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freccle

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My husband has just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I'd be grateful if anyone could answer me a couple of queries;

He's been prescribed gliclazide at a dose of 80mg morning and night to get
his blood sugar down but it's still never dropping below 14 and varies
between 14 and 25. How high is this in relation to other diabetes sufferers?

Also, I've read that high blood sugar long term can affect the heart and
circulation etc but HOW?

What effect does the odd can of lager or glass of wine have on his blood
sugar? Is he allowed it occasionally or is it a definite no no? And what
kinds of meals should I be doing? Obviously he's no longer having apple pie
and cream or trifle etc but what about main meals? And are there any
desserts he could have, other than fruit salad?

His main symptom was his thirst and also the blurring of his eyes. His
eyesight is still blurred - will that recover?

He's a little bit overweight but nowhere near the obese level and does a
reasonable amount of exercise but his mother has had type 2 for years.
Thanks for any help
 
Hi freccle, commiserations to your other half on the diagnosis, and congratulations to you for grabbing the bull by the horns straight away.
Those numbers are very high compared to a non-diabetic who, for example, might rarely see numbers higher than 7.8mmol/l. He needs to start brining them down as soon as possible. The prescription he has is for a medication to stimulate insulin production. There are differing schools of thought on whether this is a good long term strategy.
He can bring his blood glucose numbers down by cutting out the foods which raise them. Typically these include sugar, bread, anything made from refined flour or grains, pasta, rice, potatoes and sweet fruits. If that describes a large part of his diet, he's not alone, but he will benefit immediately by replacing them with foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy foods including butter and cream, nuts and all vegetables other than potatoes and starchy roots. These have a much smaller impact on blood sugar. Oh, and the wine is ok!
High blood sugar is a serious risk factor for heart disease and circulation. Partly because the sugars themselves cause harmful glycation reactions in blood vessels and valves, partly because higher insulin levels narrow blood vessels, and partly because they fuel the production of harmful blood fats called triglycerides.
Have a look around the forum, ask questions, and the good people here will do their best to help you. Believe me, there's a lot you can do to turn things around.
All the best,

fergus
 
Hi freccle,
Hi there, When i was first diagnoised my blood sugars were 15 to 22.
I agree with what fergus has said, he helped me no end.
You will need to knock most stuff out of his diet! I have cut out bread, rice, pasta etc.
I have found that my blood sugars have now dropped except the odd time!
He will need a blood glucose testing machine, Lloyds sel them for around £7 plus!
He will need to watch what he eats and watch out for the spikes with food!
There are many different people on this forum, that have diffrent things that affect them!
He will need 3 regular meals a day, maybe even a snack or two! He will need drinks as well, you will need to watch him for sneaking the odd bit of choclate etc when you are not watching! I can tell you we can all be sneaky at that one! I will be first one to put my hand up to that!
well done on you for taking the first step in helping your husband by coming on here! There are so many helpful people here! No matter what happens or how stupid the question you may think it is, Trust me i have asked some questions that i thought was stupid. But the answers i got back was great!
I hope that you ask lots of questions and enjoy your time on the forum!
Sandy
 
Hi freccle.
You asked how high Blood sugar can affect the heart.

Here is an extract from the article published in the Guardian in March 2009.
Over time, too much glucose in your blood can damage the big blood vessels that carry blood around your body. This can lead to serious health problems such as a heart attack, a stroke, or poor circulation in your legs.

Too much glucose can also damage the small blood vessels in your eyes, kidneys and nerves. These are called microvascular complications. But the information here is about how to prevent damage to the big blood vessels (macrovascular complications).

For the full informative article here is the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... escription

Ken.
 
I'm getting more confused by the minute. :roll:
Keep him off bread, pasta, rice etc so I had a quick change of menu for tonight's meal hten checked it with the brochure he was given, which says carbs like pasta and rice are very important in his diet and on the meal planning section of this site it suggests:
Breakfast
Porridge or wholegrain breakfast cereal (e.g. Branflakes, Weetabix) and/or
Wholemeal bread/toast/roll
Fruit - fresh or tinned without sugar.
Mid-Morning
Light Meal
Soup
Bread/toast/roll/baked potato/chapattis
Small portion lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese or baked beans.
Large portion salad or vegetables.
Fruit as main meal.
Mid-Afternoon
Main Meal
Soup, for example broth, lentil, vegetable.
Small portion lean meat, chicken or fish.
Potatoes, bread, pasta, rice or chapattis.
Large portion vegetables or salad.
Fruit - fresh, stewed or tinned without sugar
or unsweetened milk pudding or diet yoghurt.
Bedtime
If you require a between meal and/or bedtime snack the following are appropriate.

Fresh fruit,
diet yoghurt,
toast,
crackers,
two plain biscuits or
wholemeal scone.
 
Hi freccle,
The leaflet you get is out of date,
I am sure there is someone around more in the know than me, The more carbohydrate you have in your diet, the glucose your body makes,
I am unsure of the facts, I put to my doctor about low carb and she said that is the best option as the high carb is dangerous for some type 2's!
Sandy
 
Hi freccle, I'm not surprised you're confused, this is a confusion that envelops much of the discussion of diabetes and diet.
I think you need to question the logic of anyone who suggests that, since raised blood glucose is a fundamental problem in diabetics, eating more of the foods which raise it provides the answer. It simply doesn't work.
There is a thread called 'Success Stories' in the low carb forum which might help shed more light on this for you. You'll find many examples of diabetics who have faced precisely this problem and found very successful ways around it.

fergus
 
Hello Freccles

Further to what Fergus has just recommended, can I also suggest you read the thread 'Is there anyone out there' on the non low carb section of the forum.

For many people diagnosed with type 2 controlled by diet or/and oral med, all they really need to do is just cut down a bit on the amount of food containing carbohydrate that they eat. How much people cut down by needs to be determined by doing blood glucose testing initially for 1 or 2 months so that they get a good idea of what amount of carbohydrate they can eat that will keep their bg levels at the desired level.

Eating stuff like bread, pasta, rice etc is probably going to be ok as long as small amounts of it is eaten.

No need to be worried sick, just a simple alteration to your diet will be all that is needed.

Good Luck anyway :)
 
The type of carbohydrates may also be as important as the amount. DiabetesUK has just updated their guideline for type 2 diabetes they say.

At each meal include starchy carbohydrate foods
Examples include bread, pasta, chapatis, potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals
Click to expand...
just as your leaflet does but then they go on to say

""......... The amount of carbohydrate you eat is important to control your blood glucose levels. Especially try to include those that are more slowly absorbed (have a lower glycaemic index) as these won’t affect your blood glucose levels as much. Better choices include: pasta, basmati or easy cook rice, grainy breads such as granary, pumpernickel and rye, new potatoes, sweet potato and yam, porridge oats, All-Bran and natural muesli. The high fibre varieties of starchy foods will also help to maintain the health of your digestive system and prevent problems such as constipation.,""
Click to expand...
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to...ith-Type-2-diabetes/Ten-steps-to-eating-well/

There is a lot more about using the glycemic index here. http://www.glycemicindex.com/It is the University of Sydney site of the team who developed the use of the gi (the 'about the gi section, and thee FAQs are a good introduction. The Newsletters are useful for recipes and tips )

The advice given by iHs on testing to see the effects of individula foods is also very important
 
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