Blood Tests

[symbol]

hello, i've recently been diagnosed with diabetes. not sure which one as i haven't been back to the doctor's yet. it was certainly a shock. i am guessing it's type 2. after the initial tests that discovered my condition my doctor sent me off for yet more tests something about lipids and something else plus a urine analysis. would these tests be to determine if it's 1 or 2? i've actually had symptons for many years which i never knew why they were happening but seem to be getting worse and more frequent. nausea when drinking juice. very bad weakness that has me unable to do much, hot flushes that has me sweating profusely, confusion, my partner has actually noticed that i'm very confused sometimes. sometimes i have blank minutes where i dunno what i've been doing for the past few minutes. sometimes my partner tells me something that has happened and i have no memory of it but can recall if i try.  i'm totally overwhelmed by the whole deal which is why i haven't been back to the doctors yet. i will soon i suppose... can't bear the nagging much longer :-)
my regards.

[layod]

Don't you hate it when you spend time on an epistle the get it wiped out?  Don't take it personally on disagreements.  If you are a healthy person and want to remain that way then by all means select a diet that will keep you healthy.  But if you are diabetic and if  you want to remain healthy then you'd better keep you b/g under control like a teenager if possible. They don't get heart trouble and other diseases of the aging. Good carbs bad carbs take second consideration.  High blood sugar and high insulin is what brings on all those long term complications like, blindness, heart trouble, high blood pressure and so on. Legumes are on the list of good carbs. But  one dry cup  Black or Garbanzo beans would raise my Blood Sugar over 600 mg/dl. Add that to the steady state  and no doubt it would be about 700 mg/dl.  Actually no one would eat a cup of what had been a dry cup so the actual rise in b/g would be less.  But substantial. There are other lower carb beans that would be better.  Any serving of any food with 40 grams of carbohydrates would make my b/g rise 200 mg/dl if I didn't compensate with insulin. My preference in vegetables is carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cabbage, and other low carb vegetables.  No fruit because it has too much sugar.  

[WaveRider]

Please reread my first AND last sentence from my last post; "Don't get me wrong, everyone is different and should understand the entire picture in order to make proper food choices/decisions." And, "The difficult part is figuring out which of these good carbs are beneficial and, if any, are detrimental to our well being."

I did not infer that you, layod, should consume good carbs, nor did I say anywhere in my post that "elevated  b/g doesn't matter?" I don't know where you came up with these thoughts but they are your words alone, not mine. It's obvious you feel strongly against consuming good carbs and that is your choice/decision.

Why don't you tell us which "good" carbs you consume causes your glucose to rise to 250 mg/dl? And how much of it you consume [portion] in one sitting? This will be helpful for others to know when they make their nutritional choices/decisions.

[layod]

   Are  you saying that if the good carbs raises my b/g to 250 mg/dl that is good for me because they are good carbs and the elevated b/g doesn't matter?  

[WaveRider]

Don't get me wrong, everyone is different and should understand the entire picture in order to make proper food choices/decisions. At your age, what is working for you is what matters the most and that is great news, especially to have an A1c goal of 5% or less. But there is a BIG difference between the natural, wholesome, 'good' carbs we are designed to eat and the unnatural, highly-processed, 'refined' carbs so many of us consume on a daily basis! We need the good carbs or our energy levels decline. The difficult part is figuring out which of these good carbs are beneficial and, if any, are detrimental to our well being.

[layod]

I should probably state that my aim is to keep my a1c at 5.0 or less.  I just got the b/t back and it was 5.1.  The best i have managed to do so far'.   Almost as good as a teenager.  And they don't get strokes and heart trouble. If someone has a different objective then what they eat is a different problem. But if I intend to keep b/g normal that all carbs have to be considered.

[layod]

For me they are both in the same boat.  A carb is a carb is a carb..  They both cause my b/g to go up and up and up.   I will take a look though

Thanks

[WaveRider]

layod gave you some good advice but please don't confuse good carbs with bad carbs. They're not in the same boat. See this page for comparisons  http://tinyurl.com/cxs4yq

[layod]

I had to get back to you after considering the seriousness of your diabetes.  when you read the book you will learn that your blood sugar will go up so many mg/dl for each gram of carbohydrate you eat.  In my case unless I compensate for them my b/g will go up about 5 per carb.  So if I eat 10 grams of carbs my b/g would go up 50 mg/dl.  10 grams  is not all that much. Without much effort I could eat 50 grams of carbs.  In that case my b/g would go up 250!  So if I should start at 100 (fairly decent) my b/g would go up to 350 mg/dl.  Now that is a serious number.  So first of all check out the grams of carbohydrates in your food and decide how to reduce the grams of carbohydrates.

[layod]

PS
You should immediately cut out all the drinks and foods with lots of carbs or sugar.  There is no doubt your blood sugar is sky high.

[layod]

I can guarantee you will know more than that doctor about diabetes if you study it.  It is not like the shelves of medical books at Barnes and Nobles that after you've read them you don't know any more than when you started.  This is clear and understandable and you can prove what he says.

[layod]

The book is Diabetes Solution by Dr, Richard K Bernstein.  He has type one diabetes since he was 12 years old. He has written several books on diabetes and I think the he wrote  the best of all.  I hope you study diabetes by studying the  book.

[symbol]

thankyou layod, very pleased to hear you're healthy in your middle years. please name the recommended book. i would like to check it out.
i have made an appointment 10 days hence for the doctor and 15 days for the educator. i live in a rural district so this sort of wait.. though annoying is the usual. thanks.

[layod]

Dont panic. Correct knowledge can keep you healthy for a long time.  I am 88. You must take control.  Don't expect to visit a doctor every month or so and expect him to manage it for you. .  Managing diabetes is a moment to moment job.  First start finding our where your blood sugar is.
If you have medical insurance get the doctor to prescribe a meter.  test strips and start checking and finding out what it going on.  Bayer contour is about the best.  Results in 5 seconds. You can   not manage your diabetes without knowing what is going on.  Only tests will tell you that.  Good luck and reply if you want more info. I would recommend a book but don't want to push too much.

[symbol]

thanks for your replies. yes, i will go back this week. probably my fault that i wasn't listening. the doctors initial words were "i've got some bad news" well i reckon i panicked a bit... it'd probably have been better to lead gently into the news. those several seconds before she said diabetes were very long and dark lol. understandable though, she is a doctor from overseas somewhere and her english though very adequate is sometimes a bit off. thanks again for your replies.

[WaveRider]

I'm a bit puzzled that your doctor let you leave his/her office w/o explaining the tests nor what your final lab test results were. As a patient, you have the right to ask and receive copies of all your lab results along with a an explanation of any results that are suspect. I strongly advise that you call your doctors office and request lab copies be mailed to you. If you do not understand your results, or have questions about them, post back with the following information:
1. Full name of test
2. Test result including the range (low and high)
3, Any lab analysis
4. What your doctor said
5. Any treatment programs
6. Any prescribed medication and dose

Don't drink juice or consume anything that makes you feel nauseous, light headed, weak, flushed or abnormal until you discover the reason and know how to treat it.

[Super_sally888]

Hey Symbol,

go back to the Doctor.  Diabetes is generally manageable, with diet, exercise and meds.  Yes, it's overwhelming at first, but ignoring it can lead to very serious complications, even be life threatening (and sounds like you are not very well at the moment).    

Things will get better if you start treating this, but bite the bullet and get on with it.

Ask your partner to go with you, if you need support.

Let us know how you go. Go to your doctor on Monday!!! Please!!

Best wishes