looking for advice

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 as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and 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. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the affect that these have 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.

Ken/Sue.

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opalmoon said:

I am new to this diabetes lark, and i am totally overwhelmed by the amount of information out there for it. so if you dont mind if i list my queries some of you may be able to help and stop my brain from self combusting :shock:

my road to getting diabetes type 2 has been very crooked to say the least, i have developed degenerating disc disease in my spine this has caused me to become imobile most of the time. so without being able to exercise i have piled on the weight. even though we eat a very healthy diet.

my doctor decided to apply for a stomach band for me, she decided to run some blood tests and wham boogy i have diabetes and a high cholesteral level.

so i wait 6 weeks to go to diabetic clinic, i was given metformin 500mg 3 times a day and 40mg simvastatin once a day. i was referred to 'desmond' for a course on what to eat, this starts in june. the nurse told me to bulk out my food with pasta and rice and cut down on the fruit. my blood pressure is a little raised so i need to get it lowered. i now go back to clinic in september.

My report on the X-PERT diabetes course is here.

so my questions are.

what foods should i be eating, i have cut down on my egg and prawn intake to help the cholesteral. but what else will help.

Ask the Dr for a printout of your blood test results. These will become increasingly meaningful to you, & a comparison over the years will be useful to assess your progress.

Cugila has given good standard advice. This conflicts with what you have been told & will be told. Our experience is that starchy carbs should be restricted. I do not eat bread, potatoes, rice, pasta ... & make up with vegetables, nuts, limited fruit & proteins. I don't feel hungry & I don't run out of energy. At 71 I play a good game of tennis at club standard. I don't need sugar for energy. Many of us have found that reduced carb gives a weight reduction. In my case 14 lb (6 Kg) in 3 months.

What is your HbA1c reading?

What is your total cholesterol? Triglycerides? LDL? HDL? The body manufactures cholesterol, so cutting eggs & prawns may not be necessary. Be aware of possible muscle side effects from simvastatin.

why are my feet swelling like balloons and apart from raising them all the time and drinking over 2 litres of water a day what i can i do.

We can't diagnose. You need to improve your circulation, & as your ability to exercise is limited, I suggest you try chair exercise & possibly a vibrating mattress. Breathing exercises & singing may help.

what does it mean when i get so tired and need a nap is my blood sugar causing this and what should i do.

I had a lot of trouble with drowsiness, when driving & in church during sermons - in fact any time I sat down. Reducing carb & the resultant lower blood glucose has improved this considerably.

should i be using a form of bs testing if so which one.

BG testing is strongly recommended - you will have no idea how you are controlling your BG, nor how different foods affect you. Ask your nurse or Dr for a free tester & for strips on prescription.

sorry if these seem like daft questions but i am new to all this and there is so much information out there i am a bit shell shocked :shock:

The questions are very sensible - keep asking & keep testing & you will find you get good control. I was in a state of shock when I was diagnosed, as the Dr scared me all the possible complications of diabetes.

Hope that helps & that you soon feel better.

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