diabetic nurse

Still very high though. Please remember to watch your diet as it will help to get those numbers down. Good that they are keeping a close eye on you.


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Have you tried not eating any bread, potatoes, pasta or rice? Just cutting those out of my diet has massively lowered my blood sugar levels.

Ally, don't get complacent about the need for diet control now that you've been put on Gliclazide as well as Metformin. The drugs help, but they are not a reason to carry on with a high carb diet thinking 'Oh well the drugs will sort it'. You have to signifcantly reduce your carbs as well - then you should see a rapid fall in your blood glucose.

Don't replace your bread with anything. Can't you eat a few pieces of cheese / ham alongside a few lettuce leaves and slices of tomato, without wrapping them in something which is making you ill? Do you have to mop up your gravy with something which is making you fat and lethargic, can't you use a spoon to finish it off? Who needs bread - nasty, tasteless cotton wool!
Put bread in its place! We need bread like a fish needs a bicycle. Show carbs who's boss!

We are all so used to bread as a staple part of our diet, that, at first, it's very hard to imaging life without it, but it is possible and you will feel miles better for it. Have more cheese / ham / lettuce etc. to make up for the bread. Have a handful of nuts. Find different snacks (or don't snack). Re-think your diet, possibly not all at once, but over a number of weeks. This time next year, you will be a new person. James and I barely recognise ourselves!
Sally.

RosieLKH said:

Have you tried not eating any bread, potatoes, pasta or rice? Just cutting those out of my diet has massively lowered my blood sugar levels.

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It's these sort of foods which tend to comprise the most dietary glucose to most people. Especially if they are trying to "eat healthy". Even a lot of so called "junk food" often contains lots of these. Especially bread and potatoes.

sally and james said:

Don't replace your bread with anything. Can't you eat a few pieces of cheese / ham alongside a few lettuce leaves and slices of tomato, without wrapping them in something which is making you ill?

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A "lettuce wrap" is an obvious alternative to things like burger buns, etc where the bread is partly there so you don't need a plate and cutlary.

As you know 30 is very high, did the nurse give you urine ketostix to check for ketones. Or get some from the chemist. As you know DKA could put you in hospital. So it's cheap insurance

I was going to suggest lettuce to wrap around ham, salami or other sliced meat. I'm finding that makes a good lunch. Also, celery. I spread pate, or Philidelphia cheese or mix gated cheese & mayonnaise and spread it in the celery. I find that quite satisfying.

For breakfast I have bacon and egg, or mushrooms and scrambled egg, or an omelette. That keeps me going for ages. Lunch could be soup or a salad, or lettuce wraps with celery.

Dinner is usually some green veg and meat, or salad and meat, with some berries and plain full fat Greek yoghurt.

I have loads of weight to lose, and I know I would give up if I were hungry or felt I was eating boring food, but honestly, on this low carb diet I am not hungry and I am enjoying my food. OK, I'm losing weight slowly, just 1lb per week, but on Gliclazide it is harder to lose weight, so I'm chuffed with what I've lost so far.

You can do it Ali. If you don't get your blood sugar levels under control everything will go seriously downhill. I know, as I can see what's happened to my own father. He can barely walk these days. All he does is shop for food and watch telly. I don't want my life to be limited to that.

There's a thread on here, I think in the low carb section, where people post what they've eaten that day. It's great for getting ideas about what you can eat instead of bread, pasta, etc. If you want to really change your blood sugar then don't just cut them down, cut them out completely. You really will notice a difference.

You can't cut out all carbs, they are everywhere, but by not eating any bread, potatoes, pasta or rice you will get rid of some of the worst carbs. Of course, I'm assuming that you are not drinking fizzy drinks either, or fruit juice, or eating loads of fresh fruit. Personally I wouldn't touch sweeteners either as i can't stand the thought of all chemical muck, but each to their own.

Sorry for the long post, Ali. I wish you well with your diet.

I switched from fizzy lemonade to fizzy water. I do miss my fruit, but I have cucumber or celery instead, and I've just started having a few blueberries. I like seeing my blood sugar levels stay in the normal range, so testing daily has been important to keep me on track.

I have fallen off the wagon a few times in the last seven weeks, but each time I just shrug and move on. Have a read of my I'm Rosie and I'm a carboholic posts to see how I've got on since I started my new low carb life!

i ate lots of fruit and loved bread, ate rice most days, i've cut them all, and no diet drinks just fizzy water. i found a recipe for scones using almond flour, almond bread and pancakes, so i don't feel i can't have them. i have seen my levels come from over 12 to staying mainly in the 6's, i've now lost 2 stone in 5 months, i know it will keep getting better, i did it by listening to people here on this site.
all the best

ally1 said:

i saw the diabetic nurse this afternoon, she did a prick test and level was 31, slightly down from 33
shes booked me in for another BS test in august as wants to check it every month because its so high
i,ve to see her again in august, sooner if i don,t feel any better, but she feels now that i,m on glicazide, ALONG SIDE MOTFORMIN, that my BS should start to lower

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What I don't understand is why didn't they send you to the nearest hospital to get your bg down to numbers not immediately life threatening?

I think ally is taking it as if the nurse isn't worried, it must be ok
I think I would be watching for ketones and asking for a jab to bring my bg down till the meds kick in

Sustained levels in the 30s are not just bad --- they are dangerous, and if your nurse doesn't grasp that then you need to see someone else. I would suggest arranging to see your GP immediately. And in the meantime read the guide to newly-diagnosed diabetics on this site and start following its advice on diet. 'lots of fruit' is not necessarily a good thing

I have cut out all bread, cakes, biscuits potatoes, pasta and rice, I have salad each night with some fish or meat. Some nights I have soup. I walk 5km every night approx 1 hour after dinner. It is not easy but the reward is watching my levels drop and the challenge is trying to get them lower. Diet coke is not good it contains an artificial sweetener that promotes liver fat. I drink sugar free squash and the good think is the drinks companies now do these squirty concentrates that fit in your handbag.
There is a believe in the NHS that T2 only need to test once a week, I think you need to test every day, in the morning like a fasting test minimum and perhaps 2-3 three times to understand the impact of food and exercise. Testing once a week is dangerous it is easy to forget or just put the high down to something you ate.
Please give up bread, potatoes, pastry etc you deserve a lower bg level. You say you eat fruit - what fruit, bananas for example are high in fructose my doctor who is type 1 told me this. When you eat fruit test 2 hours after to see the impact - fruit is not necessarily good, for example I love raisons unfortunately they are now a no no and so I are grapes - little bombs of sugar. . If I want something to nibble I reach for sliced green beans they are full of juice and crunchy at the same time or carrots sticks, again moist and full of sweetness with out the evil sugar.

I would be seeking medical assistance asap.

My private medical fund have a program that follows up on me every 3 months. Every single time, they go through a list of situations that indicate "seek medical assistance". On the diabetic side of the list, 2 readings above 15 in one day is the big one they emphasise. Your nurse sounds like a complete idiot.

Ally I stopped eating bread ages ago. Don't miss it at all, the seagulls and pigeons got most of it lol. Think it's time you got referred to specialist treatment at a hospital like I did and maybe you should consider switching to insulin. I've got used to the rigmarole of injecting and pricking now and things are improving. High BG's at 30+ mmol/L are DANGEROUS and will definately make you feel dreadfully ill like I did. One paradoxical thing is that when your sugars are so high you will feel EXTREMELY HUNGRY and this just sets up a viscous cycle. Keep your spirits up.