2 months diagnosed - complications

[Ann19]

Quite a few of us have found that once our levels are under control that our eyesight has improved, this may happen for you. You need to get your figures down, testing is vital to find out how food affects you. I have cut out all pasta and rice. The only bread that I eat is the occasional slice of Burgen Soya and Linseed. If I have potato, its not very often and that's either a new potato or a roast potato done in either Goose or Duck fat. Cutting these out doesn't bother me as I think of them as the boring parts of the meal. Because of the medication that you are on you will have to be careful if you reduce carbs in case you have a hypo, I'm don't know very much about the medication. I'm type2, but there are a few people on the forum that are type 1.5.

It sounds as if you may have to push your GP about the pains that you are having, try to get him to refer you to the diabetes specialist at the hospital, they should be able to check you out and hopefully find the source of the pains.

I'm another one who can't understand why they push us to eat carbs, carbs turn to glucose in our bodies and.........oh yes!!! That's what we can't process!

Ann

[AllyS]

Hi Ally, you may want to have a look at some other websites 'blood sugar 101' is a good one and easy to navigate. By the sounds of your diet it reads like you are have more carbs than most of us will eat. And google paleo. Some people reduce the rice they eat, I don't touch it - why have a little of something when you can fill up on other nice tthings, after all pasta, rice and potato are just fillers. You may find you get hungry after eating carbs.

The problem I have is my wife is Thai and rice is rice in her eyes. I don't honestly eat a lot of rice or potatoes as neither are high on my like list.

The last 2 days has seen my levels drop to single figures which pleases me greatly. I just hope I get my eye sight back.

As I have said, I just don't understand how this can go from normal to raging diabetes in the space of a week or 2!?!?!

I will look at reducing carbs.

[Fraddycat]

Hi Ally, I just read through all of your info and wanted to say that your eyesight will probably stablise when you have figured out how to control your blood sugars. Many people have reported poor eyesight at diagnosis that improves in time. I just wanted to add to Dawn's great reading suggestions to also recommend looking at this website http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf This is what I follow and it has really had a beneficial impact on my BG readings and my weight. Its a bit adjustment, we have all gone through those stages of disbelief that the NHS would tell us something that would make us worse - that's why we tell everyone new on here what we now know.

Good luck, keep your chin up!

[xyzzy]

Hi Ally and welcome

The stuff about the NHS recommending diets that don't work is shocking isn't it. Unfortunately it really is true! Here's what I did after taking the advice of forum members when I was diagnosed in December last year. Within six months I had normalized by sugar levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and lost a load of weight (4 stone). It won't cure you as you will need to strictly monitor what you eat from now on but if you're anything like me it will make you feel loads healthier and put you back in control of your life. I started out with readings in the 20's rather like yourself. Nowadays they are rarely ever over 6.

Eating wise then cut out all forms of natural sugar so the obvious cakes, biscuits, sugar in tea and coffee, non diet sodas and even pure fruit juices as they have loads of sugar. Next and just as importantly at least halve your intake of rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products. Replace with extra meat, fish, cheese, eggs and especially green veg. Things like yoghurt are generally fine. If you want a small amount of fruit then "berries" are best and I find they won't raise your levels as high if you eat them as a pudding after your main meal. On the rice, pasta and bread you have left in your diet swap to brown basmati rice, brown or tri-colour pasta and the best bread by far is Burgen Soya bread that you can get from most supermarkets. That kind of diet is what you would be recommended to do as T2 in Sweden, America and many other countries. The "controversial bit" is where I said "Next and just as importantly at least halve your intake of rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products" as those are the starchy carbohydrates that the NHS is so keen we eat even though they raise your levels nearly as badly as eating plain sugar. As others have said sugar is just another type of carbohydrate. It's a ridiculous situation rather like recommending an alcoholic drinks loads of vodka.

See you have a blood meter which is great. You need to aim to be under 8 as regularly exceeding 8 is where you start to risk complications The NICE guidelines say under 8 two hours after eating and between 4 and 7 at all other times. Great how they can put together good guidelines but then are clueless in telling people how to go about achieving them...

At the beginning you may find getting under 8 to be really difficult. If it is then also test before you eat and aim for the two hour after eating reading to be back at roughly the level of the before eating reading. If you do that then you should see a gradual day by day improvement until all your two hour readings come out safe.

If you can't stop the readings spiking high after two hours then you have a choice. Either reduce the rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products some more until your levels respond or if you really can't change your diet further then go back to the gp and ask for stronger drugs but the important thing is to recognize that you need safe blood levels as that will protect you from diabetic complications down the line. Also recognise that many believe stronger diabetic drugs may only work for a while and that at some point you will need insulin. The advantage of the diet only approach where you cut out sugar and starchy foods is that many members who have adopted that lifestyle take no or very little medication and have not seen the disease progress further for years.

Good luck and keep asking questions

[AllyS]

Wow a lot of info, thanks guys.

I think I have to accept my diet is going to change, it already has dramatically as I used to shovel chocolate, crisps and biscuits down. All of these have stopped.

I am going to have to address the carbs I see. Not sure if I could do a complete carb free diet. Not easy when you have a 7 year old and 17 month in the house either.

Today (and yesterday) has been refreshing with the following readings:

11.9
8.7
10
9.4
7.6
8.2
6.5

Does the gliclazide take a few days to really start working?

I am going to cut out toast for starters. I have been eating a lot of weetabix, rice crispies etc (hospital advised me to eat these) so going to cut them down.

Funnily not had these chest pains in 3 months and tonight they are coming back, just as the sugar levels return to near normal? Weird?

By the way, where do I buy Ooopsies bread?

[Mushroom]

Gosh, you do seem to be eating a lot of carbs! That Eatwell Plate is a work of art isn't it?
My 4 pieces of toast for breakfast had to go. Was hoping the copious amount of butter I used to put on them would have helped!(but perhaps not).
Google the recipe for Oopsies. Not tried them yet but they are on my 'to do' list. Like the idea using them as a substitute pizza base.

[AllyS]

Shopping tomorrow to change the freezer contents me thinks. I can't believe the hospital doesn't push this across to help you?

[AllyS]

Gosh, you do seem to be eating a lot of carbs! That Eatwell Plate is a work of art isn't it?
My 4 pieces of toast for breakfast had to go. Was hoping the copious amount of butter I used to put on them would have helped!(but perhaps not).
Google the recipe for Oopsies. Not tried them yet but they are on my 'to do' list. Like the idea using them as a substitute pizza base.

I find the low carb diet a bit oppressive if I am being totally honest but I am going to his eggs, onion, veg and meet for a few weeks and see what happens

I love omelettes so should be fairly easy. During that time I will experiment

Life changing stuff and at 45 you tend to be set in your ways but I accept, things have to change.

[Fraddycat]

Ally, I am 45 too, and have 2 kids in the house, so I completely know how you feel. What I do is cook normal dinners like spaghetti bolognese or curry and rice for the rest of the family, and instead of the carbs I cook some broccolli or green beans or cauliflower. I put this on the plate first then put the meaty sauce over the top - so mostly I am eating the same as everyone else, just with a little tweak. The low carb diet can be very luxurious, you can have plenty of cheese and double cream, I have unsweetened peanut butter (from a spoon ) as a treat, along with Atkins bars.

[BioHaZarD]

Hi AllyS

Just read through the posts and it does seem you eat a lot of carbs. Since I was diagnosed, I no longer eat bread, pasta, rice or potatoes, crisps, biscuits, etc, there are loads you can eat you just got o get your head around things. I make my own cakes that taste better than the real things, you don't have to go without.

I am going to have to address the carbs I see. Not sure if I could do a complete carb free diet. Not easy when you have a 7 year old and 17 month in the house

I have 4 year old and now a 6 day old baby and I eat around 35g carbs per day....

Good luck, you can do it

[AllyS]

Ally, I am 45 too, and have 2 kids in the house, so I completely know how you feel. What I do is cook normal dinners like spaghetti bolognese or curry and rice for the rest of the family, and instead of the carbs I cook some broccolli or green beans or cauliflower. I put this on the plate first then put the meaty sauce over the top - so mostly I am eating the same as everyone else, just with a little tweak. The low carb diet can be very luxurious, you can have plenty of cheese and double cream, I have unsweetened peanut butter (from a spoon ) as a treat, along with Atkins bars.

Yep I hear you, I was wondering about sauces as some of them are high in carbs as well. I think I will immediately cut bread potatos and rice. That will instantly make things better. Even if that is all I do it is a massive bonus

[AllyS]

Now I am getting confused. Not changed any diet yet but am starting to get these chest pains again. Feels like getting a hypo, quick check and I am now the lowest I have ever been since I started checking at 4.9. But have done nothing to change that?

I am wondering now, when this chest pain starts my stools also loosen and there is a noticeable build up of internal air? It would appear this in turn is lowering my blood sugar? Again, only just noticing this so I guess I will have to closely monitor it.

[Mushroom]

I find the low carb diet a bit oppressive if I am being totally honest but I am going to his eggs, onion, veg and meet for a few weeks and see what happens

Life changing stuff and at 45 you tend to be set in your ways but I accept, things have to change.

Can appreciate the change of ways at 45 yrs - I'm 51 yrs old. I now realise that I was the 'carboholic' in our house. My husband always resisted eating any bread ,pasta and potatoes. My son doesn't eat so much now (and has lost weight) as he now has to cook for himself as most of my meals are uncooked and consist of chopping up raw vegetables. As said before, normal meal but without the carb overload.
Love steaks with fat and mixed salad. Eggs and fatty bacon with rind. Pate with celery - tastes so much better than toast. Cream and cheese - yum. Got to keep an eye on the amount of fat because I am trying to lose weight.
I am cooking Chilli con Carne for 40 people tomorrow evening and have had to force myself to include rice and garlic bread for everyone. I will be happy eating it without!
I don't take Metformin because I don't want tummy problems but could your tummy pain and wind be something to do with that? I believe Met can react if you eat too many carbs in one session. I know you had chest pain before so perhaps not. Good luck - hope you find out what the problem is.

[AllyS]

No, nothing to do with stomach. I have had that all looked at and the pain is to high and too far left. It would be the very tip of my pancreas if anything.

Well, just stocked up ok meat, veg and low carb grub. Omelettes mixed with meats and veg for a week or so to see how my body reacts.

What I am worried about is there are other issues and I start having problems. The NHS certainly don't seem to care much.

[dawnmc]

What has the doc said about your chest pain? Assumed you have ruled out anxiety, wind etc. If you are still worried you need to go get it checked out.