Diabetes Community

From the WebMD Diabetes Health Center (http://diabetes.webmd.com/default.htm ):
Prediabetes Prediabetes, also known as "impaired glucose tolerance," is a health condition with no symptoms. It is almost always present before a person develops the more serious type 2 diabetes. More than 50 million people in the U.S. over age 20 have prediabetes with blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but are not high enough to be classified as diabetes.


Normal fasting blood glucose -- or blood sugar -- is between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL for people who do not have diabetes. The standard diagnosis of prediabetes is made when two separate blood tests show that your fasting blood glucose level is between 100 and 125.

Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, often called non-insulin dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90% - 95% of the 21 million people with diabetes.



Normal fasting blood glucose -- or blood sugar -- is between 70 and 100 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL for people who do not have diabetes. The standard diagnosis of diabetes is made when two separate blood tests show that your fasting blood glucose level is greater than or equal to 126 mg/dL.

Very good, Dave! Den has trouble reading a lot...so...using Dave's information: (Hope I got this right!) :}

Den...pre-diabetes - two fasting blood glucose tests from between 100 - 126.

Diabetes - Your fasting blood glucose test are greater than or the same as 126 mg/dL. Another words...if you test at 126 or above, you'd be diabetic.

I've had lower readings, but I still think of myself as diabetic, Den. If I was getting 80's-100, most of the day, I wouldn't consider myself diabetic. I know, if I eat 3 slices of pineapple, or a banana, my blood sugar soars really high...into the low 200's. I'm diabetic. It also takes time for it to come down, exercise or not. Each of us is different.

thank you David and photo, let me see if I can process this for me. My sugar ranges from 80 -126 but on average stay for me it's 95 91 100 110, when I don't eat all day I get 70 low 80s and sometime under 60 to 70, that's when I don't need anything at all. I think I see I must be a prediabetic than a full-blown diabetic. But why mom and everyone on the board worries about me about my diabetes or prediabetes. I don't understand that, my sugar is really good the only time that my sugar is bad want to utilize starchy food like white rice, fried rice white spaghetti and others and more of it that's when I get high numbers. It is at times in our bodies that if we get high numbers and it goes up and down could Sunday I could be become a full diabetic, if it goes up and down and never stays the same just wondering. Mom thinks I'm bad with all my junk food I eat in the house she doesn't live with me but she knows in her gut that I don't eat healthy. Like I told mom I do try at times and I were called hard but there are the times it's hard for me to do right because I don't have the food in the house. I run out I do intend teeth more food than I'm bringing home if that makes any sense. Yes I do eat out at least three times a day per week. Because I really don't like to cook I'm a single guy. And I notice when I'm mad or uptight i.e. more in eat out. Den

Den, I'm not a doctor, but "in my opinion", it sounds like you are a diabetic.

Remember, I said that if I eat higher carbs, like spaghetti(I can have a tiny amount of whole wheat spaghetti) with protein, a "slice" of whole grain bread(not at the same meal), but for breakfast with an egg, a small red potato at dinner with a protein, (and adding salad and a vegetable), my bs will remain fairly normal.

When I get those higher numbers, I also have had too many carbs at once. I'm a "diabetic", Den. The very same thing happens to me...except, when I don't eat, my blood sugars go up. Each of us are different in this.

You are eating out three times a day? Or do you mean 3x a week?

There's no reason that you can't make breakfast at home.
You can put one packet of oatmeal in some hot water. That's not hard, Den. I get the one with cinnamon in it. Den, has anyone showed you how to cook an egg? You could even throw eggbeaters in a bowl and microwave it. Eggbeaters has flavored ones, which you might like, and put one slice of toast in. That's not hard.

Subway has a sandwich that is a chicken breast that I get
on honey oat bread...six inches, Den, not the whole thing.
I put on almost all the vegetables with "mustard". It's really good. Don't get chips. That's too many carbs at once.

Eating out every meal is not healthy. Believe me, I love to eat out. Sometimes I will do it four or more times a week for lunch or dinner, "but" I try to pick things that are healthy like salmon, salad, and double veggies.

You say you can't afford things, but it costs to eat out, and many of the fast food places are not good for cholesterol. I used to enjoy some of those places, and I stay away from them as they are too tempting. Carl's Jr. has a chicken salad with lite Balsalmic Vinegar. Some of the other places have that too. Once in a while, I'll get the $1.00 value hamburger, take off one of the buns, and get a salad. That would cost you $2.00. There's no excuse about being a guy, Den, none! Some of the best cooks I know are guys! I don't enjoy cooking, but I'll do things like frozen chicken pieces, and take those out a few at a time for sandwiches or with salads. I also get the Costco chicken, which you probably can't get. It's all cooked for $5.00,and I can get five or more meals from that.

Yes, that is an excuse. You need to decide about whether you want heart problems, and operations down the road from high cholesterol. Have you seen the movie(was it "Oversized") about the guy who ate all his meals at McDonalds for a month? His doctor was shocked at what damage it did to his body. You need to see that movie, and you will change your mind about eating all your meals out.

Eating out every meal is not healthy. Believe me, I love to eat out. Sometimes I will do it four or more times a week for lunch or dinner, "but" I try to pick things that are healthy like salmon, salad, and double veggies.

As you have shown with your choices here, even though eating out is not the best route-money and for healthy choices, it can be done. Eating out requires so much more care in choices, and adherence to diet than eating at home. Something so many people do not have when eating out is determination to stay healthy.

Den:

You said yourself that you were diagnosed in 2008 in your "My Story". Here are your words:

I've been a member since 2008 of my diagnoses type II diabetes.

David

Den, this is meant to be a very kind, caring answer to your question of whether or not you are an "actual, fullblown" diabetic or just borderline or prediabetic.

In your case, with all your other problems of keeping a job, finding transportation, learning disabilities, and mental problems, IT really DOESN'T MATTER about actual words.

1. You DO know that you have problems with eating too many carbohydrates and they make your blood sugar go up. That is BAD for your body.

2. Always try to eat healthy. Pasta, mashed potatoes, candy, cakes, too much bread - BAD!

3. Vegetables like green beans, salads, raw carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, anything green, and small amounts of fruits - GOOD!

4. Drink NO regular sodas and only 1/2 glass of juices. Drink water.

5. Get exercise every day. At least take a walk after dinner.

6. Remember to take your meds!

&. Write us more posts telling us what GOOD things you are doing Then we will answer and say, "GOOD WORK" , Den!

The best answer to this question is the answer(diabetes diagnosis) that your Doctor gives you. Understanding this is best done by Dave's excellent if lengthy discussion of T2 and prediabetes.

Broken down it means that any two lab blood tests that show:100-125 is prediabetic.
126 and above is diabetic

I hope this clarifies the situation for you.

Diabetes is a spectrum. It start off as glucose sensitivity, then insulin resistance, then pre-diabetes, and then full-blown diabetes. It is in the early stages that you want to start lifestyle changes to prevent it from becoming full-blown diabetes. And the lifestyle changes would help prevent you from needing to take insulin. For type 2 diabetes, it would be preferable to not have to take insulin.

Many people have numbers that may not meet the clinical definition of diabetes, but may still have the same health issues as some who is. Hence it is still good to maintain the same lifestyle improvements (diet and exercise) than a diabetic would.

Thank you for all the information, I guess I really not sure where. I know what the Dr. back in 2008. At that time the doctor said you type II diabetes and at that time he wanted to put your medication because trust me at that time my sugar was 300 all the time, but I told the doctor know let me try my exercise and eating proper at that time and I did there and I lowered it, but now I'm just confused because he would medication you sometime I think it would be better for me to be on medication because I don't always exercise anymore that much, when I was in my 20s I rode my bike a lot and had a car but I do notice I'm getting older and much lazer at work at home my personal life is more lazy I notice. Even now since my car accident yes I do walk but not that much in reality I take the bus in the transportation that's what yes the doctors treating me as a diabetic because in the beginning I was consider type II diabetes but now it stands I'm doing much better in a way but my cholesterol is very high still. I'm trying to wean myself off the medication now because I'd heard they're bad for your heart statins meds.

I think you are a type 2 diabetic but just don't want to accept the fact. You say you eat out or eat stuff like pasta at home because you don't have any other food in the house. But you say that when you go grocery shopping you buy unhealthy stuff like pop tarts too. It seems to me that your just eating whatever you feel like eating. I'm not scolding you for this. You are an adult and can eat whatever you want. I don't understand why you seem to want approval for your eating habits though. Why do you need your mom or anyone else to ok what you eat? I think that if you could just take responsibility for your own choices it would help in the long run.

Do you mean statins for cholesterol, Den? If you read back my comment on McDonalds and the movie that was made about a person who experimented using all "three" meals at McDonald, you will understand why your cholesterol is higher.

There are a ton of "bad" fats in many of the burgers and french fry meals. This guy in just a month(if I remember correctly)had to stop the experiment as the doctor was testing him every week to see what was happening. His doctor told him to quit the experiment that so much damage was being done to his body.

What's "bad" for your health is the milkshakes, burgers, and french fries, along with other foods you've been mentioning that you're eating.