Type 2 Diabetic - new to forum

[Marvel_champ]

Hello.

I'm new to this forum, but not new to diabetes. I've been diabetic for 2 1/2 years and want to gain control over it.

 

[AtkinsMo]

Welcome, I am sure you will achieve your objective.

 

[Liam1955]

@Marvel_champ - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information. Have a read and ask any questions you may have.

 

[Prem51]

Welcome to the forum @Marvel_champ. Have a read through the threads. You will see that a lot of people on here have found they can lower their blood sugar levels by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating.

 

[Hiitsme]

Welcome @Marvel_champ
I will tag @daisy1 who will post some welcome information.
What questions do you have?

 

[muzza3]

Welcome @Marvel_champ
I hope you can get as much from this forum as I have. make sure you post questions and perhaps a bit of information about your diagnosis, levels etc

 

[Marvel_champ]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after I wasn't feeling too well one day in the summer heat in 2013. Ended up having a severe nosebleed and the paramedics coming out to treat it as I had a very long and painful blood clot.

I was given a meter to test my levels by my doctor and after 3 months of regularly testing 3 times a day, I got told my testing strips will no longer be provided as my hba1c went from 21.0 mmol/L to 15.4 mmol/L and my doctor retired so I had a new doctor. I haven't been testing since.

I am also a serial binge eater and have been for 10 years, I will eat almost anything in any way that I can. I hardly ever feel full and will snack 30 minutes after having a big meal. I also eat out of boredom which is quite a lot as I am unemployed and have been since June 2015.

Currently I am taking Metformin 500mg two twice a day, Fultium-D3 tablet once a day, Novorapid injections of 20 units at breakfast, 16 at lunch and tea and Levemir injections of 24 units in morning and 20 at night.

 

[daisy1]

@Marvel_champ

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the basic information we give to new members, even though you have had diabetes for some time. If you have any questions ask them on here and someone will 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.

 

[Marvel_champ]

Welcome to the forum @Marvel_champ. Have a read through the threads. You will see that a lot of people on here have found they can lower their blood sugar levels by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating.

I'm slightly confused. I am not sure eating high fat is good, I went to see my dietitian today and asked her about the approach and she said it was nothing but a fad diet.

 

[urbanracer]

I'm slightly confused. I am not sure eating high fat is good, I went to see my dietitian today and asked her about the approach and she said it was nothing but a fad diet.

NHS dieticians trot out pretty much the same advice to everyone regardless of their health condition. Many of them haven't made the connection between blood glucose and carbohydrates.

Up to you which path you choose but I wish you good luck. Have a read around the forums and ask questions.

Welcome.

 

[Prem51]

I'm slightly confused. I am not sure eating high fat is good, I went to see my dietitian today and asked her about the approach and she said it was nothing but a fad diet.

That would be the standard NHS advice. I was a bit dubious about high fat too, but after reading the success stories on this forum I adopted a more or less LCHF approach to eating and my blood sugar levels and weight have reduced. I won't know how my cholesterol levels have been affected until my next full blood test in September, but people on here say their cholesterol levels went up initially, but then reduced to healthy levels.
There are a lot of faddy diets out there, and the NHS would regard LCHF as one. But more doctors are coming round to thinking it is the way to go. Anyway have a read through the threads and decide for yourself. Ask any questions you want to, the people on here are friendly and supportive.

 

[Rosbif]

Hi, I have a long history of binge eating and can really sympathise. LCHF however has calmed my cravings. It's worth a try. My husband is off sick at the moment and yesterday he wanted a whole load of carby/sugary treats from the supermarket. I didn't get "twitchy" hands when handling them at all, lol. The 6-pack of Lion bars in the lounge would have been all I could think about in the old days, now I don't care. It's great!

 

[PatsyB]

Welcome and good luck with that

 

[shelleypops]

Mmm...I hate being diagnosed with diabetes as much as I hate the guilt after binge eating. My hate won't help either diabetes or binge eating so I'm going to try to transfer the hate and guilt into love of finding the right balance of diet for me and freedom from guilt from stuffing my body with badness. Self love care respect determination faith and comfort of gratitude.

 

[Marvel_champ]

What do you guys eat when you have low blood sugars in the night as I keep on regularly waking up and going down into the kitchen and have a bowl of cereal and go back bed 30 minutes later.

 

[zand]

What do you guys eat when you have low blood sugars in the night as I keep on regularly waking up and going down into the kitchen and have a bowl of cereal and go back bed 30 minutes later.

As a T2 not on medication I don't get low blood sugars in the night. I can't eat cereal as it pushes my BGs too high.

 

[ladybird64]

What do you guys eat when you have low blood sugars in the night as I keep on regularly waking up and going down into the kitchen and have a bowl of cereal and go back bed 30 minutes later.

How do you know your sugars are low, do you test with a meter?
If you are waking up hungry, it's likely you are eating too much of the wrong food, carbohydrate. It has the effect of filling you quickly but making you starving hungry a few hours later! Cereal is high carb and won't be helping. If you haven't got a meter, you really need to get one. Type 2's on diet alone or Metformin don't usually have low blood sugar episodes, hypo's, that necessitate extra food. Can you give us some idea of what you eat daily?

 

[Liam1955]

@Marvel_champ - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. Try a handful of nuts, or a boiled egg, or a lump of cheese.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

@Marvel_champ Are you saying that you are injecting insulin but don't test yourself? I find this very worrying.

 

[ladybird64]

@Marvel_champ Are you saying that you are injecting insulin but don't test yourself? I find this very worrying.

Totally missed that, wow. Good call AS, it is worrying.