Hi Ed, sorry you have to be here, but glad to meet you. You will get
some great information here, and I'll look forward to your progress
posts as you go along. Best to you.

--
Cheri

ehughes75@gmail.com wrote in message
<1133578043.336156.296690@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>...

Welcome Ed
this is a very informative support group. I dont post often but enjoy
reading everyone elses post. good luck on getting your type 2 under control.
janice

Carbs _are_ sugar, just slower acting.
Welcome to the club that nobody joins by choice.
Be aware that some people here are a little quick on the trigger, and
others are just plain loonies.
I'll not spoil the fun by telling you which.

Peace,

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

You'll find your way, but it's not an overnight trip.  Takes time and
persistence, but life as you know it is NOT over.  :-)

Ask as many questions as you need to.  You'll have a ton of questions
and none of them are silly or too insignificant to ask.  

Read a bit before deciding whose advice you can trust.  Takes a bit of
a discerning eye to learn that, but you will.

Sorry you're here, but Welcome!!

BessieBee
T2

Welcome to the group no one really wants to qualify for.

If you haven't already please take the time to read the following:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

After you have gone through the normal denial, acceptance and then
grieving process that usually comes with a diagnosis like this you
will be ready to take control. Type 2 diabetes happens to be one of
the diseases that can actually be a blessing if you can use it to help
you to live a healthy life style.

Don't be afraid to ask anything, no matter how trivial you may think
it is. Chances are many others have asked the same question before
you. We are not professional diabetes medical people. This group is
like most support groups. We come here to share our experiences,
strengths and hopes with each other. With the things I have learned
here I have been able to bring my A1c down to 5.6. You will find most
of those things in the Newly Diagnosed page I mentioned above.

Keep us informed.

Hi Ed

Welcome. I know you didn't want to join the club, but now
that you're here - you've found the right place.

Compared to most newbies you've picked up on two of the most
important things immediately: "I understand that I need to
do my testing and to eliminate my sugar intake and to watch
my carbs." As others have noted, sugar is effectively just
another carb. But the really important thing is "need to do
testing".

The best advice I can give right now is to take a deep
breath, sit back, and relax. Take some time to read and to
plan how you are going to regain control of your body.

You have time to do that right, because this disease works
slowly - and you can slow it down further. Over time you
will make changes to improve your diet, your lifestyle and
your overall fitness levels that will amaze you when you
look back on this day in a year's time.

Try not to get hit with information overload at this stage.
Start by reading this link, then come back with more
questions:
http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/NewlyDiagnosed.htm

Good luck,

Cheers Alan, T2, Australia.

Hi Ed...

You'll feel a lot less lost in time.

It's a confusing disease with many different opinions about how to
control it... but between you, your doctor and your meter... you'll soon
find a path that works for you.

Here's the advice I give all newbies.

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.

More than most anything, what you eat will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

And more than anything you eat, carbs will affect your diabetes and
your blood glucose numbers.

So, the most important information you can begin to compile about
yourself, is how your body handles carbs.

This sounds like you would need a low carb food plan right?

You don't... what you need to uncover is YOUR   Personalized Carb Number.

Which actually works better for most everyone.  Because low to one
person is wildly high to another, but waaaaay too low for someone
else.

Is low carb less than 30g a day?   Is it anything less than the
Pyramid reccomendations?

Finding your Personalized Carb Number is easy.

Here's how you can figure out your own Personalized Carb Number.

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, rices, 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 damn 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 100
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

sorry, Ed, welcome to the group no one wants to
join

go to the URL in my ................... oh heck go
to

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/

and do some reading........... this will give you
more than enough to swallow for your first visit
here.................

then come back and ask us lots of
questions............. we love to answer them

good luck!

kate

Technically there is no need to eliminate the sugar.  Sugar is a carb and it
is no worse for you in terms of BG (blood glucose) than any other carbs such
as white bread or potatoes.  However, if you have been in the habit of
drinking regular soda, fruit juice, eating sweets or adding sugar to your
beverages, then you'll want to make changes to those things.  Often the
newly diagnosed person is fearful of sugar and so they fill up on things
like fruit and pasta, thinking they are doing a good thing.  At least you
are aware that you will need to watch your carbs, so this is a good thing.

Since your A1c was 10.5, it is likely that your diabetes was caught early
on.  This is a good thing!  Hopefully you won't have any damage done to your
body already.

Ask your Dr. when he or she wants you to test your BG and what your goals
are.  Most of us test when we first get up, and then two hours after eating.
Some of us test after every meal, some do only one meal per day.  You should
also ask about hypos.  Often, people with type 2 think they won't get a
hypo, but it is something to be aware of because when you have one you can
lose your ability to think straight or even pass out.  This can be dangerous
if you are driving a car or operating machinery.

The diet you will need to follow is not set in stone.  There is no one diet
that we all follow.  But if you could give us examples of meals you eat, we
could tell you where you could make changes that will help.  Here is where
your meter will be of the most importance.

Ed you sound like me when I came here 7 years ago. Welcome and it is a
pleasure to meet you only I wish it was under different circumstances. I
read the entire thread before answering and see that someone already told
you about the website where there is lots of information and also pictures
of some of us so you know who you are talking to. I wish you well in your
battle against diabetes.

My doctor did the same thing. Well she is no longer my doctor however she
did give me a chance to bring myself under control and lose weight so I
could be medication free but I messed up. I still mess up but that is not to
say you will. I will be in your corner cheering for you to lead a healthy
and happy life.

You will meet lots of friends here so pull up a chair and ask as many
questions as you need to as someone is always here to help you with their
hand extended in love and friendship.

Take care and be well.

This post not CC'd by email
On 2 Dec 2005 18:47:23 -0800, "ehughes75@gmail.com"

G'day G'day Ed,

First let me welcome you to alt.support.diabetes known affectionately
as asd.  ASD is a slightly weird place where people share their
experiences relating to diabetes and endeavour to do better than what
is known as the diabetic progression towards various unpleasant,
positively ugly complications.  People coming here often discover that
there are others who have improved dramatically, often much faster
than their doctors thought possible.  To their surprise they find that
when they follow their example they too experience better health than
they had done previously.

We're not doctors ... except one unfortunate soul whom you'll soon
learn to ignore or KF (killfile). We don't diagnose. We can't even
offer a prognosis of how rapidly you will improve. What we can do is
share with you what we have read up on diabetes, what we have done
about bringing it under control and how well we have succeeded or not
as the case may be. I'll give you tips on how to spot winners later
on.

First a quick primer on blood glucose levels.  Blood glucose levels
are lower after a period of fasting than say two hours after a meal.
One thing your doctor will almost certainly get you involved with is
home blood glucose testing.

When doctors use FASTING blood glucose to diagnose, anything over
126 mg/dL  (= 7 mmol/L) rings the loudest alarm bells. I have given
the international equivalent because there could be other people
reading this post who use these units. A doctor won't diagnose
diabetes using a single test like this because steroid treatment eg
prednisone or infections can elevate blood glucose like this.  What a
doctor would like to see is a fasting blood glucose level that is 100
mg/dL or less (5.5 mmol)  For this reason if that blood test is a
fasting test then your GP is almost certain to be asking you come in
at some other time when your are not on steroid treatment or suffering
from an infection.  It takes two fasting blood glucose readings over
126 mg/dL  (7.0 mmol/L) before a doctor is willing to make a
diagnosis.  One reason they are very cautious is because the cutoff
figure for diagnosis represents a point where damage is irreversible.
Another reason why they are very cautious is because a diagnosis of
diabetes alters the premium or even possibility for getting medical
insurance. The diabetes can be controlled surprisingly well but not
cured at this point.

Your doctor will most likely asks for other blood tests to be done eg
an A1c. The A1c test is not officially used for diagnosis yet it is
very helpful as one tool in tracking what has been happening over the
last few months.

Every doctor needs to set up a schedule for THREE crucial types of
tests to be done for a T2 diabetic.  

One involves blood glucose measurement.  

A second involves blood pressure measurement.  Even small improvements
in blood pressure can make really significant differences in the risks
associated with coronary vascular disease, CVD. (A 5 point drop is
thought to give a 16% decrease in CVD.)  You doctor might prescribe an
ACE inhibitor almost as preventative if your blood pressure is
marginally high.

Another set of tests involve blood lipids.  These include two types of
cholesterol; HDL which you want to keep high and LDL which you want to
keep low.  Blood lipids also include triglycerides.  It can be
challenging for a newly diagnosed diabetic to keep those low.
Watching your triglycerides is one way to keep a track on your
progress in dealing with insulin resistance, the defining bogey for T2
diabetics.  

Remember I mentioned winners.  These are fantastically different from
te whiners. <grin>   As a very rough and ready rule, winners are folks
who have achieved an A1c less than 6.5% or 6.0% depending on which
references you read.  Sometimes we get a bit festive and celebrate
when folks get their first A1c below 6% ie when they joining the 5%
Club.  People do Snoopy dances and we had a tradition of printing
"certificates"

Depending on the results of those tests and on a heap of things we
know nothing about in your medical history he/she may well prescribe
other medication not directly related to diabetic blood glucose
control but to other conditions related to increased risk of coronary
vascular disease.  Some insulin resistance reducing drugs such as
metformin are thought to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
even in those who haven't yet developed frank diabetes.  

Other things that are almost certain to be discussed are exercise,
diet, dieticians, possible visits to have the eyes checked for
possible damage from high sugar levels etc, foot tests for sensitivity
vs numbness.  These are all good things. So much misery is preventable
or at least able to delayed for so long that there isn't much
difference. It is worth while getting this personal make over done.
Many of us got such a Spring overhaul we came out feeling younger.

My apologies for a long reply.  There is a lot to learn.  As far as
diet and meters go it is hard to beat Jennifer's advice to newbies.
It worked for me and it can work for you.

Best wishes,

Well that's a nutshell version :) You will learn very
quickly, once you get into it all. Once you have the meds
and the meter you can start working out a diet plan. Just
remember that the meds aren't magic pills, you need to do
your part re exercise and dietary changes. As you think of
things, write them down to ask the doctor.

Hi, Ed! That's where I started from too : )

DON'T PANIC is good starting advice. Next read Jennifer's advice - you had
it from the horse's mouth and several people posted links.

And don't get new glasses for a while - high blood glucose (bg) readings can
really mess up the optical properties of your eyes. Get your bgs under
control first! You should get a check for diabetic retinopathy asap, though.

Nicky.

Hi Ed, and welcome! Good luck in your efforts to control your T2.
Remember, also, it is a continuing battle... Sometimes you may be
tempted to get slack and enjoy a treat.... The more you do that, the
more you run a risk of setbacks.

I don't really know what your symptoms are, but those of us who have
experienced crippling leg and foot pain, not to mention spots of
blindness, know what setbacks mean. I would urge you to learn
everything you can about this disease and to start testing your blood
glucose (BG) six times a day, at least until you get a handle on
things.

Much of the advice you will find on here is really good info freely
given by others who are fighting the same battles. In time, you will
learn who the wiser and more knowledgeable contributors are.

Again, I wish you all success in your struggle with diabetes.

Will

Welcome to the club with a lifetime membership and no way you can
exit.  Eat to the meter and let it be your guide.  There is no single
way to handle this blanking disease, each of us is different.  Record
everything like your above A1c.  See sig to do that and much more.
_____________________________________________
http://wave.prohosting.com/ugleeeee/
Health Diabetic Software - Free

Hi Ed,

You've come to the right place.  I am a newbie too, and these people
have been wonderful in helping me to understand the important issues
about the condition, and how to find the best path for taking care of
myself.

I've only been at this about a month, but I have my meter and I'm
testing.  Already, I've eliminated from my diet the foods I "know"
spike my blood sugar, and others that I suspect might.  I've been
reintroducing the suspect foods one at a time and testing them.  And
sometimes I've been surprised that some foods I was worried about are
okay for me.  It just takes time and a deliberate attitude.

Probably one emotion that you're feeling and really don't like is that
of being vulnerable, that your body has betrayed you.  At least that's
how I felt, and at this point, I'm more fortunate than some because I
can manage my sugar issues with diet and exercise.  So, I kept thinking
that I was some kind of wienie because there are many here who have to
cope much more strenuously than I do and yet they handle it with
confidence and aplomb.  The thing I had to realize, is that having this
condition didn't change who I am on the inside.  You're still the same
person you always were.

Anyway, study and learn.  Don't rely entirely on your doctor.  While
he/she may be an absolute genius, your doctor doesn't walk in your
shoes everyday, so you are your own best advocate.  Being proactive is
going to keep you healthy the longest.  And many here subscribe to the
idea that if we treat ourselves well, we may be able to prevent further
progression of the disease, and that's definitely something to strive
for.

Michelle
(managing with diet and exercise)

Sorry you qualified to join us -- but welcome.

In addition to any meds or dietary suggestions, your doctor should be
recommending that you exercise (unless you totally can't). Even a daily,
modest walk -- you don't have to get carried away with it as I did -- I
started walking, then went to running. I've just completed my first
half-marathon, however slowly, which gives you an idea of what I mean by
"carried away" (but it is fun.)
bj
dietandexercise, plus Prandin for meals 'cause I don't do low carb.