posted on January 17, 2006 01:38:33 PM new
I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in December of 2003 and prescribed glucvance which is a combination of metformin and glyburide. The stuff is poison but it does lower blood sugar levels dramatically. The main problem with it was that with any excercise such as a quick walk around the block or a little work in the sun and I went hypoglycemic which is low blood sugar. At the time I found out I had it I weighed about 218 lbs. Losing weight doesn't do away with diabetes but makes it much more manageable, kind of like an alcoholic is always an alcoholic.
The best thing a person can do is to learn about diet. I got counseling at the local health department. I was told to eat about 13 exchanges of carbohydrates per day which translates into 240 grams daily.With excercise this amount has to be increased. You can get your carbs any way you want according to the nutritionist. Carbs or sugars are absolutely essential to the diet of diebetics. For example my lunch consists of half a sandwich (1 1/2 exchanges) and a 12 ounce Coca Cola (2 1/2 exchanges) which works out to 4 exchanges. The dietician also emphsized the importance of milk. It is also best to space your carbs throughout the day. When I go hyperglycemic I tend to see spots in front of my eyes and get a little dizzy. This happened much more often when I was taking glucovance as it really pushed my sugar levels down. I dropped about 55 lbs in the first year and about 15 lbs the second year. To me the weight wasn't hard to lose when I considered the alternatives; blindness, loss of kidney functions, and lowered circulation in the feet which can lead to amputation. For me it has been manageable but takes a lot of willpower. I was told by my doctor that only two or three percent of diebetics lose the weight they need to lose. One thing which has surprised me is the number of people who have the disease, some who have had it their entire life, who do not understand the significance of diet. As far as the frequent urination went, that stopped as soon as I started controlling my sugar levels.
