So My story is ...
I found out I had type 2 diabetes on October 14 after going to the emergency room. My A1C was 8.5, but that honestly wasn’t the part that hit the hardest.
The doctor came in and told me they were going to have to remove my foot.
Long story short: I didn’t know I was diabetic. I
Hello Knowing is half the battle.
yea its been a complete change of lifestyle for me i went from never going to the dr for anything to going twice a week.
Surlt half the battlee
Not cool bruh....it's been 6hrs and I still can't get that theme song out of my head.
It’s a silent killer. You can buy a glucose monitor to check your sugar levels throughout the day
Yeah I have one now! i have to check once a day minimum etc. etc. im sure its the same rules for everyone else. im still on metformin 1000mg / day
That’s pretty rough spending a holidays in the ER and losing two toes. It would be good if you have a continuous glucose monitoring it helps when you’re first starting out. That way you know what spikes your blood sugar, but lowers it things like that. I have a Dexcom and it’s a game changer.
i hit the ground running with keeping track of it for the first few weeks i checked 1 hour after every meal so i have a pretty decent concept of what affects me the most and luckily its not proteins lol
It’s usually most carbs. Any good fats, meats, veggies is good. No bread, sugar drinks, pasta. Fruits is ok if you want something sweet, but limit portions.
Oct 14 was the ER visit. I don’t think they made op wait til the holidays to remove damaged toes. Lol not important to bring to your attention but I figured I would
Oh, phew! That makes losing the toes not so bad 😂😂😂
no i was admitted oct 14 surgery 15th second surgery the 19th released from hospital on the 27th then skin graft surgery on nov 18 still under rules to not apply pressure to that foot
I found out this year as well, 8.4 and it changed everything in my life
everything! i have a 7 yr old daughter and she is my sugar guard lol i say man i want [sugary item] she says no dad your diabetic now!
😆 it's sweet and cute at first, then I started getting annoyed with all the questions and monitoring. LoL every morning the same questions it started to become very annoying after a while at least for me. I understand they're just looking out for me, but yikes 😬 hahaha
Yeah I get that I know I need to but some days the last thing I want to think about is my glucose
It's a process especially with loved ones, I had to sit them down and explain how grateful I am for their attention and love but let's talk about something else. 😆 I'm not dying I just have to watch my diet and live a more healthy lifestyle. I have my cheat days because sometimes the craving gets bad. I stay most days in the morning between 90 and 110 which is much better than I was at over 200 after fasting. So do it in your own time and try not to worry if its a little high just do better the next day. Worries will also raise it, so just do your best 👌
yea i had a cheat day on christmas where i had some sweets then paid the price for it the next day where it was >180 for 24 hours
What a way to find out. Glad you are doing better and getting care.
I was diagnosed back around the same time. Also no real symptoms I was aware of at the time. One thing I have found useful is the use of a continuous blood glucose monitor. Rather than testing periodically it gives me a sense of how my levels are behaving throughout the day and what foods/activities they react to. I may not keep one forever but for now it’s a great way to learn more about my condition. That and this community.
im nervous about a cgm my dad has one and i _use to be very active_ now im non weight bearing still
Type one for 15 years now and I will say there’s NOTHING to worry about with the CGM. I just started using it in the past year. Sooooo much easier and alleviate so much concerns. I was nervous about pain inserting or it ripping out….. neither exist. It’s so out of the way and there’s several sites that can be used. 10/10 recommend. But I will say if you are only instructed to test once a day it’s far less stressful than type one where testing is needed, morning night and around meals/food consumption
I have been using one for a little over a year. Now it’s just monitoring but in the beginning it was instrumental in getting my A1C from 14.7 down to 6.0. Embrace the non judgmental help they can provide. Watch your numbers and kick diabetes right in the pancreas.
My father has one he has pulled his out twice now and always complains about getting it changed and the finger pricks don’t really bother me
Very similar story here, including the two toes! That was three years ago and I'm doing pretty well today. I didn't know either, until my trip to the ER. I've struggled somewhat and my a1c has been up and down, mostly in the 7's. My endo put me on Mounjaro in July and the difference in my blood sugar has been incredible, its an amazing drug! I'm easily in the lower 6's now, without a huge struggle, just smarter moderation. Good luck, and take a look at your feet before going to bed.
did you ever feel worse as your numbers were "normal"? i feel like crap around 90s but overall pretty decent around 130-140 range
This is mostly habit at this point. Your body was normalized to your higher sugars, and the lower "normal" ranges are going to feel odd. It will take you a while, seriously months, to feel like a normal range is normal. I would talk to an endocrinologist to see what they think the timeline might be before you actually feel highs as higher, but it will be a longer time still. (I'm a nurse and I've helped a few people who had lived with high sugars for a long time slowly bring theirs down to normal values.) Your body just has to adjust again, it didn't get there overnight, don't expect it to improve fast either. Take care of yourself, you're doing great.
thanks for that i think the biggest surprise was the eyesight thing but they told me its normal for vision to be wonky also
Not a problem. Your vision is going to go through some changes. Some will be repaired (yay!), some you'll have to manage for the rest of your life. If you haven't already made an appointment with an ophthalmologist, you should. The high sugar levels you had could have permanently damaged your eyes and will need to be monitored. It's also possible that it could all be healable too. The sooner you get your eyes imaged, the better you'll know what you may need to do/follow up with.
i was one of those people that always pushed my body more and now ive had to take a step back and realize i need to take better care of it so yes its on the list of things i need to get done soon and have scheduled as well as depression screening anxiety screening and bi polar screening but i can only do so much at a time you know and scheduling is a pain
You're doing it, that's the important part. The diagnosis doesn't get to define you, you get to define your response to your diagnosis. :) These are all long term things you're faced with, and for the first time. Please, please give yourself grace and allow yourself time. It will likely seem hard or near impossible at times, but your goal shouldn't be perfection, it should be a good life. Find support groups for whatever ends up happening, and be ok when things fall through.
Anecdote to help you understand: I worked research once across from people doing research on depression. The biggest issue they had was people not showing up to their appointments. If someone called back to cancel or reschedule, they weren't mad. Every time someone made it to an appointment, they never tried t
thank you for the information i took the time i had sitting around unable to walk to code an app for translations on apple and that really helped me take my mind off of the moment and i was able to release My_Keyboard on apple store not long ago now im working to get it on android so a task is very beneficial for me but not a solution and i know that now
Normal range will feel like low blood sugar for a while until your body adjust again since it’s been running high for so long.
When I started meds my feet began to hurt and my eye sight went WAY out of focus. Feet still aren’t 100% back to normal but my eyes have improved on the last two visits. I felt weaker for a bit while I adjusted fuel source and consumption levels. My mental health took a real $#!t kicking for a few months. I hated food. It had betrayed me. I am still mending my relationship with food. Listen to your Dr. and find a way to keep your spirits up. You can beat this thing.
Yeah I’m experiencing a lot of that diabetes seems to be the world’s worst roller coaster ride ever!!!
Hi and Welcome. My story is different to the fact that I new I was diabetic but ignored it until last June. I have neuropathy and that’s what triggered taking care of myself. I am sorry about your toes. You will find this is a complex journey but it’s doable. Each diabetic is different as to how your system reacts to food. For instance I know that honey does not spike me that much but maple sirup does. (I use to sweeten my plain yogurt). If I can suggest get a book to write all your food intake carbs proteins and BS. It will help you understand what makes you spike or not. Also be PATIENT. Sometimes things won’t make sense but it’s ok. This is not a race but a marathon. I which you all the best.
thats a great idea thank you it will also let my family know my hard no's when it comes to food
I was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago. My A1C was 9.1%. I was worried about the fact I unintentionally lost 20lbs (from 140lbs) in the matter of 5 months. Shocked and devastated doesn’t even begin to describe it.
yeah im sorry to hear that the first impression was like they said i had cancer even though i know (and i hate to even quote) "its just diabetes"
I lost 85lbs in 10 months was thirsty af and had to pee all the time. With my family history I was sure it was cancer and wasn’t going to get that devastating news officially until I couldn’t hide it from my family anymore. Had a 4 wheeler wreck and the hospital ran a toxicology test to see if j was drunk or high. Only thing high was blood sugar and A1C.
Sugar free candy. Russell Stovers makes great stuff. So does Hershey. The dark chocolate bars from them taste exactly like the real thing.
Fruit punch crystal light tastes exactly like kool aid. Add an extra packet and boom.
Sugar free jello pudding and sugar free whipped cream. Pie crust is low in sugar per piece.
Also- man stay away from all starches. Seriously, no more.
i found out the hard way not to do suger free with sugar alcohol stuff when on metformin though
Elaborate please… I love my Monster 0.
So when taking metformin even er and then trying to enjoy a piece of “sugar free” candy that contains sugar alcohols (some people not all) will have about 5 minutes to make it to the bathroom and be seated firmly because that’s where you remain for the next 30 minutes at first the doctor said “that’s just the metformin sometimes it does that” but eventually they said “wait do you eat sugar free candy” I was like yea I recently started and she said “oh well does this happen right after?” And I was like Ooooooooo
God yes. That shit is nasty.
I'm sorry, what a terrible way to find out!
The beginning can be overwhelming. I highly suggest that you take a diabetes education class if you have access to one! It helps a lot with the basics. I found that one with other diabetics was great, as they asked questions I would never have thought of!
the hospital gave me one with a specialist while i was in there she came to my room over a few days and had several conversations with me
I am so sorry. It is a horric disease
yeah its a life changer
Wow sorry mate. Take heart and Goodluck on path to self managed diabetes.
thanks and yeah everyday just do a little better is the best you can do manage yourself
Welcome, we’re here to help and not judge each other. My husband is type 2 also and he lost a toe. It’s been 5 years now and I’m still tending to his foot. It’s an ulcer at the ball of his foot and will not heal up. It came after he lost the toe.
the bottom of mine is healed up now they are focused on the top closing after skin graft like i said i thought about posting pics but idk how to block them in case ppl dont want to see cause its not for everyone
damn dude, what advice do you have for someone who is also think he might be at risk?
i bought a sugar monitor
because i do believe
i am eating shit all the time
And that can cause diabetes for me
like with shit i mean
At least 200gr sugar a day
eating addiction
i do train as well
but
i just eat too much
and its a headache to stop with
it affects everyone differently but one thing that has helped me was the doctor said eat a few bites of protein before every meal if you sit down to eat a cheeseburger take at least two bites of the meat first i thought he was full of shit but honestly i checked it in comparison to normally eating and it did help the glucose spike now there could have been other things at play but i eat two bites of protein now before all meals even if its just some beef jerky and have noticed improvement with spikes
also my personal advice check your feet idk the exact time frame it happened but i lost all hair on my feet and the ulcer was the cause of losing the toes..... diabetes led to neuropathy led to ulcer led to infection led to gangrene led to sepsis led to chop chop = bad day for me
If I may ask what prompted your visit to the ER? I just found out I’m diabetic in April. My a1c was over 12. I had been feeling crappy for like two straight months before. I was so lethargic, super dry mouth, always thirsty, my thigh was tingling. I didn’t think all those were connected with diabetes and hoped they would go away on their own. Now my a1c is around 5.6-5.7 but I’ve lowered my carb and sugar in take a lot. I didn’t give anything up completely except soda. I drink mainly water and coffee now.
I woke up with a swollen foot and fever intense pain finally went in to the er a few hours later and after the test found out I had sepsis in my foot my glucose was only 329 but that’s how I found out I was diabetic and almost dead luckily no acute organ damage at that point
You got this!
I was diagnosed with type 2 in my thirties in 1987 and I’m still going strong. You can beat this but the initial diagnosis is scary!
Thanks to Covid, I started cooking from scratch and I now avoid preservatives along with highly processed foods. It has made a huge improvement in my blood sugar.
I used to drink a lot of milk and now drink unsweetened almond milk.
Take care!