Newly diagnosed and confused...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2004
Newly diagnosed and confused...
13
Tue, 08-24-2004 - 9:01pm

I am recently diagnosed with diabetes.  My questions is when you are testing your blood, what is the normal range for a person??  When is it too high??  Plus what's a good diet to follow?? 


Thanks in advance for the help/info!


 


Kat                                     

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Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
Sat, 08-28-2004 - 2:52pm
Noticed that no one had responded, so I'll come out of lurkdom. When you were diagnosed, didn't your doctor set you up for some diabetic classes? Ask your doctor to refer you to diabetic training classes in your area. Where I live, the classes were held at the local hospitals MAC (ambulatory clinic) it included two sessions with a nurse, one session with a dietician, one session with a physical therapist, and a final session with the nurse again. Plus a notebook sylabus (sp?) that I got to keep for future reference. Over-all, this was the single most important learning experience I've had since being diagnosed.... you WILL understand your disease after taking this coarse! It's good that you are asking questions...but your MD should have set some target #'s for you as far as fasting bs's. Since that doesn't seem to have happened, I would have to know a little more about your treatment.

What meds are you taking?

How often are you checking you bs's and when...pre or post prandol?

Do you exercise? What are you bs's before and after exercise?

What kind of diet are you following now? # meals a day? # Snacks?
Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 1:29pm

Hi and I am sorry it took someone so long to respond!!

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Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 10:28pm

Hi Denjim50s,


Welcome to the board and out of lurkdom! Thank you for replying to the ivkrazykat's message. You gave her wonderful down to earth advise and I hope she is able to follow up on it.


Don't stay away, You are amoung like souls!

Mary Frances


cl-maryfrances40

Co-CL Diabetes Board


Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 08-29-2004 - 10:38pm

Hi Kat,


I am sorry I must have missed your message. It doesn't usually take me 5 days to respond to any message. My name is Mary Frances and I am one of the community leaders for this board. I am a registered nurse and a type 2 diabetic. Any advise I may give is not a substitute for seeking medical advise from a health care practitioner of your choice.


What you eat and what your target blood sugars needs to be determined by your physician. You physician needs to look at you, your blood work (lab results) and your life style. Setting these goals for treatment is just as important as writing a perscription for medication. I can tell you what the national guidelines are but it really is better to know what your physician has in mind first.


As has already been said to you, if your docotr didn't refer you to a diabetes educational program please ask for such a referral. Hopefully there will be one near you. Also check out the web site the Cheryl suggested and the American Diabetes Association also has a special section for the newly diagnosed.


So please tell us about you and your disease and perhaps we can shed some light for you on what is going on.


A hardy welcoming hug,

Mary Frances


cl-maryfrances40

Co-CL Diabetes Board


iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2004
Fri, 09-03-2004 - 4:17pm

Thanks to all for the wonderful advice and also the links.

Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 09-04-2004 - 3:04am

Hi Kat,


Don't worry about not getting back to me sooner. They have basically tightened the blood sugar control for diabetics in the last five years. They want your pre-breakfast blood sugar

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2004
Sat, 09-04-2004 - 3:32am
Fellow catlover...

Another sites: www.diabetes.org. & www.diabeteshelpcenter.com

Mary Frances gave you the guidelines: 6.5 or lower for A1C, 110 or below fasting AM, and below 140 2 hrs after eating.

Come often and share...just come...always welcome even if you need to vent for a while.

Kathi

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2004
Sat, 09-04-2004 - 11:54am

Thanks for the info!


I think I maybe a diabetic after all.

Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Sat, 09-04-2004 - 10:51pm

Hi!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2004
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 4:01am
Tia~

I was started on diet & exercise when the diagnosis was insulin resistence (over a year before I was dx with Diabetes II). I keep thinking that if I'd gotten on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day, maybe I wouldn't have gone to diabetes. Of course, with my luck, it would have happened anyway.

I was started on Amaryl 8MG daily (large dosage) in January 2004, dropped in March, I think, to 4mg and added 500mg Glucophage XR, and have been on 2mg Amaryl and the Glucophage XR since June 2004, I think. Had some problems with high numbers initially. Then, had some pretty low numbers between March and June. Now my 30 day is at 123.

Have been having some problems with what I think is dehydration for a couple of weeks. Had another episode today. My BG was 120 when I went to the store. While shopping, had a strange reaction. Felt like low blood sugar. Drank a baby juice & a glass of water. Then, I sat for a while. BG when I got home was 197. So, I screwed up. So, you see, I'm still not out of the woods.

I don't know where they draw the line between pills and insulin. Maybe MaryFrances will be able to answer that query.

It seems Diabetes I people seem to be on insulin most often or gestational diabetes. That's only a guess. One of my high school friends came from a family of 8 kids and 7 were Type I and on insulin. My great-niece (18 mo old at the time) went on insulin right away. She's 8 now, and still is on insulin. A guy who goes to the same deli I frequent has been Type I for 25 years and on insulin. So, I don't know what might be the answer.

My hope/prayer is that I'll never have to be on insulin. I'm quite fearful about the whole idea of being diabetic.

Hang in there with the rest of us.

Kathi

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