New and thought I'd say hi

[cheziecat]

Hello,

I found out today I am diabetic, I knew it was coming! I have Polycystic ovary syndrome and have been on yearly glucose tolerance tests, every year they have been around 6 before sugar and 9 after, this time they came back as 13 and 23! I haven't been feeling well for a while so I was expecting it.
Dr didn't really say much to me, have to go and see the nurse at the diabetic clinic but my appointment isn't until 17th October. Am signed off sick for the week with gastric flu - picked up a really nasty stomach bug at Butlins last week!! So I think I'll spend a good part of this week doing a bit of research on the net.
My step grandad was type 2 diabetic so I do know bits about it, would have thought the dr might have said something to me about diet or medication but I think the nurse is going to deal with all that when she see's me.

Anyway, I just thought I would say hi, have been nosing about on here for about a week, waiting for my blood test results so I thought now's the time to join!

Cheryl x

 

[totsy]

hya,
welcome and any questions just ask

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the forum Cheryl.Hope you have found some good hints and info here while you have been reading the forum.If you have any questions please just ask,that's what we're here for.

 

[fergus]

Hi Cheryl,

Glad we haven't scared you off! We're not a bad lot in general, with the odd exception :wink:
Feel free to say or ask anything at all.
Speak soon,

fergus

 

[cheziecat]

Thank you for all the welcomes

I have been doing a lot of reading on the no carb / low carb thing which seems to be the best way of getting my blood sugar down a bit, have already been informed by dr that I will be given urine test strips and not a blood sugar monitor so won't actually know what my blood sugar is, suppose I could buy my own?
Anyway, am waffling, the low carb thing, am a little concerned about what I am actually going to be able to eat, I don't like many vegetables at all, I can count them on 1 hand, am thinking fruit is not going to be a good option now so am a little worried about what I can eat!

Could I be cheeky and ask if people wouldn't mind giving me an idea of what they eat in a day, if you don't mind just to give me some sort of starting point.

My dreaded stomach bug seems to have gone now, am back to feeling like I was before, still ill but i think this is just the diabetes! Before my blood tests I was feeling ill for about a month, constantly going for a wee, drinking loads, feeling sick a lot. Dr hasn't actually said if I am type 1 or 2, he did mention something about type 2 being more common in older people but I know it is affecting people a lot younger now, I'm 33, and I know the PCOS makes me insulin resistant so am assuming it's type 2? I really have no idea! Any help would be great, feeling very confused, couldn't really sleep last night, kept thinking about how best to deal with this and the answer I came up with is that I have no idea!!

Thanks again and sorry if I've been waffling! (p.s Is breaking out in hot sweats normal??)

Cheryl x

 

[Trinkwasser]

Thank you for all the welcomes

I have been doing a lot of reading on the no carb / low carb thing which seems to be the best way of getting my blood sugar down a bit, have already been informed by dr that I will be given urine test strips and not a blood sugar monitor so won't actually know what my blood sugar is, suppose I could buy my own?
Anyway, am waffling, the low carb thing, am a little concerned about what I am actually going to be able to eat, I don't like many vegetables at all, I can count them on 1 hand, am thinking fruit is not going to be a good option now so am a little worried about what I can eat!

Could I be cheeky and ask if people wouldn't mind giving me an idea of what they eat in a day, if you don't mind just to give me some sort of starting point.

Your doctor is a tomfool.

If he'd started you testing and reducing your carbs long ago he could have helped you stop this from progressing.

Yes you really need your own meter, urine strips only tell you when your BG was *really* high a few hours ago.

Have a read around here, a good site for newbies

http://www.loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/

and another one

http://www.dsolve.com/

Good things to eat

http://www.diabetic-talk.org/freeveggies.htm

also fish (especially), white meat, nuts, poly and monounsaturated fats. In the absence of excess carbs some of us can do red meat and sat fats without problems.

Growing and using muscle helps reduce the insulin resistance, as is metformin, currently prescribed for PCOS as well as Type 2. No I don't suppose you were prescribed that either <sigh>

 

[fergus]

Ditto Trinkwasser's comments.

Eggs and cheeses are also great choices if you are low carbing. In fact, with all the 'superfood' nonsense in the media, I don't think anything has the range of vitamins you'll get in an egg.
It would certainly help if you could develop a taste for fresh veg. though!

All the best,

fergus

 

[hanadr]

try this way of cookingcarrots or courgettes. It may be good for a vegetable "hater"
Wash outside of courgette, or scrape carrot
Slice thinly (a mandolin slicer is ideal for this) about 2mm thick is good.
Put tthe slices into a Pyrex bowl
Add a knob of butter
cover bowl
Nuke for 2 mins on Max
Take out and stir to coat all pieces in melted butter
Nuke again for 3 mins.
Take out 1 piece and taste
If it's right for you serve. If not give it 2 mins more
This method brings out all the natural sweetness of carrots and they look lovely and glossy. Courgettes, being softer, fall apart.

 

[fergus]

Or here's another good one Cheryl,

Steam some broccoli frorets for a few minutes, till you can pierce the stems with a fork with only a little resistance. Then drizzle them with a good dollop of Cardini's Ceasar Dressing (only 1.5g carb per 100g). This tastes so good, even my kids ask for more!

All the best,

fergus

 

[Trinkwasser]

Ditto Trinkwasser's comments.

Eggs and cheeses are also great choices if you are low carbing. In fact, with all the 'superfood' nonsense in the media, I don't think anything has the range of vitamins you'll get in an egg.
It would certainly help if you could develop a taste for fresh veg. though!

All the best,

fergus

Good point, I tend to forget eggs because I can't stand the smell.

I try very hard not to mention cheese because I . . . be right back . . . mmmmm Brie . . . .

The New Zealanders don't just say Five A Day, they say Five Colours A Day. They have a point, many good things are coloured including the yellow in egg yolks and the pink in salmon and prawns as well as all the veggies.

 

[cheziecat]

Hello,

Thanks for the food tips I hate brocolli so may give that one a try!

i think I have done ok today? Didn't get off to the best start, I didn't really have anything in that I could eat for breakfast so just had a banana! Not the best thing but it was either that or toast or cereal. Had a ham, cheese and onion omelette for lunch and have just had pork steak, cabbage, carrots and a very small bit of cauliflower for tea.

Am getting myself a blood glucose monitor, test strips etc tomorrow, have found some ok deals on ebay so fingers crossed I should have them by the end of the week, I really want to try and get an idea of what I can and can't tolerate before I go back to work on Monday, am already wondering what on earth I can take for lunch and am still not looking forward to the breakfast thing!

Have just spent a small fortune in Sainsburys on not very much stuff! I had just done a monthly shop before this so my friends have now received food donations!

Will leave you all in peace for now, am sure I'll be back with many more annoying questions! Have spent most of the day reading stuff on here and I have to say this is a really great place, am going to keep reading, I'm one of those people who likes to know as much as I can about something, I think the thing that struck me the most was the thought that if I don't treat this I could end up on insulin and I really don't want that if I can avoid it.

Trinkwasser, I was prescribed metformin for my pcos a number of years ago but my stomach really didn't tolerate it very well, I have said to the dr that I will give it another try though if he wants to prescribe it, so we shall see!

Fergus, Thanks for the veg tips, will give them a try

Bye for now

Cheryl x

 

[Trinkwasser]

Hello,

Trinkwasser, I was prescribed metformin for my pcos a number of years ago but my stomach really didn't tolerate it very well, I have said to the dr that I will give it another try though if he wants to prescribe it, so we shall see!

Start at a low dose and work up gradually. Some people tolerate the ER version better. Some people find it helps to avoid carbs with the metformin, others prefer to avoid fats. In most but not all cases this can help avoid or minimise the initial squitters, and in most but not all cases they wear off in time.

Best of luck!

 

[cheziecat]

Will see what the nurse says when I go and see her, probably not a lot considering most of the stuff I've read on here!

I bought a glucose test meter, just done my first test about 2 hours after lunch, it was 11.7, not great I know but considering my fasting test pre diagnosis was 13 it's at least going in the right direction!

At least now I can see what food affects me, am guessing carbs will a lot!

 

[Trinkwasser]

Will see what the nurse says when I go and see her, probably not a lot considering most of the stuff I've read on here!

I bought a glucose test meter, just done my first test about 2 hours after lunch, it was 11.7, not great I know but considering my fasting test pre diagnosis was 13 it's at least going in the right direction!

At least now I can see what food affects me, am guessing carbs will a lot!

Best of luck, prepare for a few surprises!