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diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
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People who use people.
Hi to all,

I have an appointment to see Karen this afternoon about how my blood sugars have gone down from 25s to 12.5 since using Victoza n I think my weight has gone down to but I am having gaviscon for indigestion and I am also constipated with the Victoza too at least it's not diorheea this time
Will see what she says when I see her later on.
I am also going on a carbohydrate awareness course anyone done one at all.

Diamonds500.
 

diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
People who use people.
Hi to all,

I have an appointment to see Karen this afternoon about how my blood sugars have gone down from 25s to 12.5 since using Victoza n I think my weight has gone down to but I am having gaviscon for indigestion and I am also constipated with the Victoza too at least it's not diorheea this time
Will see what she says when I see her later on.
I am also going on a carbohydrate awareness course anyone done one at all.

Diamonds500.
I have been to see her and my A1c has gone down to 10.5 to 8.4 which is an improvement from before. So will carry on with Victoza n go for the diabetes awareness course.
 
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Alzebra

Well-Known Member
Messages
604
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
That's a great reduction in your A1c, well done you! I haven't been offered a carbohydrate awareness course, but it makes me wonder if potatoes and bits of pasta will be lurking in the shadows to attack ;)
 

catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,386
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
Hello diamonds500 welcome
You have made a great start at getting your numbers down, well done.
For years I suffered with indigestion, when I started on a low carb diet and cut out all bread the indigestion miraculously disappeared. It only resurfaces now when my willpower falters and I give in to a Bacon sandwich.
I have looked through your other posts and I don't think that you have received @daisy1 new members welcome pack. It's full of useful information that will help you find a way to manage your T2 that suits you.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@diamonds500

Hello and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 150,000 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.
 
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4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and well done on reducing your HbA1c. Try cutting back on the carbs and eating more veges to help with the constipation and indigestion. The carb course sounds interesting, hopefully there will be some useful info gained.
 
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Potteron

Well-Known Member
Messages
64
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, on the subject of indigestion, I suffered terribly for years, had investigations at hosp, tried several medications, ppis (they gave me a rash) . Then was diagnosed as diabetic, I decided to go Low carb high fat and within the first week all my digestive problems disappeared. If by some miracle my diabetes went I'd stick to this diet just for the digestive relief !!!
 
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diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
People who use people.
Hi Thanks for the Info very much appreciated.


Diamonds500.
 

diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
People who use people.
Hi to all,

I went back to see monica yesterday diabetes nurse n she said to me because my glucose over the last few months was still at 11.6 to 12 onwards if she was my doctor she would have put me on insulin by now as she is saying the victoza is not taking my bs down enough I have to do a desmond course and go back in December to see her but I need to go on insulin to lower my bs levels.
But if I go on insulin then I will gain weight n I want to loose not gain any.
What do I do?

Diamonds500
 

ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
Hi to all,

I went back to see monica yesterday diabetes nurse n she said to me because my glucose over the last few months was still at 11.6 to 12 onwards if she was my doctor she would have put me on insulin by now as she is saying the victoza is not taking my bs down enough I have to do a desmond course and go back in December to see her but I need to go on insulin to lower my bs levels.
But if I go on insulin then I will gain weight n I want to loose not gain any.
What do I do?

Diamonds500
I'm not sure if you mean she is going to put you on insulin now or in December? Going on insulin doesn't necessarily main weight gain, as I understand it. There are ways to reduce this while using insulin. On the other hand, if you can reduce your carb intake enough you might not need insulin.

Constipation and indigestion often go hand in hand. Are you still having problems with these things, and is the gaviscon doing enough to relieve the indigestion? You may need to take something for the constipation, like ground flax seeds or fibre like psyllium (metamucil). Also make sure you are drinking enough water, especially if you take extra fibre. I didn't do enough to treat my constipation years ago and that has made it worse for me now.
 

diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
People who use people.
Hi Cat lady,

I think she meant in December when I go back to see her how can you not gain weight when using insulin?
My Mum in law was a type 2 and went on insulin and is was really massive huge so this is why I associate insulin with weight gain.
It would seem logical for this to happen as did to my mum in law so why do people say it might not happen to me I just see that it does happen n not the other way round.

Diamonds500.
 

ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
Hi Cat lady,

I think she meant in December when I go back to see her how can you not gain weight when using insulin?
My Mum in law was a type 2 and went on insulin and is was really massive huge so this is why I associate insulin with weight gain.
It would seem logical for this to happen as did to my mum in law so why do people say it might not happen to me I just see that it does happen n not the other way round.

Diamonds500.
It's understandable that you see it that way based on seeing your mother and MIL. Traditionally T2s who go onto insulin are prescribed a set dose, which can make them hungry so they eat more. The trick is to only have as much insulin as needed to keep your blood sugar down, so you don't get so hungry. As I understand it people are often on basal (ie, background) insulin only, or mixed insulin, and these approaches may not be optimal. Whereas a more detailed way of taking insulin is basal/bolus, which allows you to target the insulin to the times of days when it's needed the most, so you can have lower doses. It's more work, but if I needed insulin, I'd want to do it this way.

There is more info here:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/15478720.php
 

diamonds500

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
People who use people.
Hi Cat Lady,

Thank you for the info I will take into consideration what you said about basal/bolus insulin if I can have the amount needed just to lower my bs then I may consider having it for this use only then hopefully I may not gain any weight.

Diamonds500.