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I don't preach to my friends about food/diabetes I figure we all do what is best for us. Doesn't mean I agree with it but it is pointless and could cause problems between us as friends.[/quote]
This is where I am. When she first told me her husband was diagnosed diabetic over 20 years ago, I subtly tried to encourage her to consider lifestyle/diet changes while there was a high chance of avoiding drugs, etc. Now that she is facing a possible diabetes diagnosis & is in denial, it's definitely added friction to our friendship & I'm frustrated. I guess I feel a duty to say SOMETHING (don't want to go so far as preaching though) as a good friend---she isn't an acquaintance, she is a very close friend--but don't want to damage the friendship or make her feel worse if she's coping with denial. So, I'm here trying to understand how common this is.
Like a lot of young stupid people I done stupid things. I had some serious health problems from it and ended up in the emergency room a couple times. While getting tested my doctor said my BG was pretty high and I probably had Type II unless I had just eaten before I came in. Being young and stupid I lied and said I had just had a soda and ate breakfast. He said I needed to fast and come back in to be tested for Diabetes.
That was in the very early 90s and because of the other problems I completely forgot about it and never went back to my doctor. Well flash forward 25 years and I went to the doctor again because I felt like passing out ALL the time. Turned out I really did have diabetes. In the middle I worked construction and worked very hard every day. The hard work kept my BG levels low enough it never really bothered me. Then when I quit working I ballooned up in weight and all the symptoms hit me very hard.
Diabetes is weird. Seems like there are 2 types. Those that do nothing about it and expect medications to do everything for them. They still eat cookies, ice cream, bread, pasta, drink alcohol daily, and change nothing. I have several of these friends and it is very sad to watch. Then there are those that take it extremely serious and change their diets and exercise. They seem to live a WAY better life and a much longer one. I was the first type because I didn't know better and that is how all my friends done it. It was better than nothing but after a couple years I realized that was extremely stupid(for me). Now I am drug free and eat a very strict diet that took some time to get used to. Now I feel amazing and have lost 40 pounds. My A1c is also lower than it ever got with drugs.
The saying that makes me cringe is: Life is short I am going to eat what I want. All I think is yes and now it will be even shorter with an extremely horrible ending.
One of my coworkers took the meds but did nothing about her diet. She was at least 150 lbs overweight and had had a couple of toes and a finger amputated. Yet when she returned to work after the toes were removed SHE WAS EATING A CANDY BAR as she told the story.
She passed away at 59. 2 weeks after her diabetic husband (slightly younger).
I can relate to some disbelief/denial for sure.
Right now I'm on 2k Metformin ER and 4mg Glimepiride per day. My A1C is still extremely high.
I feel awful. Tomorrow I will call the doc and ask for one more med change then it's insulin.
I feel like I'm wasting the summer away: also doctor appointments are like 4 months out.
I can relate to some disbelief/denial for sure.
Right now I'm on 2k Metformin ER and 4mg Glimepiride per day. My A1C is still extremely high.
I feel awful. Tomorrow I will call the doc and ask for one more med change then it's insulin.
I feel like I'm wasting the summer away: also doctor appointments are like 4 months out.
If you are type II you might want to consider talking to your doctor about the GLP-1 antagonist meds like Trulicity, Victoza, or Ozempic. For many type IIs that struggle for control they have been game changers. They aren’t cheap meds but a lot of patients end up being able to get off a bunch of other meds and totally avoid insulin.
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I don't find it common for diabetics to do this in general, but...are your friends older?
My mother (who is 75) thinks a coke won't hurt if she adds some water to it. She says she can't eat strawberries because they have too much sugar, and pretty much lives on those cheesy/peanut butter cracker things. And she can't figure out why her numbers are so out of whack.
I think it's more of a distrust of the medical community and over the years the old wives tales people have heard.
It's all about sugar to them...when it is really so much more than that!
She has it backwards.
Strawberries are actually one of the fruits which are acceptable for diabetics in reasonable quantities of course.
Try showing this to her.. It's a picture of the amount of sugar in one 12 oz coke.
I recently got diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic. I was surprised because up until now my A1C has always been under 5. Last blood work in April and my A1C is 6. My doctor has decided not to put me on meds and hopes changing my diet will help. I did very well the first month I started eating less carbs lost 7 pounds, but I have fallen off the wagon I have to re-think my eating again. I don't want to end up with a bunch of diabetic meds. I eat sweets but not often. My problem is bread, rice, pasta, potatoes. I see him in September so lets hope I can bring my A1C down. Also shame on me I don't check my BCL that much. I have to start doing that again. last time I took it by BS was 125.
No denial. I went on metformin years before I was T2, I was probably pre at that point, but wanted to treat other metabolic issues going on. With a family history of 3 generations, I knew T2 was probably inevitable.
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