Hi I'm Dee.

[prettydimples]

I was told a week ago today that I have type 2 Diabetes. I think I am still in shock. I have an appointment on Tuesday to learn what I can and can't eat and how to check my blood glucose levels daily. I will admit that I am very scared. I'm scared to eat or drink very much as I don't have a meter yet and I don't want to end up in the hospital. This scares me to death. I lucked up on this site and I think I have a better understanding of what I need to do. I'm not terribly over weight so I only have 20 pounds to lose at best. I have been taking Metformin 500 mg with my dinner for a week. Oh well here's more about me....

- What is your name? - Dee
- How old are you? - 40ish
- Are you male or female? - Female
- Which country are you from? USA
- Which city/area do you live in? - The Big D - Dallas, Texas
- Are you religious? - I believe in God
- Pick three words to describe your personality. - Fun, happy, kind
- Do you have any pets? - Yes, I have 3 Yorkie's - Roxy, Dude and Baby
- Microsoft or Apple? - Microsoft
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play? - I like to run
- Do you get angry easily? _ Nope
- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where? - Several tattoos and if I tell you the places I would have to kill you!!
- List your five favourite musicians/bands. - Whitney Houston
- What would you say your favourite music genre is? - I like everything!!
- What is your favourite flag? -
- Ever gone camping? - Yes
- Ever been in love? - Deeply in love for 25 + years
- Ever used fake tan? - I'm what black people in the USA call "Light Skinned" but I don't tan
- Which countries have you visited? - Mexico, Jamaica,
- Favourite city? - Las Vegas
- List your five favourite TV programmes. - Empire, Anything on ID Network
- List your five favourite films. - The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web, The Lion King,The Color Purple, Purple Rain, Roots an
- Are you wealthy? - I have a wealth of love and compassion.
- Do you work? If so, as what? Yes, travel agent
- List the subjects you study/have studied.
- What do you like most about yourself? - my vibrant personality, my dimples (smile)
- What do you like least about yourself? The fact that I am now a diabetic

 

[TorqPenderloin]

Welcome Dee,

I’m actually in Austin myself, but I’ll be moving up to Las Colinas (Irving) in a little less than two months.

You’ll notice that most of the members on here are from the UK, and things are a little different across the pond, but the knowledge translates the same between both countries.

Helpful conversion: the easy mg/dl to mmol/l conversion is to divide by 18. So when you see someone mention that their blood sugar is 5 mmol/l, that’s 90 mg/dl for us here in the US.

As far as the feelings you’re going through…I went through them last September when I was diagnosed. The scariest thing for me was having so many questions and very few answers. Obviously, you can control that over time and spending time reading on this forum (like you’re doing) helps tremendously.

In my opinion, diabetes by itself is not something to fear. UNCONTROLLED diabetes is, and the ball is in your court on that one.

Again welcome and glad to see a fellow Texan on the forum.

 

[zand]

Hi welcome I'll tag @daisy1 for her info for new members.

 

[daisy1]

@prettydimples

Hello Dee and welcome to the forum To help you to get started, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. If there's anything you want to know just ask and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Sean01]

Hi Dee.
Fear is OK. I was diagnosed in Oct 15 - T2. I read up on the complications if it gets out of control and it scarred the hell out of me. Then I learned how to deal with it. I've just bumped into a friend who I haven't seen in months. She commented on the new look - I replied - Diabetes - best thing that ever happened - but don't stop - let me explain.
High blood pressure - now down to the very low end of normal
Resting heart beat - 57
Waist - lost 10 inches
Asthma - no problem since Dec 15.
Weight loss - 6 stone so far.
Diet: I love what I eat. I just make sure I eat from a list : eggs, meat, green veg, garlic, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers, black tea and black coffee. sardines and salmon. water, snacks: cheese and nuts, occasional treat: black pudding and 90% dark chocolate
Exercise: 5 out of 7 mornings - treadmill and stationary bike. Then 3 times a week - heavy lifting in a strong man style gym.

I feel 15 years younger - so far. I will be 51 in a few weeks time - I haven't felt this good since being 35. On Friday, I did my strongest ever leg press for reps and when I was younger I was competing at regional and national level so when I say that I haven't felt this good in many years, I rally am setting quite a high bar.

Fear is OK. Conquering it is better. As as Torq says, controlled diabetes is not a problem, but uncontrollable diabetes is.

Learn from this site. You have new friends here. they will join you on your journey and will guide you forwards. The changes you are making are all for the better. You have started to benefit from some of these changes. Trust me, this is just the beginning.

Good luck (all the way from Surrey in England)

 

[Liam1955]

@prettydimples - Hello Dee and Welcome to the Forum. Hopefully you'll be supplied with a blood glucose meter on Tuesday? If not, then it is a good idea to invest in one and several members on the Forum have information on meters.Drink plenty of water and sugar free fluids. Let us know how you get on after your appointment.

 

[Patricia21]

Hello and welcome.
You have come to the right place for help,stay with us you will be fine,I was scared at first but fine now,and I know Im not alone.
All the best

 

[PenfoldAPD]

Agree with @Sean01 treat it as a wake up call, check yourself out. I'm eating better - and looking better - than I have in years.

Good luck, ask any questions you need to, someone here will have been there!

 

[prettydimples]

Welcome Dee,

I’m actually in Austin myself, but I’ll be moving up to Las Colinas (Irving) in a little less than two months.

You’ll notice that most of the members on here are from the UK, and things are a little different across the pond, but the knowledge translates the same between both countries.

Helpful conversion: the easy mg/dl to mmol/l conversion is to divide by 18. So when you see someone mention that their blood sugar is 5 mmol/l, that’s 90 mg/dl for us here in the US.

As far as the feelings you’re going through…I went through them last September when I was diagnosed. The scariest thing for me was having so many questions and very few answers. Obviously, you can control that over time and spending time reading on this forum (like you’re doing) helps tremendously.

In my opinion, diabetes by itself is not something to fear. UNCONTROLLED diabetes is, and the ball is in your court on that one.

Again welcome and glad to see a fellow Texan on the forum.

Thanks!

 

[prettydimples]

Thanks so much for the great welcomes and info. It's 1:02 am...I'm wide awake hungry and worried about this appointment later today. I imagine my hands will shake when I touch a meter and I may not be able to use one without fainting. I will post later today with an update as to if I was able to behave as an adult instead of the little girl I feel like. I have not shared my diagnosis with my family yet so I'm alone for now. Life has changed for sure. Thanks again!!

 

[prettydimples]

Welcome Dee,

I’m actually in Austin myself, but I’ll be moving up to Las Colinas (Irving) in a little less than two months.

You’ll notice that most of the members on here are from the UK, and things are a little different across the pond, but the knowledge translates the same between both countries.

Helpful conversion: the easy mg/dl to mmol/l conversion is to divide by 18. So when you see someone mention that their blood sugar is 5 mmol/l, that’s 90 mg/dl for us here in the US.

As far as the feelings you’re going through…I went through them last September when I was diagnosed. The scariest thing for me was having so many questions and very few answers. Obviously, you can control that over time and spending time reading on this forum (like you’re doing) helps tremendously.

In my opinion, diabetes by itself is not something to fear. UNCONTROLLED diabetes is, and the ball is in your court on that one.

Again welcome and glad to see a fellow Texan on the forum.

You'll be arriving just as the hotter weather settles in. Thanks for the encouraging words. I know this will be ok.

 

[prettydimples]

Hi Dee.
Fear is OK. I was diagnosed in Oct 15 - T2. I read up on the complications if it gets out of control and it scarred the hell out of me. Then I learned how to deal with it. I've just bumped into a friend who I haven't seen in months. She commented on the new look - I replied - Diabetes - best thing that ever happened - but don't stop - let me explain.
High blood pressure - now down to the very low end of normal
Resting heart beat - 57
Waist - lost 10 inches
Asthma - no problem since Dec 15.
Weight loss - 6 stone so far.
Diet: I love what I eat. I just make sure I eat from a list : eggs, meat, green veg, garlic, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers, black tea and black coffee. sardines and salmon. water, snacks: cheese and nuts, occasional treat: black pudding and 90% dark chocolate
Exercise: 5 out of 7 mornings - treadmill and stationary bike. Then 3 times a week - heavy lifting in a strong man style gym.

I feel 15 years younger - so far. I will be 51 in a few weeks time - I haven't felt this good since being 35. On Friday, I did my strongest ever leg press for reps and when I was younger I was competing at regional and national level so when I say that I haven't felt this good in many years, I rally am setting quite a high bar.

Fear is OK. Conquering it is better. As as Torq says, controlled diabetes is not a problem, but uncontrollable diabetes is.

Learn from this site. You have new friends here. they will join you on your journey and will guide you forwards. The changes you are making are all for the better. You have started to benefit from some of these changes. Trust me, this is just the beginning.

Good luck (all the way from Surrey in England)

You made me smile!!!!