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Hello. I'm fustrated

U

Una

Member
Messages
8
Hi,
I was diagnosed as type 2 at christmas,age 47 after a Funny turn which was not so funny December, after massive kidney infection, and numerous other indicators(I now know were linked). I had been so busy for the last 2 yrs, moving son to uni then 89yr motherinlaw to a newtown and doing everything for her renovating the property etc.working FT and my own home. I just put it all down to exhaustion!
No Its T2.
My GP though lovely and one of the best normally, Sorted out the infections, though the doses made me worse before i improved, wow it was a good xmas :roll: told me to read about it on the net! the NHS info,and said [ keep away from processed starch and processed sugarquote][/quote] oh and loose weight.( I may add I have been asking for a gastric band for 3 yrs)and struggeled since i was 8 with my weight, I used to do in excess of 20 hrs excersise a week,though since being knocked off my push bike lucky if i do 5) prescribed strimastatin and metaformin and 3 month bloodtest. oh and told to test bloods once a week.
I have seen other Drs in the practice who in my opinion are a waste of space as they appear not to be interested.
I have not been able to bring my bloods below 10.on average until June even when I did not eat for 4 days( i now know why from the dietition- She was helpfulish though said my diet was good due to see her again next week).
NHS site- less than enlightening
This site
I then read about Muller lights -- intreeging
now diet drinks- oh hell
oh and no more that 1 portion of fruit. ******!
Seems these may have been my downfall
cut fruit down- I was grazing on fruit all day (whole bunch of grapes)
this would be my lunch too i might add.
bloods came down 9 still too high!
Decided that the Strimastatin may be causing excessive joint pain, cramps,hair loss memory loss.
took myself off, (it mostly improved but not the hair loss) reported back to practice Dr who was disaproving! sent me for blood test.
managed an appointment with my Dr for the results. now on gliclazide as well as metaformin and Lipador--( side effects- may be headache and constipation but only on 1st week)
He catagorically said fruit is good and 3-4 pieces a day should be no problem- :? whatever

monday salad smoked mackerel- grazing salad- breakfast lunch apple
dinner- home made spicey mince kofta big salad with toms, aubagine,red pepper leaves, and a 1"sq slice of cherry cake= morning after bloods of 10.1 :shock:
But last sunday.
bacon sandwich on white no butter.( i know)
Roast pork dinner, 1 rost pot, 1 r parsni,p Broccoli, Stuffing, gravey,
4 cubes of lidl nutty plain chocolate. and a packet of square crisps. morning after bloods 6.2 :D
hence fustrated!
can only think it is sitting at a desk for 10 hrs
Any ideas?
Question
does the menstral cycle effect blood sugar- mine has been all over the place for the last 18 months, Dr said not menopause-- however since xmas and meds i have stopped having hot flushes.and lighter periods,..... so thats a positive

Oh and may help others the kidney infection thing keeps reoccuring but function tests ok Three months of anti \bs then i discovered cranberry tablets( Juice has sugar you know)they are wonderful- feel it creaping up whackit with cranberry. havent needed the quack for that since!

I also now have trouble typing' tspelling was never a strong point but now all the letters are there but in the wrong order and i have to go back to check :P

funny that writing this down has made me feel strangly better. sorry to bore you :lol:
Coming out of De Nile dripping

Una
 
Hi Una and welcome to the forum :) You are making an effort to control your diabetes which is good and you will feel benefits too, both in your health problems, and in your levels. BTW I also suffer from hair loss which I was told was due to Metformin. It may not be in your case of course, but I have continued to take it as I think the benefits outweigh the problem. If you have too much trouble with the statins maybe you could ask your doctor to try a different one as some cause more side effects than others. To help you get started, here is some information written by the former monitors for new members and following this should help your levels stabilise and come down. You know what caused some of your peaks though! Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone here to help.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, 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.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

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!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

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

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......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 at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. 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.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Una, welcome to the forum.
I am type 2 as well, I control the beast (diabetes) with a low carb diet, the best thing is probably to start off by keeping a food diary and testing your bg after your meals. This way you will find out which foods you need to be careful with.
There are people in here using low GI diets, I dont really know much about them, but do have a look around the forum and ask as much as you want to, there is always someone here with the right answer.
Its very much of finding out what is right for you, have a look at Vivs moderated Atkins diet. it might give you a few really good ideas viewtopic.php?f=18&t=18803
There is a whole separate section of just low carb forum if you decided that you want to go that route.
Dont feel alone, you are in good company here, though if we had the choice I doubt any of us would want to be members of this particular club.

All the best.
 
Hi,
I'm sorry but I have been unable to find how to post my own post, although I've looked in the FAQ section and browsed the site since I registered 30 mins ago! I know I'm not actually 'replying' to your own post but if you could tell me how to post my own, I would appreciate it sooooo much. Good luck with your own diabetes management too, I've been type 1 for 27 years and am having some problems and am really looking for help myself.
Regards,
Wendy :?
 
Hi wendyj, and welcome!

Go to the Board Index, go down the list of threads until you find one which might be appropriate for what you want to say ( eg Greetings and Introductions). Click on it to open it. Then look at the top left-hand side and you'll see 'New Topic'. Click on that. Give your thread/topic a heading, and then type in the box underneath.

I hope that's clear - I might not have described it too well!

Viv 8)
 
Hi Viv,
...and thanks very much. I'm gonna try that now and see how I get on! I'm not the best with finding my way round new sites so your advice is very welcome! :oops:
Wendy x
 
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