I am type 2 diagnosed in 1997 lost 5 stone after diagnosis. On metformin for years then pioglitazone added. Sugar was well controlled never even tested BG at home just 6 monthly with consultant. Three years ago I started my menopause and everything went wrong! I am now on novorapid 30 units 3 X daily and 54units of levimere at bed time. I have morning readings of 14 15 17 never lower than 10 and bed time readings of anything from 13 to 24. Am so fed up! I have tryglicerides readings of 11 and am on big doses of statins and lipids. I have given up smoking and drinking all alcohol. Was told by GP to cut out dairy and red meat. Joined slimming world in July 2015 lost 2 stone but am finding it difficult to do plan now as I can't eat most of what the plan advocates. I am so fed up my whole life revolves around diabetes which I can't control what can I do?? Or is this normal??
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Type 2 High doses of insulin but still running high?
- Thread starter Hanny 66
- Start Date
Oh dear, oh dear...
To start with....do you know/have had tests done if you still produce your own insulin?
It sounds like you've had the usual treatment....give type 2 diabetic MORE insulin..which will not really help...and when the blood results don't improve....MORE insulin is the answer...and when that don't work...'lets find some other pills and potions'.
(I might jump into conclusions here but it is happened so often with so many diabetics...myself included
)
..in a answer to your 'is this normal' question...yes, it is normal treatment from the doctors..though not necessary needed or at least in that quantity. It is entirely possible to lower your medication needs quite drastically with right diet..
lets get some basic info for you at first... calling @daisy1
To start with....do you know/have had tests done if you still produce your own insulin?
It sounds like you've had the usual treatment....give type 2 diabetic MORE insulin..which will not really help...and when the blood results don't improve....MORE insulin is the answer...and when that don't work...'lets find some other pills and potions'.
(I might jump into conclusions here but it is happened so often with so many diabetics...myself included
)..in a answer to your 'is this normal' question...yes, it is normal treatment from the doctors..though not necessary needed or at least in that quantity. It is entirely possible to lower your medication needs quite drastically with right diet..
lets get some basic info for you at first... calling @daisy1
Last edited by a moderator:
Here is couple of links that would be good reading for you to start with. It possibly goes against anything and everything you've been told by dear doctors and they are quite likely carry on telling you so...but if you have a look around the forum, we have endless cases of success stories here...and all it takes to dare to try it to believe it. It might not be for you, but if you try this different way of eating, you body is quite likely to start showing slightly improved blood sugar levels by responding to the diet in as short time as few weeks! It is gradual progress but more often than not into right direction.
If you start looking type2 diabetes as carbohydrate intolerance issue...(you can search in net and you'll be finding tons of info about it)..and I noticed you have PCOS as well..which will go hand in hand with diabetes..both will be improved when carbs intake is lowered and more fats are included in your diet.
-.......https://doc.research-and-analytics.csfb.com/docView?language=ENG&source=ulg&format=PDF&document_id=1053247551&serialid=MFT6JQWS+4FvvuMDBUQ7v9g4cGa84/gpv8mURvaRWdQ=
-...... http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Oh and another thing...you will need protein (meat) in you diet...but you don't need to eat it huge amount...excess protein can contribute to your raising blood sugar levels. Just moderate amounts are enough, and dairy...well no harm with that unless it is not 'low-fat' type which will help to raise your blood sugars. Full fat dairy products in moderation will actually help you!
If you start looking type2 diabetes as carbohydrate intolerance issue...(you can search in net and you'll be finding tons of info about it)..and I noticed you have PCOS as well..which will go hand in hand with diabetes..both will be improved when carbs intake is lowered and more fats are included in your diet.
-.......https://doc.research-and-analytics.csfb.com/docView?language=ENG&source=ulg&format=PDF&document_id=1053247551&serialid=MFT6JQWS+4FvvuMDBUQ7v9g4cGa84/gpv8mURvaRWdQ=
-...... http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
Oh and another thing...you will need protein (meat) in you diet...but you don't need to eat it huge amount...excess protein can contribute to your raising blood sugar levels. Just moderate amounts are enough, and dairy...well no harm with that unless it is not 'low-fat' type which will help to raise your blood sugars. Full fat dairy products in moderation will actually help you!
Last edited by a moderator:
- Messages
- 11,582
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
If you don't mind Hanny, I'll ask a couple of questions before I try to respond to your post properly, so that I can target your concerns properly, so indulge me.
In 1997 you lost a lot of weight. Did you keep that off, or did any creep back on again? What sort of rough BMI do you have?
As a T2, I found the most critical thing in managing my diabetes was and still is, what I ate and drink. So, on that tack, what do you typically eat on a typical day? Do you enjoy cooking, or is it a real chore?
Do you have any other health conditions, aside from the high lipids and diabetes you mention? Do you take any other drugs at all?
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Hanny 66
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you help on your diet so you can make your food choices better. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to come and 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 over 150,000 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 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-and-whole-grains.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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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 bloodglucose 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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It will give you help on your diet so you can make your food choices better. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to come and 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 over 150,000 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-and-whole-grains.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
LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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 bloodglucose 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.
