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New to this, need help !!

J

jayseven

Member
Messages
15
Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes approx. 4 months ago after initially being diagnosed with gestational diabetes (I sadly lost my baby at 20 weeks) due to complications. I was then diagnosed with type 2 and was on metformin. Now I am type 1 ! I am 29 years old, 5ft4" and weigh approx 11stone. Think the insulin has helped me gain some weight !

I take insulin 4 times a day, fast acting and slow release.

I am really struggling with keeping my levels "safe", they are generally quite high.
First thing in the morning they can be 10 or 11.

I feel lke i have been left on my own to sort it out :( i am reluctant to change my dose myself.
I cant seem to find the right foods etc
wish i had a menu for every day written for me lol !

i would be so grateful if anyone has any ideas or experiences to share with me.
I want to get on top of this as i would love to try again for a baby but am teriffied the same thing will happen again !!

thanks for reading

jay x
 
Hi Jay and welcome to the forum :) To help you get your diabetes under control, but you must consult with your doctor before trying for a baby, here is some basic information written by Sue and Ken, our friends and former monitors which I think will get you started. Some type 1s will also be along soon to help you.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. 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.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

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.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

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 effect 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!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
hi daisy :)

Thank you very much for your reply, the info from sue & ken was very valuable.
I think it is the carb counting that i struggle with.
and meal ideas etc ! i live alone and find it hard to prepare a meal just for myself and end up taking the easy lazy route of throwing something in the oven ! usually coated chicken !

really need to try and sort it out cos i am getting tingling / numbness in my right hand index finger?
is that anything to do with diabetes??
 
Hi,

if it's the carb counting your finding difficult your hospital may be able to offer you a place on a course that teaches you the theory behind it all and really get into it and get a better understanding for when you put it into practice.

It's called the DAFNE course (stands for Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating) it's quite ingenious and it really did help me.

Some courses don't offer the DAFNE course but do offer brilliant alternatives. ask your diabetes nurse or specialist if theres one available to you.

good luck
 
Doing a course with other people is ideal but in the meantime you might like to look at this one online, it teaches you the basics of carb counting/dose adjustment.
http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/
There are also lots of carb counting books available, one that lots of people have said they found useful is called Carbs and Cals. This has photos of foods and their carb counts.
 
thanks ebony & phoenix
I have just ordered the carbs and cal book from amazon.
it looks great, hopefully it will help me !
I will defo ask my diabetes nurse about DAFNE course, never heard of it til you mentioned it, thanks very much :)

fingers crossed i get to grips with it all ! what a lifestyle change eh ???

hope you are all keeping well x
 
jayseven said:
I will defo ask my diabetes nurse about DAFNE course, never heard of it til you mentioned it, thanks very much :)

fingers crossed i get to grips with it all ! what a lifestyle change eh ???
Click to expand...
if they aren't aware of DAFNE they may have heard of INSIGHT which is very similar. If you want to read more about DAFNE and whether it's in your area, here's a useful link: http://www.dafne.uk.com/

the main thing to remember as you sit there feeling overwhelmed by it all is this: it DOES get better! And life does get back to (relatively) normal. And you have all of us to help if you need us.
 
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