New to forum but not new to T2

[Spen44]

Hi, I'm Barbara, age 71, T2 diagnosed 3 yrs ago and struggling a bit - please help.

7 yrs ago I was diagnosed with temporal arteritis (inflammation of head arteries), was prescribed high dose of steroids, gradually reducing those but still taking a small dose. I gained 2.5 stones, developed high blood pressure and eventually diabetes, which I was told was probably because of the steroids. A random urine test picked this up, then my HbA1c test was 10.5. I regularly see the diabetic nurse at my surgery, who put me straight onto 500g Metformin twice a day, and advised me to eat a healthy balanced diet and try to exercise, difficult as I have arthritis but do the best I can. After some months blood test down to 5, but the last one was 8 and I have had to double the dose of Metformin, which I'm not happy about. I have lost the 2.5 stone so was puzzled as to why my HbA1c had gone up so much. I have asked about LCHF diet and about self-testing but as you'd expect, the nurse said it was against NHS guidelines. I have diverticular disease which means a high fibre diet, also high cholesterol - low fat diet, and T2 - balanced diet. If I try the LCHF diet does anyone know how this will affect these other things? Still a bit worried about going against nurse's advice, but as I don't seem to have hypos etc how do I know what is sending my level up?

 

[Liam1955]

@Spen44 - Hello Barbara and Welcome to the Forum. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive.
You need to invest in a Blood Glucose Meter and test your sugars against the food you eat. This will allow you to see which foods are raising your blood sugars. The SD Codefree Meter is popular with forum members as the test strips are the cheapest to buy (especially if you buy in bulk). Also state you are Diabetic for vat exemption and for the UK it is mmol/l.
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring
5 packs = 264086. 10 packs. = 975833. (These are discount codes for bulk buys)

 

[Spen44]

Hello Liam1955, thanks very much for the welcome will go have a look at the link you gave

 

[Freema]

Hello Liam1955, thanks very much for the welcome will go have a look at the link you gave

hey and Welcome Spen ...
your questions are very complicated with more kinds of disease....
hopefully some person in here that are really good at lchf-diet can help you some..

if you need to get lots of fibres... there is the possiblillity to mix Ispaghula husk into your foods... but some time apart from your medicine as it can prevent some kinds of medicine from being taken up in the body...
like this : http://patient.info/medicine/ispaghula-husk-for-constipation-fybogel-ispagel
my mother mix it in yoghurt and fullfat yoghurt can be part of lchf-diet..

the best way to get a response to what might send your sugars up is to tell here what you typically eat ...

 

[Pinkorchid]

When you have other health problems we are not able to know here how the LCHF would affect them it is not suitable for everyone so best to speak to your doctor first

 

[daisy1]

@Spen44

Hello Barbara and welcome to the forum Here, as mentioned above, is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to 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 well over 210,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.

 

[Spen44]

When you have other health problems we are not able to know here how the LCHF would affect them it is not suitable for everyone so best to speak to your doctor first

 

[Spen44]

Thanks for your interest Pinkorchid - I have already asked my diabetes nurse about LCHF diet and all I get is 'eat a healthy balanced diet' ......

 

[Spen44]

hey and Welcome Spen ...
your questions are very complicated with more kinds of disease....
hopefully some person in here that are really good at lchf-diet can help you some..

if you need to get lots of fibres... there is the possiblillity to mix Ispaghula husk into your foods... but some time apart from your medicine as it can prevent some kinds of medicine from being taken up in the body...
like this : http://patient.info/medicine/ispaghula-husk-for-constipation-fybogel-ispagel
my mother mix it in yoghurt and fullfat yoghurt can be part of lchf-diet..

the best way to get a response to what might send your sugars up is to tell here what you typically eat ...

 

[Spen44]

Thank you for the welcome, Freema. Yes it's difficult for me with several medical problems, which is why I am hoping someone may know if LCHF will be ok for me, sadly no help with that from my diabetes nurse. Thanks very much also for the fibre advice, I do take ispaghula husk - but not all the time, only occasionally, when I have problems.

 

[Spen44]

Hello daisy1, thank you so much for your welcome and for the very useful information. Before I rather nervously dipped my toe into posting in this forum, I had already read so much information on the site - just hoped that because of my other medical problems I might find the answers not available through my GP surgery. I have taken Liam1955's advice and ordered a meter to test myself, can't do any harm can it, and should give me an idea of why things have been going wrong lately? I will also have a think about the Low Carb Program. Thanks again
Barbara

 

[75Bedford]

Hi Spen. I have diverticular disease and also IBS and have been following a LCHF diet for the past 6 months without too many problems. I have had an occasional flare up but nothing to speak of. I eat plenty of vegetables, sprinkle ground flax seeds on my breakfast of home made (low carb) mueseli or granola with full fat greek yogurt and a few raspberries which seems to keep my gut happy. I don't know how the diet would affect the temporal arteritis which coincidently my husband (who is a type 1 Diabetic pump user) was diagnosed with a month ago. He doesn't follow a LCHF diet though as he's happy to manage his diabetes differently. The only advice he has had so far regarding his diabetes whilst on steroids is to monitor frequently and adjust his insulin dosage accordingly. Good luck with everything.

 

[Spen44]

Hi Spen. I have diverticular disease and also IBS and have been following a LCHF diet for the past 6 months without too many problems. I have had an occasional flare up but nothing to speak of. I eat plenty of vegetables, sprinkle ground flax seeds on my breakfast of home made (low carb) mueseli or granola with full fat greek yogurt and a few raspberries which seems to keep my gut happy. I don't know how the diet would affect the temporal arteritis which coincidently my husband (who is a type 1 Diabetic pump user) was diagnosed with a month ago. He doesn't follow a LCHF diet though as he's happy to manage his diabetes differently. The only advice he has had so far regarding his diabetes whilst on steroids is to monitor frequently and adjust his insulin dosage accordingly. Good luck with everything.

Hi 75Bedford, thanks so much for your reply, it's good to know that the LCHF diet has been working for you, really helpful, I'm almost convinced to give it a try now! Good luck to your husband too, TA's a nasty condition, hope the steroids are helping him
Barbara

 

[75Bedford]

Hi 75Bedford, thanks so much for your reply, it's good to know that the LCHF diet has been working for you, really helpful, I'm almost convinced to give it a try now! Good luck to your husband too, TA's a nasty condition, hope the steroids are helping him
Barbara [/QUOTE
Thank you Barbara, all you can do is try it and see how you go, glad to have helped. Steroids are helping hubby a bit but it's early days yet with a way to go from what I can understand but onwards and upwards as they say

 

[4ratbags]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, hopefully LCHF will be a good alternative for you and with any luck it wont cause any issues.

 

[Energize]

Hi Spen44
Welcome to the forum and, of course, (I think) you've come to the right place Brilliant move in getting yourself a Glucose Monitor. It will mean you can be in so much more control. Yes, I was told, by the Diabetes Nurse at the surgery, that Type 2s don't need to test and not to cut back on starchy foods etc! This just didn't make any sense to me so felt that Type 2s, on Metformin only especially, weren't worth bothering with as that's the message that they seemed to send out. This isn't the right attitude, in my opinion, so yes, there are times when we need to go against NHS advice - for our own good, and survival.

I'm doing Low Carb Higher (Healthy) Fats now and will be due an HbA1c in November probably which will be interesting to see how the A1c is doing and also how my Cholestrol might have changed. Obvioiusly, I hope it will change for the better. If not, I am assuming I may need to reduce the fat I have. I have double cream in coffee and on fruit, or mixed with a small amount of fruit yoghurt (Muller Lite - 7.8 carb/100mgs). The cream helps slow down the processing of the food and therefore helps keep from spiking and keeps me feeling satiated for a lot longer. So, if my cholestrol has distrastrously increased, I may have to restrict the cream, butter and olive oil (on salads). How that will affect me, I don't know, but I suspect I won't enjoy my food the same but I'll just have to get on with it, eh? I've also lost a substantial amout of weight in the last year, although still more to go. I've never been able to lose weight before in spite of going to Weight Watchers and Slimming World so there is definitely something in LCHF that makes it much easier for me

So, what I'm trying (badly) to suggest is that maybe you can start with cutting bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, plus sweets, cakes etc, gradually and take the addition of fats more slowly? Only you will know how it's affecting you.

Wishing you the best of luck and looking forward to following your progress

 

[Concordjan]

Hello Spen
Welcome to the forum - you're in the right place. I also have diverticular and on Statins for high cholesterol. Have been low carbing for a while now , I eat plenty of veg and salads and don't seem to have a problem. My DN and doctors weren't very supportive so had to go it alone. Following last blood tests, The DN nurse actually suggested I reduce my statins and complemented me on diet regime. Best of luck, Jan.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome !

You've been given some great advice, and I agree. Take it gently, ease into it, and cut out the main suspects like bread rice potato, pasta, etc. Add in more lovely veg, and see how it goes. If you are hungry, add mayo to salads, butter to veg, and coconut cream to curries, because fat fills you up even better than carbs do.

It is actually really easy to eat high fibre low carb. All the veg and salad, deserts made with chia seeds, breakfast low carb meusli, Lidl high protein rolls (replacing bread). Psyllium husks and linseeds...

Have a good browse around in the low carb section and you will find some stunning recipes.

 

[Spen44]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, hopefully LCHF will be a good alternative for you and with any luck it wont cause any issues.

Thank you for your welcome 4ratbags - here's hoping

 

[Spen44]

Hi Spen44
Welcome to the forum and, of course, (I think) you've come to the right place Brilliant move in getting yourself a Glucose Monitor. It will mean you can be in so much more control. Yes, I was told, by the Diabetes Nurse at the surgery, that Type 2s don't need to test and not to cut back on starchy foods etc! This just didn't make any sense to me so felt that Type 2s, on Metformin only especially, weren't worth bothering with as that's the message that they seemed to send out. This isn't the right attitude, in my opinion, so yes, there are times when we need to go against NHS advice - for our own good, and survival.

I'm doing Low Carb Higher (Healthy) Fats now and will be due an HbA1c in November probably which will be interesting to see how the A1c is doing and also how my Cholestrol might have changed. Obvioiusly, I hope it will change for the better. If not, I am assuming I may need to reduce the fat I have. I have double cream in coffee and on fruit, or mixed with a small amount of fruit yoghurt (Muller Lite - 7.8 carb/100mgs). The cream helps slow down the processing of the food and therefore helps keep from spiking and keeps me feeling satiated for a lot longer. So, if my cholestrol has distrastrously increased, I may have to restrict the cream, butter and olive oil (on salads). How that will affect me, I don't know, but I suspect I won't enjoy my food the same but I'll just have to get on with it, eh? I've also lost a substantial amout of weight in the last year, although still more to go. I've never been able to lose weight before in spite of going to Weight Watchers and Slimming World so there is definitely something in LCHF that makes it much easier for me

So, what I'm trying (badly) to suggest is that maybe you can start with cutting bread, potatoes, rice and pasta, plus sweets, cakes etc, gradually and take the addition of fats more slowly? Only you will know how it's affecting you.

Wishing you the best of luck and looking forward to following your progress

Thanks so much Energize, can't believe how much support and help I've been given in such a short time. Since being diagnosed I have cut out cakes, biscuits etc and lost quite a bit of weight, things were going well but recent blood sugar increase has really puzzled me, so hoping I will find out what I'm doing wrong when I get my monitor. Don't think I'll be telling the nurse yet though, will see how it goes first. Three months recall this time again, hoping I can get things under control before then. Thanks for the diet info, very helpful