Hello - a major question please

[sidneyworm]

Hi, just registered on the forum. My husband is a type 2 diabetic. He was initially diagnosed with a sugar level of 10. It has been 6 or 7 since his medication/diet etc. It recently started rising slightly and in the last 6 months he has lost a further stone in weight (now lost 3 stone in total since diagnosis and he is not an overweight person). His diet is monitored by myself and I know exactly what is in his meals. However, his sugar has now risen again and we are very frustrated as to what else we can possibly do to reduce the sugar. He is very active at work (his pedometer shows an average of 17,000 steps per working day). He undertakes heavy building/DIY work at most weekends so we are at a loss as to why his sugar is on the increase - any ideas please?

 

[Enclave]

Is he comming down with a cold ? Has his food changed ... Is it a new pot of test strips ?
Could we have an exzample of his food and readings ?

 

[sidneyworm]

Is he comming down with a cold ? Has his food changed ... Is it a new pot of test strips ?

No, he is fit and well, I haven't changed his food at all. We don't have test strips for diabetes 2 in England - he is only tested every 6 months by a Nurse at the hospital. They don't like you to test your own sugar at home unless its really high. His weight loss is doing great but he is very disappointed that his blood sugar has risen slightly despite all his efforts!

 

[pavlosn]

What is his diet like? In particular, is he careful with carbs ( bread, cereal, rice, pasta) or does he follow the NHS advice of a low fat high carb diet and just trying to limit sugar intake?

To a diabetic there is no real difference between carbs and other sugars.

Finally it may be worth testing that he really is t2 and not t1.

Pavlos

 

[Susiespearish]

No, he is fit and well, I haven't changed his food at all. We don't have test strips for diabetes 2 in England - he is only tested every 6 months by a Nurse at the hospital. They don't like you to test your own sugar at home unless its really high. His weight loss is doing great but he is very disappointed that his blood sugar has risen slightly despite all his efforts!

I'd be asking for a home monitor .They most certainly will issue you one in the UK Type 2 or not ..You just have to be a bit demanding and state how are you supposed to get on top of his sugars with no monitor especially since it is rising .Inform them you want to see if any particular food is spiking his BG .It gives a much clearer picture on a day to day basis .

 

[sidneyworm]

What is his diet like? In particular, is he careful with carbs ( bread, cereal, rice, pasta) or does he follow the NHS advice of a low fat high carb diet and just trying to limit sugar intake?

To a diabetic there is no real difference between carbs and other sugars.

Finally it may be worth testing that he really is t2 and not t1.

Pavlos

Hi isn't T1 as he has only just been to the hospital for his blood and sugar results etc. He eats virtually no sugar and has cut down drastically on his carbs, he doesn't eat cereal or pasta, we do have rice (Basmatic as we don't like brown) and he has 2 slices of wholemeal bread most days and a few potatoes with his evening meal (in one form or the other) other than that is salad, veg, meat etc with a small amount of obligatory Yorkshire Pudding with his Sunday lunch. His last blood tests (6 months ago in May) showed he was 7.1 this result says 7.4 so its worrying that its creaping up for no apparent reason. Does smoking have any effect on sugar levels?

 

[Enclave]

Most here that are T2 are told not to test and eat carbs... We don't follow that advice as how can you possibly know what foods are causing your sugar to rise without testing. The don't test advice is due to the NHS not wanting to pay for meters and strips. So we purchase our own meters and strips.
Also if your following NHS advice on eating carbs, then his sugars will rise .. Carbs turn to sugar ..

 

[sidneyworm]

I'd be asking for a home monitor .They most certainly will issue you one in the UK Type 2 or not ..You just have to be a bit demanding and state how are you supposed to get on top of his sugars with no monitor especially since it is rising .Inform them you want to see if any particular food is spiking his BG .It gives a much clearer picture on a day to day basis .

We have asked for a monitor (my elderly mother has one and she is T2) but they told him he has to buy his own and buy his own strips, and as someone says in another post - they're expensive. Also they have clearly said that they don't want him testing his own sugar. Goodness knows why.

 

[Susiespearish]

We have asked for a monitor (my elderly mother has one and she is T2) but they told him he has to buy his own and buy his own strips, and as someone says in another post - they're expensive. Also they have clearly said that they don't want him testing his own sugar. Goodness knows why.

Thats ridiculous !! Especially since his BG is rising and the meds don't seem to be working anymore .I'd go back to your GP and be demanding .Mine gave me a monitor straight away once I told him I wanted to manage my own condition and I get 50 strips a month .

 

[Enclave]

Hi isn't T1 as he has only just been to the hospital for his blood and sugar results etc. He eats virtually no sugar and has cut down drastically on his carbs, he doesn't eat cereal or pasta, we do have rice (Basmatic as we don't like brown) and he has 2 slices of wholemeal bread most days and a few potatoes with his evening meal (in one form or the other) other than that is salad, veg, meat etc with a small amount of obligatory Yorkshire Pudding with his Sunday lunch. His last blood tests (6 months ago in May) showed he was 7.1 this result says 7.4 so its worrying that its creaping up for no apparent reason. Does smoking have any effect on sugar levels?

I could not keep my sugars down eating this .. Rice, potatoes and Ypuds will have me sky high .. I can eat one small slice Granery bread .. I Dr will not give out meters for any T2 .. Get your own Codefree meter on line and be independant..

 

[pavlosn]

I do not know if smoking actually affects sugar levels but it is considered a very bad idea for diabetics to smoke as it compounds their already increased risk of suffering cardiovascular disease.

All I can suggest is that he may need to reduce his carb intake further, probably substituting fats for the missing calories in order to not lose further weight.

The 2 mmol rule of thumb I.e ensuring that glucose levels 2 hours after a meal are within 2 mmol of the level immediately before a meal, is a good way of checking if a meal contains too many carbs.

He may have been to the hospital recently but that does not mean that they would have tested him for t1.

 

[sidneyworm]

Thats ridiculous !! Especially since his BG is rising and the meds don't seem to be working anymore .I'd go back to your GP and be demanding .Mine gave me a monitor straight away once I told him I wanted to manage my own condition and I get 50 strips a month .

You luckily have a "helpful" GP, at our surgery you can't see a GP for your blood results and treatment you are only booked in with the practice nurse - its a complete joke!

 

[mona1966]

What about the level of stress at work, is it getting higher? given that his pedometer shows 17,000 steps that tell something. Also, what about his oral health any gingivitis recently?

 

[Enclave]

Thats ridiculous !! Especially since his BG is rising and the meds don't seem to be working anymore .I'd go back to your GP and be demanding .Mine gave me a monitor straight away once I told him I wanted to manage my own condition and I get 50 strips a month .

I think you are very luckie .. Not all Drs will do this regardless what right or required by NHS guidelines

 

[Susiespearish]

I think you are very luckie .. Not all Drs will do this regardless what right or required by NHS guidelines

I was meaning the fact that they don't want him testing his own sugar Enclave .I know they are hard to get testers and strips out of and I'm lucky but then if hadn't I wouldn't know how very high my BG goes and now they rely on my readings and ketostix results.My HbA1c took a long time to match my daily readings giving a totally false picture .Thank goodness my machine has a memory .

 

[jack412]

if he is losing weight, have you replaced the lost energy from carbs with healthy fats? if he is getting his calories and losing weight without trying, I would ask for a T1 blood test

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf it’s a long page and a video

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm

http://www.lowcarbdietitian.com/blog/carbohydrate-restriction-an-option-for-diabetes-management

blood testing
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

food counting
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

American diabetic association ( http://www.professional.diabetes.org/)
http://www.professional.diabetes.org/admin/UserFiles/0 - Sean/dc132042 FINAL.pdf
Evidence is inconclusive for an ideal amount of total fat intake for people with diabetes;
therefore, goals should be individualized; fat quality appears to be far more important than quantity.
In people with type 2 diabetes, a Mediterranean-style, MUFA-rich eating pattern may benefit
glycemic control and CVD risk factors and can therefore be recommended as an effective alternative to a lower-fat, higher-carbohydrate eating pattern.



SD codefree meter
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
if you buy extra boxes of strips there is a discount code
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

 

[Susiespearish]

You luckily have a "helpful" GP, at our surgery you can't see a GP for your blood results and treatment you are only booked in with the practice nurse - its a complete joke!

It was the practice nurse i badgered in to one but yes it's very unfair.I couldn't afford to fund my own .That does seem a lot of carbs in one day .Mine would be through the roof if I ate two slices of full carb bread and I was amazed at how high even a small bowl of rice shot me .It can't hurt to try cutting back on those maybe ?

 

[Bluetit1802]

The SD Codefree meter and strips are not expensive. Many of us on here use them. Have a look http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

If you buy the strips in bulk and use the promotion code they are just over £5 for 50.

Your own meter is the best tool you can have. It will show you where you are going wrong with his diet (too much bread and potatoes, and Yorkshire puds are very high in carbs) Ignore the "please don't test" rubbish ..... and it is rubbish. You need to find out which foods are making his levels rise before they get out of hand.

 

[Daibell]

First, do get hold of a monitor. As your husband is not overweight and has been losing weight with low-carb diet I would suspect that he may have Late onset T1 (LADA) and not T2. Quite a few of us have gone down this route with the GP not recognising that he/she is looking at a slim person at diagnosis who has suddenly started losing weight. I would ask the GP for the two tests for LADA i.e. GAD for anti-bodies and c-peptide for measuring insulin level. I may be wrong of course but quite a few GPs don't realise that T1 can come on at any age and at any rate. Do continue to monitor. If LADA then extra tablets would be needed initially to stimulate the pancreas. Do come back with more questions if the sugars still keep rising. Don't panic though as it's all manageable with the right diet and medication.

 

[sidneyworm]

What about the level of stress at work, is it getting higher? given that his pedometer shows 17,000 steps that tell something. Also, what about his oral health any gingivitis recently?

Stress at work is extremely high so could be playing part.