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Not diagnosed yet

Zenedge said:
Right folks, looking for a bit of advice here.

It's a bit late as I've done it now but looking to see if what I've done is just as bad as what I've been doing in the past. I have no BG meter yet to figure things out.

Trying to cut the **** from my diet, I had 2 slices of whole meal toast this morning with 4 poached eggs, I'd normally have 2 maybe 3 rolls with sausage, potato scone, occasionally bacon, or white hovis and some pate.

Lunch was again 2 slice of brown whole meal with a slice of cooked ham, a fair bit of lettuce, 1 cherry tomato and around a teaspoon of Mayo (I looked at the carbs on light mayo and was surprised to see that the carbs are nearly double in the light stuff so went with regular mayo). I have nothing to compare this with as I'd normally just raid the cupboards and eat what I find but at work (2 days in an 8 day cycle). I'd eat a can of Heinz tomato soup on day one and a scotch pie and beans on day 2.

Now the bit I'm most worried about, dinner was roast chicken, around 2 legs and a bit of breast, the mrs and kids are fussy and only like breast meat so I only have a little breast and both legs and the bits (I'm fine with that ) but it was a fair pile. Carrots... enough to make a donkey back away, a bit of cauliflower cheese and half a boiled potato.

I also had a few red grapes, maybe a handful.

I'm going to lay off and have nothing else the rest of the night.

Ok, you may be reeling at my daily intake but I have nothing to gauge whether this is acceptable or not, remember, I'm totally new to this and I feel it's a massive improvement on the usual childish sweet/crisp fest that I'd usually eat... as mentioned earlier, I'm a big hungry boy and was trying to bulk up on food that's maybe a bit better for me.

I'm hoping you're not going to tell me I'm killing myself as I'm trying. Apologies for another long post.

Thanks,

Gordon.
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Hi gordon,welcome! ,@daisy1 will be along to give the advice given to newbies,in the meantime......have a good read up on this forum and ask as many q's as you like, as you will discover its not just avoiding sugar , excess carbs which turn into blood sugar is our main concern .
 
Zenedge said:
Right folks, looking for a bit of advice here.

It's a bit late as I've done it now but looking to see if what I've done is just as bad as what I've been doing in the past. I have no BG meter yet to figure things out.

Trying to cut the **** from my diet, I had 2 slices of whole meal toast this morning with 4 poached eggs, I'd normally have 2 maybe 3 rolls with sausage, potato scone, occasionally bacon, or white hovis and some pate.

Lunch was again 2 slice of brown whole meal with a slice of cooked ham, a fair bit of lettuce, 1 cherry tomato and around a teaspoon of Mayo (I looked at the carbs on light mayo and was surprised to see that the carbs are nearly double in the light stuff so went with regular mayo). I have nothing to compare this with as I'd normally just raid the cupboards and eat what I find but at work (2 days in an 8 day cycle). I'd eat a can of Heinz tomato soup on day one and a scotch pie and beans on day 2.

Now the bit I'm most worried about, dinner was roast chicken, around 2 legs and a bit of breast, the mrs and kids are fussy and only like breast meat so I only have a little breast and both legs and the bits (I'm fine with that ) but it was a fair pile. Carrots... enough to make a donkey back away, a bit of cauliflower cheese and half a boiled potato.

I also had a few red grapes, maybe a handful.

I'm going to lay off and have nothing else the rest of the night.

Ok, you may be reeling at my daily intake but I have nothing to gauge whether this is acceptable or not, remember, I'm totally new to this and I feel it's a massive improvement on the usual childish sweet/crisp fest that I'd usually eat... as mentioned earlier, I'm a big hungry boy and was trying to bulk up on food that's maybe a bit better for me.

I'm hoping you're not going to tell me I'm killing myself as I'm trying. Apologies for another long post.

Thanks,

Gordon.
Click to expand...

Welcome to our little club! Not a bad day of eating, but ditch the bread, the spuds and the grapes - they are all high carb. The carrots too until you get a meter to see if they're ok. Fat is not your enemy - carbs are.


 
^^^^ What he said. A good start there and don't rush it.
 
Ok, I know from what I've read so far that the bread isn't good but I love my sandwiches as a filler and I felt that whole meal bread is a step in the right direction. I searched the shelf for the lowest carb bread I could find and thought 4 slices of whole meal is better than the 6 slices I could normally eat before this whole thing kicked off.

Same story with the potatoes, I'd normally have around 4 boiled and maybe 4-5 roasters and probably polish off the leftover spuds into the bargain. Dear god, when I read what I've actually been eating, I don't know how I've managed to stay a normal size, it's almost embarrassing to read

I still have it at the back of my mind that the high reading I got is because my diet was soooo bad before and if I make changes like that and avoid the sweet snacks at night and try to get my carbs below a normal persons intake it must be better. I might be trying to kid myself on but a monitor is definitely on the cards to help.

I thought the grapes were ok too ok what's a good fruit that I can snack on? I have a bowl of golden delicious apples but I know I'll get bored of them eventually.

Also, I've had enough already with today's feast so I haven't and won't eat any more but for tomorrow, I have bought a bag of dried fruit and nut mix, is that any good?

I can't thank you people enough for giving me your time to get to grips with this, I know I'm probably asking some basic questions so I appreciate your time, all of you.
 
Oh, the other thing I meant to ask about is the blurry vision... It's driving me mad, my vision was always perfect. is this something that I can expect to go back to normal when my BG is under control?

And can anybody recommend a BG monitor? I looked at one in the shops today and found that the strips for it are actually very expensive, I came home and looked online at one that doesn't require strips, are they ok to use? The further I looked the more confusing it all became.

Lots to learn here.
 
Zenedge said:
Ok, I know from what I've read so far that the bread isn't good but I love my sandwiches as a filler and I felt that whole meal bread is a step in the right direction. I searched the shelf for the lowest carb bread I could find and thought 4 slices of whole meal is better than the 6 slices I could normally eat before this whole thing kicked off.

Same story with the potatoes, I'd normally have around 4 boiled and maybe 4-5 roasters and probably polish off the leftover spuds into the bargain. Dear god, when I read what I've actually been eating, I don't know how I've managed to stay a normal size, it's almost embarrassing to read

I still have it at the back of my mind that the high reading I got is because my diet was soooo bad before and if I make changes like that and avoid the sweet snacks at night and try to get my carbs below a normal persons intake it must be better. I might be trying to kid myself on but a monitor is definitely on the cards to help.

I thought the grapes were ok too ok what's a good fruit that I can snack on? I have a bowl of golden delicious apples but I know I'll get bored of them eventually.

Also, I've had enough already with today's feast so I haven't and won't eat any more but for tomorrow, I have bought a bag of dried fruit and nut mix, is that any good?

I can't thank you people enough for giving me your time to get to grips with this, I know I'm probably asking some basic questions so I appreciate your time, all of you.
Click to expand...


Hi Zenedge

A lot of people struggle with the bread thing at first & many find they can have one or two pieces of particular types (burgen soy & linseed is popular) without too much drama but I don't know of many who could get away with four slices a day. Maybe try a piece of bread with the fillings 'on the side' in salad form?

I'm new to this caper myself so don't know nearly as much as some of the more experienced members but I would definitely avoid dried fruit. Fruit in general is high in carbs and sugar so in the concentrated form of dried fruit it is very easy to overdo it. I think apples are OK for a lot of people & blueberries seem popular too - a lot of people have them with full fat plain greek yoghurt for breakfast.

Nuts are good - high in protein & healthy fat - particularly walnuts and almonds & you don't need too many to chase away the hunger pangs. My breakfast on the run consists of a half cup of nuts & a couple of slices of swiss cheese which keeps me going for a few hours when I'm busy.

Hope this helps a little.
 
Hi welcome to the forum. If you like yoghurt get some full fat Greek yoghurt and add some berries as they are less 'carby' than other fruits. Once you start testing you may find that you can eat a little bread - I'm lucky in that I can eat 2 slices of Hovis Seeded Sensations but it must be the lowish carb one in the orange wrapper. Re BS monitors I have the Accu Chek Nano but the strips are about £13.00 for 50 from ebay but many on here use the Code free which has cheaper strips - particularly if you buy them in bulk. Oh, by the way, when you see the diabetic nurse and he/she tells you not to test ignore them!!
 
The codefree meter can be bought on Amazon or or the HomeHealth website, which is the one where the strips are cheaper, works out at roughly £5 for 50 strips when you buy five cartons of them if you use the promo code 264086, 975833 if you buy ten.
 
Morning. Many people on here say the blurry vision goes away when the BS comes down. I've not had it (yet) so I don't know but the outlook is good on that. You can't be expected to go cold turkey off a diet like yours in a job like yours so you're doing the right thing (imho) by changing one thing at a time. Like having one ciggy less, going wholemeal bread and eating fewer slices.
You need something to replace the carbs, so go for good fat. Bacon egg & mushrooms make a good breakfast.
When you've sorted out in your head what we're on about with our suggestions of low-carb-high-fat, ask more questions. It won't make sense at first and is probably the opposite of what you'll hear from your DN. We'll deal with that later.
Get that meter and some strips. I suggest. :)
 
@Zenedge Have you not seen the doc yet?
you readings are quite high and I dont think you mentioned anywhere that you have seen a doc
You would need medication along with the diet to get the numbers down unless you can cut out on the lot of things you mention on here, to begin with I have not had bread for about 4 months now, I used to have 4 slices with breakfast everyday. Eat very low carb foods and test yourself before and 2 hours after your meal, that will tell you what is suiting you and whats not. Concentrate on proteins and fats more, so bread has to go out unfortunately, As much as we all like it for taste and convenience, you could try lo life or burgen bread about 12g carbs per 100 grams
There is a thread on the forum, what have you eaten today, that will give you an idea of what everyone eats, some things could suit you and others might not.
Read around the forum and ask as many questions as you want to and we are here to help
 
Just re read the whole thread, if you saw the doc did he/she not send you for a wbc and a1c, they should have done it but all docs are different,
It is quite bad at times, I had diagnosed myself with diabetes as my symptoms were so clear and my doc kept telling me its vit b12 deficiency, so if your doc has not sent you for blood tests, I would insist the GP to do it, full bloods and urine, thats what they did in my case but it was only after my fasting came back at 16+
Now a little tough part
Like you I was under the same impression, I had a bad diet and tought if I controlled my diet I would be fine as I was crazy about fruits, used to get through 2 bananas 4 or 5 oranges apples pears god knows what all, but I used to eat a lot of fruits and then when I got the diagnosis I was shocked, I thought its the fruits and I will be ok once I take the fruits out of my diet, and as everyone is suggesting you, I took the suggestion of getting a meter as well and I started testing and in a week I got myself down from 16 to 4's and 5's but once there I had to maintain it there, my a1c dropped from 142 to 46 which is prediabetic, but the fight goes on. Even now if one day I eat a bit of something which is high carb I go to about 6.5 6.6 which sort of confirms to me I am diabetic and It was no blip (I mean the diagnosis)
I would again suggest you to get a meter and do a fasting test and then before and 2 hours after meals, this will show you a trend of what you can eat and what you cant and then stick to it.
Its something that changes your complete lifestyle, the carefree attitude towards the food would need to go out and reading labels on every food that you buy is something that you would need to start.
Not liking sweets from begining has helped, but I did eat carbs and loads of it, upto 100 to 150g a meal and now I am at about 30 to 40g a day.
The changes that you make to your diet now is for life, not a few days or months.
Hard pill to swallow, but the sooner you accept it, the better it will be for you to look after yourself and your family.
All the best.
 
Hi Brettsza, yeah I have been to the doc, she made me an appointment with the DN for next Monday... I await that with baited breath. I've found myself worrying quite a lot about it over the past couple of days because driving is my life, I do it for work (fire engines) and I do it for fun (classic cars) so the food I can handle but if anything was to jeopardise my ability to drive I'd be devastated.

Like you were, I'm kind of guessing at the mo what I can and cannot eat and kinda guessing that cutting the junk and eating healthier could be enough but when I get a monitor, if it shows that I need to do more work than that, that's what I'll do.

I've been a bit busy the past couple of days so didn't find time to browse but the 'what I ate today' thread will be very interesting reading for me, thanks for pointing it out.
 
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Hi Zenedge and welcome. With regard to blurry vision, I can empathise with you, for me it lasted several weeks and I actually stopped driving for a while as I couldn't read road signs. One piece of advice that really helped me was to buy really cheap reading glasses in stronger strength than my normal ones (I found I could drive wearing my normal ones! which I could never have done before) I used the stronger ones for reading - looked a bit like Colonel Blink but at least I could see. The blurring got worse for a bit as the levels fell, but once blood sugars were under control normal vision resumed. There is so much to learn so don't worry if it takes a while to get your head around it and good luck with your appointment.
 
Hi again, I'm hoping this is my last silly question.

I got a monitor today, I got an accu-check because I may have help sourcing strips for it.

My question is when should I start checking? I was thinking of starting tomorrow as a new day, new start... is there any point or should I start tonight after dinner? Lunch was late today (3:30) so I'm assuming it's pointless checking before dinner as lunch results would affect it...???
 
Zenedge said:
Hi again, I'm hoping this is my last silly question.

I got a monitor today, I got an accu-check because I may have help sourcing strips for it.

My question is when should I start checking? I was thinking of starting tomorrow as a new day, new start... is there any point or should I start tonight after dinner? Lunch was late today (3:30) so I'm assuming it's pointless checking before dinner as lunch results would affect it...???
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Hi Zenedge, Maybe if you start by doing first thing on a morning called your fasting. If you have your breakfast soon after getting up you can save on a test by doing the fasting test just before you eat. Then have breakfast and test 2hrs after, some in the early days test at 1hr. You are looking for whatever your first number was, that it does not rise further than 2mmol/L, if it does there is some carby or sugary food that needs eliminating or reducing. The same goes for all other meals. Once you have got the right levels for that particular meal combination of food then you need not test that one any more.

Hope this helps

Neil
 
Thanks Neil, I kinda thought first thing in the morning was best, thanks for confirming.

No running around tonight so I can sit and go through the forum and hunt for the answers to any more questions that I have.

Thanks again everybody, you've all been great.
 
Hey All, It's been a while since I was last here.

So I was actually diagnosed as Type 1. I've taken a little time out to get my head around it, my dsn, doctor and consultant have all been amazing... they gave me the low carb advice straight away so I blocked the world out, stopped looking at t'internet for advice and listened to them. They started me on Gliclazide for a few days but it had no real effect and within a week or so I was on Humalog and lantus.

I started on 12 units of Lantus per day and 6 units of Humalog with each meal as a starting point with almost daily visits to the clinic. My dsn then started to change things around a little for the first week or two, but she realised very quickly that I have grabbed a hold of this by the scruff of the neck and got to grips with it very quickly and decided to let me adjust my medication on my own.

In the last 3 months I have got my Lantus down to 4 units per day and Humalog down to 4 units with evening meal (no Humalog with breakfast or lunch) with BG levels falling right in the middle of my target range, maybe just slightly under at 3.7ish once a week on average, and I have just received my most recent HbA1c results which are at 59. I was slightly apprehensive about the possibility of being within my target range during testing but spiking way over in between times but with HbA1c at those levels I am really pleased with myself as is my dsn.

My next step is getting back to work, I've been off work since diagnosis but my occ health doctor is happy for me to go back to work now, as is my consultant. We just need a case conference with HR, H&S, occ health and my line managers to highlight any possible issues and control measures required as it looks like I could be the first type 1 firefighter/driver in Scotland, so possible precedent to be set here.

Most importantly, I feel fantastic, I have gained the weight that I lost, my vision returned to normal very quickly and all the other symptoms of diabetes left me quickly too.

Just thought I would post a wee progress report since I stopped updating this kinda abruptly

Cheers,

Gordon
 
BTW, I realise that I am in the honeymoon period and these insulin injections will increase with time but I don't really see it being a great problem
 
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