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Type 1 And Coeliac I’m

V

Violet 3

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in 2002, I was advised to change my diet, which did’nt help. Prescribed metformin, then advised I should go on insulin this was a gradual process following diagnosis. My parents then informed me that both my great grandmothers had diabetes, so it’s hereditary.
In 2016 I was diagnosed with coeliac disease.
In November 2017 , I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes.
I’m a 65 year old female. I enjoy walking and swimming. I also care for my mother and look after my grandson aged three, one day per week.
My weight is going up, my waist and stomach are increasing in size which I don’t like at all. I’m currently 13 stone. 5lbs !!!
I’m now trying to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in my diet.
I would really appreciate any help , information and guidance.
Many thanks.
 
Hi @Violet 3 and welcome to the forum.

Firstly what regime are you on, so are you on multiple injections with basal and bolus insulin ?

My first step would be to contact your diabetic nurse and ask to see a dietician, it would help to review your daily food intake and see what changes could be made, already sounds like you are very active with swimming, walking and looking after your mother and grandson, so a bit of help with diet might be a good way forward.
 
Hi @Violet 3,
You really have been through some health wars !!
Insulin is a double-edged sword sometimes. Yes it helps keep bsls under control but if the dose is too high overall and you have to eat more to keep from getting hypos, weight gain is a consequence. I have been there !!
But also if your diet is too high in calories, then your insulin requirements increase to keep blood sugars down and your weight goes up.
In addition I think most gluten-free grains have a relativity high GI and GL. GI, glucose index is the amount of glucose appearing in the blood over time, the higher this value (out of 100) the more quickly blood sugar rises. The GL, glucose load is to do with the concentration or density of carbs in the meal. I use mendosa.com,( and the explanation above is his), which has guides on GI and GL values in various foods and food brands (UK, Canada etc).
What I wonder is whether your BSLs shoot up quickly after a meal and your particular short acting insulin cannot match that rise and thus the bsls are high and your dose of short-acting insulin goes up but still cannot match the blood sugar rise with its peak blood-sugar lowering effect. You reach a situation where you may go hypo 3 to 4 hours after a meal.
Perhaps you could discuss the insulin(s) you are taking with your doctor and nurse and see what can be done to better match up the blood sugar rises with insulin activity. Also there may be ways to delay the absorption of the sugar in your meals by say adding oil etc. The GI and GL apply to individual foods and you will see in the charts that say, full fat ice-cream has a lower GI than low fat ice cream even for the same number of grams of carbohydrate. The reason is that the extra fat in the full fat variety slows down the absorption of the sugar.
Of course, weight gain increases insulin requirements, a real catch-22, so please see if your nurse/doctor can help better sort your insulin/diet.
Best Wishes and hoping to hear of your progress!!
 
kitedoc said:
Hi @Violet 3,
You really have been through some health wars !!
Insulin is a double-edged sword sometimes. Yes it helps keep bsls under control but if the dose is too high overall and you have to eat more to keep from getting hypos, weight gain is a consequence. I have been there !!
But also if your diet is too high in calories, then your insulin requirements increase to keep blood sugars down and your weight goes up.
In addition I think most gluten-free grains have a relativity high GI and GL. GI, glucose index is the amount of glucose appearing in the blood over time, the higher this value (out of 100) the more quickly blood sugar rises. The GL, glucose load is to do with the concentration or density of carbs in the meal. I use mendosa.com,( and the explanation above is his), which has guides on GI and GL values in various foods and food brands (UK, Canada etc).
What I wonder is whether your BSLs shoot up quickly after a meal and your particular short acting insulin cannot match that rise and thus the bsls are high and your dose of short-acting insulin goes up but still cannot match the blood sugar rise with its peak blood-sugar lowering effect. You reach a situation where you may go hypo 3 to 4 hours after a meal.
Perhaps you could discuss the insulin(s) you are taking with your doctor and nurse and see what can be done to better match up the blood sugar rises with insulin activity. Also there may be ways to delay the absorption of the sugar in your meals by say adding oil etc. The GI and GL apply to individual foods and you will see in the charts that say, full fat ice-cream has a lower GI than low fat ice cream even for the same number of grams of carbohydrate. The reason is that the extra fat in the full fat variety slows down the absorption of the sugar.
Of course, weight gain increases insulin requirements, a real catch-22, so please see if your nurse/doctor can help better sort your insulin/diet.
Best Wishes and hoping to hear of your progress!!
Click to expand...
 
Hello to both of you who replied. Thank you so much.
I take Novo Rapid the dosage on what I’ve eaten. Detemir my dosage varies but usually 20 units morning, and between 10 to 12 at night.
I take 2 metformin in the morning, then another 2 with one Atorvastatin in the evening.

Thank you for passing on info about gluten free bread and it being high GI.
I’m not sure what Mendoza’s but I will look it up after posting this.
Any more help , info would be much appreciated.
Violet
 
Hi again @Violet 3,
I take Novorapid in an insulin pump. So whilst the pump covers my basal rate ( over 24 hours, which your twice daily Detemir covers) i have bolus shots of the Novorapid before meals.
If you google Novorapid profile pictures you will see graphs of Novorapid's blood sugar lowering action over time . The peak action may vary ( with 'test' subjects used by the manufacturer) between 1 ad 3 hours. The usual highest rise in blood sugar after a meal is often quoted as about the 1 1/2 to 2 hour mark. But that depends on things like how quickly or slowly our stomach empties food out into the small intestine after a meal, on the GI and GL of the food ingested and any fat also consumed. So, as discussed in my last post, an after meal sugar 'high' at say 1 1/2 hours will be only partly 'sorted' by a Novorapid peak action at say 2 1/2 or 3 hours. There are insulins which act faster than Novorapid and as per last post there are ways to delay/ shift the blood sugar high point to nearer the insulin peak action timing. So your doctor, dsn and dietician are your best allies. Also pls check this website for diets like low carb so that you can ask your dietician if this is an option for you.
Of course on a low carb diet insulin dose would need adjustment.
There is a medication sometimes prescribed to delay absorption of carbs til further down in the intestine but i have resd it is NOT to be prescribed for anyone with coeliac disease ( not sure why).
I hope the above helps you.
 
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