Hi

[Pippatenn]

Hi there, I'm new to this whole forum thingy and recently diagnosed as type 2, my hba1c is 22.6 and be started on 2 different types of oral meds metformin and Alogliptin but not been given a monitor to test my levels is that usual....? My friend has been testing my bg levels for me as she is diabetic also, before meals my bg is 12-15 and 2 hours after it is 19-24..... Very confused about it all, been on meds for just over a week and feel dreadful.... Blurred vision, fussy head, tired, desperately thirsty, headaches and jittery is this normal.... Never felt ill before the meds....

 

[zand]

Hi welcome to the forum

I'll tag @daisy1 for some useful information to start you off.

 

[Pippatenn]

Hi, and thank you x

 

[Daibell]

Hi. I think many of those symptoms would be due to the very high blood sugar. If you haven't already adjusted your diet you ened to reduce the carbs a lot and have proteins, fats and veg to keep you feeling full. Although useful, the Metformin and giptin will help a bit but diet is always the key for T2.

 

[Pippatenn]

Been on low sugar and low carb diet for just over a week now, was exercising regularly until I began to feel so unwell....not sure what else to do, on lots of other meds for high bp, and an autoimmune condition, could these be affecting my bg levels? X

 

[geoffh]

Hi! Welcome to the forum. When you say low carb, how low do you mean?
A lot of people find huge benefits by getting down to less than 50g a day.
Talk us through an average food day and we might be able to help.

Most of all - don't panic. It gets easier!

 

[Pippatenn]

Breakfast dry wholemeal toast, banana, and weight watchers yogurt... (Lowest one I've found in sugar and carbs)
Lunch salad, with ham chicken or tuna
Evening meal salmon or meat with lots of veg, no potatoes, occasionally with a small amount of cus cus

Cut out all white bread, pasta, crisps ect as well as sugar snacks drinks ect, been snacking on nuts instead even cut down on the amount of fruit I eat due to the sugar in it....

 

[zand]

Many of us find that wholemeal foods are as bad as white ones for putting up our BGs. Don't worry about low fat yoghurts just choose a full fat natural one. I use FAGE. Your other meals look fine to me, but maybe your breakfast needs changing a bit.

 

[Pippatenn]

Thank you for your help, really struggling with it all and panicking a bit because of how unwell I feel.... Trying to do things properly, spoke to a dietician to make sure I'm doing it right....

 

[zand]

Ummm, I expect there are some good dieticians, but there are also some who don't have a clue with how to deal with diabetes.

 

[Pippatenn]

What's sort of things would you suggest for breakfast? I don't like cereals/porridge at all....

 

[Pippatenn]

Should I buy a monitor and test my bg regularly or just carry on as I am? I am going to see the diabetic nurse for the first time next week will she be able to supply me with one? So many questions I know, I'm so sorry.... X

 

[Redfield81]

How about multigrain bread rather than wholemeal bread ?

 

[geoffh]

Breakfast is tricky but best plan is egg (lots of egg), bacon mushrooms (and some sausages). Any of those (or all of them!!)
Don't worry about counting sugar - it's a carb so will be included in the carbohydrate count.
Full fat yoghurt (it has less carbs) and berries are good too.
I've found that pretty much eliminating all carbs from my diet has brought my BG level down in a few weeks. It really does work.
If you can cut out all wheat, pasta, rice etc it'll help too hugely. Honest!'

 

[zand]

Ask for a monitor at your appointment. You probably won't get one, but it's worth asking the question as some T2s do manage to get one from their GP.

The fact that you don't like cereals is a bonus!

When you have a monitor (either from your GP or purchased by yourself) you will be able to test and see whether any breads are OK for you. Some of us try Burgen bread, livlife bread or Lidl high protein rolls. You won't know what you can personally manage until you test though.

 

[geoffh]

Getting your own meter is the only way to tell what foods you can and can't eat - and everyone's different.
I've found I can't eat any bread (wholegrain or otherwise). You might be lucky - the only way is to test.

Meter-wise people on here tend to buy the SD Codefree from home health UK - mainly because the test strips are the cheapest out there. If you do manage to get one prescribed (which would be unusual) buying extra strips could end up quite costly!

 

[Pippatenn]

Thank you so much X

 

[zand]

Whilst you are waiting for daisy's link, here's another to look at. You may or may not decide this is the right way for you personally.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

 

[geoffh]

If you're going the low-carb route, also watch out for certain fruit and veg.

Generally speaking,
- bananas, apples, pears, grapes bad
- berries good (esp raspberries)

- veg grown below the ground (potato, swede, carrots) bad (although raw carrot is ok)
- above ground veg (leafy stuff, green peppers, cauliflower, broccoli) good.

Milk contains quite a bit of sugar (and therefore carbs) especially when it's lower fat. It sounds counter-intuitive but cream in coffee is much better for you as a diabetic.
In fact many people on this forum combine a low carb diet with one high in fat.

Opinions on saturated fats are varied but newer research and thinking seems to suggest they don't contribute to being overweight like previously thought. I'm enjoying butter, cream and full fat yoghurt (in moderation) and loving it!!

 

[zand]

The advantage of having more fats in your diet is that you don't feel hungry whilst reducing the carbs so it's sustainable.