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feeling alone :(

Seyiauetta

Active Member
Messages
42
Location
Kent
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cigarette Smoke. People who need to be reminded a gazillion times that I'm still Deaf even though I have a voice!
Hello everyone, I've just yesterday been diagnosed with Type 2 (My Father had it, My Sister had it, both deceased) and my other Sister has a son who died from it when he was 18yrs old.
My blood sugar was 21.3 and the hospital have given me a tablet called metforin. 2000mg. I'm suppose to tak 1000, mg in the morning and another one in the evening. It's upset my stomach and I haven't eaten since something small at 7am when I took the first lot. My sugar level is sitting at around 13.9, I'm a little hungry but I just don't know what to eat I'm a Deaf lady so unable to 'phone' and ask anything. Is there a way of finding a list of foods? or what I'm actually suppose to do besides take this huge tablet please?? Many Thanks, Rosa.
 
@Seyiauetta - Hello Rosa and Welcome to the Forum. @daisy1 will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive. Have a read around the postings and ask questions.
Metformin can give some people stomach upsets, but it usually settles - if not you need to go back and see your Doctor and ask for the SR version of Metformin.
 
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I don't want to steal @Brunneria s thunder but I know she has a list of helpful links in her signature one of which is Diet Doctor. If you Google it there are some low carb recipes there.
 
Hello, Thank you so much I'll look at them all. I'm only just finding my way around this site. I think I'm already on slow release. Well the box say's 1000mg prolonged release tablets Metformin Hydrochloride? If that helps you at all. I felt really unwell yesterday, dizzy , faint, had double vision and because I live alone I asked if someone would please take me to A & E. have never done that in my life because I hate hospitals. They did my blood and the next thing I knew they were taking loads from both my arms, asking if I'd eaten yet (I hadn't even though it was half 12) as I felt awful and the rest is history really lol.
 
I've not eaten yet since 07am when I took my tablets because although I'm feeling hungry I just don't know what I can or can't eat.
 
welcome Seyiauetta / Rosa

hope you will love to share your life and troubles with diabetes here
 
Squire Fulwood said:
I don't want to steal @Brunneria s thunder but I know she has a list of helpful links in her signature one of which is Diet Doctor. If you Google it there are some low carb recipes there.
Click to expand...
Thanks hun, tried that one but it say's limits which members can see the profile. I'll defo have a look at the ones you suggest though.
 
Hi and welcome!

Ooooh, you need a nice big hug and some useful info, don't you?
I will try and take it point by point, but if we miss anything out, just ask again. Someone will have the answer for you.

Firstly, you SHOULD have been told to start off on a low dose of Metformin, stick with that for a week or two, then up the dose a bit. Hopefully you are taking 2 tablets of 500 mg, so you can just take 1 for a while, then when your gut symptoms subside, you can introduce the next one?

Metformin can often take a few weeks of tummy issues before it settles, but if it doesn't, then go back to your doc and ask for the 'slow release' version. They don't hand it out to start with, because it costs more than the standard version.

Secondly, we type 2 diabetics have come a long way in recent years. A lot of us are now controlling our diabetes largely by diet, and are avoiding the progression and decline that your father and your sister may have experienced. Please do NOT assume that your diabetes will look like their diabetes. Many many people on this forum live full and happy active lives with type 2, so it really doesn't have to be the kind of death sentence that people often assume it to be. Managing Type 2 does take some lifestyle and diet changes - no escaping that! But if you are anything like me, you may end up feeling better than you have for years. I certianly do!

Thirdly, check out the links in my signature, under my forum post, as @Jaylee suggested.
The best one to start with is the 'Low Carb in 60 seconds. That will tell you exactly what kind of foods you can, and can't eat, if you want to control your blood glucose by diet.
Then the Low Carb Programme link is good because it takes you through a 10 week course (just a few mins a week) on how to make the necessary changes.

Hope this helps.

Please, ask any questions you like, and keep posting. This forum is a fabulous place to get support and help us make the necessary lifestyle changes.
 
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Seyiauetta said:
I've not eaten yet since 07am when I took my tablets because although I'm feeling hungry I just don't know what I can or can't eat.
Click to expand...

you can eat nuts and eggs

and full fat yoghurt in moderation like 200 gram.. but that also depends on the individual as there is kind of little sugar in milk even when not sweetened ... it is individual how much carbs our body can manage before getting more raised blood glucose.. to me for instance I can´t eat more than about 70 grams of carbs a day, divided in my 2 later meals of the day... but others are on about 10-20 grams and some can eat more than I do...
I have very high morning blood glucose I think and therefore I do eat mostly nuts for breakfast or cheese on an kind of seed cracker with not much flour in or sometimes just only cottage cheese..

later you will learn about the proteins that can also spike blood glucose but in a much slower way and not as much as carbs... but intiallly concentrate on getting sugar and potatoes and flour and corn out of your foods..

you can eat meat all kinds... and vegetables like all green leaves and to some extend tomatoes cucumbers squash onions and many more kinds of foods...

I know that Lidl sells some kind of protein bread in UK and you can also eat that in little amounts it takes some time to get ones head around all these Things about food we need to know... but you will learn that over the next month... don´t hate your self from not being able to know everything right from the first weeks... eat a little from what you usually eat and try to change your diet when finding out which are the worst for you ... @daisy1 will put a link here to you that has links to a Low Carb High Fat Diet that helps most of the people trying it... good luck with it..

but eat lots of nuts and lean chicken and Salads but without any kind of sugars also from the dressings... and if you wan´t your blood glucose Down fast go lower in calories than usual for the next weeks and don´t eat fruits at all the first 3-4 weeks..

I am from Denmark and maybe the guidelines are different here than in your country , but lately we are adviced to eat an little handfull of nuts different kinds every day
at the most eat 3 pieces of fruit a day.(really good for middle meals in between ).. and for bananas only a half... and a few kinds are so spiky that they are not healthy for everyday eating because of the sugar-spiking like mango and watermelon in big slices... but you will learn slowly and find your own favorites and ...if you measure your blood every day more times you´ll find out what your morning number is, how much the breakfast spikes you and if you then need to eat less carbs and so on with the other meals...
 
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Welcome. I advocate Nairns super seeded organic oatcakes. If you are feeling hungry test your blood sugar. The high number could well have come down!
 
I eat linseed bread bought from scotmid ( co-op) it has a spike of 0.6 after breakfast
which is toast linseed and zero fat butter (flora). It is a good breakfast choice or tea at night
 
@Seyiauetta

Hello Rosa and welcome to the forum As mentioned above, 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, in addition to the advice you have already received above.


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 210,000 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 free 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.
 
garrysteele said:
I eat linseed bread bought from scotmid ( co-op) it has a spike of 0.6 after breakfast
which is toast linseed and zero fat butter (flora). It is a good breakfast choice or tea at night
Click to expand...

Zero fat like in zero calories ???? never even heard of it ?
 
Hi, I totally endorse the advice Brunneria gives above. Especially about how to introduce Metformin to the body gradually over a period of several weeks. I myself am on 2x 500mg twice a day (2 g in all) and this is the recommended dose to aim for in time. But it often earns its nickname of Metfartin, but things should settle in a week or so.

The advice on Low Carb diet is sound, since reducing carb intake is the fastest way to drop those bgl figures. But there are several different variants of this diet and it is worth doing some research in the LC section to find one that suits you. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of cutting out processed foods (i.e. factory made) since these often contain hidden sugars. Even premade sauces and stirfry / curry in a jar is worth avoiding. The basic rule I adopt is to read the label. If the g/100g for carbs is 5 or less then its good, if 5 to 15 then eat small portion, and above 20 per 100g then it will probably spike your bgl. Generally the carbs includes sucrose sugar, but may not cover other sugars such as fructose, maltose which still can push up the bgl. (i.e. are hidden). Fruit is not recommended if trying Low Carb but berries can be included. Tropical fruits are deffo too much sugar.
 
asparagusp said:
Welcome. I advocate Nairns super seeded organic oatcakes. If you are feeling hungry test your blood sugar. The high number could well have come down!
Click to expand...
I find I can tolerate a slice or two of Aldi Seeded Batch loaf for breakfast or sometimes Hovis 7 seed bread. But you need to use your meter to see what it does for you. I can tolerate a sachet of microwave porridge on occasions, I use Lidl protein rolls instead of rice or pasta.
 
 
 
Pharmacies sell pill splitters for cutting pills in half safely. You could try halving them and gradually building up to the full dose a bit at a time. A delay in taking Metfomin is not going to lead to anything major over the next few weeks since it takes much longer to establish itself anyhow, but it may reduce the adverse effects you are suffering from now.

Metformin is not a fast acting drug, and its effect on lowering bgl is not the greatest, being 1 or 2 mmol/l typical. So you would get better results from low carb in that respect. Metformin is a good long term treatment that has benefits other than sugar reduction. (cardio vascular benefits). It also acts as a stabiliser long term. It is also probably the safest diabetic drug.
 
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