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Hi Ya! Determined to take diabetes seriously in 2012

S

sugar22

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2
Hi All,

I've had type 2 diabetes for the last 3 years or so. I suppose it was inevitable really as both my mum and sister also had diabetes and died from complications so wasn't too surprised when I was diagnosed. I've been in partial denial and taken quite a relaxed view of having the disease to date and realise I have to change or will end up sleepwalking into complications. Had a light bulb moment during Christmas and now want to do something constructive to manage my condition.

My present stats are cholesterol of about 5.9 up from 5.6 and last hb1ac 6.7 or 6.9 up from 6.5. The stats are gradually moving in the wrong direction and my gp is keen to start me on medication which I have resisted so far. I started working with a personal trainer early last year and initially lost a stone but have gradually put the weight back on and now weigh a little over 20 stones. Added to this I have an extremely sweet tooth and no matter what I do cant stop eating all the things i know are bad for me. I buy test strips (gp doesn't see the need) and test every morning so I've a general idea of how well I'm coping or not.

Plans - I was given a recipe book for diabetics for Christmas and intend to try some of the recipes for desserts in a bid to reduce my sugar intake. Will also look at overall diet to assess where I can improve.
I will increase the amount of exercise i do aiming for 30 mins a day during the week and 1 hour a day during the weekend and will continue with personal trainer once injury is healed.

Question - Is my refusal to take medication delaying the inevitable? ie complications will develop in future even if I do lose weight and follow a strict diet so I might as well start taking medicine now?

Acknowledgment - The forum is a life line and has helped me retain my sanity......during a turbulent couple of years..

Thanks if you've got this far - hope to post progress during the year.
 
Hi Sugar and welcome to the forum :) For good recipes the best idea would be to look on here. There are hundreds of them :clap: A diabetic recipe book may not be a good idea as they tend to push high carbs. If you can reduce carbs you will find you want less of them. Medication is up to the doctor and I personally would follow his advice but it's your choice. Complications can happen but you can lessen the possibility of them by looking after yourself as well as possible and obtaining good levels. You are doing well to exercise and test. Here is some information that we give to new members which I think will help you. Ask as many questions as you like as there is always someone here to 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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 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.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Daisy,

Many thanks for your sage words - I'll definitely have a look on the forum and see if anything grabs my fancy. I'm still a bit hesitant on the medication front though....but aim to book an appointment with my doctor to go over the pros and cons soon. I'm hoping that if I can get my weight and numbers down I'll be able to delay starting medication for a while longer. Off to do some exercise now...

Thanks again
 
Hi sugar
I agree with Daisy but also I feel for your sweet tooth :!: I wonder if you can try to work on reducing this .At one time I put 3 spoonful of sugar in my drink and a friend who was a nutritionalist told me to count how many drinks I had in a day and pile up the amount of sugar that I would have in a day into a dish (shock horror) it really made me think so I cut down my sugar intake by half a spoonful per week and now I dont take any .Perhaps you could do something similar for example replace sweet biscuit or cake with a few nuts if you cover them with dark choc they will fill that" I need something sweet" feeling .It is better to wean off gradually rather than going "cold turkey"
CAROL
 
Hi

I was extremely hesitant about going on medication, but since I trust my GP and the support team I did. 10 years later I still trust them and am now using insulin.

I am a sweet fan too, but have compromised. I drink sugar free drinks and use sweeteners. I am new to this forum too, so am reading and taking note of the no carb versus carb theories. I know that I can eat carbs, but must reduce them significantly. I am overweight and do need to exercise - again working on that one !

If I want cake I make my own reducing the sugar by half - something a dietician advised me to do. Home made cakes are better for you, because they contain less sugar and preservatives. I also eat chocolate but cut down on the amount I eat. Adding veg to a meal also helps you feel more full, so you eat less.

I started using insulin in October and my sugar levels are far from stable, but I am getting there. The advice, support and help from members on here keeps me going, so thanks everyone.

Sue
 
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