My story - Type 2

[MG Alan]

I was diagnosed with type two diabetes about 18 years ago. It was life changing I was so upset and thought my life had come to an end. My diabetic nurse simply could not understand why I felt the way I did, until I pointed out to her that sitting in the waiting room I was faced with elderly people,overweight people,people missing limbs,and this simply was not how I saw my life. What I needed was some very attractive female to invite me out clubbing, I would turn her down telling her that I was diabetic and her reply would go along the lines of so am I. Know this may seem strange but what I actually needed was to see that ordinary people, people in the street, friends,acquaintances and famous personalities suffered or suffer from diabetes.
After a few months I started talking to people about my condition it was then I realised that I wasn't alone I wasn't the only person in the world and that surprisingly a few of my friends admitted they were also diabetic . This news for me was a game changer I am a bloke and blokes don't talk about their health problems.
I managed to get my BG down to a near normal level, and soon discovered that I could eat well and enjoy a glass .....or two of red wine providing that I didn't just sit around after. I am a Gardener so am quite fit, at Just over 6feet tall and slim build (apart from a bit of a gut) I was happy again with life.
The first few months after diagnosis is very depressing, I have seen others who have felt the same, it's all bad news often given to you by people who go home at the end of the day and do exactly what they have told you that you can no longer do.
I got on very well with the Nurse who now understood where I was coming from. The problem for me started when she left. The new Nurse was having none of it, and so I stopped going for check ups.
I am 60 in a few months time, for the last five years I have been on Ziclaseg and having no problems. But as I get older I find I am slowing down, I get home at the end of the day and just sit watching TV or reading and the BG has gone up :-/ I have just started on Metformin as well as the other pill, levels are slowly coming down, but at the moment I have a few stomach cramps which I hope will stop soon as I get used to the new pills.
So why did I write this great long letter? Well at the moment I feel a bit down. I have only just found this forum and to be honest I am pleased I did. I helps to know I am not alone with my condition.
Thank you all.

 

[DeejayR]

Hello MG Alan, welcome to the club no one really wants to join. However, you will find a lot of help and comfort here if you make some changes and leave old habits behind. As an amateur gardener I always expect a touch of despondency as autumn gives way to winter so I'm not surprised you're finding things looking bleak just now.
I'll tag @daisy1 to give you some info and if you have a good read you can ask questions. Be prepared to get a meter to test your own blood sugar regularly despite what you may be told at your surgery.
You have a few months till your birthday, time enough to do some work, so let's make 60 a turning point in your life.

 

[daisy1]

@MG Alan

Hello Alan and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask any questions you like 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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[MG Alan]

Thanks DeejayR, I agree I never like this time of year it kind of marks the end, whereas spring introduces a new beginning and the long hot Summer (sometimes)
I have a meter, in fact I have a few, I love gadgets and they seem to keep updating them ;-) I do my best to keep away from the Doctors unless I have a real problem, only because at the time I was diagnosed I as eating loads of sweets drinking beer and generally having a good time. I was told on a Friday night to stop eating sugar, and I did . Completely cut it out of my diet, no more in my tea or coffee absolutely nothing sweet and for the next day or do I lived on chicken. Then one morning driving along and not feeling very well I had a near miss, I was sure I was having a hypo, I felt drunk and just wanted to sleep. I made a visit to the GP who told me that I should get a grip and that it was impossible to have a hypo as I was out on medication. Still convinced I was I returned home and trolled the web. I soon found a site,in the USA which said that newly diagnosed diabetics should slowly wean themselves off sugar. I had cut it all out overnight, my body was in shock, so yes I was having a kind of hypo. Needless to say my next visit to the doctor resulted in me giving him four pages of information on how to treat newly diagnosed diabetics. He responded by telling me that I would be on insulin in a matter of weeks well I proved him wrong again.
Years later he is still my GP, and we both have a respect for each other.

 

[2131tom]

I am 60 in a few months time, for the last five years I have been on Ziclaseg and having no problems. But as I get older I find I am slowing down, I get home at the end of the day and just sit watching TV or reading and the BG has gone up :-/ I have just started on Metformin as well as the other pill, levels are slowly coming down, but at the moment I have a few stomach cramps which I hope will stop soon as I get used to the new pills.
So why did I write this great long letter? Well at the moment I feel a bit down. I have only just found this forum and to be honest I am pleased I did. I helps to know I am not alone with my condition.
Thank you all.

A much older friend of mine, now sadly dead, once said: 'Old age is a state of mind' and he was right. Even into his mid-80s and suffering painful arthritis he'd make himself take exercise or do the garden or some DIY, rather than slump into his armchair and watch the box.

I'm now close on 63 (God, where did the time go?) and I've just taken on 3 allotments, though I do still work fulltime, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I'm lucky in that I'm still physically fit enough to do that and I'm not meaning to sound in any way smug, but my friend was right: If I allow myself to feel old, I will be old, and I'm really not ready to do that.

Welcome to the forum. It's a great source of knowledge, experiences and empathy, from people who all give freely of their time in an effort to help each other. It's helped me enormously and I'm sure, given time, it'll do the same for you.

 

[HypoBand UK]

Hi @MG Alan Welcome to this amazing forum. I read with some enthusiasm that you like gadgets.