Went to 'Diabetes Education' today

[captainlynne]

Finally made it to the Diabetes Education session today. Started off with a Practice Nurse. She was saying we must eat carbs every meal and was discussing breakfast cereals when I pointed out that if I eat certain carbs my bg soars into double figures. Her response - I must have poorly controlled diabetes and need medication, which I disputed. At least she did mention (very briefly) new thinking on low GI, and carb counting for diabetics. When she was talking about HbA1C she asked if we know ours. Told her mine was 6.7 - hardly poorly controlled! One man said that he had to pay for all his testing equipment. When I agreed, I was told that as diet controlled there was absolutely no need to test as it served no useful purpose.

Then a nice man talking about exercise. Some useful information.

Then the dietician. Carbohydrates again. Suggested if I had problems to speak to my Practice Nurse - who had told me to ask this Dietician!

The best bit! When the Dietician said that fish was a high-fibre food. Yes, you read that right. Fish is a high fibre food!

At least they didn't give us biscuits!

Don't think I'll be back for round 2, though.

Lynne

 

[Dobbs]

This is depressing and really quite awful. These people are giving terrible advice.

 

[Synonym]

I hope you promoted this forum. We obviously need to tell as many people as possible about the help available on here if this is the standard of advice which is being given. :shock:

 

[Ardbeg]

At least they didn't give us biscuits!

I've started eating 3 or 4 digestive biscuits a day, every day this week and so far it isn't affecting my BG. In fact, my BG is still dropping steadily and I'm now at the 7 target my DN set me on diet only. Thing is, I'm still eating fairly normally. For example, just spent 3 nights in a Premier INN and had the full english breakfast every moring - sausage, bacon, two poached eggs, mushroon and tomato but NO baked beans. Brown bread sandwiches for lunch and rump steak and salad for dinner and my BG was/is fine.

NO ALCOHOL - (blimey it was hard drinking fizzy water when everyone else at the bar with me was drinking pints).

Regular testing is proving to be fairly pain free and not much hassle. I aim to do 3 or 4 tests every other day, but as I was eating hotel food this week I tested daily.

I must admit I'm pleasantly surprised my BG is dropping so easily.

Finally, at the course I attended there was two other attendees with T2. Neither of them ever tested themselves and relied soley on db/GP appointments only. Personally I'm glad I started testing myself as I feel more in control of my own destiny.

Never fancied attending one of these diabetes education sessions though, I pictured it to be depressing with everyone moping around feeling sorry for themselves. Of course, I could be totally wrong and most probably am.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Well I had an appointment this morning with a dietician at my hospital diabetic clinic and It couldn't have gone better. I thought she was very switched on, she never mentioned eating loads of starchy carbs but she did suggest a couple of books on GI diets.

She congratulated me on my diet and bg level control and the only suggestion she made was that I may like to consider eating more pulses as they were pretty much all low GI (with the exeption of broad beans, I think she said).

She had no problem with the fact that I eat 1/2 grapefruit for breakfast rather than cereal, "as long as your not getting hungry mid morning then thats fine" she said

I found it a very worth while experience and she has booked me on a longer group session where the principles of the GI diet are talked about in more depth.

Well done the NHS

 

[noblehead]

Well done there SId!

Nurse right on the pulses. I use a gi diet too with a reduction in carbs, and I have seen a big difference in bg's of late.

Nigel

 

[Sid Bonkers]

I use a gi diet too with a reduction in carbs,

Thats pretty much what I've been doing too

 

[catherinecherub]

Well done Sid.
Try the pulses. Although the beans and lentils have a higher carb content, they are low G.I. and they don't raise my blood sugars. They digest slowly and have a high fibre content. Portion control is the answer with them and treat them as you would low G.I. complex carbs. I often eat them in place of rice, potatoes and bread.
Bean salad is nice, put them in casseroles and soups instead of potatoes. I often have chicken or fish with beans and loads of veggies. The dried ones are much cheaper than the tinned variety and can be soaked overnight. She was right about the broad beans as they have a high G.I. value.