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hello

hi, I would go to the Dr today, he will probably urine test for ketones to make sure it's T2, these are available from a chemist too and are handy to have.
if you are T2, a lot will say the main treatment is diet

thanks to sid bonkers from the Westport gp thread, low carb-higher fat
http://www.practicaldiabetes.com/SpringboardWebApp/userfiles/espdi/file/March 2014/PP Unwin final proofs revised.pdf

it’s a long page and a few good video’s
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
For me, the more carbs we eat the more carbs we want. they don’t give up easy
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarb101/a/firstweek.htm
 
my blood sugars were regularly between 20-30 in the last 10 years because i was not controlling my food intake. my body got used to it and i just got on with life. slowly but surely, my body was being destroyed from the inside. i won't list the damage i have suffered and am desperately trying to reverse now.

suffice to say, you have to get a grip on controlling your food. I would suggest that if you retest & are confirmed as Type 2, try the low carb/high fat diet in jack's post. it has helped me and many others. my only regret is that i did not find it 10 years ago.

all the best.
 
@lastresort

Hello and welcome to the forum :) I am glad to see that you have already received advice from some members and I hope that your levels are better now. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope that you will find it useful. Ask any questions you may have and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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 130,000 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.
 
Really wanting to hear how you are feeling, if you have been to the docs, and what they said. Hope you are ok. hugs.xx
 
Hi. Yes, BS in the 20s is not good although in my early days I was at that level too often. You must, and I mean must, immediately reduce your carb intake to get that level down. You must see the GP or DN as soon as you can to review your HBA1c level and whether any further meds are needed. Keeping the carbs down should you get you back down below 20. Are you noticeably overweight? If so, then reducing the carbs (and portion sizes) should have a big effect. If you are near normal weight then the possibility of Late onset T1 arises as it did for me at around age 65. In that case you would need more meds possibly leading to insulin. Do let us know your BMI. BTW, I know this is in conflict with the other posters but I have little confidence in NHS 111 as it's staffed by non-medics who follow a flow-chart; you must take your own view on that. I would see the doc/DN as soon as you can or go to A&E if you feel unwell with BS still in the 20s. This can become serious if you are both low-carbing and your BS remains in the 20s.
 
lastresort said:
Hi have been to hosp now been given insulin
Click to expand...
What insulin they put you on ?
Are your BG levels any lower now ?
How are you feeling ?

You did the right thing - with those high BG levels of yours
You must have felt rotten and best place was hospital .
 
Hi @lastresort ,

Thank you for coming back & letting us know, very pleased you have been sorted at the Hospital obviously disappointed you had to go there in the first place but at least the insulin should get your sugars down. Hopefully you may be feeling a little better now.

You said earlier in this thread you had not taken the diabetes seriously enough, I think you need to hang about this forum and do a bit of reading, and although it's tough at first, the thought of the diabetes, you will be able to control it, and if you get good control you won't have the complications, but you cannot escape it if you don't control it.

Please read what daisy1 one posted for you above in this thread, there is some very good helpful information.
Neil
 
Hi and glad you and A&E did the right thing to bring your BS down. With the insulin you might be tempted to have a normal diet and pump the insulin to balance the sugars. This can lead to weight gain so do still keep low-carbing and match the insulin to your carb intake. Follow the hospital advice on this or see the GP or tell us more and we may be able to help if you can't get to the GP.
 
daddys1 said:
I'm sure your not (subnormal I mean), are you? ;)

I was just trying to get some perspective for him, that his number were very high and he needed to do something rather than just wait.

Neil
Click to expand...
I probably am actually:)
 
@lastresort , you might want to update your profile to say that you are now on insulin, perhaps the dose also.
What would a normal days eating be like for you?
 
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