Shell shocked!

Rachox · May 15, 2017

Things are moving quickly here. I have just got my appt. for retinopathy screening through, it's this Friday!
I have my diabetes education session tomorrow. I am hoping I have the courage to ask questions if they don't agree with low carb diets or self testing!
I was struck with DP again this morning, between 6.30 and 9.30 with just having a cappuccino my sugar went from 7.5 to 9.3. It was down to 6.6 pre lunch, but I'm going to try to eat a breakfast of two scrambled eggs early tomorrow.

Bluetit1802 · May 15, 2017

Rachox said:
Things are moving quickly here. I have just got my appt. for retinopathy screening through, it's this Friday!
I have my diabetes education session tomorrow. I am hoping I have the courage to ask questions if they don't agree with low carb diets or self testing!
I was struck with DP again this morning, between 6.30 and 9.30 with just having a cappuccino my sugar went from 7.5 to 9.3. It was down to 6.6 pre lunch, but I'm going to try to eat a breakfast of two scrambled eggs early tomorrow.

The problem with that rise is you don't know how much was DP and how much was your coffee. It could be either or both. It may be you need to try an ordinary coffee with cream or as you say, 2 eggs, as soon as you get up and before you shower/dress/pootle about. (all these activities are very likely to raise your levels)

Rachox · May 15, 2017

Bluetit1802 said:
The problem with that rise is you don't know how much was DP and how much was your coffee. It could be either or both. It may be you need to try an ordinary coffee with cream or as you say, 2 eggs, as soon as you get up and before you shower/dress/pootle about. (all these activities are very likely to raise your levels)

Ah ok, thanks for the advise, I'll have my breakfast in my pjs then! See what that does.

Daphne917 · May 15, 2017

Rachox said:
I'm not keen on creamy coffees, would a Tassimo Latte be better they have twice the carbs and fat?

@Rachox I'm ok with a Tassimo Latte - try having one and see what it does to your BS. I also get the separate Tassimo creamers and mix them with Green&Blacks cocoa powder to make a nice hot chocolate!

Rachox · May 15, 2017

Daphne917 said:
@Rachox I'm ok with a Tassimo Latte - try having one and see what it does to your BS. I also get the separate Tassimo creamers and mix them with Green&Blacks cocoa powder to make a nice hot chocolate!

Thanks for the hot chocolate tip. I've just given away my Suchards pods! How many carbs does a Green&Blacks with a creamer pod work out as?

Rachox · May 16, 2017

Well, I've just returned from my Diabetes2gether, 3 hour education session, run by a Diabetic Nurse Specialist and a Diabetic Dietitian! I was pleasantly surprised. My two burning issues from reading here, were going to be self testing and carb counting.
They did ask if anyone was self testing, me and another guy said we did. The guy is a taxi driver so apparently he has to due to the meds he's on. They were really open to people self testing if they wanted to, but no mention of meters, strips or lancets on prescription, but you can't win them all!
The issue of carbs. was not the old school idea of eating plenty of starchy foods, they said to cut down and went through the carb. value of loads of common foods with some suggestions of alternatives. They stopped short of talking in actual grams of carbohydrate, just high, medium and low, and didn't recommend how many grams/day was ideal when I asked.
They asked if we would join a local Biobank Research scheme, which I will. They monitor all people but especially diabetics. They get you to fill out a questionnaire, take blood and Brucie bonus I get a free Dexa scan which they show you and explain all about it.

Teammidwife · May 16, 2017

leslie10152 said:
It seems strange to me that the gp does not advocate home testing. How do you keep track of your bgl's without it?

I noted your post in reply to @Rachcox and wanted to respond. My surgery expect that I can stop the meds and be diet-controlled and just have an HbA1c done every 6 to 12 months! Am retired, so need to watch my spending, surely I could be prescribed the strips as I'm saving them the cost of medication? You would think so, but NO. I buy strips from Amazon and hope they are genuine and reliable. The company who make them will not sell them in pharmacies (I use One Touch select plus strips)

Teammidwife · May 16, 2017

Rachox said:
Well, I've just returned from my Diabetes2gether, 3 hour education session, run by a Diabetic Nurse Specialist and a Diabetic Dietitian! I was pleasantly surprised. My two burning issues from reading here, were going to be self testing and carb counting.
They did ask if anyone was self testing, me and another guy said we did. The guy is a taxi driver so apparently he has to due to the meds he's on. They were really open to people self testing if they wanted to, but no mention of meters, strips or lancets on prescription, but you can't win them all!
The issue of carbs. was not the old school idea of eating plenty of starchy foods, they said to cut down and went through the carb. value of loads of common foods with some suggestions of alternatives. They stopped short of talking in actual grams of carbohydrate, just high, medium and low, and didn't recommend how many grams/day was ideal when I asked.
They asked if we would join a local Biobank Research scheme, which I will. They monitor all people but especially diabetics. They get you to fill out a questionnaire, take blood and Brucie bonus I get a free Dexa scan which they show you and explain all about it.

hi
You sound much happier. There's a book called GI and GL counter by Dr Wynnie Chan at £3.99 which is handbag size and is great! It lists food in categories - fruits, vegetables and salads, poultry and game etc. , and for each item gives average portion size in grams, GI and GL, energy kcal, fat in grams, protein, saturated fat, carbohydrate and fibre you could look on www.octopusbooks.co.uk,
ISBN 978-0-600-62931-3
Hope this is helpful, Ann

Rachox · May 16, 2017

Teammidwife said:
I noted your post in reply to @Rachcox and wanted to respond. My surgery expect that I can stop the meds and be diet-controlled and just have an HbA1c done every 6 to 12 months! Am retired, so need to watch my spending, surely I could be prescribed the strips as I'm saving them the cost of medication? You would think so, but NO. I buy strips from Amazon and hope they are genuine and reliable. The company who make them will not sell them in pharmacies (I use One Touch select plus strips)

I bought my meter, lancets and strips from Home Health UK via Amazon. I'm thinking I'll put the £10.40 per month saving from my pre-paid prescription card towards the cost of strips and lancets! But I agree why shouldn't we get them prescribed?

Rachox · May 16, 2017

Teammidwife said:
hi
You sound much happier. There's a book called GI and GL counter by Dr Wynnie Chan at £3.99 which is handbag size and is great! It lists food in categories - fruits, vegetables and salads, poultry and game etc. , and for each item gives average portion size in grams, GI and GL, energy kcal, fat in grams, protein, saturated fat, carbohydrate and fibre you could look on www.octopusbooks.co.uk,
ISBN 978-0-600-62931-3
Hope this is helpful, Ann

I am in a much better place now thanks, the shock has been replaced with determination

Thanks for the link to the book. I found it on Amazon and even better than a handbag sized book I can download it to the Kindle app on my iPhone! I have downloaded the free sample which I'll read later.

Damtov8 · May 16, 2017

Rachox said:
Hello everyone. I don't know where to start, but here goes. I have had high blood pressure for a couple of years now and went for a check up 2 weeks ago. My GP said I was due my annual blood test, so that was done a couple of days later just before the BH weekend. I received an email on the Tuesday after the weekend saying I needed to make an appt. to discuss my results! Online I could see there were no appts. til mid June. I phoned and explained that I couldn't sit worrying for a month, so I had a telephone appt. instead, that was last Thursday. The Dr who called said my blood test indicated possible diabetes (hbc1a was I think he said 8.6?) and he needed to send another sample. He rang just now to say this second result is the same. I now have to go and see him on Thurs (11th), to manage this diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.
I'm feeling pretty knocked back by this, bearing in mind I was recently diagnosed with asthma too!!
What can I expect of this appt., he mentioned tablets? What questions should I be asking?
Sorry for the long post, but look forward to advise from you all.

I recommend you visit the Type 2 Diabetes Rebels facebook page. You will need to sign up and answer a few questions the same day to get into the group but they have changed my life. My HbA1c was well over 12% last year. Thanks to their advice and help it is now 5.8%. They give good advice about Low carb high fat which can help most people to control their blood sugar without medication or with very little medication and to avoid the horrible complications that diabetes can cause. And you can make really tasty food even though you have to cut down your carbohydrates. Life is not over if you follow their advice. Good luck

Rachox · May 16, 2017

Damtov8 said:
I recommend you visit the Type 2 Diabetes Rebels facebook page. You will need to sign up and answer a few questions the same day to get into the group but they have changed my life. My HbA1c was well over 12% last year. Thanks to their advice and help it is now 5.8%. They give good advice about Low carb high fat which can help most people to control their blood sugar without medication or with very little medication and to avoid the horrible complications that diabetes can cause. And you can make really tasty food even though you have to cut down your carbohydrates. Life is not over if you follow their advice. Good luck

Thanks, I will have a look at joining the FB page.

csko · May 20, 2017

Rachox said:
Hello everyone. I don't know where to start, but here goes. I have had high blood pressure for a couple of years now and went for a check up 2 weeks ago. My GP said I was due my annual blood test, so that was done a couple of days later just before the BH weekend. I received an email on the Tuesday after the weekend saying I needed to make an appt. to discuss my results! Online I could see there were no appts. til mid June. I phoned and explained that I couldn't sit worrying for a month, so I had a telephone appt. instead, that was last Thursday. The Dr who called said my blood test indicated possible diabetes (hbc1a was I think he said 8.6?) and he needed to send another sample. He rang just now to say this second result is the same. I now have to go and see him on Thurs (11th), to manage this diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.
I'm feeling pretty knocked back by this, bearing in mind I was recently diagnosed with asthma too!!
What can I expect of this appt., he mentioned tablets? What questions should I be asking?
Sorry for the long post, but look forward to advise from you all.

My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 12 years ago. He has all the regular annual checks but doesn't need any medication to keep his blood glucose within range. He achieved great results using increased physical activity and a change to a low carb diet. Sleep and stress are important factors too. Very best wishes.

Rachox · May 20, 2017

csko said:
My husband was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 12 years ago. He has all the regular annual checks but doesn't need any medication to keep his blood glucose within range. He achieved great results using increased physical activity and a change to a low carb diet. Sleep and stress are important factors too. Very best wishes.

Thank you for your encouraging post x

Rachox · May 20, 2017

Just thought I'd update, 11 days on from my original post. I'm in a much happier place now, not so overwhelmed by all the aspects of this new diagnosis, due a lot to the info, advise and support from this forum. Thank you everyone.
I'm happily settled into a low carb diet, 100g or less per day, I'm loosing weight and for the last week I've been in the 4-7mmols/l range pre lunch and dinner, with readings less than 8.5mmols/l at 2 hours post. My sticking point has been DP with pre breakfast readings of 8.2 - 9.7mmols/l! This morning however I had 6.5mmol/l when I got up for a wee at 6.05am, 7.5mmols/l at 9.30am pre breakfast and 7.6mmols/l 2 hours post. I increased my Metformin, as per Drs instructions to twice a day from once yesterday, but also laid in between waking up and breakfast today, so I wonder if one or both of those things reduced my DP this morning?

Daphne917 · May 20, 2017

Rachox said:
Thanks for the hot chocolate tip. I've just given away my Suchards pods! How many carbs does a Green&Blacks with a creamer pod work out as?

Apologies for taking so long to get back to you - TBH becasue I have tested it several times and know that I'm ok with it I'm not exactly sure how many carbs there are but, if memory serves me correct, it's approx 5!

Rachox · May 20, 2017

Daphne917 said:
Apologies for taking so long to get back to you - TBH becasue I have tested it several times and know that I'm ok with it I'm not exactly sure how many carbs there are but, if memory serves me correct, it's approx 5!

Thanks, I'm drinking Cadburys Highlights at 4 per drink at the moment but I'll try G&B's next.

Rachox · May 20, 2017

No2D said:
In 2015 I read (in various place) that a small piece of cheese (~30gms) and vinegar the night before can reduce the DP. Tried it and couldn’t tell if it made a difference. Yesterday reading a syllabus for a diabetic class & ran across the Somogyi effect. If BS is high in the morning the book recommends eating 15-30gms of carb & protein less than one hour before bedtime. I would change this to 30gms of protein or very high fiber carb. The idea being, I think, to provide a slow release of glucose from protein throughout the night to supplement the glucose supplied by the liver and avoiding a sharp dip in the early morning hours. The following is from a WebMD link:

“To sort out whether an early morning high blood sugar level is caused by the dawn phenomenon or Somogyi effect, check blood sugar levels at bedtime, 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., and at your normal wake-up time for several nights. A continuous glucose monitor could also be used throughout the night.

If the blood sugar level is low at 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., suspect the Somogyi effect.

If the blood sugar level is normal or high at 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., it's likely the dawn phenomenon.”

In this graph you can see the hypo drop in the pre-dawn and the response of releasing hormones that raise BS. I think the 30gms of protein might tend to keep the gentle slope higher and avoid low levels between 2AM-4AM that triggers a response.

View attachment 22962
I suppose the only way to find out is trial and error.

Thanks for that, very informative. I'll see how I go over the next couple of weeks til I am at max dose of Metformin (I eventually have to take x 3 per day). If it's not sorted itself out by then, I guess I'll have to test over night! Eugh!

lowedb · May 21, 2017

Damtov8 said:
I recommend you visit the Type 2 Diabetes Rebels facebook page. You will need to sign up and answer a few questions the same day to get into the group but they have changed my life. My HbA1c was well over 12% last year. Thanks to their advice and help it is now 5.8%. They give good advice about Low carb high fat which can help most people to control their blood sugar without medication or with very little medication and to avoid the horrible complications that diabetes can cause. And you can make really tasty food even though you have to cut down your carbohydrates. Life is not over if you follow their advice. Good luck

Yes I'm over there too. They are very serious about helping people.

kizzie1b · May 25, 2017

Rachox said:
Hello everyone. I don't know where to start, but here goes. I have had high blood pressure for a couple of years now and went for a check up 2 weeks ago. My GP said I was due my annual blood test, so that was done a couple of days later just before the BH weekend. I received an email on the Tuesday after the weekend saying I needed to make an appt. to discuss my results! Online I could see there were no appts. til mid June. I phoned and explained that I couldn't sit worrying for a month, so I had a telephone appt. instead, that was last Thursday. The Dr who called said my blood test indicated possible diabetes (hbc1a was I think he said 8.6?) and he needed to send another sample. He rang just now to say this second result is the same. I now have to go and see him on Thurs (11th), to manage this diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes.
I'm feeling pretty knocked back by this, bearing in mind I was recently diagnosed with asthma too!!
What can I expect of this appt., he mentioned tablets? What questions should I be asking?
Sorry for the long post, but look forward to advise from you all.

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