dibetes?

[ronbre]

well I really don't know for sure if they are right but after a non fasting blood test (after eating a bunch of brownies, banana bread and potatoes) they said my blood sugar was 166 and that i have early diabetes..(phone call from dr's nurse) and that they are setting me up with a specialist (which I can't afford with no insurance)..

OK ..if they are right and I do have early diabetes..what should i be doing.

not getting a lot of info googling it other than lose weight (i know that) exercise..(generally i exercise more than most people but this past month with the back inujury and rain and cold i have slacked off some of my exercises)..and eat no white flour, white sugar, white rice, white potatoes..etc..right?

I know i was eating bad and not exercising this past month..could that bring out a false positive on that test?? or am i just foolinig myself in thinking that they are wrong..i do have some symptoms but not most of them..i have had neuropathy for about 25 years..but never tested high on my sugar..ever..and i have had blurred vision after reading for a little while..which did have me wondering

[PonderosaQ]

What should you be doing? Cut your carbohydrate intake down to no more than 50 carbs per meal. It doesn't matter how you get those carbs...so you can eat some bread, cake, or other goodies as part of your 50 crab allowance. Exercise, even walking helps a lot. 166 is not a huge # for BG after eating. A test called an A1C would tell you for sure if you have diabetes. It will give the dr a reading of your blood sugar over the past 2-3 months. You can buy a home test for that for $19.99 so I don't imagine the dr could charge that much for one which would be more accurate than the home test. The American Diabetes Assoc will give or send you lots of info if you contact them. Most hospitals offer a diabetes education class. Ours will let you attend free if you can't pay.
Good luck ...

[Explorer]

It sound like you may have Type II (adult onset).

Type I and Type II Diabetes are two different diseases.

Type I is a Pancreatic disease.

Type II is a Metabolic disease.

Their only similarity is/are the symptoms, not the cause. Solving or curing one of them will do nothing to solve or cure the other.

Type I, the pancreas does not generate enough or any Insulin and you must inject it.

Type II, the body, at the cellular level begins to reject insulin as the cell's facilitator for the consumption of glucose (sugar, the bodies real food). Insulin no longer functions or no longer functions properly as the "key" to open up the cell to consume the sugar/food in the blood stream.

Type II can be controlled by pills and proper eating, if it is advance beyond just dietary solution.

[Belfrybat]

It's your health, but I wouldn't go to a specialist at this point. IMO it's a big waste of $$. Stay away from the ADA like the plague -- following their guidelines will put you in an early grave! I have diabetes and if I ate 50 grams of carb per meal, my blood sugar readings would be sky high unless I took tons of meds. Aim to keep your blood sugar under 100 (mid 80's is better) at all times. At the minimum, try not to go over 140 two hours after the start of a meal -- that is the point where neuropathy begins to set in.

Walmart has a Relion A1C test kit for $9.00. Take that and if your A1C is over 5.5, then you have either pre- or full fledged diabetes. Get a blood meter and test strips -- the Relion is the cheapest of any I've found (I also don't have insurance.) Read Dr. Richard Bernstein's book The Diabetes Solution (most of the book can be found on the internet -- just do a search. Come join us over at the diabetes solution forum for lots and lots of assistance. Just do a search, as I'm not sure I'm allowed to list the link.
Go the the website 101bloodsugar -- once again do a search to find it. There are lots and lots of good info out there, but you do have to sift through the ADA cr*p.

Be of good cheer, I was diagnosed 6 years ago as type 2 with an A1c of 7.2 -- have lost 60#s, and my current A1c is 5.7 -- not as low as Dr. B recommends but low enough not to have an neuropathy. And it wasn't all that difficult reversing things once I figured out the right path to take.

PM me if you want more info.

[Patt]

My Father and FIL both had this and both got it under control quickly by watching their diets and losing some weight. Since you caught it so early diet should definitely work for you.

[GrannyG]

You need to have a Fasting Blood Sugar done, not post prandial testing.

[Big Dave]

Dang
I was told that I have it by just getting my blood take last year. What to do, what to do. So mach advise and so much information.
I ignored most of it but have come to find out it is the same but different in everyone of us. I found a magazine that gave portion sizes. I bought a blood testing meter. Those strips are expensive. I studied up on carbs. The first week all I could find to eat was Italian Wedding soup by Campbells at the store. I have shrank my appetite and that has helped me get my portions in line. I am buying a scale and some scoops to also help me.I am on a med that helps me maintain low blood sugars. I do not have insurance so I am self pay as you are. Try to get this under controll and go back in 6 months to get you blood sugars tested again. You are worth it and it is your health. It is also your debt. Dr's will have a barrage of tests that may or may not be the right thing for you to do. This is just my experiance and not to be taken as what to do.Hope you glean something from it.

[Our Little Farm]

Originally Posted by GrannyG

You need to have a Fasting Blood Sugar done, not post prandial testing.

[April]

Decrease your sugar and carbs, increase your fiber (a lot) and add exercise. That is the absolute "cure" for Type 2 diabetes.

[mnn2501]

If your doctor did a non-fasting blood test and said you had diabetes, you should be shopping for a new doctor.
You need to do a fasing blood test to check your A1C - which is basically a 3 month record of your blood sugar - by not fasting (and eating a bunch of brownies before the test) it would throw that number off.

[Terri]

My mantra is "lean protien is my friend". Lean protien gives me a meal but is kind to my blood sugar.

I also NEED to eat snacks between meals: if I do not I WILL binge!!!!!!!!

Yes to cutting DOWN on carbs, but do not cut them out entirely. When I eat spagetti and meatballs I eat much less spagetti and more meatballs, and I no longer eat bread with it. If I eat a sandwich I usually skip the fries, because I have already eaten my carbs in the form of bread.

Snacks are often a piece of fruit or a fistfull of crackers. If I do not eat it I will over eat later, as it is hard to put food down when you are still hungry. Snacks kill my appetite a little, so I am satisfied with a smaller meal.

The key to the diet is this: your body can no longer regulate your blood sugar properly. So, we eat smaller amounts of food often, to give us a slow and steady release of blood sugar, which makes it much easier for your body to keep your blood sugar within a normal range.

166 after eating is not bad but it *IS* a warning. Support your body by changing your diet.

[Fae]

My Mother was type 2, my sister is type 2 and my DH is type 2. My DS and DH need to lose some weight and would probably be able to get off most if not all of their meds. I have found that the best diet for me is the diet they gave my husband when he went to classes after his diagnosis. He had an ecellent teacher who told them they could eat anything as long as they ate the right amount of each thing but why would you want to eat empty calories except on certain occasions. I agree about finding another doctor if he ordered a non-fasting blool test. We eat sweet potatoes, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread instead of white stuff. We(or rather I) learned portion control. We do use white sugar because I believe artifial sweeteners are one of the worst things you can do to yourself. We do use it in moderation though. There are ecelent books and cookbooks out there which can really help. Good luck with your journey. ETA: we also switched to whole wheat pasta. It is not the same but it is very good.

[Betty Jean]

It is just as important to maintain good blood sugar control in Type II as in Type I diabetes.

My mother had Type II and was very non-compliant with her diet and blood sugar monitoring. She ended up with kidney failure, high blood pressure, being on dialysis, numerous small strokes that lead to vascular dementia, nursing home care and death at the early age of 70.

But hey, she darn well ate her chili dogs, chips and cookies when she felt like it, and nobody was going to tell her she shouldn't drink her Pepsi.

[Elffriend]

A non-fasting test is pretty much useless for diagnosing diabetes, especially since 166 is not very high. You should have a fasting below 100 (some prefer below 90) and a 2 hr post prandial (after a meal) below 140. They should also do an HbA1C, which will give you an idea of what your average blood glucose has been over the past three months. You want to see that between 4 and 6.

Some companies will give you a coupon for a free glucometer if you buy a box of their test strips. You should get one and test yourself daily. Keep a log of what you eat at each meal and what your reading was two hours after that meal. Also do fasting tests each morning when you first get up.

I also recommend going low carb with your diet. Cut out all the starches. Get most of your carbs from non-starchy veggies and small (very small) quantities of fruit. No junk food, at least for awhile, until you see how things are going.

Here's a link to get a free One-Touch Mini glucometer:
https://www.onetouchdiabetes.com/off...paign=2010DRTV

[hengal]

Originally Posted by GrannyG

You need to have a Fasting Blood Sugar done, not post prandial testing.

My thoughts exactly. Anyone's would be high after eating what you did and then getting their sugar checked. Make a new appt for the test (early in the am then you won't have to starve all day)

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by ronbre

well I really don't know for sure if they are right but after a non fasting blood test (after eating a bunch of brownies, banana bread and potatoes) they said my blood sugar was 166 and that i have early diabetes..(phone call from dr's nurse) and that they are setting me up with a specialist (which I can't afford with no insurance)..

Was it more than an hour or two after you ate that they took the blood? If not, I wouldn't be overly worried at this point. They don't test for at least an hour after eating, usually two when they make the diagnosis of DM. If you are especially concerned ask the doctor ( not specialist, just the doctor) to do an HgA1c. You will know for sure if it is a correct diagnosis by that one blood test.

You can go on a low carb eating plan. That will bring it to normal. Your sugar wasn't that high. I know it's scary, but it wasn't that horribly bad. I have had mine up to 400 with no ill effects. Back 25yrs ago, mine was like yours, just starting to be an issue. And I didn't have to go on (oral) medication for over 15yrs. It was easily controlled by just avoiding carbohydrates. As I aged, and tended to eat more sugar, it did go up to the point I was eventually put on medication. But I promise you that 166 isn't that bad, especially if you just ate. It can probably be controlled by diet and exercise if you will do it. Even now, if I watch what I eat, my sugar will stay under 150 with no medication, and I was diagnosed 25+yrs ago.

[Callieslamb]

I think your Dr saw an issue and is passing you on to someone who can looking into it further. How long after you ate was the test taken? That would tell us more than anything else. DH takes his BS 2 hours after he eats and that determines how much insulin he takes.

the dietitian told us to eat 4 servings of carbs per meal - that's 15 grams each serving. Most of it should come from whole grains, veggies and fresh fruits - not just any carb. Eat more of the ones that disgest more slowly. Just counting carbs isn't enough. The trick with Diabetes is to keep your Blood sugar from surging - never let it go too high or too low. Just as important as carb intake is HOW MUCH food you eat at one time. Cut your servings in half. If you are still hungry, you can always have a snack in an hour or so. Don't eat anything that has more than a tsp of blatant sugar in it.

Exercise, exercise, exercise. Even walking will greatly help keep your BS level. I would see what I could do on my own before going back to the DR...but I would go back and have my BS checked again in a few weeks. Not doing anything when diabetes is possible is not the right choice.

There is lots of online info about diabetes and how to control it.

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by ronbre

well I really don't know for sure if they are right but after a non fasting blood test (after eating a bunch of brownies, banana bread and potatoes) they said my blood sugar was 166 and that i have early diabetes..(phone call from dr's nurse) and that they are setting me up with a specialist (which I can't afford with no insurance)..

Ummm, if that means you have diabetes then 98% of the population also has it. Before you go to a specialist ask them to do a fasting test and a Hemoglobin A1C. The latter test gives the average blood sugar over the last three months.

It is normal to have an elevated blood sugar after eating. I'd be more concerned if it wasn't elevated after eating.

We should all eat in a healthy manner. I'd not change my diet at this point. I might change my doctor (or at least his nurse) though.

[wyld thang]

check out the caveman diet

exercise def helps regulate/even out insulin(both strength and cardio), also there is something about eating protein and fat WITH any carbs that helps with insulin too (like milk with cookies). ANyone know the technical name for that idea?

And how does your doctor take a test like that after you eat banana bread, brownies and potatoes? that's almost guaranteeing a high score? I would think there woudl be better things to eat before the test. I've only had the fasting tests.

My second pregnancy I had the fasting test and was told I had gestational diabetes, did the rigamarole, then got tested again and was completely fine(and had no other symptoms of g diabetes, and wasn't at risk to begin with), the doc said the scores might have gotten switched, it happens.

[ldc]

ronbre, I learned I had diabetes unexpectedly (did a test at a local health fair), took the meds for 2 years, learned to eat 6 to 8 balanced mini-meals per day, no "white" foods, no sugar (I use stevia in my one cup of coffee now!), SMALL amounts of fruit, lost 8 lbs, exercise every day, and was able to stop the meds (after 2 yrs.). I tested w a meter 6x/day in the beginning, and learned it was processed carbs that sent my numbers way up. I think that in general I got this from stress (taking care of 6 of my family's elderly) as no one else ever had this in our family - we get other nasty things! - that we know of. You have a stressful situation; everything you can do to keep the stress down will also help you. These days I walk every morning, besides going to the gym which I've done most of my life. Also swim. I couldn't ever follow the American D. Assoc.' ideas because I already grew and ate/eat tons of veg per day, no junk. What helped me was switching entirely to wheat berries, wh. wheat pasta, brown rice, no spuds. The meds made me physically sick; I was very relieved that after losing the first 6 lbs., my blood sugar went down to normal. And please don't concern yrself with other people's "normal" numbers; everyone is truly different. If mine had hit 200, the dr said I would have had a massive stroke... Take care, ldc