Had a kick up the backside!

[rowan]

I'm new to the forum but not to diabetes, I've been Type 2 for around 9 years and to begin with had good control. But after a year I developed pustular psorisis which got very serious very quickly, and when I started having to use steroid ointments my blood levels started going up. I struggled to keep control and my levels gradually crept up over the next few years and I couldn't seem to do anything about it.
Then nearly 4 years ago i developed ulcerative colitis, which also got very serious very quickly (doctors say I have 'aggressive genes'!) andwithin a few months I was in hospital having my colon taken out, and an ileostomy formed. In hospital I was very ill and my bloods were hovering around 2. I eventually recovered and got my appetite back and that's whenthe problemsreally started.
The diet I had to follow was the exact opposite to a diabetic diet, white bread, pasta, rice, no leafy veg or salad, no nuts, beans, pulses, low fibre, not a particularly healthy diet, but I had to follow it while the ileostomy settled down. Over time my diabetes took a back seat and the stoma took priority, and then my blood test monitor broke and I didn;t replace it.
Anyway, I was still having my HBA1C but they changed the number system and each time I askedwhat it was in the oldsystem they said they didn;t know, so for teh last 2 years I haven't had a clue what my levels were. Until a week or so ago when I had a call from the out of hours doctor at 11pm who said my results had been flagged through to him and that the HBA1C was 28! I saw my gp a couple of days later who said I wouldprobably have to go on insulin but I got her to leave me on metformin and gliclazide to give me a chance to try and sort ot, she agreedand said I'd have to have another blood test in 3-4 weeks time.
I was really scared and started on a really strict diet immediately, and when my daily levels went above 30 I phoned the doctors again and spoke to the diabetes nurse. During teh conversation it emerged that the out of hours doc had made a mistake and my HBA1C wasn't 28, it was 13.7, it was the levels at the time of teh test that was 28! Still bad but not nearly as bad as I thought!
So, having had a couple of scary days my mindest had completely changed and it finally got through to me that diabetes really is a serious illness and I was now taking it seriously, I think I'd been in denial for a long time because the diabetes wasn't painful or disabling like my other illnesses, although I've accepted now that if I don't do something about it quick it will turn very serious!
So, am needing some help with this, I'm still having to balance different dietry needs for diabetes and my stoma, although I can eat more things now that after the surgery. The last few days have been a steep learning curve and I'm starting to see a few lower readings, mid teens compared to high 20s which is a step in the right direction, but I know I have a long way to go and I have to stick to it! Hence joing here, and I'll probably have lots of questions! Sorry for the long post, I'll go now

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hello and welcome to the forum

What a rotten time of awful illnesses you have had, so sorry to hear that. But this is a great place for support and helpful advice. I'm sure other type 2's will be along soon.

Good luck and all the best RRB

 

[rowan]

Thank you And I LOVE your dormouse photo!

 

[Bluetit1802]

You really have been through the mill, but hopefully this is the beginning of the end of your problems. This forum is the best place to be for help and support. Please have a good read round and come back with any questions. @daisy1 will be along soon with some general advice.

Meanwhile, get a new meter! This will be essential for you if you are to start to control diabetes.

 

[rowan]

Yes I have a meter now and had a few surprises with it! I always thought porridge was the best breakfast for us until my blood rose from 21 to 29 an hour afterwards, didn't think it would rise that much so I'm not having porridge any more.
Today I had one slice of bread with smoked mackerel and cucumber, was 16.2 before and 1 hour later my levels were 21.6, 2 hours later 27.1! Really couldn't understand that, what would it have been if I'd had asandwish?!
They went down to 13 before dinner, such wild fluctuations, is that normal?
I mentioned it to the nurse and she just said not to test during the day, just once in the morning and again at night, but I need to know what food I can eat, and aren't we supposed to try and keep it as level aspossible?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Yes I have a meter now and had a few surprises with it! I always thought porridge was the best breakfast for us until my blood rose from 21 to 29 an hour afterwards, didn't think it would rise that much so I'm not having porridge any more.
Today I had one slice of bread with smoked mackerel and cucumber, was 16.2 before and 1 hour later my levels were 21.6, 2 hours later 27.1! Really couldn't understand that, what would it have been if I'd had asandwish?!
They went down to 13 before dinner, such wild fluctuations, is that normal?
I mentioned it to the nurse and she just said not to test during the day, just once in the morning and again at night, but I need to know what food I can eat, and aren't we supposed to try and keep it as level as possible?

Yes, you have learnt a good lesson with the porridge. (some people can manage a very small portion made with water). Try a 100g full fat Greek yogurt for breakfast, with a few raspberries thrown in, or 2 or 3 strawberries. Delicious and very filling.

Your one slice of bread was most likely the culprit with your mackerel (unless the mackerel was in a flour based sauce of some sort). Many people on here can't manage a slice of bread, and especially white bread if that is what you are still eating. You could try a low carb bread or a heavily seeded wholemeal such as Hovis Seed Sensations, providing you are allowed this on your diet, but it maybe you can't manage bread at all at the moment. I would suggest you try to avoid it until your levels are back down to acceptable levels, or at the very least have only half a slice of seeded or low carb.

Glad you are ignoring your nurse. She is wrong. You are right. Your meter is essential until you know which foods you can manage.

Are you keeping a food diary? This will also help.

 

[rowan]

I'm on wholemeal bread but can't eat seeds or nuts, they can easily block the stoma and is very painful and could result in hospital. My mackerel was a plain smoked fillet so I don't think that was the problem.
I bought some ryvita thinking it would be better than bread but it's 7g per slice! It's so annoying, I love bread, and pasta, and spuds, and rice with a curry, and my favourite veg are root veg, especially beetroot and parsnips, it's very depressing realising that I've got to severely restrict all of them for teh rest of my life!

 

[daddys1]

Hi @rowan It sounds like you have had a pretty poor deal i n life, I'm please you have now got the kick you wanted so that you can get your BS under control. You have definitely come to the right place for information help \& lots of support.

You got to cut your carbs sounds difficult at first, but become easy as time goes on.

Just seen your post, it's usually veg from above the ground, the root veg are difficult, I love Parsnips but too sugary, I also love beetroot for me in moderation seems to be OK but you need to test we are all different. I get on alright with swede can have a lot of that and all the other vegs are OK

Basmati rice is supposed to be OK and I can have a ready meal from tescos a Madras Curry and also a Jalfrezer which are only 13 carbs and that includes the rice.

I have ryvita every day x 2 with mackerel, olives stuffed and cherry tomatoes, 1 slice of normal bread could any where between 18 and maybe 28 carbs per slice, even what Bluetit was recommending is 13 carbs so ryvita at 6 carbs is OK I have 2.

You will find alternative, not sure whether you can have leafy veg now but there is Broccoli, french Beans, carrot preferably raw, Courgette, mange tout,
Kale, spinach, cabbage, greens there is so much. Lots of different fish.

It will get better

Good luck with your new journey

Neil

 

[rowan]

Thank you Neil, i just had 2 ryvita with avocado, very nice. Olives, I'd forgotten about them, will have to get some I think my main problem is snacks. With a stoma we're told to eat little and often and I'd usually have bread or crackersbut have to stop that now,.
I'll look for the Tesco curries but I like making my own, I use a jar of sauce and pack it out with loads of veg and chicken and use brown basmati rice so that should be ok. Raw veg can be a problem, we're supposed to boil them to death which tends to spoil broccoli a lot!
I think I'm getting worried about any carbs, not sure how many I can have with the extra fat without getting it wrong, a high carb high fat diet would be so easy to eat but obviously not good for us!
And you're right about the kick, I'm quite gald now the doctor made such a stupid mistake, it certainly woke me up!

 

[daisy1]

@rowan

Hello Rowan and welcome to the forum I'm pleased to see that you've had so many good replies already. Although you have had diabetes for around 9 years, I think this general information we give to new members will be useful to you especially regarding diet and carbs in particular. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[AnnieC]

Hi and welcome sorry you have had such a lot of serious illnesses as well as having diabetes. A lot here do the low carb high fat diet but with your problems we don't know if that is a suitable diet for you as you say you have to be careful what you eat as you have a stoma.As we are not medically trained or have any knowledge about your problem we really can't say what is the best plan for you we can only tell you what we do and then maybe that will help you to decide what would be best for you

 

[rowan]

Thank you, all iinput helps, I'm at a loss at the moment! And thanks for the advice Daisy, I'm readng all I can have just bought Carbs & Cals which I hope will help!
I had a hospital appointment yesterday where they discovered a new problem which is very likely tohave pushed my levels right up, so hopefully when this is sorted (probably more surgery!) it will help my diaetes even more.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Thank you, all iinput helps, I'm at a loss at the moment! And thanks for the advice Daisy, I'm readng all I can have just bought Carbs & Cals which I hope will help!
I had a hospital appointment yesterday where they discovered a new problem which is very likely tohave pushed my levels right up, so hopefully when this is sorted (probably more surgery!) it will help my diaetes even more.

Carbs and Cals is an excellent book. I still use mine 12 months on.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

My goodness you have been through the mill. With more to come, you say. So sorry!

What dietary restrictions are you on with your stoma? You mentioned nuts and seeds. Anything else?
Ulcerative colitis is a terrible thing. Is that under control now?

At the moment, the best suggestion I can make is that you have a look at this thread in the low carb section. Just browse through a few pages, and cherry pick food items and menu ideas that you know will work for you.

 

[anna29]

@rowan
Carbs/Cals is a great reference book to use .
With pictures showing portion control sizes too .
Easy to see how and where the size of portion control really matters .

Little and often is my motto - I use for myself .
Plus it keeps my BG levels steadier for it .

I have bowel issues/conditions too .
Coeliac and severe diverticulitis .
It can affect the digestion system painfully and dramatically .

Hence snack size portions are much more suited for me .
Little bit of something 'a nibble' often - works best for me .
Keep rehydrated too (loads of water,iced with lemon slices to drink)

Bowel surgery can be life changing and impacts on so many things .
Step by step little bit at a time best approach - it will all let you know
what suits you best .

Ask as many questions as you wish here .
No silly questions here - your post wasn't that long too .
No apologies needed

 

[Cherryred]

Hi @rowan I just wanted say hello and welcome you.

 

[tigerlily72]

Hi Rowan and welcome. I'm still a relative newbie and learning and am pre-diabetic so not the best person to give advice! But, there are so many very helpful and knowledgeable people on here that no doubt will. Follow the threads that interest you and apply to you - you'll learn so much.

You really have been through the mill and I hope things now start improving for you. Like you I also love bread, potatoes, pasta (especially) and root veggies. I severely restrict them now and my taste buds are evolving! If I do have potatoes I have them boiled and the last time I ate them would have been over a week ago.

Keep us posted on your progress

 

[rowan]

Thank you everyone, I'm happy to be here, found some really useful advice here and very friendly people

 

[Kat100]

Hello rown
Nice to meet you
What an awful time you had have....

You have so much to read and think about ...

Hope to chat with you again soon ....best wishes ...

 

[rowan]

I've just ckecked my blood, it's 7.6 !!!! Gobsmacked! A week ago it was over 30!