Just diagnosed with Type II Diabetes

Hello @debbiehops and welcome to Mayo Connect,

I would like to introduce you to Carol, @retiredteacher, who is the volunteer mentor for the Diabetes discussion group.

If you are comfortable doing so, please share a bit more with us about your recent diagnosis of Type II Diabetes. For example, has your doctor prescribed any meds, how high is your A1C, are you seeing an endocrinologist, how are you doing with lifestyle changes such as eating and exercise?

@hopeful33250 Thanks for getting help going with @debbiehops. When we get this diagnosis, we are all somewhat surprised and need someone to give us direction as soon as possible. I am glad you started the basic questions all new diabetics need to ask.
Carol

Good morning @debbiehops and welcome to the Diabetes/Endocrine Group. I am glad you found us and hope we can help you get started managing your diabetic 2 diagnosis. I know it is a shock when we are told we have a disease and know little about it. I certainly was. So, we need help.
Mayo Connect is a wonderful place to get help from people who are in the same situation or have already been through it and are managing it. The questions @hopeful33250 asked are the first ones that we all need to know. I am also curious to know if your primary told you this? How did the doctor explain he/she knew you have diabetes? Did you have a blood test? I Had my regular bloodwork three years ago and later received a letter saying I have diabetes 2. I had no idea or symptoms except for being overweight. I was working full time and never had any symptoms.
My first question has to be what was done for a doctor to tell you that you have diabetes 2? Did he/she give you a number based on bloodwork? It might be 150, 160 or higher. The doctor would have said, "Your A1C is 8.3 (or some number that looks like that---higher or lower), Then the doctor would have told you that you need a blood testing meter to check your blood every day. Some doctors say twice a day and some say more times. Could you let me know how the doctor arrived at your diagnosis? As soon as we get your basic information, we can see what is going on. Please let me know, if you feel comfortable sharing. These questions from @hopeful33259 and me are the first step to see what you need to do. Diabetes is a disease and has to be dealt with, so the quicker we can see where you are in the process, the faster you will begin to know what to do.
Contact me any time and I will try to give you an answer or find someone who can.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Carol

Hi @debbiehops and welcome to Connect. I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Carol (@retiredteacher) asks some excellent questions. I wish I had a group like this to communicate with when I was diagnosed with diabetes II. As it is, right now I am not on any medications, my diabetes is controlled with diet.
Recently there has been a lot of research that shows that many people, if they are overweight and lose a significant amount of weight, can improve their diabetes greatly and probably not need any medications. So if you are overweight I would suggest you try to lose some weight. I did not lose a lot of weight immediately after my diagnosis but I have now and am doing fairly well overall.
Also, if your diagnosis was with a PCP I would strongly advise you to go to an endocrinologist. That is their specialty and they really are the most knowledgeable about this.
JK

@debbiehops I was checking the Diabetes Group this morning and I see I haven't heard from you concerning your Diabetes 2 diagnosis in May when you were first diagnosed. Have you been able to get accustomed to the diabetic routine? I hope no news is good news and that you have established a routine to help you control your numbers. Were you able to get your A1C and your other lab numbers to see if you are in range or not? I know how confusing it can be, so I thought you might have some questions I could answer since I went through the same thing. If you need help or support, please contact me through Mayo Connect, and I will get your email. I hope everything is going well.
Carol