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Hello everyone

Patrick66

Well-Known Member
Messages
978
Location
Dorset UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
People. Noise. Swearing. Many foods.
I’m Patrick!
I’m 52. I am Autistic, and also suffer from Fibromyalgia.
I was diagnosed about three to four years ago and apart from blood tests and the yearly foot check I haven’t had any assistance in controlling my blood sugar.
My tests have ranged from 57 to 67, although usually hovering around 61.
Unfortunately I’m due to have an operation and when my hba1c was tested it had gone up to 78 and they won’t operate because it has to be below 70.
I’m always very anxious and stressed which doesn’t help but I’ve had zero dietary advice other than to be told “Don’t eat grapes” and I have a very limited diet in any event.
So, that’s me...
 
Welcome to the forum @Patrick66. When I was told I was diabetic the only advice my gp gave me was 'don't eat grapes' too!
Which I don't anyway.
You obviously realise you need to avoid sugar and sugary drinks, cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolate. But you also should avoid or limit starchy carbohydrates - the worst culprits are bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and beer. Carbohydrates turn to sugar in our bodies so aren't good for T2 diabetics. You also should avoid fruit (especially tropical) and fruit juices, though berries are ok.

Your HbA1c results aren't too high and you should be able to reduce your blood glucose levels by modifying your diet. A lot of us on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (lchf) approach to eating has reduced our bg figures.
It involves reducing the starchy carbs and replacing the energy you would have got from them with healthy fats like dairy products (butter, cream, cheese, yoghurt and full fat milk), oily fish, avocados, nuts and olive oil. Any protein, meat and fish are ok too. Most vegetables grown above ground are good.

Have a read round the forum to see how this works and ask any questions you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive and you will get a lot of good advice.
 
I eat very few potatoes. Don’t eat rice or pasta. I don’t drink so that rules out any beer.

I’ve stopped eating grapes.

I do eat sweets occasionally but not very many. In fact my diet rarely changes so the big jump in my level came as a real shock.
 
welcome @Patrick66 Have tagged @Daisy 1 for her excellent post which will give you heaps more information about managing T2 than you got from your doctors.

It would be really helpful if you could let us know what you do eat on a normal day.
 
I’m not a big breakfast person so...I’m never sure what to start the day with.

Then lunch, being that I’m at work, is a tin of soup..

Home, evening meal..chicken, veg and gravy, steak veg and gravy...eggs on toast. My diets very conservative.

Apples, occasional satsuma,...

Not very exciting.
 
It looks as though your diet isn't hugely carby. Do you miss breakfast altogether, or just have toast or cereal? When you say you have apples - is it just one apple or several apples a day. Do you have a roll with your soup? What sort of veg do you eat - is it root veg (carrots, onions etc) or above ground veggies like brocolli, kale, cabbage, courgettes etc. Sorry for all the questions - I am just trying to get an idea of how many carbs you are eating a day.

Of course it is not just the carbs - anxiety and stress can also spike blood sugars.
 
Hi Patrick and welcome. There are breads on the market that are lower in carbs such as Bergen or HiLo bread and supermarkets have their own label versions of these advertised as High Protein breads. Tinned soups usually contain a high sugar content, is there an alternative you would be willing to try? An example would be cold meats, cheeses and a little mixed salad.

May I ask if your surgery is to correct a problem that causes pain? Pain, stress and anxiety can raise blood glucose levels and if you test at home with a glucometer this will show you just how much our bodys can struggle with these.

Are you on any medications that cause hyperglycaemia? There are quite a few that are well known for this.
 
Usually it’s nothing for breakfast.
No, I don’t have a roll with my soup. I’m really not into bread..or potatoes..or rice etc. I eat one or two apples as I’m not keen on them. Autism means a lot of sensory issues around food.
Love broccoli, cauliflower, peas.
 
Hello.
I have an umbilical hernia.
I’m in constant pain through fibromyalgia. Yes I see how much sugar is in the soups so will be looking to stop having them. Or stop eating lunch altogether.
 
Patrick66 said:
Hello.
I have an umbilical hernia.
I’m in constant pain through fibromyalgia. Yes I see how much sugar is in the soups so will be looking to stop having them. Or stop eating lunch altogether.
Click to expand...

Ouch! Very painful. Hopefully, after lowering your carb intake while raising the amount of healthy fats in your diet your HbA1c should start to come down nicely but do not starve yourself, eat when you are hungry.
 
I would.

If I could find stuff to eat that I enjoyed. Being Autistic I just find very few foods I enjoy and it’s usually stuff I shouldn’t eat

Perhaps I need to make myself a salad for lunch every work day. But breakfast is a real struggle.
 
Patrick66 said:
Hello.
I have an umbilical hernia.
I’m in constant pain through fibromyalgia. Yes I see how much sugar is in the soups so will be looking to stop having them. Or stop eating lunch altogether.
Click to expand...

Please don't stop eating lunch all together if you are hungry. Try the soups which are lower in carbs first. There was a discussion on tins of soups here on the forum and members found some very low carb ones. I will try and find the discussion for you.
 
Hi @Patrick66 - Welcome to the Forum .
(I also had a Umbilical Hernia though surgery was performed on mine when I was much younger).
 
Thank you all.

Interesting about the soups although, unfortunately, there’s not much there I can eat. Don’t get me started on my inability to cope with Tomato soup!.

I will have to see what else tempts my tastebuds or throw together a salad for work.
 
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