Hello from Catfan.

catfan

Well-Known Member
Messages
202
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Too many to list.
Hi, joined today name is Mike, been T2 for about 15 years & now because of side effects fom Metformin & Sitagliptin I have been advised to consider Insulin injections.

Other medical problems as well, taking lots of meds !
Angina, PAD,B/P. High Cholestol.
 
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Paul59

Well-Known Member
Messages
954
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi & welcome.
First, have you been following the Nhs advice on controling your condition?
Second, what would be a normal days food intake be?
 

catfan

Well-Known Member
Messages
202
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Too many to list.
Normal meals consist of no breakfast, mid day lunch (usually cooked dinner) & a light tea consisting of a sandwich & a lot of fruit.

What is the NHS advice on controlling my condition ?

Talking to the nurse last week & she said my HbA1c was 75, whatever that means !

Thanks for the reply Paul.
 

Paul59

Well-Known Member
Messages
954
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Well from what you describe about meals, that is basically the Nhs advice, & many have found that a few yrs down the line things start to go wrong & insulin is introduced in most cases,
Many on here follow the low carb higher fat way of eating & find it to be really good for lowering glucose levels & many more things, to the point where some stop insulin & other meds aswell.
Maybe you should consider this way of eating & your glucose level should be a lot lower in a short time.
 
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noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
Hi Mike and welcome to the forum :)

I'll tag @daisy1 as she has some basic advice which you should find useful.
 
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catinahat

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,408
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Reality tv
Hello catfan
You've been T2 for 15 years! It's a pity it's taken you so long to find this forum.
But better late than never,
I'll tag @daisy1 for you. She will give you some info that will help you understand how you can get your blood sugar levels down
And hopefully avoid having to go on to insulin.
Knowledge is power, the more you learn about diabetes the easier it is to get control.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@catfan

Hello catfan (me too) and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Following the advice on carbs and diet should help you control your levels better. Ask questions and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 over 140,000 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-and-whole-grains.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 bloodglucose 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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PatsyB

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,956
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Diabetes
hello, I hope you have much fun reading the forum as there is a loads to read :)
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,650
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. Your HBa1C is very high and does need to be brought down. Can you let us know what your BMI is and also your age . Your diet doesn't look too bad but any way of keeping the carbs down will help. What problems are you having with the Metformin and Sitagliptin? Are you on any steroids? It sounds like insulin may now be needed but be aware that it is not ideal in combination with excess weight so let us know where you are on that.
 

catfan

Well-Known Member
Messages
202
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Dislikes
Too many to list.
Couple of stone overweight ! ,age 62, no steroids.
Side effects are Heart Burn, excess acid, loss of appetite, unable to finish a meal.
Meds are Metformin x 2G & Sitagliptin x 100mg plus various BP Meds & high dose (80mg) Atorvastatin.

However doing a lot of reading on THIS forum I decided to try something before I go back to the nurse. I was eating far too much fruit & carbs so now have started a LCHF diet, amazingly I had never heard of this before.

It was'nt until I changed my GP recently that all this came to light, this GP practice are very hot on diabetic reviews, I never was offered any advice or courses with my previous Dr.

Will keep you posted & thankyou for your reply.
 
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Patricia21

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,764
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Animal crualty
Hello and welcome.
Read round lots of advice.
All the best.
 
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Amanda61

Well-Known Member
Messages
342
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
You will feel so much better Catfan, when you go on the LCHF diet.
Most if not all your other ailments should go.

Good luck and welcome to the forum :)
 
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