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John73

Member
Messages
20
Location
Pembrokeshire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Ok so I have a family history of diabetes, with my sits being insulin dependent. I was diagnosed over a year ago and have probably been in denial, as I have had so many other issues and have been rather lax in taking my tablets. But that has changed and from last Friday I have been taking them religiously. Why?

Well I recently went to my local hospital for a pre admission check for a hernia repair which I really need for my sanity. I get a phone call last Fri from the hospital asking me to call my gp about my high blood sugar, that they have temporarily taken me off the waiting list. GP called and I have further blood tests on wed.

So, I decided to figure out how to use the Mylife pura thing. Apart from the gun which doesn't work, I figured it out and tested myself. Results showed 19.4.

Since then it has been, 19.4, 17.3, 18, 15, 18 and this morning 16, before taking my tablets this morning. The advice I need is , is there a quick way to reduce the blood sugar level to a reasonable amount before Wednesday, without starving myself.

I know I have been stupid and all my family and friends have read me the riot act, but seriously need help, the medication will be taken religiously, but I seriously need to get the count down as quickly as possible to get the operation for my sanity.
 
Good morning John 73. Firstly welcome, I am sure more experienced members will be along soon to offer their input, I am not sure if there is a fix for your numbers as quickly as you want.

Can you let us know what meds your on and perhaps give us a brief insight into your diet. From a personal point of view I have followed the Lchf diet and it has worked for me, I am never hungry. You could check the diet doctor website full of information and lovely recipes, also check out the low carb program on this site.

Good luck x
 
Thank you HCA

Ok so being truly honest, in January I was 19 stone 5 and both my wife and I started going to Weightwatchers. Since that time I have lost 38lbs which is needed. I try to eat salad for lunch with tuna or ham and a low fat salad dressing from Sainsbury's - not sure about the sugar content. Then for tea, it is usually something like Cajun chicken and actifry chips and peas for example.

My downfall as I have read on these forums and has since scared the hell out of me is that I like fruit and eat a lot of it, coupled with guzzling of zero fizzy drinks, never thought of the sacarin (so) content.

Re medication, I am on lanzoprazole, citalopram, futilium, amlodopine, candesartin and metformin. The metformin is two tabs in morning and two at night. 500 MG tabs.

I have had two major surgeries for crohns/UC the hospital can never make up their mind, the last one was a completion proctectomy (removal of remaining large bowel and rectum (sorry)). This means I have a problem with water retention, large bowel does that function and a colostomy bag which causes it's on issues. The hernia is depressing as it is extremely large.

So I know I've been stupid, really really stupid, I just need help and advice. I can't afford to wait long to get this under control. Please help.
 
Please don't beat yourself up, most of us have been in denial or fell off the wagon so to speak. I cant say I understand your other conditions or what impact any particular diet would have on them. Have you spoke with your healthcare team?.

As for fruit I too enjoyed it, now have berries ( in moderation), blueberries, raspberries, strawberries with either double cream or full fat Greek yogurt.
 
I would strongly advise you talk to your healthcare team about reducing your carbs and the impact it may have on the medication you are taking
 
I spoke with a GP on Friday, she said to take the tablets, come in for bloods on Wednesday and then probably go to a diabetic clinic afterwards. The GP surgery were probably as lax as me in blood checking - not sure tbh, but I do have my feet checked and have had my eyes screened this year. The feet check was ok, but I did have a cut on my foot which took longer to heal, so I went to gp to get help.

Am paranoid about my feet, cuts etc as I was told that someone lost their foot through diabetes. My feet are always hot so am assuming that means good circulation, I know I have something wrong healthwise when my feet get cold, an early warning so to speak.
 

Hi John,

My dad was in a similar situation, he went in for surgery and his blood sugar was 26 because he hasn't been controlling his diet. The doctor injected him with insulin to get his blood sugar down. After surgery they continued with his 2 x2 metformin and added Linagliptin in the morning.

They didn't give him a special diet, just didn't allow him fruit. He left the hospital with a blood sugar of 19. He has been home for over a week and I have been following the low carb diet. Today his blood sugar was 12.8 which is the lowest yet.

From the short time I have been managing my Dads diabetes I have noticed diet, exercise, pain and stress effect his blood sugar. He only drinks water at home, but has a Diet Coke when he goes out.

This forum has been a great source of information and support, I'm sure you'll discover that too.
 
I too use LCHF successfully and it dropped my bgl from around 25 (peaking >32) down to a daily average of 6.3. It works for me, but I do take some take meds, but have greatly reduced these as result of the diet.

Having said that, NO diet or fasting regime will drop your bgl within the very tight timescale you seek. Your liver and stored energy supplies (i,e, fat) will sustain high glucose levels for a few weeks. until depleted, Rock and a hard place i am afraid. However there are many here using a low carb diet to control bgl, and I suggest it is the way to go longer term, but it needs time to bed in. Of course, so do most meds
 
Edit to add: I note you sign yourself as T2, but say others in your family are insulin dependant, so there is a likelyhood that you too may need insulin, so it is very important that you see your doctor soon. since lifestyle changes as suggested will be limited in what they can do if it turns out that you need insulin treatment.

Apologise:
As a T2D myself, I get hot under the collar when someone here suggests I should be on insulin since my levels were running high, so I am shocked to find myself giving this same advice. But it is something we should keep in mind as being possible given that there may be a hereditary link to our condition. BUT, and its a BIG BUTT, I have shown that my condition can be fully controlled by dietary changes alone, so I apologise if I scared you. Hopefully you will find the correct solutions for you.
 
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Hi. Do get the carbs way down if you can. The Metformin will help just a little but don't rely on it. For the operation you may even need insulin for a while to get the blood sugar down.
 
yes eating less carbs at every meal is the main road to controlling type 2 diabetes, especially when one is not yet injecting insuline
 
Ok so a little update, I went to the chemist today and the pharmacist said a low carb high fibre??? Diet loud not have much of an impact regarding my medication and he even stated I should be having fibre like oats for breakfast - while fibre contains sugars it's slow release (sorry if I am preaching to the converted), however I have an issue with the high fibre.

Due to having a stoma, a high fibre diet can cause issues and trust me, you never want to go through a stoma blockage, I've never felt pain like it, say constipation but one hundred times worse, and it can be fatal in a minority of cases, but would mean an emergency operation. I am not exaggerating on this, if you have a stoma, you have no control, I refer to my disgestive system as a conveyer belt, there's no stopping it...

So it looks like, low carbs adjusted diet to me, but I will speak to the WW Leader about it tomorrow. Nothing is ever simple with me lol.

On a positive, I have ordered a TEE2 and strips, coz in the long run they will be cheaper. They will be here Wed at latest, have also worked out how to use the lancer,which is easier than sticking it in my finger. And the good news is that after a 30 min walk e/w to manorbier beach this evening, my blood sugar had gone down to 15.6 when I had gotten back. But on a downer that was my last strip, but I am at least more prepared, THANK YOU to everyone for your advice, it is appreciated.
 
Low carbs have helped my BG - slowly - and watch out for the hidden sugars in some of the low fat low WW pt items
 
Thanks Ultramum, I am looking on the packets from today, in Sainsbury's Tenby I was put off from buying some items because of the high sugar count, even though it said natural sugars made up the amount.

Think I am going to have to have a crash course in what to look for in the nutritional information on packets. And which things which maybe high in sugars but it's because of fibre content. Sooo much to learn, which I should already have.
 
Do not go by the of which sugars figure but rather total carbs as carbs=sugar.
 
You might find that the low carb diet will be a good thing because of the low residues - many people get a bit concerned and think that they need to be taking stuff to make themselves 'go' when there simply isn't anything they need to get rid of.
Watch out for packs which say no added sugar on the front. On the back it should show the total carbohydrate content.
Many people stick to 10 percent or lower carbs for any single food item.
 

Ignore the 'sugars' info on the front and check the carbs in the small print on the back - less than 5% IE 5g per 100g is a good level to aim at.

I'm cooking more from scratch - seems a faff to start but chicken pieces fried in a pan plus a sliced leek also fried with a bit of cream and black pepper takes no time at all and you know exactly what has gone into it

Lots of good recipes on diet doctor website - they won't be WW friendly though :-0
 
John73 said:
Ok so a little update, I went to the chemist today and the pharmacist said a low carb high fibre???
Click to expand...

Very much a balancing act this diabetes lark especially with other conditions. I have a friend in a very similar position to you and is controlling her T2 diabetes very successfully with insulin. I can appreciate the issues with having a stoma.

As far as low carb goes, I personally have never had any issues due to lack of fibre even though I take cocodomol and I put that down to taking pre and probiotics to keep intestinal flora balanced. I certainly know the difference if I stop or don't use them after taking antibiotics.

One thing I thought might be worth mentioning is that it might be worth watching what they're doing with your hernia surgery, I've heard of people finding themselves having to be re referred and at the end of the queue again. A good friend of mine waited ages and in fact it became an emergency before it was dealt with.
 
Just wanted to say a big Thank you to everyone for their advice. I had full bloods done today, never seen so many vials, but with regards to the blood sugar I am not that hopeful. I asked the nurse to test my levels and they were 18. So I made an emergency appt with the diabetic nurse.

On speaking with her, she tested my levels again and they were still high, even though I hadn't eaten. I am now writing down what I eat and am testing myself four times a day, before I get up, before and after meals (alternating each meal) and last thing at night.

I have an appt with her next Tuesday. She also gave me another monitor and has written a script for the strips and a sharps box. I ate my first meal at 18:45 tonight, not a standard day, was just very busy throughout the day and didn't get a chance to buy something, but my levels tonight were 14.6 so as this is the lowest level I have recorded I am encouraged by this. A long way to go, but it is a start.

So Thank you...
 
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