I'm confused - Newly diganosed T2 but...

Dazbobaby said:

Aye, but I've just bought some brown tortilla wraps and I wanted to compare them to white.

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Will taste just as bad.. bin 'em...

Dazbobaby said:

@bulkbiker Aye, but I've just bought some brown tortilla wraps and I wanted to compare them to white.
@xfieldok Nope I hate those things (microwave ovens) and I'll google Keto snacks
@TriciaWs That's my thinking now.
@Severe_Needle_phobia Thank you

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You don't have to buy brown wraps, just read the label in the shop and put it back on the shelf.

Microwave - fair enough, just trying to save your washing up. Nonstick saucepan then.

Lots of people use lettuce for wraps.

There are 'protein breads' which are lower in carbs - I get the lowest available locally which is from Asda, 4 gm per slice.

@Dazbobaby
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it both interesting and helpful.

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 600,000 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 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.

Daphne917 said:

@Dazbobaby I was diagnosed with an hba1c of 48 as well although it rose quite quickly to 54 due to statins and I seem to be able to tolerate more carbs than many on the forum. I have Tesco High Protein Bread which is 10g carbs per slice and tend to find one slice, loaded with filling or toasted with eggs, is sufficient. Try testing and see what effect it has on your BS reading.

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Hi Daphne917. I've just read your post and it stopped me in my tracks. What is the connection between statins and BG? I'm assuming you are referring to Lipitor type statins. I take Atorvastatin every night.

Dazbobaby said:

I've just got the bread out of the freezer, and I haven't had this bread in a few days.
So tomorrow I'll do some testing.

The impression I get is that some people can tolerate carbs and some can't.
It's a shame too, I was going to make myself a chicken and bacon caesar salad wrap.

Now it'll have to be scrambled egg on toast.

OT. but cleaning a pan that you've used to make scrambled egg is a proper pain. I suppose it helps work off that sugar I've just eaten.

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I've recently started using a recipe for bread rolls that uses almond flour and psyllium husk powder. The bread is 10 minutes in the making and 60 minutes in the oven. I would recommend this as I find it really nice.

I have to admit though I don't really understand what is meant by the claim that each roll contains 2 net carbs. Can anyone explain the difference between a carb and a net carb amount?

Dazbobaby said:

I've just got the bread out of the freezer, and I haven't had this bread in a few days.
So tomorrow I'll do some testing.

The impression I get is that some people can tolerate carbs and some can't.
It's a shame too, I was going to make myself a chicken and bacon caesar salad wrap.

Now it'll have to be scrambled egg on toast.

OT. but cleaning a pan that you've used to make scrambled egg is a proper pain. I suppose it helps work off that sugar I've just eaten.

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Yes you are right we are all different so the amount of carbs we eat are also different for everyone Some here go very low under 30 carbs a day some eat much higher anything under 130g is low carb. Find the level that suits you and stick to that. How about making your scrambled egg in the microwave much easier to clean the dish than a saucepan

Alineden said:

Hi Daphne917. I've just read your post and it stopped me in my tracks. What is the connection between statins and BG? I'm assuming you are referring to Lipitor type statins. I take Atorvastatin every night.

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I was diagnosed three years ago with BG at a level of 46 so not very high. I had been taking statins for years before that. I take Atorvastatin and they have never really affected my BG levels and my HbA1c tests are still in the low 40's

Alineden said:

Hi Daphne917. I've just read your post and it stopped me in my tracks. What is the connection between statins and BG? I'm assuming you are referring to Lipitor type statins. I take Atorvastatin every night.

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Statins have been shown to raise blood sugar levels, and carry a risk that people may become diabetic from taking them.

Bluetit1802 said:

Statins have been shown to raise blood sugar levels, and carry a risk that people may become diabetic from taking them.

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Thanks for that Bluetit1802. I have a telephone appointment with my GP in a weeks time I'll ask her about stopping taking them. I've thought about stopping them for different reasons in the past but this news seems to strengthen my case.

Alineden said:

Thanks for that Bluetit1802. I have a telephone appointment with my GP in a weeks time I'll ask her about stopping taking them. I've thought about stopping them for different reasons in the past but this news seems to strengthen my case.

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It's crazy that you're having to wait a week for a telephone consultation.

Chook said:

It's crazy that you're having to wait a week for a telephone consultation.

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I've already been waiting 2 weeks ha ha

Alineden said:

Thanks for that Bluetit1802. I have a telephone appointment with my GP in a weeks time I'll ask her about stopping taking them. I've thought about stopping them for different reasons in the past but this news seems to strengthen my case.

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Do you know what your cholesterol test results are - the full breakdown of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides? You need this information BEFORE you speak to your GP about statins. You can post them on here if you don't fully understand them. Do you see your test results on line? If not, you can ask for a print out by ringing the receptionist. They are very important.

Bluetit1802 said:

Do you know what your cholesterol test results are - the full breakdown of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides? You need this information BEFORE you speak to your GP about statins. You can post them on here if you don't fully understand them. Do you see your test results on line? If not, you can ask for a print out by ringing the receptionist. They are very important.

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Not sure about attaching a picture on here but if it works these are the results from what the nurse described as a full lipo profile.

Dazbobaby said:

Now it'll have to be scrambled egg on toast.
OT. but cleaning a pan that you've used to make scrambled egg is a proper pain. I suppose it helps work off that sugar I've just eaten.

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Welcome to the forum @Dazbobaby. Have a couple of poached eggs instead - they don't leave you with a messy pan!
Or fried eggs, though I think poached are much nicer.

@Alineden

OK I managed to read it after a lot of squinting! That isn't a full lipid panel. It only shows the total, the HDL, the non-HDL and the total/HDL ratio. It does not separate the LDL and the triglycerides, simply lumping them together as one thing.

Your HDL (good cholesterol) is very low but statins don't change the HDL. Eating fewer carbs could sort that out - carbs deplete the HDL. The LDL and Trigs together (non-HDL) at 2.7 look good on the face of it, but you really need them separating so you can see which is what. The ratio that is important is the HDL/Trigs but you can't work that out without further data.

Bluetit1802 said:

@Alineden

OK I managed to read it after a lot of squinting! That isn't a full lipid panel. It only shows the total, the HDL, the non-HDL and the total/HDL ratio. It does not separate the LDL and the triglycerides, simply lumping them together as one thing.

Your HDL (good cholesterol) is very low but statins don't change the HDL. Eating fewer carbs could sort that out - carbs deplete the HDL. The LDL and Trigs together (non-HDL) at 2.7 look good on the face of it, but you really need them separating so you can see which is what. The ratio that is important is the HDL/Trigs but you can't work that out without further data.

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Yeah sorry about that. It's clear on my phone just hasn't downloaded to here very well.

So why do they not give a HDL/Trigs ratio? And why do they give a Cholesterol/HDL ratio?

It would be useful if I understood this as I am back in for bloods for HbA1c on Friday and could ask if I understood what I was asking for. The lass that takes the blood wont know.

Some surgeries don't bother with a full lipid panel. I'm lucky because my surgery does bother with it. You need the LDL and the triglycerides testing. You can work out the ratios yourself. That is the easy bit! I think it is common practice for the cholesterol/HDL ratio to be shown. It is important, but not as important as the trigs one. As the lass taking your bloods is probably only an assistant, you may be better to ring and ask for the LDL and trigs to be included. The lass won't have the permissions to order this. Good luck with the test.

Alineden said:

Hi Daphne917. I've just read your post and it stopped me in my tracks. What is the connection between statins and BG? I'm assuming you are referring to Lipitor type statins. I take Atorvastatin every night.

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Hi @Alineden I think others have given you your answer but I was prescribed Pravistatin on my first visit to the DN because ‘all diabetics should be on them’ and I didn’t know any better so took them. At my next check my hba1c had gone up 6 points from 48 to 54 despite me eating less sugars and carbs. I started suffering dizzy spells and sleep disturbance which, when I researched the statins, were a common side effect - I also checked it with my pharmacist who confirmed it - he was ringing every 1-2 months to see how I was getting on with them due to possible side effects. I had also read about the correlation between statins and an increase in BS in some patients. At that point I discussed it with my doctor and told him I was not going to take them again and he agreed to me coming off them. After stopping them my hba1c soon reduced and has been in normal range for approx 5 years. The last GP I saw in the practice has now annotated my records as statin intolerant however I’ll see how much my DN takes of it at my next review - hopefully she will no longer offer statins which I always politely refuse.