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Another Newbie

Plockton

Active Member
Messages
25
Location
South Wales
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Just to say hello to all of you.

Was diagnosed back in 2006 with Type II. Started off with diet control, but after my annual review last week my gp has added in yet another tablet - now I'm currently on 8 tablets for diabetes plus the associated statin/aspirin/bp tabs. :cry:

So, I feel I need to try and do more. I don't really know where to start. I've been reading more and more about low carb diets, but I'm not sure yet if that's the way for me. :?:

I've put on around 10lbs over the last 18 months - in part due to having given up the ciggies 18 months ago - after around 44 years of being a rather heavy smoker.

I've seen the dietician once at the very beginning and I accept that I could do more - but I don't eat sugar, not much in the way of chocolate/biscuits - I am a big fruit eater and can honestly say that I thought I was OK to do so - I'm not much of a veggie person so thought I was being 'good' getting in my 5+ day with fruit!! :lol:

So, where to now? The nurse did mention insulin - or a new 'pen' which I am to discuss with the diabetic consultant when she attends the surgery. Hopefully I will gain lots of new knowledge here on this site also so that I can try and work my way through this diabetic maze. :roll:
 
If you are being offered Byetta( a new pen?) you are one of the few. It costs a lot and they don't like to prescribe it. It's supposed to help weight loss as well as BG control. It's one of the few diabetes medications that does this. Most make you gain weight.
 
That's the one that was mentioned by the nurse. Thanks. Couldn't remember the name of it. I wasn't actually 'offered' it - just that the nurse suggested I could 'discuss' it with the gp/diabetic consultant. If it's that expensive then I dare say it wont be offered!
 
Welcome Plockton. I'm T2 too, diet only. There is some really good info and advice to be had here and I feel a lot more positive thanks to that rather than the info and advice I have had from my GP, not a criticism of my GP, I just find the inevitably progressive line the NHS takes very depressing.

I'm lower carbing and have lost masses of weight and reduced my blood sugar I have not eaten so well for years 8) I'm hoping my next HbA1c will be around 6% Getting to grips with your blood sugar and reducing insulin resistance by losing weight are the priorities. Low carb isn't the only way, but I'm feeling great on it and I can see the results fairly quickly on my blood meter. Have a look at the success story threads.

You say you don't eat sugar or much in the way of biscuits and chocolate, but starchy carbohydrtes like bread and potatoes and pasta and rice all send my blood sugar up to unacceptably high levels. If you are eating them, I'd imagine there is something you could do fairly quickly to reduce the numbers and maybe lose some weight.

Ask as many questions as you like! Welcome.
 
Spiral - you are so right about the potatoes/bread/pasta etc. :!:

I've spent hours over the last few days trawling through postings by others on the site and it's nice to know I'm not alone in experiencing some of the problems I am having at the moment.

I'm off on Friday to Bonnie Scotland for two weeks, but my aim is to try and generally reduce my carbs while I'm away - while still enjoying my holiday - and then when I come back I'm really going to seriously give that a go. I have nothing to lose that's for sure. At the moment, I am suffering with leg pains etc., and numerous other symptoms, which is really limiting my enjoyment of everyday life and I'm sure that some of my problems may be linked to my diabetes control.
 
Hi Plockton,

The leg pains you mentioned could be connected to diabetes, especially if you have had high blood sugar levels for some time. However, leg aches and pains are also a well known and very common side effect of simvastatin. You could try not taking the simvastatin for a week and see if the pains disappear. Stopping the diabetes meds for a week is not an option, but stopping the statin for a week won't create any problems and would prove whether they are the cause.
 
hya plockton,
welcome to the forum
 
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