pcos and diabetes questions?
i was diagnoised with pcos like a year ago and then today i was told that i have diabetes, type 2… i am waiting to go see another doctor for treatment for the diabetes, my question is this what do i have to look forward to with both things? what kind of symptoms will i have? what kind of problems? and what kind of medicine will i have to be put on? i overproduce insulin at a insane level….. any serious info would be great
I have this too, and the best thing I did for myself was lose weight. I’ve lost about 50lbs so far and am in a healthy weight range. My period has returned and I am so much healthier now.
My best advice is change your diet and exercise. You can make the best changes in your body before any medicine can.
Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a chronic, progressive disease that has no clearly established cure. There are two main goals of treatment of the disease:
A reduction of mortality and concomitant morbidity (from assorted diabetic complications)
preservation of quality of life
The first goal can be achieved through close glycemic control (i.e., blood glucose levels); the reduction effect in diabetic complications has been well demonstrated in several large clinical trials and is well established beyond controversy. The second goal is often addressed (in developed countries) by support and care from teams of diabetic health workers (physician, PA, nurse, dietitian or a certified diabetic educator). Endocrinologists, family practitioners, and general internists are the types of physicians most likely to treat people with diabetes. Knowledgeable patient participation is vital and so patient education is a crucial aspect of this effort.
Type 2 is initially treated by adjustment in diet and exercise, and by weight loss, especially in obese patients. The amount of weight loss which improves the clinical picture is sometimes modest (2-5 kg or 4.4-11 lb); this is almost certainly due to currently poorly understood aspects of fat tissue activity, for instance chemical signaling (especially in visceral fat tissue in and around abdominal organs). In many cases, such initial efforts can substantially restore insulin sensitivity.
Treatment goals
Treatment goals for diabetic patients are related to effective control of blood glucose, blood pressure and lipids to minimize the risk of long-term consequences associated with diabetes. They are suggested in clinical practice guidelines released by various national and international diabetes agencies.
The targets are:
HbA1c of 6% to 7.0%
Preprandial blood glucose: 4.0 to 6.0 mmol/L
2-hour postprandial blood glucose: 5.0 to 8.0 mmol/L
I have both and the best thing for both is lose weight, excersise, and working with your doctor. I’ve eliminated all sugar, wheat, and flour from my diet and my blood sugars are the best they’ve been in a long time!
You’ll be put on Metformin to help with insulin resistance. I’m type 2 as well and right now all we’re doing is working with a nutrionist to help me with what I eat and I’m on 2000mg of Met. You’ll have to eat like a diabetic and cut a lot of carbs out of your diet. The only problems I have now is when my blood sugar drops. My hands start to shake and I get really cranky. I also have to exercise, get my eye sight checked once a year, and be very careful of my feet. I’m not on a blood meter, I was during my only pregnancy because I had gestational diabetes. If you use the meter it’s not the end of the world, instead, it’s incredibly helpful because it lets you know when your blood sugars are too low and you need to get some protein in your body. I recommend the Insulin Resistant Diet, I bought mine off of Amazon for $12 including shipping. It has really great recipes that encourage me to stay on my diet. Get used to no more candies, fast foods, and high carb snacks. It’s hard but once you get the hang of things, you’ll be fine.
If they put you on Metformin you’ll have a lot of diarrhea (especially if you eat too many carbs), cotton mouth, and some friends of mine have reported breast tenderness and an increase in their libidos.