Newbie !!!

[Debz1809]

Hi there

I am new to this website. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in December. I had went to the Docs with the sympoms of a Urine Infection, only to be told that I had too much sugar in my urine, got blood tests done and then it was confirmed I was Diabetic. I was prescribed Metformin tablets and I constantly had to be next to the toilet !! It was awful. I spoke to doctor and he changed me from Metformin to the Glucophage which was better for me. This was the same type of tablet however it had a prolonged release of the drug into my body. I have had a few operations for cysts on my ovaries and I eventually had my ovary and fallopian tube removed from my left side. I am now waiting to hear from doctor about removing gallbladder as I have now got gallstones. It is so so painful!! Husband and I are also in the process of trying to kids and have been for 2 years. It hasnt happened and because of me only having one ovary which is scarred and PCOS, we are having to go down the IVF route. We went for our appointment at the clinic and I have to go back and see them in July when I ahve my period. This will allow them to scan me and find out what is happening with my monthly cycle as they tend to come about every 31-37 days. They wont give me IVF until my BMI is down to 35 or below whcih is so frustrating!!! I joined Slimming World 12 weeks ago and 2st 12.5lbs lighter and a BMI of 48.2 down to 42.1, I am getting there It is going to be a long struggle but I am so determined. My diabetic consultant has said to me that his aim is to get me as skinny as he possibly can and is going to put me on Byetta Injections. I have to start these on Monday and I am very worried. Dr told me that it will probably play havoc with stomach and me me feel nauseous, i dont feel good at the best of times and dont need this!! I am scared. I am hoping though in the end it will help but my problem being that I am not taking my metformin as i should and I go days without taking it. It gives me terrible diarreoha when I take it and in my job, i cant be having this. I need to be near a toilet at all times!! I have been feeling really dizzy recently and not sure if this is to do with me not taking my metformin, what do you think?? I will need to try taking the metformin again especially as i am starting the injections on Monday !!

Sorry for my rant folks!!

Hope to speak soon
Debbie

 

[daisy1]

Hi Debbie and welcome to the forum Here is some basic information on how to look after your diabetes put together by the former forum monitors.

As far as diet is concerned, don't make any changes without discussing this with all your HPs who you are seeing at present to make sure it is advisable with your IVF and your gall bladder condition and anything else. You may have already been given some instructions on what to eat so follow them. If you are allowed to follow our diet recommendations they should help you to lose weight. This will probably be different from the Slimming World diet so you may prefer to stick with that. I see that the Slimming World diets are high in carby foods. Try to reduce the carbs as much as you can though as that will improve your BG levels. For your information there is a thread here on Slimming World:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=18642

The rest of the information will probably be useful to you especially on testing. What are your levels like now? If you are still having unpleasant side effects from the Glucophage you will have to ask your doctor to try something else. Side effects like that are very common with Metformin but less common with Glucophage. (Later: I see from another thread that you are starting on Byetta - I hope that is better for 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.

 

[peecee]

Hi Debbie, you should find good weight loss with Byetta, yes you do get nausea but this should go after a month or maybe less, i find injecting then eating about 10 mins after lessens the side effects also i find i get upset tummy if i overdo the carbohydrates so keep an eye on what you eat. I had a 2kg weight loss in the first week of byetta with out changing my diet and have lost nearly 4 stone in total and still losing I also take metformin and they still play havoc with my stomach but i seem to suffer less when i reduce carb intake. There is a good byetta thread on the forum which you'll find helpful to read if you havent done so. Good luck for Monday i hope all goes well with the injections, and think of those Kg's dropping off

Phillip