Need Guidance please

[Trinidad2016]

Hello
My partner was recently diagnosed with type2 whilst away on holiday and is now scared out of his mind

You see his biggest fear is doctors and hospitals
To explain how scared he is of them think about what animal youre most scared of, mine is cockroaches and snakes. Now imagine that I have been put into a room with them!

So we have a massive problem #1

#2 because of this fear when he first came back and plucked up the courage to see the doctor they immediately send him to hospital because his levels were very high (16) they kept him in overnight on an insulin drip carried out test (he was so scared he didn't even ask what for)
He was so traumatised by his experience that he has not gone back
And now is trying to do it alone

He has been given metformin which he takes 4 times a day but he feel constantly sick, dizzy he vomits has nose bleeds, has lost a ton of weight at least 5 inches from his waist
And suffers all the time with headaches
He doesn't know what to eat so sometimes doesn't eat all day
I'm at my wits end to know what to do
Is there a number where you can speak to someone medically trained who can assist with this problem?
His last reading was 27 so you can see he is a long way from his goal of 4-6
All advice is welcomed
Thank you

 

[urbanracer]

Hello
My partner was recently diagnosed with type2 whilst away on holiday and is now scared out of his mind

You see his biggest fear is doctors and hospitals
To explain how scared he is of them think about what animal youre most scared of, mine is cockroaches and snakes. Now imagine that I have been put into a room with them!

So we have a massive problem #1

#2 because of this fear when he first came back and plucked up the courage to see the doctor they immediately send him to hospital because his levels were very high (16) they kept him in overnight on an insulin drip carried out test (he was so scared he didn't even ask what for)
He was so traumatised by his experience that he has not gone back
And now is trying to do it alone

He has been given metformin which he takes 4 times a day but he feel constantly sick, dizzy he vomits has nose bleeds, has lost a ton of weight at least 5 inches from his waist
And suffers all the time with headaches
He doesn't know what to eat so sometimes doesn't eat all day
I'm at my wits end to know what to do
Is there a number where you can speak to someone medically trained who can assist with this problem?
His last reading was 27 so you can see he is a long way from his goal of 4-6
All advice is welcomed
Thank you

Hi there @Trinidad2016 , welcome to the forums, looks like you've got your work cut out for you.

Some people cannot cope with Metformin, some people benefit from the Slow Release type (sometimes also known as extended release) so get him (or maybe you have to) ask the doc about Metformin SR.

NEXT, make a note of how many grams of carbohydrates he's eating every day and then look for ways of cutting down. Rice, pasta, bread and potato are generally poor choices for us because all carbohydrates turn into glucose in the body.

If you can, get a blood glucose tester and start testing at home so that he knows what the food is doing to his body.

 

[debrasue]

Hi, @Trinidad2016. I can imagine how worried you must be as your partner sounds pretty sick, but @urbanracer is giving you some great advice above. I will tag @daisy1 who can also provide some basic information that will help you.
I was only diagnosed in March of this year and was very scared to begin with, as I'm pretty hospital-phobic too thanks to some bad experiences in the past, but this forum has provided some excellent advice and made it very easy for me to reduce my blood glucose levels from around 10 on diagnosis to now regularly in the 4s and 5s. And now I'm even quite enjoying the journey!
Basically, I follow the Low Carb, High Fat (LCHF) diet, avoiding sugar (including processed foods), bread (unless it's gluten free, and then I still choose low-carb), pastry, rice, pasta, and anything containing flour.
I try to stick to 30-40g of carbs per day.
Eggs, dairy products (full fat), meat, fish, and above-the-ground vegetables can be eaten liberally.
I avoid below-the-ground vegetables (potatoes, swedes, turnips, sweet potato etc)
Fruit can be eaten in moderation (check the carbs from fructose) - berries are particularly good, but treat bananas, grapes, etc with caution and dried fruits should be avoided (they contain lots of sugar)
So, a typical day for your partner could be: Breakfast - bacon & eggs; Lunch - gluten-free crackers with cheese, or gluten-free toast with pate, a side salad, and raspberries and cream; Dinner - steak and a big crunchy salad, or roast meat and lots of vegetables
There are lots of great alternatives to bread, cakes, potatoes, etc - check out the Low Carb Forum and recipes on this site, and @ewelina has some great recipe here: http://www.diabeticgoodbaking.com/
Good luck to you and your partner - you've definitely found the right site to make your journey easier. And the more you read on here and the more questions you ask, the easier it will get!

 

[daisy1]

@Trinidad2016

Hello and welcome to the forum I hope this will help your partner so that he can keep out of hospital as much as possible. Here is the information we give to new members. This will give you advice on Low Carb/High Fat eating and includes a link to the Low-Carb Program. You have already had some useful advice from members and I hope you will get more. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

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

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 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.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Yes, ask for Metformin SR (Slow Release) to stop the reaction to Metformin. Next do keep the carbs down. If your partner is not overweight then it is possible he is not T2 but actually a Late onset T1 (LADA) which might explain the very high blood sugar. If the blood sugar level doesn't go down with low-carbing and the Metformin then ask the GP for the two tests for LADA (GAD and c-peptide). If you partner does have excess weight, I would expect the blood sugar to gradually drop with low-carbing?

 

[Trinidad2016]

Thank you this has given us some good direction
We shall try the low carbing diet and see how he goes
If the levels don't start to drop then we shall go back to the gp and have his medication re assest
Blood tests are a tricky one with him but we shall persevere
Thank you