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Controlling T1

J

JJWM

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Hi guys,

As posted in another thread (when I first joined) I'm really hating having diabetes and everything that comes with it (I'm sure we all do). BUT saying that, I do actually want to control it and be able to live that "Normal Life" as doctors say. So with the help of you guys and my nurse. I would like to start fresh and "Try" and stabilize. Any guidelines which you could give me on controlling diabetes would be great.

Plus there are things I want to do in life which means I need to be stable to do them.

my last 3 Hba1c were: (? means i'm not sure on the last two digits)

10.?
12.? (April 2010)
11.? (December 2010)

I'm supposed to be on carb counting but it really does my head in. I have kind of learned how to just take insulin without counting. I would give myself say .... 10 units here an there. It works sometimes.

So any help you guys can give, would mean a lot.

Thanks
JJ
 
I'm sure someone will be a long later with some more info about carb counting, but in the meantime my suggestion is buying yourself a book called 'carbs & cals', or you can get an iPhone app for it. We use it for my kids when we go out or at friends. It is a visual guide to counting carbs which is really easy to use. Hope it helps and best wishes for 2011!
 
JJ.
Good positive way to start the New Year........ :D

So, back to basics then. It doesn't hurt to do a 'revision' course once in a while. Have a read of the info here first off, then I am sure other T1's will be along to get you back in the 'groove' again.
Some of the information will be helpful, some you already know, some may be new to you.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, Diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy Carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting Carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total Carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a Diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the Nurse/Doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own Diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Ken / Sue.
Click to expand...
 
Carb counting can be confusing to start off with, but once you start to understand the concept of the foods, and the other factors that are involved when you working out your insulin dose it all makes better sense.. Control isn't all about carbs and insulin..

Best way to start is get your self, scales, carb count book, your diabetic monitoring book + another note book...

You need to create a picture/diary the more information you includ the easier it's going to be to work out!

Information to note down

BG's, before and after meals,+bedtime
Amount and type of carbs eaten
Insulin Doesage + any correction insulin or carbs
Exercise, type length
FActors, such as are you stressed, ill on hols etc

You can get a BG meter like the Lifescan Ultrasmart that has an electronic log book, where you can enter all this information, You can up load all the information onto a PC, the software is free download, and lifescan will send you the cable free of charge (I used to use this meter before I had a pump)

I would also invest in either Using insulin by John Walsh or Think like a Pancreas both very good and well written books for controling diabetes with MDI regime (carb counting)

Also ask your nurse about what carb counting course they do, if you'll lucky it be DAFNE (the best) but some hospitals have opted for their own version (cheaper) and get yourself booked on this...

It will take a lot of effort to start with, as you will be testing at least 5-6 times a day, then if at any time you feel hypo/hyper, before and after exercise etc..

But without collecting the necessary data to see what is happening and what effects what, you stand no chance of finding how to control your diabetes... Time and effort well spent once you've up and running it does get easier and monitoring etc can be reduced to more easier levels...

AS for the Guidelines that Ken has posted, don't get yourself too hang up trying to achieve these straight away, it's better to plan smaller steps of achieveable goals.. Say stablilize your range, then start to reduce them down to where they ideally should be..

Good luck, ask questions, remember no question is silly if you don't know the answer
 
Hi ya, what a fab way to start the new year, with a positive plan! Fab advise already from Jopar re: carb counting but to add my tuppence worth, please don't 'guess' your insulin dose. No good will come of that! lol! Been there, done that, had the hypo's :roll: I would guess after 2 months or so of carb counting with the books and your notes to hand all the time, you will start to be able to 'read' the carbs you are eating from memory, it is a lot less complicated that it looks to calculate! Do you have a calculator on your phone? Best invention ever for a maths numptie like me :lol:

Good luck! Keep us posted :D
 
Good on you for having a fresh approach for 2011. I'm sure you'll manage to do all the things you want even if you do have to manage diabetes at the same time. It really is just a big balance beam of exercise, food, water and insulin. Other factors get in the way from time to time but it's the majority of the time that counts. Carb counting and knowing your carb ratios will make it much easier to keep stable levels.

It can take several weeks to stabilise levels so just take one day at a time.
 
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