Feb 27 today ...any update...such as starting insulin ...you have been quiet ??
I was ( mis) diagnosed at age 48 ...I live down the road from you : the Shuswap !!

Welcome to TuDiabetes, we are so happy that you found us!

Hey...just stopping by to say hello :)
Here's a handy A1c to mmol conversion chart....
A1C level Average blood sugar level
5 percent 80 mg/dL (4.4 mmol/L)
6 percent 120 mg/dL (6.7 mmol/L)
7 percent 150 mg/dL (8.3 mmol/L)
8 percent 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L)
9 percent 210 mg/dL (11.7 mmol/L)
10 percent 240 mg/dL (13.3 mmol/L)
11 percent 270 mg/dL (15 mmol/L)
12 percent 300 mg/dL (16.7 mmol/L)
13 percent 333 mg/dL (18.5 mmol/L)
14 percent 360 mg/dL (20 mmol/L)
Take care and keep in touch....linda in canada

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Foods that are okay, while you get your numbers down: Lean meats, leafy greens, non starchy veggies (broccoli, yellow summer squash, zucchini, etc.), omega 3 foods (like avocados, peanut butter, nuts, olive oil), and full fat cheeses. Low fat, non fat cheeses have more carbs and sugar in order to improve flavor... And I might get Almond Breeze almond milk to substitute regular milk with, since it has quite a few carbs, and sometimes it's not worth it... These are just some ideas. :)

Well, I'm glad that you have a concerned doctor on your hands. This is far, far from pre diabetes if you are having those kinds of numbers, though. They are very dangerous numbers and I recommend not even exercising on those, and drinking plenty of water, especially when you're going to be out of town. Avoid eating a lot of starchy meals or foods, for now (regardless of the type, even if they are low GI). One thing I feel MUST mention though is that the GOAL in Diabetes management should always be having good numbers, not avoiding insulin. Insulin is NOT a failure. Insulin is natural, and normal, and ALL people make insulin. So if you are having horrible numbers that you cannot control or have a hard time controlling with diet and exercise alone... or with medications... Please, please, do not put off insulin. It is not worth risking the complications, and when used responsibly, insulin is a quite healthy alternative to many of the medications. For your eating habits, I would seriously consider keeping a mini food journal for now, and detail how many carbohydrates you have at every meal and snack, including, picking at least one or two meals a day (which you can rotate every day) to test pre and post meals. This will tell you how certain meals affect you, how much carbohydrates affect you (especially at what times of the day), and if you need to cut back on your servings. This is VERY important to rely on THAT, and not on whether or not something is said to be "low gi" or whatever. We are all different, as Diabetics, and how our bodies react will be different, too. None of us are a textbook example of Diabetes. My suggestion is to tame breakfast, as we always tend to be higher in the mornings, and more resistant, too... and carbs tend to spike us more, then.

Hi steelhand, and welcome to our community. I was reading the thread (a fellow Canadian friend pointed me to it) you posted in the Canada group... and I can't comment in there because I'm not a member, nor am I Canadian... :) But I wanted to give you a few of my thoughts: 1. Has your doctor ever done proper testing to determine exactly which type of diabetes you have? It is not uncommon for persons of your age to develop Type 1 Diabetes. It is not a childhood only disease, and it can develop quite slowly (sometimes through years!), in such a way as to give you the impression that oral medications may work, even if only very slightly, yet your numbers remain bad. Your doctor will need to do some proper pancreatic antibody testing. 2. It sounds like, regardless of whether or not you are a Type 1 or a Type 2, you need some insulin, both basal and bolus insulin (slow and fast acting, for your day and for your meals). Your beta cell function seems impaired enough, at this point, that while orals may help reduce insulin resistance, the amount of insulin you are producing doesn't seem to be enough to deal with your body's daily needs. A test to determine how much insulin you are still making is probably in order. 3. Lastly, I wouldn't ever go on more than 1 or 2 orals. At a certain point, it is simply putting more bandaids on the Sun. Even if you are still making some amount of insulin, it is more desirable for you to reign in your control than to mess around with more orals that are not working... and more and more doctors are agreeing that in order to prevent complications and issues, it is preferable to put patients earlier on insulin once they start losing their control and have a hard time controlling things on 1 or 2 orals. So... it might be time to have frank discussion with your doctor, and to seek an Endocrinologist if you do not already have one. I hope this helps answer some of your questions... :) You can message me any time.

hi steelhead, welcome!

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