Partner newly diagnosed with diabetes

[NMrs2010]

Hi, my other half has just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He had fasting bloods checked which were 21.8. He has been prescribed 2 metformin per day and 2 glicazide per day hes only just started these. He is a couple of stone overweight so hes aiming to lose that soon as he can. Basically his gp has said that he may be able to come of meds eventually as hes only 28 and that he dosnt need to monitor his own bloods and they will be checked every couple of months at a diabetes clinic, does this seem right for a newly diagnosed? We are both pretty confused with what to expect, is it a case of take the meds and all will be ok or is there anything we should expect long term?

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Welcome to the Forum.

No it's not right that he can't check his own blood sugar levels. This is all down to the cost of test strips to the NHS ! Without being able to check your blood sugar ( Bg) levels before and after meals you really have no idea what the foods you are eating are doing to your Bg levels.

Here is the basic Information that Ken and I give out to new Diabetics. I hope it helps both of you. I suppose he has been given the usual NHS diet plan ? We do not agree with a lot of this diet so it may be a bit confusing to you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.

 

[NMrs2010]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

thank you for your information, yeah he was given a few print out sheets basically saying he should be filling up on starchy carbs (40%) of meal and having little fats and sugars and switching to diet and sugar free foods so its all pretty confusing. Other than that we have not been given any more info just to reduce sugars and take the meds. His first diabetic clinic appointment is a month away although im not really sure what happens there other than checking his blood sugars, hes been told he will have these checked every 2 months. Can we buy the equipment to do this without prescription then and do you know where we would get it? (uk) thanks again

 

[cugila]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Sue is away at the moment so she asked me to answer you.

Yes, if you cannot get the test meter and strips on prescription then they can be purchased from any high street Pharmacy. Many Type 2's are routinely being told they cannot have strips, so if that happens you have to decide what is best. Me, my health and wellbeing comes before all, so I would buy.

Before you buy though try phoning the manufacturers and ask for a free meter. Here is a link with some meters and details :

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care ... guide.html

Tips to get strips etc prescribed :

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

Visits to the Clinic, we have also put some info together. Have a read.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091#p155408

Diet advice is very confusing. We think what we tell people in the post Sue made earlier is better. You have to work out what foods you can tolerate and adjust things accordingly. There is no set advice as far as we are concerned, just some basics which we post. That advice has helped many on here.

 

[anniep]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

What you were told to eat is the same as I was told 40% carbs - to cut a long stpry short, I followed their advice and my BG rose and rose and they told me that I wasn't compliant and was not looking after myself. They tried to return me to the dietecian to be told the same again. Instead with the support of this forum I I returned to not eating any starchy carbs and my last hbA1c was 6.00.

 

[NMrs2010]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Thank you cugila i will have a read through those links, i know my husband is not keen on self testing and feels that if the gp says its not needed then its not but i would much rather he did as everything ive read online indicates its important.

Annie, thats quite shocking, people put their trust in their gps to give correct information, im glad you realised it wasnt working for you and have better control now, i just cant understand why people are being advised to have high carb diets if its going to make matters worse, it really makes no sense.

 

[Sue o2]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Annie, thats quite shocking, people put their trust in their gps to give correct information, im glad you realised it wasnt working for you and have better control now, i just cant understand why people are being advised to have high carb diets if its going to make matters worse, it really makes no sense.

This is exactly the reason you need to test, we are all different and have to tweak our diets to suit our health,

Sue

 

[NMrs2010]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

yeah it sounds like its going to take a while before we know what exactly works for my husband.

One thing im wondering is how to they know if you are type 1 or type 2? can they just tell from the bloods. Reason i ask it he was fine then very suddenly developed an extreme thirst drinking pint after pint of fluid, frequent need to use the toilet, weight loss and then thrush. When looking online these symptoms seem to point to type 1 but the info hes been given from gp say type 2. Should we just trust this is correct? or will it eventually show itself anyway?

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

This is yet another reason that he should test ! If his Bg levels do not come down even with diet and medication and he continues to loss weight and show all the symptoms get him back to the doctor for more tests. He is young to have Type 2 and it is not unknown for Doctors to misdiagnose Type 1's as Type 2's.

 

[NMrs2010]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Thanks, i will speak to him tonight about the importance of testing, i also thought he was young for type 2 although he is overweight and has been for a long time so perhaps thats why they think type 2. Hes only been on metformin for less than a week and started the additional glicazide today, all symptoms are the same at the moment still extreme thirst and using the toilet but i presume it will take time for meds to do anything. Im wanting him to go back to gp anyway as he forgot to mention the strange smell hes had on breath for the last few weeks as thats showing no signs of going either. It really feels like hes just been told what his sugars are and left to get on with it until the clinic appointment in 4 weeks, its no wonder hes really worried.

 

[Sue o2]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Metformin takes a while to work and im told only takes your sugar levels down by one, im sure someone will come in and tell you for sure, it wasnt till i was put on the Gliclazide that i noticed any real improvment, I'm t2 and had all the symptoms you describe worse one being i had thrush for 8 long months on and off

If your really worried try and speak to your doctor, i know what its like to worry day in and day out over diabetes :roll:

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

The strange smell on his breath could be acetones. As you have no idea what his blood sugars are and he may be producing ketones as well please get him back to the doctor very quickly ! I don't want to frighten you but this may turn into a condition called DKA ( Diabetic Ketoacidosis) which is a medical emergency. He really needs to be checked out quickly.

You can get Ketostix from a chemist which you can use to test urine with but it is better to get it checked even if you have to go to A&E with him.

 

[NMrs2010]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Thank you, thats quite worrying then hes had this smell for quite a few weeks now and managed to forget twice! to mention it to the gp typical :roll: i will get him to get that checked asap. It was a week and a half ago he received the diagnosis so last had his bloods checked, the doc phoned 24 hours later as his bloods were 21.8.

With regards to the metformin thats been put on a repeat prescription but the glicazide is only a 4 week temp course to try and being levels down.

 

[sugarless sue]

Re: Partner newly diagnosed.

Honestly ! Words fail me ! A Bg level of 21.8 but told not to test. I think it is criminal the way some doctors are treating Diabetics ! :evil:

 

[donnellysdogs]

I'm not a low carber but a moderate one, and I just cannot see how some people are given the advice to eat such quantities of starchy/carb food. I know that there has been a huge amount of debate about low carb diets etc, but it seems to me that HCP's are actually steering people in the direction of higher carb diets, and in my opinion only of course, it would be nigh on impossible to achieve good levels with such advice.

The more I read here from the advice that is being given to newly diagnoses diabetics from their HCP's the more concerned I get. I'm just thankful that there is this website for persons to gain knowledge from real life experiences. I am absolutely staggered and wonder who gives the HCP's their training on such matters, and why there doesn't seem to be any set standards anywhere (besides here with **** good advice) for HCP's to follow? Does anybody know how such difference advice is being given??

 

[sugarless sue]

Unfortunately the NHS follow the Diabetes UK 'Healthy' diet.

This diet is just not suitable for ALL Diabetics. It is just plain wrong for anyone on diet only for instance as they have no way of bringing down high levels.

The diet appears to be one size fits all from Type 1 downward. When will they realise that we are all individuals and need individual advice coupled with being able to self test.

If they would just change their obsession with 'sugars' and use the word 'Carbs' it could save many from complications. I suspect they use the word sugar as a dumb down because they think us poor non medical people will not understand what a carb is ! :evil:

THAT is where proper Diabetic education should come in and be taught !

 

[donnellysdogs]

Totally agree. Words fail me as to why the NHS advisers etc cannot instruct on 'carbs'...I find it all pretty shocking, and thank goodness that the internet and sites like this are around nowadays.

 

[zhaith]

I am so glad I found this place this it exactly the same kind of information given to me on diagnosis I managed to get some strips on prescription only because I brought my own meter so that was something about a month after my 1 st check up I was told to test a maximum of once a week as it was not too important as a T2 to frequently test 3years later no improvement in sugar levels and was so fed up I found this place.

My dn grudgingly gave me more strips and would allow me to test 3 times a day which tbh isn't enough but if I have to suplliement my strips with funding my own then thats what i'll do but I can't see my strip prescription lasting past my next checkup which is a shame as I think it's safe to say the improvement is from cutting back Carbs and regular testing.

It beggars belief that there are so many similar posts here on the subject of test strips, I feel for those fellow diabetics who have not found this site and are having to deal with nhs accountants by themselves.

Having diabetes is bad enough, having poor outdated advice from those who we trust with our wellbeing is quite frankly extremely disappointing.