N is another one with lots of information and help in this area.

If you can even just walk 10 minutes a day twice a day you will see a difference. Exercise does help.

In talking with a diabetic nutritionist they wanted me to have something like 100 grams of carbs a day, she said you can have corn and potatoes and bread at the same meal, we'll just adjust your meds. I would rather have lesser meds and eat low carb --

The first week or so may be rather tough on you, you will suffer carb withdrawals, but I bet you will see a difference in your blood sugar pretty quickly also. My sister's blood sugar was 864 about 4 weeks ago, thankfully her doctor sent her home to do Atkins and as of yesterday her average is 114. She also lost about 9# the first week.

Glucophage can be hard on your tummy -- you might try eating a bit, then taking it, then eating a bit more, kind of cushioning it. I have heard it gets easier as you take it. It does not hinder weight loss.

Also drinks lots of water. Sometimes you think your hungry, but really you are thirsty.

Why don't you check out those two sites and then if you have any questions or want to talk about it more, just respond here.

You need to take care of you, you are your most important advocate in your health and the more information you gather the more you will understand it and the better you can take steps in getting yourself better.

You take care and keep us informed.

Debi

[Lisa N]

Hi PStanley!

You situation sounds a lot like mine was 3 years ago...blood sugars out of control and having to go on medication not only for high blood sugar, but also dangerously high blood pressure while following what my doctor told me was the appropriate diet for a diabetic.
Please don't beat yourself up because of your situation; millions of people are in the same boat as you and NOT asking for help...that alone tells me that you are an intelligent person. You recognize that your situation is not a good one and that you have to make changes to improve it.
IMO, your primary weapon against diabetes is knowledge. You have to understand what causes the disease and what makes it better and worse before you can get a handle on controlling it. The more you know, the more successful you will be in gaining and keeping control because, as you said above, your doctors can't be with you 24/7. They are there to help guide you and work with you on getting a medication regime that will help you, but you are the one that will have to do all the hard work.
Despite what the ADA maintains, sugars (even natural ones from fruit and milk) are not something that your body can handle right now as evidenced by that large jump in your blood sugars after breakfast (which, BTW, contained nearly 30 grams of carbohydrate without any fat or protein to mediate it). A 90 point jump is about what you can expect from such a meal (on average for type 2 diabetics, 1 gram of carb will raise your blood sugar 3 points). Some further reading on the glycemic index might help explain what I just said a bit more.
I see from your profile that you have read Dr. Bernstein's book. Now would be a good time to put those principles into action. If it's been a while since you last read it, please read it again to refresh your memory about what you need to do. A word of warning, though...you will need to work with your doctor on this as within a few weeks to a month, you will most likely find that your medications need to be reduced if you follow the plan exactly. I know I did!
I was off ALL my meds within 4 months of starting a low carb program and had to reduce my medication after about 30 days. After nearly 3 years, I'm still medication free and my blood sugars have been running between 80 and 92 24/7. It IS possible. Weight loss has been slow for me because of other medical issues I have going on, but it is coming off slowly.
Give it a shot...it can only help...really. :)
And....please feel free to ask all the questions you need to get a good understanding of what you need to do or if you don't understand something. There are lots of very helpful people here who will be very happy to share information and ideas with you. :)

[nopie]

Only you can fix your problem. At this point, a proper low carb diet is the only thing that will really bring your blood sugar down. You need to read and study Atkins and Bernstein - really study. Then you will understand diabetes and you will understand carbohydrates. If you don't understand how how it all works then you're just wandering in the dark.
You've taken the first step by realizing you have a problem. Start studying, start eating low carb, stay in touch with us here and you will be well on your way to getting better and feeling great!
You asked how you get past the point of wanting to bury your face in a hot fudge sundae - time, time, time. I've been doing this for over two years and my cravings for all the foods that are poison to me have mostly gone away. You will get to the point where two perfect strawberries give you more eating pleasure than any hot fudge sundae. I used to love cornbread more than any bread. Now, I can make it for family and not even wince. What you eat is all a matter of habit. At first I felt sorry for myself - poor me, can't eat what everyone else is having. It doesn't bother me any more!
When my husband went to Vietnam, a friend (whose husband had already been) told me that it got easier to stand. At the time, when my heart felt like it had a knife in it and I spent all waking moments sobbing, I couldn't believe it. But - she was right.

[kevjol]

What everyone has said is true.
I was in the same sitution as you just a few months go,
since starting to eat low carb my blood sugars have dropped down to a range of 80-120 24/7
I'm still trying to get that range narrowed down more to like75-95, but its only been a few months I know I will get there. So can you!

This way of eating works for diabetics that will try it and give it all they got. It certainly works better than the official ADA diet.
The ADA diet is like trying to put out a house fire with gasoline!.
A diabetics problem is sugar and carbs=sugar
Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress, and feel free to ask anything. The only dumb question is the question that goes unasked.
God Bless

[judyr]

The ADA diet caused me to gain weight and have really blood sugar problems. After doing this program for 7 months I am off medication and my fasting BG is usually under 100. I also don't crave the foods that got me into trouble in the first place. I loved sweet, rich foods. Now I really don't even think about them when they are in the house for my kids.

[Jade74]

I'm also taking glucophage, and when I first began taking it, the doctor told me to take it in .5 pill increments... so if you're able to tolerate 2 pills in the am, but should be taking more, you might want to try taking half with dinner...
Because this medicine lowers your insulin resistance, not your blood sugar, you shouldn't have to worry that your bg will drop dramatically, but I would think everyone is different. My endo told me right from the start that Metformin does not put me at risk for low blood sugar, and the only time I had any instance of it was when I donated blood and didn't rest after. You should definitely heed Lisa's advice and talk at length with your doctor. You should also arrange to see an endocrinologist, not just a gp. Just yesterday my gp prescribed me cough syrup that was full of sugar. :rolleyes: Best to see an expert, IMHO.

You should definitely exercise. Your meds lower bg for 6 hours, and exercise has a positive impact on bg for up to 24 hours. I have read articles that cite studies showing that exercise alone has a far greater impact on bg than eating alone... having said that, it could have been eating the CdnDA diet (same as ADA, I'm sure). I too found myself out of control, and I know very well the shame that you are feeling. Try not to be hard on yourself, none of us are perfect, and you're here now and that's what matters. My endo put me on a new pill about 5 months ago, but told me that I could not start taking it if I did something else to bring down my bg (A1C was >10 or 180 in the US). Now, I am going for my bloodwork on Friday and then seeing him on the 29th, and I am so excited to get my A1C results, certainly never felt this way before! And that's after two months of lc'ing.

You can do this. I believe that, because I am doing it. It's trite, but I can definitely relate to the hot fudge comment... my eating was just plain out of control and my motto was "You only live once... might as well get it over with". There are definitely withdrawl pains, but once you learn the skills you need, and shortly (you'll be amazed HOW shortly) after you start to put them into practice you will be amazed at yourself and the control. The healing will begin for you, emotionally and physically. The cravings do go away, it's amazing but they do.

I hope that you'll stay with us here, sign up for a journal and get ready to amaze yourself. Please drop me a line in my journal to let me know how you're doing...

Jenn

[swozze]

when I first found out I was diabetic back in Oct of 2001 I did not have very good control over my sugar levels while on metforim. I have now been opn glucophage for about 6 months off and on. I was on insulin for almost a year due to pregnancy. I will admit I had the best control over my sugar levels while on insulin, but with having a little one I was finding it extremely hard to eat right away after taking a shot.

My best suggestion for you is to do research and she what you can find out. Also find a doctor who will work with you and support you withj whatever lifestyle you choose to go forward with.