Husband newly diagnosed

[Neridae]

Hi,

My husband has recently been diagnosed as type 2 and I'm looking for some advice in order to educate myself going forward. I'm also a student nurse and deal with a lot of type 2 patients, so it'll be useful to have the information from a personal and professional point of view.

My husband has a family history of type 2 diabetes and was diagnosed last month. I immediately bought a blood sugar monitor, but have only managed to check his sugars a couple of times. He doesn't like the needle, even on the lowest setting, but I think he needs to be checking his sugars regularly. The GP has started him on Metformin, an increasing dose starting at 500mg to work up to 1500mg. He did originally start this at the end of last week, but had some very unpleasant side effects, so stopped taking them, but he is starting them again today.

He hasn't felt well yesterday and today, I managed to take his blood sugar after lunch which was 24.2mmol!! Before this the only other readings I got from him were a fasting reading of 17mmol and one after dinner which was 20mmol. I've not had too much of a chance to explore the forum yet, but I have seen a recommendation for The Diabetes Code so have purchased that and it's due to come this weekend.

We are both quite overweight and although he has been losing weight at a steady pace for the last few months he's got a fair way to go. I'm not at risk of diabetes at the moment, but an overhaul will be beneficial to me too and I am focusing on reducing my weight also. I'm trying to ease him in gently in terms of getting him joined up to things and I'd appreciate any advice in terms of diet going forward, I generally do the cooking but looking at things so far it looks like I'll have to drastically reduce carbs in my cooking. Any family friendly tips would be appreciated too, as we have three children.

Thank you for reading and any advice/support in advance.

 

[xfieldok]

As an HPC this site will probably blow your mind.
I hope you are not taking his bloods from the pad. Use the side of the finger, just under the nail.

Can you tell us everything he ate yesterday please, and you are both very welcome to the forum.

 

[Neridae]

Thank you.

I've been taking them from the side of the finger yes

Off the top of my head yesterday his eating went as follows:

Breakfast: Crunchy Nut cornflakes with whole milk

Lunch: Cheesy beans with some toast

Dinner: Turkey breast steaks diced with roasted veg (onion/leek/baby and sweet potato/butternut squash/courgette/pepper/carrot/thyme/garlic)

I believe he might have had some chocolate too in the day. I was only responsible for the cooking for dinner.

I know that the above is not good at all, I think he's had his head stuck in the sand a bit about it all, his diet tends to have sweets and chocolate in and I know he knows this isn't the way to go! I don't know if it's relevant at all, but he's also on Venlafaxine for depression which is the only other medication he takes.

Thanks again.

 

[xfieldok]

Eek!

Far too high carb. Can he have bacon and egg for breakfast or a cheese omlette?

You need to test beforoe he eates and 2 hours after the first bite. If the rise is more than 2 then there were oo many cabs.


Beans on toast (another eek)

Sweet potato when baked is horribly carb heavy. OK boiled.

Check out dietdoctor.com for ideas. Dr Fung is on YouTube and well worth a watch.

How much weight does he need to lose?

Edited to ask, what was his hba1c?

 

[Allan59]

Hello, I just joined the forum yesterday- and I have already received very useful and positive advice from other members & I am sure you will too.

 

[Neridae]

He could definitely have that for breakfast, yes.

I'll bare in mind the sweet potato being boiled, as it's something we quite like to eat.

Thank you for the recommendation, I will be sure to do that.

He needs to still lose a lot...about 10 stone or so. He's already lost 3 stone, so he is coming down at a steady rate, but although he is eating less/somewhat better his diet definitely needs to improve so the weight loss may be greater when we get that sorted.

I'm unsure what his HBA1C was, I'm at work at the moment but will check with him this evening when I get in.

 

[xfieldok]

A lot of us eat a couple of squares of 85pc or higher, dark chocolate. Best discouraged until his numbers under control.

If he has a really sweet tooth, google keto fat bombs.

Pizza, google fat head dough.

Indian headbangerskitchen.com.

Cauliflower rice, what a versatile veg.

No need to be deprived.

 

[Neridae]

Thank you very much, that's very useful!

 

[Rachox]

Hello @Neridae and welcome to the forum!
Here’s a link to some info you and your hubby may find helpful:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.17088/

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi, Neridae,
Without wishing to alarm you, those BG readings are not good at all. It is doubtful that Metformin even at maximum dose will help him much unless he changes his Way Of Eating. Metformin is very safe, but is not tolerated by some, other medications for T2D have more serious side effects
Perhaps one way to persuade him to tolerate regular BG tests is to tell him the truth, which is that if he can't do something about it then the GP will probably prescribe Insulin i.e. injections and probably more than 1 per day plus he then would have to test in order to ensure he didn't get a Hypo.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. If the Metformin problems don't ease do ask the GP to change to Metformin SR (Slow Release) which is much kinder. Metformin although a good, safe drug never has that much effect on BS so don't rely on it as such. You should find as his weight reduces thru a better diet, then the BS will reduce as his insulin resistance will go down. Yes, do move to 85% dark chocolate which is far superior to the chocolate flavoured sugar that most brands sell as milk chocolate.

 

[VashtiB]

Hello and welcome

Your husband is very very fortunate to have such a supportive and helpful wife. That said you can't do it all for him.

I have a similarly supportive husband - he is awesome but I have to make the decision to drastically reduce the carbs I eat.

I will be honest and say that I found going low carb for the rest of my life very hard. I have an extreme sweet tooth and there isn't a carb that I don't like -lol.

BUT- the possible complications from diabetes are awful. There is the risk of losing your sight or one or more of your limbs. In addition in todays scary world you don't need any additional health issues if they can be avoided

I really think he needs to read around on this site and have the complications explained to him. If he is willing to dramatically lower his carbs then diabetes doesn't have to be the progressive illness doctors assume it is- if he doesn't it will probably be progressive. You are not that old so I assume he isn't either- he has a lot of life left.

It is tough but this site is awesome- it has people hear who are among the best in humanity. This site has changed my life and I really hope it will change your husband's life too. My blood sugars are within normal range, I've lost over 25 kg and I no longer cry about the prospect of life without carbs. I did grieve for a really long time and the people on here listened and sympathised without judging me. They gave me ideas to help and support me- but the most important thing they heard me without judgement t when I was moaning a lot. I will forever be grateful for them.

You husband can turn his health around and having a supportive family does help a lot.

Good luck

 

[Resurgam]

My meter shows me that potato of any sort, no matter how it is cooked, is too high in carbs.
I managed to lose weight without even noticing just by eating what kept my blood glucose levels in the normal range. One day I stood up and my trousers fell down - I thought the elastic must have got old - next day same thing with a different pair. I stepped on the scales and thought they were broken.
I think I am quite sensitive to carbs and I need to keep below an absolute maximum of 50 gm per day, these days I do 40, but it has not lowered my Hba1c - I think something is broken.
Fortunately for me I absolutely thrive on a low carb diet.

 

[Geordie_P]

The good news is that those high numbers should come down quite rapidly once you reduce the high carb intake; whole milk is very carby (skimmed is worse though) crunchy nut cornflakes are unbelievably carby, toast is very carby and beans are also generally very carby, so a measurement after that would be very high for most of us, I believe.

Dr. Bernstein has a good list of food and drink to avoid: it's very comprehensive and may be a little too extreme for some, but at least you know what is best avoided for diabetes. I'll quote it from Wikipedia below.

AVOID-all foods with added sugar or honey such as desserts, candies, and pastries; all foods made from grains and grain flours such as breads, cereals, pasta, and rice; all starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, tomatoes, and beans; all fresh or preserved fruits and fruit juices; all dairy products except for butter, cream, and fermented cheeses, as well as full fat yogurt(for dairy products the more the fat content the less carbohydrate content)

It looks like quite a lot, until you realise that almost everything not on the list is ok. Meat is fine, eggs, fish, leafy vegetables, cauliflower, broccoli, red wine, spirits. You also get a little wiggle room, to be honest: a little dark chocolate, for example, should be ok. There should be plenty of good options for you and your husband to enjoy.

Good luck with it- let us know how you get on!

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi,

My husband has recently been diagnosed as type 2 and I'm looking for some advice in order to educate myself going forward. I'm also a student nurse and deal with a lot of type 2 patients, so it'll be useful to have the information from a personal and professional point of view.

My husband has a family history of type 2 diabetes and was diagnosed last month. I immediately bought a blood sugar monitor, but have only managed to check his sugars a couple of times. He doesn't like the needle, even on the lowest setting, but I think he needs to be checking his sugars regularly. The GP has started him on Metformin, an increasing dose starting at 500mg to work up to 1500mg. He did originally start this at the end of last week, but had some very unpleasant side effects, so stopped taking them, but he is starting them again today.

He hasn't felt well yesterday and today, I managed to take his blood sugar after lunch which was 24.2mmol!! Before this the only other readings I got from him were a fasting reading of 17mmol and one after dinner which was 20mmol. I've not had too much of a chance to explore the forum yet, but I have seen a recommendation for The Diabetes Code so have purchased that and it's due to come this weekend.

We are both quite overweight and although he has been losing weight at a steady pace for the last few months he's got a fair way to go. I'm not at risk of diabetes at the moment, but an overhaul will be beneficial to me too and I am focusing on reducing my weight also. I'm trying to ease him in gently in terms of getting him joined up to things and I'd appreciate any advice in terms of diet going forward, I generally do the cooking but looking at things so far it looks like I'll have to drastically reduce carbs in my cooking. Any family friendly tips would be appreciated too, as we have three children.

Thank you for reading and any advice/support in advance.

Oh my, he's eating a lot of carbs in a day, not surprised at those numbers... And oh my, are you on the right track...! Getting a monitor, getting The Diabetes Code (lifesaver, that book!), and already taking steps even if he's not quite ready yet. Hat's off to you this morning! https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html <-- that might tide you over until Dr. Fung's book arrives. Also might want to check dietdoctor.com and this forum's website, diabetes.co.uk (not .org!).

You've had some excellent advice already and you're on the right track. Good luck with all of it. Oh, and as for kid friendly stuff... Whatever they feel like they're missing out on, google the meal with keto added into the search bar, that should get you low carb recipes.

Have a great day!
Jo

 

[Allan59]

The Diabetes Code: which book is this ? and where can I buy it ?

 

[xfieldok]

The Diabetes Code: which book is this ? and where can I buy it ?

The DiabetesCode by Jason Fung. From Amazon and also available on kindle.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

The Diabetes Code: which book is this ? and where can I buy it ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Diabetes-C...g&qid=1586356105&sprefix=the+diabetes+&sr=8-1

 

[Flora123]

I'm not at risk of diabetes at the moment,.

Welcome. You have come to the right place.

You mentioned you are both overweight but I noted your comment above. Just out of interest why do you think that? Have you had your Hba1c done? Don’t believe the usual thinking of being obese causes diabetes. Gaining weight is a symptom of insulin resistance and not the other way round. Also there are a lot of slim people diagnosed too, myself included. My fasting BG was 22. Heaven knows what it would have been after a meal. I now have to stick to 20g of carbs a day or fewer.

Read around and you will gain a very different insight to what you may have learned at work. Best of luck.