drinking water and bg

[m_cooper]

does drinking water help to reduce bg levels,i am newly diagnosed and am doing what my dietician told me.but i am confused reading the posts on here as many disagree with what i have been told.i am back to the diabetes nurse next week for the results of my 1st bg blood test since i have changed my diet.when i was diagnosed i think the reading was 12

 

[Aadrgon]

Hi m_cooper

I'm not sure of the effects of water on your BG, I assume it will help reduce it slightly as your body wants you to drink to try and dilute the sugar in your system.

You haven't told us what your dietician has told you, I would assume (rightly or wrongly) that it is to make sure you eat plent of starchy foods which most of us in here have found to be incorrect.
It's the equivalent of trying to put out a fire with petrol
If your first reading was an HbA1c of 12 this equate to a BS of over 17 - about 3 times what it should be.
If you haven't got a meter - get one - find out what foods affect your BS levels by testing regularly
take control

 

[m_cooper]

i was told it was ok to have soup,beans on toast(brown bread)porridge,bran flakes and plenty of veg
but i still keep waking with a throat like a cows backside.unfortunately i have been unemployed for over a year and the money is running out regarding test strips

 

[m_cooper]

i may have misled you about bg level as the diabetes nurse said something about an average of 9

 

[cugila]

i was told it was ok to have soup,beans on toast(brown bread)porridge,bran flakes and plenty of veg
but i still keep waking with a throat like a cows backside.unfortunately i have been unemployed for over a year and the money is running out regarding test strips

Diet advice - was that from a Dietician perhaps ? I suggest you have a good look around the forum for more diet advice.
There are a number of different diets. All may have something for you.
One size doesn't fit all !!

As for test strips you are in limbo unless you can persuade your GP with hard facts and an equal amount of hard talk !

Ken

 

[nessa-lou]

sorry can i ask are you T1 or T2?? x

 

[Patch]

The answer to your question (in my own experience) is YES. I drink at least 2 litres of water a day, and try to aim for 3.

 

[Aadrgon]

i was told it was ok to have soup,beans on toast(brown bread)porridge,bran flakes and plenty of veg
but i still keep waking with a throat like a cows backside.unfortunately i have been unemployed for over a year and the money is running out regarding test strips

Plenty of veg sounds ok, not sure about soup but from my point of view probsbly not
the rest for me is out of the question.
I suggest you read through the low carb form, cut out bread potatoes, rice, pasta to start with.
You can asjust you diet to find what best suits you but low carb will reduce your BS dramatically.

Are you on any form of diabetic medication ?

Try asking your Doctor to prescribe your test strips as you are actively trying to manage your diabetes and wish to avoid costly complications, there are some excellent arguments on here as to reasons why you should test regularly, I apologise, my memory is not what it could be, I can't recall the threads they were in

 

[m_cooper]

t2 as far as i know,not on anything yet

 

[nessa-lou]

ok i can't advice you on the diet side as im T1 and its different for me. but what i can say is that yes water does reduce your bg as that is what i was told at the start too, but nw i take insulin to lower my sugars if im high but water flushes the sugar out of ur system, its a long process but does water so carry on drinking what like you say. people on this thread may not agree but being a diabetic shouldnt change ur life completely it is ment to help you live your life as normal! and dont 'normal people' have a healthy balanced diet, so i dont agree in cutting all carbs out. just thought u might like to bare that in mind as everyone says were all different x

 

[totsy]

my advise would be to cut down on carbs to lower your bloods until u are given meds, some dont even need meds if they can get bloods down by diet and exercise alone, you need to ask your diabetic nurse/doctor for a blood monitor and test strips as this is the only way u will find out what works for you, in the meantime i have a free monitor if u want it but it only has 10 strips which will only keep u going a few days (if u want it pm me,im having an endoscopy thursday so wont be online much then) as for the water, it will help dilute the sugar, everyone should be drinking plenty of water anyway,

 

[Aadrgon]

people on this thread may not agree but being a diabetic shouldnt change ur life completely it is ment to help you live your life as normal! and dont 'normal people' have a healthy balanced diet, so i dont agree in cutting all carbs out.

T1's deal with the carb in their diet by the use of insulin to keep their BG down although less carb means less insulin which I believe is better for you in the long run ( that does not mean cutting them all out ) You could if you want eat several mars bars providing you took sufficent insulin to cover them.

T2's don't use insulin if they can avoid it, one of our ways of keeping the BG down is by reducing the fuel that creates it - normally by low carb or low GI diets.

It is much easier to start off low carb and see what effects adding different foodstuffs to your diet has on your BG then it is to try and work out which of the several things you've ate earlier gave you the raised BG.

 

[nessa-lou]

yeh i said to sum1 b4 im useless at T2 thats why i asked if they were T1 or T2, and i posted something on a thread before that this needs to be adressed that everyone knows the differences between T1 and T2. i didnt mean to offend if i did. i was sayin from, i suppose, an outsiders view from T2 x

 

[Aadrgon]

i didnt mean to offend if i did

No offence taken Nessa - was just explaining the difference

 

[nessa-lou]

lol ok just making sure...thank you. i actually know nothing about T2 i literally am an outside and have the typical sterotype view...but that is slowly changing as i become more knowledgeable about it.

 

[Trinkwasser]

This may help

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2008/ ... meter.html

I tend to dilute my water with coffee. This is a bit of a double whammy as it is diurectic. What you definitely don't want to drink is fruit juice, unless you are hypo.

 

[m_cooper]

good news,i went to the docs yesterday and he had the result of my 1st blood test since i was diagnosed and my bg was 7 and he said i don,t need meds at the moment.at least that is a starting point and i will try to get it down further

 

[nessa-lou]

congrats!!!! thats a weight off your shoulders, wish i had the option not to have injection lol, but thats great news, keep up the good work x

 

[bunty]

I think that drinking plenty of water is good for you but i did read somewhere recently that it's perfectly possible to drink too much and create a new set of medical problems.

I'm Type 2 and started off with as a 10 and since then have maintained by HbA1c levels to 5.4 - the first after diagnosis was 5.6.

At the moment i'm dieting, so have drastically reduced my carb intake but usually, i keep my b.g stable (ish) by drinking several cups of water throughout the day and by low-carbing.

I start each day with the old fashioned type of porridge and a glass of water.

I only eat 'brown' carbs, which is wholemeal pasta, bread and rice. I avoid mashed potatoes wherever i can cos they send me too high.

Good luck with your progress and keep at it. Experiment to see how you go and if you can persude your GP to give you test strips, even better. Perhaps ask for one box of 50 and say you want to test twice a day - before lunch and 2 hours after your evening meal - and that you'll record the results to discuss with the GP at the next appointment.

And exercise! Go for a brisk walk, armed with a bottle of tap water (which is just as good as the expensive shop stuff).

Good luck!

bunty

 

[Trinkwasser]

And exercise! Go for a brisk walk, armed with a bottle of tap water (which is just as good as the expensive shop stuff).

Are you sure?

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/bling-water/

Seriously though, we have excellent tap water here, I will refill a bottle and keep it in the fridge for when the weather is warmer, or take it out with me (along with my trusty thermos full of coffee if I'm gone for long!)