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diet, BG monitors and syptoms

J

Jillycoops5

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I am Jill and I was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago with type 2 diabetes. I am an ex nurse and let me tell you I have learnt a lot in 4 weeks lets say its been a sharp learning curve. I am still trying to get my head around the diet bit but I seriously needed to lose weight and th GP just said to me eat a healthy diet, I joined Tesco's diets and have a diet with diabetic support I have lost nearly 5lbs in two weeks but having read that you lose weight on metformin I'm not sure which it is the diet ot the tablets or both. I really felt I needed guidance with food and still do havinfg read that you need to be careful with stuff like pasta, rice and potatoes. :?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing now i now know why I was feeling so **** for such along time, I have been prediabetic/boderline for years over 8 years and I am sure that some of the things I had were symptoms of diabetes, I am just relieved that I have been diagnosed and it can be treated. It is great that there are forums on this site where you can ask questions, talk to others and get advice. Can I ask about BG monitors I have noticed that there are adverts on the site from pharmaceutical companies giving away monitors does anyone use any of these or does it depend on how much the strips are for them? I would guess if the monitors are free then the strips are expensive this the way they make their money.

Jill :)
 
hi Jill

Welcome to the forum.

Yes - youre right re the meters. The meters are free or not expensive - the strips are dear. I get mine from ebay £30 for 100. Lots of people like the SD codefree as the strips are the cheapest.

Some GPs give you one and give them prescriptions for strips - unfortunately thats very much the minority.

At first you'll be testing like mad, its a research stage to find out how your body reacts to different carbs - it's bloody fascinating too. Once you've got a good idea of what numbers you'll get you can cut down on the testing.

I'm 10 months in and only test about once a week now.

Re the symptoms - you'll probably come up with a few new ones in time that you wouldn't have thought was caused by high BG . For example I thought I had no symptoms on diagnosis, then 6 weeks into low carbing I realised the aches in my fingers had gone (I though I was starting with Arthritis at 43 - in fact my gp agreed) now all gone and fine and dandy

Mary x
 
Hi Mary,

Thanks for your reply about the meters and symptoms it will be interesting on both accounts monitoring and seeing if any symptoms disappear. I was thinking of getting a monitor as the doctor has upped my metformin to 1000g metformin twice a day but not due to go back for a blood test until end of December when i am hoping to be passed over to the diabetic practice nurse. Not a mention of me monitoring my BG but I know when it gets higher as about 11 am I start to get very tired and have had BG tested at one of these times and it was 13.2 higher than when I did a fasting BG 9.2. I dont know whether our GP'S will give me a monitor and strips but I very much doubt it cause everyone seems to be saving money.

Jill x
 
Hi Jill, and welcome.

Daisy1 will be along soon with the page of advice we give to newbies.

You may find that the advice many of us live by and hand out goes against what you have learned in the NHS, and what most professionals still hand out. Take me as an example - I cannot tolerate starchy carbs, and too many carbs of any sort send my blood glucose levels through the roof! The NHS recommended diet would be very bad for me. Instead I eat a low carb/higher fat diet, based on Atkins. You can find this in the 'Sticky Thread' section called Viv's Modified Atkins Diet. At the moment I'm eating less than 60g carb per day.

I was diagnosed early, with no symptoms, in April 2010, when I weighed 21st 4lbs (298lbs). I now weigh 238lbs, my BP is 122/78, my total cholesterol 4.6 and my lipid profile is excellent. My latest HbA1c was 5.5%. My BG levels are hardly ever above non-diabetic levels. So you can see that low-carbing works for me. I still have a lot of weight to lose, so I'm going to be a bit stricter with myself for the next few months.

Other people can eat more carbs than me with every meal and keep their BG levels under good control; we are all different! The main tool that you need is a BG meter and test strips, so you can check your levels regularly and find out which foods you can safely eat, and which make you spike too high. It's a steep learning curve, but it gets easier as you go along.

Try hard to persuade your GP to give you a meter and prescriptions for strips. I get mine on prescription. Tell them you really want to control your diabetes yourself, and that a meter will help you to learn which foods you can and can't eat. Once you learn that, you'll use fewer strips. If necessary, ask if you can test for the first three months, so you can educate yourself. NICE guidelines state that we should get testing kits as part of our education in managing diabetes (I think).

I use 3 pots of 50 in 4 months now, because I don't need to test as much as I did to begin with. I used to test first thing, and then before and after every meal, and before bed, which is 8 a day - quite a lot. The minimum you need to do at the beginning is before and after your main meal, keeping a note of your levels and a detailed food diary. A carb counter book is also useful, to check the carb content of the food you eat.

Have a good read around on here to see how different people control their diabetes; there's lots of information (eg on diets) and plenty of discussion (eg about statins). Best of all, there's always a fellow-diabetic around to answer questions, and to give advice and much-needed support.

I can safely say that being diabetic and finding this forum has changed my life. Diabetes is the best thing that ever happened to me :D .

Keep in touch

Viv 8)
 
Hi, Ive just changed to a One touch Verio IQ. The main reason for changing is because its backlit making it very easy to read, plus, its quick with test results.
 
Hi Viv,

Thanks for your help and advice its great to have all these people here to help. Still tyring to get my head around the food bit and its a bit depressing when you go shopping and see all the goodies coming in for Xmas, that we can't eat :(
Jill x
 
Hi Jung,
the monitor you have sounds good i need something that is easy to read, little numbers are no good or low/bad lighting so the baclighting sounds good.

Jillx
 
Hi Jill and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information that Viv mentioned which we give to new members and I think you will find it helpful. 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.
 
Hi Jill, try not to torture yourself by looking at all the Christmassy things, they will make you feel rubbish and its not worth it. When you get your diet just right, you will feel SOOO much better. Have a look at all the recipes on here, you will find yummy things that you can make to fill the gap, and you will know everything that will have gone into them, no rubbish additives.
 
Jillycoops5 said:
Hi Viv,

Thanks for your help and advice its great to have all these people here to help. Still tyring to get my head around the food bit and its a bit depressing when you go shopping and see all the goodies coming in for Xmas, that we can't eat :(
Jill x
Click to expand...

Hi Jill, welcome to the forum. Yes, you MUST get a meter, without one you will have no idea what foods you can and can't tolerate. You will see many of us have 'eat to your meter' on our signature. It is only by doing that will you learn and be able to bring your BG down. The SD codefree is the cheapest strips, you can get them on ebay or Amazon. Getting a free meter is false economy unless your GP is prepared to give you one and strips, and few T2's get them, as you will read time and time again here, and why the link to the petition is also on many signatures.

Stop thinking about food you can't have and think about what you can. Items for Christmas can be made low carb at home. I bake every single week, quite often a few times a week as well as making low carb meals daily. It's all very simple and the recipe section is packed with all kinds of things, from starters, through to cakes, muffins, bread and chocolate treats. Almost all have been home tested before posting, so they are tried and tested for taste, carbs and the effect on BG. Have a read through the low carb food section, I think you will be very surprised.

Diabetes is anything but the end of the world, the reverse is true for many of us who view our diagnosis as the kick up the bum we needed.

Good luck - Jo.
 
Hi Jilly and welcome

I had high sugar (20+), high cholesterol and high blood pressure at my diagnosis last December but all three are now in the past and I'm feeling loads better and back in control of my life mostly thanks to the advice I got from people on this forum. I'll warn you that the advice that the majority will give you here will run counter to that handed out by the NHS & DUK especially when it comes to diet. The results however are undeniable. I reduced by hBA1c from 11.3% (100) to 4.9% (30) in 6 months. My cholesterol levels are normalized and I've come of the statin I was on and my BP now averages around 115/75 rather than the 160+ it was doing. I've also lost 4 stone in weight and am now at a healthy BMI of 23.2. My GP and DSN fully support my new life style. I'm not cured as if I eat the wrong things my levels go through the roof but so long as I keep to my new regime I can maintain my levels at those of a non diabetic. Food wise it can be a bit of a wrench to start with but there are hundreds of really great recipes to try. No one can be "good" for 100% of the time but you need to be safe for the vast majority of the time in my opinion.

Diet wise it means cutting out all forms of natural sugar so the obvious cakes, biscuits, sugar in tea and coffee, non diet sodas and even pure fruit juices as they have loads of sugar. Next and just as importantly (but this is the contraversial bit according to the NHS) at least halve your intake of rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products. Replace with extra meat, fish, cheese, eggs and especially loads of green veg. Things like yoghurt are generally fine. If you want a small amount of fruit then "berries" are best and I find they won't raise your levels as high if you eat them as a pudding after your main meal. On the rice, pasta and bread you have left in your diet swap to brown basmati rice, brown or tri-colour pasta and the best bread by far is Burgen Soya bread that you can get from most supermarkets.

Try to do some exercise even if it is just walking. My exercise is simply walking the dogs each day.

When you get your meter start by testing 2 hours after you eat. You need to aim to be under 8 mmol/l as regularly exceeding 8 is where you start to risk complications such as blindness and amputations down the line. The NICE guidelines say under 8 mmol/l two hours after eating and between 4 and 7 at all other times. You can read about safe levels and the NICE guidelines here http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

At the beginning you may find getting under 8 to be really difficult if your levels have been running high for a while. If it is then also test before you eat and aim for the two hour after eating reading to be back at roughly the level of the before eating reading. If you do that then you should see a gradual day by day improvement until all your two hour readings come out safe.

If you can't stop the readings spiking high after two hours then you have a stark choice. Either reduce the rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals and other flour based products some more until your levels respond or if you really can't change your diet further then go back to the gp and ask for stronger meds.

The disadvantage of the extra meds route is many of the stronger meds that stimulate insulin production will make you gain weight as that is one of the primary things insulin does, it lays down fat. Remember that as T2 you are likely to be producing a good deal of insulin but it is not working properly (called insulin resistance). Any fat you put on will make what insulin you produce work even less efficiently as it will raise your insulin resistance further so you can end up in a loop of having to take stronger and stronger medication which in the end will lead you to insulin dependency as while your levels remain unsafe they are also killing of the very cells that actually produce insulin. In the end you end up as an insulin resistant T2 who needs to inject large doses of insulin because their pancreas has completely stopped and that is not a good place to arrive. People on the forum call this the drugs escalator.

The important thing is to recognize that which ever way you choose you need safe blood levels or you risk some pretty horrible complications down the line.

Good luck and keep asking questions
 
Hi. You asked about the effect of Metformin versus diet. Most of us would say that Metformin only has a small overall effect on blood sugar even at max dose; perhaps 1-2 mmol. It is nevertheless useful as it reduces your appetite and does help with insulin resistance and reduces the liver's glucose output. Diet is the key most of us have found. I would have been on insulin a few years back if I hadn't ignored my diabetes GP's advice to have a normal 'healthy' diet and as a result sent my sugars sky high.
 
Jillycoops5 said:
Hi Jung,
the monitor you have sounds good i need something that is easy to read, little numbers are no good or low/bad lighting so the baclighting sounds good.

Jillx
Click to expand...

Hi Jill sorry for delay in replying, yes I recommend the Verio IQ, but you need to keep it charged via USB or power lead.Tthe device lasts about 2.5 weeks on a single charge.

Good luck
 
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