I am newly diagnosed with type 2. I go to educational classes this week, and will monitor by BS twice daily. Is it unusual for this to be controlled with diet alone, or do meds have to eventually be added? My friends/family seem to think that since I'm not on insulin or meds, I don't really have diabetes. But my numbers run over 140/fasting. I hope I can do this! Pain in legs and feet, and problems wearing contact lenses, could these symptoms be related to the diabetes?

Yes, most Type II diabetics can control their bloodsugar levels without the use of meds. Diet and exercise are the key. To get very good control (normal fasting glucose levels of 70 - 90 mg/dl), you will likely have to virtually eliminate sugar and starchy foods from your diet, essentially a low carbohydrate diet. Virtually all dietary carbohydrates other than fiber end up in your bloodstream as glucose.

Type II diabetes is caused in virtually all cases by insulin resistance. In the early stages your body still produces adequate insulin. In fact, most Type II diabetics have high circulating insulin levels. The problem is that your cells become resistant to the action of insulin so that more and more insulin is required to get the glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells. The first cells that usually become insulin resistant are the muscle cells, typically the result of inactivity and a diet that results in excess glucose. This is part of the reason why most Type II diabetics are overweight - the fat cells remain sensitive to insulin far longer so that excess glucose gets converted to fat in the liver and stored as fat (insulin is required for fat storage as well) rather than being used for energy in the muscles. Once the fat cells become insulin resistant, then excess dietary carbohydrate results in blood glucose levels rising significantly and remaining there long after you have eaten.

Exercise helps to re-sensitize the muscle cells to insulin and also provides a means to dispose of excess glucose.

A low carb diet means cutting out or really limiting your intake of all things containing sugars and things made from grains or root vegetables (breads, cereals, pasta, rice, corn, potatoes, etc.). Dietary protein like that found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy has a small effect on glucose levels (you need to watch the carb content in dairy products - milk has moderate carb levels, cheese is low in carbs for the most part). Dietary fat has virtually no effect on bloodsugar levels; however, there has been some speculation that trans fatty acids found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (and virtually all processed foods) contributes to insulin resistance.

An excellent book on the subject of diabetes is "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution". Any good low carbohdyrate diet book such as "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" or "Protein Power" by Dr. Michael Eades will provide good dietary recommendations for those desiring to follow a low carbohydrate diet. And you can do a search on the net for more info also. I recommend the www.google.com (http://www.google.com) search engine.

Alan

Originally posted by jennasmom:
...Pain in legs and feet, and problems wearing contact lenses, could these symptoms be related to the diabetes?

I forgot to answer this. Yes, pain in your legs and feet is possibly related to diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy is one of the possible consequences of uncontrolled high bloodsugars. High bloodsugar levels can also damage the tiny arteries in your eyes (retinal damage), but I'm not sure how this can create problems for wearing contact lenses. What problems are you having? Also, there some speculation and research on the connection between insulin resistance and myopia (the misshapen eye that results in nearsightedness).

Alan

Thanks so much for your help. It all makes perfect cents. I've known I was insulin resistant for a while now. Also two pregnancies that were gestational diabetic. The problems I'm experiencing with my eyes are 1)I've worn contacts for 16 years, and they've suddenly become uncomfortable and the vision is blurry. I replaced them about 1 1/2 years ago, it may just simply be time to get new ones. Also, my husband has noticed one of my eyes will drift off slightly to the side, not sure the cause of this either. I have an appt with my eye doctor in a couple of weeks, hopefully he will address these problems. Thanks again for the sound advice.

Patty
"jennasmom"

Originally posted by jennasmom:
...Pain in legs and feet...

Are you on any cholesterol lowering medications such as statin drugs? This is a possible side effect from those drugs. Check out the High Cholesterol Forum here for more info if you are on any of the statin drugs.