Oh my... I am beside myself... I guess I am just seeking all the info I can get my hands on and a little support too.

I was diagnosed with Type2 Diabetes today. My sugar was 200 from a blood test taken last Friday morning. I am 43 years old and I suspect that I have had this condition for well over a year, if not 2 years and it went undiagnosed.

For background I am significantly overweight, I have hypothyroidism (treated with Synthroid), I have been treated for the past 5 years for "excess protein in my urine" resulting in edema (treated with furosemide), AND I was just diagnosed with high cholesterol. Cooincidentally, I just started wearing eyeglasses in 2001 when my eyesite took a significant turn for the worse (which at the time was attributed to my age).

I am now wondering how many of my other conditions are resulting from the Diabetes. For example, could the Edema and eyesite problems be caused by Diabetes? What other symptoms are from this? I have had severly dry cracking skin on my feet and excessive scaling and flaking skin on my face and scalp - could these be symptoms too?

My doctor perscribed Amaryl 2mg per day. Tomorrow I have to schedule an appointment with a "Diabetes Educator" - I guess that is where I will learn what my new diet will be and how to control the sugar in my blood. But he didn't say anything to me about testing my sugar at home (I dread having to poke myself with a needle) - do some people NOT have to do this?

I am wondering how challenging it will be to control diabetes and high cholesterol with the same diet - low carb/lowfat sounds like no food (especially since I am deathly allergic to all poultry!)

Please - I welcome any words of wisdom, suggestions, and experiences!!!

Hi JD,
First of all, let me say that being diagnosed with a serious illness can certainly be devastating emotionally, but you've come to a great place for support. As Mindy said, you are NOT alone!

I'm a T2, diagnosed in 1984. I've been on insulin for several years now so I'm not too familiar with some of the newer oral medications, but from my understanding, they can control T2 much better now with orals than was the case years ago. However, I think too many doctors still do not take T2 seriously enough. Although we are not subject to some of the immediate complications of T1's (such as diabetic ketoacidosis, otherwise known as diabetic coma), we are just as apt to develop complications over the long term if we do not control our blood sugars, so it's important to learn everything you can and get invested in taking care of this.

Yes, you absolutely should get a blood glucose monitor. Be sure to have your doctor write a prescription for the monitor and for the test strips; most insurances will pay for them. Until you get your numbers under control, you should be testing at least 3 times a day (AM fasting always, bedtime always, and vary the other test from day to day between 2 hours post-breakfast, 2 hours post-lunch and 2 hours post-dinner.) Once you've achieved good control, you can probably cut back to twice a day, but don't get too complacent about this as things can change over time. To minimize the "ouch" factor, I highly recommend a lancet device that has a dial on it so you can achieve the least depth penetration that will give you blood, and I also recommend using the BD Ultra Fine II Lancets...they are incredibly sharp and hurt much less than other ones I've used. You can usually reuse one lancet at least twice, probably 3 times, before they get dull (I reuse mine for weeks, but that doesn't mean you SHOULD do that, lol).

I'm glad to hear that you'll be seeing a Diabetes Educator (DE); however, that is not usually the same as a Registered Dietician(RD). You should ask for a referral to an RD, who will explain what you need to do as far as diet and meal planning go. There is more than one way to go: carb-counting, exchange diet, etc., and you should ask about the different ways you can manage your diet. The DE will, hopefully, help educate you about diabetes in general and your own case in particular. If there's a course available, take it!

Yes, it is possible that all the other problems stem from the diabetes. The most disturbing one is the protein in the urine, and I agree with Mindy's advice to see a nephrologist...make sure it's one who has a lot of experience with diabetic patients. It is possible that you'll stop spilling protein once your blood sugars are under control, but even if you don't, I'm not sure that furosemide is the way to go for a diabetic person. Most diabetics with microalbuminuria (small bits of protein in the urine) are treated with Ace inhibitors (a type of blood pressure medication that helps prevent diabetic kidney damage). I believe furosemide is a diuretic? That will help the edema, but might conceivably put further strain on the kidneys. A nephrologist is the best person to consult regarding this situation.

Dry skin...oh, yes...a few winters ago, my fingers were peeling down to the knuckles! There are several things you can do. One, get a humidifier, especially in the winter. Two, use a good body lotion and hand lotion EVERY day! Look for ones that contain urea, which is the only ingredient that actually ADDS moisture to the skin; the other ingredients just prevent further moisture loss. Make sure you use cream on your feet, too, and you should probably make an appointment with a podiatrist to check your feet and treat any callouses.


The eye problem: depends on what happened. If you just have trouble reading, but not seeing distance, it might indeed be an age-related issue. But, if it's related to the diabetes, it may improve significantly once your blood sugars are under control. Be sure to see an ophthamologist at least once a year for a complete, fully-dilated eye exam.

Okay...are you overwhelmed yet??? I didn't mean to write an entire book here! There is truly a lot to learn, but...you DON'T HAVE TO LEARN IT ALL AT ONCE! The fact that you have been diagnosed and you're being treated is the most important step. Read, learn, ask questions...you'll remember some of it. Later you can ask the same questions again, and you'll remember more of it. Treat it as a process, not as a single event. Complications happen over a long period of time, not over a few weeks or even months, so you don't have to be perfect immediately (or even ever...none of us ever achieve perfection in mananging the numbers, we just try to get close).

I highly recommend the American Diabetes Association's magazine, "Diabetes Forecast", as a great learning tool. It comes with membership to the ADA. (you can google them). They also have some terrific meal-planning and recipe books available.

And if I haven't scared you off with my verbosity, come here often and ask us anything...if we don't know the answer, we'll try to figure out how you can find the answer.

Ruth

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans."