You guys were right...met the diabetic nurse!

[Barry Holt]

Well done to everyone who sorts themselves out and gets on with our problem,cos everything I read tells me that it is a "Chronic disease and it seems to have taken me ages to get my head round it,At one point I thought I had got myself sorted then I fell of the wagon but I've got back on now. The DN nurse is very good with me anyway and full of very helpful advice but then each indidual has to decide wether to take the advice or not ,I'm doing my very best to get back to LC roll on dinner time haha Barry

 

[daddys1]

when that advice can work for some people and will help just about everyone.

Hi Mike
Why give 'one set of advice' which barley helps a few, when you can give advice LIKE Low Carb, (or include with the general advice), which we know will help most immediately. They could then work back from there to eating what will not affect them.

I notice you show no figures regards your Diabetic state, HbA1c etc.

Neil

 

[Totto]

Morning all, I am trying to process my first visit to the diabetic nurse yesterday, it is now 4 weeks since being diagnosed. I am so thankful for this forum and its members because without it, I would have been lost! So far I've lost 1 stone following LCFF and getting reasonable BG readings.

My husband prepared me also for the visit saying I should adopt the Churchill dog strategy of "ohhhhh yes" and just nod!

What I was told was a total contradiction to what I have learnt here. The advice is to "make sure" that I eat a starchy carbohydrate at every meal, rice, bread, pasta et al and choose the wholegrain varieties. I must cut down on all fat; use semi or skimmed milk etc. I can eat all fruits as long as I eat the whole fruit and not the juice. When going out, I should ask for the bread basket if I will be waiting for food to be served!

My wonderful nurse said she was putting me on a full day course (whoopie) to "teach me all about diabetes and how to eat for "my kind" of food! oh and I should not be testing myself as my readings will be wrong! Even though the booklet she gave me says that I should be testing! Oh and of course over the years I wont be able to control my BG's and will end up on different medication and insulin.

I must not buy any diabetes specific foods because they are full of sugar and fat oh and my "goal" is to get my hb1c down to 55 which is perfectly ok for a diabetic (read, dont expect anything different!)

The best piece of advise was that I should STAY AWAY from other sites recommending different treatments for diabetes because they don't work and are dangerous!

No just No How can they get it so wrong, the advise makes no logical sense, if my body cannot cope with carbohydrates, why are you telling me to eat more of them and insist I do it at every meal?

Something tells me that me and the diabetic nurse will not be getting along!! Rant over

Reminds me of my first visit. I had decided I wanted test strips on prescription so I told her I wouldn't eat a single grain of rice, not half a carrot, no potatoes or sweet stuff or anything at all that contained carbs until I was given a meter and could test, but only eat eggs, cheese. bacon and buttteeerrr!. That scared her enough to give me what I wanted. She was also worried I didn't enough fruit but I told her I eat lots of fruits: Tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, aubergine, avocados, zucchini etc. Half a year later she was very worried about because my HbA1c had dropped to 33, without meds. That couldn't right. If you have diabetes your HbA1c should be much higher.

And she doesn't come across as very stupid so I don't understand what actually is wrong with her.

 

[mikej1973]

Hi Mike
Why give 'one set of advice' which barley helps a few, when you can give advice LIKE Low Carb, (or include with the general advice), which we know will help most immediately. They could then work back from there to eating what will not affect them.

I notice you show no figures regards your Diabetic state, HbA1c etc.

Neil

Hi Neil,

My point being there's room for all advice. All opinions are equally valid and if you take the diet specifics out of the equation and eat to your meter then it should work itself out if one is proactive and takes responsibility. My thought is success is more to do with how you engage with diabetes rather than the specifics of how you treat it. One size doesn't fit all and if something works for someone then it's as valid an idea as anyone else's.

This forum is amazing for company and advice. For me my journey is my own. I don't want to keep people updated with my progress for the sake of it because it's not me. Again whatever works.

I have posted some stats through the forum when relevant.

I was diagnosed end of January with a Hba1c of 60. 6 weeks later I did an oral glucose tolerance test 5.2 fasting and 4.8 at two hours. End of March I did another Hba1c which was 32. I've lost about 3 stone in that time. My fasting blood this morning was 4.1. Does that help?

 

[zand]

@mikej1973
You say you don't like us being negative about our HCP's and that was the real point of what you were saying and that their advice is good for some people.
You also say that our meter should always be our guide.
A lot of HCP's tell T2's that they shouldn't test - so this particular bit of the advice has to be wrong for every type 2? Right?

 

[AndBreathe]

Hi Neil,

My point being there's room for all advice. All opinions are equally valid and if you take the diet specifics out of the equation and eat to your meter then it should work itself out if one is proactive and takes responsibility. My thought is success is more to do with how you engage with diabetes rather than the specifics of how you treat it. One size doesn't fit all and if something works for someone then it's as valid an idea as anyone else's.

This forum is amazing for company and advice. For me my journey is my own. I don't want to keep people updated with my progress for the sake of it because it's not me. Again whatever works.

I have posted some stats through the forum when relevant.

I was diagnosed end of January with a Hba1c of 60. 6 weeks later I did an oral glucose tolerance test 5.2 fasting and 4.8 at two hours. End of March I did another Hba1c which was 32. I've lost about 3 stone in that time. My fasting blood this morning was 4.1. Does that help?

Mike - May I ask if, since diagnosis, you have actually given up any foods, and if so, what they are?

Secondly, may I ask how your eating patterns between your HbA1cs of 60 and 32 differed, or if it makes it simpler, what you did to reduce your HbA1c and lose 3 stones?

And finally, since your HbA1c of 32, have you altered your eating regime again, or are you still losing weight and/or trying to further modify your blood panel results?

 

[mikej1973]

@mikej1973
You say you don't like us being negative about our HCP's and that was the real point of what you were saying and that their advice is good for some people.
You also say that our meter should always be our guide.
A lot of HCP's tell T2's that they shouldn't test - so this particular bit of the advice has to be wrong for every type 2? Right?

Re the meter. I completely agree. But I also think full time testing is a short term benefit. I think nice agrees. There is a benefit in the first 6 months. I also think they're position that testing can cause depression has merit. I hate getting a reading of 8 or 9. However depression versus knowledge I think the benefit outweighs the cost. Once an idea of what works and what doesn't is formed then testing is of less and less value. Certainly in terms of cost to the Nhs. I do see their point but I think pm balance testing is good.

As for diet this forum is unbalanced. Again not a critisism people of a type use the Internet to get information and then the good advice and positive results creates a snowball effect. Which means people like me are a minority. Although take the diet out and I'm the same as you! What we don't know is how different diets impact diabetes amongst the non Internet people. My feeling is people who engage with diabetes handle it better than those who don't. But im.guessing a bit!

 

[mikej1973]

Mike - May I ask if, since diagnosis, you have actually given up any foods, and if so, what they are?

Secondly, may I ask how your eating patterns between your HbA1cs of 60 and 32 differed, or if it makes it simpler, what you did to reduce your HbA1c and lose 3 stones?

And finally, since your HbA1c of 32, have you altered your eating regime again, or are you still losing weight and/or trying to further modify your blood panel results?

I haven't formally given up any foods. But have cut out sugary foods. I had some chocolate a while ago and actually didn't enjoy it. Testing has shown me that lots of white bread and no exercise puts my blood over 8 after two hours. So I'll have a sandwich if I'm out and about. If I'm at my desk or being lazy at home I'll have something else. I had a huge bowl of pasta the other day. My blood didn't go over 8 but it stayed of 7 for 5 hours! So pasta will get treated with care. Fruit potato rice are all fine. As are beans and veggies. Sugar things were ok too but loosing weight is a priority right now.

I've said before the 5:2 diet keeps my Sugar lower up to 48 hours after a fast day. No science to back it up. But it is the case for me.

I've not changed my diet again but my weight loss has slowed for the moment. However my trousers are still getting loser and my blood sugar is still improving. When I started my fasting blood was 5.5 - 6.5. Now it's 4 - 5

In terms of diet I believe it's about changing your relationship with food. I only eat three times a day and I don't finish lunch and start thinking straight away about dinner. I most certainly used too!

 

[gillyhill]

Remember to wear a belt mike. Or you'll have same wardrobe malfunction I had. I've lost weight, and continue to do so, and love denim skirts. Sister bent down next to me, grabbed my skirt...skirt went south!!!!

 

[mikej1973]

Haha! Me in denim skirt is going to give everyone diabetes! Fortunately the heart attack will get them first!

 

[AndBreathe]

I haven't formally given up any foods. But have cut out sugary foods. I had some chocolate a while ago and actually didn't enjoy it. Testing has shown me that lots of white bread and no exercise puts my blood over 8 after two hours. So I'll have a sandwich if I'm out and about. If I'm at my desk or being lazy at home I'll have something else. I had a huge bowl of pasta the other day. My blood didn't go over 8 but it stayed of 7 for 5 hours! So pasta will get treated with care. Fruit potato rice are all fine. As are beans and veggies. Sugar things were ok too but loosing weight is a priority right now.

I've said before the 5:2 diet keeps my Sugar lower up to 48 hours after a fast day. No science to back it up. But it is the case for me.

I've not changed my diet again but my weight loss has slowed for the moment. However my trousers are still getting loser and my blood sugar is still improving. When I started my fasting blood was 5.5 - 6.5. Now it's 4 - 5

In terms of diet I believe it's about changing your relationship with food. I only eat three times a day and I don't finish lunch and start thinking straight away about dinner. I most certainly used too!

Thank you for responding.

I think it will be interesting to see how things go when you find yourself at your target weight, as well as target HbA1c score. That usually brings another juggling challenge to address the calorific/nutritional deficits we experience when losing weight, but retaining decent blood scores.

Just out of curiosity, do you know what your lipid panels read on your "mixed" diet?

How close are you to your weight loss goal, and when is your next blood panel due?

 

[gillyhill]

Would be funny! Meant losing trousers.....I really should have explained better shouldn't I? Gave you a laugh picturing yourself in a skirt. Can't stop smiling myself

 

[mikej1973]

My overall cholesterol was 4.5. Ratios I don't know. They were part of a test for the gout medication I'm not. They threw the Hba1c in as a freebie so it was all a suprised and I was much less educated! Next texts in a year. Although I'll be ringing up for a 6month mot. My health people are OK.

I started at 20 stone. Now weigh 17 and am taking each lb as it comes. I'll be delighted to get to the point where maintainace is a problem!

 

[hankjam]

Remember to wear a belt mike. Or you'll have same wardrobe malfunction I had. I've lost weight, and continue to do so, and love denim skirts. Sister bent down next to me, grabbed my skirt...skirt went south!!!!

it's my wedding ring that worries me..... one slip and it's gone!

 

[Pipp]

So you low carb too! lol

And fast? So did your HP advise low carb and fasting or usual NHS script of carbs with every meal, @mikej1973? I am confused.

 

[Mrsmac247]

I'm still dreaming of clothes issues and wedding ring problems but fingers crossed I hope to know of those misfortunes soon!

 

[gillyhill]

Anything you can wear with ring to stop it slipping? You definitely don't want to lose that

 

[zand]

I'm still dreaming of clothes issues and wedding ring problems but fingers crossed I hope to know of those misfortunes soon!

Me too!

 

[BooJewels]

I'm still dreaming of clothes issues and wedding ring problems but fingers crossed I hope to know of those misfortunes soon!

You must be able to feel it though - I'm just behind you (taken longer though) and can feel the difference. I dragged my bra straps up tighter this morning and one bra that is the same as my others, but seems to have fiercer elastic, so I avoided wearing it as it was a battle to fasten, now feels much more wearable and I don't dislocate my shoulder tying to get the ****** on. I end up looking like this:

 

[gillyhill]

Don't worry Mrsmac it will happen soon. Just keep going. I knew I'd lost weight but couldn't see any difference. Couple of friends at work did and are keeping my secret. Compliments on changes they see are so good to hear too.