Living with Diabetes

I had bloodwork a month ago and have had a heck of a time getting my results from the office. That's another story, but today when we went to town we stopped at the doctor's office and I picked up my results. The doctor wrote on it that everything was normal. I was especially interested in my cholesterol because I quit taking a statin several months ago. The numbers were very good so I was pleased.

However, my HGB A1c was 6.2. That's in the prediabetic zone and since I don't have any family history (I was adopted) and I'm 72, everything is going to be a surprise from here on out. I was wondering why my doctor said this was "normal". I'm going to be much more vigilent with my diet and take off a few pounds. I'm scheduled for an appointment with him in January so I'll talk to him then.

Patnono....contact your doctor and ask questions. If you have to go back in to see him then do it. You were a defeatist in your other posts for family relationships so I think this is your personality, but prediabetes and diabetes is nothing to fool around with. There are answers if you just ask them. As far as equipment for testing goes...I don't understand that at all. You would need a Rx from the doctor to get equipment and any pharmacy will show you how to use it.
 

My blood test result back when I was first diagnosed was an A1C of 6.1 and my doctor said outright I was diabetic, and she was right. My overnight fasting result was 140 whereas normal would be under 100. Anyone diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" still has to live and eat as a diabetic. As much as it is said, diabetics does not get reserved. Even when I went to the "normal" of A1C of 5.7 and a overnight fasting of under 100, did not mean I was cured of diabetes. It just meant I had it controlled.
 
I don't have diabetes but I am pre-diabetic or borderline I am told.
Sometimes this is because of stress.

I see a diabetes educator/dietician every few weeks. There is no charge for this
and she is expert on diabetes, nutrition. Find one at your local hospital and have your primary doctor
give you a referral. It is free for me and she will check your blood glucose level and advise you.
I learned a lot and I watch my carb intake and decrease sugar. The primary doctor will probably not do this.

If you can't do this, then at least get a handbook that gives you the information. I have 3 books.
 

Patnono said:
Thanks for writing, I don't know my numbers? My doctor told me I didn't need to check my numbers? I was surprised by that? Another doctor said because my numbers must be very good? I get tested every 3 months. So far so good. And your right, I have no choice. But afraid of eating the wrong thing? There's only 3 things to eat, protein and carbs? Hard to get full.
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Carbs are the last food class you want to eat.

Veggies, protein, quality fats and WATER. Why do you have to feel full? Drink more water.

Stay away from the WHITE foods...that's not difficult.
 
Olivia said:
My blood test result back when I was first diagnosed was an A1C of 6.1 and my doctor said outright I was diabetic, and she was right. My overnight fasting result was 140 whereas normal would be under 100. Anyone diagnosed as "pre-diabetic" still has to live and eat as a diabetic. As much as it is said, diabetics does not get reserved. Even when I went to the "normal" of A1C of 5.7 and a overnight fasting of under 100, did not mean I was cured of diabetes. It just meant I had it controlled.
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I was shocked, to say the least, when I saw my results and realized the doctor said they were "good". I called his office yesterday and asked for an appointment to see him so I could talk to him. The receptionist said, "Your results were good...why do you need to talk to him?" I told her I was concerned about the glucose being high and the A1c. She said she didn't have anything available until the 26th and my husband has an appointment with him that day in the morning so I'm going in with him. If the doctor brushes me off I'm finding someone else.

Until then, I'm watching carbs and sugars very carefully! I did the "Are you at risk for diabetes" on the American Diabetes Association web and my risk factor is very high at 7.
 
I'm not a medical professional so in no way am I intending to give advice about what to do about blood glucose tests higher than normal. But what I would suggest is getting a blood glucose monitor with the strips and test your blood sugar after fasting overnight and also testing one and two hours after after a meal. An overnight fasting of 120 or higher is in the diabetic range. Normal is under 100. One and two two hours after a meal should be under 100. For a diabetic and being careful about what you eat should result in 120 or 140 at the most. Everyone is different. What foods can raise the blood sugar for one person won't do so with another person. Anything containing flour, pasta, dairy, any kind of grains raises my blood sugar. For instance. I cannot eat oatmeal. What really helped me tremendously was the book "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes--An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" by Gretchen Becker.

My mother was diabetic and I fooled myself into thinking that diabetes skips a generation. Don't know where I got that idea, but I made myself believe it, but nevertheless I avoided blood tests for years because I didn't want to know, which was a very bad idea because if I just got wise about it, I might not have developed full blown diabetes. Even though my AIC became good after watching my eating and doing a lot of walking and other exercise, when eating foods that raise blood sugar, my blood sugar would spike. I'm done fooling myself.

I am waiting for a cure. I think that's more possible for Type 1 diabetes because it's the pancreas in Type 1's that is not working--no insulin produced. It's an immune system problem that kills off the insulin. For Type II diabetics, it's insulin resistance, which means you have insulin but your blood cells resist the insulin so it can't get into your cells to do its work of converting glucose into energy. And the longer you have this condition, the pancreas starts to burn out and you've got shortage of insulin, too.

Walmart has some lower priced blood glucose meters if you just want to try it out. And, of course, see your doctor and get professional advice.
 
Olivia said:
I'm not a medical professional so in no way am I intending to give advice about what to do about blood glucose tests higher than normal. But what I would suggest is getting a blood glucose monitor with the strips and test your blood sugar after fasting overnight and also testing one and two hours after after a meal. An overnight fasting of 120 or higher is in the diabetic range. Normal is under 100. One and two two hours after a meal should be under 100. For a diabetic and being careful about what you eat should result in 120 or 140 at the most. Everyone is different. What foods can raise the blood sugar for one person won't do so with another person. Anything containing flour, pasta, dairy, any kind of grains raises my blood sugar. For instance. I cannot eat oatmeal. What really helped me tremendously was the book "The First Year: Type 2 Diabetes--An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed" by Gretchen Becker.

My mother was diabetic and I fooled myself into thinking that diabetes skips a generation. Don't know where I got that idea, but I made myself believe it, but nevertheless I avoided blood tests for years because I didn't want to know, which was a very bad idea because if I just got wise about it, I might not have developed full blown diabetes. Even though my AIC became good after watching my eating and doing a lot of walking and other exercise, when eating foods that raise blood sugar, my blood sugar would spike. I'm done fooling myself.

I am waiting for a cure. I think that's more possible for Type 1 diabetes because it's the pancreas in Type 1's that is not working--no insulin produced. It's an immune system problem that kills off the insulin. For Type II diabetics, it's insulin resistance, which means you have insulin but your blood cells resist the insulin so it can't get into your cells to do its work of converting glucose into energy. And the longer you have this condition, the pancreas starts to burn out and you've got shortage of insulin, too.

Walmart has some lower priced blood glucose meters if you just want to try it out. And, of course, see your doctor and get professional advice.
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Are you advising the original poster, Patnono, or me?? Good advise in any case. :)
 
Colleen said:
Are you advising the original poster, Patnono, or me?? Good advise in any case. :)
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Actually it was to you, Colleen. And thank you. It's something that I went through and maybe what I found from my experience to be helpful for me might be helpful to someone else going through the same thing, too
 
Olivia said:
Actually it was to you, Colleen. And thank you. It's something that I went through and maybe what I found from my experience to be helpful for me might be helpful to someone else going through the same thing, too
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I appreciate any advice. I'm heading to Walmart on Tuesday so I'll definitely check out the monitors. I think that's an excellent suggestion. I always thought you needed a doctor's Rx to get one.
 
I'm glad you'll be doing that, Colleen. No, you don't need a doctor's prescription to purchase a glucose monitor. In fact, that is one of my biggest gripes. My doctor wouldn't allow me to get paid by insurance for that because I wasn't "bad" enough and I only took Metformin for a very short time before I got my blood sugar under control. But even so I used the glucose meter from the very beginning to understand how food and exercise was affecting my blood sugar. Without that, I would be just guessing and waiting for my AIC to tell me how I was doing, but not telling me how and why I was doing. That to this day really makes me mad. You already feel helpless in some way, and then they tie your hands to your back. But I bought the meter and strips anyway. But if you're on Medicare now, that might be different. But still, I wouldn't wait.
 
Thank you for the book recommendation, Olivia. I've ordered a copy from my public library.

Colleen, I bought a testing setup without a prescription. The meter, piercer, testing strips, etc., ran about $30 at Walmart.
 
Thanks for the tip about the monitor Olivia and Starsong, I may be wanting one at home in the future.
 
SeaBreeze said:
Thanks for the tip about the monitor Olivia and Starsong, I may be wanting one at home in the future.
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I have to say, the pharmacist couldn't have been kinder about explaining what I needed and how to work everything. Between him and a YouTube video that showed how to prick my finger and how much blood to put on the strip, I was good to go.

A word of caution: testing supplies are rather like computer printers. I learned early in the game that every printer has its own ink refill system (which is where the manufacturer makes its money) so I always look more closely at the cost of ink replacement than printer cost itself. Likewise, test strips will be your ongoing expense for glucose monitoring. They vary widely in cost - and you'll probably have a 10% dud rate no matter what brand you use. The reason I use Walmart's brand is because their test strips are the least expensive.
 
Thanks Olivia and Starsong :) I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback. I think I'd feel more comfortable, like Olivia, keeping track of what's going on with my body rather than waiting every 3 months for a blood test and being worried the whole time.

When I had my appointment with the doctor in October (that's when he ordered the bloodwork), he told me to see him in 3 months. At the time, I thought that was odd. I usually only go once a year for BP med renewal. I wonder if he suspected something then????? I'm not sure because he was in and out so quick I didn't even have a chance to ask any questions about anything.

Should I be looking for any particular brand or features when I go to Walmart this week?
 
I use their house brand, ReliOn. As in rely on. The glucose monitor was cheap - under $10. Same with the lancing tool and lancets (I got the thinner ones on recommendation from the pharmacist). Don't bother with the alcohol wipes - apparently any residual alcohol on your skin can alter the glucose test results. Just wash and dry your hands before testing.

I bought a box of strips that all showed errors. After phoning the 800 number on the back of the box they sent a new meter and another box of strips, plus a postage free envelope for me to mail back the defective ones. Can't ask for more than that.
 
StarSong said:
I use their house brand, ReliOn. As in rely on. The glucose monitor was cheap - under $10. Same with the lancing tool and lancets (I got the thinner ones on recommendation from the pharmacist). Don't bother with the alcohol wipes - apparently any residual alcohol on your skin can alter the glucose test results. Just wash and dry your hands before testing.

I bought a box of strips that all showed errors. After phoning the 800 number on the back of the box they sent a new meter and another box of strips, plus a postage free envelope for me to mail back the defective ones. Can't ask for more than that.
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Thanks, StarSong :) I'm also going to check Youtube.

I'm wondering if I'm worrying for nothing. My glucose on the bloodwork was 111 and that was after fasting overnight. My A1c was only 6.2. Do you think I'm overreacting???
 
Colleen said:
Thanks, StarSong :) I'm also going to check Youtube.

I'm wondering if I'm worrying for nothing. My glucose on the bloodwork was 111 and that was after fasting overnight. My A1c was only 6.2. Do you think I'm overreacting???
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No, I don't think you're overreacting. In fact, I think you should be hounding your doctor for his/her lack of response to these numbers and thinking seriously about moving to a new medical group. (I have Kaiser medical care and highly recommend it.)
 
I think if I had a fear, I would concentrate more on reducing big time sugars/carbs. I've not had issues but I don't want them either...so in my life, I've made big changes on the above two groups of foods.

Amazing comments on Kaiser, I would not go there and have had friends over my life who could not wait to get out of their HMO. A friend is kinda stuck now as she gets a lot of heart meds since afib hit her. I like to make my own decisions on doctors.
 
Colleen said:
Thanks, StarSong :) I'm also going to check Youtube.

I'm wondering if I'm worrying for nothing. My glucose on the bloodwork was 111 and that was after fasting overnight. My A1c was only 6.2. Do you think I'm overreacting???
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That's about where mine was when my Doc told me I was pre-diabetic. My A1C was 6.1 and my fasting blood sugar was 108 I think. It's nothing to be really alarmed about but you probably should be looking to make some changes in your diet. I did and mine hasn't gotten any worse since then and it's been close to 10 years.
 
Also I have taken chromium picolinate off and on for some yrs and taking it now again and use cinammon for help control the diabetes issue. There is so much prevention if one just does the work.

To just listen to the doctors and their drugs is not my way to go. I would take a drug if everything else fails but otherwise, nope.
 
Jamin, I agree that the standard American diet includes far too many sugars and simple carbs. However, not all who are diabetic are there because of poor eating habits. Conversely, some humans can exist on little more than pastries and heavy carbs with no blood glucose issues whatsoever. Genetics play heavily into our tendencies to develop certain medical conditions, diabetes among them.

My personal experience through a lifetime of many different health plans and doctors - plus my observation of loved ones' experiences - has led me to Kaiser. If at some point Kaiser doesn't seem to be working for me, I will change during the next open enrollment period. For eight consecutive years KP has received five star ratings from California's Office of the Patient Advocate (this year they were the only health plans to do so). Same with Medicare ratings.

No health care plan is perfect. We each have to be responsible for our bodies and manage our health as best we can, remembering that ultimately every one of us will end up at "game over" status.

I am disinclined to take a lot of supplements but recognize that some believe that is a good way to go. To each our own.
 
StarSong said:
No, I don't think you're overreacting. In fact, I think you should be hounding your doctor for his/her lack of response to these numbers and thinking seriously about moving to a new medical group. (I have Kaiser medical care and highly recommend it.)
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I have an appointment with the doc on the 26th. They are triple booked so I'm not sure how much information or attention I'll be getting from him. I'm going to be pro-active and do my testing before I go :)

Where I live in AZ there is not a lot of choices for medical groups :( We lived and worked in So. Cal for years until we retired in 2001 (well...hubby retired) and got out of CA. I heard good and bad things about Kaiser but I don't think that's any different than any other insurance.
 
jaminhealth said:
Also I have taken chromium picolinate off and on for some yrs and taking it now again and use cinammon for help control the diabetes issue. There is so much prevention if one just does the work.

To just listen to the doctors and their drugs is not my way to go. I would take a drug if everything else fails but otherwise, nope.
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I think there are situations you can just "medicate" yourself with supplements and it works for you, but I also believe that something like diabetes is nothing to experiment with and spin the wheel of chance and see what happens.

Several months ago, there was a discussion on here about supplements and so I tried some of them and gave them to my husband because we went off our statins. What a HUGE mistake that was! Those supplements upset my stomach so much and kicked up my GERD that I couldn't lay down to sleep or hardly eat anything without being sick. My husband had a terrible case of diarrhea for weeks. Yes, we stopped taking them but didn't start taking statins again.

What I'm saying is...if it works for you...great, but it doesn't for everyone.
 
ClassicRockr said:
Wife and I are both Diabetic II. I was diagnosed in 2008 and she was diagnosed a few years ago. We are both on Metformin, but I'm on Glipizide as well. I take two Metformin 1000mg in AM and PM along with a 5mg Glipizide. We use to test more during the week than we do now, but generally it's a couple of times a week. Our bg numbers are generally 150 or so and both of our PCP's are ok with that. We no longer have regular sugar in our home and our fruit (in a can) is always "No Sugar Added". I use Spenda and a "sugar free" creamer in my coffee, but don't drink coffee all day, just a cup or two in the AM.

We watch what we eat, but still eat a few things we really, really like, that we probably shouldn't, but...…….
Exercise: Not a whole lot when it's so darn humid and hot (northeastern Florida). Do have the Wii Game, but have cut back on playing it due to my cataract surgeries right now.

It is a PITB being a Diabetic II, but better than having to use insulin everyday in a needle.
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Swimming is a great exercise and because you live in the heat, it would also be refreshing, especially this time of year. Maybe you should consider swimming laps each day.
 

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