Yesterday I had a “young” patient – a mere 46 years (my age!) who was just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. His doctor called me to make sure I’d be able to see him this week and sent me his blood work. His glucose was 638 mg/dL!! The man stated that he felt extremely weak and had lost 30 pounds in the last month.
His diet for breakfast that day was: whole wheat toast (1 – 2 slices) with 2 tangerines, lots of low-fat milk and and egg white with one slice bacon. I wasn’t sure if the Fortamet medication, given in it’s low dose, would be enough to lower his glucose. We tested it about 1-2 hours after that breakfast and after taking one pill and the glucose was now 364 mg/dL. We were thrilled that it had improved, but knew we still had a lot of work to do.
We discussed how milk will turn into sugar and how it is often used to treat low blood sugar (as long as it is low fat or skim so it gets into the bloodstream rapidly). We further discussed his carbohydrate “budget” and about mixing food groups to improve and stabilize glucose levels. And then, of course, I directed him to the Destination Diabetes website with the abundance of information and support for his healthy future.
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