Diabetes. - Culver City,CA

My son lost his Type II diabetes in the reverse way that he got it.

He learned all about diabetesit and why it was so awful to have which motivated him to diet, exercise, and then finally, take shots. Not insulin shots but I can't find the name of them on line. The endocrinologist gives the prescription. You give yourself a shot in the stomach twice a day. The tummy has far fewer nerve endings so half the time you don't feel the pinch. My son says they are coming out with a shot that you have to take far fewer times.

He lost weight gradually but dependably. So now, he doesn't diet, he just has to eat like a normal person. Not a person eating like he wasn't going to eat again in two days (like he was).

So, educate yourself, and try to lose it. Some of it may be genetic, but don't give up fighting it and making it go away.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes around my 40th birthday (I'm now 48). I had GD with my first pregnancy, and am convinced I also had it with my 2nd, although it was never diagnosed. I successfully controlled it with medication for a couple of years, but eventually started losing weight without trying (almost 25 pounds!) and got scared enough to finally see an endocrinologist. My sugar was through the roof - I wasn't getting any nutrition from the foods I ate which is why I was losing weight. He immediately put me on insulin, and added several pills to the metformin I was already taking. I have to honestly say it was only then that I began to take my condition as seriously as I should. Being told I need to be insulin-dependent was a really crushing blow - I was depressed about it for a long time. I gained back all the weight I lost, plus some, and was under alot of stress at the time. It finally occurred to me about a year ago (yes, I'm a slow learner!) that I need to come to grips with this and stop sticking my head in the sand about it. I joined Weight Watchers, and am starting to lose the extra pounds. I am working on ways to cope with stress in my life. I am trying really hard to put myself and my health first for a change. And bit by bit, I'm starting to feel like I can make a difference in my own life! I've changed alot of my old eating habits (WW has helped tremendously with this) - replacing processed foods with healthier snacks, switching to whole grains, eating several small meals instead of 3 big ones, etc. My suggestions to you would be to get some cookbooks for diabetics, and to find out how to best balance your food intake you may want to see a nutritionist. Keep walking with your toddler! The more you move, the better you'll feel. If you can, join a local support group for people with Type 2 diabetes, or consider joining WW. Learn as much as you can about Type 2, monitor your blood sugar levels regularly, take time for yourself. Believe me when I say I know it's overwhelming at first, but it is manageable. Take good care of yourself, and good luck!

The key to working on this is to ask the dr to refer you to a nutritionist. Counting carbs is the way to control your blood glucose levels. Our son is diabetic, type 1. Things like pasta, bread and rice all add to your high blood sugars. One visit with a nutritionist will help a lot. I wish you all the best in getting it under control and avoiding insulin dependence.

There is a history of diabetes in my family and I had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy. So since I was in the 90% of eventually developing the disease it didn't come as much of a shock.

If you had gestational diabetes than you should already have all the information you need and you would continue to follow the same diet. Actually as a diabetic, its best not to eat in "meal form". You should be eating 6 times a day, and each of those should be balanced. You should also be testing your blood sugar several times a day.

What did I change...
No sugar
No diet soda -
Drink lots of water
Excercise more - I try to take a short walk daily and go to the gym at least 2 times a week
Eat breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, dinner, and evening snack (I should eat an afternoon snack, but rarely do unless I'm having a late dinner)
Eat a lot more veggies

so sorry to hear that.....i was very upset cried for days:( i battle it everyday its not a easy job....just drink lots of water and try hard to cut sugars out as much as u can i still have that problem....try to bake ur meat....take meds everyday and try to walk as much as u can....good luck:)

I agree with the other replies, and I also wanted to throw out the idea of type 1 diabetes. We have friends who were diagnosed with type 1 in their 40's and 50's, and I know some women who developed type 1 after having had gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. You might want to ask your doctor for a blood test to see, for sure, which type you have. Our friend who was diagnosed in his 50's had crazy blood sugars (they told him he was type 2 without checking, because of his age) and then after months of pills and dietary changes, they did a blood test and discovered he actually has type 1, and now he injects insulin, like our daughter, who was diagnosed with type 1 when she was 23 months old. Good luck in your quest for better health. We know how difficult it can be.

I don't have diabetes but I did have gestational diabetes and both my parents are diabetic as well, so my doctor watches for it a lot. I know you are asking for responses from women with type 2 diabetes only but I felt compelled to put an answer because there is so much in your post that is blaming yourself and you really shouldn't. You did do a good enough job.

I felt very devastated when I was told I had gestational diabetes. They had me go to a weekly appointment to be checked by a diabetes specialist, nutritionist and therapist. They always sent me to the therapist first because I would come in with pages and pages of food notes and blood sugar numbers. The therapist said to me "You can try all you want but you can't control this. You can do your best right now and that is all you can do". I thought if I did everything PERFECTLY this would never have happened. I can sense a lot of that feeling in your post too. I am really sorry you had to hear this news but I'm sure you will be able to manage it.

One of the things that I am convinced caused my gestational diabetes was having not enough unrefined carbs....I found that I actually was allowed more on the diabetes diet than what I was eating. The trick was just to measure it strictly and have a protein with EVERYTHING and also to make sure to have snacks. My aunt (also diabetic) skipped her night time snack and woke up with her blood sugar at 250! Higher than when she went to bed after eating a snack!

I'm really sorry. But this is not your fault. You did try to do all the right things and sometimes we just need a little help.