Im doing a project in school and my part is being a person with type 2 diabetes.

Thank you all for helping me with this project. It went very well and I couldn't have done it with out you. Again thank you all so very much.

This isn't a question I get asked but it is something I have to deal with on a regular basis. Whenever we eat at a restaurant or at a friend's home, I really need to know what I'm putting in my body. Quizzing the waitstaff can be very frustrating in some restaurants. But I must!

Last week, dining in the home of a friend, we had what I thought was a pretty decent meal but when I tested two hours post, my glucose was VERY high. I couldn't figure out what went wrong. Our hostess made meatloaf. Now, I make meatloaf occasionally and I guess I just assumed that hers was the same as mine. Wrong. So…today I tactfully tried to find out what I had unkowningly put into my body.
Me: "That meatloaf you made was delicious! What do you put in it?"

O. M. G. !

Lots of crushed Ritz crackers, V-8 juice and all topped with a sauce made from catsup, mustard and brown sugar! No wonder!!!

So…I'll be eating beforehand or I will be bringing my own food from now on. I am learning that this is just how I will have to manage things if I want to be healthy.

I think Gabby pretty much covered it all. I would only like to add that the "diabetes police" are frustrating and irritating. Me: eats one chips ahoy. Someone else: Should you be eating that? You can't eat that!

I know what I can and can't eat and how much. And even if what I choose WILL raise my blood sugar, I've decided I'm ok with the consequences because I'm adult who can do what they want.

I know they're just trying to be helpful, but they know nothing about diabetes.

Thank you all for leaving comments. I greatly appreciate it. I feel like i have a better understanding and i hope all is well with everyone. I will keep you guys updated on my project. Thanks again!!

You said that your "part" is being a person with diabetes. What kind of project is it? We have similar issues, but there are also some big differences in type 1, 1.5 and 2. I am a type 2 diabetic, so I will share with you from that perspective.

Questions (or comments) I get a lot:

"Why can't you eat that? It doesn't have sugar in it." They don't understand that carbohydrates come in more forms than a teaspoon of white sugar or candy.
"You don't look diabetic" What does diabetes look like? People of all walks and lifestyles get it. There is no "look" like a cancer patient might have after chemo or a scar that someone with heart disease might have.
"Does it hurt when you test?" I have offered to let them try, but most will decline. LOL. Yes, sometimes it hurts, but not as much as complications from uncontrolled glucose levels.
"If you take insulin, can't you just eat whatever you want?" Nope...the idea is not to stress my body any more and treat it with the respect I should have done when I was young.
"If I had to eat a diabetic diet I would die." A diabetic diet is not special, it is a balanced, healthy diet filled with all the foods we know. I just have to be more careful about how much I eat, when I eat and what kind of combinations I make for my meals. It's a very healthy diet that non-diabetics should consider as well.

Things I do on a daily basis:

Test my glucose levels 2-5 times a day
Exercise every day to help reduce my numbers
Count carbohydrates in every meal and snack I eat
Visit Diabetic Connect to get and give support to my fellow diabetics
Keeping calm and positive is something I try to make a conscience effort to do because it is not fun to be stressed and negative.

Things I have struggled with:

Doing everything right and still getting unsatisfactory numbers or readings
Cravings for foods or sweets I know I just should walk away from
Sometimes I even struggle with feeling sorry for myself
Loosing weight to help overcome my insulin resistance
Being able to pay for all of the medications and supplies I use every day
I have neuropathy in my feet, which is very uncomfortable and sometimes painful. It's a complication from uncontrolled glucose levels

One thing you didn't list is, How did diabetes change my life:

Diabetes has made me a stronger person
It helped me loose weight and keep it off
I have learned how my body works in ways I never knew before
My voice was found and I use it now to advocate for healthier lifestyles
Being diagnosed saved my life and I try to never forget that

Good luck on your project. I hope you will share with us how it goes.

when I was type 2 or should I say when the doctor thought I was type 2 people, usually my family were constantly saying that it was my fault that I was type 2 and if I just took care of myself and had a better diet that I wouldn't be type 2. Now that I have a correct diagnoses of type 1.5 LADA they no longer judge me.

Hi Lexi,
I am a type 2 diabetic that was diagnosed almost 8 years ago.
I deal with complications from diabetes …
I have lost all vision in one eye, suffered a stroke that has left me with partial paralysis on my left side and severe motor and sensory neuropathy that makes walking a real challenge.
Diabetes is no fun … but I have refused to let it beat me.

Hi Lexi. I am a type 2 diabetic, diagnosed about 7 mos ago. Adjusting my diet was very hard for me and continues to be something I struggle with now. I have to test my blood sugar levels 4x each day and also take shots 4x a day. Sometimes that is the easiest part, like taking vitamins. I do have to carry my test kit and insulin with me whenever I leave the house for more than a couple hours And make sure to have some snacks and some glucose tabs with me all the time. Something else no-one has mentioned are mood swings. One day you are fine and the next day crying over nothing. It makes you think you are crazy when this happens because you know it isn't rational. Those are just some of the things that many people with diabetes deal with. We often have other health issues related to diabetes. I hope this helps you with your project.

A healthy diet is extremely important for anyone, but it’s especially important for diabetics. Many foods we consume are turned into glucose (sugar), which the body uses for energy during the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. When the pancreas fails to produce the hormone insulin, blood sugar cannot get into the body’s cells. http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/health-arti...

We often get asked about taking shots, and if we have to all take shots and if they hurt. Not all type 2 diabetics need to take insulin, (or shots). Some do, some don't. Some can take oral medicine, some need a combination of oral and insulin. And yes, shots do hurt, at first, but the needles are tiny and we get used to them real quickly.

Howdy Lexi
WELCOME to DC!
One of the questions we get asked a lot (in various ways) is "what can I eat"? There is a lot of newly Dx'd ppl out there who had no idea as to what to eat. Some believe that you can eat anything as long as it doesn't have sugar in it (after al it is called sugar diabetes)l, They can but they shouldn't. It is best to avoid "simple" carbohydrates (carbs) see here for a definition of simple vs complex carbs ~ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/artic...

Please continue to ask questons to elicit more comments

Praying your school project is a success

James.