I'm 95% sure I have diabetes

[PennyroyalFrog]

You can beat it.

15 months ago my a1c was just short of full blown type 2. Weighed 267-269 I think it was. Doc wanted to talk about insulin but I told him to give me 3 months. Did hours of research, and basically started doing it all myself.

Fast forward to March of this year. a1c was 5.2 (normal range) and doc told me it's lower than his. He's 44 and runs marathons lol

Just this morning I stepped on the scale. 169 1/2 lbs. Just 2 1/2 lbs away from dropping out of the overweight category.

Anyhow, you may just be pre diabetic, not full blown. Go see doc and after that if you are interested I'll tell you what I did besides eating right and taking the metaformin doc prescribed.

Thanks. I am 5'9" and 200lbs right now. This is the third time in my life I've been at or over 200lbs, and I got down to 150lb twice before. I know it takes lots of work and dedication, but I am confident I can get significantly healthier regardless of the diagnosis.

 

[Wyzsard]

I am confident I can get significantly healthier regardless of the diagnosis.

Confidence plus diligence = win

 

[2HBStrat]

You said you didn't want nutritional advice, so here goes: you have to severely limit your carbs. Eliminate potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, and of course, cake, pie, cookies, candy and ice cream from your diet. OTOH you can eat all you want of meat, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds...

 

[Ronzo]

@PennyroyalFrog,

I am a Type 2 diabetic. At my worst, I weighed 367 pounds. My symptoms were the same as yours - but I took a fasting glucose test and rang up a 480. To quote my doctor, “You should be dead.” Fortunately, I wasn’t.

15 years later, I tested ar 110 fasting this morning. I weigh about 206 at the moment. It’s a struggle every day. But I want to be with my Lady and my kids and grandkids.

It’s really hard, especially if you like sweets and breads. Please don’t try to game the system by drinking water excessively or chasing the magic 100 number without testing, every day. It doesn’t work. Your A1c test doesn’t lie. And lying to yourself never works.

No alcohol. No sweets. No bread.

You can do it.

 

[joe.attaboy]

I have type II diabetes myself, and your symptoms sound a lot like mine from way back. I also have hypertension and elevated cholesterol. I had a heart attack in 2005 at right before my 50th birthday. I'm healthy now and enjoying life. Some advice, if you don't mind:

Severely reducing or staying off alcohol is great. In addition to all the other issues it causes, alcohol has a LOT of sugars, so it exacerbates diabetes and can add to weight gain.

Try very hard to lose some weight. That will go a long way to reducing your blood glucose and A1C levels. Get a glucose meter and check your blood sugar daily. They are worth the expense. For the weight loss, I can strongly recommend WW. Their plans are great, you can eat normal food and it works as long as you stick with the discipline. I've lost significant weight on that program and I swear by it. if you do nothing else regarding food, cut fried foods from your diet. If you like chicken and seafood like shrimp or filet of whatever fish, eat it grilled. Fruits and vegetables are never bad - HOWEVER - if you do have diabetes, you should probably avoid orange juice - it has high levels of natural sugars.

Limiting carbs is good, but don't totally deprive yourself of them; you need some carbs for a balanced diet. Stop any processed sugar and stay away from foods with high quantities of sugars (nutrition labels are your friend). Do you drink soda? Stop, even diet soda.

Hope these tips helped a little. Don't worry about what the doctors tell you - that fact that you're dealing with it and ready to change will keep you in good stead. Stick with your plan. You're going to be fine.

 

[Wyzsard]

Glycemic index of a food × net carbs ÷ 100 = glycemic load

Glycemic load of 10 or less is good.

Example : Black beans have a GI of 30
1/2 cup Black beans have 13 g net carbs ( 20 total carbs - 7 g fiber = 13g net carbs)

So 30(GI) X 13(net carbs) ÷ 100 = 3.9 ( GL)

 

[PennyroyalFrog]

@PennyroyalFrog,

I am a Type 2 diabetic. At my worst, I weighed 367 pounds. My symptoms were the same as yours - but I took a fasting glucose test and rang up a 480. To quote my doctor, “You should be dead.” Fortunately, I wasn’t.

15 years later, I tested ar 110 fasting this morning. I weigh about 206 at the moment. It’s a struggle every day. But I want to be with my Lady and my kids and grandkids.

It’s really hard, especially if you like sweets and breads. Please don’t try to game the system by drinking water excessively or chasing the magic 100 number without testing, every day. It doesn’t work. Your A1c test doesn’t lie. And lying to yourself never works.

No alcohol. No sweets. No bread.

You can do it.

I'm always honest with my doctors whether it be alcohol intake, diet, exercise, et cetera. I have been told that they appreciate my honesty. Before I became addicted to alcohol, and a doctor would ask how much I drink, I would reply, "Not much." This of course was responded with, "How much is 'not much?'" I would say that it was one or two drinks each week, which was accurate at the time. I surmised that they are both trying to clarify what somebody infers is "not much" and also get quantitative data on consumption.

When I started drinking in unhealthy levels, I pretty much initiated the conversation about my drinking at the doctor(s) or dentist, and at its worst, it was about 80 drinks each week (straight vodka). Recently, it was not that high of an amount, but probably still over 65 each week. Really, I never saw the point in lying to doctors or trying to skew test results. They are not the health police ready to arrest you. I know the TV show House was based on the premise that "everybody lies" (which is true in probably some context).

I'm also honest with myself about health, which I think is more so what you were getting at. I also don't believe in easy ways to achieve success.

 

[PennyroyalFrog]

I have type II diabetes myself, and your symptoms sound a lot like mine from way back. I also have hypertension and elevated cholesterol. I had a heart attack in 2005 at right before my 50th birthday. I'm healthy now and enjoying life. Some advice, if you don't mind:

Severely reducing or staying off alcohol is great. In addition to all the other issues it causes, alcohol has a LOT of sugars, so it exacerbates diabetes and can add to weight gain.

Try very hard to lose some weight. That will go a long way to reducing your blood glucose and A1C levels. Get a glucose meter and check your blood sugar daily. They are worth the expense. For the weight loss, I can strongly recommend WW. Their plans are great, you can eat normal food and it works as long as you stick with the discipline. I've lost significant weight on that program and I swear by it. if you do nothing else regarding food, cut fried foods from your diet. If you like chicken and seafood like shrimp or filet of whatever fish, eat it grilled. Fruits and vegetables are never bad - HOWEVER - if you do have diabetes, you should probably avoid orange juice - it has high levels of natural sugars.

Limiting carbs is good, but don't totally deprive yourself of them; you need some carbs for a balanced diet. Stop any processed sugar and stay away from foods with high quantities of sugars (nutrition labels are your friend). Do you drink soda? Stop, even diet soda.

Hope these tips helped a little. Don't worry about what the doctors tell you - that fact that you're dealing with it and ready to change will keep you in good stead. Stick with your plan. You're going to be fine.

This is sage advice according to my experience with others with diabetes.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

Just wanted to pop in and say congratulations on the sobriety. Seriously well done. You got this.

 

[Vibroluxer]

I'm a former ICU RN and to this point you have gotten some very good advice.

Congratulations on the 3 weeks! Ive been there too, give yourself a hug.

 

[soundchaser59]

The easiest is a lifetime of pills and/or insulin. Try to find a doctor who will work with you to work on reversing the diabetes and not just doling out prescriptions.

This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This! This!
I used an herbal supplement to help me break the sugar and carb addiction. Read about garcinia cambogia. When I used it according to the instructions I found I no longer had any sweet cravings. I could eat a hot meal and have no desire at all for desserts. I would have had a much harder time kicking carbs without it, and I believe this is how I stopped gaining weight.
Read about keto and paleo diet styles, and it's less extreme cousin like South Beach diet. Anything you can do to kick carbs and lose the excess weight while avoiding the prescriptions will be life saving.

 

[Tonetele]

You are doing the right thing -seeking professional medical advice. Good luck.!

 

[cyclopean]

Let me preface this by saying:
I am NOT seeking medical or nutritional advice. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for Monday. I am just venting because I feel like I got careless with my health, and I take full responsibility for it. I'm not whining, and am prepared to take the necessary dietary and medical steps to change.

Now that's out of the way, the good news is that I've been sober from alcohol for about three weeks now. However, starting about a week ago, I have had an insatiable thirst and peeing a lot. I have also had other tell-tale signs like blurry vision, fatigue, and more. I have various risk-factors for it: While not close to obesity, I am overweight, I've had a fatty liver most my life, a family history of it (mostly type I), and a few others.

What made me think about 50% sure I have diabetes to 95% is that my girlfriend was able to bring a coworker's old glucometer home, and my blood sugar was about 285 about a half hour ago. For those who don't know, that's way too high. This is without eating since last night (so that's fasting for 18 hours or so; I know that sounds horrible not to eat, is not common, and is another story unrelated). I know how glucometers work (my girlfriend works in cardiac rehab and has to take blood sugar from patients a lot too), so I don't think this is a false positive. Now, I'm looking to get confirmation with my A1C levels through bloodwork and have more than a few appointments to be made if indeed it looks like I have diabetes.


[This part might get a bit preachy and is far more verbose than I meant, but anybody who knows somebody or suffered themselves from addiction might appreciate it]
I made a post about my struggle with alcohol somewhat recently on here and haven't drank since. I have not been a using alcoholic for too much of my life, but it was long enough: part of 2013 and 2019-2022. The routine was pretty much work, get home, get drunk, be an a-hole (at times). My ex-wife and current girlfriend were pretty much the same in every respect, but they are sober now too. Chronic alcoholic abuse destroys virtually every organ in the body, and the pancreas is no different. I'm glad I quit when I did, but of course, would have preferred it to be earlier for many reasons. Not all of us are able to pickle our bodies like Keef.

I don't view this all as a step back, however, as getting off booze was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. I also know I'm not free and clear of it by a long shot.

Time to pay off my health debt, and here's to a healthy life ahead of me. Very limited carbs, no booze.

Wait you divorced your wife but you’re still in a relationship with her?

 

[Bob M]

I’m a type II diabetic. I needed surgery but my A1C was 10.4. The surgeon wouldn’t operate. I did a lot of research and went on a modified Keto type diet. Lost 40 lbs and in 60 days my A1C went down to 6.4. Currently I am trying to keep everything in moderation. I enjoy a scotch or two, maybe a glass of wine, but I count my carb intake at each meal. Lots of good information on various websites. A little personal discipline goes a long way. Good luck my friend. You can do it!

 

[Bob Womack]

Joe Walsh goes around the world telling everyone, "There is life after alcohol, and it is GOOD!" Congrats on sobriety!

I am here to tell you, "There is life after a Diabetes diagnosis, and it is GOOD!"

The medical people in my life told me I needed to make a profound change in my lifestyle or die a miserable death. Black and white. I did. My doctor sent me to a hospital-run education program called "Diabetes University" where I learned about the physiology of the disease and the diet and lifestyle stuff that helped me negotiate the lifestyle change. That was nineteen years ago and I've done really well ever since.

There has never been a better time in the world to suffer from Diabetes. There are many, many foods and medicines available that can help. With discipline, you can live well and enjoy life. Take your doctor's advice, look for a hospital course on the disease, and get disciplined!

Enjoy your life!

Bob

 

[Lawdawg]

It's great that you're tackling this head on instead of waiting for more serious problems to start. Good luck on your journey to better health!

After a solid 10 years of ignoring my weight I dedicated myself in 2022 to making some significant lifestyle changes around food and exercise. So far so good, I can't say enough about the benefits of daily exercise, but it's a real challenge.

 

[Kev-wilson]

From what I've seen, type 2 if caught in the early stages 'can' be reversed with diet '(in 'some' cases), I've read a 'keto' diet can be useful but seems a bit grim, I have type 1 and have come across folk using keto with an insulin pump successfully but eating fat foods just seems counter intuitive to me.
These days (UK at least) most foods have nutritional info on them, grams of carbs per 100 grams & 'of which sugars', simple sugars come into the bloodstream quickly, carbs need to digest so come slower but both are sugars!
Exercise would help, and it doesn't have to be burpees, just something to raise your heart rate for 10 minutes a time a little and grow into it.

Good luck

 

[Wyzsard]

Read about garcinia cambogia.

I'm sold on a few natural suppliments myself.

One needs to research interactions with meds as well as other suppliments though.

One example is green tea...

Why you should never drink tea near a mealtime...

Did you know that drinking tea can severely inhibit your body's ability to absorb vitamins and minerals - especially iron? There are three categories of tea - black, green and herbal. Each has very different properties which affect vitamin and mineral absorption in different ways.

www.justvitamins.co.uk

I drink green tea first thing in the morning but I don't take any vitamin supplements until 3 hours later.

Some minerals inhibit the absorption of other minerals as well which is why, imo, multi-vitamin and mineral supplements should be avoided.

Anyhow, one has to be willing to do their homework to avoid detrimental effects of taking suppliments. My doctor is great but he's not too keen on supplements. So I've spent countless hours doing my own research.

Doc has actually told me to stay away from supplements but my blood work hasn't indicated any issues. I pointed that out to him and he conceded such.

 

[Chester P Squier]

Pennyroyalfrog, you are to be commended for taking control of your health. We are praying for your success in this.

When I saw my primary care physician he didn't like my A1C even though it was 6.5. He didn't like the direction it was going in. He was even saying good things about one of his other patients' all-meat diet, which surprised me.

A couple of days later I got my hair cut. Hanging on the wall was a ball cap with the words "Hard Core Carnivore." I asked the lady cutting my hair about this, and she said she is on an all-meat diet. She is very thin. And does a great job cutting my hair.

My wife put me on what she calls "the diabetic diet." I have lost 8 pounds. A few weeks after seeing my PCP, I had an appointment with my cardiologist. It was a very good and positive visit. The nurse did an EKG and the doctor was very pleased with the results. After losing the weight and getting my blood pressure 'way down, it was a much more pleasant doctor visit than with my PCP.

(Yeah, 8 pounds doesn't sound like much, but I'm a skinny fat person. Imagine Neil Young with a bit of a gut.)

 

[mindlobster]

I'm on this journey myself, just came back 5 minutes ago from a weigh-in that showed good progress. It helps to have somebody else monitor your efforts. Well done and good luck to all of us.