Hello

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello, I'm Meggy and my story is very similar to many others I've read while lurking around this forum. I was diagnosed 18 months ago and told to keep to a healthy diet everyone should have, and to make sure to have carbs at every meal. I did as I was told and my blood sugar levels crept up of course. I thought I was doing something wrong and started to eat more fruit, under protest as I don't like it much. After a couple of days without fruit, my BG levels went down and I spoke to the DN on the phone and told her so. She said I must eat fruit and not to test so much or they wouldn't prescribe any more strips. I was surprised and asked how often I should test. One test a week is plenty she said. Another nurse said to test twice a week, four times a day, which I did after a visit to my doctor. I asked him why I was given a meter and then told not to test. He said if I was motivated to test, then of course it was all right and put the strips on my repeat prescription. Nice man, my doc.

I did the Desmond course and had found this forum and tentatively mentioned low carbing, which produced much derision and gales of laughter from the nurses. I found out that people had been given three months to get their BG down and I hadn't been. Next visit to DN I entered to find her writing a prescription. 'I want you to take this drug along with the Metformin' she trilled. I let her go on a bit then told her I wasn't going to be taking anything for three months. 'Other people are given three months and I haven't been, so I'm taking it,' I said. She said it was up to me, but did I realise my BG would skyrocket? I did, but it didn't make a lot of difference. Only low carbing made any difference.

The last time I had a sandwich (home made bread) it was ham and low fat spread, and next morning my BG was 21.1. After a few days I decided I would low carb as the numbers were 14 - 17 and I knew it was far too high. I wasn't certain what I was doing, but this forum was a mine of information and has links to more information and I learned a lot and and I thank you all for that. My BG came down to an average of around 7.5. I got my latest HbAc1 today and it's 7.6, which is much lower than on the DN's idea of a diabetic diet. I don't see her any more after she told me that testing too much makes people paranoid and they think they can't have things like potatoes (after I told her they affect the BG too much). I said 'Of course I can have potatoes, just not very much.' She was livid but isn't allowed to shout at me so I told her I was testing peas and carrots next. I thought she'd explode so I cast around for something else to tell her to annoy her a bit more, but there was only bread at the time. It worked though, hee hee.

She sent me to a Diabetes Clinic eventually because I didn't want to go onto Gliclazide, and I got a very definite 'NO' when I asked for Junovia. I was prescribed Vildagliptin at the clinic and after about three weeks had symptoms of not producing bile (white poo, brown wee) so I stopped taking it and things returned to normal. At the clinic, I saw a diabetician who had a prescription at the ready and a dietitian who told me to listen to him, instead of listening to me about low carbing. I said I'd learned it from other Type 2s on this forum and he said he was trying to educate me and I was to listen to him and not listen to rumours :shock: I said 'Why can't I listen to 'rumours'? You do' After a few minutes of 'I don't' ,'You do' he said he reads reports by people who do research. I said, 'Yes, rumours, it's not your report is it? It's someone else's work.' He was late for the next patient by now, but I was enjoying myself and kept him a little longer, explaining about the low carb diet. He said there are no carbs in vegetables. Maybe there aren't on his planet. I refuse to go back to that clinic, they don't listen to a word I say and my doctor does, so I will remain under his care and continue to see another dietitian who keeps up with new research and backs me up with my diet. I've even managed to lose a few pounds, which seemed impossible before. I lost 10 stones and put 1 back on. I think it's very unfair that I had no diabetes until I'd lost all that!!

Today I saw my doctor and agreed to try sitagliptin, so maybe that will work for me. I notice that it's Junovia, which DN said I couldn't have! Sorry it's so long, but it's my first post and I have a lot to say.

Thanks for reading it.

Meggy
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I forgot to mention that after a couple of weeks of not taking any medication, I went back on the Metformin (2 twice a day) and have been on it since, almost a year now. Despite low carbing the numbers weren't going down enough, so I'm trying Januvia as well. Fingers crossed!

Meggy
 

jaykay

Well-Known Member
Messages
439
Wow Meggy, your story seems an extreme version of what happens to a lot of people here but good for you for refusing to back down. I cannot understand how anyone, experts or no, can refuse to learn. Maybe we ought to publish all our food diaries and see if we can get these so called experts to read them! :evil:
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Thanks Jaykay, no way will I back down, lol. I'm not as stroppy as I may come across in my post, but these people are annoying beyond reason. The ones who refuse to learn really annoy me, as it seems they are trying to treat type 2 as type 1. That dietician even showed me a booklet that's for Type 1 to prove there are no carbs in veg. I had forgotten my food diary and carb counter, so I was kicking myself for not being able to show them to him.

I also refuse to take statins. If you look at the list of side effects, I had them all. The pains were unbearable, limbs and abdomen, and I was told by a doctor not to take them ever again. I had to change doctors when that one retired and it's really hard to get any other doctor to see my point of view, but I'm not taking them. There's no quality of life if I do.

Your idea of publishing food diaries is brilliant, :lol: I reckon people on this forum know more than any expert, as they are the true experts, they live it instead of reading a book about it in my opinion!
 

gefmayhem

Well-Known Member
Messages
129
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Hi Meggy
Oh how I love your attitude. :D
I just wish I had had the knowledge and bottle when I was first diagnosed.
But there was very little internet then and no-one really explained diabetes to me, so I did what I was told, ate my pasta, rice, bread and tatties like a good little boy.
Was given pills, then more pills, then 2 different types of pills.
I think I'm lucky that after 20 years I've had almost no serious side effects from my diabetes because my control veered from none to very poor.
Its only been recently that I've low-carbed and tested regularly

Keep it up and good luck
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Gefmayhem

Thank you :D My attitude comes from finding out about diabetes and passing on my information to the DN, who pooh poohed it immediately and said I should follow her instructions. I could see, even when newly diagnosed, that she was wrong, but there was no moving her. Carbs keep your BG level even throughout the day, she said. Yes, but very high I said. She told me to take my pills and it would be okay. I knew it wouldn't, and I didn't want to deceive her so I told her about low carbing when I found out about it a couple of months later and she was not amused, :lol:

I got the knowledge from this site and some others, but mainly this one. I also think that the medical profession are just people too and can be just as wrong as anyone else, so that's where my bottle comes from. I'm not rude to them, just quietly determined not to damage my health any more than I can help.

Despite diabetes running in my family I never found out much about it, but since I was diagnosed, I have researched it on the internet, bless the internet. No health provider has told me anything apart from having to have insulin eventually, I have gathered all my information from surfing. I also ate my bread and rice and pasta and tatties, lol, and even thought I wasn't eating enough of them at one point because my BG was so high. The low carb thread on this forum put me right on that and my BG came down from the time I started it.

Metformin and exercise hasn't worked as well as I'd hoped, so now I have Janovia as well, and maybe that will work.

I also think you're lucky to have no serious side effects after 20 years of mismanagement from the caring profession. I read somewhere that's it's not their eyes, feet, kidney, heart, etc that are being damaged, so if you don't think they are telling you the right thing, don't do as they say about diet.

I've tested regularly for about a year now, since I've been low carbing. I have been irritated when it didn't come down fast enough for my liking, but at least it came down to almost what it should be. Good luck to you and best wishes, and let's hope the next 20 years are a lot better for you.

Meggy
 

gefmayhem

Well-Known Member
Messages
129
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I have to say that most of the mismanagement was my own fault plus denial.
But I certainly don't think I either the correct, or enough, advice when first diagnosed.

I do remember being told by the diabetic specialist to stop low carbing as no research had been done on long term affects.
The nurse then said if its working stick with it.
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I don't think the mismanagement was deliberate, but the NHS doesn't seem to learn, which you would think they would when people who low carb do so well. I wonder if the lack of advice on diagnosis is because the doctor/nurse wasn't as clued up as we expect them to be? Our expectations may exceed their knowledge for all we know, for a lot of them anyway.

I was warned against low carbing because, I was told, the brain runs on glucose and the carb intake should be enough to run it. That and there is no research. I have since read that the body makes it's own glucose, from whatever diet you eat, to run the brain, so I don't worry about that. If there is no research, where have they been since Dr Atkins started to publicise his diet? Many people have been on that diet for years!

I wish I had your nurse. Mine just gave orders and didn't listen, so I don't see her any more. I see my nice doctor instead, because he does listen.

Meggy
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi gefmayhem

I like your name, lol. My life feels like mayhem sometimes with all this, so I can appreciate why you picked it. Unless there's another reason..? Lol.

Thank you for the article, it's very interesting, contains facts I didn't know, and shows that Dr Atkins was basing his diet on much older ones. I am certain that low carbing is not harmful at all, and the article backs up my thoughts that there's a huge industry making huge profits from the high carb/low fat diet and they are not going to let go of those profits easily. I wonder if we'll ever see full fat/low or no sugar yoghurts on the supermarket shelves? I'll be watching those shelves with interest, and who knows? We might see some proper studies done yet!

Meggy
 

carty

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,379
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Meggy,
I get a full fat greek style yoghurt from Morrisons their own make and also quite a few of the local farm dairies make their own full fat yogs I am trying to put weight on but reduced carbing to keep my BGs down. Its a bit of a nightmare.I trawl the shop shelves looking for full fat everything and I see low fat ,no fat ,and never been near fat :roll: I add berries or nuts and make brilliant marinade for tandoori chicken .
CAROL
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Carol

Thanks for that tip, I bought some today and will be having it with strawberries or raspberries for dessert this evening. It's for my partner really, as I prefer cream and fruit is no good to me, but he is low carbing to support me and to lose some weight. He normally likes fruit yoghurts, but they are all low fat with a few exceptions, which are more expensive.

I was told by a friend that Morrisons also sell a diabetic ice cream, but I forgot to look for it today. That would be nice, as we do get forgotten when it comes to ice cream :(

Thanks also for the reminder about tandoori chicken. I love it, but I haven't made it for ages. I will now! :D

Meggy
 

gefmayhem

Well-Known Member
Messages
129
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Hi Meggy
My user name is the name I also use for email and just about everything else I register for online, and it comes from my company name - Mayhem Computing Ltd.
The gef is simple, my name is Geoffrey (I hate that) shortened to Geoff, but when the first computer games came out, you were only allowed to put 3 characters into the highscore table, so gef.
When I set up my company I wanted a name that would be recognisable and meant something to me.
At the time I was playing a computer game called Mayhem in Monsterland....

But back to diet etc.
I've had no ill effects at all from low-carbing, although I do take a vitamin/cod liver oil/ something else suppliment.
I enjoy my diet plus I love the challenge of persuading restaurants etc to alter their menu just for me.
No, I don't want chips, mashed or boiled thanks, can I have double veggies?
I love curries but only go on buffet nights that way I don't get rice etc, but loads of meat and creamy sauces :mrgreen:
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Gef

I'll use that name because you don't like your own, lol. My dad is called Gilbert and he detests it, and when he met my mum, she was with her cousin and he said his name begins with G and they had to guess it. She said Geoff and he said that would to, and to this day my mum's side of the family call him Geoff, lol.

I was thinking you must be some kind of monster, creating mayhem wherever you go. Never mind, lol.

I saw my dietitican today, the nice lady, not the eejit. She said it might be an idea to get a kidney function test because of low carbing. She says she is supposed to tell me to eat carbs, but she knows it would be a waste of time so she won't, lol. I said I've not long had one and it was okay so she's happy with that. I take supplements as well, and cod liver oil and evening primrose and something else I can't think of right now, :D

I love the diet, though like the man in the article, I sometimes think it's too good to be true and it feels a bit naughty, which I don't mind, :) . I find restaurants can be accommodating, but a few have the thought that veg means peas and carrots, which I don't eat at the moment. They do seem to think you're odd if you don't want any potatoes at all though, and ask twice if you are sure!

I love curries too, but I make my own. Proper ones, from scratch and I don't like rice, so I've been eating mine with veg for years, but I do miss chapatis. They were such a treat, but we don't have them now. I must try making them with gram flour, as it's made from chick peas and might be okay. First I have to remember to buy some though! Buffets are great, they have one near where my stepchildren live and we go occasionally, but not for ages. We'll have to go again soon, lol.

Meggy
 

gefmayhem

Well-Known Member
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129
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aparently I'm named after my uncle Geoff, so how come I was called Geoffrey and my mum hates the name Geoff :?:

Things I love to eat while low-carbing.
Green and Blacks 85% dark chocolate.
Oatcakes, cheese or fruit and spice ones
steak, bacon and egg, almost all types of fish.
bolognaise, no spagetti, chicken kievs (homemade)
Every week I cook a small joint of meat, usually lamb, and take it with cucumber and sour cream and chive dip into work for lunch.
There is loads of great new stuff out there.
On this site there is a link to a New Zealand cow carb recipe site.
The bread has been recommeded and I do mean to try that but haven't got the ingredients yet.
One thing I do miss is toast - if you burn toast does that contain more or less carbs than light toast or bread?
Hmmmm must look into that!

Once a week I go to a small charity run cafe and have salmon and oatcakes followed by cake hand-made by grannies - that is my only 'bad' indulgence.

My tastes in food have changed a lot.
Once, after extreme low carbing for about a month, I ate a piece of carrot - it was like eating a sugar cube, I could not believe it was so sweet.

have a good weekend Meggy
 

Meggy

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Maybe your uncle Geoff was a very nice person? lol.

I was never that fond of chocolate, so I don't miss it, but I did find a low carb muffin recipe and chopped a bar of 85% chocolate into it. It makes 12 muffins so you don't get a lot in each one, but they are very good. I think I got the recipe from this forum, but I wouldn't swear to it. My partner is not diabetic, but needs to lose weight and loves cakes, so I make them now and again for him.

I have never eaten biscuits very often, or rather I didn't dare buy them because I was a pig with them and couldn't leave them alone so it wasn't safe to buy them, lol.

I love steak and bacon and egg and lamb chops and pork chops, but I'm off fish at the moment. I like salmon and I like tuna too, but not enough to eat them regularly. I will go back on them at some point, but right now I don't want them. I have eaten bolognese with veg for a long time now, and still do. Home made kievs are wonderful, lol. I eat salads as well, varying the veg a bit.

I don't roast meat that often, but I love the idea of the dip you make. I'll try that.

I've seen the New Zealand site, and the bread is very good. The first time I made it, it came out reasonably well, but the next two times it didn't rise well. I think it might be because my breadmaker wants the yeast first instead of last, so I'm going to add the ingredients in the order stated in the recipe book that came with it and see if that makes any difference. The trouble with a recipe site is that I get lost in it and hours pass when I just wanted one recipe and couldn't tear myself away from the others, :D .

The bread makes nice toast, but it is a little heavier. That might be down to me though, :( . I love toast, always have, and I've been pondering your question. If the toast it burnt, some of it has been turned to carbon and is therefore not toast any more, therefore it must be lower carb. I agree that the difference is minimal, but there is a difference, :) . I think it's a good theory anyway!

I am wondering about your oatcakes. Are they the biscuits I've seen in the supermarket, or are they the kind that you make on a griddle and look like pancakes? I have made the latter in the past and I like them a lot, but I daren't eat them now. Anything with flour and my bg levels can soar, sigh.

I spent years on the recommended high carb, low fat diet. My DN calls that a normal diet and once asked me if I'd ever been on a normal diet. I said yes, for all my life, apart from the previous month or so. She asked what happened. I told her I doubled my body weight and devoloped diabetes. She shut up. I actually developed diabetes about five years after I lost the weight. I was almost at my target weight when I met my partner and put on a stone, and I'm losing it again now, but it is slow.

These days I find that I prefer to low carb, I enjoy the food a lot more, and sometimes indulge in a potato, then wonder why I ever missed them. I never had much of a sweet tooth, but things like carrots and peas do taste very sweet now.

Hope you had a good weekend too

Meggy
 

gefmayhem

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129
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Hi
I mainly buy Nairns oatcakes.
The main problem with them I have is that my Tescos sells the cheese ones but not the fruit and spice ones, while Sainburys sell the fruit and spice but not the cheese ones.
Sainsburys do sell gingers ones and the packet is very similar to the cheese ones.
But when you are expecting cheese and get ginger, its quite a shock :shock:

They contain about 4 grams of carb per biscuit.
I have one last thing at night when I take my insulin as it helps my morning test.
Sometimes if I don't have time for a proper breakfast, I'll take 3 instead.
They are very slow relelase and again the total carb is quite low.

Pre-diabetes I used to hate them - horrible, tasteless dry things! :)
 

jaykay

Well-Known Member
Messages
439
I like the cheese ones too, shall have to try fruit and spice. My main problem with missing carbs is as a 'carrier' for other food. I love bolegnese sauce but what can I have with it? Have tried to find spaghetti squash but no luck so far.