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Hello

S

sweetiez6

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hello
My name is Louise. I have been diagnosed with Diabetes now for 13years....so everyone presumes i have it all figured out and perfect but I dont. When i was first diagnosed it was just before the teens and I accepted it very well.... then i had an extra long honeymoon period so came off all meds for over a year. Then GCSEs stress pushed them back over and i went back onto insulin. There is no conclusive diagnosis as to which type I am. I had a case of nearly going in to a coma with high levels so the drs say I must be type 1....but because im not thin they aren't convinced. Also i have to have really high doses of insulin (about 1:6 10g of crb to 6units).

I find it really hard to keep control mostly cuz of my behaviour and ..."ah ill be alright" denial. I have started testing my blood again these past few days and my sugars are just shockingly high! I've joined just cuz Im not sure what else to do. I am due a Hba1c but I don't want to have it because i know it will be high and the drs will moan at me and make me feel worse than i already do. So i just wondered if perhaps joining somethin like this may help me get control (or just a grip lol) as i can't do it on my own. (I do have phases where i can control it better but it seems to slip?!)

Sorry for the ramble of a life story but feeling at bit helpless.

Thanks for listening :D
 
Welcome to the forum Louise :)

Are you under the care of your hospital team or gp?
 
over the years have been both (and ive moved areas a few times so different teams...all of which say different things which i dont think has helped) But at the moment the GP (they have a diabetic nurse who i see more than a Dr). Have just made an appointment to try and ask for help......prob is I kno its my fault ihave to get control but i dont seem to be able to do it so I dunno what to do?! LOL but also :(
 
Hi Louise and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and you might find something useful in here even though you have had diabetes for 13 years. Ask all the questions you need to and there will be someone 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.
 
sweetiez6 said:
over the years have been both (and ive moved areas a few times so different teams...all of which say different things which i dont think has helped) But at the moment the GP (they have a diabetic nurse who i see more than a Dr). Have just made an appointment to try and ask for help......prob is I kno its my fault ihave to get control but i dont seem to be able to do it so I dunno what to do?! LOL but also :(
Click to expand...


Not wishing to tell you what to do........however I'd ask your gp to refer you over to the care of your hospital team until such times that your bg is under control, the hospital team are more specialised in dealing with issues to do with insulin and related problems.
 
Hello noblehead.....

all advise is welcomed :D I have been seeing my diabetic nurse at the GP. My sugar levels are crazy they are either below 4 or above 16...so my HbA1c is averagely ok but my sugar levels aren't. She just told me to have less nsulin. This concerns me cuz yes, the hypos aren't good but neither are the above 10s!! Anyway i saw the Diabetic dr at the GP to ask to be referred to the specialist at the hospital but he kinda said no for now. He's putting me on an insulin xpert course and has increased my metformin dose to a full 2g.

Just a lil frustrated but i decided that i will go with these attempts and then be more demanding if they haven't helped!

I am definitely a mix of type 1 and 2 (or show signs of both) so if anyone has any thoughts on why or how I can control my sugars better as i am trying to count carbs and dose appropriately, correct doses sometimes work (lower acceptably other times same dose same start (17.1 - 11units had one thurs dropped to 11, next thurs dropped to 3.4?!)

THANKS
 
Hi Louise, Welcome to the forum. I can understand your feelings. You have faced so many problems due to your diabetes. I have also faced same problem.
 
Hi Louise!

I kinda hear where you are coming from! I was diagnosed as type 2 a couple of years ago, but specialist suspects I might be a 1, or LADA. Blood sugars were going from 33+ to 1.6! I am now taking basal and bolus insulin, and carb counting!
This is working fine now, but I seem to have days when I produce my own insulin, randomly, so all my calculations go to pot!
No choice but to stick with things, it will get better! I was beginning to think I would never stabilise, but with the right tools and answers I'm getting there! You will too!

:)

Bob
 
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