hello from Cumbria x

[Valerietownend]

Ive been diabetic for 4 years which was caused by stress from marriage break up as wasnt diabetic before . Since then I always run on high blood sugars about 10 -20 . I am trying to control them by metformin twice a day but have started on lumixiar injections daily as subsitute for insulin. i am also on diet and the metformin has helped me loose some weight , im 53 and have some slight neuropathy in that cant feel three toes in left foot but its minor im told from diabetic foot check . im trying to live with my diabetes as best I can and to control it better with good diet , exercise and help and good advice. how do other type 2 diabetics cope with this ??

 

[Clivethedrive]

Welcome,valerietownend, yes you are in the right place this forum is the bestplace for support and advice that really works from people who are controlling this illness very well,so i'll ask @daisy1 for the info pack for new posters,have a good read and come back with your questions,clive

 

[4ratbags]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Im sure you will find the forums to be a great source of support and information. A lot of members including myself follow LCHF which is great for lowering your BS.

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi and welcome @Valerietownend
You ask how do other diabetics cope. For me it was diet - restricting any carbs that spiked my blood sugars. Losing the weight I needed to and exercise. I started trying to walk (gently) for 30mins most days. Over several months I have built this up to between 4 and 5 miles (2 to 3 hours) most days. I can only walk slowly but it has really helped me.

 

[pleinster]

Hi. My advice for what it's worth....basically...test before and 2-3 hours after meals to identify suitable foods..no bread...no spuds...no cereal...no obvious sugary ****....low carbs. .low carbs...ow carbs (ie. generally those with 10g or less per 100g). Record your readings and your food intake. it's working for me.

 

[Valerietownend]

hi its val , Sorry ive not replied to posts level but started on insulin just over christmas as sugar shot up after death of my husband to 24 plus , so then took humulin 3 and had bad reaction when i ended up rushed into hospital with pottasium level of 2.2 really dangerous for diabetics as new insulin did that so am not taking it again , was such a scare as feet went numb and really bad crampy pains in legs , short of breath as asthmatic but im okay now . just has anyone had that reaction and had to have 2 bags of iv fluids and 2 ecg s as heart rate went up skyhigh .

Welcome,valerietownend, yes you are in the right place this forum is the bestplace for support and advice that really works from people who are controlling this illness very well,so i'll ask @daisy1 for the info pack for new posters,have a good read and come back with your questions,clive

 

[Valerietownend]

Hi and welcome @Valerietownend
You ask how do other diabetics cope. For me it was diet - restricting any carbs that spiked my blood sugars. Losing the weight I needed to and exercise. I started trying to walk (gently) for 30mins most days. Over several months I have built this up to between 4 and 5 miles (2 to 3 hours) most days. I can only walk slowly but it has really helped me.

Great , sounds like youre controlling it well enough , I do exercise as well and try to cut out sugary foods as need to loose weight as well and walk to stables an back to see my horse and that mile and half in goood weather . keep it up . i have even bought a new treadmill to use as this counts calories and cardiac function , using it 20 mins a day is equal to 3 miles but it works , I also eat lots of fruit that i make in nutribullet and have great fruit smoothies too . keep in touch and let me know how you are doing Val.

 

[LinsT]

Hi Val, welcome to the forum. With regard to your higher blood sugars, the fruit that you are eating unfortunately won't be helping. I know fruit is generally considered really healthy, but for us diabetics its something that can only be eaten in small amounts if we want to maintain good blood glucose control. Its full of natural sugar and for us it doesn't matter whether the sugar is natural or not - the end result is the same - high blood sugars. If you are wanting to get your blood sugars down , that could be a good place to start. There are lots of recipes on this forum for more vegetable based smoothies.
Also, take a look at the low carbohydrate forum. I know the current emphasis is on diabetics eating plenty of carbohydrates, but this is slowly starting to change as research shows that it is the total carbohydrate intake that raises blood sugars to unacceptable levels in people with diabetes. You don't have to cut everything out at once if you don't want to.
Do you have a meter to measure your levels? Measuring before and 2 hours after eating can be a real eye opener to exactly what is happening in your body.

 

[LinsT]

I should perhaps point out that you don't need to cut fruit out of your diet completely - just limit it to 1 or 2 portions. Strawberries and blueberries, apples, pears are good. Things like bananas, pineapple, grapes are particularly bad in terms of sugar content.

 

[pleinster]

Hi. I think, all things considered, you're doing great. One tip on the fruit front...avocados are a must; if they were cowboys they'd be wearing the white hats...they taste great; they have generally less than 16g carbs (less than most fruits); they are low on the Glycemic Index (ie. they digest and enter the bloodstream as sugar pretty slowly..avoiding a spike in the blood sugar level you may get from many other fruits); each one has around 15-20g monounsaturated fat (which is the "good" fat which produces good cholesterol, HDL - good for the heart); they help keep electrolyte levels up (which are depleted when sugar levels are high); around 12g of fibre helps the digestive system and help you keep fibre intake up; and they have more potassium in them than bananas do. Personally, I have one with a wee drop of mayo most lunchtimes (often with maybe 4 or 5 strawberries..and I find it has, if anything, a briefly reducing effect on my BS level. No - I don't sell avocados. +

 

[Valerietownend]

hi its val , Sorry ive not replied to posts level but started on insulin just over christmas as sugar shot up after death of my husband to 24 plus , so then took humulin 3 and had bad reaction when i ended up rushed into hospital with pottasium level of 2.2 really dangerous for diabetics as new insulin did that so am not taking it again , was such a scare as feet went numb and really bad crampy pains in legs , short of breath as asthmatic but im okay now . just has anyone had that reaction and had to have 2 bags of iv fluids and 2 ecg s as heart rate went up skyhigh .

Hi Val, welcome to the forum. With regard to your higher blood sugars, the fruit that you are eating unfortunately won't be helping. I know fruit is generally considered really healthy, but for us diabetics its something that can only be eaten in small amounts if we want to maintain good blood glucose control. Its full of natural sugar and for us it doesn't matter whether the sugar is natural or not - the end result is the same - high blood sugars. If you are wanting to get your blood sugars down , that could be a good place to start. There are lots of recipes on this forum for more vegetable based smoothies.
Also, take a look at the low carbohydrate forum. I know the current emphasis is on diabetics eating plenty of carbohydrates, but this is slowly starting to change as research shows that it is the total carbohydrate intake that raises blood sugars to unacceptable levels in people with diabetes. You don't have to cut everything out at once if you don't want to.
Do you have a meter to measure your levels? Measuring before and 2 hours after eating can be a real eye opener to exactly what is happening in your body.

 

[Valerietownend]

hi yes I do test my sugars as have to 1 hour before i eat and take Lumixar 20mcg dose once daily , thanks for the tips on fruit I like most what you mentioned and will check out low carbs Forum , might try advocardos as that sounds good too , just need to keep sugars level as rcent hba1c was 109 , sugars have been over 24 most days , thanks for the advice peeps x

 

[pleinster]

hi yes I do test my sugars as have to 1 hour before i eat and take Lumixar 20mcg dose once daily , thanks for the tips on fruit I like most what you mentioned and will check out low carbs Forum , might try advocardos as that sounds good too , just need to keep sugars level as rcent hba1c was 109 , sugars have been over 24 most days , thanks for the advice peeps x

Valerie...just for you to think about - I know that doctors want you not to test too much (not any dramatic reasoning behind this) but I tested a lot each day (8-10 times fora couple of weeks) to understand what was pushing my levels up. I now test about 6 times a day (recording my readings before food, the type of food eaten, and the reading two hours later - these levels should be close together if you're eating the right stuff). My point is, only that way will you really take control. On meds and watching my sugar intake made no difference really to me. It wasn't until I started getting rid of lots of carbs that my levels started going down nicely. The single most important thing to realise is that unused carbs, to all intents and purposes, turn to glucose in the body and have the same impact on blood sugar as sugar itself. Biggest culprits are bread and cereals...then spuds and pasta etc. Check out all the low-carb diet stuff, and look at the results people are having in very short spaces of time. Good luck.