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Diagnosed and Abandoned?

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Louby-Lou

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Hi there, my name is Louise and my 78 year grandmother was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes this week. The doctor/nurse hasn't really explained what this is to her and has said that someone will go to her house to talk to her about it in 3 MONTHS (?) Is this normal? Obviously my grandmother is a bit frightened to eat in case she is eating the wrong things, and my granfather (who is her main carer) is very set in his ways (and doesnt like change). Is there somewhere I can print a list of foods that she CAN have or a list she CANT have. I hope I am making sense....I don't really know what else to do.
 
Dear Louise - you have come to the right place to help you with your grandmother. Soon Daisy will repond with introductory info and others here who are experts regarding food will be only too happy to help you. Be a little patient. Good luck.
 
Hi Louise and welcome to the forum :)
This information which we give to new members will give you some guidance on diet which is suitable for your grandmother although it is not a list of foods. The only way to really know what she can and can't eat is to test before and 2 hours after eating when the readings should be similar. It is different for everybody. Then these foods are OK for her to eat. There is also a lot of other useful information here. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be able to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS


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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
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Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for that, Daisy, you mentioned testing...How does my nan do this? Do we have to go to the pharmacy and buy a tester? I'm sorry I'm a bit wet behind the ears with all of this. And, can you tell me what a 'Goog Carb' is please?
Thanks for this...I do love a good learning curve at 9am (ha ha)
 
In general the rules I use for food are:
Meat, fish, eggs and dairy - ok
Vegetables which grow above ground - ok but carrots ok too
Fruits ending in the word berry - ok

Cut out all added sugar, cakes and sweets. Restrict potatoes, pasta, rice, flour and bread. Basically if the food is white (except cauliflower and milk) eat as little of it as possible as most of these are carbohydrates and this is what raises blood sugar.

She needs to get a blood sugar meter to find out what foods are doing to her levels, but she probably won't get one from her doctor. Most of us on here fund our own.
 
Hi. Make sure that your surgery eventually i.e. within 3 months carries out a blood test to measure your Grandmother's Hba1C. This will indicate the body's average sugar level over the last 3 months. All diabetics should have this test at least annually. It can usually be done by a phlebotomist in your surgery; if not use the local hospital. The Hbal1c blood sample doesn't need to be a Fasting sample but the surgery may want to add a fasting test which will need to be taken early morning. A urine sample is also normally taken to check kidney function.
 
Hi Louby. Welcome to the forum and please accept an e-hug from me as you probably need one right now :)

Daisy's post with all the basic "things you need to know" is very helpful. I was diagnosed two years ago and felt very unsupported and that bit of information put it all in perspective.

Also, Denise's food advice is brilliant, as it puts it all in a nutshell really.

I've learned so much being on here and find this forum very positive and helpful. I'm sure you will too and do send my best wishes to your gran.

Dave x
 
Hi Louise :)
I'm not sure what "goog" carb is but it sounds like a typo to me and should read "good" carb !

You can probably get a free meter from the manufacturers if you phone them. You may or may not get a prescription for strips but many members buy them from ebay. But ask the doctor first if he will prescribe them. You may be one of the lucky ones !
 
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