R
RG
Guest
Let me give a little background here on myself before I get into what the topic is about.
I am like a teapot, short and stout, lol. Really, I am short but not Dwarf or Midget size (debatable). I am 5'9". My Mom was short, 5'4" and my Dad is short, he claims he's 5'7" but now that he's gotten a little older, he's shrinking. I'd say he clocks in somewhere in the 5'5" range. So I come by it honestly
Being short is one thing, being fat is another. I have been fat most of my adult life but really fat for the last 8-10 years. I have lost a fair amount of weight this year but have a long way to go. At my heaviest, I weighed an astonishing 286 pounds! Let that sink in for a moment. That is NFL lineman weight!
My family has a history of diabetes, my Grandmother on my Dad's side of the family had it and my Dad's brother (my Uncle) has it. So.....being fatter than a hog and having a history in the family of it, I was sure that I was going to get it at some point or maybe already had it! I was told years ago that I was pre-diabetic and I had only added more weight since that time. Not good. Lately, within the last 8 months or so, I began having numbness in my feet, mostly my left big toe. That has since spread to my right foot and now not only numbness but mild to (at times) moderate pain and tingling and a warmness in both feet. Night times are when it really acts up. This is called neuropathy. My self diagnosis was that I had Type 2 Diabetes.
Before even joining this forum I had begun a new way of eating, a new lifestyle. I don't want to call it a diet because it's not temporary, it's for the long haul. I have been on a low carb diet which is VERY tough. I quit drinking Coke a while back to lose weight and it helped instantly. I lost a quick 10 pounds and kept it off. The low carb thing has been working too. I had dropped all the way from 286 at my heaviest down to 236 pounds. My goal is 200 pounds or less, LONG way to go! I currently sit at 244 pounds clothed (according to weigh in this morning). I have been a bad boy lately, eating carbs and the pounds FLY back on! Overall, I have lost a fair amount but still not enough.
Back to the diabetes thing. I am self employed and have no health insurance. I won't go into what I think of Obamacare as to not offend anyone, it may be great for some so I'll leave it alone. I have put off going to the doc because I was sure I was going to hear something I didn't want to. Meanwhile, my mind races at night and I have been having actual panic attacks thinking that if I end up with kidney damage or loss of limbs or going blind, how am I going to work? How am I going to pay the bills and provide for the family? It scared the hell out of me to be honest. I have been super busy at work lately but have been meaning to go get checked out. I have a friend who in the last few months had found out he is diabetic, so add that to the list of things that worry me at night. Again, I was SURE that I had diabetes. I KNEW that I had it and would've bet the world that I did.
I went to the doc this morning, I didn't eat anything this morning but drank half a cup of coffee with splenda before remembering that I can't have anything in my system! I get there and tell her that I want to be screened for diabetes, I tell her that I did drink half a cup of coffee, she said since it had no sugar that it would be fine. She tests my BP, weight, pulse and then...........tests my blood sugar. I was as nervous as I could be, I was sweating like I was in court, lol. Today was after all, Judgement Day!
She keeps me in suspense for a moment and has me sit down and tells me to take my socks off, she does this little test where she pricks my feet to see if I can feel it. I had to keep my eyes closed and tell her each time I felt it in different parts of my feet. I felt it each time, some areas more strong than others but felt it nevertheless. She then tells me to put my socks and shoes back on and tells me that I do NOT have diabetes! My blood sugar was 85. She said that 75-100 is normal fasting blood sugar levels. I am right in the middle. She said that I am not even close to pre-diabetic levels!
I don't know what is causing the issues with my feet but it isn't diabetes. I was SOOOOO happy to hear that this morning, I can't even express the elation I felt. I have been doing quite a bit of reading and it may be a vitamin deficiency, so I have ordered some supplements to see if it helps but at this point, I think I'll be able to manage it knowing that I am better off than I thought.
Sorry for the long read, I just felt like sharing this with you guys
I am like a teapot, short and stout, lol. Really, I am short but not Dwarf or Midget size (debatable). I am 5'9". My Mom was short, 5'4" and my Dad is short, he claims he's 5'7" but now that he's gotten a little older, he's shrinking. I'd say he clocks in somewhere in the 5'5" range. So I come by it honestly
Being short is one thing, being fat is another. I have been fat most of my adult life but really fat for the last 8-10 years. I have lost a fair amount of weight this year but have a long way to go. At my heaviest, I weighed an astonishing 286 pounds! Let that sink in for a moment. That is NFL lineman weight! My family has a history of diabetes, my Grandmother on my Dad's side of the family had it and my Dad's brother (my Uncle) has it. So.....being fatter than a hog and having a history in the family of it, I was sure that I was going to get it at some point or maybe already had it! I was told years ago that I was pre-diabetic and I had only added more weight since that time. Not good. Lately, within the last 8 months or so, I began having numbness in my feet, mostly my left big toe. That has since spread to my right foot and now not only numbness but mild to (at times) moderate pain and tingling and a warmness in both feet. Night times are when it really acts up. This is called neuropathy. My self diagnosis was that I had Type 2 Diabetes.
Before even joining this forum I had begun a new way of eating, a new lifestyle. I don't want to call it a diet because it's not temporary, it's for the long haul. I have been on a low carb diet which is VERY tough. I quit drinking Coke a while back to lose weight and it helped instantly. I lost a quick 10 pounds and kept it off. The low carb thing has been working too. I had dropped all the way from 286 at my heaviest down to 236 pounds. My goal is 200 pounds or less, LONG way to go! I currently sit at 244 pounds clothed (according to weigh in this morning). I have been a bad boy lately, eating carbs and the pounds FLY back on! Overall, I have lost a fair amount but still not enough.
Back to the diabetes thing. I am self employed and have no health insurance. I won't go into what I think of Obamacare as to not offend anyone, it may be great for some so I'll leave it alone. I have put off going to the doc because I was sure I was going to hear something I didn't want to. Meanwhile, my mind races at night and I have been having actual panic attacks thinking that if I end up with kidney damage or loss of limbs or going blind, how am I going to work? How am I going to pay the bills and provide for the family? It scared the hell out of me to be honest. I have been super busy at work lately but have been meaning to go get checked out. I have a friend who in the last few months had found out he is diabetic, so add that to the list of things that worry me at night. Again, I was SURE that I had diabetes. I KNEW that I had it and would've bet the world that I did.
I went to the doc this morning, I didn't eat anything this morning but drank half a cup of coffee with splenda before remembering that I can't have anything in my system! I get there and tell her that I want to be screened for diabetes, I tell her that I did drink half a cup of coffee, she said since it had no sugar that it would be fine. She tests my BP, weight, pulse and then...........tests my blood sugar. I was as nervous as I could be, I was sweating like I was in court, lol. Today was after all, Judgement Day!
She keeps me in suspense for a moment and has me sit down and tells me to take my socks off, she does this little test where she pricks my feet to see if I can feel it. I had to keep my eyes closed and tell her each time I felt it in different parts of my feet. I felt it each time, some areas more strong than others but felt it nevertheless. She then tells me to put my socks and shoes back on and tells me that I do NOT have diabetes! My blood sugar was 85. She said that 75-100 is normal fasting blood sugar levels. I am right in the middle. She said that I am not even close to pre-diabetic levels!
I don't know what is causing the issues with my feet but it isn't diabetes. I was SOOOOO happy to hear that this morning, I can't even express the elation I felt. I have been doing quite a bit of reading and it may be a vitamin deficiency, so I have ordered some supplements to see if it helps but at this point, I think I'll be able to manage it knowing that I am better off than I thought.
Sorry for the long read, I just felt like sharing this with you guys
