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Miracle77

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
My Boyfriends sugars are all over the place, not controlled at all which means I get stressed, worried and anxious. I lost my cousin last year to complications from diabetes and she was only 29 which makes me wonder what the consequences are from having blood sugars that are up and down so dramatically
 

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.
My Boyfriends sugars are all over the place, not controlled at all which means I get stressed, worried and anxious. I lost my cousin last year to complications from diabetes and she was only 29 which makes me wonder what the consequences are from having blood sugars that are up and down so dramatically
Hi and welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about the problems you are having. There are a few others who post here who are in the same boat.

How long has your bf had diabetes? What is his view of his condition? Does he see his doctor or diabetes nurse very often? How does he feel about discussing his diabetes with you?
 

Miracle77

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
He was only diagnosed just after Easter this year, and he seems to have diabetes 1.5 which is poorly managed, at the moment he's only taking 1 glicizide a day which doesn't seem to be working, he's also phoned the hospital to see if he can talk to someone but having no joy that side either. Seems from what i've read on here diabetes 1.5 can be a minefield to manage so worried is an understatement maybe we should go back to the gp sorry if i'm rambling Xx thanks for the reply
 

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.
Yes I think he should go back to his GP and insist on a referral to a diabetes specialist/
He was only diagnosed just after Easter this year, and he seems to have diabetes 1.5 which is poorly managed, at the moment he's only taking 1 glicizide a day which doesn't seem to be working, he's also phoned the hospital to see if he can talk to someone but having no joy that side either. Seems from what i've read on here diabetes 1.5 can be a minefield to manage so worried is an understatement maybe we should go back to the gp sorry if i'm rambling Xx thanks for the reply
service. GPs can barely manage T2, let alone ?T1.5 lol. His meds might not be right for him and he might need insulin. Can you give us a rough idea of what his BG levels have been lately? The T1.5s and others on the forum may be able to give some tips.

Whatever type of diabetes someone has, they can often benefit from reducing their carbs. I'll tag @daisy1 who has some info she posts for people new to the forum.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Miracle77

Hello and welcome to the forum :) As mentioned above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it will help you to help your boyfriend. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will try to answer.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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.
 

Miracle77

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
His Blood sugars actually range from 5.5 before a meal and anything from 10/16 mmol after eating i'm at my wits end it just seems that no matter what he eats his blood sugars are high, he's managed to get an appointment at the hospital but not until October, so our GP will have to do for now thanks for the input it's really appreciated Xx
 

Clivethedrive

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,996
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Jogging
His Blood sugars actually range from 5.5 before a meal and anything from 10/16 mmol after eating i'm at my wits end it just seems that no matter what he eats his blood sugars are high, he's managed to get an appointment at the hospital but not until October, so our GP will have to do for now thanks for the input it's really appreciated Xx
I can recommend jenny rhul's diet 101 , very helpful
 

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.
His Blood sugars actually range from 5.5 before a meal and anything from 10/16 mmol after eating i'm at my wits end it just seems that no matter what he eats his blood sugars are high, he's managed to get an appointment at the hospital but not until October, so our GP will have to do for now thanks for the input it's really appreciated Xx
I wonder if sometimes if a person has an appointment booked in, a diabetes nurse will see them sooner or offer advice over the phone. Might be worth a try?

Maybe the GP can increase his gliclazide? It would be great if the GP could consider insulin but apparently a lot of GPs don't do that, and they leave it to specialists.

In the meantime really cutting down on carbs is also worth a try. I have been low carbing for about 10 days now and I feel great. So much more energy and even my mood is better. I've also lost 4 lb. To replace the carbs I am eating full fat yoghurt and cream, butter, cheese, bacon, and eggs, for example. It's a really easy way to eat, once you get the right foods in and sort out what you want to eat.
 

viv k

Well-Known Member
Messages
49
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Miracle, don't get too stressed, I know that's easy to say, but it's not going to help. I'm sorry to hear about the recent loss of your cousin, that's very sad news. It must be awful caring about your boyfriend and being scared for him and having to wait so long for him to get help.
Hopefully your boyfriend's diabetes is not as severe as your poor cousin. I sympathise with the frustration you will both be experiencing in waiting for help in stabilising his condition.

I have recently been diagnosed as LADA ,after a year of being told I was T2. I was started on small doses of insulin 2 weeks ago and am only slowly starting to see my BG levels come down. I've spent the last couple of months with before meal levels of 8-13 and 2 hours later mostly 11-16 (up to 19 sometimes). Each week of waiting for the specialist felt very long, people kept telling me not to worry, it was hard not to, but they were right. I know everyone's different and I am fairly new to all this, but if your boyfriend's levels are 5.5 before meals, he is probably a very different case to your cousin and he's going to be fine.

While waiting for medical help, what I found very useful for getting my sugars down after meals was moving about. It didn't have to be a long bike ride or run (but that is great if you can), just walking for 30 minutes was good. Low carb eating is very useful. So get some low carb food in ( and I also recommend a little red wine, some cheese, some nuts), hold hands and go for a walk after your evening meal, or put on some music and dance, it might help those after meal spikes and hopefully it will help you and the man you care about.
 
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