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Newly diagnosed and demented

G

Gill-x-

Newbie
Messages
1
Hi all I was diagnosed with type 2 in February .

In short I am 38, have a long list of problems amounting from a motorcycle crash which resulted in me losing my leg, I now have arthritis in my spine (neck and lumbar regions) so am in a wheelchair, add to that the emotional turmoil that comes along with it in that I am fighting a battle with severe depression as well, I have been under a phenomenal amount of stress and had to be put on steroids due to persistant lung infections, so you can only imagine what that has done to my already non existent waistline.

My GP is great and has given me no end of support and advice, I am trying my best fight back with watching what I eat and drink, but only seem to be going in one direction and that is backwards and am at a loss as to what else I can do, I have been struggling to eat more than 2 meals a day which usually is breakfast (cereal/ w skimmed milk and fresh orange) and dinner at 4pm with my kids I normally end up going for either chicken or fish with boiled potatoes or brown rice, inbetween I will have a slice of toast at 11am with my youngest if I eat any more than that I am being sick, yet still find myself drinking water like it is going out fashion anywhere between 2 - 4ltr on top of my morning cup of tea and daily limit of 2 cans of coke zero, add to that I am permenantly exhusted I am on metaformin and Trajenta ?sp.

Gill-x-
 
Hiya gill i was told i had type 2 it sent my head into a spin but am only on metformin it took me a while to get my head around it.but like you i watch what am eating and nothing really happens.some days i feel sick and only eat a little but i do drink lots of water.iv kept away from all the naughty food been good but my fat is still with me.my b.g are good but thats about it just feel fed up.I cant imgine this helping you but you are so brave with everything else x

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Hi Gill and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask all the questions you like and someone will be along to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Hi. You have my sympathy for what is a very difficult situation. Do you have a meter and measure yourself? If so let us know some typical readings 2 hours after eating and also you last HBa1C reading. Obviously you are doing your best with regard to diet. The steroids will probably be the main cause of your weight gain and blood sugar elevation and this is not easy to get round.
 
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