When I was diagnosed I was told “you are diabetic”, given a prescription for some medication, and told to wait for a nurse to come in and give me an insulin shot. When I picked up the prescription I was given a 10-page booklet telling me “All About How to Mange Diabetes”, and sent on my way. That was the extent of my “education”.
Shortly after that I happened upon the ADA Diabetes Message boards. I spent the first few months reading back posts before I started posting myself. I found the answers to most of the questions that I couldn’t even find information on anywhere else. I also discovered how great it was to find support from people who “walked the talk”.
Every day I see people coming to the boards upset, confused, afraid, and given very little information or given inaccurate information. There are so many myths and complete inaccuracies about diabetes. The only education that most people get about diabetes is from the media or what I call “TV doctors”. This information is usually inaccurate and gauged more towards ratings then really informing people.
My goal is to help dispel the myths and spread the “real” facts. I endeavor to explain things in layman’s language without all of the medical terminology that so many find difficult and confusing. We’re also at a time of great breakthroughs in scientific knowledge in the field of diabetes. My goal is also to make people aware of these new findings and developments.
When I was diagnosed, close to 11 years ago, I was told “you are diabetic”, given a prescription for some medication, and told to wait for a nurse to come in and give me an insulin shot. When I picked up the prescription I was given a 10-page booklet telling me “All About How to Mange Diabetes”, and sent on my way. That was the extent of my “education”. 
Hi, I just found your website, I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,.
You web site in just a couple minutes has given me such good info that all the other sites lack.
Thanks so much!
Hi Joshua,
Glad you found it helpful, keep coming back.
Lizzy
Lizzy,
I found your blog quite by accident ( a happy accident) and I am so glad to find such a wealth of both personal experience and practical knowledge. I have been struggling with accepting that I am diabetic. My A1C is 6.2 but my after dinner numbers, when I take them are in the low 200s. After reading a few of your posts, I realize that I need to work on my control and figure out what foods work for me. I think I have a long road ahead of me BUT I also think your blog will be a great help. Thanks for the time and effort you have put into this.
Hi Maria,
I’m glad you found me too.
It might not take as long as you think. You’re lucky in the fact that your A1C is still pretty low, so control should be easier than if the disease had progressed pretty far.
Keep reading and learning, and test,test, test!
Lizzy
I’ve been diagnosed for close to a year now, started exercising, lost weight, brought my AC1 from 10.9 to 7.2. I’m on Metformin 1000mg / day and glipzide 5mg / day. my numbers started to go back up at Thanksgiving that’s when my doctor put me on glipzide, and Simvastan for high cholesteral. Now I experience lows w/ glipzide and feel like crap, sick to my stomach, not much of an appetite,(except for junk). Feel like i’m loosing my willpower to stay away from sweets. not goin overboard just a couple pieces of chocolat now and then. My numbers are still high, then go low, can’t get a happy medium. I am really frustrated, I feel like i’m slipping backwards. walk 4 miles 6 days a week, and I really cut back on drinking. Not sure what to do. I think I need some dicipline and direction. Any Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening Lizzy, Beth
Hi Beth,
Glipizide stimulates natural insulin production so in a way you must work your diet out again. If you don’t eat enough carbs or eat on a regular basis, you can go low. You could also ask to have a smaller dose, such as 2.5 mg. You must eat on a regular basis with this drug, don’t skip meals.
Have you read the Testing 101 and All About Carbs links? If you follow that method your numbers should remain more even.
BTW, I eat a piece of dark chocolate every day. I work it into my diet plan and don’t consider it slipping at all. Nothing says you have to completely stay away from sweets for life, no one could do that. You just plan for them in your amount of carbs for the meal/snack. Sugar is a carb, just like bread or potatoes.
Lizzy
Hi LizzyLou!
Your website is a wonderful resource. Question for you — I was given an A1C result of 6.0 at the end of August and went to an endocrinologist as was told as I am pre diabetic. With the help of a dietician, I made some substantial dietary changes (much lower carb, not as frequent eating, less calories), lost 15 pounds (was 165 at 5’5″). My fasting test results just yesterday were very encouraging — 5.3 A1C, 163 cholesterol (92 LDL, 57 HDL), with triglycerides at 48. My doctor said that I should continue to be tested annually and keep working on the diet and exercise to maintain results. Am very encouraged but also a bit worried that despite these results I should start testing my blood sugar levels after eating as I understand that a high fasting A1C result is the last thing to go (versus looking at post-meal blood sugar levels). Your two cents?
Continue to test, although perhaps not as often because you realize that there is no cure, only control. Non-diabetic numbers doesn’t mean it went away, only that you’re doing a great job controlling it. Meal numbers often get higher long before fasting, that is true.
BTW, a fasting test is not the only result in an A1C. The A1C is like an average of all your numbers 24/7 for a 3 – 4 month period, not just the fasting numbers. Continue to test fasting as well as meal numbers periodically because it’s easy to slip back into old habits for one thing, and also diabetes changes as well so you have to stay on top of it.
Lizzy
Thanks so much — I haven’t done meal numbers before, so that’ll be new for me! But, the more information the better…
Have you read this link?: http://lizzysdlounge.com/2012/04/14/getting-started/
Lizzy
Thank you, I am now!
Love the blog. bookmarked to be able to follow.
Thanks Marie.
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
I just added your site to my favorites:) I have been a diabetic for 21 years . I am totally on insulin now. I actually feel that the insulin doesnt work as good as it should or maybe it could be that no one really trained me how to find the carb insulin ratio . I am sooo fustrated. My sugars have been out of control for a while now because of the infections that endometriosis has caused me. They tried to put me on cycloset but I did not want to take anything that affects the chemicals in the brain. Now they want me to give myself a second injection at every meal. It is called Symlin. It is supposed to slow down the digestion so I would eat less and need less insulin. Have you heard of this shot? I was tested for gastroparesis years ago and now they want to put me into it. I dont get these doctors!!!!
Hi Nadine,
I have spoken to people who use Symlin and they really like it. It might be worth a try.
One suggestion that I have is buy a copy of the book : “Think Like a Pancreas”. It’s an excellent book that teaches you all about insulin use, it’s very easy to read and follow. I highly recommend it.
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy. My cousin (actually my husband’s cousin’s wife) has been told she is borderline diabetic and based on the numbers she is telling me will be diagnosed diabetic very soon. She does not have access to the internet and of course is being given ADA info from her Dr. And she is only testing once a day (different meals each day), so she eats well for that one meal to get her numbers down. She doesn’t understand that they will show up in her A1C tests later on. When she eats with me, which is not often, she will copy my meal. But when she is on her own, she doesn’t know what to do. She unfortunately has a small degree of learning disability, her maturity level is that much more of a 16 or 17 yr old, so she also has that working against her. My question is, would it be okay with you if I print out a few of your posts to share with her?
Yes Jennifer, you can print it as long as you don’t copy it anywhere with your name as the writter. That has happened to some of us. See this post about new low-cost testing equipment:
http://lizzysdlounge.com/2012/07/29/credit-where-due/#more-692
Now most people can afford to test as often as they need to.
Lizzy
Thank you!!!
Just found your site and learned more in a couple hours than I have in the 6 years since being diagnosed with type 2,I understand alot more also. Not one to join anything, but just got out of the hosp. with a severe infection and sugar way out of control, in fact the sugar has been out of contol for about a month and nothing I tried seemed to work .
Sugar levels 300-454, I hope that I haven’t caused so much damage that I cannot turn it around, since I have been out in the last few days they are normal. I will be keeping up with your site. I have to say it is great.
Hi Norma, glad you found me.
The human body has an amazing capacity to heal, in the case of glucose levels it starts to heal any damage there might be in a matter of hours after normal levels are reached. Hospitals are known for keeping higher levels than we would like to ourselves. Don’t worry, just keep the numbers as normal as possible and you should be fine. Any illness such as an infection will raise the numbers so that’s probably why you had trouble with control.
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy, First time looking for info on diabetes for my brother,was very impressed with all the info about carb counting,it even opened my eyes so I can maybe avoiddiabetes myself.Iplan to pass your info to my brother,since he came close to losing a limb maybe he will get more involved with watching his numbers and what he eats. thanks,kathy
Hi Kathy,
Glad you found me. Diabetes, especially type-2 has a strong genetic connection so it’s wise to know as much as possible about it. It’s about a lot more than just food though, perhaps your brother would benefit from some of the other posts involving motivation and even inspiration. You don’t want to become the dreaded “food police”.
Lizzy
I’ve been keeping my numbers under control: 100-160, lately they’ve been a little higher cause I haven’t been watching my diet as well as I should, when I limit what I eat and drink I can get them back down. BUT, last night I want to Red Lobster, had a skinny cocktail, also garlic shrimp, brocoli, rice, when I got home and check my level it was up to 413, checked again 415. Really scared me, this morn. 240, after exercise 166. Should I contact my doctor about that spike, that seems really high, just never spiked that high since I found out i had diabetes. Thanks Beth
Hi Beth,
My first question would be did you wash your hands completely before testing. Often a speck of food can cause a much higher reading. That 400+ was scary, but as long as it came down within an hour or so not dangerous. There are people who can’t even eat a 1/3 cup of rice without spiking very high, you might be one of those people. Have you tested rice before? Also the sauce on dishes such as you had can be loaded with carbs, you have to be careful with anything with sauce. It’s pretty clear that was not a meal for you. I believe they have a nutrition count for different meals they serve where you can look up the carb counts next time on line. It just goes to show you that you have to be constantly vigilant.
Lizzy
I have had diabetes now 22 years…and experienced the first visit as you had Lizzy . Told I had diabetes in a hospital, brought in overnight as a beautiful 32 year single mom…told I would get an insulin shot…and was given one demonstration of a shot in the stomach of 1 mg….that was the end of the education ? ..I only weighed about more than a hundred pounds so they couldn’t say loose weight?…
The doctor disappeared…my left leg..that was numb was slapped in a brace, a VERY KIND MALE NURSE…said..dont cry, I will teach you how to give yourself a shot it wont hurt a bit ?.. You have diabetes II that is the good one ? I was sent home with meters, coding ?…100′x of dollars to buy things that I had no idea what they were ? ..and had to go to work the next day to sell health insurance, but not too diabetics…
Back then blood monitors were not the norm of the day, where you can buy one now if you suspect or want to know how your blood sugar is ? I was given the glucose test, many times and passed by the skin of my teeth ? But fasting, never made sense to me ?…I went into the hospital after working all day, skipped lunch, swallowed some potato chips and fell asleep to wake up to a blood sugar of 350..without knowing until my foot would not work to get up the next morning ?… The ER kept things quiet at the hospital..a man poked my leg ? No one ever talked…and then like you said..I was given a quick injection by a nurse in the stomach….that was the WHOLE DEMONSTRATION !..and said you have diabetes II OK ? Thank Goodness we have come far from that. !!!
Glucose monitors are my best friend..but like Lizzy Lou has stated about her stomach diaparesis findings and thank God for that….because I am experiencing exactly what she says for a long time! …. I always knew for ME…taking the blood test, and treating that monitor number before I ate was a mistake ? ..Because two hours later…it was a catastrophe..a low at 54 ? ….swallowed a few glucose tablets…only to return to 300 again 2 hours later ?
How could this be…and its been up and down…the misery…Until Lizzy Lou, by accident I found this website…and saw exactly my problem…with slow stomach emptying…eating all that fiber and wheat ?…I was eating so much Broccoli, I wasn’t hungry for days ? I have not yet explored what may be said ..how to balance, this situation..a diet good for diabetics, the opposite of what is good for slow stomach emptying…I look forward…to hear and watch what she has to say….I hope you end up on facebook..as a website and the link to the ADA boards ?……I see no other forums for diabetes in the US..only UK comes down my link…as How was your blood-sugar today? …and if you press that you can talk to other diabetics there….is there one for American Diabetic Association ?…if so can you provide the link…I think I have joined…but I need to see where you are going with your findings Lizzy…they now looked in my stomach…and my personal findings…that just gave it a name…GAVE syndrome ? Just discovered in 2010…..I do have a very large stomach…and the pictures show it has taken a beating…from so much wheat…Broccolli and things hard to digest along with allot of other medical problems I am sure..and it showed recent bleeding….so now its soup ?….
What I want to know Lizzy is how you found out about the slow stomach emptying ? Do you have it yourself…?…and is it new…or the doctor…just catching up with it ? I have a newbie diabetic doctor…wants insulin before meals…etc…at 22 yrs living the walk….I walked out…I will find another…and keep reading what shows up from other readers here….You cant give a diagnosis in the 3 or 4 minutes by a doctor sometimes..the board is the only place I have found…real people….that live with this.
Hi Su,
You really have to seek treatment for the GAVE syndrome. There is effective treatment available. You must also seek treatment for the other gastro problems, there are many available that could help too.
Here’s the link to the ADA discussion type-2 board:
http://community.diabetes.org/t5/Adults-Living-with-Type-2/bd-p/Adults-Living-with-Type-2
No, thank goodness I don’t have gastroparesis but I know several people who do. Get the test to be diagnosed and see if that’s what you have for sure, then you can deal with how to treat it.
Lizzy
Hello Lizzy. Just read about the GAVE syndrome. It scares me, as I have never heard about it. Where can I find out more about this and what kind of a test can they do to detect if you have GAVE syndrome?
Then, how do I tell my Dr. that I want this test? I get so frustrated with the lack of Diabetic Knowledge within the medical community. Years ago when I was diagnosed my Dr. gave me the pamphlet on Diabetes and told to take so many units of Insulin. I am still trying to let go of that anger as I know this isn’t healthy either. Thanks for being here Lizzy. Alan
Hi Alan,
GAVE or watermelon stomach is usually diagnosed and treated by Endoscopy biopsy and thermal ablation. Not pleasant by any means. It occurs mostly in older women and men over the age of about 65.
If you suffer from anemia and/or have bloody stools this might be an indication of the disease, but it could also be many other things. Here’s a link that explains it further (I don’t often use wikipedia but this link seems good) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_antral_vascular_ectasia
if you have any of the symptoms just tell your doctor that you want to be tested. By being more knowledgeable of it you should be able to demonstrate why you are concerned.
Lizzy
Lizzie,
Hello. Very well done website, very attractive and with good information. I hope you keep it doing it.
Dave LeBlanc
Thank Dave, I do plan to keep doing it.
Stop in any time.
Lizzy
Dear Lizzylou
I have never followed a blog before but I know I will be following yours.
I was diagnosed 5 months ago and I have already found helpful info
On your blog. Thank-you so much for doing this.
Betsy M
Hi Betsy,
I’m glad you found helpful information. I talk with newly diagnosed people every day, so wanted to gear the information towards the questions that they most often ask. Don’t forget to subscribe so that you can be notified about new posts by e-mail.
Lizzy
WOW
Your blog looks amazing ! Job well done Lizzy….
What a beautiful and educational site! Having recently been diagnosed, you capture precisely my feelings and experience. Thank you being one of the people who helped me find confidence in my journey.
Kathy
I am so impressed with the science and organization of this site. Truly, I am a neophyte in this area as no one in my family or circle of friends has had this problem. Obviously it rules your life but with knowledge and proper tools you can win. Good for you.
Yes knowledge is the key Hanna.
Lizzy
Very nicely done Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
I LOVE your blog-graphically attractive, easy to navigate, and full of all your wise words and experience!
Well done!
Lizzy the blog looks great!
Lizzy,
WOW!!!
The new blog looks amazing and is filled with tons of great information, and as Big Red said…the puppies are a fantastic bonus!
THANKS for putting this together. I’m sure I will check in on a regular basis.
Hugggs,
Suzzzie
Hi Betsy,The Latin one’s my favorite, but I like all of them. I have mioblity problems so these work great for me. You might want to try Yoga too sometime. You can really work up a sweat with Yoga, although many people don’t believe it. Tai Chi too. Once you get the old Chi working it gets HOT!
Hi Prashant,
We’re talking about the “Fitness For Every Body” post: http://lizzysdlounge.com/2012/03/17/fitness-for-every-body/. There are also many yoga videos on utube as well as Tai Chi. Yes, they do a “REAL” workout for sure, people who have never done them may not realize that.
Lizzy
I love the new blog……….a proper place for all of your hard work and research …………and the puppy pics are a great bonus. Will definitely be sharing this blog with my Type 2 friends.
Ya done good Lizzy…………..Keep up the good work.
See ya……………Big Red
Lizzy,
It is geat to see your blog, and the blog looks GREAT also. You are missed over on the boards but I am glad to see you here and I WILL be a frequent visitor.
I’d like to thank everyone for the kind comments. I’ve glad you like the blog and find it helpful. I really made an effort to make everything easy to find and the whole site accessable.
Don’t forget that you can also subscribe by e-mail to the site. I’ll be adding lots of stuff in the future, so don’t miss anything. Also give the link to your diabetic friends, spread the word.
Thanks again!
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy These are great videos. I am not computer savy much at all. I would have never thought to go to YouTube to get these things. I tried them all as done here and the latin salsa convinced me that I am even more uncoordinated than I thought but I sure was laughing. I am going to do these often. Its a lot of fun.I also walk my dog Stanley twice a day too.Thanks for these Betsy M
Hi Betsy,
We’re talking about the “Fitness For Every Body” post: http://lizzysdlounge.com/2012/03/17/fitness-for-every-body/. The Latin is my favorite too. I also did Tai Chi for many years and was happy to find a chair version. I’m sure Stanley is a good walking buddy.
Lizzy