Finding it hard

maxwellwaltzer · Dec 2, 2010

Hey all.

I was diagnosed with type 2 about 3 months ago, Was due to have my 3 month review this week but just realised ive missed my blood test !.

I was told to quit smoking and im really struggling with trying to quit, before being diagnosed i probably smoked around 20 ciggies a day.I have cut down a lot since then.

This is whats worrying me, Ive always had tingling in my feet (both) and a bit of numbness in my left leg from my kneecap down. My doctor told me that getting my blood sugar levels down will be a great help. Over a week ago i had the flu jab, Didnt get to many bad side affects but a couple of nights ago i felt really ill (flu like) A good nights sleep made me feel a lot better although ive had burning pains in my left leg more than usual (nearly all the time) could this be side effects from the flu jab?? Im really worried as im struggling to quit the dreaded weed and every ciggie i have im making it worse.

Maxwell

adm · Dec 5, 2010

Sorry Fella to hear the bad news....but now you are responsible for your own life.

STOP SMOKING NOW.

Yes, it's hard, but even if it's the hardest thing you ever do it will be the most valuable thing you ever do. If you don't, it WILL kill you. Simple as that.

Also - start on a low carb diet. No cakes. No chips. No sugar. Your symptoms sound nasty and you are going to need a radical life change to get healthy.

cugila · Dec 5, 2010

Hi Maxwell.
Welcome to the Forum. Have a good look around and any questions just ask away.

I see you have cut down on your 'ciggies' which has to be a good thing. However that is not the real issue here, it sounds like you are having problems with BG levels ? Do you know what they are at the moment, throughout the day ?

To try and help you decide which is the best dietary regime to follow here is some basic advice we hand out to newly diagnosed. You have to decide what you want and what you are comnfortable with. It is a lifestyle change. If you wish to be a serious low carber that is fine, however there are many ways to control your Bg levels and your Diabetes. Only you will know if you can do without many carbs, many have great control by using 'reduced carbs', low GI/GL methods etc. There isn't just one way. It is your choice once you decide what you want to do.........

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. 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.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of Insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause Insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

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 effect 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 !!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

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.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.
Ken / Sue.

maxwellwaltzer · Dec 6, 2010

Thanks for the replys

I find this healthy eating confusing, I used to drink heavily ( Id say nearly an alcoholic) in the day as well as strong beer on the night also, This was for about a year maybe two !.Then about a year ago i started having tingling in my feet,then my left leg started going numb,I just assumed it was the drink, I finally went to my GP and was told i was diabetic (T2) i also screwed my liver up a bit but hopefully thats now sorted.

Since i was told i was a diabetic i really have tried to stick to what i was told IE eating fish cutting out carbs etc etc quit drinking and ive lost two stone in the process.
My dietician gave me a basic list of food types and i have stuck to them, I have granary bread if not wholemeal, i have porridge for breakfast,oily fish like tinned tuna and salmon. I just seem to feel hungry all the time though ! Am i meant to be cutting potatoes right out of my diet??

My dietician told me that the numbness will get better when my sugar levels come down, It seems better some days then can get really painful the next.Have my blood tests tomorrow then back to see my dietician again on the 14th. Who be a diabetic eh

Synonym · Dec 7, 2010

Hi Maxwell and welcome!

Do read carefully the post which Ken made and you will see that it is important to count the carbohydrate which you are eating. Your hunger will probably ease as your BG levels come down. Many of us can’t cope with items like granary bread and porridge which make those levels soar and so have cut those out. You will only know what you can cope with by testing – we are all different. Explore the threads on diet particularly the low carb diet one.
Don’t try to do everything at once! 8)

Finding it hard

maxwellwaltzer

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adm

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cugila

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maxwellwaltzer

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Synonym

Well-Known Member

Finding it hard

maxwellwaltzer

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adm

Well-Known Member

cugila

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maxwellwaltzer

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Synonym

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