Comment by Alisha Steele on May 11, 2009 at 4:02pm

Your best friend will be your Dietician/Nutritionist. Mine has made a world of difference in my life. There are so many things I never knew, before I met with her. She showed me how to read food packages and how to subtract the Fiber grams from the Carb grams, which brands carry low Carb substitutes of foods I like, and how to measure food properly. There are things I would have never guessed even made a difference! For instance, how an overly ripe banana will raise your blood sugar quicker than one that isn't? Who would have known? :)

Comment by Kristin on May 11, 2009 at 4:35pm

Glad that you had a good visit! Hope that all the new info will help!

I don't want to overwhelm you, but as time goes by, you should ask to be re-tested to determine what type of diabetes you have. Many people your age are misdiagnosed with type 2, even by good doctors.

Comment by Sarah on May 11, 2009 at 4:38pm

Did you get antibody and c-peptide testing done, or did the doctor determine you are a T2 just based on family history? I don't think it's really all that common for a newly diagnosed T2 to have an a1c as high as 12 - that's an average BG around 300.

If you do need insulin, it's really not bad with today's super fine and super short needles (and pen needles are shorter than syringes, with the added benefit of not getting dulled on the bottle seal)... checking your blood sugar usually hurts more.

Comment by Kristin on May 11, 2009 at 4:41pm

I agree. Poking your finger hurts more than giving injections. So don't be afraid of insulin needles. Can't even feel them. I was afraid of needles before I was diagnosed. I still am. But insulin needles are so thin that I don't even count them as needles!

Comment by Sarah on May 12, 2009 at 5:42am

Renee - a lot of doctors these days are reluctant/unwilling to start some patients on insulin if they're suspected to be T2. As a T1, that could be bad, and I know that I personally had to struggle to get the correct diagnosis to be "allowed" insulin, and I was just 20, and not overweight, with no major risk factors or family history of T2. I spent several months having stupidly high blood sugars and arguing with a doctor who had no idea what they were doing. If I hadn't been self-medicating with insulin already, I probably would have ended up in the hospital.

Comment by Vanessa Garcia on May 12, 2009 at 9:08am

Thank you all for your support and comments.. i appreciate all of the love and help you guys have given me!

Comment by VeRoNiCa on May 12, 2009 at 4:35pm

Vanessa - I see you're in Riverside...we're practically neighbors! Well kind of...I'm in Glendale, but I have family in Fontana. I have to second what Josephine said (first comment) in regards to becoming overwhelmed. This is exactly what happened to me because I wanted to take in all of the information I read about and do it all at once and be the perfect patient with T2...never happened and I only ended overwhelmed, angry, and sad. When I decided I was going to get serious a HUGE factor in the changes I made and the results I saw were based on one of the members of this communit, Jenny. She has a website, it is http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/ . I can't recommend her site enough...I can't believe all of the time I spent trying to figure out how to lower my BG #'s and do everything "perfectly"...it was all spelled out on this website. Learning about carb counting & exercise made a HUGE difference and I losts 30lbs. (also with the help of the Metformin). I'm still a work in progress, but at least I'm not hopeless now...I'm in control. If you ever want to talk or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Good luck with everything!!!

Comment by Forrest on May 13, 2009 at 4:28pm

Hey I got you beat, when I was first diagnosed first with type 2 my A1C was 13. After that they figured out that I was type 1 and put me on insulin now my A1C is 5.7. They tried metformin and it didn’t do anything. Have they tried any other tests to see if you are type 2? I think doctors just assume that if you get diabetes in your 20’s you are type 2. I hope everything goes well.

Comment by Gerri on May 13, 2009 at 10:35pm

Hey Vanessa,

Great advice from everyone. Hugs to you for taking care of yourself. Glad you have a doctor who was straight with you & took the time to explain things well.

You'll be at 7 soon & below that. Keep us posted on your progress.

Don't worry about the needles, if you need insulin. When I was told to inject in my stomach, I felt faint just thinking about it. They don't hurt at all, promise.

Comment by Cathy on May 16, 2009 at 9:35am

I have been T2 since 18. So it can happen, I weighed 115 lbs I had gestational diabetes and family history of diabetes too. I was not able to get treatment till I was 26 because of my ex and insurance but now I get plenty of good treatment and take very good care of myself. No organ damage so now they put me on a pump to make sure I don' t get any. Hopefully! :) Good luck and anytime you need help there are plenty here in the family that will chime right in to help with some advice. Including me :D

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