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Cindee68

Cindee68

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
- What is your name?
Cindee
- How old are you?
49
- Are you male or female?
Female
- Which country are you from?
USA
- Which city/area do you live in?
Newnan, Georgia
- Pick three words to describe your personality.
Mindful, loyal, funny
- Do you have any pets?
Yes. Cats 1 dog 2 birds and a baby squirrel that was on my back porch that now nurses on momma cat
- Microsoft or Apple?
Both?
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play?
None
- Do you get angry easily?
No
- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where?
Total of 8 all in ears
- List your five favourite musicians/bands.
I'll get back on this one
- What would you say your favourite music genre is?
Pop
- What is your favourite flag?
USA
- Ever gone camping?
Yes
- Ever been in love?
Yes
- Ever used fake tan?
No
- Which countries have you visited?
None
- Favourite city?
Orlando
- List your five favourite TV
Game of Thrones
Survivor
Big brother
Once upon a time
90 day fiancé
List your five favourite films.
Armageddon
Independence Day
All Marvel
- Are you wealthy?
I wish lol
- Do you work? If so, as what?
No. Was a stay at home mom, recently divorced
- What do you like most about yourself?
That I am very trustworthy and loyal
- What do you like least about yourself?
That I try to see the best in some people when all they show is their worst

Have fun!
 
Hi @Cindee68 ,

Welcome to the forum.!
Thanks for joining us.

Feel free to ask any question. The guys on here are pretty smart with the subject of diabetes..

Tagging in @daisy1 with an info sheet.
 
@Cindee68

Hello Cindee and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Also, have a look at the Low Carb Program which should help you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able 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 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Thank you daisy! It was actually very helpful. I've been diabetic for 3 years but was busy trying to make everyone happy I never took the time to educate myself. I just got out of the ICU from DKA, that was such an eye opener for me. Educating myself will become a high priority.
 
Hi Cindee, welcome to the forums.

Take a look at the link for Sarah Hallberg in my signature. It explains how different food types: carbohydrate, protein and fat affect blood sugars. It turns our we don’t need carbohydrates at all, so you can cut down on all high carb foods and it will dramatically reduce your blood sugars. Foods to avoid include breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Also best to avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes. See https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb for some ideas for low carb food.

If you reduce carbs then the amount of insulin you take will need to be reduced as well. Otherwise you may get hypos. If you look at the link for Jason Fung in my signature you will see that he has got many of his type 2 patients off all medication including insulin using a combination of low carb diet and intermittent fasting.
 
Last edited:
Hi. I'm sure you will be glad you have joined the site. There's a lot of experience here as well as some less than ordinary people.
 
Cindee68 said:
- What is your name?
Cindee
- How old are you?
49
- Are you male or female?
Female
- Which country are you from?
USA
- Which city/area do you live in?
Newnan, Georgia
- Pick three words to describe your personality.
Mindful, loyal, funny
- Do you have any pets?
Yes. Cats 1 dog 2 birds and a baby squirrel that was on my back porch that now nurses on momma cat
- Microsoft or Apple?
Both?
- Which sport(s) (if any) do you like/play?
None
- Do you get angry easily?
No
- Do you have any tattoos or piercings? If so, where?
Total of 8 all in ears
- List your five favourite musicians/bands.
I'll get back on this one
- What would you say your favourite music genre is?
Pop
- What is your favourite flag?
USA
- Ever gone camping?
Yes
- Ever been in love?
Yes
- Ever used fake tan?
No
- Which countries have you visited?
None
- Favourite city?
Orlando
- List your five favourite TV
Game of Thrones
Survivor
Big brother
Once upon a time
90 day fiancé
List your five favourite films.
Armageddon
Independence Day
All Marvel
- Are you wealthy?
I wish lol
- Do you work? If so, as what?
No. Was a stay at home mom, recently divorced
- What do you like most about yourself?
That I am very trustworthy and loyal
- What do you like least about yourself?
That I try to see the best in some people when all they show is their worst

Have fun!
Click to expand...

Hi Cindee68 and welcome to the forum.
 
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