Wow, that must be really scary.  Sorry about having to wait for
insurance, but there's a lot you can do to get things under control on
your own.

Start here, with the best advice any newly diagnosed diabetic can get:

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/Newly%20Diagnosed.htm

This will put you in control of your health faster than anything else
you can do, and the metformin will help.

You don't say if you had any lab work ordered by the urgent care folks,
but I'm guessing not. If you can afford it, there are a couple of
diagnostic tests it would be useful for you to have, if you can see a
doctor before May. In particular, an HbA1c will give you a starting
point for tracking your progress.  You don't say how high your bg was or
what your symptoms were, but I imagine it was mighty high to get you to
an urgent care?

Sorry, but you're going to have to test on your finger; arm testing just
isn't accurate, and you need to know where you're at right now.  You'll
be amazed at how good you're going to be at it.

I'm also a total sissy about finger sticks, but it doesn't hurt much, if
at all.  Two things help me get enough blood from my finger without any
deep lancing or squeezing (which skews the result); one is taking fish
oil capsules; they thin the blood and make testing much easier that way.
 Running your fingers under warm/hot running water just before testing
also makes it much easier to get what you need easily.

Lots of type 2 diabetics, most type 2 diabetics, don't take insulin.
It'll be up to your doc at the time to evaluate you, your bg control and
your pregnancy when it comes to that.

You're in the right place.  I'm sorry the finger sticks are creeping you
out right now, but you have to get past it; you can control your
diabetes very well with diet and exercise along with metformin, but you
need to use your meter a lot, especially at first, to figure out how
you're doing.

Susan

Sorry you had to join the "club" Nikki.

Susan is right about the arm testing, it's just not as accurate.  And
the link she gave you is terrific for getting control of this
condition.

However, I'm more concerned with your immediate situation.  Have you
had any meter readings that you feel were accurate?  I'm wondering if
your sugars are any lower?  Metformin is medication that works over
time and doesn't immediately lower your BS.  I don't mean to alarm you,
but if you had gone to an ER at a hospital there's an excellent chance
they would have admitted you to bring that sugar down.  I know that the
insurance is a BIG issue, but 582 is very high.  I'm worried that
you're still running in that range.  If so, that's very dangerous and
I'm rather shocked the urgent care didn't recommend hospitalization.
(Maybe they did and you resisted?)  Anyway, please get your guts
together and test your sugar in way that you know you are getting an
accurate reading.  If it's still that high, and there's a very good
chance without further medical intervention it will be, then you must
get help to bring it down.  If you get a "HI" reading on your meter,
that means that your BS is too high for the meter to read
accurately--where that cut off level is varies from meter to meter, but
the directions with yours should state where that is.  Often it lies
somewhere around the 500 mg/dl mark.

Please test, please get further help immediately!
Michelle

Hi Mijita...

Welcome.  Sorry you had to join us!

Getting a diagnosis of diabetes is a confusing thing.  There is a lot to
absorb at first.  But I've never seen anyone who didn't feel much better
about things a few months down the road.

And I'm afraid that testing... on your fingers... is the best weapon you
have in this fight.  But there are ways to use your fingers, that make
it much easier.  First:  dont test on the tips.  That hurts!!  Test on
the sides.  Also, use a device that allows you to adjust the needle,
then figure out which setting gives you blood, but hurts the least.  And
finally, never test on cold fingers!  That's really painful.  Warm them
up under some warm water.  It will also increase blood flow and give you
an easier drop.

Now here's the advice I give all newbies:

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

Hello, Mijita

You have had some advice from some of the very best representatives
this group has to offer.... Susan, Jennifer, and Michelle... Their
collective knowledge and wisdom about diabetes, especially T2, is
totally awesome.

I know, it really sucks, being told you are a T2 diabetic, and all...
But, there is a communtiy of really caring folk here. And, we are here
for you. Please pay attention to your needs and do what you know you
must do to get it under control... There is life beyond diabetes, and
it is good.

Will, T2

Welcome to the group Nikki, but sorry you have to be here. Are you
testing your fingers on the sides? Sometimes newly diagnosed diabetics
lance in the pad which is painful IMO. I look forward to seeing lots of
posts from you.

--
Cheri

sweetmijita79@gmail.com wrote in message
<1143423382.127754.249150@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>...

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 2x500mg

Hi Nikki

Welcome.

You've had some good advice. I'll repeat two bits - first,
if you can't get those numbers down to reasonable (under
300) levels fairly soon - like today - get thee to an ER.

Second, re-read Jennifer's post. As soon as you are no
longer in immediate danger, that's the best possible advice
you can use right now.

Finally, on testing.

Please re-think using your fingers. Hopefully, this will
help:

Painless Pinpricks

Wash your hands in warm water first, and shake them to get
the circulation going. Check your lancet - it should be
adjustable. Mine is Soft-clix, made by Roche and is usually
painless. I get an occasional tiny sting, and it lets me
know if it's getting blunt sometimes, but I've tested over
4500 times in the past 4 years without any trauma. That's
from a guy who was, and is, needle-phobic.

Start with the second lowest setting (1 or 1.5), hold it
firmly against your skin on the side of a finger near the
tip. Don't flinch when you release the button. The button
releases a spring-loaded tiny needle which makes a tiny hole
in your skin and instantly retracts. Incidentally, using the
sides has two advantages - there are less nerve-ends than on
the pads, and it doubles the number of test-points so you
can rotate through the positions.

Massage gently (milking a cow) until a drop of blood forms
sufficient to put on the test strip. If this setting doesn't
provide an adequate quantity, move the lancet setting up one
notch for the next one. If you got a large sample and it
hurt a little, go to the lower setting.

And that's all there is to it. Sometimes it helps to shake
your hands a little more, or warm them up if it's cold. The
manufacturers advise changing the lancet needle every time;
I change mine when I remember or if it gets a bit blunt -
that's about once a month or every 150 tests :-) You do what
you are comfortable with.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 2x500mg

This post not CC'd by email
On 26 Mar 2006 17:36:22 -0800, "sweetmijita79@gmail.com"

G'day G'day Nikki,

Sad, scared, optimistic, unafraid all balled into one.  You sound
amazingly normal for someone newly diagnosed. One way to look at is
that all your emotions are working just fine. A diagnosis of T2
diabetes is one heck of a jolly up to our thinking.  The good news is
that is a bit like having the painters in or getting the house
rewired. It seems like things are a mess but the results are bound to
be an improvement given time.  For many, many people who come to asd,
things do get better, better than they were before diagnosis. As you
learn to deal with the blood sugar issues the rest of your health
improves.

The serious issue you have deal with is the possibility of glucose
toxicity.  Your blood glucose is about three times what mine has EVER
been to the best of my knowledge.  To me it suggests Urgent Care
should have been dealing with the issue as an emergency and using
insulin to combat a situation which looks to me from a zillion miles
away as if it is life threatening.

Unfortunately we live in different countries and different rules apply
when it comes to getting the help that is needed if one doesn't have
health insurance. In New Zealand, emergency care would be dealt with
by the state and they would pick up the tab.

My doctor prescribed a different oral med for me so can't talk about
metformin from first hand experience. Apparently it takes a while to
be fully effective so after dealing with the serious and immediate
blood glucose issues be kind to yourself.  It will take time to get
your blood glucose back to more normal levels.  People here have
plenty of experience in assisting people adjust their diet to achieve
good blood glucose control.  That however is not the first priority.

People have given some excellent advice. I think you will have gotten
the basics by now. Never the less I'll summarise because there are
bound to be other newbies orbiting out there that we don't know about
and your post will have captured their attention.  By asking for help
you are also helping others.

1. Finger testing is more accurate than testing on the arms.  

2. It is important to wash before testing because even a speck of
sugar on the finger can give a false high reading.  

3. Warm water improves comfort.  Alternatively you could shake the
hand to dramatically improve circulation before pricking.

4. Drying means you don't dilute the drop.

5. Starting with the click stick on the lowest setting makes sense.

6. Using the sides of the finger where there are less nerve endings
makes sense.

7.  Letting the hand with the pricked finger hand hang down allows a
bigger drop to form readily.

8.  Some fingers bleed more easily than others.  You will discover
this yourself if you give yourself permission to notice.  

Not all T2 diabetics need insulin.  That said, you might well need
insulin. I'm not qualified to help you in such matters.

Most of us are pretty friendly even if we scrap amongst ourselves.
It is rather like some families.

Best wishes,

Hi mijita,
         Its very bad that you are diabetic. And during pregnancy
special care must be taken to diabetic woman.
I found a link on diabetes which contain all information related to it.
Like symptoms, precaution, care etc. It will be really helpful to you.

http://www.medical-health-care-information.com/encyclopedia/D/Diabetes.asp

Hey, Nikki - good name : )

You've had a ton of good advice, so I'll just say Hi. There's someone here
round the clock, so whenever you've got a question...

Good reading is Gretchen Becker's Type 2 Diabetes; The First Year. Good
information, well presented.

Nicky.

The arm test, for me at least, is MORE painful than testing on the side
of the finger in the skin about 2 mm away from where the "moon" of your
fingernail joins the nail bed.

I'd suggest you buy yourself an Accuchek lancet device. I have used a
lot of different ones, and that one is by far the most painless. Start
by setting it to the lowest setting and work up until you get a drop of
blood.  Once you have it set right, the pain stops being an issue.

I did, years ago before they understood how important it was to control
blood sugars during pregnancy. It was not good for me or my 9 pound
babies. The extra large size makes delivery a problem in a smaller
person and the high blood sugars during gestation can make a child
inheriting a diabetes gene more prone to develop a worse form of diabetes.

Finally, very high blood sugars during pregnancy can kill or harm your
baby.

Like others here, I'm very concerned by how high your blood sugars were
at diagnosis and the lack of aggressive treatment you received. I also
understand your problem with insurance.  I'd suggest you follow the
advice on the http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm 
page and cut your carbohydrates way back until you are able to get your
insurance coverage in May. This should bring your blood sugars back into
a safe level.

If you don't see your blood sugars dropping significantly as you
eliminate most carbohydrates, at least within a week or so, you may
actually have a form of Type 1 diabetes which requires insulin and
which, left untreated can result in very high blood sugars that can kill
you.  If your blood sugars keep going up no matter how you change your
diet, PLEASE get medical help!

--Jenny

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes  Diabetes Info

http://www.alt-support-diabetes.org/newlydiagnosed.htm Get Your Blood
Sugar Under Control

What are your meter readings today?

How much Metformin do you take each day?

Too bad the doctor you saw at the ER didn't care enough about your health
and financial situation to take the time to help you out better.  Check to
see if there is a free clinic in your area that might be able to help you
better.

It is important that you test regularly, at least 2 hours after each meal.
I test more but you need to test at least at those times.  Write down the
numbers in a log book, it will be useful later.  Get the "finger stick" toy
to make the finger pricking easy and nearly painless.

Let the group know your numbers and people will help you further.  And, for
now and in the absence of any information, stay away from carbs.  If you go
without carbs for a couple of days it won't kill ya, consumming too many
will increase your BG's.

I am new to this as well and got off insulin after 3 weeks and now take
metformin to help me control this disease.  Dropping most carbs from my diet
has gotten me in control of this disease.  I did have a few french fries
last night after a hard day of work that pushed my BG's down.  You will soon
be eating many things you like again and avoiding hazzards that you will
identify with your handy meter.  That meter is your best friend and best
source of information about your diabetic condition.

Good luck and please ask questions, I have found this group to be very good
at accelerating my learning and to get me reading and researching the right
things first.
Good luck and take care.
-Sax

Welcome to our family. I see you have already had many replies and I
am sure one or more recommended the Newcomers page at our web site.

I just want to welcome you and encourage you to post and ask whatever
questions come to you, no matter how trivial you may think they are.