really struggling

[Kaylee88]

hi everyone, my name is Kayleigh, type 2 diabetic and have been for nearly 8 years, but I still can't get proper control over it. I have tried several medications without success as I can't handle the side effects. It was suggested to me by my GP to go onto insulin injections as my boyfriend and I would like to try for a baby but told it takes a lot of planning with me being diabetic. i was told that i have to get my bloods between 4 and 7, I'm currently on 4 injections a day ( 3 rapid acting and 1 long lasting for a night time) but I still can't get it right, I have no set amount of insulin I take as my bloods can range anywhere from 6 to 20 plus during the day. on occasions it has dropped below this and I feel like I have been hit by a bus, barely able to move, no energy at all, so then I eat something, not even anything sugary, and it rockets back up to a high figure. i can't win with it .

Fingers crossed I am starting a new job in the next few weeks but I am worried how my diabetes will affect my ability to do my job if I get it, its on nights caring for the elderly and a fear that I have is that I take ill while at work, and how while my work affect my diabetes.

sorry for the rant but it feels much better to get some of this stress off my chest and if anyone had any advice or suggesting they would be gratefully welcomed,

thanks Kayleigh x

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Kaylee and welcome to the forum.
I cannot help with the insulin but I hope someone else will give you some guidance there.

It could be that your diet is affecting your blood sugars so any information you can give us, a typical day's menu will help.

 

[Daibell]

HI. It sounds like you may need help in two areas i.e diet and the insulin balance. Since being a T2 have you tried to control the carbs in your diet and have low-GI carbs when you do? Many of us try to keep the carbs below 200gm/day and many go for much less; see what your meter tells you. It is very important to set a limit on daily carb intake where you can to keep some control. Are you overweight? If so this will make you insulin resistant and make control with insulin quite difficult, hence the priority in having the right diet. With regard to your insulin, you need to adjust your night-time Basal to give you a morning fasting blood sugar between 5 - 7mmol. This is what my DN quite sensibly told me although in practice I personally aim for between 4 -5 and watch for hypos. After that your mealtime Bolus should be adjusted to keep your post meal sugars less than 10'ish. BTW I have quite a low-carb breakfast and find I don't need any Breakfast insulin. It's your choice but does save an injection. Do come back with more info or any more questions

 

[Kaylee88]

thanks guys,no I have not tried low GI carbs and i currently weigh 12 1/2 stone.I have struggled for a while to lose some of the weight, and have tried many diets to try and get it down but they just dont seen to work for me. I have always stuck to the advice I was given when I was diagnosed that I have to have carbs with every meal, defo going to give the low GI carbs a try, anything to try and get this in control.

a typical days menu is cereal and milk or toast for breakfast with fruit. lunch is normally something light like a sandwich and fruit or a yogurt, and tea is my biggest meal of the day with some thing like chicken and rice/ pasta/ chips.I have cut out snacking between meals like I use to years at, not sureif this helps or not tho .

 

[Daibell]

Hi Kaylee. I'm afraid the advice you were given to have carbs with every meal is very bad advice and typical of the NHS when it comes to diabetic advice. You certainly don't need to have carbs with every meal and in fact you don't even need carbs at all as the body can survive on fat and protein and make glucose from that. However, you should have some carbs; just set a limit. Thanks for the meal info. Good that you've cut out snacks difficult for all of us but you do get used to it. Try to avoid branded cereals as most have a lot of added sugar and the cereal is itself a carb. Look for cereals with no added sugar; I have home-made muesli. I'll usually have egg & bacon as well as muesli but it obviously needs cooking. Keep the rice/pasta/chips down to sensible portion sizes. With insulin it is easy to eat too many carbs, match the insulin to control the blood sugar but put on weight in the process so you need to reduce carbs and insulin together and the weight should gradually come off.

 

[Kaylee88]

Thanks Daibell, im going to look into the low gi carb diet now, its gonna be hard as i really love rice and pasta,and a difficult habit to break as had carbs every meal for nearly 8 years. would really like to see an improvement in my bloods as im at the hospital in march to see how i am doing.

 

[carraway]

Hi

I can vouch for low carbs not just low GI Carbs. I lost weight, gained more energy and controlled blood sugars with no meds at all.

I know some members have reduced/cut back on insulin when they got the diet right

Carbs turn int suagrs, Type 2 cant handle suagrs


Get the book Carbs and Cals. It has photographs of real food and gives a good breakdown of what is in them I thought I knew loads about food and that carbs, especially if wholemeal etc were good.


Give up rice and pasta fr a while and it will be worth it. Babies are worth a change of diet at the very least!


Cara

 

[Kaylee88]

Thanks Cara, i was looking at that book last night and it does look really good,

 

[carraway]

It is!

You were very young to be diagnosed Type 2. Did they rules out Type 1 with tests.

It is really worth the effort with diet and exercise. I considered myself fat and fit. It was only after I lost weight I realised how much better I could feel.

take a look at some of the low carb sucess stories or recipes and be inpired. You will need energy to look after a baby so now is the time to start getting some!


cara

 

[Kaylee88]

yes they did tests to rule out type 1 as my brother was diagnosed with type 1 when he was 12 years old. The hospital was very confused when i was sent by my GP, to find out that i was type 2 and not type 1. in the last few years several other members of my family on both sides have been diagnosed with type 2 as well, so clearly there is a family history of it. do you think low carb or low gi would be better to try to start with? been looking at both

 

[2christine]

HI Kaylee, I am sure daisy will see your post and advise you well. I too was diabetic for 10 years and had problems with the tablets. the doctor wanted me to go on insulin too.
this was my wake up call,
the thoughts of losing my driving licence, insurance going up and losing toes and eye sight really scared me.
I asked my gp if I could try the Newcastle diet regime, he signed the form so I could obtain Cambridge diet shakes, they are expensive , but some doctors are providing optifast shakes on prescription, yours might do that, no arm in asking.
I have changed my HBAic from 75 to 40 in three months and lost 2st 5lb since 31st of oct 2013.now said to have reversed diabetes, but ,always at risk so got to be careful.
hope this information helps you , others on this site will help you too.

 

[Kaylee88]

Hi Christine, thanks for that it is really encouraging to read that for some people have reversed their diabetes. there looks like there is lots of options i could try, so im gong to look in to them all and try and work out what could be the best one for me.

 

[Totto]

I think it is criminal to advice diabetics to eat lots of carbs.

If you want to, do try cutting out most carbs as in no bread, pasta, rice, potatoes etc and very little roots like carrot and parsnip, celeriac is ok. Instead you can have mayonnaise, butter, olive oil, coconut butter, cheese, nuts but avoid most vegetables oil and margarine. Eat vegetables like kale, cabbage, spinach and other things that are not roots. No low-fat things, they will only make you hungry. You may feel odd for the first week and will have to cut down on insulin or even quit insulin altogether, check you bg frequently so you don't overdose, If you don't have any thyroid problems you should loose weight rapidly while you bg normalise.

The fat eating part is vital. We get energy from carbs, protein and fat, and both carbs and protein can raise your bg, while fat only makes you feel full. And it is good for you!

I often try the opposite way, if an approach fails me. Surprisingly often it works.

Have a look at this site:
http://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes
http://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight

 

[Kaylee88]

Thanks Totto i will defo have a look at these sites.

 

[judy.suirane]

Surfing this site... Want to come off insulin... Been two months now first A1c 9.6 latest 8.3. Carbs are the culprits with me but my energy level is low when I don't have them. What is the Cambridge diet? I am in Nova Scotia Canada.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kaylee88]

i dont know what the cambridge diet is either so im going to have a look at it

 

[2christine]

if you google Cambridge diet you will find a counsellor in your area, however it is expensive but they do a lactose free shake ,I think its sold all over the world, I do cheat a bit by using Tesco low cal diet shakes sometimes depending on finances.

 

[2christine]

so long as its got all the vitamins and minerals that you need and it is low in carbs , because you if you follow the Newcastle diet regime for 11 days you need to be consuming 800 cals only.
google the information first, it does not suit everyone, its been used mainly to pretend what you would consume if you had a gastric bypass fitted. and you don't feel hungry while your on it.

 

[Kaylee88]

thanks a lot Christine, that helps a lot.

 

[Scandichic]

Hi Kaylee,
I have just been diagnosed Type 2. My doc sent me away with the advice avoid carbs, sugar and fat. I didn't have a clue what to eat but saw Toto's message about Diet Doctor. Am now in the process of trying it out . Two days and counting! Good luck!