SEEKING ADVICE FROM DIABETICS, AND ANYONE HELP?

Sorry Nina. I have a friend who still manages with diet. She's lucky. Not everyone is. I think it feels funny to depend on meds...but it is just what your body can't do. Kinda like how I have to take thyroid every day. Would rather not...but if I don't, my hair falls out, I am exhausted, my cholestrol soars..and I get fat.

Wish I could be of help. There has been a lot of diabetes in the women of my in my family but so far my sister and I have not shown any signs. I have known some people that have been able to go off of meds after following an exercise program and eating low glycemic index foods.

Nina, I think you should talk to your doctor about your feelings. If he isn't any help then I believe you need to get some counseling. It will help to talk about your feelings, your fears. Don't put it off cause you are embarrassed or think others will think badly about you. It's important to dealing with your diabetes that your stress levels stay low. So, please talk to your doctor and move forward. Mental state is as important as the state of the body.

huggs hon, hope you get to feeling better.

Ellie, I know about depending on meds...it sucks!

Thanks so much for your comments, Ellie, Kay and Wanda!

Wanda, my doctor family doctor tells me not to worry about taking the insulin, but I want to do it right! They used to have classes for diabetics...maybe I could find one.

I have a friend that has type 1...and has since she was a toddler....I would say a specialist is good to have for at least regular check ups....being dependent on meds is a way of life for a lot of us..it stinks, but I think we all get through it.

Good luck and just venting at times may help.

You probably know the site, but the American Diabetes Assn had a lot of information when my grandfather was diagnosed.

Thanks for understanding Janet. I think that I am a bit overwhelmed with it all!
Thanks for the info Debra. I will be sure to check it out!

I dont know a whole lot about it, I should since most of my dads family has it pretty bad, and I was with my first son. I took care of it with my diet, but didnt really watch what I ate. When you are pregnant, you want to eat anything and everything and as much as you can get of it. So it was hard, but I didnt have alot of problems.

Most of my family that is on it, all have to take shots a few times a day. They are all very much over weight. I think if they would take better care of thereself and loss some weight it would help them. They just depend on the insulin to take care of it.

THey all use there regular doctors to take care of it. Up where they are all at, they dont have many specialist of any kind. So there family doctor takes care of it. So im not sure that you need anything more, then your family doctor. Unless it starts to get out of control. I never heard of it giving any of them a upset stomach, you might want to ask your doctor about that. Or do a search online to see if that is normal or not. Or talk to your pharmist.

When I had it with my first son, I made myself sick just trying to pick my finger. I could not do it. Shots of any kind do not bother me at all, but to poke myself, I could not do it. I ended up in the bathroom sick. My doctor thought I was totally nuts.

Nina I wish you all the best my friend. I hope that you get some answers that are helpful to you. Take care.

I have what is Type 1 1/2 diabetes, as I had the disease but it went undiagnosed...and untreated...for many years before it was discovered as I had none of the regular symptoms. The pills were skipped and I was put on two types of insulin immediately...Lantus and Novolog...to inject myself. Unfortunately, I had no insurance and had to go several more years without treatment. Diabetics get infections very easily and again, because of no insurance, every time I've come down with an infection; it's developed into gangrene. I lost my left index finger, two metatarsal bones inside my right foot and finally, my right leg from amputation to stop the gangrene from spreading. Now, I have insurance coverage so I'm able to get the treatment I need. Following a proper diet and getting exercise helps immensely, as does a proper state of mind. Normally, your general practitioner can treat you, but make sure he listens to you! You know your body and how it reacts better than he does. If he doesn't listen to you - find a new doctor! I've never had insulin cause an upset stomach. Don't worry or be afraid with your treatments. They can only help and keep the disease from progressing further (affecting your kidneys, eyes and other body parts). If you ever have any questions or concerns and I might be able to help you, as one who has gone through worse than what you're experiencing; feel free to write to me and I'll do whatever I can to help you out.

I'm not diabetic.

Nina,
I echo what Wanda said. I understand how this can be very scary for you. There are several groups on here about Diabetes and you may want to check those out. One that comes to my mind immediately is owned by Donald Houston:

http://diabetesworld.gather.com/

a lot of people use cinnamon pills to help keep blood sugar low

Patty, Rob and Renda, thank you for the information!
Thanks to Marianne and Angela for responding.

Rob, I am amazed at what you have been through...your outlook is so positive! I was actually thinking of having myself committed to a mental hospital! Everything seems so overwhelming for me right now. Just to get up and get dressed is too much sometimes. How in the world do you do it?

There's diet, and there's diet. If you still use convenience foods, the next step is to move to whole, natural foods prepared from absolute scratch. It really does make a difference.

I understand and can relate to your depression. I know that taking a step towards natural foods can feeling beyond overwhelming. If you lived in my area, I'd gladly hold your hand through the learning curve. If doing so online would help, click on my image and send me gathermail.

My DH had type I diabetes until his passing 3 years ago. His doctor said my careful cooking gave him added years. It involved not even owning a can opener!

Oh Nina, I am so sorry you are going through so much anxiety, I wish I knew how to help you sweetie, but I have not had to have any meds as of yet and hope I never do! Call me now or even tonight if you want to talk? You have so much on your mind right now with your health problems and falling down the stairs and breaking your ankle and not being able to just get up and get away and do things. I am here for you, you aren't alone.

Hi Dorine! I am on a heart healthy/diabetic diet. I never eat fast food, and seldom eat in a restaurant because I have to have everything made without salt & sugar!
Nothing out of a can. I am so boring! I will contact you about more ideas. Thanks

Hey Debby, thank you so much...you are so sweet to be there for me! The past two days I have been mostly sleeping! Thank you so much Debby for the talk today. It really helped me to feel better! I am so blessed to have a friend like you!

Hi Dan, thank you so much! You are so kind and always thoughtful! God Bless You!

I am a type 2. I still don't have my blood sugar under control. My regular doctor referred me to an endocronologist a few years ago. The endo does regular blood work and some other tests and has also had me try different meds. I think that is one of the good things about seeing an endo, is that they are up on the newest meds.

Thanks Karen. What do they have you on? I like using the flex pens because it is easier to measure.

I am just on pills for now, but may end up on insulin soon. I am taking Glimperide (probably not spelled right) and I was taking Januvia but it was making me break out in hives so I stopped it. My endo has been threatening me with insulin for awhile now, but I still have not managed to get my bad eating habits completely corrected. I know that if I would eat properly and lose a lot of weight my blood sugar would be much better. I have been yoyo dieting most of my life.

Try not to let the diabetes overwelm you. It sounds like you are eating the way you should, which is good. Hopefully someday I will get my life turned around once and for all.

Generally, it's entirely up to the skill of the physician to determine who can best manage your diabetes. Remember that diet and exercise are generally the 1st thing to address before a physician even addresses insulin supplementation. Thus, speak with your physician both about your fears and about what you can do. No matter what, CHECK YOUR FEET DAILY!!!!

essentially, Diabetes leads to a double problem of having the blood vessels get glycosylated (they get sugars put on them) so they lose their natural abilities to respond and thus hypoxic conditions occur (essentially, your tissues get less oxygen and they can die). Further, usually when cells in your body are injured (let alone die), it hurts a lot. For example, a patient with angina will have chest pain from the hypoxic injuries to one's heart (even if the cells aren't necrotic yet-dead). The problem in diabetes is that the nerve cells also are damaged such that the injured cells in your body might not register to your brain as being injured (and thus painful). The spot furthest from your heart (the source of oxygenated blood pumped to your body) is your feet and thus, diabetics must worry about ulcers in their feet that they wouldn't necessarily feel. For example, if you had a 20 foot long tail, the tail would be the 1st spot to get an ulcer since it's the furthest spot from your heart and thus has the least amount of oxygen going to it.

Make sure your doctor is checking a variety of things (such as):
1) foot care
2) eye care (annual eye exams are important)
3) Hemoglobin A1C levels should be checked every few months (it's a marker for how well your blood sugar has been controlled over a few months).
4) Blood pressure must be addressed
5) diet and exercise are crucial and must be addressed

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Karen, thank you so much. I hope that your diabetes gets under control soon!

Hi Dan H.! Wow, you know so much! I never heard about hypoxic conditions! I will be sure to check my feet! What worries me is that I have a cast on my left leg and foot. I've been checking out my toes on that foot, but that is all that I can do. Should I make the ortho doctor change the cast to check my feet?
Thank you for all of the information!
Oh, by the way, exercise is slow for me because of my physical problems, but as long as I do something, does that help?

Thank you all so much for your help!

Sorry I can't help but sure hope your feeing better soon.
Your in my thoughts and prayers.

Just to give you all an update, I meet with a diabetic specialist on Friday. She will tell me how to use my insulin. I still have to find an endocrinologist, but there aren't many around here. I feel better because at least I have a start.

Thank you all again for your help. It is really appreiated!

Nina, I hope you find a endocrinologist soon they should be able to give you the correct information your looking for. Good luck and I will be thinking of you in my prayers. Take care!

I wish I could help Nina... But I was diagnosed "Borderline Diabetic".. (yeah, that makes no sense to me either!) and I was on insulin when pregnant with 2 of my children... So far I control my blood sugar through diet, although I've been warned if it keeps getting out of control, then I will actually *BE* diabetic and HAVE to go back on insulin. It's really confusing to me.
My thoughts and prayers are with you! *HUGS*

hello Nina...i'm sorry to hear you are having such troubles... it looks like you got lots of good information .... i'm alwys praying for you.... i love you... God bless you...
you are such a wonderful lady... i wish you all the best... i miss you...

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Nina, I'm sorry, I know what your going through.
I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 last December. It runs in my family, my mom has diabetes 1. Her sister, and brother had it to. But with proper diet, and excercise I can get through this. I take metformin twice a day. I don't know if Insulin can cause upset stomach. To manage my diabetes I take my meds, excercise, proper diet, and eat on time. Eat lots of vegetables, fruit, and do not eat white bread. I'm not a doctor, but I hope this helps you. If your stomach is upset with insulin you should talk to your doctor.

Stopping by to say hi.

Honey, I am sorry for you. I am not a doctor, so cannot give such advise. My husband is diabetic. He was on the pills. But, after he lost 30 pounds, his sugar went down, and he is off the pills.

When I was taking physical therapy, I realized that after I did about an hour's worth of exercises my sugar went down to a more regular level. It was exercise I didn't have to do a lot of walking to do, like stretches and leg lifts and sit ups, but it helped.
Another thing that helped is a sort of a fast. I've gone on them before, and that helped my sugar, too. Just drink water and eat nothing but say, green beans or cabbage or some kind of non-starchy (not potatoes or corn) vegetable for about three days.
I've fasted eating nothing at all, but I wouldn't recommend you do that unless you felt a spiritual leading to do so. And still, keep something handy in case your sugar begins to get too low.

I had gestational diabetes in 1993 and was on insulin. After my daughter was born for many year I took pills. When I broke my leg in 2006 I went on insulin. When my arm was operated on in 2007 I went on 2 insulins. My insulin levels went up as my pancreas gave up. I am 53. I do well on my diet but I am not well. Other things do effect sugar - stress, infection and dehydration. With my operations my need for insulin went up.

I check my feet everyday...I see my podiatrist regularly and do the best I can to take care of myself. Diabetes is a nasty disease.. you just need to do the best you can to watch your diet, lose weight, exercise the best you can and watch for infection. Make sure you drink enough water so you don't get dehydrated.

If you don't have a meter to check your sugar every day ask your doctor for one. Your insurace should be able to provide you with booklets and help with taking care of yourself.

If I can be of any help to you let me know. Take care.

My experience with diabetes runs with my family. I do not have it, but my aunt died of it when I was 5 and my grandmother had it. My aunt could not deal with giving herself the shots so my grandmother had to go over and do it for her. That was in the early 1940s, and all I remember about my aunt is that she was in and out of the hospital one summer, and then she suddenly died. My grandmother had to give herself the shots, and also my first mother in law did give herself the shots as well. I knew some people who had diabetes from childhood and they were always painfully skinny, and they had to maintain it with shots three time a day. I concur with everybody here who says it's nothing to mess with, but get yourself a lGOOD doctor with whom you can get along, that is important number one. If you can't talk to your doctor, you need to change doctors.

I will not tell you any horror stories, although they exist in my life and in the lives of others whom I know. Just be careful.

Nina, I am sorry to hear about this. My mother controles her diabetes through diet and excercise and medication. I am always afraid she will eventually need to start taking insulin. I hope you feel better.

I think that most hositals have classes on how to manage diabetes.... I need to take a nutrition couse myself to help me manage my Type II Diabetes better than I am... even with pills (twice a day) my #'s fluctuate too much and I know I'm doing a poor job of nutrition.... I think you should check with the local hospitals and talk to the patient advocate or nutritionist, etc.... I also find the library a great resource

Dear Niina - I don't have advice on this as you know me I would say as always to learn good nutrition- which in your case would be quite restricted but I'm sure that you're already doing this. I personally take no meds, am totally natural, not even vaccinations in my youth so I would say to keep researching on your own - Each one of us is different and drugs do not always work the same because of our individual chemical natures - I hope and pray something works for you. Salud

Anyway, I see you eat pretty well - have you ever read Depak Chopra's book Perfect Health ? All of his books are my favorites and which I follow pretty closely...I hope you have a great day Nina - I've been thinking of you and am behind on commenting - fighting the winds here! Salud

Nina, I am glad you are seeking help. Let your doctor know your fears. I think it is great that you are seeing a diabetic specialist.

There are many good Diabetes cookbooks out there- so I hear. And you could try recipezaar.com for recipes. As for anything else, I wouldn't know what to tell you. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

((((Hugs to you)))))

Hope you feel better.

Except for agreeing with Wanda, I'm not much help. I'm lucky. Had it about the same length of time, but still on 2 metformen, 2 glipazide and 1 Actos in the morning, and 2 metformen and 2 glipazide in the evening. My only other problem is Neuropathy which I can never get spelled correctly.