I was just diagnosed with T2 Diabetes last night. This happened during a trip to the ER. I haven't been able to see my primary care physcian yet, but, I'm lost. I don't know where to begin or what to do. Any adivce out there?
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Kerri
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Husband: Rick (05.01.04)
Furbaby: Quincy
Currently TTC To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (but would like to lose a few lbs. before getting PG)
First off, don't panic! Diabetes is treatable, and with the right treatment you can lead a healthy, long life. Second of all, it is unusual for an ER doc to diagnose diabetes from what I assume was just a regular blood glucose test. If you were in the ER, then your body must have been experiencing a high level of stress which will spike blood sugar. But I guess if it were really sky high, the doc was scared enough for you to start you on diabetes meds right away. However, the medication he prescribed (Glyburide) may not be the best one for you. He gave you the kind that raises insulin levels, and if you are insulin resistant (you probably are, because you have PCOS), then you would be best off with an IR med such as Metformin. Glyburide will cause weight gain and can cause hypoglycemia. Since Metformin is used to treat PCOS and diabetes, it makes much more sense for you to try that first. A second choice would be Avandia, or the combo med Avandamet (has both Avandia and Metformin). I suggest you ask your primary doc to run more thorough tests (fasting blood sugar and a glucose tolerance test) to be sure you really have diabetes, and discuss medication options with him/her.
Here is my favorite web page for newly-diagnosed diabetics, created by a member of a diabetes newsgroup:
Sounds like you're planning a move to take control of your diabetes... good for you.
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.
The single biggest question a diabetic has to answer is: What do I eat?
Unfortunately, the answer is pretty confusing. What confounds us all is the fact that different diabetics can get great results on wildly different food plans. Some of us here achieve great blood glucose control eating a high complex carbohydrate diet. Others find that anything over 75 - 100g of carbs a day is too much. Still others are somewhere in between.
At the beginning all of us felt frustrated. We wanted to be handed THE way to eat, to ensure our continued health. But we all learned that there is no one way. Each of us had to find our own path, using the experience of those that went before, but still having to discover for ourselves how OUR bodies and this disease were coexisting. Ask questions, but remember each of us discovered on our own what works best for us. You can use our experiences as jumping off points, but eventually you'll work up a successful plan that is yours alone.
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, rice, 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 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
or for those in the mmol parts of the world:
Fasting Under 6
One hour after meals Under 8
Two hours after meals Under 6.5
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
__________________ dx pcos 1984, type II diabetes 2001, also hypertension
Met 2000mg since 2001, started Glucophage XR 4/22/04, then switched to Met ER 6/04; also: multi, Vit. C, Vit. E, B12/folic acid combo, fish oil & borage oil combo, garlic capsules, cinnamon, Vitex, calcium with magnesium/zinc, biotin, CoQ10, selenium,iron
Other meds: Verapamil and Altace(for blood pressure)
Started laser hair removal 7/29/03, completed 3/04 (it works!)
UAE for fibroid 3/24/03 and 3/16/04
Don't panic so much as Linda said above there is a lot of information to take it, I've been a type 2 for 12 months and I am still learning to control this condition.. a lot of it is about trial and error until you find the right combination of meds for you!
I was diagnosed three years ago and still not sure which therapy is right for me. Before I got pregnant, I controlled it with running everyday and a balanced diet. Now, after having a baby, my diabetes has gotten worse; I can no longer control it on my own. I take insulin, b/c I do not like taking drugs daily long-term (hard on the organs). I am contemplating trying the pump, b/c I have heard that it is so much easier to control than injections. Right now I inject myself 2x a day--which is not a big deal....just a pain in the butt when I get too low or too high.
Be patient, and test your sugar a lot now....make sure you exercise and eat lots of protein. Stay away from the bad stuff----processed pastries, pasta with processed cheese, etc. Eat organic if you can, and no white sugar or white flour! Shop at your local health food store if you have one in your city. Diabetes is not fun, but it can be controlled. I have learned to live with it, and I think if I do decide to try the pump, it can't hurt to give it a chance.
Good Luck. Email me if you have any concerns/questions: kls972@aim.com
__________________ First-time mommy to my precious Angel! Diagnosed with PCOS in '04.
Type 1 Diabetic/Insulin Pump
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'I understand i was diagnosed with pcos with ir when i was 17 and now at the age of 23 was told i'm diabetic in an emergency room where they just increased my met dosage luckily for me my boss is diabetic and forced me to go see her dr's. which is when I was pretty much told that i'm whats called a 1 and 1/2 which means the progression from ir to t2 was fast and that its still progressing even more fast. But the only way to really tell or to see what will work will to run a battery of tests just relax and make sure you see your gp asap.
Welcome, i was DX was type 2 July 2005, if you like to chat please PM me anytime, when i was first diagonsed i search on the internet for info and ask my best friend Husband(who also type 2)
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Diagonsed with
Type 2 Diabetes, Hearing Loss, Enlarged Kidneys, Enlarged Spleen, Enlarged Liver, Asthma, Osteoarthritis, PCOS, Fatty Liver, GED, Hypothyroid, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, IBS Petit Mal Seizures, High Cholesterol, Depression, Mood disorder, Developmently Delayed, Chronic Sinusitis, Retina Pigmonta(RP)
Just diagnosed... Don't know where to begin! 
