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Can Anyone Help Please

J

JohnnyAngel57

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
I've just done a blood test which is the first for about 4 days, as I'm on diet only, and I'm gobsmacked to find it is 19.8, as I've never had such a high result before, the previous highest was 16.4 which was a one off. I admit I pigged out on rathe a few bars of milky way chunky bars throughout yesterday, and I only had 2 shredded wheat or netwheat as its called, and a few cornflakes with skimmed milk and shop version of canderell, so could that have caused the spike. I'm taking simvastatin for my cholesterol, just been put on Ramipril 2.5mgs for slight blood pressure rise though I'm feeling very down and like I'm staring into a black hole, plus I'm onamitriptyline 10mgs for the pain in my legs, but they are like smarties they feel useless, as its made no difference. my elbow points hurt to the touch, and the muscles between my upper and lower arm really hurt if I move them quickly as though I've sprained them but I haven't. My legs are swollen and I've got like a few sores on the right leg and quite reddish. Bar that I feel great lol. Can anyone help me as at the moment I'm panicking to say the least
Cheers,
John :shock:
 
Hi Johnny

I can't comment on the pains you're experiencing in your arms and legs and would suggest you seek urgent medical advice about those.

But with regard to your BG spike, a "few" chocolate bars, shredded wheat, cornflakes and milk are perfectly capable of causing a reading of 19.8! I'm sure you know already that the chocolate will dump a huge amount of sugar and unhealthy fats into your body. But you may not be aware that the simple, processed carbohydrates in the cereals will also covert easily into sugars and further raise your BG.

I don't know what sort of things you usually eat but if you haven't already done so, I would strongly recommend that you read some of the posts on this site with regard to low GI diets and reduced carb diets and give one of these a go. If you are to control your diabetes by diet alone, the simple truth is you can't afford to 'pig out' to that extent.

I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but the simple fact is that a BG of 19.8 is EXTREMELY dangerous even if it only happens periodically.

You seem to be having a lot of health problems and I do sympathise wholeheartedly, but your diabetic control is one thing you can do something about and a healthier diet will also help your cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention helping your general health and well-being.

I am a dietitian and a T2 myself. If you need any information or have any questions, I will be happy to help - please PM me if you prefer.

I know everything seems bleak now but please do make use of the great information and experience on this site to help you.
 
I second Mrs Pugwash
Eating 1 chocolate bar is not going to do much for a T2 on diet control. Several will easily put you up to 19.?
I'm T2 on Metformin and I think twice about 1 square of chocolate.
If you want to improve your health, you need to look carefully at your BG control and diet.
 
Thanks Mrs pugwash and hanadr for your help, this has been a right eye opener, as I've been led to believe that as I was basically following a weightwatcher diet that I was ok, though I admit I was shocked when I realised how much chocolate I'd eat, it was a touch of just getting them without really taking much notice, and when I saw the bs tab I nearly fainted. I usually eat things like chicken breast, new potatoes, & veg which could be either carrots colly/brocoli or peas or baked beans. Sometimes I will have a processed meal such as birds eye lasagne or a chicken tikka with rice in a pack. Again I might have some frozen oven chips low fat and chops with spray fried eggs. I don't use salt or sugar, as we have lo salt, but I don't even use that hardly if anything I sprinkle garlic crystals over my food with pepper. Today before breakfast I tabbed at 10.7; I had oatsosimple made with water for brekkie with a banana, and after an hour I was 14.2, and after 2 hrs back to 10.7. I was 7.7 before late lunch so I only had an oatsosimple on its own and afte an hour was 10.6 then after 2hrs 7.9. For dinner we had cornbeef hash which was cornbeef mixed with mash, and a tin of beans, and it went to 12.4 after 1hr and then on 12.5 after 2hrs.
Ever since I can remember holding food bymyself I've eat potatoes, and I thought in moderation I could still?? plus we live off chicken breasts which I cook myself, and the occasional processed meal. I only wish I could exercise but its no chance unfortunately, and with lack of sleep as well as I'm lucky to get 4 hours together its usually a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there. I'd give anything to be able to sleep 8 hours I can't remember when I last did
Sorry to go on, just thought I'd show it hows its been lately. I forgot to add I'm on simvastatin, and rampiril for blood pressure, plus amatriptylene 10mgs which is supposedly to stop the pain in my arms and legs, but I might as well be taking smarties for the good they are
 
Hi Johnny
I totally agree with Mrs Pugwash, you need to have a serious re think about your diet, some of the foods you are eating would send my blood sugars into orbit:

carrots,frozen oven chips low fat, baked beans,peas,birds eye lasagne,mash,rice,oatsosimple banana,
Click to expand...

Also google simvastatin side effects, this may explain some of your muscular problems.


Graham
 
wow Graham, that's a h£ll of a shocker: I googled simvastatin, and nearly fainted it was as though I was reading about myself. Severe muscle pain feeling as though I've got a sprain in both arms though the left worse than the right, and elbow painful to the touch. My legs are ache so much especially first thing in the morning; if I didn't have 2 bannisters I wouldn't get downstairs plus I generally feel like garbage, so I'm going to try and get an appt tomoro morning and if not go down to the A&E and see what they say. I don't think it's bird flu as of yet I haven't got a desire to climb a tree and **** on car windows :lol: I'm definitely going to start looking at some menues to give me some ideas for alternative food to eat thanks to all
Cheers,
John

Even typing hurts the elbow pain and any other such finger movements
 
hi JohnnyAngel57,
a personal story... I'm T2 and was having all kinds of pains and aches in the earlier part of this year and felt generally lousy much of the time. Now I've hardly any pains any more. Know what made the difference? Going onto a strict low-carb diet and starting to test my own levels several times a day. That's all. No other medications. Basically, high levels (anything above 8, basically) cause you all sorts of problems, so getting them down and keeping them down is the most urgent way to improve your health. Without kidding, after only a couple of weeks of low-carbing I already felt a difference, and things have continued to improve. Now my morning fasting levels tend to be around 6.1, whereas when I was diagnosed they were 17.6!
For pains in the feet (which in my case are still not completely gone) I recommend a vitamin supplement called alpha lipoic acid, 200mg three times a day, plus another, GLA (evening primrose oil), 300mg three times a day. It's expensive but has really helped me. Dr Richard Bernstein recommends this and I have a great deal of faith in him.
Good luck - and believe me, things *can* get better.
 
Hi John
Although simvastatin can cause muscle pains, Poor blood glucose control is another likely cause.
What you wrote about your normal diet tells me you are watching out for FATS, rather than carbs. Fats don't put your BG up and you need to keep to about 5 at all times. Even the non-low carbers, still need to keep an eye on the carbs.
It's even more important if you don't use medicines, because diet control is control by what you eat.
I would say at the moment that you don't have control.
What are your usual BGs like? and Hb A1c?
Go see your doctor and tell him about that "High" and ask for more strips so you can have a week or so of intensive checking to bring your numbers into the normal ( around 5) range.
The traditional weight watchers diet isn't much use for BG control, since it's based on low fat/low calorie. They say they have something suitable for diabetes now, but I haven't seen it and so can't judge.
You need to find the diet that suits your taste and your BG. It could be Reduced carbs, Atkins, South Beach, Protein Power or GI or Bernstein or some invention of your own. BUT you MUST get it under control, or you will pay a heavy price.
 
Hy Hanadr, Our surgery/trust has stopped doing slimming world, and apparently I can get free vouchers for 12 weeks doing the diabetic weightwatchers so I'm thinking of seeing tracey our nurse and asking to try this,
Wow my fridge freezer is full of foods great for weightwatchers but apparently not for diabetics. All the lists I had been given were promoting high carb stuff low cal, and its basically how i've eat for 50 + years always bread & potatoes, so its going to be a hard but necessary step to change it all its just understanding it; all these figures I've read quoted absolutely lose me (I never was good at maths at school - history was my subject with english lol) so its hard to get my head around it all. I only wish I had been given all this low carb info when I was diagnosed last may. Thanks for you help; How does scrambled eggs & 3 nutty fresh hovis toast with chopped tomatoes sound for brekkie as I can't think of anything else to have as I normally live on cereals unless I have cooked brekkie of sossies egg & tomatoes or beans on toast. I'm going to try and get an appt with my dr tomoro to see about this arm/leg pain, as I can't lift even non heavy items without pain.
Cheers,
John
 
Hi John, I suggest that you get the Collins gem carb counter book,look up the carb values of all the things that you like to eat and then work out a menu for yourself. Bread ,potatoes,pasta and rice are high in carbs and should be eating only in very small portions or not at all!!
Going by your last post you may also like to think about cutting down your portion sizes!!Try eating off smaller plate for instance, it's amazing how full you feel after.
 
Hi,

I'd just thought that I'd wade in. You should assume that the simvastatin isn't causing the muscle pain, and instead assume it's poor blood sugar control. But you need to have a rethink of your diet.

Chocolate bars are not a good idea. Ever. Although I regularly enjoy cereals (all-bran and cheerios mainly), but you're body converts these carbohydrates to glucose ready for respiration. So you need to respire more (I go for a 30-minute jog an hour after a meal), whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Good luck with your diet and make sure you don't get anymore 19.8s. We want at least single digits.
 
Hi John,
Following on from the previous posts, yes it could be neuropathy causing your muscular problems through prolonged high blood glucose levels, but don't ignore the side effects of statins, your quote:

My legs are ache so much especially first thing in the morning; if I didn't have 2 bannisters I wouldn't get downstairs plus I generally feel like garbage
Click to expand...

This mirrors the same problems I had while on simvastatin it was the worst experience of my life I've never felt so ill.

As regards your diet listen to Mrs Pugwash she is a qualified Dietitian who also happens to be a T2 diabetic.

Best of luck
Graham
 
Thank you everyone for you help, just to let you know I've managed to get an appt with my doc for 10.40 this morning, so here goes let's see what happens. I'll keep you posted. I only had 2 meals yesterday but wasn't hungry (I think the worry of it had a bit to do with that) and I finished up last night at 7.9, and this morning before brekkie I am 8.7, so its coming down, but not enough and not quickly enough and just had oatsosimple with water for my brekkie.
cheers,
John
 
G'day Johnny

I only have time to drop in here occasionally, so I skim through the latest posts when I do.

I noticed that there has been a division between the low-carb and high-carb camps since I was last here. I hope you won't be offended when I say that when I read your opening post, and your next two, I initially didn't take you seriously. I mistakenly thought you might be a high-carb follower trying to stir up the low-carbers on one of the areas where they still talk to each other.

I have read all the posts and I apologise for not taking you seriously. I can see now that you are genuine. I'll ask you to accept that I am too. It is difficult to go through the appalling menus you describe without sounding critical, so I won't. Instead I invite you to forget everything you ever learned about "eating healthy" and start again with some very radical ideas.

If you are prepared to give it a try and start again, please read these three links and then put them into practice (click on the coloured text):
What to eat at first
Test, test, test
Getting Started
 
Beware of Dr H - he is not experienced & repeats the NHS party line. Simvastatin caused me serious muscle pains - it became painful to get out of bed. Stopping it gave relief in a few days.

I followed the NHS/DUK diet for 8 years - until muscle pains set in & I feared becoming disabled. A drastic reduction of carbs restored my active life.

 
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