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Old 03-06-2009, 05:31 PM   #1  
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Hello, all!
I was admitted to the ER one week before my 27th birthday with blood sugar levels of 666. (Obviously NOT a good sign!) I was diagnosed with diabetes and, since I'm an army wife, sent home with a grab bag full of perscription meds and insulin from Metphormin to Claritin. The minute I got home I lauched myself into daily exercise and better eating habits purely in response to my hatred of needles. So far, my blood sugar when testing has been within normal range 90% of the time so I've stopped injecting the insulin and nixed four of my five meds. I jog two miles and walk three miles Tues and Thurs. and I jog one mile, walk three miles and do 40 mins. of weight training on M, W and F. On Saturday and Sunday I figure out something active to do with my husband and nine-year-old son. Somedays I feel tired and I miss the days when I could eat whatever I wanted at whatever time I wanted and exercise whenever I felt like it. I'd love to here some advice from people who have lived with this disease on how to deal with it for the next 60 to 70 years that I fully intend on being on this Earth......
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Old 03-06-2009, 07:18 PM   #2  
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Have you taken a diabetes education class? I found that incredibly useful plus they hook you up with a dietician who helps you figure out your carbs etc. My insurance paid for it, but from the help I got from it I would have paid for it myself if I had too.

How often are you testing?

Good luck! : )
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Old 03-06-2009, 10:59 PM   #3  
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Ditto on the diabetes educator. After the initail 4 session class I had individual sessions every 3 months for the first year. It really helped me adjust and understand the whole food thing. They really dumbed it down and put everything in straightforward and simple terms. I really couldn't handle anythig to intense or disruptive. best to you and let us know how its going.
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Old 03-06-2009, 11:37 PM   #4  
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I have to agree with everyone, I also go to the diabetic education centre and it does help a lot. They teach you how to eat healthy, how to read labels on food and exercise tips. They will also teach you how many carbohydrates and calories you should be taking in daily. I hope that this has helped you out and I would also like to mention that I have been taking insulin for the past 9 yrs.

Take care

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Old 03-07-2009, 09:45 AM   #5  
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Thanks so much for responding to my posts. It feels kindof lonely here because, though I have no shortage of aquaintances who suffer from diabetes, there is not one of them who have committed to really dealing with this properly. They all eat whatever they want, refuse to exercise and won't even test their blood sugar to see if they are in real danger. I don't get it. Anyway, I had a few meetings with some nutritionists at Winn Army Hospital, and they did go over alot with me so I get that I should take in 2000 calories per day with a max of 50 carbs at each of my three meals and a max of 20 carbs at my three snacks. I think a diabetic education center sounds like a great idea, and I will look into that in my area. I have to admit that all the info they tried to give me in the three days I was in the hospital was a bit much to take in. I think I was still in shock from the diagnosis.

timetoshrink: I took insulin for two days but I just couldn't deal with it. It was SO painful. Did I give up on it too quickly? Does it get easier? The nurses made it sound like it would actually get MORE painful as time went on, and I thought, "There is no way I will be able to handle this long term." (I have always been deathly afraid of needles.)


kodama: I test four times per day. Once when I get up. One before lunch. Once before dinner and once before bed. Is that the way it should be done?

activeadventurer: How did you go about finding your classes?

Again, thanks for posting. This whole thing has seemed a bit overwhelming to me, but I know I can overcome!!!
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Old 03-07-2009, 11:05 AM   #6  
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Hey hun! I had a similar story. I am 26 myself. In the mid of Jan this year I ended up in the ER and they told me I had diabetes and needed to go see a doctor. My BS was in the 300s then though. My A1C was 11% eek.

I saw my doctor at the very end of Jan and so it has been just alittle over a month for me now. After the first week they decided to put me on insulin. It felt horrible. It took me forever just to test myself. I messed up alot the first week lol. I would just sit there with the needle all ready to go but wasn't doing it lol. Like my brain was just like no! I am the biggest baby in the world when it comes to pain.

But it has been a month now and it just becomes alot easier every single day. I give myself the insulin shot twice a day, once in the morning and once at dinner. and then I check my BS 3-4 times a day. Sometimes it hurts alittle bit but only for a second then its over with.

Luckily though I have been eating right and exercising and made huge changes and my numbers are great. Actually they were getting a bit low and this wed the doctor lowered my insulin and told me I should only be on it for maybe 2 more months!

Wow though you work out a ton I wish I was at that point yet. I just upped my walking to 3 miles 5 days a week but it is tough.

One thing I learned is that you should make sure to test sometimes after you eat as well. It is important to get a good balance of before and after. Just wait 2 hours until after you eat to test. I usually do mine first thing in the morning as my fasting, and then before dinner. Also since I take my insulin then. And then I either test after breakfast, lunch or dinner rotating different days or sometimes doing it after two meals.

I got some advice to check my local hospital for diabetes classes/support group and luckily for me a support group was just starting. I went to the first meeting so far and they had a quest speaker and tons of info. It was kindof weird because I was by far the youngest person there but I am gonna go again and hopefully learn some more.

One of the greatest things for helping me is the wealth of information online and on forums. I love this forum so so much and I visit another one too where the people are also really nice and have helped me alot with answering all my questions on diabetes and trust me I have bugged them alot lol. I can give ya the website if u want just PM me.

Just getting to talk and share with other people and know I am not alone is great. It does get easier with time Take care!
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Old 03-08-2009, 12:32 AM   #7  
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The amount of times you tests varies from person to person and how your diabetes is at different times. The more in control you are the less you have to test. Also if you are taking insulin you have to check more to make sure your blood sugar doesn't get too low.

There are also different kinds of insulin. Long acting and fast acting. My doctor first put me only on a long acting (16 hrs) one and later added a fast acting one (4 hours) to take with meals. As I improved I stopped taking the long acting one, my morning blood sugars were really low and now I only take the fast acting one with meals.

If it hurts when you give yourself an insulin shot you aren't doing it correctly. Or maybe your needle is too big. I use a novo fine or ultra fine 31g. The only thing I can think is you are afraid and pushing the needle in slowly instead of just pushing it in quickly. I would say that 95% of the time I feel no or very little pain. In fact it hurts much more to test my blood sugars that administer insulin.

You can vary when you check your blood sugars. It's helpful to test 2 hours after eating so that you know if the amount of insulin you are taking is covering the food you eat. If you exercise a lot then that might be another time you may want to check after exercising.
My doctor gives a sheet that has morning, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner and after dinner and after bed. I randomly pick two or three for each day. For example. When I wake up, after lunch, and before bed. You don't have to check the same one each day.

Here's a helpful table that my doctor gave me to show where the numbers should be when testing (this is what you are aiming for not necessary what they will be):

How often: Varies from 2-3 tests per week to 5-6 times a day

Before meals: 80/130 mg/dl (~100 is best)

1-2 hours after meals: Under 180 (under 140 is best)

Hope that helps a little
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Old 03-11-2009, 08:10 PM   #8  
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Hello -

My name is Mel, I've been going to these forums off and on for years now...I forgot my old name though...I used to be quite a frequent poster...i had posted in the thousands!!!

Anyways, I am 28 years old...used to weigh like 350...over the course of several years I dropped 50 pounds without even trying. I was always thirsty, always using the bathroom. I knew what it all meant, but I didnt want to deal with it.

Last week they tested my BS and it was in the 400's - so apparently I have diabetes. My doctor sent me to get blood work done, and I go back tomorrow to see what we're dealing with. I am worried, what could see need to see in my blood work??

Anyways, I joined weight watchers, and started exercising, and i've already lost another 7 pounds...plus my symptoms are gone...i hope my bs is in order now, and i hope i have not spoken too soon!!

It is nice to meet you all!!

Melissa
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Old 03-11-2009, 08:44 PM   #9  
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Hi,

I was diagnosed with diabetes about 7 months ago. I am a huge believer in testing a lot until you understand how your body reacts to different foods. I have just recently stopped testing seven times a day. All those tests over the past months has taught me how I react to different foods, exercise, stress etc. It's also helped me track my progress as I lost weight and exercised more. I know it's a hassle, and can be expensive for those who don't have medical coverage, but I think testing so much was the best thing I did to help myself deal with this disease.
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Old 03-14-2009, 11:37 AM   #10  
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Hi Mel, When your blood sugars start to come down with diet and exercise you will feel like a new person. It is amazing how high blood sugars make you feel, when I became diabetic my sugars had been high for sometime and I had just gotten used to being tired, thirsty and cranky. When I started to exercise and diet and lost a few pounds I felt a million times better. I did not realize that I had been feeling so bad for so long. It sounds like you are doing all the right things to keep your sugars under control, keep up the great work.

Take care

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Old 03-14-2009, 09:06 PM   #11  
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Hi timetoshrink!

I have been feeling super depressed these past couple of days. it is amazing how much i am realizing i depended on food. i am obviously an emotional eater.

do you ever get days where you dont even want to look at a vegetable? i have been craving ice cream for two weeks now, but i refuse to give in.

i had some double fiber bread and some peanut butter, i hope that will be enough to stop the craving tonight!!!

has anyone ever heard of having really low blood sugar levels from taking metformin?
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Old 03-15-2009, 09:50 AM   #12  
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Hi Mel, yes I have experienced low blood sugars from taking metformin. This will happen while they are trying to figure out the correct dosage to give you and also now that you are dieting and exercising it will cause your blood sugars to drop. When I first became diabetic they started me on glyburide and metformin and then I went on Insulin (novolin 30/70). I also have days where I crave something sweet so what I found was bryers ice cream made with splenda and they are awesome and they have a great selection. Keep up the great work.

Take care
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Old 03-15-2009, 10:01 AM   #13  
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This is an interesting thread. Hope things are going well for you armywife and others. As far as your ? goes... I found out about the classes I went to from my physician. She checks my A1C every 3 months and recommends follow up with the diabetes educators. I can't thank them enough for easing my transition into treatment for my diabetes.
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Old 03-15-2009, 10:40 AM   #14  
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Sometimes you just have to give in to the ice-cream because if you don't you can end up eating far more calories, fat and carbs trying to kill the craving.

The secret is to go out and get a small serving somewhere; that way you won't have the giant container sitting in the freezer calling to you.
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Old 03-16-2009, 06:26 PM   #15  
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I'm probably one of the few who attended diabetes education classes and gained nothing from it. I was diagnosed type 1 in 2004, and was put into a type 2 education class.

I ended up having to have one to one sessions with my diabetes consultant in the USA every day for a week to learn how to give injections. I started out with 10 units of Lantus with a proper syringe and 3-5 units of Novolog at every meal using a flex pen. Either way, there's a skill to learning how to make the injections painless.

With the syringes, I usually use my stomach or my outer thigh. I try and aim for a "white" or lighter coloured patch of skin, usually meaning there isn't a nerve bundle there. These patches are tiny, almost microscopic, but I've learned to scout them out over the years.

I can use the flexpen on my upper arm, thigh or stomach since the needles are so tiny. You really shouldn't feel it, but if you do, it shouldn't be excessively painful.
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