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Hi all, I am Malcolm

M

musicmal

Newbie
Messages
1
Location
Whitehead N.Ireland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
rain
I have been diabetic since I was sixty I am now 67 and it is getting worse. I went to bed last night and I was 9 on the scale but this morning I was 15 how does this happen.
I take 4 Metformin and two Gliclazide each day and try not to take anything with sugar in it which is almost impossible.
Looking at some of the questions to introduce myself ,
I am male, 67 years old, live in Whitehead N. Ireland. love fly fishing, playing guitar, enjoy instrumentals by Hank Marvin and the shadows, I would write children s books.which are very popular with 6,-10years old.
I feel I need help with this diabetes from other diabetics, sometimes i wonder if doctors know what they are doing. I did have a drinking problem some time back and got a lot of help from the boys and girls in AA who knew what they were talking about.
Other points about myself , I was married for 30 years until my wife died in 2004, I have since married again, I have one son who is now 31. I will post a photo of myself soon.
I am sick of doctors telling me if I don't get this under control I may go blind or they will have to cut my toes off, and many other horrific things to come. Sometimes I think it better to finish it now rather than wait for all this to happen.
Hope to hear from you and that some of this makes sense.
Malcolm.
 
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We are all here to help. I will tag @daisy1 who will be along to give you info for newbies. After you have a read ask as many questions as you like. Nothing is too stupid we all need help sometimes. Everyone here is very helpful and friendly.
 
Hi Uncle Malc and welcome to the forum, neat books btw but a bit young for me ;)

Doctors arent often very well informed Im afraid, they usually mean well but dont know much about diabetes. Do you have T2 diabetes, Im guessing you do from your age but thats not always the case especially as your levels rise so much over night.

I'll page @daisy1 for you as she gives out the information to new members which is really useful and explains everything that doctors generally dont.

And dont despair there are things that you can do, small changes to your diet that can make a huge difference to your diabetic control and overall well being.

Welcome and good luck for the future.
 
Hi and welcome, Malcolm. :)
You have come to the right place for information on managing type 2. Lots of people here, and lots of information and advice on diet, lifestyle and how to deal with this horrible condition.

Blood glucose is affected by a lot of foods - sugar is just one of them. So if you are eating those, while just avoiding sugar, it may be the reason your diabetes is getting worse.

A short list of these foods includes bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, sweet fruit, fruit juices, cakes, biscuits, and similar starchy foods. They all turn to glucose when they have been digested. Many of us type2 diabetics find that controlling portion size on these foods (and sometimes eliminating them altogether) helps tremendously.
 
musicmal said:
I went to bed last night and I was 9 on the scale but this morning I was 15 how does this happen.
Click to expand...

Hi @musicmal and welcome to the forum. Your rise overnight is probably due to 'Dawn Phenomenon' where your liver dumps stored glucose into your bloodstream as you wake to get you going for the day.
Well done on getting to grips with your condition. It is good that you are self testing your blood sugar levels. A lot of us on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has lowered our blood sugar levels.
Have a read round the threads to see how this works and ask any questions you want to. the people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
 
Hi @musicmal .. and welcome
You have come to the right place here .. so ask your questions and you will soon receive all the help, advice and support that you need .. :)
 
Hi @musicmal and welcome,

You are quite right to come here for advice from fellow diabetics. Almost everyone here is a diabetic of one sort or another (and there are many different sorts). Most ordinary GPs know next to nothing about diabetes, and they tend to follow the guidelines set down by the NHS as regards dietary advice. I imagine you were told to eat plenty of carbohydrates with every meal, lots of starchy things and fruit. Sadly, this advice is incorrect for Type 2 diabetics and generally leads to progression of the disease, more and more medication, and no hope for improvement.

Once you get your head round the fact that all carbs (even the healthier wholemeal varieties) convert to glucose once inside the system, and that extra glucose is the opposite of what we need, you can perhaps have a good look at your current diet and see what can be changed.

As you are taking Gliclazide, however, you do need to be careful if you reduce your carbs too much or you may find your levels dropping too low. This drug works by stimulating your pancreas into producing extra insulin post meal. Insulin is needed to deal with the glucose from the carbs you eat. The more carbs, the more insulin is needed. If you eat less carbs you need less insulin. If you have too much excess insulin your levels will drop too much. That is putting it very simply. The answer to this is to test your levels very regularly before and after meals and at other times and keep an eye on the levels. If you find you are going a bit low, you need to speak with your doctor/nurse about reducing the dosage.
 
Welcome @musicmal :)

Don't give up hope. There are lots of people here who can help, and we all understand what a strain diabetes can be sometimes.
 
Hello
The medical profession have no right whatsoever to frighten you into improving control!
Understanding and know how from people who know their onions is where you start and blow me here you are.............
Oh and a bit of pleasantness helps too.
So please please don't despair as this site has answers from knowledgeable people and i have learnt a lot despite being type 1 of 43 years and only a recently joined member.

All the best Sir

Tony
 
@musicmal

Hello Malcolm and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it's helpful to you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to reply.


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 147,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why :)
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Hi and welcome. You've had a lot of useful replies so far. Be aware that the overnight glucose dump by the liver can cause early morning BS to be higher than you might expect. The more important measure is the 2 hour post meal reading as well as your HBa1C. Can you give us some idea of your BMI/weight as it can have implications on your exact diagnosis and medication. Also, what was your last HBa1C?
 
Hi @musicmal ,

Welcome! Great to see another muso on here.

I saw the Shadows live once back in the late 1980s. I was impressed..

Lol, normally listen to punk & metal..
 
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