Hi Moonkissed! It sound like you have come to the right place. We are the BEST Diabetes Forum on the internet! May I ask what your Metformin dosage is? You should be starting out with a small dose, possible 500 MG once or twice a day and increasing as needed. Too much will cause some difficulty for some. I started out at 500mg twice a day, then went to 3X a day and then to 850 3X a day. That dosage had me nauseated and vomiting in the middle of the night, so I cut back to twice a day and added a different med. With low carb eating I have brought my glucose down to much better levels and am hoping to wean myself off the second med.
I think fasting should be between 80 - 110. People test differently depending on their circumstances. Besides testing AM, you should test 2-3 hours after meals to see what foods spike your blood sugar and then avoid those foods. Cutting out or back on sweets and starchy carbs like bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and salty snacks will help. The testing after meals will tell you which ones you can keep, or maybe you can just eat small portions of that food. Eat lots of veggies, raw and cooked. Exercise helps lower glucose, so if you can get an exercise program started that will help, as well as taking a walk after meals, 15 minutes or so.

The worst thing about letting your glucose levels run too high is it damages your eyes and could cause blindness over time. Also, you have to be very careful of your feet, because high sugar levels can cause you to need an amputation. It also causes kidney damage, and most of these types of damages cannot be reversed. Once you have it, it's too late, so it's important to change things now!

We spend a lot of time discussing what works for us and what doesn't, and giving each other pointers and encouragement.

Looking forward to getting to know you!

I have a roaster full of stuffed cabbage rolls cooking out on the deck for all the neighbors to smell...and a pot of halusky cooking on the stove. No cooking for me for a couple days.

Shannon, sorry to hear Olivia is sick and hope you and DH aren't getting sick, too.

Rennie, Good to see your here! We always miss you when you go AWOL.

Trish, Glad to see you back and happy to hear your are settling in with your food plan. I'm going to look into that book you mentioned.

dgramie, I have heard of Barretts Esophagus and will have to read up on it to learn more about it. Did the doctor put you on meds for it?

What kind of squash did you cook and how did you prepare it?

Hi Ruthie! I always forget about the recipe thread.

JLus, Kris, Lotsakids, Bonnie, Silentartic, FatMad! And anyone else I might have missed.

Moon kissed my husband is both diabetic and bipolar. He has to really keep a close eye on his bs levels. He tried one bipolar med that shot his glucose to over 600. Needless to say he was only on tht one a few days. I'm here if you ever need an ear. I am prediabetic.

Carol sue I am on Prilosec twice a day until I talk with him later this wk.
I cook squash like my grandmother did. I stew it down to nothing with a little light margarine. Then flip it over to a skillet and sprinkle with a 1/2 pk of Splenda and cook it till it starts to stick. Then flip and and continue until it's kinda brown. I love yellow squash any way it's cooked. I picked 10 out of my garden and plan to cook them tomorrow so I can eat on them for a few days.

Dr said I needed to change my eating habits. So today we went to Mexican and I skipped salsa and chips. I had a ground beef burrito and a few of my refried beans. I was satisfied and not over stuffed. So far no heartburn

Moonkissed By all means jump in and become a part of us. I agree with Carol Sue. This is the best diabetic group on the net. We all find our own way of eating to get our blood sugar under control because not everyone can do extremely low carb, but neither can we do the amount of carbs the American Diabetes Association recommends.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, my Daddy told me about one of my step-sister's hubby who got his diabetes under control by testing like Carol Sue mentioned above. Over a period of time, he would test his blood sugar after eating a certain food to see what raised his blood sugar and what doesn't. From that list of foods, he worked out his routine of eating. Example, he learned that an egg mcmuffin would not raise his bs if he took the top piece of bread off. So that became his breakfast on the way to work everyday. He found that peanuts were a great snack for his bs and Daddy said he kept them around for a quick snack. I used the McMuffin idea while on my recent trip. However, as much as I used to love peanuts, I can't stand them any more so that doesn't work for me.

I did learn by following his example of testing that I cannot eat a normal serving of oatmeal, but I can eat half a serving without raising my blood sugar.

I think the best thing we have all learned is that what works for one doesn't work for all. Our plan, even when using a particular diet plan, must be "personal". Just because the ADA recommends it or some diet says we can have it, does not mean that I can have it. Testing my bs after eating that particular food may show that my body does not tolerate it. It has really surprised my doctor when I share with him how my bs raises when I eat some foods. However, he also appreciates the fact that I work at it.

For me, having a good doctor who is willing to work with me and who respects my efforts is half the battle. I'm glad you have a good doctor to help you.

Another weekend saga.....took my dog to the vet bc he had not 100% improved after 2 weeks of antibiotics for bronchitis. He's had alot of bronchitis over the last year or two due to collapsed trachea which makes him more susceptible to infection. So, they did xrays and discovered he has 3-4 nodules around his windpipe. It was lunch time when we left and I was upset, crying and not caring about finding the perfect meal so I aimlessly drove around and ordered at Sonic (hot dog, diet drink and tater tots). I thought it would be ok, especially since I mowed the yard around the 1 hour mark but my 2 hour BS was 151. Argh!

Shannon Sorry about your dog. You were upset and these times of things happen. I don't think you have to worry about the lunch on top of everything else, just get back OP and you'll be okay. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks everyone for the welcome back home. I've got my healthy foods in the house and feels so good to be eating them again. Had my favorite breakfast of eggs, bacon and 1/2 avocado. I've switched to a 40 calorie wheat bread and was satisfied with one slice. I bought a pizza (a Saturday favorite around here), but I made a good salad to go with it. Weight Watcher's recommends a minimum of 5 fruits and veggies so I had 3 servings of fruits and will allow myself a minimum serving of 3 or 4 veggies. I think I will be getting most of my carbs most days from fruits and veggies. Save the carby foods for weekends or when eating out. I know I said it before, but I have to say it again, it sure feels good eating healthy again.

Thanks everyone.
I am taking 500 MG metformin twice a day. I always take it with food too.

That is a good idea about testing after I eat. I will start doing that too. I am still getting used to testing again. It doesn't hurt really much but it still always makes me jumpy to hit the button on my lancet device lol.

moonkissed to the thread . When I was first diagnosed my FBS was really high also, my A1c was 10.4. I was put on metformin which also made me so sick it was horrible. It took me about two full months to get myself together. I posted on the diabetic forums to gain a lot of information. I'm not sure when I started posting with the ladies here but they are a wealth of information. Carol Sue and myself have had some really high reading so we know all too well what's going through your head. I'll be honest and I have never said this on here ... I have had some reading over 300 and I know you are supposed to immediately go to the emergency room but the job I had at the time would have found a way to fire me and I couldn't afford to have that happen. You are in great hands here. I only check first thing in the morning fasting. The only time I test at another time during the day is if I am feeling bad. The doctor told me to walk for at least 20 minutes after my meals to help with bs readings. I have never done that but I will said a great walk after dinner sure does help LOL it still makes me jumpy when I hit the button on my lancet device also. I wonder if it will ever change. My last A1c was 6.5 I think.

Carol Sue they started me at 2000mg a day immediately I so want to try the stuffed cabbage rolls, they just sound delicious to me. YUM

dgramie, I like my yellow squash the same way with onion, but now I cook it with zucchini also. Salsa is almost a free food, you can add it to your burrito next time, so good

Shannon

Trish I have to agree it does feel good to eat healthy ... my question to me is "why can't I do it like I am supposed to?"

Thanks This morning my FBS was 152 which is still high but way way way better then it was. This time I took it as soon as I woke up.

One another group I am on they suggested I test first thing in the morning. Before I was testing before I ate but after I walked the dog and fed the cats & did all my morning bathroom stuff. So that was like 40-60 mins after I was awake. I guess I didn't think about it lol

I am also going to test at night before bed to see what difference it is between then and morning.

love2b150- getting your A1C from 10.4 to 6.5 is nice I am terrified of what mine will be. Awaiting the results now. I just want to do really really well right now so when I go back to the doctor in a month she won't put me on insulin. lol I am glad I am not the only one who gets jumpy testing!

Shannon- I love salsa but for now have to leave all tomato based products alone. I have Gerds bad.

My fbs was 90. I am a daily weigher and scales have kinda been stuck but today rewarded me with a 2lb loss. I have now relost 20lbs. I still have 20 to go to be back at my lowest. And another 40 after that to get to goal.

moonkissed, you can tell the doctor that you want to try to use diet and exercise to lower your blood sugar instead of taking insulin. There are also other pills that can be taken. Remember though, insulin and many pills can cause weight gain, which you don't want. You can do this if you cut out as many carbs as you can, and find out which ones spike your blood sugar.

Is your lancing device adjustable? The one I'm currently using is not and my fingers get pretty sore. I have an adjustable one around here somewhere. I'm going to get it out and try using that one. Someone told me to test it out and set it at the lowest setting that works for you.

Shannon, I am sorry to hear that your doggy is sick. Is he a small dog? We have a Maltese and he coughs and chokes a lot. He was never diagnosed with a collapsed trachea but it's prevalent with small dogs. It was bad for a while but he has improved lately. I hope the vet can fix him up.

The 151 wasn't as bad as the 190. Probably caused by the hot dog bun, or the fact that you had 2 carbs (bun and potatoes) at the same meal.

Trish, I noticed when we went to Las Vegas that I missed my healthy foods. We were eating out at every meal and it was all heavy meals. Luckily it was only 4 days and then I could come home and eat a plate of vegetables. When we went to Ocean City we ate every dinner at a buffet that had an early bird special. That was good because I was able to pick only the things I wanted and were healthy. This was all before my diabetes diagnosis.

Rennie, this is the first I've heard that you are supposed to go to the ER if your BS goes over 300! I used to get that often! Usually I would just walk on my treadmill a bit to bring it down, but it never came down to a good level. In the past several months I have had 1 reading in the 200s. Some are higher than they should be, but not as high as I used to get.

FBS 93 this morning and new low on the scale 181.8. I'm 0.2 away from my goal of losing 8 lbs in June, lol! TMI, but if I could just go potty
I'm sure I'd have a whoosh!

Carol Sue because of our dog's age, 13, and the fact that he already has congestive heart failure and is weakened, we won't treat the cancer. We are putting him on prednisone which will temporarily shrink the nodules and "confuse" the cancer cells giving him some more time feeling good but eventually (no idea when) it will start growing again and it will be even quicker than before, that will be the end. He is a small dog, pomeranian. On the xrays the windpipe was clear and lifted up (by the nodules) rather than falling down so she said that the trachea looked okay. It is possible they were misdiagnosing the collapsed trachea all this time and it was actually the nodules pushing on it causing the coughing, or maybe a combination of both...who knows!?

Today we have an afternoon appointment to see about seven houses. I was planning for my daughter to stay at my SIL's so that getting her in and out of the carseat, her running around, etc. would not drag the process out but I can't take her there now with the strep. Technically she is no longer contagious but SIL is pregnant. I am not looking forward to the chaos that will be part of this process but oh well, nothing I can do.

Shannon, you have really had your hands full recently, but somehow, the weight loss is quite favorable and should brighten your spirits! Seven houses! I hope one of them works out for you.

I bought a Fitbit. I like gadgets, but this one is something I normally wouldn't buy because with everyone saying you should walk 10,000 steps a day, I know I will NEVER get near that. I will be lucky to get 10,000 steps a week. LOL My son and daughter-in-law keep buying me gift cards for Kohls for every occasion...birthday, mother's day, and I have been there a couple times and there's nothing I really want. I was talking to some people on 3FC and they all have one. I checked online and saw that Kohls sells them, so I decided that was what I would do with my gift cards. I haven't set it up yet, but I did copy the instruction manual from online. It also syncs with MFP somehow. I usually use Fitday, but can easily switch to MFP. I'm register...I just never used it. Maybe this will make me exercise more and be more diligent at tracking my food.

Wannabehealthy- Thanks. My lancet is adjustable. I have it on a lower setting. I am so jealous that you have a fitbit lol I want one so bad. Maybe I splurge on my birthday and get one, though thats not until the end of September lol

Also for your dog you may want to use a harness instead of a collar when walking. You are right collapsed trachea is common for little dogs, but using a harness that fits well can help a ton to prevent that!
I have a little 10lb dog named Trixie. She is a chi/poodle mix & the light of my life

Shannonsnail- I am so very sorry to hear about your dog That is awful to go through. I had a cat we had to put down a few years back who got mouth cancer and it was just heartbreaking.

moonkissed, I bought a harness for him, but we never use a collar or harness on him unless we are going to the vet or the groomer. We can't walk him because our road is busy with no sidewalks and you take your life into your own hands walking there. LOL He hates to be outside. He only goes out when he needs to and comes right back in when he's finished. He isn't doing any coughing or choking for the past few months.