Diabetes Education...here i come!

As usual, the advice will be of mixed value. The Hounslow introduction was roughly as follows:

Dietitian - low fat/sugar/salt, eat plenty of medium GI carbs, starting with multigrain bread;

pharmacist - develop a relationship with your local P. They will advise on medication, side effects, etc, & are much more approachable than your GP. Go at quiet times. Control of BG is very important to minimise diabetic complications, including heart disease, stroke, eye damage, foot problems, etc.

Nurse - will do routine checks & give limited advice.

Podiatrist - foot care is extremely important - any foot problems should get immediate attention - diabetics have a serious problem with amputations.

General - Eye care is important - diabetes is a major cause of blindness. Retina examination not only shows the condition of the eyes, but the condition of capilliaries elsewhere in the body. Keep to a BMI of 20-25 or lose weight. Get regular exercise.

The dietitian advice is best ignored - get your diet advice from this forum. Some has just commented on another thread that a good diabetic dietitian is as easy to find as a vegetarian butcher.

The dietitian advice is best ignored - get your diet advice from this forum. Some has just commented on another thread that a good diabetic dietitian is as easy to find as a vegetarian butcher.

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I followed it carefully - until I suffered crippling complications. Then I came here & learned to low carb.

I think those courses are good if you dont have access to great forums/websites like diabetes.co.uk. I mean these nurses should see the age of the person when they recommend these courses, if a person is young then most probably he would use the internet to educate himself. And talking directly to the people who have had diabetes for years is a great way to learn how to control it.

sharonmac said:

I'm more anxious about not knowing if I'm managing to control my diabetes or not...

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The board is so slow tonight or I would have re-read some of your posts to see if you do have a meter ... but if you don't, you should ... hell everyone should ! - I would not be able to keep my bg down without knowing what effect foods had on me - I seem to have no agreeable metabolic reaction to any colour veg but green - and I'm still trying to eat 1/2 an apple :roll:

sharonmac said:

So onwars I plod not knowing what I'm doing anymore...Dont know whether I should continue trying to low carb if my cholesterol is in her words *high*....Arrrgghhhhh

Sharon :?

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My cholesterol is currently 6.1 with a frightening ratio of tri's and ldl - but my feeling is this

If I don't lose weight = diabetic progression and probable heart attack
If I don't exercise = diabetic progression and probable heart attack
If I don't lose weight I can't exercise = diabetic progression and probable heart attack

High Cholesterol = probable heart attack (according to superstition)

basically I jiggered if I do low carb and I'm b*ggered if I don't

low carbing is the only diet that I've done that, keeps me full and helps me stay on track and the proof is that I've lost 41lbs since being diagnosed on 3rd May and to check on my Cholesterol situation I will badger the Dr every 3 months or so for a lipids test

I hope that choices do become clearer for you soon - whichever way you decide to control

Gilly xx

sharonmac said:

Thanks Ian...As predicted, was all everything that I expected and in my opinion, worthless when readint the forums...Was a specialist nurse that looked underweight and noone else....Given a workbook to work on at home ( all the same information GP had given), so basically wasted a whole afternoon and getting no further afield...Although, I was given my Cholesterol reading which was 5.74 ( a little high she said but no advice on how to lower it!)....told there was nothing I can do until i get my first diabetic clinic appointment which is due in around 8 weeks time....Was also told that they dont give out Monitors because it leads to extra anxiety (lame excuse if you ask me), I'm more anxious about not knowing if I'm managing to control my diabetes or not...

So onwars I plod not knowing what I'm doing anymore...Dont know whether I should continue trying to low carb if my cholesterol is in her words *high*....Arrrgghhhhh

Sharon :?

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Your triglycerides are a more important indication than your cholesterol readings. My last cholesterol was 5.8, but my triglycerides where 1.87. Keep them under 2, and you can afford to let your cholesterol go a bit higher.

Was also told that they dont give out Monitors because it leads to extra anxiety (lame excuse if you ask me), I'm more anxious about not knowing if I'm managing to control my diabetes or not...

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That advice goes directly against the advice by Diabetes UK. If we know how we are managing our condition, we can adjust diet, avoid spiking foods, & ask for specific help. Why should we be kept in ignorance?

So onwars I plod not knowing what I'm doing anymore...Dont know whether I should continue trying to low carb if my cholesterol is in her words *high*....Arrrgghhhhh

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Ask for the printout of your blood tests. Over the years YOU will have the log of your condition.

Low carb will help every aspect of your health, including cholesterol.

Hi, Sharon

Surely a least one good thing must have come from that wasted time you experienced on the course.

I tried to be positive on my course yet failed, still have bad flash backs.

Roy.

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

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sharonmac said:

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm going to go against nurse and doctors advice and buy a meter, after all, its my health. I need to see what works for me and what doesnt. I'll stick with low carbing for now and see how i get on with it. In all honesty, I just feel like giving up and letting fate take over, but I know I cant give up.
Thanks again for the advice.

Sharon xx

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Believe me Sharon, we have all felt like this from time to time, but giving up isnt the answer. As much as I Iove the food in a low carb diet, it can still get boring. My secret is, I never say I cant have any sort of food. If I want some chocolate, I will have it, but I will only have a small piece, or if I want some crisps, again, I will just have a small amount. A Mars bar for example could last me a week, and so could a ordinary bag of crisps. Its as much about keeping your moral up as keeping your BG down. Dont ever say I cant have this or that, you can, but be very sensible. Im T2 for 2 1/2 years, there is not one food that I have cut out completely, I dont have medication, and every HBa1c has been lower than the last one. Head UP!!

Hi all. this is my 1st post on the forum. I've been reading lots of posts but never posted until now.
I agree, the only way you are going to know what foods affect you better than others is to use a meter.
otherwise you are blind to it.

Sharonmac -DON"T GIVE UP xxx

This site is brill for information and the forum for advice- the more you read the more knowledge you will gain about diabetes. Chin up-we all get discouraged from time to time and it's right-a little treat will do no harm-don't beat yourself up-just start again. Good luck!

sharonmac said:

So onwars I plod not knowing what I'm doing anymore...Dont know whether I should continue trying to low carb if my cholesterol is in her words *high*....Arrrgghhhhh

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Sounds like she needs a bit of retraining. There is ample evidence that low carb diets REDUCE cholesterol not increase it. All you need do is to remove or replace the cholesterol causing bad carbs with other non cholesterol causing good carbs.

Bad carbs are simple carbohydrates, such as refined sugars, white flour, potatoes, and white rice. Such foods are digested quickly and trigger a burst of insulin, the main hormone responsible for converting food into energy. But the more insulin that is produced, the more likely that excess calories will be stored as fat, resulting in higher triglyceride and LDL levels (the bad parts that make up your cholesterol score)

Good carbs are complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, brown rice, dried beans, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. These foods are digested more slowly, so they do not cause an insulin jolt and are less likely to boost LDL and triglyceride levels.

Of course many of us have also found you can quite happily replace the bad carbs and even some of the good carbs (if your meter is telling you that you are still too high) with both saturated and unsaturated fats and still get perfectly normal cholesterol levels.