Eeeee! Someone help me calm down!

[aubriee]

I had a well woman check up last week with Pap Smear, Mammogram, and alot of lab work. I hate those things and always worry about the Pap and mammogram until I get the results back. The lab I don't usually worry about. I got a call yesterday to come in this morning to discuss the results. Pap and mammogram were normal, which was good news. However, my cholesterol was high, good cholesterol was low, Vitamin D was very low (12 while normal is 30-100), and worst of all my Hemoglobin A1C was 6.5, which showed I have diabetes. While I'm sitting there with my mouth open, my doctor gave me a pneumonia and a flu shot (said all diabetics needed them), gave me a glucometer to check my blood sugar several times a day, put me on a baby Aspirin (said she put all her diabetics on them), Caltrate + Vitamin D, and Victoza injections every day. She wants me to jump start a weight loss program and says the Victoza will stabilize my blood sugar as well as decrease my appetite. She wants to see me in a month at which time she'll probably start me on Glucophage for my diabetes. Meanwhile, she wants me exercising every day and on a 1800 cal, low fat, low cholesterol, high fiber diet.

I just need to vent: I refuse, refuse, refuse (write in having a temper tantrum here) to be a diabetic, I don't want to diet or exercise, I hate taking pills and have always had trouble swallowing them, I hate shots and sure don't want to give myself one every day (I don't care how small the Victoza needle is), I don't want to do fingersticks several times a day, I don't want to count carbs, and to top it all off, I'm sitting here looking at a big bag of Hershey's Kisses I bought just yesterday, that I now can't have. Not just that, but we are leaving in ten days to go down to WDW for the Food & Wine Festival and I want to Eat around the World, dadblast it. We're also on the DDP and I want my desserts. I have to go back to my doctor in a month to see if the cholesterol and weight comes down and to let her take a look at my fingerstick log, so of course she'll know if I pig out down at WDW, plus the Victoza is going to kill my appetite anyway. Can you tell I'm not taking this well? I know I'm acting like a spoiled brat, but this just came as such a shock, totally out of the blue today and I am so not prepared for it, especially with a WDW trip in ten days.

 

[dunbarfamily]

First, lots of hugs to you!!

 

[dunbarfamily]

First, LOTS of hugs to you! It sounds like the doctor might have been a bit abrupt. Its ok. You are going to survive this!!

This is so very, very overwhelming. Shots, meters, diet, exercise, medicine....Yikes! No wonder you need to vent!

Let's break it down a bit.

Sugar testing-Not such a big deal. Prick your finger. Yeah, I know, you don't want to. I get it. I don't like poking my finger either. But seriously, it takes like five seconds. How many times a day?

Baby asprin-Splurge and get the name brand flavored chewable ones. Might as well enjoy it a little bit, tastes more like a kids' multivitamin. I've tried several brands of off brand kind, not so good.

Flu/pnemonia shot-well, we don't do vaccines in my house....can't make it any better for you besides saying lots of people get them.

Exercise-Not fun. Try to do what you normally do, just a tiny bit more of it. If you have steps, instead of walking up them once, do it twice every time you have to go upstairs/downstairs for something. Try water exercise if knees/hips/back bothers you. Get up during commercials and lap your living room. March while washing dishes/folding clothes/stirring speghetti. Just a tiny bit more, then add on in a few weeks, maybe doing something more "exercise-ish" like talking formal walks, etc.

Diet-Yeah, who likes that word? Not me!! I really like Weight Watchers. You can still eat what you want (within reason, I'm pretty sure they don't endorse a McDonalds Iced Mocha every day, unfortunatly for me!), and you're held accountable on the program. You can do it on your own. A friend of mine counted calories and has lost over 80 pounds since January.

Daily insulin shots-My grandma was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago and her doctor warned her if she didn't get it under control, she'd be getting a Fast Pass for insulin shots. Grandma didn't get it under control, doctor told her to start shots. Grandma stomped her feet, yelled and screamed, complained, stomped some more, and then....took the shot. She said it wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. She does hers every night at 10pm. She said she wished she would have started it earlier as it helped her feel better. (She did ask the doctor to salt the crow she was eating the next visit!!)

As far as trips....do what works. You'll be exercising more (that dirty word we don't like) by walking LOTS, so you may be able to get away with eating more. Watch your sugar and see what happens.

You may want to see about consulting with a diabetes educator or registered dietician. Local churches/hospitals/clinics may offer support groups.

In closing, I wish you much luck as you navigate this. Knowledge is power, and I recommend reading as much as you can, but take baby steps. I am available by PM or email if you'd like to chat more.

SMILE!!! You will be OKAY!!!

Disclaimer: Diabetes is a very serious disease, but can be controlled and managed. I am not trying to trivialize it, rather, help the OP by breaking it down, offering real-world tips and anecdotes, and providing support during a very stressful and overwhelming time. I am not a doctor or a dietician.

 

[Hannathy]

I'll try!

First it took a while to gain the weight and raise the cholesterol and to develop diabetes (since her pancreas is till producing) it will take a bit to learn everything and get everything under control. Don't shoot yourself if you don't immediately do everything right.

Don't look at food as I can't have it think of it as how can I have it. If you deprive yourself of everything you will end up not staying on your diet and going totally overboard. Like those kisses read the bag count out how many for 100 calories and have those for a snack in the afternoon or evening.
If there was something at Disney you were looking forward to, some dinner etc, have it! Just only eat half of it. The portions are way too big anyway.

A Disney trip is a great way to start a walking program, who doesn't walk more at Disney than any other place? unless you want to count boot camp.
You'll be used to doing it at Disney just keep walking when you get home.
Do little things now like park at the back of the lot, use the stairs occasionally.

finger sticks suck! so don't do them, get one of the new meters you can use elsewhere. and do them religiously and then some. you need to learn your body and how you react to certain food and activities and emotions and time of day. don't fight using insulin the goal is to get you under control and keep you there. If insulin is the best use it you will be better off in the long run.
Keep in mind that whenever your blood glucose is too high damage is being done so you want it high as little as possible.

Take a class you need this info told to you over and over. When I was Teaching out patient Diabetic classes ours ran over 6-8 weeks to give people enough time to absorb the info and to start to make changes so we could help them and answer questions as they learned.

In the meantime take a breath and start reading information on diabetes and package labels.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Oh honey, I'm so sorry you've had all of this come crashing down on your head! Before I start out, I'm not diabetic but I do try and watch my blood sugar for the Fibro (note the word 'try' ), so don't take anything I say as gospel truth.

As others have said, work in steps, don't try and eat the elephant in one bite. If walking works for you, you might want to get a pedometer - it's a great way to keep track of things and make gradual increases, and it gives you a sense of achievement at the end of the day. It's best to wear it for a couple of days before you start setting goals, so you know where you're starting from.

With your diet, you can do 'healthier' without doing 'bland'. Fruit and veg can be stir-fried, baked, roasted, put into crumbles (low fat crumble topping with either a fruit or a savory base), put on crepes (again, with a low-fat alternative to the butter, but they still taste just as good), made into smoothies or 101 other things. One thing that I've found really useful is trying to stick to a low GI diet. I got a good book from the library, and it gives you some simple substitutions you can make, that make a surprising difference. When I stick to it, I feel full and satisfied for longer, without feeling like I'm deprived of anything. In fact, one of the keys to a low GI diet is to include snacks throughout the day to keep your blood sugar on a more even keel - I've got a diet that tells me to eat!

Sure you can eat your way around the world! Talk to your doctor or a dietitian about it before you go, so they can give you pointers on making sensible but tasty choices, and try to enjoy a range of things in small portions (maybe sharing a serving with someone else, so you can taste more things without feeling guilty). You'll be doing more exercise with all the walking, which will help out, and there will be plenty of food on offer that won't send your blood sugar rocketing.

I know this is a huge thing, and you don't sound like a spoiled brat - you're scared and upset, and you're perfectly allowed to vent . If you want a wider group of people to talk to, somewhere to get some advice from people who've gone before, or just need somewhere to vent and get some sympathy, you'll always be welcome over at But You Don't Look Sick.

Good luck with this, and never let yourself think that this is something you have to go through alone.

 

[jmartinez1895]

If your diabeties is because of weigh, then there is a very good chance that you can cure yourself. I have had people in my family do it. I will be among the thousands to say that starting a new diet is no fun at all. I try to eat good things, but a few years ago I loved fast food. After I stopped eating fast food and started eating light fresher foods, I now can not even stand the smell of fast food. I will take a few months, but you will be bale to learn to love your new foods. At least the rest of your test came in ok. I have cervical dysplasia and have to have a pap every 3 months

 

[Piper]

Did your doctor diagnose you on the results of 1 blood test? This is unusual. My doctor said protocol was that she needed the results of 2 positive tests before diagnosing.

 

[aubriee]

Did your doctor diagnose you on the results of 1 blood test? This is unusual. My doctor said protocol was that she needed the results of 2 positive tests before diagnosing.

Thanks everyone. When I first wrote the initial post I had just came back from the doctor and was still in slight disbelief. I went in worried about a Pap result and came out with high cholesterol and diabetes. My Hemoglobin A1C was 6.5 which is indicative of diabetes, but just barely. (6.5 and higher is diabetes). However, my mom is a very brittle diabetic, plus she has three sisters who are diabetics. All four were adult onset and insulin dependent. My dad was also diagnosed with diabetes when he was around 72 y/o, but his was controlled by diet and Glyburide. I guess I should have saw it coming, but have always been healthy (even if overweight). Until a 1 1/2 years ago I took nothing, except an occasional Tylenol or Motrin. 1 1/2 years ago I developed hypertension and was placed on a B/P med every day and a fluid pill as needed. Three months ago my doctor started me on Mobic for plantar fasciitis. Now she's started me on baby aspirin, Caltrate with Vit D, and Victoza. The Victoza is not insulin, it's just supposed to regulate your blood sugar and it decreases gastric emptying thereby reducing the rate at which postprandial glucose is circulated and makes it so you are not hungry. She is using it just to jump start weight loss and plans on starting me on glucophage in a month. She's hoping that the weight loss will take care of the high cholesterol and maybe even the post prandial blood sugars. My fasting blood sugar was OK at 90. It was the A1C that was high.

My vet told me the other day that my dog was overweight, so starting tomorrow we're both going to start a walking program. I'm going to also start paying closer attention to portion size, as I know they are way too large. My husband will be with me at the Food & Wine Festival in 9 days. We'll just get things for him and I'll take a taste. I belive most restaurants offer a sugar free dessert, so I'll just go for those or maybe fruit. I'm still not thrilled with having to swallow a bunch of pills or of sticking myself for fingersticks and Victoza, but will do what I have to. Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I'm still not happy with the diagnosis, but will have to live with it. I needed to lose weight anyway, so it's time for a lifestyle change.

JMartinez: sorry about your cervical dysplasia. You're right! At least the pap smear and mammogram came back normal. If I can get this under control, maybe my cholesterol will come down and maybe I won't have to go on insulin. I sure plan on trying.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

I belive most restaurants offer a sugar free dessert, so I'll just go for those or maybe fruit.

Even if they don't have a sugar-free on the menu, they may well have something they can give you 'off label' (can you tell I'm a spoonie? ). I'm vegetarian - all Disney restaurants (except for a few of the externally owned / run) have a veggie option, but they don't always put them on the menu, because there is such low demand (yup, I'm odd!!). At TS places, if you phone in advance, the chef may be able to prepare something special for you. Oh, and the sugar-free pecan ice cream is available at all of the ice cream parlours (not the carts, though), and is absolutely delicious!

If you cut out potatoes and white flour, and manage portion sizes, it should help you with the weight loss. One food I've found that is great for keeping you full, and keeping blood sugar fairly level is oats. I tend to have them mixed up with low-fat yogurt, but if you prefer you can have porridge. Just be aware that oats do contain fats, so are best in a mixed diet.

Good luck with this, and I'm glad that you're starting to come to terms with your diagnosis. It's a hard process, and you will have days when the world feels like it's crashing down on you, but we're all here for you and cheering you on

 

[daneenm]

Sorry you are overwhelmed! In time, I'm sure that you will just work some changes into your routine and pretty soon it will not be overwhelming, but just 'normal.'

Good advice has already been given, but I wanted to throw in a word of caution. Definitely talk with a CDE (Certified Diabetes Educator) on diet. In particular, be cautious of 'Sugar Free' options. They often have just as many carbohydrates as their regular sugar counterparts. Also, a good rule of thumb is that when carbohydrates are mixed with protein and/or fat they digest more slowly and keep your BG more even. This is opposed to the spike you might see with items without some balance of components. You will find, over time, that your body processes foods differently and there may be some foods that you find make you spike more than others and some that keep you more even than others. It is some trial and error in the beginning, but you will learn quickly and then it will just be 'normal.'

Your CDE can talk with you about all of this.

 

[katml14]

Sorry for your diagnosis, but just think - you CAN control Type 2 with diet and exercise. My daughter is type 1, she was diagnosed the day after her first birthday, and she requires multiple finger sticks (throughout the day as well as night) and multiple daily injections. She, unfortunately, can't control her diabetes regardless of the amount of exercise she gets or how great her "diet" is.

That being said, you can still have a great time at WDW. You will be doing a ton of exercising (think about all that walking around the World Showcase). And F&W will be great- think small portions! You can have little *tastes* of a lot of yummy food.

I agree with PP- just be careful of eating too much "sugar-free" Sugar free also does not mean carb free. And sometimes all that fake sugar can lead to some serious tummy troubles.

Regardless, have a great trip!