New to Type 2 Diabetes (Metformin, blood, plan, diet)
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I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My doc put me on Actos and I've been taking it for about 2 weeks. He told me to test my sugar first thing in the AM and last thing at night. I am also taking supplements of Cinnamon (to lower blood sugar) and Fish Oil.
I changed my diet dramatically --- no sugary drinks, no junk food, more veggies, brown rice, no red meat, etc. Well, my sugar levels haven't changed at all. They are typically between 325-375 in the morning and between 400-435 at night. Way too high.
Is this because the Actos hasn't started fully working yet? Am I being impatient?
Also, what else can I eat/should I eat?? What should I avoid?
I can't eat fruit (much as I love it!) because it made my sugar go haywire when I was eating fruit.
Is there a certain amount of sugar you can have per day? Or do you have to avoid all sugar?
Any other info, advice, input is greatly appreciated.
Is there a diabetes class available in your area? If so, I'd highly recommend it. Becoming diabetic is definitely a learning experience and you're obviously learning quite a bit now, but making a couple mistakes too. While brown rice is better than white, it's still Very bad for a diabetic. Carbs are your enemy and of course rice is very high in carbs. You need to learn to live with very little rice, potatoes, bread, and pasta. There are fruits you can eat like strawberries and some melons, but the key is moderation. Actually, moderation is the key to everything and education is a close second. Good luck and hopefully you can find a class. The local Air Force hospital here offered four of them and I went to all four and it makes a huge difference.
BTW, there are alternatives out there for some things. Dreamfields pasta is a great one. It looks like regular pasta and tastes like regular pasta, but the net carbs are only 5 grams per serving thanks to a special coating.
omigawd, first I want to say that I'm sorry you were diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, but there are are millions and millions of us that are living active, healthy lives and can expect to live a normal lifespan ... so don't despair!
About a year and a half ago my doctor put me on Actos, but a few months later my Endocrinologist took me off it right away!
What other meds are you taking? Have you started taking Metformin yet, and most people on Metformin take an additional "booster" med like Glucotrol or Glipizide??? Are you overweight??? Is there a family history of diabetes???
2. Getting off the junk food and the fast food is fine - nothing wrong with red meat BTW - but you must understand carbohydrates are the ENEMY of diabetics! You must severely limit your intake of white flour, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, pizza, lasagna, bagels, pancakes, oatmeal, etc. ...
it's not just cakes, cookies, and ice cream. Actually the Atkins Diet is a better choice for us diabetics.
3. See an Endocrinologist (diabetes expert) ... they know a lot more than regular doctors.
4. If you are overweight, you MUST lose it. Diet and exercise, diet and exercise, diet and exercise!!!!!!! These things lower your blood sugars ... and yours are outrageously high!
5. Resolve to get your blood sugars under control now, because you don't want to have complications of diabetes a few years from now, do you? I mean neuropathy, blindness, blood circulation problems leading to a foot or leg ambutation, death by heart attack or stroke ...
PS, my diabetes is in remission and I'm off diabetes medications ... and I feel fine!
I was on Metformin (1000 mgs at morning and night), Januvia, and Avandia. My heart was never an issue, so Avandia didn't worry me and that stuff works awesome. Januvia is also great, but I would not be able to afford it if I didn't have insurance. It's somewhere around $6 per pill on the open market and that's way too rich for my blood.
Hopefully you get things under control soon because you're pancreas is being ravaged right now and it does not heal. That was the part of the class that impacted me most. I figured it was like smoking or getting fat. You're hurting yourself, but as soon as you quit, everything heals back up. Your pancreas is never going to get better. What you've done to it can not be healed and nothing you can do will change that. Pretty scary stuff, but you need to know that. Take it as an incentive to make radical changes quick and get this under control.
Thanks for all the great responses and information!!!!!
I'm going to look into the classes and will also do some more research. I made an appointment with my doc and I'm also going to see and endocrinologist.
Good luck and glad to see you taking it seriously. It's a very deadly disease, but fortunately it can be controlled as long as you work at it. Education will help a lot too.
I was told about a class the state puts on. I went to the "Department of Family Services". They have a dietary class each quarter. I told them I was diabetic so the instructor gave me lots of tips during the class. It was 6 weeks long (one night a week) and is designed for new mothers and such. The class was free and they even gave me a cookbook where all the recipes have the square of information, listing sugars, carbs, sodium, etc. Outstanding cookbook, over 300 pages. In the class we covered nutrition and meal planning. The last couple classes we actually cooked. Had a blast.
Did they go into the science of the disease? That was the part that worked the most on me. I'm sure there are videos on it on YouTube, but an actual Endo telling you exactly what you're doing to your body works wonders.. It's an awful disease and you have a very real chance of dying from it, so it helps to get informed.
Did they go into the science of the disease? That was the part that worked the most on me. I'm sure there are videos on it on YouTube, but an actual Endo telling you exactly what you're doing to your body works wonders.. It's an awful disease and you have a very real chance of dying from it, so it helps to get informed.
honestly the things people post in this forum make me go
I think someone suffering from any disease doesn't need to be told such.
We're all dying just by virtue of being alive .
The OP has a good a chance of living longer than anyone else with or without diabetes.
I don't think this is a forum to sugar coat it either.
If this forum can raise awareness and give some folks a reality check, then it's done more good then harm.
Diabetes is a disease that cripples and kills if it goes unchecked. Blindness can occur. I was diagnosed in 2006. I'm 57 years old and already confined to a walker. The disease is very real.
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