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Contact doctor or not?

Hi Roy,

thanks for your kind words, I have been pretty shocked by the great response I have had on here, it definitely makes things a lot easier knowing there is somewhere i can come and people to talk to about all of this.

I will look up reverse diet as i have never heard of it and am intrigued

Thanks Roy, all the best to you too. :thumbup:
 
I have taken readings thrice today, and I am excited hence this post.

This morning at 11am I recorded a fasting reading of 21.6

I had a shake and then at 13:40 recorded a reading of 20.2

Had another shake at about 16:00 but didn't take a reading as I am trying to conserve the strips I have until supplies arrive.

I have drunk nothing but water all day and then at 19:00 I had a cup of tea with skimmed milk and saccharin sweetener, and a meal of a tin of tuna, lettuce, cucumber, onion, green pepper and celery and have just recorded a reading of 13.7 the lowest it has been since yesterday by a considerable margin.

Obviously still seriously high, but this has bucked me up a bit and gives me hope for the future. I won't test again now until the morning, but I am smiling and feel good. :mrgreen:
 
dazzer1975 said:
I have taken readings thrice today, and I am excited hence this post.

This morning at 11am I recorded a fasting reading of 21.6

I had a shake and then at 13:40 recorded a reading of 20.2

Had another shake at about 16:00 but didn't take a reading as I am trying to conserve the strips I have until supplies arrive.

I have drunk nothing but water all day and then at 19:00 I had a cup of tea with skimmed milk and saccharin sweetener, and a meal of a tin of tuna, lettuce, cucumber, onion, green pepper and celery and have just recorded a reading of 13.7 the lowest it has been since yesterday by a considerable margin.

Obviously still seriously high, but this has bucked me up a bit and gives me hope for the future. I won't test again now until the morning, but I am smiling and feel good. :mrgreen:
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Well done Dazzer :clap: :clap: You are going in the right direction :thumbup:
 
Thanks Sharon,

I'd have been lost without this forum, thanks everyone for your help, advice and warm words.
 
That's a great result dazzer no wonder you are smiling. :clap: I find that testing give me a sense of power. Seeing results that reflect the effort I have made to tailor my diet to control my blood sugar is really satisfying.

One thing to keep in mind though. You may occasionally get a rogue reading that can make you wince. I once had a ham salad and expected a reading of around 5.5 two hours later but got a reading of over 14. <gulp> No home testing system is 100% accurate so don't let a single weird reading throw you into a panic.
 
I am thinking exactly that about the testing and the ability to control what I am eating via actual confirmation through the blood glucose readings. For someone who has always wanted to lose weight (and managed it on two separate occasions) it feels almost like an extra tool in the armoury.

That being said, I am back to being fed up again today, fasting result was 16, then post lunch was 15.2 and post dinner was 13.9

I was hoping I would see further reductions from yesterdays 13.7 :(

Another of my problems is a lack of patience lol
 
Dazzer, it took me MONTHS of low carbing and medication to get my levels down from mid 20's to anything approaching normal. Apparently, it's better not to rush it, as that's when you start getting problems. Keep on keeping on :)
 
Hi Tree-peony,

I have just been reading that on another thread about how long it has taken to reduce their numbers. I am on a steep learning curve and have many more questions than answers, particularly around the fat in the diet issue lol

I notice from your sig you are following a low carb diet, how are you finding it? Are you finding your own way through or following a specific laid out diet?

I should break out of this forum and head over to the food section... mmmmmm lol
 
I think mine was particularly stubborn tbh! For the first couple of months hardly anything happened. I kept a graph of my readings and veeeeeeeeeery slowly it started coming down. Yes, I low carb, and tbh I don't find it that difficult at all, except when I'm away from home with work. There are a few things that have made a MASSIVE difference to me - almond muffins (recipe in the low carb section), Splenda in tea, sugar free jelly (these should be free on the NHS), diet Irish Yoghurts, Weightwatchers fromage frais with fruit, and Ryvita crackerbread. All in moderation (except the jelly!!) of course!
 
Hi tree-peony,

I have just received a diary from accu-check so will be keeping a food and readings diary each day, I think it will be invaluable. My nurse has just been and told me i only need to test twice a week, but i am gong to be testing at least twice a day, to get my head around everything it is the only way for me i think.

Thanks for the advice on the low carb foods, I am going to get some sugar free jellies, they will be very useful for me. As for the chocolate 85% or not if i had one piece i would have the whole bar so I best keep away :lol:

Anyway, general update as the nurse has just left. She has prescribed metformin and simvastatin. I refused the simvastatin as i don't want to be on tablets for the rest of my life, at least not before trying diet and exercise first. As I believe it may be a possibility to come off the metformin I have agreed to take those.

I have what I thought to be neuropathy in my toes which was confirmed but apparently my blood circulation is good so thats a relief for the time being, hopefully as I lose weight and continue on a decent diet these complications will lessen and improve.

I will be hitting the newcastle diet as soon as, in hope that the next 3 month blood test will be showing considerable improvements... fingers crossed.
 
Good luck dazzer, you are in the best place for advice here.
 
Good luck from me as well dazzer.

Don't forget that we are here for you if you need us. We will be interested to hear what your experiences are once you start the ND. Some of our members started their own ND threads so that they could log their progress and we could cheer them on, you may like to consider doing the same.
 
Dazzer, you need to be testing MUCH more than twice a day until you get the hang of things, and frankly, twice a week is just ********.
Try testing before meals, and then again 2 hours after and try to keep your levels under +2 higher than they were before you ate.
 
Hi, Dazzer

Good on you for refusing simvastatan at this early stage.
If your on other medication, blood pressure tablets etc; they also may cause feet problems
( i am sure you have checked this out ).

I know nurses can prescribe medicines, However it worries me a little, ( I am old school type )

Good luck Roy. :)
 
Hi Dazzer, you are doing really well and your numbers are coming down. Keep at it!
I was diagnosed in May this year and was 9 stone overweight. Started on low GI, now low carbing and have now lost nearly 2 and a half stone. I don't feel hungry very much and if I do, I just ignore it. For me I had to stop eating bread, potato and pasta - too addicted but don't miss them. Love salads and cheese so no problems finding something else to eat.
I use two phone apps to keep track of blood results (On Track) and for calories and carbs etc (Diet and Calorie Tracker). The diet tracker adds up calories for the day which helps with the dieting.
I'm not using Metformin as I need the incentive of knowing that I am doing it 'on my own'. The Simvastatin has been binned. Two out of the three friends of mine that used it had problems.
I can only re-iterate that finding this forum will be extremely useful for you. The advice given here is very useful and everyone is so supportive. I have been using a meter for over a week before and 2 hours after and agree taht twice a week would be of no use at all.
Keep posting and tell us how you are doing.
Mary
 
hi everyone,

regarding the Newcastle diet, I will be using slimmm shakes as I had some of those in from previous attempts at weight loss, once they are depleted I will move onto slim fast and/or asda's own shakes. I will probably take vegetables once a day in an evening meal of broccoli, cauliflower, chilli flakes garlic boiled or stir fried (without oil) or made into a soup. I will be keeping between 600 - 800 calories a day. Fluid will be water exclusively.

Today i have had a "the biggest loser" bar which contains pretty much the same cals, carbs proteins etc as the shakes but is an alternative for when you fancy chewing something. I do not intend to have these very often though, it was just there so I grabbed it. I had a milkshake and soon will have a plate of broccoli, possibly just steamed or even raw (luckily, I adore broccoli)

Infact, I think I will start a thread on the food forums about the newcastle diet, will probably help me stay motivated too which is a very good thing.

RE testing, absolutely ********, if for no other reason than building my knowledge over time and to track results more immediately I thought twice a week was a ridiculous suggestion and will definitely not be being followed. Ok I thought i would test in the morning and then test after my evening meal, at least while on the newcastle diet, do people test before and after their milkshakes too for those who follow this diet?

Regarding tablets, I am gutted I was prescribed statins and metformin tbh, I know I said earlier I would take the metformin, I am in two minds now I am on the Newcastle diet and am thinking if in 2 months after the diet and there is no significant improvement I will start to take them then. I just can't get away from giving myself the chance to improve my condition with lifestyle changes, to my mind, at least in this first 3 month period, surely that has to be the preferred route... after all, it was sheer chance I chose to buy the blood glucose now, I could have been another 2 years or more before i had a glucose reading.

Hi Mushroom,

my weight is probably triple what it should be, I have a very long way to go, the bonus though... I suppose, is that with so much to lose, it should literally drop off me for the first few months.

Fantastic suggestions on the apps, many thanks, I looked yesterday on googles play store (use android) and downloaded a few but I always prefer personal recommendations to blindly downloading.

I too am of the mindset that over the long term bread, pasta, potatoes will no longer be a part of my life. Obviously i will yearn for them and it will be such a struggle, but this has put the fear of god into me and I will do everything in my power to manage this without long term medications.
 
Hi again Dazzer, glad you found the app info helpful. Using the diet one, I realised that I was accidently doing a 'Newcastle Diet' as I am only eating around 600 calories a day. Wondered why I was losing two pounds plus a week! For me it has to be 'real' food, so I can find a way to maintain successfully. I am taking multi-vitamins, garlic capsules and fish oil tablets so hoping these will replace the extras that come from the shake replacements. Sounds like you are definitely in the right frame of mind to do well.
My husband has devised a test to see how much weight I have lost. He puts his arms round my waist to see where his hands meet. It was fingertips only pre-diet, now he can hold his wrist so it's all good at the moment. 20 odd years ago, I lost 5 stone (and put all back on and more) and then we used to measure my weight loss in bags of cat litter - couldn't actually lift the amount I lost. Find yourself a way of comparing your weight loss - adds to the fun! All the best, Mary.
 
WOW, accidentally doing a newcastle diet, that has got to take some serious hard work, it is bad enough sticking to it when you know you're doing it and i'm only on day 1 :lol:

Good point on the multivitamins, I meant to dig out some effervescent multivitamins that I thought of using, I will go and get them now before I forget again.

that sounds a great way to determine if you have lost weight Mushroom, I bet your husband doesn't mind it either lol I used to go off clothes and how they felt wether i have lost weight or not but tbh absolutely frank with you, I will be following my numbers for the time being as opposed my weight, if I follow the diet religiously and the numbers respond I am sure, at least initially the weight must be coming off.

As an aside i have just taken a 10.9 reading, I am ecstatic.
 
Wow 10.9! That's brilliant! Well done!! I have to say that concentrating on my BG rather than my diet has been liberating. My numbers are good, I feel fantastic and have loads more energy, as a side effect I've lost some weight, but its not been my main focus. Keep up the good work.
 
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