Hi Karen. Sorry to hear that. It's not that bad, bad news is Type 1 diabetes. My wife is type one, has to inject insulin 4 times a day. We've been together 19 years. That's about 30,000 syringes/shots (a dump truck full).
Type II is very treatable with exercise, a moderate diet, and a few supliments. Make an appointment with a nutritionist and start reading about how to manage your diet. Find ways to take fiber with your meals.
Fiber slows down the body's processing of carbs, so that you can burn them off, instead of your body having to produce insulin. Bad news will be if you don't take care of your Type 2 it can become type 1.
-- Edited by StPeteDean on Saturday 5th of February 2011 05:40:02 AM
Hi Karen. That's not bad news. Bad news is Type 1 diabetes. My wife is type one, has to inject insulin 4 times a day. We've been together 19 years. That's about 30,000 syringes/shots (a dump truck full).
Type II is very treatable with exercise, a moderate diet, and a few supliments. Make an appointment with a nutritionist and start reading about how to manage your diet. Find ways to take fiber with your meals.
Fiber slows down the body's processing of carbs, so that you can burn them off, instead of your body having to produce insulin. Bad news will be if you don't take care of your Type 2 it can become type 1.
Karen follow your Doctor's instructions.
My wife did not and like Pete said she went from type 2 to type 1. She has to inject insulin daily now and she is starting to show signs of numbness in her feet. You don't wan't to know what comes after that if she does not follow the doctor's instructions this time. Suffice it to say she may become shorter.
The good news is you can have a great life, just follow your doctor's orders. I know following orders is hard for alcoholics like us to do. In this case it sure is worth it.
Larry, ---------------- "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."
I have type 2 and have gone from sky high uncontrolled, untreated, to 50 lighter (still overweight, but much healthier), well controlled, normal A1C. I use flax meal and flax seed daily, 95% vegetarian, started exercising regularly--it has all paid off! The willingness to follow my docs' guidance and do what needed to be done has been a "plus" in my day-2-day sobriety/recovery program...somehow adding the diabetic condition added a strength and clarity of focus to everything else in my life. (also take metaformin daily). Just like our program---not easy, but simple.
^^^^ What Larry said. Being an avid scuba diver, and not following my training, I acquired decompression sickness (shoulder pain). I had to do 3 sessions in a recompression chamber. 2 of those treatments were with about a dozen diabetics with big swollen feat with open sores in the bottom of them, some the size of half dollars. Some of these folks had already had a foot removed. Others were blind. These were people who did Not manage there diabetes. It scared the hell out of me. I keep my weight down and stay away from sugar and bad carbs. I don't want to get onset diabetes.
This is exactly right. Everything I was going to say comes down to this.
Treat any diagnosis the same way that we treat the program. In the case of diabetes, there are things to do to help yourself. Just like with alcoholism- we have a daily reprieve. It's up to us to do the work we need to do on our disease, on a daily basis.
Karen, certainly it wasn't 'good' news that you received, but there are also simple things to do to keep yourself healthy.
I'm 37, and I just started taking daily medicine for high blood pressure about a month and a half ago. This is the first time I've had to take daily medicine for anything at all, in my life. I could feel like it's a huge bummer if I chose to approach it that way(oh whoa is me, and I'm getting older, and all that). But my father started taking the same medicine when he was 30, and so did his father before him. My dad's 65 now, and he's in great health.
Stay focused on the simple solution, and you'll be fine.
So sorry for the news and the pain that it is causing you! Getting sober does nor protect us from life, but does better equip us to roll with the punches, I should hope.
Diabetes runs rampant in my family (both type 1 and late onset types). It's likely not a matter of "if" with me, but "when".
That said, it is only a disease if not managed. Glucose kept under control either naturally (by a properly working pancreas and receptors) or artificially (by a vigilent diabetic, regulating his/her self well) wont destroy the body. Runaway glucose can sure wreak havoc.
I have family members who use a variety of tools to manage - some take oral meds, others insulin by syringe, and yet others are on insulin pumps (and, weirdly, loving it!). There are options and new ones always coming.
However, there never is a day quite like the first one when you hear the diagnosis attached to YOUR name, is there? I am sorry for the pain of that. Hopefully your program toolbox will prove useful at this time.
Here's to hoping that you find a way that works, to live well with your diabetes.
That is not the end of the world. I am a type 1 diabetic, and an alcoholic. Type 1 you are insulin dependant. Type 2, you can take a pill, and have to lose weight. You have the better of the two. Be grateful you don't have to take insulin shots 8 times a day or more.
Karen, thoughts and prayers going out to you. A lot of education and work goes into managing diabetes at first, and I pray that you get the hang of it as soon as possible. Blessings to you today.
Joni
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~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
