TVH: My PCP Sprung a ton on me this morning! AHHHHHH

I went to see my PCP (My regular doctor) and it was a follow up for blood work for my thyroid. He tells me that I am diabetic and I have high cholesterol. My fasting blood sugar was 129 - That was fasting for 10 hours. He has given me a Rx for diabetic meds, but told me to not take it till 10 days after my surgery.

I got home and called the pre admission testing office and left a message for them to call me. I am sure I want to be on a diabetic diet while I am in the hospital. Same thing with the cholesterol.

My doctor said that if I lost 20 to 30 pounds that would help and of course I can't start working out till at least 4 weeks after my hyster.

All right...what else does life have to throw at me this week?

((Hugs)) I hope the doc didn't freak you out too much. Sounds like you'll need follow up for the blood sugar & cholesterol issues but those aren't problems that crop up overnight, they won't get fixed overnight either. Seems like it's easy for doctors to suggest losing weight would fix problems when THEY aren't uncomfortable or disabled by conditions we have to deal with every day. My docs have been great about not mentioning weight loss, they see that I'm proactive about getting into better shape & don't need to preach to me! My hysterectomy was part of a plan to get me feeling better so I can have the energy to be active, cook good foods, get out of bed & stop being in constant pain! I saw a nutritionist as part of my "Integrative Health Care" approach to fixing my chronic problems before my hysterectomy & got good suggestions for an anti-inflammatory diet that will promote healing post-op. Most of those suggestions are also heart healthy & similar to a Type II diabetes diet. It can be tasty & easy and there is room for sensible sweets or comfort foods once you learn what your body needs!

I went through gestational diabetes so I'm familiar with blood sugar testing & counting carbs. A fasting of 129 needs follow up but it's not too severe, I hope they get you good diabetes education soon. Stress or certain medications can also raise blood sugar, even female hormones affect it- that's why gestational diabetes gets better after the pregnancy is over. Talk to a nutritionist or the hospital dietitian as soon as you can to help you get through surgery. The diabetic food trays should be OK, it's important to have options. I found them to be nasty when I was hospitalized since I hate the taste of artificial sweeteners, I did better with sensible selections from the regular menu: small portions of lean meat, cottage cheese instead of sugar laden yogurts, egg whites with whole grain toast instead of salads with cheese & oily dressings, etc.

I didn't eat what they sent me when I was recovering from my surgery so they sent someone from dietary to take down my requests & I got a nice selection of meals for the rest of my stay. Your new diagnosis might stir up some attention but make sure they know you're NOT restricted at this time, sudden changes in diet could make you more uncomfortable while you're recuperating. Extremely high blood sugars can make wound healing more difficult but we're talking uncontrolled diabetes with sugars over 200 or more, not a single fasting level that was only 30 points higher than it should have been!

Hope you can relax & maybe use your recovery time to learn some new recipes or get inspired for positive lifestyle changes that will make you happier AND healthier. Good luck!

Don't worry about the weight lose now. Just don't use your recovery as a pig out time. When you are up to it you can work on the weight loss. Like Greenflash said, this didn't happen overnight...you don't have to fix it overnight either.

Good luck and take care.

I would not get too upset about the diabetes. Your number isn't that high and right now you are going through a lot. I think that you have to think positive and know that after the hysterectomy you will feel better and be able to do more. It is not really realistic to expect you to lose it before surgery (I mean one week, seriously?) but after you have recovered you can work on it. I would try to eat as healthy as possible because it will help you in recovery. Tell them at the hospital and I am sure they will try to give you the foods you want. I have allergies to foods and also difficulty tolerating a lot but the hospital was great. It will work out. Good luck and big hugs.