Diabetes
03-13-2011, 07:11 PM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Kansas City Mo
Posts: 1,603
I have been battling this since 1976 At first I took shots then due to weight loose surgery I didn't have to take anything for 2 years and then weight started coming back went on insulin once again Chsnged dr and he helped me get on oral medication so I could drive truck That worked for about 4 years then I became ill with other problems so dr decided better to go back on Insulin So I am now taking 4 or more shots daily 1 a long acting insulin and 3 shots of fast acting insulin. A lot of days are a battle seems no matter what I do or eat blood sugars run over 350 then somedays I can keep it in the normal range. The best advise I can give you is see a optimologist (sp)once a year I did not know how important this was untill the dr that put me on oral medicine told me he would not be my dr if I wouldn't do this so I immediatly went I did not realize my eyes were getting so bad I had to have 3 laser surgeries in both eyes I was well on my my to going blind. The surgeries do not fix your eye sight but prevent it from getting worse. Thank god I listened to my dr. Take very good care of yourself threy now say according to my cardiologist that Diabetes means Heart trouble believe me this seems to be true I have 19 stints and have had open heart surgery and was evulated for heart transplant and dr tells me all related to diabeyes I had cancer again Dr said diabetics are more prone to cancer. Take care of yourself always take care of yourself and you can prevent many problems. Pay special attention to your feet so very important. Check your blood often eat sensiable. Enjoy life It is not all about depriving yourself of deserts carbs and ect but about extending your life with diet and exercise Feel free to pm me anytime if you need to vent
03-13-2011, 07:48 PM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: middle America
Posts: 2,849
Diet. I watch the carbs. At 5'3", it's 149 carbs a day. Lost 20 lbs. & things got better quickly. When sugar went down from diet, glaucoma eye pressure also returned to normal, & also was able to take less blood pressure med.
Some days I pig out on carbs & then I kick myself in the a##, & get back with the program. It's hard since carbs used to be my main "food group", chocolate being at the top of that catagory........but I like my eyesight so I gotta be careful!
Some days I pig out on carbs & then I kick myself in the a##, & get back with the program. It's hard since carbs used to be my main "food group", chocolate being at the top of that catagory........but I like my eyesight so I gotta be careful!
03-13-2011, 10:09 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: sunny and WARM Tucson, AZ
Posts: 769
I have been diabetic for 34 years. I've had the gambet of cures. From diet controlled to NO CONTROL. In May of last year the doctor put my on an insulin pump. Oh WOW, what a difference. I now think I will survive.
03-13-2011, 11:38 PM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon
Posts: 3,360
I am also a diabetic. I was diagnosed in 2002, 9 years ago now. (wow doesn't seem like its been that long but I guess it has) I take glimperide every day as the metformin and the name brand glucophage I was highly allergic to it. I try to control my sugars with diet and exercise. But it is really really hard. I have never been one that ate alot of sweets and I had always thought that if you ate alot of sugar, you would be a diabetic.
I found out I was a diabetic after going to my doctor to be checked for fatigue. All I wanted to do was to sleep and I had no energy. Luckily all my kids were grown and on their own so I didn't have to worry about them. I would sleep alot. I would tell my husband that I was tired and he would tell me to go lay down for a little while and I would do that but with no relief, I was still tired and had no energy. So I finally made a doctors appointment and she does blood work and found I had an underactive thyroid and my blood glucose was 550 on a finger stick in the office. When she told me I had diabetes, I cried like a baby. That was such devestating news to me because I didn't know anything about diabetes to begin with, but I can remember my grandma giving herself shots with those great big thick needles and her always saying "ouchhhhhhh" when she gave herself the shot. And so I didn't ever want to have to do that. Anyways, my doctor had put me on Metformin right away and told me that I can only have 45 carbohydrates per meal. Well what is a Carbohydrate? I had no clue and she didn't explain it to me either. She wasn't a very good Nurse Practioner in my opinion when it came to Diabetes. Almost immediately I started itching and had diahrea so bad that I wouldn't go anywhere so I started to become a recluse. I told my doctor that I think I was allergic to it and she said "oh lets stay on it for a little longer and see what happens" so I reluctantly agreed. In the meantime, I was putting on alot of weight which was caused by the metformin. We decided to buy a house over on the Oregon coast and that meant I had to change doctors. I was lucky and was able to get a doctor right away and made an appointment. They weighed me, 397 pounds. OMG, I'm only 5'0 tall. When I was put on that stuff, I weighed 167 pounds. I gained over 200 pounds. Immediately that doctor took me off of the metformin and put me on the glimepiride. And I lost 150 pounds within the first year, had alot more energy then I did too. I attended a diabetes discussion group that had meetings once a month and I learned more then I could have ever imagined. It was a life line to me. Today, I still have diabetes. We can choose to CONTROL it ourselves or we can let DIABETES CONTROL us. I choose the first option there. I want to live life to its fullest. If you are wondering how I managed to lose 150 pounds I will tell you. As people that are on this site from Oregon, pretty much knows that it RAINS alot on the coast. So for exercise, my husband and I would go to walmart and I would grab a shopping cart and we would literally walk the length of the store ONE ROW at a time until we walked down EACH ISLE. After awhile (it took a few weeks though) my pushing pace got faster and faster. The isle that I would walk down first was the isle that had bathroom scales, and I would put one on the floor and weigh myself. And then on the same day of the month, I would weigh myself again to see how much weight I lost. It worked for me, it may not work for everyone, but I did what I could and I became so proud of myself for my accomplishment. :) I tip my hat to everyone that has this disease and for all the work that we have to do to keep things in check. Make sure that you do get your eyes checked by an Opthomologist AND a dentist. Those are so important. Keep ALL of your doctors appointments. Exercise and eat as good of a diet as you can. You will see results you really will. :)
I found out I was a diabetic after going to my doctor to be checked for fatigue. All I wanted to do was to sleep and I had no energy. Luckily all my kids were grown and on their own so I didn't have to worry about them. I would sleep alot. I would tell my husband that I was tired and he would tell me to go lay down for a little while and I would do that but with no relief, I was still tired and had no energy. So I finally made a doctors appointment and she does blood work and found I had an underactive thyroid and my blood glucose was 550 on a finger stick in the office. When she told me I had diabetes, I cried like a baby. That was such devestating news to me because I didn't know anything about diabetes to begin with, but I can remember my grandma giving herself shots with those great big thick needles and her always saying "ouchhhhhhh" when she gave herself the shot. And so I didn't ever want to have to do that. Anyways, my doctor had put me on Metformin right away and told me that I can only have 45 carbohydrates per meal. Well what is a Carbohydrate? I had no clue and she didn't explain it to me either. She wasn't a very good Nurse Practioner in my opinion when it came to Diabetes. Almost immediately I started itching and had diahrea so bad that I wouldn't go anywhere so I started to become a recluse. I told my doctor that I think I was allergic to it and she said "oh lets stay on it for a little longer and see what happens" so I reluctantly agreed. In the meantime, I was putting on alot of weight which was caused by the metformin. We decided to buy a house over on the Oregon coast and that meant I had to change doctors. I was lucky and was able to get a doctor right away and made an appointment. They weighed me, 397 pounds. OMG, I'm only 5'0 tall. When I was put on that stuff, I weighed 167 pounds. I gained over 200 pounds. Immediately that doctor took me off of the metformin and put me on the glimepiride. And I lost 150 pounds within the first year, had alot more energy then I did too. I attended a diabetes discussion group that had meetings once a month and I learned more then I could have ever imagined. It was a life line to me. Today, I still have diabetes. We can choose to CONTROL it ourselves or we can let DIABETES CONTROL us. I choose the first option there. I want to live life to its fullest. If you are wondering how I managed to lose 150 pounds I will tell you. As people that are on this site from Oregon, pretty much knows that it RAINS alot on the coast. So for exercise, my husband and I would go to walmart and I would grab a shopping cart and we would literally walk the length of the store ONE ROW at a time until we walked down EACH ISLE. After awhile (it took a few weeks though) my pushing pace got faster and faster. The isle that I would walk down first was the isle that had bathroom scales, and I would put one on the floor and weigh myself. And then on the same day of the month, I would weigh myself again to see how much weight I lost. It worked for me, it may not work for everyone, but I did what I could and I became so proud of myself for my accomplishment. :) I tip my hat to everyone that has this disease and for all the work that we have to do to keep things in check. Make sure that you do get your eyes checked by an Opthomologist AND a dentist. Those are so important. Keep ALL of your doctors appointments. Exercise and eat as good of a diet as you can. You will see results you really will. :)
03-14-2011, 04:20 AM
#16
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Clinton Township MI
Posts: 839
Great information to share with everyone. I exercise and watch what I eat, but some days it is so hard. I love my sweets, but try and control the intact. Persistence to keep it under control and some days it isn't easy as we all know. I make my yearly eye appointment and see my endricronolgist every three months. I really like him. Also bought a care link thingy and send him my readings every two weeks.
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