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Posted 10/30/2006 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes back in May of 2006.  Since then I've been pretty much controlling my diabetes with life style change from exercising to the foods I eat.  I have lost some weight, not as much as I would have wanted to since May, but I'm okay with what I've lost.  All the tests that my doctor did back in May came back horrible, high cholestrol, liver function, glucose level everything.  Well I went this weekend to the lab and had more blood work done to see where my levels are at now.  When first diagnosed my fasting was 304 (thus the diabetes diagnoses) this time it was 146 which is better but still high, I'm experiencing high morning readings, controlled all day but just high mornings.  My choestrol has come down but still high and my liver function is back to normal.  Still waiting on kidney function test and A1C to come back.  I am not sure what I should think of my results.  Am I doing better?  What do you all think?
Posted 10/30/2006 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
T2,
I'm going to be the bearer of bad news here and suggest strongly that you ask your doc to maybe start you on anti-diabetes meds. Whether you are on meds, doing exercise, use voodoo, or are on the best food plan in the world, I don't care what it is you use to get your sugars down but you need to get them down now.

Any time that your blood sugar is over 150 more than two hours after a meal you are doing irreversable damage to your blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, the vessels in your heart and brain and the nerves in you hands and feet. This is not a scare tactic, this is a fact. Diabetes is a progressive disease and the sooner you get the good numbers the better you can agressively attack and control this thing.

I know where you are coming from... not wanting to take medicine... but the ongoing damage is cumulative. You are doing much better than you were but your fasting should be under 100. You need to do whatever it takes to get those numbers down.

You also may want to ask the doc about some statins to help with the blood lipid profile (I'm on lipitor.) I also take one capsule of flax seed oil in the morning and one capsule of fish oil at night (so if I get fish burps they happen in my sleep) and I use olives, nuts and lots of olive oil in my cooking and eating. I pour olive oil on my sandwiches instead of mayo. I put peanut butter in my oatmeal to fight cholesterol every day. Are you using any of these tactics to help your lipid profile?

When you say your readings are controlled all day, what numbers are you talking?

You asked if you are doing better and to do this by yourself is phenomenal! But this dumb disease won't let you get by with better... That's why I'm sounding like a real grump and telling you to ask about meds.
Posted 10/30/2006 5:59 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry I didn't mention that I am on meds since being diagnosed with T2.  I am on Metformin 1,000mg daily.  My glucose readings 2 hours after eating are usually around 120 - 130 which my doc said was good for me and between 93 - 115 before meals, but not in the mornings. The only problem I am having is high glucose readings in the morning.  I am not "scared" to take any meds, I will definitely do as my doc says.  I guess what you read was clear, and I did not mention that I am on meds and have been since I was first diagnosed back in May.  So, I am taking my test results as a plus for me given the fact that when I was first diagnosed back in May my results where "bad."  My cholestrol was high and has come down but not where my doc wants it so she is going to put me on Lipitor. 
Posted 10/30/2006 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
My doc also told me to take 1,500mg (3 pills) with dinner of Metformin to see if that will help with my high mornings!
Posted 10/30/2006 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Type II and Jeannie 143. I'm new to this forum
and to the diabetes world.(diagnosed Oct.'05) The
one thing I can tell you for sure is that every day
is a challenge. It's the 'NOT giving up or giving in'.
(to the disease or the temptations of foods that will
drive your blood sugar up.) The goal is to have your
bs levels stay as even as possible, i.e. no high highs
and no low lows. The only way to narrow these
parameters is to test,test,test and to jot down what
shoots your #'s up and cut that down or out of your
food plan. Keeping good notes and an acurate log
book also helps avoid any low lows. A preventative
high fiber,low-carb,high protein snack keeps my levels
between meals from dropping to the floor. It's a lot of
trial and error and frustration...every day. But it's a
worthwhile struggle if you want to be happy and on
this earth for a while, and only you can control it.
Also, stress is a big factor in the high bs
readings. I do an a.m. yoga video every morning to
put me in a calm frame of mind for the day. I'm
just starting a treadmill routine,too. I hope forums
like this help me and others to be strong in our battle
with this disease. Also think about a question I've
heard since I started dealing with diabetes... Am I a
diabetic or am I a person with diabetes? Being a
diabetic kind of defines you as 'that disease'.
There are very different and interesting
ways to think about it. I'm going with 'I'm a person
with diabetes.' I'm also a person with glasses, a
person with a great sense of humor, a person who
loves life, loves cats and dogs, loves her family,
loves yoga, loves good healthy food and loves a
good challenge. Fight on everyone...don't let it win!!
Posted 10/30/2006 10:11 PM (GMT 0)

I was given a chart with the following information.

Fasting or Level Before a Meal

Excellent Control 60-100

Good Control 100-140

Fair Control 140-180

Poor Control over 180

Level after a Meal

Excellent Control 110-140

Good Control 140-180

Fair Control 180-220

Poor Control over 220

Is this an accurate chart?  I also have a chart that has the following information.

Recommended Blood Glucose for People with Diabetes

Time of Test - Before Meals Goal 80-120 Acceptable 80-140

Before Bedtime Snack Goal 100-140 Acceptable 100-160.  Is this chart an accurate chart?

Posted 10/31/2006 12:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi T-II...I'm not a doctor or an expert on these
matters, but that chart seems a bit complicated
and we don't need more complications while
dealing with this on a daily basis. My doc wants
me to keep my levels between 80 and 120. It's
normal for your #'s to go up after a meal, but
he says 180 should be tops...preferably 150. As
for the lower end,60 seems pretty low to me. I
start feeling the effects of hypoglycemia at 70.
I feel hot, shaky, light-headed. That's when I'm
looking for my glucose tablets or real sugar, to
get my blood sugar level up in a hurry.(before I
pass out!) The trick is to not let it get that low
and risk passing out or worse. It can drop in a
hurry...believe me. I once went from 200 to 40
in an hour and a half. I wasn't exercising or even
exerting much energy. (just wandering leisurely
through Target) It was a very hot day and my
car has no AC.(apparently,your body is burning
sugar while trying to cool your body down in the
excess heat) Another good reason to keep your
test kit with you, as well as your glucose tabs,
and to test often, so you know the effects your food
has on your numbers. It's a challenge, but don't
give up. It's also a learning process and you'll get
it narrowed down bit by bit. Good luck and keep
at it! Walker
Posted 10/31/2006 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
T2,
I'm sorry I didn't remember you were on meds from your first post. What you are experiencing with your high morning readings may be the Dawn Phenomenon or the Simogyi Effect . I explained this in my last post to you. Did you get a chance to read it?

Anyway, you should be proud of the progress you have made. You're on the right track. The lipitor should help, too.

Walker,
Welcome to HealingWell. You have an interesting frame of mind when you write of being a person with diabetes instead of a diabetic. I like that. I'll have to reframe the way I speak to reflect that.
Posted 10/31/2006 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Jeannie143 - I've read information regarding the dawn phenomonen and the simogyi (spelling) effect, but it just isn't clear to me which one I am going through.  Last night I went to bed at 122, at 3:00am I was at 148, this morning at 6:41am I was at 134.  I am not sure what to do so of course when I go to the doctors this weekend I'll have more questions.  I began taking 1,500mg of Metformin last night, was on 1,000mg so next week I should hopefully have different results.  Well at this point, all I can do is continue the meds, exercising and eating right.  I just want to thank you for providing information.  This is a great site to read about diabetes and to read what other people experience.  Again, thanks.
Posted 11/1/2006 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
When I was experiencing the high morning numbers my doctor started me on Lantus insulin, 6 units at bedtime and I was to adjust it up until I got good numbers. Now I'm using about 12 to 15 units and getting mornings of 80 to 110 so I'm a happy girl. You may need insulin to get this right. If you do it's easy... In fact it's easier than putting on mascara!

Glad you like the site and glad to make a new friend... but not for the reason. If you read back in the posts you will find a treasure trove of good ideas from other diabetics.
Posted 11/1/2006 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
I hope that I don't need to take any insulin shots, but if that's what needs to be done in order for me to continue to live on then so be it.  However, the doc ordered me to increase my metformin to 3 pills a dinner time which is 1,500mg.  I started that on Monday evening, my Tuesday morning reading was 130, and this morning it was 120, my doc said she wanted 120 or less.  Hopefully after the next few days of the increased metformin my morning readings will be in the range the doc wants it to be in.   But you never know with diabetes.  But Jeannie you seem to be coping very well with having diabetes.  How long did it take for you to this? 

Posted 11/1/2006 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed about 11 years ago... Tried to do the diet and exercise thing... went thru about five years of total denial... started on meds.... ran high-ish numbers but usually under 200... had some 270's in the mornings... had some eye changes and had to get glasses because of high sugars... new doctor entered the practice and she was all over me like ants on a cupcake! Changed meds, made me come for more appointments..."yelled at me" gently... ramped up my exercise... made me take new nutrition classes because the ones I had taken 10 yrs previously were out dated...finally just said, "You need to start insulin." Now THATgot my attention.

Got some books, joined HealingWell, started becoming really educated about glycemic index, insulin response, medications, herbals, emotional responses, stress and all the rest...

I want to live to see my grandchildren get married. I like having feet and being able to see. I need my hands to be able to feel because I design and create wedding cakes for a living. I choose to fight this thing tooth and nail and I choose to stay as healthy as I can.

Diabetes is one disease that will kill you if you ignore it. And it won't usually kill you "BANG!" and you're dead... No.. it first takes your feet and then your sight... then you can't feel your hands... and then you're on dialysis... then you have a heart problem...No thank you! I'd rather fight than hide from it. So that's why I come here. The more I talk to new people the more commited I stay to the fight. And being here with all the questions that come up makes me stay focused on the new scientific advances. With the large number of doctors we all see we can pool their knowledge and we all benefit. Being on the cutting edge of new stuff keeps me going. Hope this helps you T2.. we are all in this together and if we pull each other up when we stumble we can carry on just fine.
Posted 11/1/2006 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
Wow Jeannie!  I am glad to see that you are handling it very well now.  I am not in denial about it, however when I was first diagnosed (May 06) my fasting was 304 at that point I automatically said how far gone are my kidneys and liver function?!  Then when the doctor was telling me that my liver function was bad I began to think I am dying here.  But now that I have started meds, exercising, dieting, etc., my numbers are better and I feel that I can live on, I think that once I get my morning highs controlled I'll feel much better about all of this.  I just seem to think gee I've been controlling all day and my bedtime readings are good, but when I'm sleep my body is doing whatever it wants and then I wake up high and that depresses me!  BUT being able to talk to people that have gone or is going through the same thing is wonderful.  I have an understanding husband and he listens but there's not much he can say or do because he isn't experiencing it.  SO again, thanks for all your comments. 
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