just found out today

Star,
Been where you are and was totally bummed about it about 15 years ago. Since then I've done every stupid thing I could do to make my disease worse, but fortunately, I learned from my mistakes. Read back in the posts and you will learn a ton of good stuff. The members here are very supportive, well informed and give excellent advice on ways to plan your food, when to test your blood, how to stay on track and how to avoid the problems that may come with type2 diabetes.

The first thing I will tell you to do is take a deep breath, let it out slowly and realize we will be here for you every step of the way and pretty soon you will be helping the other newbies with their "equipment" and numbers. Read the booklet that came with your meter and do a test. If you have a busy household you may want to wait until everyone is in bed or to do it in the bathroom. Don't need an audience when you are learning a new skill, right? When you poke your finger, do it on the side, not the tip or pad. The sides of the finger have thinner skin and they close up and heal very quickly.

Until you learn your way around the new stuff, just test and let the meter keep track for you. Put your meds in a prominent place so you will remember to take them. Some people keep them on the table by the salt and pepper so they remember to take them at breakfast and dinner. I keep mine by my tooth brush and take them when I brush my teeth... Others will be by to offer ideas soon. Take care and don't worry. You can do this and we will help.

Welcome Star.
I am so sorry to hear you joined our club, but you know you are welcome and we will be here for you.
The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked!
Hang in there

If you really want to eat cereal, look for whole grain or whole berry cereal that has a lot of fiber.  This will take your body longer to metabolize which might help keep the blood sugar from spiking or rising too high.  You will need to check your blood sugar about 2 hours after you start eating your breakfast to see how it reacts to the cereal.  Check package labels for carbohydrate content.  In the beginning, the numbers might not make sense but to give you an example as a guide, Dr. Richard Bernstein (diabetic, doctor and author) advises breakfast to contain only 6 grams of carb, lunch 12 and dinner 12.  This would be a strictly low carb diet but one that keeps blood sugar within normal limits in type 2 diabetics.  Blood sugar can be kept lower if the carbs you eat are paired with other food that has protein (like the steak) and fat (oils and butter, cheese).  Again, you have to test afterwards to see how your blood sugar is.  Your meds will also help control the blood sugar but if you overload on carbs, your dosage might not be enough to cover it.  If you follow a strict low carb diet (as opposed to how you ate before), your meds might even bring your blood sugar too low, so you need to be aware of this which is why testing is important.  In the beginning, as you're getting used to testing and the meds, you'll probably be testing a lot, which is normal.  Another thing to know is that your body got used to living with high blood sugar and when it starts to come down, you might feel a little different, like woozy or fuzzy in the head.  Your body will adjust to the lower blood sugar little by little - it needs to because constant high blood sugar can damage your internal organs.  For me, I don't eat potatoes but I will make mashed cauliflower which is a good substitute for mashed potatoes.  I put butter on it and it's great.  Then, I have a piece of meat (or chicken or fish) and some other veggies like: broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, small amount of beans (they have more carbs) or yellow squash.  Salad is good and don't forget the other salad food: radishes, celery, spinach, other greens, olives.  I do wish you luck!  Make sure you read all the instructions for the meter so you don't waste the test strips like I did the first time.  (I wasted 5, yes, 5!, because I didn't draw a large enough blood drop.)  Check back and let us know how it goes.

What is the brand of your meter?  Well, unfortunately, it's not just sugar.  I also thought that and in a way, we're misled by product advertising.  We see "sugar-free" everywhere and think that it's ok to eat the sugar-free cookies for snacks and then discover our blood sugar is high.  So, as you know now it's also flour or just carbohydrates in general.  Don't be frustrated.  It'll take some time but you'll be a lot healthier now if you change what you're eating. 

Hi Everyone

My meter is a One 'Touch Ultra. Were I go in trouble with the directions was when it talked about codeing the meter and using the meter's memory. Hubby and I are going out tonight to find some books on diet and a book on just plain diabets, Thank you again for all your responses hope some day I can be on the other end of the spectrum and be able to answer other's questions. We are going to a concert next week and we are staying over at a hotel. Any tips on eating out? Once I find a good book on diabetis I won't have so many questions.

Star

Starbright,
You might want to take your meter to the local drugstore and ask the pharmacist for assistance. They may be able to help. Also, the nurse at your doctor's office should be familiar with the meters. Hope this helps.

I called my doctor and I am goin there tomorrow and the nurse is going to show me how to use it. I was getting my nails done today and I got very dizzy and for some reason I couldn't see straight. So I went to Micky D's and had a salad. Can you believe my drugest didn't know how to use the meter? Shouldn't someone who is dispencing these should know how to use them?

Not sure about the dizzyness because I seem to feel that way after I take my pills too.

Pin Cushiion come see me!!! I live in Pennsylvania which is just a hop, sip and a jumps away. (ha ha) It's beautiful here this time of the year I live in the mountains and all the trees are beautiful.

I think the meds (Metformin XR) are making me sick. Every time I take one my stomach hurts. I bought three books on diabets one of them is a cook book so I am learning a lot more then I knew. Found out grapenuts are bad for you. One book says bananas are o.k. the other says their not. I'm sure I'll find my own way sooner or later.

Everyone have a nice day.

Star

Star,
Metformin works in two ways. It helps block excess carbohydrate absorption and helps your body use your own insulin better. It takes a bit of time for the body to get used to it and if you eat it with meals you will have less tummy problems. Don't give up on this med. It's one of the best tools we Type2 peeps have. It's also one of the least expensive.

My doctor told me when I started, "If you over do, you will go pooh!" This was his way of saying that if you eat more carbs than you should you will get explosive diarrhea... And whoooeeee! Was he ever right! Metformin gives me bad cramping if I eat some cookies or bread. If I avoid the carbs I get great blood sugar numbers and the metformin doesn't bother me at all.

That's great!    Think of the meter as your new best friend.    It's a very good idea now to record your blood sugar readings whenever you take them, what you've eaten and when.  This journal is important because you will be able to see trends in your blood sugar, how food affects it, your activities, etc.  This will help you understand that relationship between your food intake and your blood sugar and you may end up adjusting what food you eat or stay away from.  Also, record what kind of exercise you're doing since this also helps your blood sugar control.  Congratulations! 

o.k. friends. You said there was no such thing as a stupid question but that's just because you didn't know me. Here's the questio? Are Cranberry's o.k. to eat or do you have to limit them. I have looked this up but couldn't find an answer.

Star

Thank you Lanie. After I asked that question I thought "boy was that ever stupid I have a bag in my fridge I can just look at the ingrediance." I cooked them down and added Splenda the're good. Sorry. One more question and I will stop asking them. How long does it usually take for your suger to go down once you start you meds? Mine is still quite high. I really do think I am out of questions.

Star