Need some help.

[paddytc]

Another sleepless night, only 2 hours the night before, it's really getting me down and having clinical depression doesn't help, anyway 'cause I can't sleep I switched the PC on and was wandering around the site when I came across this thread and read it from start to finish and to be honest I've realised just how very much I don't know about diabetes, sheer ignorance would be a better term, a lot of what I've read has literally gone straight over my head!' Words like BASAL and BOLUS, if anybody asked me what they meant I would have said they were new swear words, See what I mean about ignorance! Considering I've been diabetic for near enough 9 years it's tragic.

I've had 3 diabetes practice nurses/sisters over this period of time, (9years), the first one was brill' but I only saw her the once and then she retired, the next sister I saw who became DPN also became senior practise sister and only had a weeks diabetic training before being let loose on us unsuspecting patients, not only was she the DPN, she was also the sister for dealing with womens gynecological problems, and the asthma nurse, as well as over seeing the rest of the nursing staff, I would have thought she probably had other duties as well, I've heard of multi-tasking but that seems a bit much to me, and now she's left and we've got another DPN and when going for the annual check it's a case checking the tootsies, blood pressure and the urine sample that you provided that morning, asking if the cholesterol is OK , what meds am I on and checking the blood test that I'd had done the previous week and that's it really.

It's 6:15 AM and I've just checked my blood glucose and it's 13.8 ,(sigh), at least I'll be seeing the specialist on the 22nd, and as I said in my introduction I know what the outcome will be, he told me the last I saw him that I'd have to go on insulin, (another sigh), talking of insulin what is 'insumin'?

I must also book for my eye check up, I keep forgetting, and I'm 2 months overdate, they told me last year I've got the start of retinopathy and I think it may be worse as I keep seeing this bright mauve patch in my right eye.

In 3 or 4 visits to the site I've got a greater understanding of type 2 diabetes and I have still got a lot to learn, I didn't know it existed ! The site that is!

I'm actually starting to feel tired and I'm making some right silly typo's so I'm off up the wooden hill very shortly. I'm really grateful to one and all on the site for broadening my horizons, I just wish I'd found it years ago.

ATB Pat

 

[Brunneria]

@paddytc

Hi and welcome!

So glad you found us.
Finding this site was the best thing I have ever done, and I'm living with my diabetes really comfortably now - which is a stunning development.
The people on here are great. Helpful, kind, and willing to answer any question.
You will find a variety of people all willing to talk about their experiences and what works for them. And since we're all slightly different, then slightly different things work.

We have people who manage largely by strict carb control, others who reduce weight and go low calorie to try to reverse their diabetes (works best if you're recently diagnosed, I think) and others who manage on a combination of diet and medication.

Stick around - you will find something that works for you.


(And basal and bolus are different insulin doses, one slow acting, the other fast acting )

 

[noblehead]

Hi and welcome to the forum paddytc, hopefully @daisy will be along shortly with her advice for new members to the forum.

As for not understanding the terminology and abbreviations used in diabetes, it is difficult to take in but over time you do get used to seeing and hearing about them and they do eventually start to sink in, but hope the following is useful to get you going:

• Amylin (Islet Amyloid Polypeptide) - Slows the rate at which digested carbohydrate appears as glucose in the blood and thus reduces total insulin demand
• Basal - referred to as the slow acting insulin used to cover your bodies own glucose stores
• Beta cells - Pancreatic cells responsible for the production of insulin, amylin and C-peptide
• BG - blood glucose (this is the measurement of glucose circulating in the blood)
• Biphasic insulin - An insulin mixture containing both fast acting and slow acting insulin, usually injected twice daily
• Bolus - referred to as the fast acting insulin used to cover food, typically carbohydrates, some cover for protein as well.
• BP - Blood Pressure
• Brittle diabetes (labile diabetes) - Most often seen in type 1
  
• BS - blood sugar (as above)
• CHO - Carbohydrate (Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen)
• C-peptide - A by-product of normal insulin production
• CTS - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• CVD - Cardiovascular Disease
• Double diabetes - Comprises symptoms of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• DSN - Diabetic Specialist Nurse
• ED- Erectile Disorder
• FS - Frozen Shoulder
• Fulminant type 1 - An idiopathic subtype which has a very rapid onset and no honeymoon period
• G.I - Glycemic index. A G.I value tells you how rapidly a particular carbohydrate is turned
• G.L - Glycemic load. A G.L value takes into account not only G.I, but also the total quantity
• GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase) - Antibodies test
• GDM - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
• Glucagon - A hormone produced in the alpha cells of the pancreas
• Glycogen - The storage form of glucose in animals and humans
• Glycogenesis - Glucose storage, mainly in the liver and muscles
• Glycogenolysis - The breaking down of glycogen stores in liver and muscle tissue
• GNG (Gluconeogenesis) - The generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates
• HBA1C - HbA1c is the scientific shorthand for Glycosylated Haemoglobin
• HCP/HP - Health care professional
• HDL - High Density Lipoprotein (the "good" cholesterol)
• Honeymoon period - The period of time after a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes when there is better than expected blood glucose control
• Hypo - hypoglycaemia (this means blood sugar level is too low)
• Insulin - A hormone which causes most of the body's cells to take up glucose from the blood
• Insulin analogues - Genetically altered versions of insulin
• Insulin antibodies - An immune response to exogenous(injected) insulin
• Insulin resistance - Normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin level.
• Ketoacidosis - A severe accumulation of keto acids in the blood, resulting in acidosis
• Ketones - Ketone bodies are acids left over as a byproduct of ketosis
• Ketosis - A process in which your body converts fats into energy
• Lantus - Long-acting insulin analogue used as a basal(background) insulin. Normally injected
• LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein (the "bad" cholesterol)
  
• Levemir - Long-acting insulin analogue used as a basal(background) insulin.
• LHB (Local Health Board) Welsh equivalent of a PCT (Primary Care Trust)
• Liver dump - The common term given to glucose production from the liver
• Low-carb diet - A proportional reduction of dietary carbohydrate
• MDI - Multiple Daily Injections - an insulin regimen adopted by the majority of type 1 diabetics
• MODY - Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young refers to a number of dominantly inherited, monogenic defects of insulin secretion. There are currently eight different varieties of MODY
• Nephropathy - Damage to or disease of the kidneys
• NICE - National Institute for Clinical Health and Excellence
• NSF - National Strategic Framework
• PCT - Primary Care Trust
• Peripheral neuropathy - Damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system
• PP - post prandial (this means a period of time after eating, usually recorded as 2 hours but often 1)
• Pump - Insulin Pump, used as an alternative insulin delivery method to MDI. The pump is connected to you 24/7 and pumps tiny doses of insulin thorought the day, with the ability to give extra doses at meals times and with snacks.
• Retinopathy - Non-inflammatory damage to the retina of the eye
• SHA - Strategic Health Authority
• Somogyi effect (rebound hyperglycemia) - A high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
• TG or Trigs Triglycerides - the main component part of VLDL and a significant cause of strokes and heart attacks
• Type 1 (autoimmune) - The most common form of type 1 diabetes
• Type 1 (idiopathic) - All forms of type 1 which occur without a known cause
• Type 1 (surgical) - Diabetes caused by partial or complete removal of the pancreas
• Type 1.5 - Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), also known as slow onset type 1
• Type 2 - Diabetes mellitus type 2 is most often attributed to insulin resistance and relative
• VLDL - Very Low Density Lipoprotein (the "very bad" cholesterol)
• Young-onset type 2 - Anyone diagnosed with type 2 under the age of 45 is considered young

 

[Robinredbreast]

Hello and welcome to the forum I hope you start to feel a little better soon.

Take care RRB

 

[Lamont D]

Hi and welcome to the forum paddytc, hopefully @daisy will be along shortly with her advice for new members to the forum.

As for not understanding the terminology and abbreviations used in diabetes, it is difficult to take in but over time you do get used to seeing and hearing about them and they do eventually start to sink in, but hope the following is useful to get you going:

• Amylin (Islet Amyloid Polypeptide) - Slows the rate at which digested carbohydrate appears as glucose in the blood and thus reduces total insulin demand
• Basal - referred to as the slow acting insulin used to cover your bodies own glucose stores
• Beta cells - Pancreatic cells responsible for the production of insulin, amylin and C-peptide
• BG - blood glucose (this is the measurement of glucose circulating in the blood)
• Biphasic insulin - An insulin mixture containing both fast acting and slow acting insulin, usually injected twice daily
• Bolus - referred to as the fast acting insulin used to cover food, typically carbohydrates, some cover for protein as well.
• BP - Blood Pressure
• Brittle diabetes (labile diabetes) - Most often seen in type 1
  
• BS - blood sugar (as above)
• CHO - Carbohydrate (Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen)
• C-peptide - A by-product of normal insulin production
• CTS - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• CVD - Cardiovascular Disease
• Double diabetes - Comprises symptoms of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes
• DSN - Diabetic Specialist Nurse
• ED- Erectile Disorder
• FS - Frozen Shoulder
• Fulminant type 1 - An idiopathic subtype which has a very rapid onset and no honeymoon period
• G.I - Glycemic index. A G.I value tells you how rapidly a particular carbohydrate is turned
• G.L - Glycemic load. A G.L value takes into account not only G.I, but also the total quantity
• GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase) - Antibodies test
• GDM - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
• Glucagon - A hormone produced in the alpha cells of the pancreas
• Glycogen - The storage form of glucose in animals and humans
• Glycogenesis - Glucose storage, mainly in the liver and muscles
• Glycogenolysis - The breaking down of glycogen stores in liver and muscle tissue
• GNG (Gluconeogenesis) - The generation of glucose from non-carbohydrate carbon substrates
• HBA1C - HbA1c is the scientific shorthand for Glycosylated Haemoglobin
• HCP/HP - Health care professional
• HDL - High Density Lipoprotein (the "good" cholesterol)
• Honeymoon period - The period of time after a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes when there is better than expected blood glucose control
• Hypo - hypoglycaemia (this means blood sugar level is too low)
• Insulin - A hormone which causes most of the body's cells to take up glucose from the blood
• Insulin analogues - Genetically altered versions of insulin
• Insulin antibodies - An immune response to exogenous(injected) insulin
• Insulin resistance - Normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin level.
• Ketoacidosis - A severe accumulation of keto acids in the blood, resulting in acidosis
• Ketones - Ketone bodies are acids left over as a byproduct of ketosis
• Ketosis - A process in which your body converts fats into energy
• Lantus - Long-acting insulin analogue used as a basal(background) insulin. Normally injected
• LDL - Low Density Lipoprotein (the "bad" cholesterol)
  
• Levemir - Long-acting insulin analogue used as a basal(background) insulin.
• LHB (Local Health Board) Welsh equivalent of a PCT (Primary Care Trust)
• Liver dump - The common term given to glucose production from the liver
• Low-carb diet - A proportional reduction of dietary carbohydrate
• MDI - Multiple Daily Injections - an insulin regimen adopted by the majority of type 1 diabetics
• MODY - Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young refers to a number of dominantly inherited, monogenic defects of insulin secretion. There are currently eight different varieties of MODY
• Nephropathy - Damage to or disease of the kidneys
• NICE - National Institute for Clinical Health and Excellence
• NSF - National Strategic Framework
• PCT - Primary Care Trust
• Peripheral neuropathy - Damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system
• PP - post prandial (this means a period of time after eating, usually recorded as 2 hours but often 1)
• Pump - Insulin Pump, used as an alternative insulin delivery method to MDI. The pump is connected to you 24/7 and pumps tiny doses of insulin thorought the day, with the ability to give extra doses at meals times and with snacks.
• Retinopathy - Non-inflammatory damage to the retina of the eye
• SHA - Strategic Health Authority
• Somogyi effect (rebound hyperglycemia) - A high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
• TG or Trigs Triglycerides - the main component part of VLDL and a significant cause of strokes and heart attacks
• Type 1 (autoimmune) - The most common form of type 1 diabetes
• Type 1 (idiopathic) - All forms of type 1 which occur without a known cause
• Type 1 (surgical) - Diabetes caused by partial or complete removal of the pancreas
• Type 1.5 - Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA), also known as slow onset type 1
• Type 2 - Diabetes mellitus type 2 is most often attributed to insulin resistance and relative
• VLDL - Very Low Density Lipoprotein (the "very bad" cholesterol)
• Young-onset type 2 - Anyone diagnosed with type 2 under the age of 45 is considered young

You missed RH for reactive hypoglycaemia.

I hate being left out!

 

[noblehead]

You missed RH for reactive hypoglycaemia.

I hate being left out!

I'm sure there's many more, it's not a comprehensive list by any means, it's taken from the main site of Diabetes.co.uk

 

[Lamont D]

It's a good list mate, the easier it is to understand the language of diabetes, the better newbies can get a handle on it!
Like what your doing!

 

[lizdeluz]

Welcome to the forum! It took me far too long to find this great forum too.
Still, what's past is past. The important bit is from now on.
Sometimes, the amount of stuff you need to learn as a diabetic seems completely over the top, but on the other hand, when you do start to learn and understand diabetes, it does get much more interesting.
Plus, I got so fed up looking at my rubbish blood sugar readings that I was glad to start getting better readings as time went on.
Anything you need to know, someone on here will be able to help!

 

[daisy1]

@paddytc @noblehead

Hello Paddy and welcome to the forum

Here is the information for new members which Noblehead mentioned. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help, as you have seen above.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 130,000 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

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.