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Hubby just diagnosed - advice plz

C

Crazzychic

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Hi all , My hubby was diagnosed type 2 on Monday after suffering from all the usual symptoms for a few weeks , he was admitted to hospital on the same day and was allowed home on Thursday night .
The lowest BG levels we have recorded so far has been 12.7 (early morning) highest has been 30.6 on average it seems to sit between 20 and 30 .
We have to go to the diabetic clinic on Tuesday morning as we have to try to get this under control quickly as we are going to Florida in 2 weeks (hopefully).
He has been prescribed gliclazide tablets 1 before breakfast and 1 before evening meal .
We are trying our best to eat a healthy diet now but readings just seem to be getting higher 2 hours after food .
Could we be doing any permenant damage running at these levels ? Should i be back on the phone to the hospital or just wait till Tuesday .
We would be most grateful for any advice as being new to this we are finding it a bit mind blowing to say the least .
Thanxs
 
Hi , we have been going mad label reading :shock: and i have been buying foods low in fats , salt and obviously sugar and he has upped his intake of fruit and veg and wholegrains , i know its not the best but its a start for him as his diet was not great at all .
 
Hi again.

No. I need more than that. Low in fats and sugars is not going to affect Bg levels much. Is he eating bread, rice, pasta, starchy root veg and spuds ? Carbohydrates ?
 
ok todays meals have been all bran with semi skimmed milk and a slice of wholemeal toast , lunch was wholemeal rolls with ham and dinner is beef stew with sweet potatoes and mixed veg .
Is that bad ??? most of his meals run along these lines , im so confused what am i doing wrong :(
 
Hi.
Thanks for that. What you are doing is probably following the usual' healthy' diet information which is handed out to most if not all Diabetics. Most of us on here find this information wrong. Cut down on the Carbs and levels will drop and it has a knock on effect of helping with any weight loss.

AllBran with S/S milk for 5 heaped tablespoons is 16g carbohydrate.
Wholemeal Toast is around 15g carbs
Total 31g carbs

Wholemeal Rolls probably around 24g carbs
Ham if fresh cut is around 0g carbs
Total 24g carbs per roll.

Beef Stew depends what else is in it to the amount of carbs. Veg etc. Anything from 13 to 20+g carbs per serving
Sweet Potato Roasted is around 20g carbs.
Boiled is around 20g carbs per 100g weight

If you want to reduce Bg levels then you need to cut down the carbohydrates now. That is the things I mentioned before which elevate your Bg levels quite dramatically at times. Potato. Rice.Bread. Pasta and starchy root vegetables. Also steer clear of any flour based products. I am not an avid low carber, I just reduce them as above. This helps me to have tight control over my Bg levels and has helped reverse many of my previous complications. I know it has worked for me. Give it a try.

Get yourself a Carb or a Calorie Counter Collins Gem book from W H Smith's and read the lists. Read carefully the food labels looking at Carbohydrates not just the sugar content as this is included in the carb content. Carbohydrates convert directly to sugar, so if you have a meal with 20g of carbs in it you are also eating 20g of sugar in effect !! You also need to be careful of the amount of fruit you eat as well. Some are very bad for Diabetics, although I eat plenty of fruit it is only through testing that I know which ones I am able to eat without too much trouble.
 
Hi there, someone who knows a lot more than me will be along soon, but I can only tell you I did just what you are doing when I was first diagnosed. It wasn't until this forum led me to reduce my carb intake, bread, rice, pasta,cereals,etc that I gained single figure readings. I was also shocked to find that root vegetables can also cause my figures to rise, though sweet potatoes are the best. Some fruits also can be so full of sugar that they ought to be used with caution. See I told you someone who knew more would be with you :wink: Good luck
Val
 
Hi Crazzychic

Idon't know more - and I hope i know some slightly different stuff! Everyone is different and it may not be for you, but I hope this helps.

I cut my carbs drastically too when I was first diagnosed. I was also advised by my dietician to choose foods according to their glycemic index which did help. And I had smaller portions.

In the morning, porridge oats with some chopped nuts was good for keeping my BG levels stable. If I had a sandwich for lunch I always had wholegrain bread instead of wholemeal. For my evening meals, I've cut down the amount of rice and potatos and carbs in general. I NEVER have potatos with any other type of carb e.g. Saag Allo with Naan or rice - killer combo. Where I cut down on portion sizes, I filled up on salad items with my evening meals.

I snacked on cashew nuts -about a handful-, raw salads/veg like broccoli, cucumber and celery. Chick Peas were another winner for me, as well as apples, while fruit like mango and watermelon sent my BG bananas! I found I can't eat more than a fork full of each now :cry:
One thing I find only Indian diabetics do, is eat dry roasted chickpeas - also known as channa or daria. It is a great snack item, but you need to drink enough water with it as it is full of fiber!
If poss, brisk walks after your meals should help too.
 
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