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Hello From Dumfries

DumfriesDik

DumfriesDik

Well-Known Member
Messages
224
Location
SW Scotland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Carbs
Hi everyone.

I am not a native Doonhammer, but have lived here for 14 years now and I love it.

Being a man of leisure, I enjoy paddling and can be found at Loch Ken on a nice day. I walk Meg the Patterdale terrier twice daily regardless of the weather, although at 13 she is getting slower and the walks shorter. I live with my wife Jane who is a veterinary scientist.

I am a wheelchair user. No legs due to an RTA in 1979. Those were the days when ambulance drivers did just that, drive ambulances, no paramedics back then.

I have been diagnosed for quite some time, but I have not responded to treatment very well until now. In the past I have been on the usual tablets with little joy. I tried Byduron, but was not really that impressed with the quality of the hardware. Then insulin, twice a day. I peaked at 180 twice daily and it didn't help that much.

However, it is not all bad news. The oral drug Empagloflozin (catchy name) is really doing the trick for me. A few days I have had normal (<8) blood sugars in the morning and evening, quite amazing.

I would like to get my average below 10 and I think it may happen.

Oh, and if you ever fancy going for a paddle in a kayak drop me a line.

Cheers

Dik

ps If you are old enough and remember the old arcade gaming machines that you could enter three letters against your high score, mine was always Dik abbreviated for **** or Richard. Just in case you were wondering!
 
DumfriesDik said:
Hi everyone.

I am not a native Doonhammer, but have lived here for 14 years now and I love it.

Being a man of leisure, I enjoy paddling and can be found at Loch Ken on a nice day. I walk Meg the Patterdale terrier twice daily regardless of the weather, although at 13 she is getting slower and the walks shorter. I live with my wife Jane who is a veterinary scientist.

I am a wheelchair user. No legs due to an RTA in 1979. Those were the days when ambulance drivers did just that, drive ambulances, no paramedics back then.

I have been diagnosed for quite some time, but I have not responded to treatment very well until now. In the past I have been on the usual tablets with little joy. I tried Byduron, but was not really that impressed with the quality of the hardware. Then insulin, twice a day. I peaked at 180 twice daily and it didn't help that much.

However, it is not all bad news. The oral drug Empagloflozin (catchy name) is really doing the trick for me. A few days I have had normal (<8) blood sugars in the morning and evening, quite amazing.

I would like to get my average below 10 and I think it may happen.

Oh, and if you ever fancy going for a paddle in a kayak drop me a line.

Cheers

Dik

ps If you are old enough and remember the old arcade gaming machines that you could enter three letters against your high score, mine was always Dik abbreviated for **** or Richard. Just in case you were wondering!
Click to expand...
High ****, I used to live on Dumfries. Loved it there apart from the weather. I am seriously looking at taking up kayaking as I have palmo pustular psoriasis. I have friend in Castle Douglas that is an amputee after a motor bike accident. Quite a small world, I guess.
 
Hello, and welcome from me, too @DumfriesDik .
What a cheery introductory post. Have you had all the info from @daisy1 ?
I just tagged her, so you should get that soon.
I spend a lot of time in DG area. Love the place. Shame about the sport centre DG1 though. Hope it reopens soon. Maybe I should brave the waters of Loch Ken for my swimming.
 
@DumfriesDik. What a great intro. Glad you seem to have found something to give you the control you want. Better late than never.
I've known a few Dik's from Scotland but you sound like one who could prove to be more interesting than most.
Keep posting and kayaking.:):):)
 
@DumfriesDik

Hello Dik and welcome to the forum :) I'm glad you have found a medication which suits you. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 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.
 
billywhiz2 said:
I am seriously looking at taking up kayaking as I have palmo pustular psoriasis.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

@billywhiz2 I know nothing about any psoriasis and its management, but if you think kayaking will help then just do it! Castle Douglas (CD as we say) is at the foot of Loch Ken. If it is a nice day which means no wind or rain when you are visiting your friend in CD, drop me a line if you fancy a paddle. I keep a double and single kayak at the Galloway Activity Centre during the summer months.

And the same goes to anyone else of course. On a Wednesday there is a small group of disabled sailors who go out on the water in Hansa's and or Challengers so if you think sailing might be for you, come along and I am sure you would be made welcome.
 
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