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New Diagnosis

H

henribecquerel

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi - I am 61y newly diagnosed Type 2 on Christmas Day with admission and emergency amputation. Currently on insulin 4 times a day., Hopefully discharged on Wednesday post foot clinic on Tuesday. Are there any particular issues/recommendations? I have seen diabetic nurse specialist and dietician. I am testing myself and doing own injections.
 
Hi
I'm so sorry to hear about the emergency amputation - I can't imagine what that must be like for you.

In my experience, the only way is to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet as this will mean you won't need so much insulin.

I recently discovered Dr Jason Fung who specialises in this and he has some sound advice. Watch some of his YouTube vids - especially 'reversing type 2'

Another great source for low carb info is dietdoctor.com.

You are in the right place to improve your prognosis.

Best of luck
D xxx
 
Thanks - up to now I did not think that my diet was that bad, and not massively overweight and take reasonable exercise. I think your advice on eliminating carbohydrates is good. Currently taking 18/20 Levemir at evening and 10/12 Novorapid at meals. Having an emergency amputation at presentation was interesting however was the best thing to do. I will follow up your suggestions. Going to diabetic foot clinic later and then hopefully home this evening or tomorrow morning. Have spent the 12 days of Christmas in hospital.......
 
I think you're remarkably positive and definitely taking the right approach. It's amazing how carbs creep into our diet - those pesky things are in everything!! I honestly cannot recommend Fung enough.

Keep us posted with your progress.

Best of luck for 2016 and welcome home xxx
 
So..a lovely Christmas then? You sound like you are a pretty strong minded person with a lot of bottle...and I'm sure the more you increase your awareness of low carb dieting, the more you'll get control of your levels. I would seriously recommend keeping your own records of what you eat, when you eat it, your reading before and 2-3 hours afterwards (which should roughly match if you're not eating too many carbs for your condition), and keep your fluid intake up (I average 2.5 litres a day, but 1.5 minimum would be reasonable. Stay tough and you'll get this thing chained.
 
I'd just add that until you are sure what foods are affecting your bg, I'd recommend testing at 1 hour to get the peak of a rise. I know from my own experience how important this is - I was eating porridge and by two hours bg was within limits, however someone then advised me to check after an hour and the result was shocking! I discovered having a cupcake affected my bg less than a so-called healthy bowl of porridge . Ever since then I tested anything new before I decided if it was safe for me. It was a really eye opener!!
 
Thanks for the advice. They were happy at foot clinic - amputation healing well and ulcer 30% smaller in one week and healing well. There are a lot of carbs in the hospital diet! I am looking forward to going home today so I can take control.
 
The dietician told me that I needed to eat carbs because the insulin needed something to work on. Hospital supper was meat pie and mash and followed by sponge pudding and custard. My sugar was then 14.5 unsurprisingly.
 
Hmmmm....I'm pretty sure that's rather general advice...but, I'm not on insulin, and you are still recovering from surgery...so I'm hesitant to say too much. Maybe someone on insulin could advise, but I'm pretty sure that insulin doesn't need carbs to work on...then again...hospital food. Maybe best to explore the site, ask specific questions..can you talk to anyone else at the hospital?
 
Thanks. I think I need to be out of hospital and on a low carb diet and off hospital food. I am well on the mend from osteomyelitis and cellulitis and surgery. The ulcer looks healthy and smaller and I am optimistic. They think I have diabetic amyotrophy and this should hopefully improve over the next few weeks. I need to control my own diet and exercise more. I need to see the physio for exercises that don't put pressure on my feet. I am not allowed to use my rowing machine. I have not felt like exercising for a while and my muscle bulk is reduced. I have been referred for electrical studies of my nerves and muscles. This forum seems helpful.
 
If you are not consuming carbs or food that converts to glycogen then you don't need insulin to lower bg because it wasn't raised in first place. That's the principle I use and it works for me.

I can't believe how stupid the nhs is with diet...
 
Thanks - district nurse just come to do dressings. Amputation healing well and the ulcer on the other foot is much better. I am optimistic. It's only less than 2 weeks post diagnosis and one day at home so early days yet. The NHS dietary advice seems to be that I need to eat carbs. I have Tim Noakes book which looks helpful.
 
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