Long term outlook?

Bandit12

Newbie
Messages
3
Hi,
I have long since given up looking after myself because of other health problems & was diagnosed with type 2 about 2 months ago & I really cannot be bothered dealing with it. I wonder should I just stop taking my medication & what is the outlook & how long would it take for things to get bad & what should I expect.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Bandit and welcome to the forum :) You will find lots of help and support on here. PLEASE PLEASE don't just ignore your diabetes. It doesn't have to have nasty complications but only if you look after yourself properly. As for the bother - once you get used to testing you will find it really is no bother at all. At the beginning do some testing before and after meals to see what certain foods do to you, then you can test less. You talk about stopping your medication - is that for your diabetes? - your profile doesn't mention any medication - you haven't filled in that part. But if you have other health problems you probably have to take pills for those so one or two more won't make any difference at all. Diabetes can give you bad problems, or may not give you problems at all, but by watching what you eat and taking your medication if you have any prescribed, and exercising which I expect you do anyway may prevent you from having these problems. If you just can't be bothered and do nothing then you could get all sorts of self-inflicted damage. This includes the possibility of going blind, or having your legs or feet amputated. Maybe not for a long time, maybe sooner, maybe never, but the risk exists. I hope someone will be along soon to give you the full gruesome list of complications you asked for then you will see what you could be doing to yourself.

I know you probably don't want to know but here is some basic information on looking after your diabetes - I hope you will read it and help yourself to as healthy a future as possible. Life is worth living to the full, you know :) You only get one go at it.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS.

Postby sugarless sue » 02 Oct 2010, 17:49
Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, 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.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

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!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

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

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 at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. 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.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
 

kateincornwall

Well-Known Member
Messages
645
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
People who lie , animal cruelty , boredom and pineapple !
Hello Bandit and welcome from me too .
I have a sneaky feeling that you do care what happens to you because you have " bothered " to post on here . Please take the advice offered by Daisy, it doesnt have to be a drudge, honestly .
 

zhaith

Active Member
Messages
40
hi Bandit, welcome to the forum.

Take it from me ignoring diabetes is a really bad idea, i have been type 2 diabetic for 3.5 years or so, and out of that I pretty much ignored it for around 3 years, basically because i'm stubborn and i couldnt be bothered with any of it, I continued to eat and drink just as I did before I was diagnosed.

This was all well and good up until my eye test 3 months ago which revealed the early stages of retinopathy, ok atm it needs no treatment but however you look at it the root cause is simply because of my own stupidity. I only have one set of eyes and if i loose them the bye bye job, bye bye house etc you get the picture. As daisy has said there is a whole host of other complications that may arise from uncontrolled diabetes, none of them pleasant.

In the end only you can decide how you want to play things but knowing what I know now if I had the chance i'd have done things differently.

It really isn't too bad once you get over the initial shock and get used to a change in diet and testing.
 

Bandit12

Newbie
Messages
3
Hi,
Thanks to everyone that has replied & offered advice, I am very confused in my head about how I feel & what to do, like I said this is just another health problem that I have got on top of a long list of other health problems I have. I feel worn out & run down & over loaded with trying to deal with all these's problems & taking medication & having treatment. I am currently taking metformin tablets at the moment & as for testing I was told by my diabetes nurse not to test myself as it will just impact on my anxiety. I am not sure wether to follow that advice either,I had an minor operation on tuesday & they where suprised that I was not testing & told me to test for the next 3-4 days. Just out of curiosity where do you get the test meters from.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
I'm glad you've decided to look after yourself. I can understand that this is the last straw with all the other problems you have. The DN will usually tell you not to test as they have to pay for the strips but it really is necessary. See the link in the information I gave you called Tips for Strips - how to try and persuade them to give you testing strips.

As for getting a meter, since I presume the DN won't give you one, try calling manufacturers telling them you intend to test 8 times a day at least (even if you aren't!) and they may send you a free one because they want you to use their strips. There is a competition advertised on this site for a free one at the bottom of the View Active Topics page. That is a simple one but there are some that do lots more depending on what you want. Otherwise you can buy them at a pharmacy and you can buy strips off Ebay if you can't get them given free by the DN. You have to just make sure the box is unopened and the expiry date is not past or too close. You will need a finger pricker too and I think they are quite cheap at a pharmacy. Or you might get one given to you with the meter.

Don't worry - it really is no big deal once you get used to it. :)
 

searley

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
1,880
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Diabetes, not having Jaffa Cake
Hi Bandit,

i was diagnosed June 10, and the next 4 months were terrible for me, i had reactions to several medications offered, and it got to the point i refused all treatments, i faxed my DSN and said from this point forwards i refuse to take all current medication, and was not currently willing to consider alternatives.. needless to say, they tried to phone me, and email me, i responded to the email restating my position..

By december i was having health issues, liver function problems, pain, and the worst was i was so tired all the time. Early December my DSN requested i saw her, and my consultant,at which point they agreed a treatment with me to try, which i did, and since then things have been much better for me! not as good as pre-diabetes, but i do atleast have my life back

i inject 3 or 4 times a day, and do a blood test 2 - 4 times a day, both are quick and painless.. the only other thing i do is keep a closer eye on my diet, but i do still have the odd treat.

anyway i guess that's a long way of saying the the 'long term outlook' is better with medication, if your current medication is not working then request to try something else until you find the right stuff.

also if you are struggling mentally with it, talk to your doctor, or DSN and request help





Bandit12 said:
Hi,
Thanks to everyone that has replied & offered advice, I am very confused in my head about how I feel & what to do, like I said this is just another health problem that I have got on top of a long list of other health problems I have. I feel worn out & run down & over loaded with trying to deal with all these's problems & taking medication & having treatment. I am currently taking metformin tablets at the moment & as for testing I was told by my diabetes nurse not to test myself as it will just impact on my anxiety. I am not sure wether to follow that advice either,I had an minor operation on tuesday & they where suprised that I was not testing & told me to test for the next 3-4 days. Just out of curiosity where do you get the test meters from.
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
Bandit,

I won't beat around the bush here, if you neglect your diabetes the outlook is very gloomy indeed, look after yourself and treat your diabetes with respect and the outlook is as good as anyone without the condition.

Nigel
 

HpprKM

Well-Known Member
Messages
837
Dislikes
Self absorbed and rude people! Motorists who are oblivious to the rest of the world, and really don't give a ****!
Diabetes is a nasty disease, I have found this forum a life line with the support of so many wonderful and knowledgeable people who speak from experience, it is not easy to be diabetic - there are so many do's and don'ts and factors to learn about, but your life is precious - and as has already been said by another member, I think you care because you are writing on the forum, it is like my 'diabetic family' and I do not know how I would manage without it! There is advice here, from Diabetes UK and other organisations throughout the UK to support you in every way. I have been diagnosed 3 years now, and still coming to terms and trying to get to grips with it, but I will not give in to it. We are in this together :wink:
 

HpprKM

Well-Known Member
Messages
837
Dislikes
Self absorbed and rude people! Motorists who are oblivious to the rest of the world, and really don't give a ****!
Bandit, forgot to say - I have a spare unused Accu-Chek Aviva meter that I obtained from this site, I now have a USB stick that I use, if you want to send me your address by private email (you have access to this on this site), I would happily send it to you.
 

Bandit12

Newbie
Messages
3
Thanks for all the replies, once again you have given me alot to think about & consider. I think I will have to have a good chat with my DN, I would talk to my GP but I have spoken to him about all my other problems & feel that I have lost abit of confidence in him.
 

digigaia

Member
Messages
10
A little research can go a long way. I am surprised the Diabetic Nurse has not been instructed to get you a testing kit, in my case they actively encouraged testing only to limit it to 1x every couple of days at the same time of day which is next to useless, test 4 times a day to begin with to monitor the shape of your Glucose levels, it will never be constant, it depends on what you are eating. Seriously if you are worried about charting then ask your GP to recommend a councellor. In my case it really helps especially if you change your diet, in my case radically. I have found significant changes in a couple of weeks. You really must not feel like you are burdening your GP, you have the health problems and there job is to help. If you are not happy with them move to another GP and ask what there position is in relation to treating Diabetics. I have got my Blood Glucose levels down to 5.2 from an average of 14- 16 mmol within 2 weeks. A bonus, I have lost 10.9 kgs too :)

My long term hope is to take the positive I now feel and convert my lifestyle to match and give myself a chance of growing old, or certainly at least a lot older than I am now!