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another newbie

T

thrifty

Member
Messages
24
Location
Hartlepool
Dislikes
Rudeness and self obsessed people. Packed shops. Peer pressure
Just wanted to pop in and say hello. Was dx 20th Dec 2009 with type 2 diabetes. Assumed for years that the tiredness and blurred vision I was experiencing were due to the anti depressants I take to cope with the side effects from Tamoxifem which I have been taking for 3 years due to getting breast cancer in Sept 2006. Seem to have a knack for poor timing. Breast cancer right before Breast Cancer Awareness month and diabetes just before Xmas. Those relatives who had bought me chocolates decided to give them to me anyway. I find this really strange as I would have gone for someting else like maybe toiletries if I had been them.

I have just entered the diabete system so am waiting for appointments etc. Am on diet and exercise for treatment. Fasting bloods 9.6 and HBCA? of 8.2. Am on statins and aspirin. Not happy about statins but will give them a chance. Had loads of side effects from Tamoxifen and didnt want to take anymore pills if I could help it. I am working hard to lose weight....probably about 2 stone to lose.

On a personal front...Am 47 years old, married for 22 years to a lovely man and have a 19 year old son. He was 10lb 2 at birth a month early so it looks like I might have had gestational diabetes.

I am delighted I have found this site and look forward to reading all your posts

Debbe
 
Welcome to the forum Debbe.

Please have a good read round and ask us questions, there's usually someone with an answer.
 
Welcome, Thrifty, even though its a club we would rather not join :(

It is easy to misjudge our symptoms, & attribute them to ageing or side effects. I was fearful of loss of mobility due to leg muscle pains, it seems first that simvastatin was the cause, & discontinuing that cleared the pain for 2 years. Then the pains returned, so I could hardly get out of bed. At that point I joined this forum, & drastically cut my consumption of carbohydrates. My overnight blood glucose readings were averaging 7, & soon dropped below 6. In 3 months my weight had dropped by a stone, & I was playing tennis again.

We need to be aware of our bodies, & seek advice where there are unwelcome changes.

Hope your cancer is successfully treated & you are well again. Best thing to do with chocs is to open them at once & pass them round. (Especially if they are diabetic chocs - 1 or 2 shouldn't cause problems, but eat more & the laxative effect is serious :oops: )

Happy New Year.
 
Thanks Ian. I think I have read a few of your posts. I am typing this with a yorkshire terrier wedged down one side of me and my cat down the other!! Not easy :lol: I am trying to lose weight and am confused on carbs as diabetes nurses keep telling me to eat plenty which is conflicting with advice on here. The original weight watchers diet I followed years ago was a sort of counting carbs and proteins diet and think I will follow this. Recommended no more than the equivalent of 4 slices of bread a day. They were measured in terms of 1 oz dry weight of pasta and rice was 1 carb. 1 slice of ordinary bread or 2 of diet bread was a carb and 4oz of potato was also classed as 1 carb. Think if I stick to granary bread, new potatoes and brown rice and have no more than 4 servings a day I should be ok.

As a BC patient it is very easy for me to think that every ache and pain is something sinister so I try not to jump to conclusions. Not easy. I struggle as I like to know as much as I can about my health and I think that is why I have caught both conditions early. My parents, on the other hand, would prefer not to know so I have been brought up with the opinion of my parents that once you start going to the doctor they "get you in their clutches and you end up worse off". My reply to this is that I would probably be terminally ill by now if I hadnt gone to the doctors and then also my diabetes would have gone undiagnosed too. Ridiculous........

Off to give cat her thyroid pill. Have often nearly taken it myself :lol:

Debbie
 
Hi Debbie.
Welcome to the forum. Have a good look around. Any questions just fire away.

Interesting diet plan.....you will find we are all very different here. There is no one size fits all. :D
 
Thanks Cugila

I dont really know what I should be doing diet wise but need to lose weight and the original ww diet worked for me and encouraged you to eat healthily rather than the current points system which I think almost advocates eating what you like as long as you " count the points".

Best wishes

Debbie
 
hya debbie and welcome to the forum,
hope we can be of some help and support :D
 
thrifty said:
Thanks Cugila

I dont really know what I should be doing diet wise but need to lose weight and the original ww diet worked for me and encouraged you to eat healthily rather than the current points system which I think almost advocates eating what you like as long as you " count the points".

Best wishes

Debbie
Click to expand...


Hi Debbie.

I know you favour a WW diet but, does it cater for Diabetic's ? Is it good for weight loss AND good Bg control ? I should do some homework into the carb content of the meals/foods. Might be surprising if the experience of other members is anything to go by !

From my own experience of losing over 5 stone since January 2009 I found the most effective way was to reduce carbohydrates and portion sizes, moderate exercise 30 mins each day and drinking plenty of bottled water, around 2 litres a day. I still eat healthily and the weight is still coming off.
Might be worth a try.....and it's all free as well.... :D
 
IanD said:
Best thing to do with chocs is to open them at once & pass them round. (Especially if they are diabetic chocs - 1 or 2 shouldn't cause problems, but eat more & the laxative effect is serious :oops: )
Click to expand...

Guys, beware diabetic food especially sweets and chocolate, they may be only 2% sugar, but most of them are 98% carbs!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

My dietitian advised me that Boots are facing legal action and may be forced to withdraw their so called diabetic range.....

All the best Steve.
 
Hi Thrifty

Welcome to the club! :)

I can so relate to the cat’s thyroid pill! Absentmindedness can be quite scary! :lol:

There is lots of advice on here and I would recommend cutting down on the carbs as it has worked for so many of us. Worth a shot anyway!
 
Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply. I agree that I need to cut down carbs although I have been told that I still need them at every meal. I know now that I have stopped eating white bread and eat very little bread at all, I feel so much better. Also I no longer suffer from bloating. Maybe that is the wheat side of it.

What I am finding really tiring is the constant planning of meals but I shouldnt moan as I know that this is so much more time consuming for type 1 diabetics and others taking pills and/or medication. Also the uncertainty of it all. I have been told I dont need to test my blood and I am going to be shown how to do urine tests on Monday BUT I have never had a urine sample show any sugar???. I will query this on Monday at the clinic.

Again, many thanks
Debbie
 
Debbie.
Whatever anybody tells you about not testing your Bg levels this is utter rubbish. :twisted:

You need to test on waking, before meals and 2 hrs after meals for at least a couple of weeks and keep a food diary. This is the ONLY way YOU will know what certain foods do to your Bg levels.

Try and persuade the GP/.Nurse to let you have a meter and test strips telling them you want to try and control this thing. The only reason they don't want to give you strips and discourage testing is the COST to them ! Don't listen to the other rubbish they spout about it being stressful either !

If you cant' get a meter and/or test strips then buy one, it could be one of the best investments evr made. Controlled Diabetes means little or no complications in later life....your health has to be worth that cost for a while ??
 
I thought it important too. Am seeing a much more approachable diabetic nurse on monday so I will ask her. The problem I do have is that I had lymph nodes removed from my left armpit when I had cancer and I have to be very careful with that arm and hand to avoid lymphoedema. I am not allowed to give blood or have bp taken on the left and every tiny cut has to be cared for. This means I will only be able to test on the left hand. Will I get really sore doing this?

Thanks again for your patience
Debbie
 
Hi Debbie. I too use only one hand to test. I just use the same 3 fingers all the time, using the inside and outside of each finger.

I test anything up to 10 times a day and have no problems with soreness. Just make sure the finger pricker is set to the lowest possible setting consistent with a decent size blood droplet.

Check with your Nurse about using your left hand as the amount of blood you get is miniscule, less even than if you accidentally cut yourself. Personally, I wouldn't have thought this would make any difference as it is not the same as having a blood sample taken.
DO PLEASE CHECK FIRST THOUGH !
 
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