my bad trip to the doctor

[raildog]

Today my world was turned upside down.
Went to the Doctor for a yearly check up. I have had high blood pressure for about 5 years now.They always have me come in a few day early for blood work. Doctor informed me today that my triglycerides were 1400 and A1C was 10.4. Now im diabetic and have to do a whole life style change. If any of ya'll guys have any pointers I'm all ears. For those of you who don't go to the doc on a regular basis take care of your selfs. Im 33 years old and thought I was healthy outher than the high blood pressure. Now I have to go through a lot of test to figure out what the best way to treat this is.

[Pete123]

I'm sorry to hear that you got this news.  There have been two times in my life that I've had to deal with significant health issues.

 

My experience has been this: 

 

• Follow advice
• make taking care of yourself a priority
• learn how to manage stress, especially if I'm correct in thinking that the triglycerides and A1C relates to your heart.  
• Figure out how to make dietary changes you can live with that will take you to a more healthy place.  Most people can significantly reduce the triglycerides and manage adult onset diabetes
• Exercise - doing something that you like.

This is all easy for me to write, though it isn't easy to do - myself included.  At the end of the day, we all need to make ourselves a priority.  

[Tuffus]

Diabetes is an ugly disease that demands your constant attention. That said, if you do everything right you can live a good life. Non compliant diabetics live a hard and sometimes short life. Do what the Doctor says and keep a close check on your A1c and glucose levels. Get the triglycerides down through diet and exercise. Hang in there, one of my bicycling friends has had diabetes for 48 years and is still going strong.

[Joe357]

I too was diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes. I changed my lifestyle and my glucose is now normal meaning a1c is now 5 and glucose two hours after eating is in normal range (less than 140). I am taking drugs for blood pressure but nothing for diabetes. I am 5'11" and weight was 205 lbs. My weight now is 165 lbs and I eat only foods recommended for diabetes. I feel good and will continue. I am 60 and going. You can do the same by losing fast food and not eating garbage. I know it maybe hard to do at first but it does get easier and well worth it.

[Dolomite_supafly]

My wife was diagnosed in February. Since then she has lost 50 pounds and her A1C has dropped from 12.6 to 6.6. The first 3-6 months are going to determine how quickly things can get turned around. You will ALWAYS be diabetic but the best case scenario is to be free of any medications.

 

If you want I can talk to you for hours about what I learned from all of this. Just PM me saying you want it and I will give it to you.

 

It can be very overwhelming at first but trust me when I say if I can figure it out anyone can figure it out. Do not get frustrated and give up because it is worth it, I promise you it is. My wife is now the person I once knew and married but before we knew she was diabetic she was not doing well.

 

Again, if you have questions or need help please feel free to ask.

[Tncobra]

Lose weight.

I lost 50lbs and my a1c went to 5.5 from 10. My BP went waaay down too.

I eat whatever still, just not all of it. Quit the white foods and the pop/sugar.

[mikegideon]

I have had high blood pressure most of my adult life. But recently, I had the same deal with elevated blood sugar. It wasn't the first time. Both times, they said, "we can fix this".

 

Well... don't know who they think "we" is. The way I see it, I'm kinda on my own. So, as of right now, I have dropped about 44 pounds, and my body mass index is now 25.9. I am going to shave off another few pounds, but have started ramping my calories back up. I was on 3 blood pressure pills a day, and had to drop to one. Sometimes, I don't even need that one. I feel great, and I'm an old fart. Did it with Myfitnesspal.com and a treadmill for the most part. I was running a 1000+ calorie net deficit per day. I lost it really fast. So fast, that I haven't been back for bloodwork. My money says that my sugar problems are history, at least for now. I'll be 60 in a few months.

 

The weight loss was easy once I set my mind to it. I use a Withings scale, so I don't have to write anything down. It sends all the data to the internet. Here my whole weight loss thing in one graph from the Withings site...

 

[Ron_TN]

I been there done that and it CAN fixed!   If you are type 2 that is a plus.....type 1 is harder to control.  Blood pressure can be fixed also

 

With out me knowing I'm guessing your over wheight?   If so change your eating habits and start into an excircise routine......walking is a great start

 

Both of these condictions can be controld by you.   I'm guessing your doctor alraedy told you this.  We can give you pointers but I would listen to and ask my doctor for best advice.  I just turned 80 and at age 30 I was a physical wreck.  High PB ....type 2 diabetes high colestrol.   You can do it!!!!

[bersaguy]

I found out last December I had type 2 diabetes and they put me on medications for it. I went on the diet they recommended and most of the foods taste like cardboard. I dropped about 25 lbs. I have had High Blood Pressure as it is hereditary in my family for most of my life. My body was destroyed back in 78 when I got pinned between a brick wall and run away pickup truck with no driver and doctors said about 60% of the bones in my body were either broke or fractured. Was operated on 4 times in less than a week just to keep me alive. Spent from April 17th till middle of November in St Thomas Hospital. Doctors told me I should have been killed with all the damage my body received. I no longer have a spline among other things I use to have.  They told me that I would probably recover well till about 50 and then my bones would begin reminding me about that truck every day and rainy days would be worse. Well, it actually began to show up really a lot at age 55. If I walk to the mail box in front of my house and back without a cane I have to stop and rest because my body is hurting so bad. I have a great GP doctor and she tells me I need to exercise more and I raise up my right hand and open and close it 5 times into a fist and she laughs and says "Don't over do it". She knows I can't exercise but I can walk. I can walk into Walmart and take a cart and walk all over that store for hours pain free. Same with Krogers so that is how I exercise weekly. I do shop at Krogers but I just walk at Walmart.

 

Now with all of that said. I wake up each morning morning and stick my finger and test my blood sugar before eating and coffee. My sugar has been in the safe range since I came home from hospital in December and went on the cardboard diet. Since i am somewhat of a chance taker and always have been I began moving away from the cardboard diet and went back to eating many of the foods I enjoyed before they told me I was diabetic. Since June I have been back almost 100% of my old diet and my sugar levels have actually dropped about 15 to 20 points below the cardboard diet every morning. I spoke with my doctor about it and she said as long as I don't gain the weight back I should be just fine. I gained back 1 pound is all. I am 67 years (young) old and according to the surgeons that have spent time walking around inside my body 10 times now including last January repairing things I should not even be here.  I figure well if I should not be here but still am GOD has something in mind for me and I will be here until he punches my number so I am going to enjoy it while I'm here as best my body will allow me to............jmho........... :up: :up:

[McGarrett]

The good news is that diabetes and high bp are very treatable.

 

My dad is type 2, and my son is type 1 diabetic so I know about that. My dad is 77 and is very healthy for his age, he doesn't exercise as such but does watch what he eats. He just takes a pill for diabetes. He was never overweight anyway, he's really skinny, he says he is the same size and weight as when he went in the army in '55. 6'2" 175lbs so I don't think his diabetes has anything to do with weight, must be hereditary. My son is 21, he was diagnosed at 13, he has to take insulin but he manages very well. I think it skipped me, at least for now anyway.

 

+1 on losing weight. Diet and exercise will probably make the biggest effects on the diabetes and bp.

 

Follow what the dr says. You may have to make some changes but I'm sure you can do it.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I am sure you are aware but they have a treatment that reverses type 1 now. Not sure of the particulars but it involves transplanting islet cells.

[Ron_TN]

I would like to add one thing......when i changed my eating habits 50 ago. A friend of mine who was a health nut....suggested I stay away from 1 sugar....2 white flour and fryed foods.  I have pretty much followed that path.

[bersaguy]

I would like to add one thing......when i changed my eating habits 50 ago. A friend of mine who was a health nut....suggested I stay away from 1 sugar....2 white flour and fryed foods.  I have pretty much followed that path.

I tried that when I was first placed on my diet in January. I went to that Truvia sweetener which was not bad but a little costly and I don't use a lot of flour but do in my fried foods because that was one thing I was able to cut back on but not give up. I eat about 1/2 as many as I use to but then my fried foods consisted of fish mostly and I deep fry them in Olive Oil but I have learned many other ways to also enjoy fish. Grilled in Lemon Pepper and wrapped in foil, Grilled in foil with Bell Peppers, onions and garlic with fish just brushed slightly with olive oil. Both of those are lip smacking good. Can do the same thing with Chicken Breasts. I eat wheat bread and Rye bread but did that for many years before learning about my diabetes. Was never much of a white bread person. ........just my................ :2cents: