Diabetic musicians

Grant_Vicat said:

Hi @Japes I have just escaped from the 8th identical Good Friday service since 2011... See #19 for hypo at the organ! Happy Easter.

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Grant_Vicat said:

Hi @Japes I have just escaped from the 8th identical Good Friday service since 2011... See #19 for hypo at the organ! Happy Easter.

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mrsspenny said:

Hi, I am new to the forum, couple of years type 2, classical, opera and choral singer (sometimes paid but mostly not!) and have joined because i am pretty **** at controlling my diet so am looking for inspiration

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Grant_Vicat said:

First service ghastly, even though I have the use of a wonderful 20 stop 1891 Nicholson & Lord. Second service was wonderful, except that the organ was sweet but uninspiring. At the end (Lefebvre-Wely Sortie in Eb) a lady came up to me with a large Red Riding Hood basket stuffed full of Easter eggs. "Oh, sorry, you can't eat these can you?" I helped myself to a pink one and she questioned my orientation! Keep up the excellent work!

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Japes said:

Welcome to the forum @mrsspenny . Apologies for missing your post, and for not welcoming you!

I'll tag @daisy1 who has helpful information for new members.

I was originally diagnosed Type 2, but that's now being questioned, and I'm on insulin rather than diet controlled/tablets. But, when I was diet controlled, eating as few carbohydrates as possible helped a lot. I'm still inclined to that, as it's very clear too many carbs of the wrong kind of carbs for me makes me feel very unwell, but am working out how few I can get away with now I'm on insulin!

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• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

daisy1 said:

@garinsionfitter @mrsspenny

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.

Thankyou Daisy1 x

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.

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mrsspenny said:

Hi, I am new to the forum, couple of years type 2, classical, opera and choral singer (sometimes paid but mostly not!) and have joined because i am pretty **** at controlling my diet so am looking for inspiration

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garinsionfitter said:

I was just curious to see how many other diabetic musicians there are on here

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Jaylee said:

Hi @mrsspenny ,

Welcome to the forum!

I fully appreciate keeping the blood sugars at an optimum level when performing.

Regarding diet. Have you got a blood test meter? You will be surprised the effects of certain food on the system.
& may have a few pleasant surprises some foods don't..
A meter is certainly a great tool with your day to day diabetes management..

Regards,

J>

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Diane fluteplayer said:

Hi. I play flute for folk dancing (mostly unpaid these days since the guy I used to play with as a duo moved up North - a long way... ) I too go to Sidmouth most years ( mainly concert band and playing for dance workshops and downstairs at the rugby club with the loose knit band in evenings, where I catch up with friends! I also sing with an amateur opera company near home. So far no probs with gigs although I did once go hypo in the middle of the Messiah in Peterborough cathedral- terrifying: I was in the middle of a row and couldn’t get out. Made it to the interval but now I always take a small, black handbag on stage for concerts, regardless of rules. Opera is fine as you’re Ona and off stage a lot and I keep a snack in the wings. Little cartons of f out juice are handy (150 ml) great to know there is such a range of musicians on the forum!

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