• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Help!!!

C

Concerned wife

Member
Messages
15
I have posted this question on a couple of threads but am desperate for some advice so here I go again!!
My hubby is 34 and has type 2 for 3 years he has done fab and is on 2 metformin a day the last day or 2 his sugars have been very high but to be honest with xmas he hasn't been watching what he eats or drinks his fasting this morning was 14 he doesn't go for check ups as much as I try he is so scared that they will put him on insulin he is scared of needles. We normally control it well with diet and metformin but he hasn't checked his levels till this week for months so I don't know whether I should be worried. He wants to get christmas out the way and then go back to a strict diet to see if that works first before going drs he has promised that he will!!!
Is it safe to do this or should I insist he goes dr I follow a diabetic diet that was given to him by the nurse when he was first diagnosed so thats safe he feels completely well and is a builder so is very active.
Please please help in any way you can I am so worried he is so upset that he can't drink at Christmas with 3 small kids I want him to be able to enjoy!!
 
He needs to be careful of what he's eating. If he gets readings of 14 or more again he should go back to the doctors before christmas. Try being very strict on the food and do some regular tests, he'll probably be OK then and can avoid the doc. Be careful of following the nurses "diet"; I did and it was useless! Look at the diets people on here follow and you'll be better. Most of us on diet only or metformin have a restricted carbohydrate diet, because it's the carbs that raise your sugar levels. Avoid all the white flour products like pastry, white bread, wraps etc. Have new potatos boiled, or a few old potatos roasted (if you boil or mash old potatos it releases the starches - bad)
Keep rice to a minimum and eat Basmati if you do - and don't overcook. Pasta only in small quantities, and only wholewheat. Lots of other veg, but careful with the parsnips, high glycemic index (send your sugars up fast) Small amount of chocolate OK (SMALL!) but NO soft centres or toffees etc - they are all pure glucose. Snack on nuts instead. A few carbs, but very low GI (glycemic index) Don't go mad on the fruit - it all contains fructose (sugar). Bananas are the worst, berries (like strawberries etc) are the best. I have one apple and one satsuma a day, and aome berries . Dairy products all fine, so loads of cream is fine. Don't worry about the fat; it doersn't raise sugar levels.
Good luck, and keep asking. Especially any specific diet questions. let us know how you get on.
 
I never knew about carbs he does eat alot of them on the day that it was in the 20s he'd had homemade pie scones White bread roast pots new pots no wonder it was high!!! You said that if it's high again go drs but there's no way he wud this side of Christmas so I am going to change his diet brown bread brown flour etc from now on and then see how that effects his sugars if they don't improve by January then I will drag him down drs myself lol thanks again this morning I was so worried I cud cry but am feeling better now thanks xxx
 
That's great, but even with the brown flour, go easy! Still lots of carbs. For bread, lots of us eat "Bergen soya and linseed" bread that you can get in Sainsburys and tescos. Very low GI, and doesn't seem to raise blood sugar much. But not too much!
 
Hi Concerned Wife, Grazer is right about the flour and bread, wholemeal flour and bread is no better than white, small amounts of either Burgen bread or wholegrain /Multigrain bread may be OK but the only way to be sure is to check using a blood glucose (bg) meter before and two hours after eating aim to get the results as close as possible but definitely no more than 2 mmol/L higher two hour after eating.

The fat in diets that some people here claim is harmless is still thought by most to be a leading factor in cardio vascular problems so read about it as much as you can and make your own mind up, personally I try not to eat too much saturated fat as I believe it is not good for me and anecdotally I know that cheese makes me put on weight so I eat it sparingly when I do so. I dont avoid fat but I do not want to increase my fat intake either.

Carbs are the most important things for a diabetic to control and reducing the amount your husband eats will have a direct influence on his bg levels, fewer carbs = lower bg level :thumbup:
 
I never knew any of this and he has been diagnosed 3 years!!! Nurse never mentioned any of it she just said no chocolate sugar or beer!!! No wonder hubby doesn't want to go back!!! I have told him all of what you said and he is pleased with the beer  I am still worried about the high levels but he insists that he feels well and he knows better than me. I will do all that you suggest in the hop that it will help lower them if not as I've said it's off to dr!! Is 4 weeks long enough or too long to give new diet a go????
 
Plenty long enough - you'll start to see lower sugar levels very quickly. Personally, I think it takes a couple of weeks to settle down, and after 4 weeks you should see a real difference. Remember, if he feels poorly and has very high levels, (14 plus), see the doc or A & E if necessary. Bet he won't go that high though if you cut the carbs!
 
Well had an ok day yesterday tried to limit his carbs and yes his sugars were down to 11 last night still high but going down. But this morning they were 12 just way too high for a fasting reading?? He did have rivita with cheese before bed so tonight gonna try celery and a dip for supper!!!!!!!!!
 
Just to add a few things.

Drink isn't that bad for diabetics :-)
[In my humble opinion]
Better to have a couple of beers than a couple of pies.
A glass of red wine is also often beneficial.

Feeling O.K. is unfortunately not a sign that blood sugar is O.K.
A goodly number of T2s don't feel any symptoms unless BG levels are completely through the roof.
That is one reason there are so many T2s undiagnosed.

BG quite often rises overnight, so that isn't a reason to panic.
Ryvita and cheese last thing at night is not that bad - if you leave out the Ryvita it may be even better because a protein snack last thing often helps with overnight blood sugar levels.

As others have said, for many T2s carbs are the enemy.
It can be very hard to give them up or even cut them down a lot because they are so much part of the standard diet.
So you could try stocking up with protein snacks over Christmas.
I like sausages (the Co-op do some really good pork ones with over 90% pork so you don't get much carby "filler") especially wrapped in bacon.
Cold chicken (again especially wrapped in bacon).
Hard boiled eggs are a good snack also.
I find that if I snack on these it keeps my appetite under control and keeps me away from the bread.
Wash them down with a beer :-)

Keep reading through the forum - there are loads of threads with good advice about diet.

You might suggest to your partner that if he makes a real effort to cut down on the carbs then he may stand a better chance of avoiding the dreaded insulin and needles.
This seems a way to motivate him :-)
He is far better off seeing the doctor for a regular checkup every six months so he can keep good track of his progress.
I am terrified of needles so would hate to go on insulin but from what you have said so far it sounds as though he could manage a lot better with a change in diet - he should be getting plenty of exercise!
Insulin is a last resort for most T2s and hopefully most of us will keep away from it for a very long time but we know that if it is necessary then it will help save our eyesight and our feet!
I know you both know that staying away from the doctor will not make the diabetes any better.
He does need to get the levels down a bit though.

How is his weight?
One thing that worked really well for me - cutting down carbs and upping the exercise removed my paunch and this seems to have helped a lot with BG levels.
Weight around the waist is far more dangerous than almost anywhere else and contributes to insulin resistance.

So chin up!
Your partner is still in denial and it can take several years to fully accept and deal with T2 diabetes.
However once you have accepted that you have a quite common condition and lots of people are managing it and still enjoying life to the full then it doesn't always seem quite so bad.

Have a good Christmas, enjoy, and then he could see the doctor for a checkup in the New Year.
Oh, and I bet he gets more pain from banging his hands when working than he would ever get from a tiny needle.
I have to keep telling myself this - it is the thought that is the worst part.
I am apparently getting a lot better with needles - the phlebotomist (nurse vampire) who takes my blood says I have improved enormously over the last couple of years.

Cheers

LGC
 
Thank you so much for sharing this is an amazing forum and I feel so much more positive he has promiced that if after 4 weeks of changing diet if his sugars do not lower then he will go to the dreaded dr so that is a step foward as for beer he is so happy that he can drink I've stocked up on coots light and holsten pills 
Big hugs to all that have replied merry Christmas xxxx
 
Back
Top