Hi, I'm new to the forum but not diabetes

[Jenny15]

Hi all,

I'm 49 and was diagnosed with T2 diabetes at 40. For 8 years I managed it OK and got my HbA1c down to the pre-diabetic threshold, even. Unfortunately I then stopped being careful what I ate and it's now way too high.

I've seen my GP twice since getting that blood test result and we are working together to reduce the level as quickly as possible. We agreed to bump my Metformin dose up from 1000mg to 1500mg a day, and will consider another increase soon if it's needed. I know the maximum we'd both be prepared to go to is 2000mg.

I know that theoretically if I make better food choices and increase my exercise it should be possible to get back down to 1000mg a day once my blood level comes down enough. It's just really hard going! Having lurked here for a while I know some people may have a rigid view that focuses on my need to try harder, so please be gentle with me. I have several other long term conditions that forced me to retire early and live on a low income. I already know I need to try harder.

I live with daily fatigue, chronic pain, and anxiety/depression issues that I've been battling since adolescence. At 49 it's hard to keep on hoping things will ever improve. I have a strong will to stick around though, so don't panic on that score. I have great family support.

For 30+ years I've done my level best to get accurate diagnoses and good treatment for each of my conditions but haven't fully succeeded. Some of them aren't well understood by medicine. Those that are well understood don't necessarily have treatments that are accessible, with benefits that outweigh the downsides.

Until the last year, I didn't have any diabetes complications but now I have constantly sore feet (GP thinks it's mild diabetic neuropathy), and bladder issues I'd rather not get into details about, lol. My eyes are fine - they get checked every 2 years. No doubt my depression and fatigue is made worse by high blood sugar. I'm not showing signs of being near menopause but my menstrual cycle causes issues that I think are diabetes-related.

I'm hoping to learn new things from you all, and to get some support and inspiration, too. I want to find meal ideas that are easy to prepare, since the fatigue makes it really hard to get those healthy meals that take a bit of extra effort to make.

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Gabrielle_Tai]

Hi Jenny15, welcome to the world best diabetes forum. I sure there is tons of people here that willing to help you to control and defeat this beast called diabetes.

 

[ziggy_w]

Hi @Jenny15,

Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry hearing about your increased blood sugar levels, chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression. These are quite a lot of things to handle at the same time.

What kind of diet do you currently have? Are there types of food you like to eat? Are there foods you hate?

You will find that changing your diet doesn't have to be difficult and preparing food does not necessarily require a lot of effort. There are also some forums on here that might help you with ideas for food:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/food-nutrition-and-recipes.3/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/low-carb-diet-forum.18/

I am also tagging @daisy1 who will post some wonderful information to newbies.

 

[Caz_B]

Hi all,

I'm 49 and was diagnosed with T2 diabetes at 40. For 8 years I managed it OK and got my HbA1c down to the pre-diabetic threshold, even. Unfortunately I then stopped being careful what I ate and it's now way too high.

I've seen my GP twice since getting that blood test result and we are working together to reduce the level as quickly as possible. We agreed to bump my Metformin dose up from 1000mg to 1500mg a day, and will consider another increase soon if it's needed. I know the maximum we'd both be prepared to go to is 2000mg.

I know that theoretically if I make better food choices and increase my exercise it should be possible to get back down to 1000mg a day once my blood level comes down enough. It's just really hard going! Having lurked here for a while I know some people may have a rigid view that focuses on my need to try harder, so please be gentle with me. I have several other long term conditions that forced me to retire early and live on a low income. I already know I need to try harder.

I live with daily fatigue, chronic pain, and anxiety/depression issues that I've been battling since adolescence. At 49 it's hard to keep on hoping things will ever improve. I have a strong will to stick around though, so don't panic on that score. I have great family support.

For 30+ years I've done my level best to get accurate diagnoses and good treatment for each of my conditions but haven't fully succeeded. Some of them aren't well understood by medicine. Those that are well understood don't necessarily have treatments that are accessible, with benefits that outweigh the downsides.

Until the last year, I didn't have any diabetes complications but now I have constantly sore feet (GP thinks it's mild diabetic neuropathy), and bladder issues I'd rather not get into details about, lol. My eyes are fine - they get checked every 2 years. No doubt my depression and fatigue is made worse by high blood sugar. I'm not showing signs of being near menopause but my menstrual cycle causes issues that I think are diabetes-related.

I'm hoping to learn new things from you all, and to get some support and inspiration, too. I want to find meal ideas that are easy to prepare, since the fatigue makes it really hard to get those healthy meals that take a bit of extra effort to make.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Hi Jenny,

You are in the right place. I have only come on here recently but the guys and girls of course on here are brilliant. I wouldn't be hard on you as you are dealing with several things and it's not easy.

I find omlettes, scrambled eggs, bacon etc are quick and easy to make. I also buy Lidl Protein Rolls....toast them and put cheese in them....quick, easy and filling. I also have salads....again quick and easy plus berries which i buy frozen with cream.

Once you tackle one thing you will no doubt find it makes other things easier to deal with too.

As you have several conditions and are in a low income are you receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment? Am a welfare benefits adviser so can always help with things like that.

I suffer with mild depression although years ao was severe hence my stints in The Priory in 2001 and 2004 so know how difficult that is. It's finding what works for you. I tend to watch a lot if comedy as most of the time is uplifting.

Small steps....tackle one thing at a time that will have a positive effect. I have taken to cycling in.last 6 months...second hand bike and helmet. Wish i had done this years ago....love it. Helping my diabetes, helping me get fit (so unfit) and good for my general wellbeing....kills three birds in one stone.

Believe you can do it and you will. X

 

[daisy1]

@Jenny15

Hello Jenny and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 235,000 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 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. Most of these are 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.
  

 

[Pinkorchid]

HI Jenny welcome to the group You say your diabetes was controlled for a few years so how were you eating then that worked for you and what are you doing differently. It is very hard when you have other medical conditions as well as diabetes and because of that advising the the low carb higher fat diet advice here may not suit you it is not a.. one for all diet.. I hope you are able to get back on track to where you were doing well

 

[Jenny15]

Thank you everyone who responded to my post from December. I did read them at the time and kept meaning to respond but life got in the way.

After a visit to a specialist about a non-diabetes issue I have renewed hope for getting diabetes under control, so I'm really happy! He made a recommendation that my GP had not.

I have tried several times to control it with a low carb high fat diet, which was successful the first time, several years ago. Since then it has been less successful each time and I'm now at the point where I'm willing to go on insulin, at least temporarily. The alternative is to stay with very high BGs and growing diabetic complications, and cardiac risk, which is not tenable.

I've done a lot of reading over the years at this forum and websites like phlaunt.com which, while it does recommend dietary control, also says that in a situation like mine, insulin and metformin, plus doing my best with diet, is the right way to go.

So I'm looking for info on:
-Starting on insulin (what it feels like, what to expect)
-Whether the treatments other than insulin and metformin are safe enough to try (I'm not convinced but the specialist wants me to consider it)
-Metformin side effects (which I will start another thread about)

Actually I think I'll start a thread on each question separately to make it easier.

With the complexity of my other medical conditions, I really feel this is the right way to go, even if I stay on insulin for life. At 49, after 9 years of battling T2 diabetes along with everything else, this is better than feeling like there is no hope of improvement. The fatigue is the biggest issue for me.

Cardiac risk is the biggest issue for my doctors but yeah, having little energy makes everything day to day so difficult and I know insulin will bring me some relief so I can start improving again and go from there. I need to be self disciplined and stay positive too - I'm not expecting the insulin to do all the work. I've read stories on the forum about people who do that and just end up in the same position a few months later.

Thanks for the support everyone, it really does help.

 

[Freema]

Thank you everyone who responded to my post from December. I did read them at the time and kept meaning to respond but life got in the way.

After a visit to a specialist about a non-diabetes issue I have renewed hope for getting diabetes under control, so I'm really happy! He made a recommendation that my GP had not.

I have tried several times to control it with a low carb high fat diet, which was successful the first time, several years ago. Since then it has been less successful each time and I'm now at the point where I'm willing to go on insulin, at least temporarily. The alternative is to stay with very high BGs and growing diabetic complications, and cardiac risk, which is not tenable.

I've done a lot of reading over the years at this forum and websites like phlaunt.com which, while it does recommend dietary control, also says that in a situation like mine, insulin and metformin, plus doing my best with diet, is the right way to go.

So I'm looking for info on:
-Starting on insulin (what it feels like, what to expect)
-Whether the treatments other than insulin and metformin are safe enough to try (I'm not convinced but the specialist wants me to consider it)
-Metformin side effects (which I will start another thread about)

Actually I think I'll start a thread on each question separately to make it easier.

With the complexity of my other medical conditions, I really feel this is the right way to go, even if I stay on insulin for life. At 49, after 9 years of battling T2 diabetes along with everything else, this is better than feeling like there is no hope of improvement. The fatigue is the biggest issue for me.

Cardiac risk is the biggest issue for my doctors but yeah, having little energy makes everything day to day so difficult and I know insulin will bring me some relief so I can start improving again and go from there. I need to be self disciplined and stay positive too - I'm not expecting the insulin to do all the work. I've read stories on the forum about people who do that and just end up in the same position a few months later.

Thanks for the support everyone, it really does help.

Welcome back here hope you’ll get some good answers , I haven’t yet read anyone telling of starting the type 2 insuline Way of controlling diabetes , but there sure must be many doing it also in this forum

 

[Jenny15]

Welcome back here hope you’ll get some good answers , I haven’t yet read anyone telling of starting the type 2 insuline Way of controlling diabetes , but there sure must be many doing it also in this forum

Thanks Freema