I Had All The Symptoms

Millions of Americans have type 2 diabetes.  Many more have it and don't know it.  I knew it but was in denial for quite a while.  I had all the symptoms:  greater need to urinate, excessive hunger and thirst, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, very dry skin, and tingling/numbness in hands and feet.  All of these are caused by high blood sugar.  In time, they can lead to much more serious health problems.  I don't know why I was in denial; not only did I have the symptoms, but I had been overweight for most of my life. The family history was definitely there: my maternal great-grandmother and grandmother, paternal grandmother and aunts and uncles on both sides of my family all had or have Type 2 Diabetes.  My great-grandmother showed me how to give her her insulin shots when I was a young girl, and I was present for more than one diabetic-shock incident with her.  I am also over 40 years of age.  Finally, after repeated requests from family members and a seriously high reading from my brother-in-law's meter; I finally went and was tested.  Sure enough, my A1C number at the time was 10.2 and not only was I diabetic, my triglycerides were extremely high also.  I was prescribed two medications: Metformin, which I take twice a day at 500mg per dose and Simvastatin for the triglycerides, which I take once a day.  I was given a 1800 calorie-per-day, low-fat diet to follow also.  I was diagnosed in August, 2010 and was tested again in October.  The second test showed much better results and the doctor and I were both very pleased.  My A1C number from the second test was 7 and my triglycerides had dropped significantly from 1595 to 320 and I had lost a good bit of weight too.  Overall, my weight loss to date has been about 60 pounds.  It is possible I have lost more since I am not sure exactly how much I weighed when I began to lose weight.  In this blog, I hope to share with you any information I can collect to help us all through this journey.  I will share recipes that I have collected along with personal trials I encounter with Type 2 Diabetes and any tips I feel are useful.  Just remember; with proper diet, sleep, exercise, education, proper use of prescribed medication, and plenty of prayer too; this is a reversible disease.  We can beat this!   Please feel free to post any comments or personal experiences with this disease and any tips you can offer.  Please share this blog with any friends or family members who you feel would benefit from it.  Here's to our health!!