Newly diagnosed diabetes

[VandVsmama]

Consider more exercise and a keto diet.

 

[tvguy]

I was taking the extended release.

My Doctor had been considering putting me on Ozempic but asked if I was willing to try the Metformin ER even with the issues I had with regular Metformin. The chance of side effects with Ozempic are greater.

 

[sam_gordon]

I was diagnosed nearly three years ago. When it first happened, I got depressed, and was eating practically nothing. Finally met with a nutritionist and things got better. Started going on walks 4-5 times a week, and got a used treadmill for when the weather was bad. I had already given up on soda (and I was drinking a LOT of soda) beforehand. I even lost ~10-15 pounds. I even got my A1c down under 6.

That lasted about 12-18 months. Then my willpower to eat well and exercise regularly slowly eroded away. "Oh one cookie (donut, whatever) won't hurt". Didn't really take up soda again, except occasional rum & diets. Now my A1c is back over 7. Pasta and bread are my kryptonite more than sweets, but I still like those also.

I have found there are many times when I "eat well" (like zero carbs) that my daily numbers are actually worse than when I have just some carbs. Obviously, if I have a lot of carbs, they spike.

I do remember being told "when you get your diabetes under control, you'll feel so much better, have more energy, etc". Yea, never happened. I think that's part of my problem. I don't feel any better with lower numbers so I get to the point of "why bother?".

I'm on Metformin & Juardiance. Ozempic was prescribed, but I didn't realize at the time it was an injection AND had to be kept chilled. Travelling for work makes that difficult, so I said I wasn't going to do it, up the other meds.

And before any one gives me the "don't give up", "you did it before, you can do it again", "be stronger" BS, don't bother. I am more cognizant of what I eat, but the motivation just isn't there to be as fastidious if that makes sense.

OP, I wish you luck. I will say it's not easy though.

 

[Dznypal]

OMG. Sam~Gordon. This is exactly me in about 2009
Back then though I didn’t have the official title but was sent to learn how to eat. Which didn’t work. I was even more upset. But I did it. But just like you lasted only so long. And all that time I was misable.
So gradually I started enjoying the food I liked again. And of course the numbers started creeping up.
Until this last check when I got the official title.
I had to see a different dr this time since my regular dr is on a leave.
She used to give me credit for my hood numbers as well as going through the bad. This new dr is straight on numbers. She wouldn’t budge on any of my suggestions itvwas her way or the high way. I had no say which I don’t like either. My regular dr would work with me
I see the person who can tell me what I can and can’t eat on Mon.
Thanks for posting

 

[EACarlson]

Consider more exercise and a keto diet.

The second half of this could literally kill someone. A keto diet works by confusing your body and pushing it into ketosis. If you do that with a diabetic, they may not come back from it. It's why diabetes was such a deadly disease until 100 years ago. Exercise is important as it helps with many things, but a balanced diet is much more important. A good diabetic diet is about half of keto. If I were to eat a full keto diet my blood sugar would be in the 40s and I would not be able to stay conscious.

 

[sam_gordon]

OMG. Sam~Gordon. This is exactly me in about 2009
Back then though I didn’t have the official title but was sent to learn how to eat. Which didn’t work. I was even more upset. But I did it. But just like you lasted only so long. And all that time I was misable.
So gradually I started enjoying the food I liked again. And of course the numbers started creeping up.
Until this last check when I got the official title.
I had to see a different dr this time since my regular dr is on a leave.
She used to give me credit for my hood numbers as well as going through the bad. This new dr is straight on numbers. She wouldn’t budge on any of my suggestions itvwas her way or the high way. I had no say which I don’t like either. My regular dr would work with me
I see the person who can tell me what I can and can’t eat on Mon.
Thanks for posting

Well, the definition of diabetes is by numbers (if your A1c is a certain number, you have diabetes).

As I understand it, to get diabetes under control, there are three options... better eating, medicine, or a combination of the two. That's it. I'm not sure what your suggestions were, but if you're not eating well enough, you need to take the medicine. I'm not sure what suggestions you were offering that went against the doctor's advice.

 

[EACarlson]

I see the person who can tell me what I can and can’t eat on Mon.
Thanks for posting

No, you see the person who is going to work with you to figure out what changes need to be made to your diet. If the dietitian is just dictating to you, then you should walk out and find another one. Same with your doctor. If they aren't willing to work with you about what is a realistic treatment plan, then you may need to find a different one. I went to two dietitians before I found one that was willing to work with me. They showed me the way in making choices, do I want the glass of orange juice or would I rather have the hashbrowns with breakfast, things like that.

 

[lanejudy]

Ozempic was prescribed, but I didn't realize at the time it was an injection AND had to be kept chilled.

Ozempic only stays refrigerated until you start using the pen. 4 doses in a pen (4 weeks). It can stay at room temp for up to 56 days. Very easy to travel with it.

 

[lanejudy]

I have found there are many times when I "eat well" (like zero carbs) that my daily numbers are actually worse than when I have just some carbs.

Because zero carbs isn’t “eating well.” That creates stress and the body releases hormones/cortisol (?) to offset it. Ideally diabetics should eat low carb (not zero carb) several small meals throughout the day, rather than 3 large meals several hours apart. Or small meals with decent snacks spaced regularly.

 

[sam_gordon]

Because zero carbs isn’t “eating well.” That creates stress and the body releases hormones/cortisol (?) to offset it. Ideally diabetics should eat low carb (not zero carb) several small meals throughout the day, rather than 3 large meals several hours apart. Or small meals with decent snacks spaced regularly.

But in my simple brain... if carbs causes high blood sugar, no carbs should mean low blood sugar. It's not that simple. I've had pasta for supper and had better numbers than when I had a meal with little to no carbs. Doesn't make sense, and is frustrating.

 

[QueenIsabella]

No, you see the person who is going to work with you to figure out what changes need to be made to your diet. If the dietitian is just dictating to you, then you should walk out and find another one. Same with your doctor. If they aren't willing to work with you about what is a realistic treatment plan, then you may need to find a different one. I went to two dietitians before I found one that was willing to work with me. They showed me the way in making choices, do I want the glass of orange juice or would I rather have the hashbrowns with breakfast, things like that.

This. You DO need to make some diet and lifestyle modifications, but a good doctor will be realistic. Last summer, my doctor noted that my A1C was good, and I'd lost 20 pounds (at that point--I've been losing slowly, but with zero effort). I was about to head on vacation, and she said, "Eat whatever you want, while you're on vacation". So I did--much to the chagrin of my oldest, who was recently engaged and on Weight Watcher's to lose 20 pounds for her wedding (which she did). I ate more crap on vacation than she did. But, I really didn't go too wild, and when I got home, it was back to my regular routine.

A few other points:

Alcohol converts to sugar very easily in the body. You need to watch your intake.

Smoking can exacerbate the effects of diabetes--it constricts blood vessels, and diabetics can have circulation issues to begin with. Late stage diabetics frequently need amputations--my grandmother lost both her legs, and my cousin lost her foot before dying of renal failure.

I hope you can find your own ways of dealing with this--it sounds like you've been in denial for 15 years. It's time to face diabetes head-on, so you can live a long, healthy, productive life. On the good side, there's never been a time with more access to knowledge--knowledge about the disease, knowledge about diets and cooking and living your best life. There's never been a time with more healthy options available in the grocery store. I wish you luck.

 

[EACarlson]

It's not a flip a switch and what works for one person works for everyone. It's a process to find out what works best for you. Some pastas spike my sugar, some tank it. If I have three beers my sugar spikes, if I have four it craters. If I exercise very hard, my sugar spikes, then an hour later it tanks. Sugar levels are also cumulative. It's not one day and everything is good, or one day and it all falls apart.

But in my simple brain... if carbs causes high blood sugar, no carbs should mean low blood sugar. It's not that simple. I've had pasta for supper and had better numbers than when I had a meal with little to no carbs. Doesn't make sense, and is frustrating.

But when you have too little carbs, your body goes into ketosis and you end up trying to burn glucose stored in your liver, which spikes sugar levels. You have to work to find what works for your body and the science behind it. Hence my earlier post that a keto diet will kill a diabetic.

 

[sam_gordon]

It's not a flip a switch and what works for one person works for everyone. It's a process to find out what works best for you. Some pastas spike my sugar, some tank it. If I have three beers my sugar spikes, if I have four it craters. If I exercise very hard, my sugar spikes, then an hour later it tanks. Sugar levels are also cumulative. It's not one day and everything is good, or one day and it all falls apart.

But when you have too little carbs, your body goes into ketosis and you end up trying to burn glucose stored in your liver, which spikes sugar levels. You have to work to find what works for your body and the science behind it. Hence my earlier post that a keto diet will kill a diabetic.

It would help me to keep a journal of what I eat, when, and what the subsequent numbers are. I know, know I should do it, but just don't. That's on me, I know.

 

[EACarlson]

It would help me to keep a journal of what I eat, when, and what the subsequent numbers are. I know, know I should do it, but just don't. That's on me, I know.

Yes a journal would help, but it's more about the testing, and seeing the trends. CGMs have been so incredibly helpful. If you can remember what you ate two hours ago, that's all you really need. By seeing the same trends you'll know. There are certain dinners that my wife makes, that I know I'll have to have something else before bed or I will be woken up with low blood sugar during the night. That's the other thing my CGM allows me. I don't have to worry as much about what my level is when I go to bed, if I go low, my CGM will wake me up before it gets dangerous. You could try taking pictures of your meals, then use that to investigate spikes and valley.

 

[Dznypal]

funny thing about the meters and testing I asked the RN about a meter and she said that since Ill be on metformin that I wont need to check which seems really odd
this has only been a week and I really dont have much confidence in this dr or her team
well see how things go mon

 

[EACarlson]

funny thing about the meters and testing I asked the RN about a meter and she said that since Ill be on metformin that I wont need to check which seems really odd
this has only been a week and I really dont have much confidence in this dr or her team
well see how things go mon

That's flat wrong. If you have a diabetes diagnoses, you should have been given a meter or a prescription for a meter that would be covered 100% by your insurance. I would also ask for a prescription for a CGM, call your insurance and see which brand they cover.

 

[VandVsmama]

The second half of this could literally kill someone. A keto diet works by confusing your body and pushing it into ketosis. If you do that with a diabetic, they may not come back from it. It's why diabetes was such a deadly disease until 100 years ago. Exercise is important as it helps with many things, but a balanced diet is much more important. A good diabetic diet is about half of keto. If I were to eat a full keto diet my blood sugar would be in the 40s and I would not be able to stay conscious.

I suggested it based on the recommendation of a Type 2 diabetic relative's endocrinologist. OP should consult with their physician.

 

[VandVsmama]

 

[VandVsmama]

funny thing about the meters and testing I asked the RN about a meter and she said that since Ill be on metformin that I wont need to check which seems really odd
this has only been a week and I really dont have much confidence in this dr or her team
well see how things go mon

The RN's advice is foolish.

 

[lanejudy]

funny thing about the meters and testing I asked the RN about a meter and she said that since Ill be on metformin that I wont need to check which seems really odd
this has only been a week and I really dont have much confidence in this dr or her team
well see how things go mon

Is this a PCP or did you get referred to an ENDO? In my experience, PCPs don’t always have newly-Dx’d T2s use a meter initially. They try to see if lifestyle changes help without focusing on the daily numbers. Some patients hyperfocus on the in-the-moment number without understanding it. ENDOs will always want the patient to use a meter or CGM. Not saying either is right or wrong, just 2 different approaches. Also if you are T2 it is possible insurance won’t cover a CGM unless you are on insulin but it should cover a finger-stick meter.