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Hiatal Hernia and medication

C

calisto51

Active Member
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I have been to the hospital today to have a camera examination of my stomach. This was in response to my inability to keep my meals down. I have been diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia and a biopsy was taken on some areas they weren't happy with. I have been struggling for a year or more. My doctors practice has been trying out different medications to keep my BGs under control. Fasting levels are 10-12. 2hr post meals can peak at 17-20.

I have been prescribed various drugs to help control and each time I get side effects chronic heartburn or sickness. At the moment I am on 2x500mg Metforman twice a day which seems to have little effect on my bg but my digestion seems to just about tolerate them. With the high readings comes the thirst and mind numbing fatigue I am just so tired all the time and just want to sleep. I am due to see my Doctor in two weeks to discuss the results of the Biopsy,

As for diabetic control they have given up and reffered me to the hospital clinic. I am asking the question are there other members with this condition and what are they doing to live with it. My diet is reasonably good but will need some adaptation to cope with this condition.
 
Here is the advice for type 2's , see if there is anything you can use in it.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different .

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Callisto :)

I have sifted through your posts and it would seem that you have been having problems for a while but I can't seem to find any reference to what it is that you are eating. What is your diet :?:

Are you self testing before and after your food so that you can work out what food is doing to your body :?: If you test you can then work out what to cut down or out or what is safe to eat.

The advice Sue has given is A1 and following it will help you to get a handle on your condition. 8)
 
Hi yes I watch what I eat and test to see what causes problems. I don't low carb problem areas are pasta, potatoes and cereals which I avoid I sometimes eat brown rice in small quantities with my evening meal. Breakfast usually 20g granola and a small slice toast and red bush tea no milk. Mid morning rough oat biscuit x 2 plus low fat cheese. Lunch, soup either pea & ham or chicken avoid vegatable and meat soups + low fat yoghurt. Evening meal fish or chicken sometimes vegtables roasted in the oven with feta cheese. Before bed an oat digestive biscuit with a small piece of cheese, and yes I have been having problems for some time, about a year now. Since christmas i have declined badly the doctors have tried different medications to stabalise my bgs but each one has either made me feel sick or given me terrible heartburn its only in the last two weeks they have decided to reffer me to the hospital for tests which turned up the haital hernia some other areas in the stomach there not happy with . I have to wait until June before I can see a diabetic consultant. I am sure my bgs are at the root of feeling unwell. During the day they seem to run between 8-10, two hours after food the can be up around 19. The highest during the last month was 25 and that was three hours I think that was due to the pasta I ate when dining out,the menu was a bit limited to everything with chips. I Just need some advice Like I said I am due to see the Doctor in two weeks to discuss the results of my endoscopy, do I insist on help with my bgs even though I have not got anywhere in the past. Or suffer on until June with the hope of more qualified help. So far discussions with my doctor end up with her referring to a book to try and see what to do next
 
Callisto
i would always insist on help with Bg, because that has such implications for your future. However, iff your doctor gives you the norma"eat plenty of starchy carbohydrates" guff I wouldn't bother to follow the advice. Carbs have to be controlled, how much you control depends on you.
You might find , just portion control is enough, or GI/GL diet, or areduced carb diet, or a true low carb. In the end it's down to BG monitoring and what works for you.
I personally find about 30g carbs per day I can handle and keep bg in the 4s.
Hana
 
I would ask your GP to refer you to a dietitian, who can help you with a diet that handles the Hiatal Herina and diabetes to ensure that you aren't eating a diet that irratates one condition or impacts on the other..

You should tackle your diabetic control at the same time with your GP when you see him about the test results, and hopefully he will ring the consutlant and get you into the diabetic clinic ASAP, as it will need to be sorted if you are given any medication to relief and control your stomach symptons, how are these going to impact further on your diabetic control/medication needs...
 
Hello again Callisto :)

As stated above I too would ask for help from a dietician but always bearing in mind that testing before and 2 hours after your food will give you even more valuable information than anything else can. You also need to push to be seen at the hospital diabetes clinic.

Looking at what you say you are eating there are still a fair few carbs there which may well be your problem - but only by testing will you know for sure. Keep a food diary and note all your readings against the food eaten and you will soon see a pattern emerging and be able to make more informed choices. 8)

Keep referring back to Sue's post which will help you enormously and let us know how you are getting on. :)
 
I have been back and forth to the doctors and it seems my medication (metformin is causing my sickness problem. I have been taking it for years 2x500mg twice a day. Now my system seems unable to cope. The doctors decided to put me onto insulin. I am looking at my food types with a view to reduce carb intake. Since I have been off the meds my fasting levels are climbing this morning 13.5. The meal the previous evening was fish and salad and a single digestive before bed. Its going to take two weeks before I get to see anybody about the insulin the practice Diabetic nurse only works Fridays. I am still waiting the results of the biopsy the hospital did on my stomach. The Doctors made the comment that if there was a major problem they would be in touch quickly. So there it is hopefully within the month things may start to level out and I feel better.
 
Hello again calisto. :)

Glad that things seem to be moving - albeit slowly. Sounds like you are on the right track to look at your carb intake. Have you been keeping your food diary and noting your readings against it? This should give you the information you need to work out the best way forward for you.

Hope you get somewhere really soon and start to feel much better. :)
 
My paternal grandma had a hiatus hernia and type 2 diabetes back in the 1970's.

In the end they decided to try to repair the hernia which was in her gullet.
Because of her diabetes they hypnotised her so she would not need anaesthetics for the operation.

The operation was a huge success and when she recovered she was able to eat her favorite nuts again. 8)
 
I had a phone call from the practice nurse in charge of the Diabetes managment, to arrange an appointment. I have been having trouble for a year and fianally I get to see her. we had a chat about how I was feeling since the doctor stopped all my diabetic medication last Thursday. I said basically feeling lousy most of the time although my stomach problems have improved. She asked what my Bg levels were like and fortunatley i had taken a reading this morning two hours after breakfast (Bran flakes and Red Bush tea) the reading came out at 20 Reducing to 14 an hour later.
It seemed to ring alarm bells and she has made an appointment for this Friday with the intention of putting me onto insulin. I have been taking Metformin for years and now for some reason I can no longer tolerate it, perhaps the Hiatal hernia and medication I am taking for that is causing the problem. Anyway the good news is things are moving forward and hopefully in a month or so I can stabilise my self and feel better and regain the energy I seem to have lost
 
Hello again Calisto. :)

Have they considered the options of any other meds apart from insulin :?:

Bran flakes would send my BG levels through the roof too!! Looking at your carb intake might be a good option. Dairy was a problem for me as I got reflux so I changed to goats milk which did the trick - just a thought :idea:

Hope you get sorted out really soon and start to feel better. :)
 
I have tried different meds but each time it caused a reaction with my stomach. the bran flakes was a one off to see how my system would cope. This morning I had two rashers of grilled bacon and an egg and cup of red bush tea still the bg reading was 13 two hours later. The fasting reading was twelve so a one point gain is pretty good I suppose.
 
Hi calsisto,

Do a search with your medication and see if there is a reaction with your blood sugars as there are many medications that lower/higher your blood sugars.
 
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