We are all fortunate in a way , we have a world of info at our fingertips in our PC. Check out the glycemic index and educate yourself on your diet. Dump those bad carbs! , portion control ,and test to see how foods affect your readings. It aint easy ,but if others can do it so can you. If you are diabetic , it isnt the end of the world.

I'm gonna reply for those other's out there reading this.

Getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is not pleasant,but I have to agree with Michael-it's really not that big a deal as long as you accept it (denial is the first reaction),and learn to adjust your lifestyle & eating habits.

This is a disease that YOU have the power to control!

If you choose to ignore it-you will suffer the results,PN,kidney failure,even possible blindness,to name a few.

You can't cheat on this or you will only hurt yourself. It's a matter of self-control. I mentioned denial-that's the biggie for alot of us. We tend to think we can just go on eating whatever we want & tomorrow we will be "good". It doesn't work that way!

And I personally feel too many doctor's are ignorant about carbs & tend to hand out pills. I know people that eat a donut & take a pill! Now that just doesn't make any sense.

And keep in mind that everyone's body reacts differently. What one person can eat-another cannot. When we eat,when we exercise,when we test-these are all individual issues. Don't go by your spouse,neighbor,even what the doctor says. Keep a journal of your readings & learn how YOUR body reacts. Don't panic when you have a high reading,just stay away from that particular food.

My first doc actually told me to drink Slimfast between meals & I believed her! Do your own research. Read books written by diabetics-not promoters of various products or meds.

Get copies of all test results. If on meds make sure you know how your liver & kidneys are being affected.

Buttons

Hi all, I can tell you that I've been bad & will now pay the price-blindness. Please go to my new thread: diabetic retinopathy.

Buttons

Hi. I'm Melody, diabetic for 20 years.

I was morbidly obese most of my life. Got to over 300 lbs. Not a pretty sight. Neither is Diabetic Neuropathy, which is what I have.

The worse thing I ever did was not pay attention when I was told I was diabetic. I must have been living in dream land when I was 40. I could have prevented a lot of nasty stuff. But no, I used to vegetate in front of the tv with chips, and dips and that's just what I did.

I'm happy to say I no longer do this kind of behavior. I just re-programmed my head and said 'enough is enough". My doctors are happy with me, and I'm happy with me.

I'm 60 and I actually have a chance to get off of Lantus. I'm down to 26 units (from 46) when I started almost 3 years ago.

I walk every day, and most important, I watch everything that goes into my mouth. I do not eat red meat (upon the advice of a nutritionist). Haven't gone near this in many years. I don't miss it. I do eat plenty of fish and I check the size of the fish because of the mercury content.

I eat grilled chicken on top of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, radishes, sprouts (don't laugh, but it's good). I drink plenty of water.

I do not go near anything with aspertame. (Equal, nutrasweet. it's all the same).

I take care of my body now, because, when you think about it, if I don't who on earth will??

So to all of you dealing with weight issues, believe me, I was a member of that club for most of my life. I didn't like the way I was treated. I didn't like the way I felt. The depression was awful.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Believe me.

I used to weigh over 300.

I do not any more.

I have about 20 or so pounds to go but even if I don't lose any more, I'm okay because my sugar reading is just fine each day and I do all I can to keep it that way.

Oh, and many of you will find this helpful. I take a Methyl B-12 sublingual tablet (5000) each morning when I wake up. I have diabetic neuropathy (the burning).

Believe me, (and this may only apply to me, I have no idea if this will help anybody else), But my burning reduced like crazy.

My feet only burn now if I get stressed.

So I do all I can not to get stressed.

We really do have to take care of ourselves. We are all we have. And if you have children, you really do have to take care of yourselves so you can watch them grow and learn. You are their role models.

So if you smoke - please try and stop.

If you are obese - do whatever you have to do to eat a better way.

It really is your life and your future we are talking about here.

And I'm 60. I could say "oh, what the heck, I'm 60, it doesn't matter what I look like".

I'm here to tell you. IT MATTERS VERY MUCH WHAT I LOOK LIKE, AND WHAT I FEEL LIKE.

Neuropathy is no walk in the park.

You don't want to get it.

So eat good, and laugh every day.

And kiss your kid (if you have any)

Melody

P.S. My husband and I have discovered youtube and he's a riot. I also make videos and that's how my family, friends and I communicate. I am putting a link to a video I made over he summer. I was 59 when I made this. Check out my other videos. You'll laugh your head off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipnXBqlXHSo

I suppose it's all relative. If you have type I and are on an insulin pump like myself, type II seems to be pretty manageable. When my insulin levels are out of wack, it's not unusual for my sugars to go as high as 500 in very short order. My DH has type II and never gets higher than 179. I feel like he is the lucky one who could survive if there was a disaster like Katrina in my neck of the woods. I already know that I would not survive if separated from my insulin for as little as a day. Very sobering.

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn:

You are amazing. I read your post and I said to myself "I can learn from this person". Many people with diabetes (and this includes ALL of my friends who are diabetic), well they have no clue about insulin levels, and carbs and anything like that.

I have 3 friends with type 2. The other day my friend (she's 63), called me up and said "My sugar is getting better" and I said 'oh, what's the number?" and she said "175". and I said 'that's better???" and she said "well, it's been 265 for 2 years".

I just sat there dumbfounded. She could have gone into a diabetic protocl with me at Cornell Medical Center where they supply you with everything (including blood pressure meds if you are on them), They have been conducting a special protocol to check heart disease in diabetic women The only necessary factor was that you had to be over the age of 45.

She fit into this category. I was obese and so is she. I said 'come with me", we can do this together. All I got was excuses.

I said to myself "this is a no-brainer, if they will monitor me, give me excellent check-ups, check me for neuropathy, provide me will all my meds, my testing strips, my meter, and all I have to do is go there once a month (initially), and once every two months after that", well, to me, it was a no-brainer. They hooked me up with a nutritionist and the rest was history.

See, the thing was, "I HAD TO WANT TO DO IT'. I had to want to change my behavior. If I wasn't willing to do this, I would not have gotten my sugar reading down to normal levels.

It was explained to me that most Type 2 diabetics (not all, mind you, but the majority), have developed Type 2 because of obesity. So this fit me to a tee. Bad eating habits, pigging out in front of the tv at night with chips and dips. I call this self-medicating with food.

Once I got the light bulb moment and took the blinders off, I acknowledged that I was not handling my diabetes in the best manner. I was kidding myself.

So I took myself to Cornell and they really did help me. I went there taking 8 oral meds a day and my sugar once got to 400. It only got to 400 because I shoveled snow that day. Usually it was 235. When I saw the 400 I called my primary care physician and said "You must help me, my sugar is 400". I immediately went to him and he said "what the heck did you put in your mouth"? I said 'nothing, I went out and shoveled the sidewalk for 45 minutes". He said "oh that explains it". I said 'that explains it??? what the heck does shoveling snow do to a person's sugar"?

He explained how excessive exercise (when a person does not usually do this type of behavior), can trigger insulin response and the pancrease.. blah blah, well, the doctor can explain this to me 100 times, and I still don't get it, but suffice it to say, that was the reason for my sugar to go to 400.

I remember, when I came back from shoveling show, I told my husband "boy, I bet my sugar is 100, I just exercised by shoveling snow for 45 mintues".

You should have seen the look on his face when we saw the reading on the meter.

So I went to my doctor and the said 'listen, I want you off all this oral crap, and I want you to go on Lantus".

I told him "I have contacted Cornell and they are doing a diabetic protocol and he said "terrific".

I went that week, (that was almost 3 years ago, maybe a bit more) I had the health examination of my life. It was explained to me all about diabetic neuropathy. I did not have it at the time. I was diabetic for about 17 years by the time I went to Cornell.

Forget about what I weighed, I was in complete denial. I did not understand the IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SUGAR CONTROL.

But I learned. I stopped eating the white stuff and I started listening to the nutritionist and to my doctor at Cornell.

They put me on Lantus along with 4 of the Metformin. Slowly, I got off the metformin (which ruined my stomach, I went to the bathroom every day, all day long).

I was extremely happy to get off of metformin.

So I started on 46 units of the Lantus. I am now down to 26.

I go back this friday for my big checkup, blood work. Perhaps they'll put me down to 22 of the Lantus (they always reduce by 4 points when they take me down on the Lantus).

Who knows?? But I am on Zestoretic. My pressure is just fine. I'm on it to protect my kidneys but I've been on high blood pressure meds since I'm 26 because of hypertension. I'm very high strung and I acknowledge this. I do all I can to face my fears and stop being so neurotic. I do try, believe me.

But as we age, we become more fearful and I fight this every day.

So I look better, and the bonus, (and believe me, this is a bonus), I get to wear pretty skirts and blouses and I stopped having to wear black all the time. Fat people think that wearing black makes you look thinner, and while it is slimming, when you wear a size 24 1/2 dress, it can be black, purple or dark brown, you are still wearing a size 24 and 1/2.

I once ballooned up to 300 lbs. Did that stop from from eating?? Not on your life. I just had to be READY TO CHANGE MY EATING HABITS.

Thankfully, I got to that point.

I wish I could take every obese person and sit them down and explain what is going on in their bodies. Instead, I watch the Biggest Loser on TV and I cheer right along with these people.

I'm not young, but I'm not dead either.

I will go down fighting.

There's a pretty skirt I saw in the window. And guess what???

This summer, I will start wearing belts. May not seem like a big thing to anybody else BUT I NEVER WORE A BELT IN MY LIFE.

This year, I shall wear belts.

And every morning I juice fresh juice and veggies in my Juiceman Jr. machine.

It really tastes good and it has live enzymes.

I mean, I only have one life, so I want to make the most of it.

I also have neuropathy, but I take Methyl B-12 and it greatly helps with the burning.

Caroline, I can't imagine being type 1, and having to wear a pump. I think you are doing the best you can and I believe you can survive without anyone.

You are a fighter. Let's hope you never get separated from your insulin.

Here's a pretty graphic showing how women have fighting spirits.

Take care!!!