Wellness

[chrystaltree]

OP, all the advice and the googled info is well intentioned.  Please, ignore it all and just make an appoint with an Endocrinologist or the Diabetes Clinic in your local hospital.   You need medical guidance; not anecdotes.

[Helen852]

@Havarti

Well stated. It's not something to take lightly.   It can affect circulation, eyesight and so many other things.  

It certainly isn't easy, but it's a lifestyle change. Healthy cooking and choices.  In fact, I would bet that the packet given to the OP by her doctor(s) states exactly what has been reflected here today.  

[RedTop]

My husband has been diabetic for 20 years, and I can tell you that your daily diet is not diabetic friendly.  If you feel lost and confused in trying to figure out what to eat, I suggest trying to find a Diabetic Support Group in your area.  In my area this group is led by the Diabetes Educator from our local hospital, who also teaches the quarterly Diabetes Education classes.   The classes are very informative and in all the ones we have taken, the instructor uses plastic food as visuals to show you what size portion you should have.   You will learn the difference between good carbs and bad carbs.  

A better breakfast would be half a banana, a cup of cornflakes, a cup of milk, or half a cup of cooked cereal, half a grapefruit, and a cup of sugar free, fat free yogurt.   Eggs and reduced calorie toast are a good choice as well.   Your diet is missing what I call stabilizing carbs; bread, potatoes, and meat protein.   Weight Watcher and Healthy Choice entrees are a decent choice for a diabetic meal, try not to exceed 60 carbs.   You do not want to eat these meals daily, but you do want your food choices to be similar as far as type of food and portion size, to what is found in packaged meals.   Fill the rest of your plate with salad and low fat dressing.  

That sick, shaky feeling is a sure sign your blood sugar is dropping.   You absolutely cannot take a drug like Metformin, without carbs and protein in your system.   The donuts and ice cream have to be the occasional special treat, not something you eat every day.  

You definitely have changes to make, and having been there, done that, I urge you to find what works for you.   My husband and I have always been meat and potato people, and there's absolutely no way on Gods green earth that diabetes is going to turn us into anything else.   No food is off limits or banned from this house, but we work much harder to make wiser choices.   We have learned to eat more vegetables, cut back on our starchy carbs, far less pasta and bread, but we will never be vegetarians, vegans, or anything but meat and potato people.   Best wishes to you.  

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Imadickens wrote:

My regular doctor retired last December. He was watching my Ac1 level, which was elevated but not terrible, like 5.7-5.9 depending on when it was tested. We talked about being mindful of my diet and I try, sort of. My new doctor drew blood at my first visit. He said it was 6.7 and declared I had been diabetic for years! He's well liked and respected by all of my friends which is why I decided to use him. But, after he told me he believes I'm diabetic, he prescribed Metformin and said nothing else! When I was paying my copay I mentioned my diagnosis to the nurse. She handed me a packet of notes from the Internet, nothing the average person wouldn't know!

After some trouble getting used to Metformin, I am finally on it with little problem. When I saw the doc next, my number was down to 6.3. I told him I felt like I was on my own with everything. He said he had an easy way to manage my diabetes and was going to tell me. He got called out on an emergency before he did. At the desk I told the nurse what he said and she handed me the packet again!  I've done a lot of research online, but I feel like I am floundering! I know about glycemic index, etc. I make an effort to watch that I don't eat a lot of carbs, but the only foods that taste good to me ARE carbs! I think my taste buds have been affected by my autoimmune disease as I have burned mouth syndrome. I test my blood and it is usually 119-123 first thing in the morning. It is usually no more than 157 at any give time and only once was it 169. The doctor did not tell me to test my blood so I have no idea what I'm doing with it, either! I have mobility issues so what I eat for breakfast and lunch needs to be something I can grab easily, like a donut (shh! Don't yell at me!😉). For lunch I do ok. I eat cottage cheese and fruit. I eat mini saltines for snack, and not a lot for dinner, but later I eat mini ice cream cones for desert. If we have fresh fruit I will eat it during the day as well.

I haven't been feeling well lately. When I am getting ready to go out I will get very shaky, and feel generally weak and I'll. I test at 120 so I doubt it's my sugar. I also will wake from sleep feeling the same way! I'm about to go crazy! I rarely go anywhere anymore because of how I feel! I'm also afraid I will harm my organs. I've had pancreatitis twice! I'm open to advice! Thanks!

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@Imadickens

With all due respect .... you're pretty clueless about what you should be doing.   Ice cream cones?  Doughnuts?  Seriously??

Don't shoot yourself in the foot here ....  there are plenty of resources out there for you.  STOP playing Russian Roulette with your health and get going!   

[sidsmom]

Low Fat Whole Foods Plant Based diet

is the answer for diabetes prevention AND cure.

Intramyocellular lipids

Intra = inside

Myo = muscle

Cellular = cells

Lipids = fat

"In humans, a negative correlation between insulin sensitivity and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content has been shown; thus, IMCL becomes a marker for insulin resistance." (ADA)

Translation = Fat within the muscle cells CAUSES insulin resistance.

Solution = Remove the dietary FAT in the diet & your body will correctly use the insulin it produces.

It's so simple.  Diabetes can be CURED just by a correct diet...low fat, whole foods, plant based diet. 

EAT CARBOHYDRATES!!!!  

A plate of dry baked potatoes, dressed with salsa, tons of vegetables on the side...add beans if desired.  

Eliminate:

Just eliminate the fat....no oil, no saturated fats, limiting nuts, seeds & avocado....no animal products, meats, dairy, cheese, eggs.  

Eat LOTS of:

Rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, squash, leafy greens, fruit, vegetables, lots & lots of spices & flavorings.  

Eliminating the the dietary fat is the key to diabetes prevention AND cure.

Simple. 

[Moonchilde]

@Imadickens, my "intro to being diabetic" was much like yours. My diagnostic BG was 550(!) and my doctor's office gave me a RX for 500 mg of Metformin twice a day, patted me on the butt and sent me out the door. No one gave me any hand-outs or told me *anything.* I had to do all the "work."

Fortunately for me, I'm a "researcher" by nature and also worked, before retirement six months ago, in the medical field for 47 years. I got on the internet -

Ask your doctor for a consultation with a registered dietician, preferably one who specializes in diabetes if you can find one. They will give you tons of hand-outs with dietary info, portion size, carb watching, etc. and give you good guidelines.  Most hospitals also give diabetes classes - some free, some for a fee - which your insurance might pay for. These classes are usually well worth it.

You *should* be testing your BG so that you know what your body's reaction is to what you're eating. Your insurance will pay for a meter and test strips. I had one "lesson" in the doctor's office on how to stick myself :-(

And lastly - join a diabetes forum or forums. There are 2-3 that are VERY active and VERY helpful to newbies. Tell you anything you'd want to know. I learned everything from them and nothing from my doctor.

Google "Diabetes Daily" and "Tudiabetes" for starters or diabetesforum.com.

[ID2]

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@sidsmom wrote:

Low Fat Whole Foods Plant Based diet

is the answer for diabetes prevention AND cure.

Intramyocellular lipids

Intra = inside

Myo = muscle

Cellular = cells

Lipids = fat

"In humans, a negative correlation between insulin sensitivity and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content has been shown; thus, IMCL becomes a marker for insulin resistance." (ADA)

Translation = Fat within the muscle cells CAUSES insulin resistance.

Solution = Remove the dietary FAT in the diet & your body will correctly use the insulin it produces.

It's so simple.  Diabetes can be CURED just by a correct diet...low fat, whole foods, plant based diet. 

EAT CARBOHYDRATES!!!!  

A plate of dry baked potatoes, dressed with salsa, tons of vegetables on the side...add beans if desired.  

Eliminate:

Just eliminate the fat....no oil, no saturated fats, limiting nuts, seeds & avocado....all animal products, meats, dairy, cheese, eggs.  

Eat LOTS of:

Rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, squash, leafy greens, fruit, vegetables, lots & lots of spices & flavorings.  

Eliminating the the dietary fat is the key to diabetes prevention AND cure.

Simple. 

Please OP please don't listen to the suggestions in the above post! They are insanely incorrect! I'm a type 1 diabetic, have been for 38 years so I consider myself pretty much an expert on the subject. My suggestion to you is to be proactive with your doctor. Demand to be enrolled in your local classes. If you are still uncomfortable, find another doctor pronto. Good luck to you! Keep us posted. 

[Tinkrbl44]

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@ID2 wrote:

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@sidsmom wrote:

Low Fat Whole Foods Plant Based diet

is the answer for diabetes prevention AND cure.

Intramyocellular lipids

Intra = inside

Myo = muscle

Cellular = cells

Lipids = fat

"In humans, a negative correlation between insulin sensitivity and intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content has been shown; thus, IMCL becomes a marker for insulin resistance." (ADA)

Translation = Fat within the muscle cells CAUSES insulin resistance.

Solution = Remove the dietary FAT in the diet & your body will correctly use the insulin it produces.

It's so simple.  Diabetes can be CURED just by a correct diet...low fat, whole foods, plant based diet. 

EAT CARBOHYDRATES!!!!  

A plate of dry baked potatoes, dressed with salsa, tons of vegetables on the side...add beans if desired.  

Eliminate:

Just eliminate the fat....no oil, no saturated fats, limiting nuts, seeds & avocado....all animal products, meats, dairy, cheese, eggs.  

Eat LOTS of:

Rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, squash, leafy greens, fruit, vegetables, lots & lots of spices & flavorings.  

Eliminating the the dietary fat is the key to diabetes prevention AND cure.

Simple. 

Please OP please don't listen to the suggestions in the above post! They are insanely incorrect! I'm a type 1 diabetic, have been for 38 years so I consider myself pretty much an expert on the subject. My suggestion to you is to be proactive with your doctor. Demand to be enrolled in your local classes. If you are still uncomfortable, find another doctor pronto. Good luck to you! Keep us posted. 

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@ID2     @Imadickens

YES ......  PLEASE ignore the comments in Post # 16 .... very dangerous information for diabetics.    

[151949]

OP - your doctor sounds like an idiot.The American diabetes Assoc. says that a diagnosis of diabetes is when your A1c is 7.0 or greater 2x in a row. My doctor , like yours jumped the gun on this and after I started to get information from the ADA I took it in to his office and we discussed it. he admitted he was wrong. Look for a class at your local hospital or call the ADA. Yolu can't do this without a class and without a blood sugar meter to monitor yourself.

[candyagain]

Hello, newly diagnosed myself, about a year ago. You will get the hang of it and you will be better than ever! It is a lot to take in and a lot of lifestyle changes. I was overwhelmed at first -- and still not perfect now -- but I'm learning. I also feel so much better than I did before finding out what was wrong.

My thoughts for you:

1}. Switch doctors.

2) Find a diabetic management/education program that your health plan will accept. I've learned more from that than the doctor's office because the nutritionist and the educator have time to focus on all my questions.

3). Change your eating habits one meal at a time. Don't get discouraged. If you "blow it" at one meal, get back on the plan the next meal (or the next day). Experiment with new food items that are good for you but taste good, too. Once I got over the shock I started to enjoy looking for new foods.

4). Popcorn, diet jello/pudding, yellow cherry tomatoes with a little salt, unsalted peanuts.....some of the things that help me to stay on target.

Keep in touch. Let us know how you're doing.

Candy