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Fed up!

L

Layne

Newbie
Messages
3
I started on insulin last july, which i hate anyway as i am needle phobic! i take 44 units (oh plus pills too!) BS is not too bad but goes up when i eat, i have also put on nearly a stone and my GP and Nurse say i gotta eat less ! What! if i eat any less i will not be eating at all! They are now saying i might have to go onto injections before i eat which i will NOT be doing, but because i am now so depressed hes laying off me till september with blood tests etc. I have nobody else i can talk to as each time i talk to thee nurse i come out feeling as tho i am at fault and extremely depressed. I am scared, dont get me wrong my GP is a specialist in diabetes, and really nice, but i just want to give up on the whole thing. Has anyone else felt this way??????
 
Hi Layne,

The psychological impact of diabetes is well documented. Constant anxiety about diet, drugs and insulin must be really getting you down and I feel for you.

You say that you don't eat much. Perhaps you need help with your choice of foods as even small portions of the wrong types of foods will make your blood sugars rise. Have a read through the excellent advice given to newbies by Ken/Sue and see if you can relate to any of it.

Keep asking questions and someone will try and help.

Catherine.
 
Hi Layne,

I don't think there will be many people with diabetes who haven't felt fed-up with their daily routine, it is tiresome sometimes, and can be very stressful when things don't go right. Simple adjustments to your diet can help to prevent the post-meal highs that you are experiencing, as Catherine has suggested, read the newbies guide for ideas on foods to eat, but be assured that you are not alone in feeling this way.

Best wishes

Nigel
 
As it's been mentioned here twice.......here it is ! :D


Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the affect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for your replies, i have read the article, (which is very informative) but i am not newly diagnosed. i was diagnosed in 2004 after having a heart attack, and have had to drastically alter my eating habits because of that as i have been left with heart disease and angina (plus all the other stuff - :lol: ) . The insulin has helped alot, as my BS was in the 30's ! my last blood test was 9.2 which has come down from 9.5 (yay).
Oh well - will watch those darn carbs etc ! Will also read thru this interesting site, see if i can get more tips.

Thanks again guys
 
The thing is that you don't have to be newly diagnosed to get benefit from it. I had a major heart Op CABG x 3 in 2004 and have followed that information sheet since around January last year. I have been a Diabetic for 13/14 yrs and I was stunned to find the difference by following it. It was the information about what carbs did which turned my life around, without it, I would have put on more and more weight, Bg levels would have gone through the roof and medication increased substantially.

Even Diabetic's who were diagnosed several years ago have learned things from that 'crib sheet'. Many say they were never told about certain things and were amazed that they were in fact being told to do the opposite by HCP's. Patently, for an awful lot of us that 'professional' advice just doesn't work. We are living proof of that, so take what you want from it.....it is useful to all Diabetic's.

Ken
 
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