I saw a post a few weeks ago that asked members about serious disease or conditions, I was surprised by the number who responded who are diabetic.

This was of particular interest to me as I too have only recently been diagnosed as diabetic. (One month ago) I would like very much to hear from any diabetics to know what they think is the most difficult aspect of the condition. For example, is it the monitoring? The injections? The diet?
Just the everyday things that you may find troubling or difficult, and what do you do to overcome them.

For me, it’s the psychological aspect; I have come to feel like a walking medicine cabinet. All the drugs are a very real reminder that I am getting old and becoming useless. The high blood pressure meds, the anti-inflammatory meds, the cholesterol meds, the insulin, the testing, etc, etc. All are stark reminders of my physical deficiencies and dependence on them to live. My whole life I have prided myself on my independence and ability to take care of me and mine. Now it feels like suddenly all that has changed.  

Also the cost is of real concern to me, especially since I have not had a paycheck in three years, and have only recently applied for Social Security disability. I have been relying on my savings and the wife to make ends meet. If it were not for my wife I don’t think I could handle the day to day crap and bullshit that goes along with dealing with incompetent doctors, or their office staff. (The stories I could tell)
She and my daughter are the only reasons I consider sticking around, without them I would feel no need to be here.

So if anyone can maybe give me a little insight to how they deal with it all, it would be of great help to me, and most appreciated. Thank You.  

Lastly and most importantly, I did not write this to solicit sympathy or pity, so if you have nothing of value to share then please refrain from shitting on this thread. (Trolls need not apply!!)

I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes last year in December.  Since that time, I have made many life changes which have put the diabetes in remission.

You have to take charge of your health.  No one can do it for you.  Either you want to hold the diabetes at bay, or you let it deteriorate your body.  It is your choice.

There is no cure, but with proper diet, exercise and self-control you can live a quality life.

Quoted: I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes last year in December.  Since that time, I have made many life changes which have put the diabetes in remission. You have to take charge of your health.  No one can do it for you.  Either you want to hold the diabetes at bay, or you let it deteriorate your body.  It is your choice. There is no cure, but with proper diet, exercise and self-control you can live a quality life.

Thanks for the reply Roadhawk, yeah I'm trying real hard to kick its ass, but sometimes feel like its winning. I don't like being tied to a regimen or schedule, but it thats what it  takes...

Splenda is your friend.

CW

The real pain is remembering to take medicine(shots)  before going out to dinner or in the am on weekends when my schedule is diffrent.  I was a bitch at first not to eat all the crap I used to eat without a second thought, but you get use to it, just like drinking diet soda.


Asa for meds.  Most of the major Pharm companies offer programs for people with financial problems.  Give them a call.  Look for studies in your area where they give you free medicine.


Just live your life and be ashappy with the situation as you can.   Remember 80 years ago,  I would be dead if not for the meds.  Sometimes I get bummed out over it than I think to my previous statement.


Remember, you are at a greater risk for depression.  Also, you are at risk for othe endocrine type problems, such as, hypothyroidism.  Keep a watch out for any changes.

If you want to talk just IM me.

your lucky your type II.
my bro is Type I.  he tests himself and gives himself 3 shots a day.

Quoted: your lucky your type II. my bro is Type I.  he tests himself and gives himself 3 shots a day.

Yeah I know, I test and inject 4 times a day, I think this is really what adds to the depression.

By 82ndAbn:

I couldn't have said it better. My lifestyle has changed quite a bit. But now it's become normal (diet, etc.). I went from injections to oral meds to not taking a damn thing. Study and learn all you can.

This is the ultimate goal I am working toward...

I too am type II diabetic.  I weighed 200 lbs when I was diagonosed.  I weight 155 lbs.  If you go on strict Akins type diet, you can control your blood sugar relatively well without medication such as Glocophage.  Makesure when you are on Akins type high protein diet, you take plenty of vitamins, minerals, and most important FIBER supplement.  There are many natural ones such as psyllium husk, groud up flax seed, and wheat germ.

Two of the most important factor for type II diabetes are
1. Cut out all refined food (yes, eating out is bad for you)
2. Exersize (however, exersizing does not give you right to eat more sugar)

Additionally
1. Do not drink alcohol
2. Cook your own food.
3. Do not eat fast
4. Check your blood sugar at least twice a day
5. Check your A1C quarterly
6. Eat food in raw form if possible
7. Count all sugar (doesn't matter if is refined or natural like fruit).  
8. Loose weight.

You can also
1. Change your life style.  Don't be a couch potato
2. Try gardening
3. Try farming
4. Get rid of your TV
5. Walk to grocery store if possible
6. Walk alot.
7. Positive attitude (meditation, praying, etc)


My recommendation if you do not want Akins type diet, check out "The Schwarzbein Principle"

IM me if you would like.  

Quoted: Quoted: I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes last year in December.  Since that time, I have made many life changes which have put the diabetes in remission. You have to take charge of your health.  No one can do it for you.  Either you want to hold the diabetes at bay, or you let it deteriorate your body.  It is your choice. There is no cure, but with proper diet, exercise and self-control you can live a quality life. I couldn't have said it better.  My lifestyle has changed quite a bit.  But now it's become normal (diet, etc.). I went from injections to oral meds to not taking a damn thing. Study and learn all you can.

What kind of blood sugar levels were you at having to take insulin shots?

When I first found out I was type II, mine was at around 300.  But I had only one side effect, urination, which I did not coorelate to type II.

I take glucophage and that is all.  It doesn't even seem to do anything.  I am a terrible diabetic, only minor diet change, still a fat (190 lbs) couch potato.

Oh, now my blood sugar levels are around 180


TXL

Tagging this one… I was just diagnosed with Type II Diabetes by my Doctor today… bummer…

Andy

I'm not diabetic , my mom is .

I can honestly say that for her the hardest part is the degeneration of your general health when you have had it for a long time.


Keep your toes meticulously clean . You will thank me later when you still have all of them .

My father was diagnosed about 2 years ago, after a couple heart attacks, some skin cancer, and a few other problems.  I'll tell you... WOW!!! did it make a difference in his attitude once he got his sugars under control.   I wish he were diagnosed back when I was a teenager, cus he's such the nicer person now.  Many doctors are idiots about diabetes.  I know it sounds hard, but at least try to increase your exercise 10%.  Take a walk once everyday or park further away from the store you're going to, there's a crew of (older) people that walk a local mall in the morning before the stores are open... that way rain or shine they have no excuse.  Also, cut way back on anything high in sugar.  No more cokes, now it's time for Iced tea with sween-n-low, splenda, or some other non-sugar additave.  My father got relaxed on his pills (didn't take them for a 2 week long vacation) and when he came back his usual low 100s was in the 400s.  He's lucky he's alive, but now his doctor put him on a new pill that causes him to have rather relaxed muscles... including the ones that keep you from going to the bathroom.  As someone above said an "adkins" style diet will help you control your blood, but you have to do it right... if you cut carbs out completely and eat nothing but meat you will destroy your liver.  Maybe it's time to take a nutrition class.  Let your wife know the gloves are off, if you get cranky and don't want to test she needs to be able to beat you into submission.

Oh.. a side note, you can get splenda either in packets or big X pounds box (3 I think) at Costco for WAYYY cheaper then anywhere else.  It's the closest thing I've tasted to real sugar.

My levels at time of diagnosis, were at 413, now it averages around 100, sometimes dips below 70 which is not good, and spikes to over 140 which is not good either. But generally around 100-115.

My most telling symptom was the frequent urination which I confused as being a problem with my blood pressure meds since it has a dieuretic component to it, upon reflection I should have noticed the lack of energy and constant fatigue related to my systems inability to metabilize the glucose in my blood and turn it into energy, which also gave signs of lactic acidossis in my muscles. (I felt like I had just had an extreme work out, with out the benefit).

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes last year in December.  Since that time, I have made many life changes which have put the diabetes in remission. You have to take charge of your health.  No one can do it for you.  Either you want to hold the diabetes at bay, or you let it deteriorate your body.  It is your choice. There is no cure, but with proper diet, exercise and self-control you can live a quality life. I couldn't have said it better.  My lifestyle has changed quite a bit.  But now it's become normal (diet, etc.). I went from injections to oral meds to not taking a damn thing. Study and learn all you can. What kind of blood sugar levels were you at having to take insulin shots? When I first found out I was type II, mine was at around 300.  But I had only one side effect, urination, which I did not coorelate to type II. I take glucophage and that is all.  It doesn't even seem to do anything.  I am a terrible diabetic, only minor diet change, still a fat (190 lbs) couch potato. Oh, now my blood sugar levels are around 180 TXL

You should also look into a more of a diet change and some excersize as you need to get you sugar lever to about 100-120.

CW

My wife has been a real angel in respect to kicking my ass to do the testing and taking the shots and shit. She is also very conscientious about meals and cutting out the sugar, she has started to use recipies that use the Splenda and has always done a good job in cooking 'Healthy' ie. low fat, fresh veggies and such. I know I wouldn't last long with out her.........She's my

Although I am not a diabetic, I have been a paramedic for the last nine years and have some tidbits of info.  Take them as you would any advice.

1.  Take exceptional care of yourself--the alternative is horrible.  Kidney, liver, eyesight problems.  The loss of mobility from injuries/amputations if you're a really bad diabetic.  

2.  Drink lots of water, it helps to keep your system clean.  Then again, most of us drink only half of what we should.

3.  Watch your diet vigilantly, but remember it's okay to treat once in a while to maintain your sanity.  Be smart about your treats and you can have them more often.

4.  Try looking for a club of diabetics who share common interests.  It sounds like there's almost one on this forum.

5.  Test often, and calibrate your glucometer often.  Also, make sure to maintain a normal temperature for your machine--very cold machines don't always give accurate readings.

6.  Figure out if your sugar tends to get high or low, and always have some rescue sugar with you.  The alternative is possible brain damage from hypoglycemia or having guys like me stick an IV in you and give you dextrose.

Be careful, exercise, and always keep a positive attitude.  Diabetes can be controlled or it can control you.

Good luck.

My sugars were at 798 when I drove myself upto the E.R.  Ketoacidosis had a firm grip and my organs were shutting down.

I do 4 shots a day.  1 Lantus, 3 Novolog.

Got the control factor down pretty good.  My first ac1 came back a 5.7, then last ones was a 4.6.


But alas I'm not losing any weight,  depression is a real issue for type 1's.    

I've been meaning to post about this, so this discussion in the perfect time.

My room mate is a diabetic...I don't know what kind, nor how many times a day he has to inject.  I DO know that he eats more HoHos, Twinkies, cookies, cakes, and ice cream than any non diabetic I've ever seen.  His diet while he's here consists of Raviolios, frozen waffles, and frozen pizza.  I can't remember the last time I saw that boy eat meat that wasn't on a Big Mac, and I don't think he even knows what fruits and veggies look like.   He'll have the occasional bit of Chinese or Thai if I order out, and he goes out to eat from time to time with his friends.  I doubt if he could tell you his blood sugar level, even on the promise of $1,000,000.  

I joke with my buddies about coming home and finding him dead.  Jokes aside, I KNOW what he does is not good for him.  What should I say/do, if anything.  He's a pretty good guy, and I sure need the rent lol, but really, I AM concerned for his health.  

I know this may sound crazy, but it is really working well for me.  My sister in law gave me an article about cinnamon.  I take 1/4 tsp on toast or what ever way you want along with my meds twice a day..  I have cut my meds in half and have better control over my levels than ever before.  It only costs about 50 cents to try it out, so what have you got to loose?  Of course you have to do all the eating control, exercise etc to go along with it.  I realize that there are many types of type II but this really helps with the type I have.

I'm a Type II diabetic..Last year my A1C's were in the 11's and the doc was seriously considering insulin for me. I was taking 3 drugs for my diabetes alone and high doses of them...

2000mg Glucophage (Metformin)
10mg Glyburide
45mg Actos

Scared the poo right outta me...So, what did I do?

In August of last year I went on a low carb diet. Not Atkins, but a modified low carb diet. Salads, meat, low carb breads and tortillas, low carb candy and ice cream and I cut out all high starches like pasta, rice and potatoes..

Today I have been taken off of one of the meds completely. My doctor cut the other's in half and my A1C's are in the low 5's... I have also lost 35#

Wow, it is really great to hear from so many of you, it really gives me lots of encouragement to keep up the diet and meds. I will be taking some of you up on your offers for IMs but want to formuolate my thoughts so as not to waste your time.

One other thing that I have been meaning to ask about is the keeping of insulin, I am a bit confused, some say that it should always be kept cold and others say it is OK to keep at room temp for up to 30 days, the warning on the Lantis vile says to discard 28 days after opening, but has an expiration date into 2005. Why must I discard it if I keep it cold and only sterile hypos are used??

Is this just a way for the drug companies to make money or is there a real reason for doing this?
What do you all do???.......

Been diabetic type I since Nov 8, 1991, I was 7 at the time.  Was on NPH/R using needles for a while, now use humalog with a Minimed 508 pump.

Back in like 97, my HbA1c was around 13, then I went on the pump, I was able to bring it down to 6.5 and last time I had it checked, it was around 7.

My advice:  just build up good habits, and before you know it, everything you do will be routine.  so if you build up really good habits at first, it'll make staying healthier easier down the road.

Quoted: One other thing that I have been meaning to ask about is the keeping of insulin, I am a bit confused, some say that it should always be kept cold and others say it is OK to keep at room temp for up to 30 days, the warning on the Lantis vile says to discard 28 days after opening, but has an expiration date into 2005. Why must I discard it if I keep it cold and only sterile hypos are used?? Is this just a way for the drug companies to make money or is there a real reason for doing this? What do you all do???.......

It should be kept refrigerated to prolong its life.  After 28 days of being opened, it will being to lose potency.  I forgot how much but the upshot is that doses after that period will become less and less effective.  I have to read up on it all again, and this could very well be wrong but I believe the insulin is a live hormone.  Keeping it cold is like any other perishable.

There is good news for Type I's on the horizon, not great but good.  First there is already the pump.  One injection with a small catheter and you are good for several days.  You must still input the desired dosage but it keeps you from having to inject each dose separately.  There are also devices that automatically read your sugar level and store them on a micro disk.  These are not readable by consumer products, they are meant for doctors to analyze.  However think about it - an automatic sugar level detector and a pump - both digital.  Get them to talk to each other, build them into one unit and you get a device that can automatically monitor your sugar level and dose you accordingly.  Reloading the device with insulin and the initial needle poke will be the only major task every few days.

New drugs like Glucophage are great - they weren't around before.  Then there is Lantus, a once a day backround insulin.  Combine these and Type II's have it pretty easy.

It seems more and more people in greater numbers are coming up Type II these days.  For many, a proper diet and exercise is all that may be needed rather than meds, or to reduce oneself to only oral meds.  Exercise is paramount because it breaks down insulin resistance aside from health benefits, and insulin resistance is what Type II is all about.  Your body still makes insulin, it just resists it.

Years ago I saw work being done on an oral insulin which is delivered through a mist which is inhaled.  Never heard about it again.

AZ- you can keep using the insulin (Lantus) after 28 days, but you will have to increase the dosage to maintain the proper level of effectiveness/potency.

I'm not a doctor but I read and ask the doctors the questions for my own curiosity - you should as well (do not take my comments as medical advice).  Why did I do this?  I got borderline type II but after losing weight and modifying my diet pretty much got rid of that.  It was either that or start on the Glucophage/Metformin/Actos/Lantus route.

Tagged for later

On my way out the door so this is short, my wife is type II has been for several years. Get educated. Look into the South Beach diet, far better for you than Adkins. Shed the weight, exercise, it will help with the depression as well as the weight. Reducing your weight is critical to managing diabetes. Lots of old misinformation out there, diabetes is really quite managable and with modern programs, you can get off the meds. It takes firm dedication for the rest of your life. No need for the dibetic foods, you can eat normal food but you just have to know how much, what kinds etc. More later.

Wife developed type I diabetes after getting gestational diabetes with our first child's pregnancy.

Yeah...it was quick and hard for her to accept it. But she has. First was to change our diets. More whole wheats and less refined flours and sugars. We don't eat a whole lot of procesed foods and make more of our own from scratch. The whole Atkins craze is actually a blessing for diabetics. It offers more food with lower carbs than were ever available before.

Her day consists of testing blood sugar levels in the morning, injection from a Novalog injection pen...she can adjust the amount of insulin needed based on carbs in meals. It requires no refrigeration and is not much bigger than a pen light flashlight. The needle tips are disposable.
She tests up to 7 times per day (before and after meals) and has to inject a time released insulin at night. Lantus works for about 24-26 hrs and then drops off like a rock.

There have been times where she wakes me up in the middle of the night just shaking and sweating from a blood sugar crash....I'll grab her a glass of juice and a bananna...that is usually enough to do it. We also have what we call the "crash kit"...it is an injection in a two part solution that we would only need in a dire emergency....like if her numbers dropped below 20. At that point, the injection should stabilize her long enough to get her to an emegency room RFN. Lucky for us, we live less than a mile from the ER.

Diabetes doesn't mean your life is over, it just means you have to change your way of living. Diaet is a MAJOR part of it. There is new research about diabetes every day...new breakthroughs that are changing diabetics lives for the better. Maybe someday, they will find a cure for it...That would make my family very happy.

Quoted: There have been times where she wakes me up in the middle of the night just shaking and sweating from a blood sugar crash....I'll grab her a glass of juice and a bananna...that is usually enough to do it. We also have what we call the "crash kit"...it.

I had the same problem for a while.  My doctor switched my injection times(meant another injection before bed) but I don't have the night lows any more.   When I was trying Lantus for a study I got them all the time.

I was diagnosed in April 1996. It was actually a relief. I had spent 4 years never sleeping more than a few hours without waking up with horrible cramps in my legs. Urination, dehydration, thirst, etc. I spent 10 days in ICU and another 4 days in the hospital.

I started out with 3 shots a day with a regular and long acting custom mixture. Eventually I moved to 1 daily shot of Lantus and 3 shots of Humalog before each meal. The structure to my life because of my injection schedule was probably the only thing that I resented about being a diabetic.

I've now been on a pump for a little over a year. It feels like I have my life back. I can eat, or not, as I see fit. Discipline is required because it's easy to over indulge.

Repetitious Advice:
Exercise - My A1C's were 7.0 -7.6 when I wasn't exercising. With exercising I'm consistently below 7.0 but I've never been lower than 6.0
Support Groups: I was alone when I was diagnosed. I went to weekly support group meetings for about a year. It was a tremendous benefit to talk with people that had the same problem.
Education: Learn everyting you can about diabetes and controlling eat. Join the ADA, they have a great monthly magazine.

Now's the time to work hard on controlling your diabetes. You'll "fall off the wagon" at some point but you'll have the knowledge of how to climb back on.

One of my best friends was about to be hospitalized--- again ---because of blood sugar/diabetes. He doesn't take care of himself and constantly works around the clock.  I ordered some of these vitamins for him. He would never get around to order them for himself because he is too biz- biz- busy.  His blood sugar dropped to about half of the original readings.... down to 179 so far.

tropicaltraditions.com/herbs_for_diabetes.htm

Don't forget to add a teaspoon of cinnamon to your oatmeal in the AM


In my case I have high cholestral.  I started using this fish oil omega 3 stuff with red yeast rice .  It works as well as the Lipitor for me, with only good side effects.  Lipitor has bad side effects.

www.n3inc.com/index2.html

I originally ordered from the res-q 1250 site but now buy similar stuff from the local vitamin shop for a little less money.