Wellness

[KathT]

Thanks for starting these topics @151949. I was diagnosed with Type 2 over 16 yrs ago. Initially I took Glucatrol XL & lost 35 lbs. I was able to go off meds & be controlled by diet & exercise for around 9 yrs. The last couple of those years, my dad passed away from ALS & the following year my mom, who had been making it possible for her older sister to live in her home, had a stroke that left her permanently disabled. I ended up becoming both of their caregivers, my aunt for 5 yrs & my mom for 7 1/2. That involved getting my aunt admitted to a memory care unit & selling my grandparents home where she lived, & getting my mom relocated to assisted living in her continuing care community & getting her independent living condo ready to sell. Add to that, a full time job & kids at home, & I regained most of the weight & the diabetes went out of control. My dr put me on Metformin, which I wasn't able to take, so I was switched to insulin 6 yrs ago & have done pretty well on that.

I agree that diabetes is a highly individualized disease & controlling it is involves more than following an eating plan. Some things I have learned are that consistent eating & exercise go a long way in controlling the disease. As mentioned previously, stress can cause problems.  Lack of sleep is something that causes my blood sugar to rise as does illness. Statin drugs cause elevated blood sugar for me. Sometimes the "blood sugar fairy" just drops by & leaves a gift, lol. My blood morning blood sugars are high if I don't have a snack before bed. A carton of fat free sugar free yogurt works well for me. 

For anyone who has been recently diagnosed, it is possible to live well. Learn as much as you can & discover what can & cannot eat. Try to find instead ofs instead of focusing on what you can't have. For instance, cinnamon roles are no longer part of my vocabulary but on occasion I have a cinnamon mini bagel (21 grams). You no longer have the luxury of just eating. Vigilance & planning are your new reality. If you go off track for a day & consume too many carbs, you can get back on track the next day. It will probably take several days to get your blood sugar back down, at least that has been my experience.

Hang in there @151949, I'm here to cheer you on! I had to change Drs about 2 yrs in because my first doc's protocol was just keep losing weight even if you are normal weight & have an A1C of 5.6. He also never checked my feet or addressed my elevated cholesterol, other than saying I must be eating wrong. I have learned you need to be your own best advocate.

[Q4u]

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@Poodlepet2 wrote:

Q4U, this is so true-it is different for everyone and we have to work with our healthcare team members and recognize that even a close family member may have totally different care than what we have.....that being said, it still sounds as if we need to be "clean eaters". This is such a difficult disease to navigate-and no, it's not cancer, but the effects can still be the same if left-no-I don't want to say "if left to its own devices"...you can follow the paths that your healthcare providers lay out for you with the latest knowledge in hand-and the best of intentions for you, but things can still go awry. My best to you my friend, Hugs,

Poodlepet2

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My best to you as well.... and it IS a try it and see kind of situation at first.  I'd eat something and two hours later see how it affected me and would reduce or drop it accordingly.  I can't eat pasta AT ALL, and potatos affect me as well so those are practically off my list.  I only drink non-fat milk if my numbers are too low because it shoots them right up very quickly....  Iearned this almost immediately because I love all those things and they were always in my former diet...  I had a hard time with ice cream and chose some "no sugar added" and couldn't believe how I reacted to it. Apparently the sugars in the milk produces the same effect as though I was drinking skim milk to raise my BS.  Where I am you can't buy a totally sugar-free ice cream so that's been out as well (except for a fleeting mouthful once in a great while).  I'm better off just not even having it.  So just a heads-up regarding those "No Sugar Added" items.... they can be full of natural sugars.....

BTW, the neuropathy that started in my big toes have not progressed in the 8 years I've been doing this so I must be doing something right....  I hope everyone discovers the best road for them.... as I mentioned before, It's REALLY worth it....  

[Q4u]

Another point of interest:  My doctor recently wanted me to switch from my old tried and true meds to the newer class out there.  I did and tried it for a week (Janumet, half Januvia and half Metformin).  I didn't have any numbers below 180 - 200 on this med and then decided to research the Januvia (also Farxiga, Invokana, etc.) and found a study from the UCLA's Medical School (2013) that is eye opening.  This class of drug when used for a year or more can produce abnormalities in the panctreas which included high levels of both beta cells and alpha cells, more than 3x greater than normal and these cells were arranged in "eccentric" islets that were proliferating into the pancreatic ducts in an unusual way.  Tiny granulated tumors were scattered thoughout their pancreases.  Most of the tumors found in people taking Januvia were adenomas, a type of glandular tumor that starts out benign but can over time turn cancerous.  Animal research illuminated the mechanism involved in this but the drug company kept it quiet.

There is an ongoing lawsuit from a man who lost his wife and would NOT have taken this drug had they known.

Had my numbers from this drug been great I doubt I would have researched it the way I did... and now I'm very glad I did.  In other words.... you DO have to take your health into your own hands the best you can and even with my doctor's encouragement to take this drug, I don't think even she researched it.  I'm very disappointed in her and am actively looking for another doctor.  But I have one more visit with her and I'm taking all my relevant paperwork with me so she can read it as well.  

Be well....  

[Moonchilde]

It seems like the drug companies and the FDA are tossing type 2 drugs at us like chicken feed with utter disregard for long-term side effects (or even short term ones).

I think salesmen come into the doctors' offices and bring these drugs and the doctors try to get patients to try them out for various reasons, few of them patient-centric, without knowing or caring any more about them than the drug rep tells them. It's lazy medicine and it annoys me.

I'm very glad the TV ads now have to list the adverse reactions in plain English on the air. I was intrigued by Invokana & Farxiga, but the minute they said increased UTIs and yeast infections, I said NO. And it seems that MOST of the diabetes drugs coming on the market for the past 10 years cause pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer or are bad for the kidneys or heart. The "cure" is as bad as the disease.