Hi Chris,

Finding out you have Diabetes (or any medical condition) can be tough. Diabetes is a life changing condition, only because you have to alter your way of thinking about your lifestyle and in many cases, make changes. Most of the time, the changes are for the good. Having diabetes requires that we spend a little more time and effort making sure we take care of ourselves.

I was diagnosed several years ago and it was no surprise to me because I am a big woman and diabetes runs in my family. (I believe the statistics are if one of your parents has Diabetes type 2, you are more than 50% likely to develop it too, both of my parents were diabetic)

So as one diabetic to another. Here's what you do:

Step 1 Breathe In

Step 2 Breathe out

Step 3 Repeat

One of the first things my doctor did was order a cardiac work up. Diabetes works on the muscles and the Heart is the big guy of the bunch. So having a cardiac work up gives the doctors a base to look at in the event the diabetes begins to affect your heart in adverse ways.

Next, he set me up with an endocrynologist to monitor my diabetes. The two doctors work together to watch my blood stats and determine what medication is best. My diabetes is insulin resistant, so I do not take insulin. My body makes plenty of insulin, but does not use it. I take a combination of Amaryl and Meformin to open the receptors on my cells to the insulin.

Once all of this is in place, there are some very good resources for information here at Health Central that will help you make informative decisions with your doctor about managing your diabetes. Diet and exercize are important, but as a diabetic, equally important is wearing proper footwear and taking care of your feet, watching for issues with neuropathy and other things.

For help with diet, Dave Mendosa has published a Glycemic Index of foods. This is very helpful, because it essentially gives you a list of good and not good foods for diabetics. You learn more about the Glycemic Index in a post by Ginger located here. Ginger is a type 1 diabetic (childhood diabetes) but gives some really good information and tips in her blog. She also refers to the posting where the Glycemic Index lives located here.

Reading anything by the resident experts here is highly recommended. You can find David Mendosa's posts (profile link here.) I have been reading his work for years and was delighted to have found him here on Health Central. Also, Dr. Bill Quick (profile link here) is not only a respected member of the medical community, but has diabetes himself. He and his wife Steph run the oldest online resource for diabetes information.

There are also many folks online here who have diabetes and write about their own accounts, giving tips on how to make that bland piece of chicken taste better, or what to do when you really want that piece of birthday cake. I like reading Gretchen Becker's posts (profile link here) Sometimes when you are feeling down, if you read one of her posts, such as Tips for coping with the holidays and or New Years Resolutions.

I know this seems like a lot of information to digest (think of it this way, at least it's sugar free!) but it's very helpful when trying to figure out how to manage your life. There are lots of folks out here who are more than willing to help too. If you need some information about a particular drug, or want to know about particular foods, or if you just want to talk with someone who understands what you are dealing with. We're here. Just give a shout!

Take care and stay in touch. Let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M

sharongrr

1/11/08 11:19pm

I also just found out I have type 2 diabetes. Started off with a yeast infection, they sent me to have my blood tested, and sure enough, there it was! Apparently my number was 350 BEFORE eating anything, and it's supposed to be around 100. Then after 1 cola, it was 470, I made my doctor's jaw drop, ... not a good sign. She started me on some meds, but I am over 150 pounds overweight. So I'm thinkin if I lose it, then maybe I can lose this! My doctor told me to basically follow the atkins diet. It's rough, I'm a pasta girl!

 

But this site is very helpful, I've only read a few articles on certain things, but it has been very beneficial and major thanks to everyone who writes!

 

Luckily none of us are alone :) Anyone in the Chicago-land who cares to join me for a no-pasta get together? lol

Vicki M

1/28/08 11:31pm

Hi Sharongrr,

 

Sure wish I lived closer to Chicago! Would love to have a buddy!

 

I am a big girl too and I can tell you that losing the weight will help you  with the diabetes, but more than that adding some exersize to your day will help immensely. Moving will circulate your blood, help digest your meals and will help the body manufacture the insulin you need. Even if you are not losing weight, the mobility will have a positive affect on you. Now I know that exercise is not one of the most fun things in the world, but it doesn't have to be a full blown work out. Just adding a walk for 20-30 mintues a day can work wonders. Perhaps you can get a couple friends together for a walk every day or every other day. You would be surprised how fun that can be, and beneficial for you.

 

Here are a couple links to look at to help you decide what is good for you. While these links are not to be used instead of your doctor, but will help you manage your care and ask the right questions.

 

First off, since you are newly diagnosed, it would be good to read about diabetes here and see exactly what you are dealing with in terms of what it does to your body. You can read about the medicines you've been prescribed here. There is information about drug interactions, side effects and known issues for some drugs. You can also read about treatments here. There is information about current treatments and breaking news about new treatments. 

 

As far as exercise,you can read about the benefits of exercise for diabetics here.  You can also read about the risk factors here and why it is important to take care of your health.

 

I hope this helps some. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M