Help and Advice needed Please

[AstroAl]

Hi, firstly Apologies as this may go on a bit


I was diagnosed with Type 2 a few years ago, but being the typical stupid male of the species, the 'oh, I'll be fine', 'I'm sure their wrong' etc. Thoughts took over. Yes Stupid!!! I know.

Anyway, I've been kind of getting through ok, not taking the prescribed meds, they always seemed to make me feel worse. So I ended up just not taking them. Stupid!! I know.

Then a couple,of weeks ago, I went out shopping, got back Home, sat in my Chair, and just felt completely exhausted, and getting out of breathe very easily, I went back to work, but managed about 40 mins before returning Home, I booked an Appointment at my GP's.
So I went , and confessed about , my Diabetes situation not taking meds etc.
He checked my Chest, which he said sounded fine. He got me back on one of my meds dapagliflozin 10mg x 1 a day

He seemed to think it may well be down to my Diabetes, I went back for Blood tests a few days later, and have to see the Doctor again a week on Monday.
I've been trying hard to help with a low carb diet, but my BS levels are in the 10 - 15 area.
Eating omelettes, grilled bacon, mushrooms, chicken, etc salad, fruit.
Yesterday, I had a really bad day, and felt absolutely terrible, apart from a few hours in the afternoon, and went to bed at 6pm, and toss and turned and slept a little, until about 2am, when I felt ok.
But I'm still getting very out of breathe, and feeling shattered, I managed to sort some Holiday out, but I'm due back to work on Wednesday, and I'm just not sure I'm up to it.

Diabatic Meds
Dapagliflozin 10mg x 1 a day
Linagliptin 5mg x 1 a day

I also have high blood pressure, which I take

Lisinopril 20mg
Bendroflumethiazide 2.5mg

 

[DeejayR]

Hello, welcome, sorry you're feeling rough. Sounds like you need a more positive plan than you follow at the moment, so to help you take charge of your condition I'll tag @daisy1 to give you some info. If you have a read you will see what we're about. While you're digesting all this I suggest you get yourself a meter ready to start testing seriously and regularly as suggested in our guide. You can search on here for the meters available. Hope your GP can rule out further complications.

 

[Resurgam]

I suspect that you'll feel rather washed out for a while if you have been running at high BG for a while - it is rather a shock to the poor ol' metabolism, but it will adapt back to normal - just go gently for a while.
A tip with bacon - which is rather salty and has nitrates or nitrites or both, is to boil it for a minute or so - I just pour hot water from the kettle into the frying pan on the stove top, add the bacon, boil it up for a little while and then tip everything into a sieve, return the bacon to the pan and add a little oil or fat then fry it - you might not like the blander taste, but less salt and preservatives is good news.
I can manage my type 2 with diet only, but I eat 60gm of carbs a day maximum.

 

[AstroAl]

I've done 2 meter tests today and they've both been around 13 .. should I not eat ??? Or do something else to bring it down ??? Or is there nothing I can do !!

Sorry, obviously new to this, and never felt like this before

 

[Art Of Flowers]

You need to avoid high carb foods. That means cut out breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes. You can eat eggs, cheese, avocados, salad. See https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

 

[chocoholicnomore]

Hi AstroAl. I'm not too good at times and sometimes have readings around 13. I tend to just cut out carbs completely that day and it usually returns to a normal level by the next day. Exercise helps bring it down too but not sure that's a good idea for you if you're already breathless. Sorry I can't be more help but hope you manage to sort things out

 

[Alison Campbell]

Yes, eat low carb when you are hungry.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I've done 2 meter tests today and they've both been around 13 .. should I not eat ??? Or do something else to bring it down ??? Or is there nothing I can do !!

Sorry, obviously new to this, and never felt like this before

You need to be organised with testing or you won't be able to learn from it. Any old random tests are meaningless.

Test immediately before eating.
Test again 2 hours after first bite.
Look at the rise from before to after.
If it is above 2mmol/ there were too many carbs that need reducing in portion size or eliminating.
Keep a food diary including portion sizes.
Record your levels alongside the food.
Look for patterns, and try to learn which foods in which amounts are causing your levels to rise.

If you do this you should find your levels dropping nicely, but it doesn't happen overnight, you need a bit of patience.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I suspect it may not be the diabetes causing your problems? Those blood sugar readings need to be reduced but could be worse. In my early days I was often in the 20s without realising it. I don't know much about Forxiga as it's very new, but Linagliptin doesn't usually cause many problems. What is your BMI like? If you are already low-carbing it may be that you are nearer to LADA rather than T2 with those BS readings and your meds may need review? If you don't have any excess weight you may want to raise the possibility of Late onset T1 with the GP. The meds might then need tweaking. Even if LADA, you should not be feeling that unwell so it looks like the GP needs to do some further investigation outside of diabetes.

 

[daisy1]

@AstroAl

Hello AstroAl and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Have a look at the link to the Low Carb Program below. This could be helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you need to 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 250,000 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

 

[AstroAl]

Hi Folks, just to update you, well Daibell was right
There was another issue, that was bringing me down, turns out I’ve had a viral infection the last few weeks, which seems to be clearing now. Phew!

But I did take the Advice given, Thank You, started on the Low- Carb regime, I’ve lost 5kgs in about 12 days, and my Blood sugars have come down, the Doctor was very Happy.

And so am I , I think it was the ‘not knowing what the problem was’ which didn’t help.

So I’m off for a Mushroom Omelette


Take Care Everyone

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi Folks, just to update you, well Daibell was right
There was another issue, that was bringing me down, turns out I’ve had a viral infection the last few weeks, which seems to be clearing now. Phew!

But I did take the Advice given, Thank You, started on the Low- Carb regime, I’ve lost 5kgs in about 12 days, and my Blood sugars have come down, the Doctor was very Happy.

And so am I , I think it was the ‘not knowing what the problem was’ which didn’t help.

So I’m off for a Mushroom Omelette


Take Care Everyone

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better AstroAl. Once you're feeling chipper I hope you'll manage to keep up your improved control.

In a totally bizarre way, the virus may have done you a much longer term favour.