Still Struggling

[dw422]

I was diagnosed back in 2013 with type 2, and I struggled to come to terms with what it meant to me. This feeling wasn't helped by the differing advice I got from GP's, consultants, nurses, etc, nobody said the same thing twice, and the confusion got worse when I googled the condition. My saviour has been this forum and the diabetes.co.uk website, even though it goes against most of the medical advice I got at times.
I have finger prick tested at different times of the day, some times several times a day, just to get a picture of my levels through the day, recently I got told by a nurse on my 1st visit to a diabetic clinic it wasn't worth doing, she said once a day is enough. Generally I do it 1st thing in the AM, but I know from experience this is when my blood sugar levels is at its highest even though it is a fasting test
I shout at the TV when I watch so called experts telling people that by following their promoted plan you can reverse type 2, as far as I know this is b*ll***t, I believe that I will have type 2 for the rest of my life, but I can control the symptom (high blood sugar ).
I have found that it took me a long time to accept my diagnosis, but now I have, I have a check list of goals. If possible I want to control it without meds, or at least the minimum amount I can. Any help and advice from fellow strugglers gratefully accepted

 

[GrantGam]

I was diagnosed back in 2013 with type 2, and I struggled to come to terms with what it meant to me. This feeling wasn't helped by the differing advice I got from GP's, consultants, nurses, etc, nobody said the same thing twice, and the confusion got worse when I googled the condition. My saviour has been this forum and the diabetes.co.uk website, even though it goes against most of the medical advice I got at times.
I have finger prick tested at different times of the day, some times several times a day, just to get a picture of my levels through the day, recently I got told by a nurse on my 1st visit to a diabetic clinic it wasn't worth doing, she said once a day is enough. Generally I do it 1st thing in the AM, but I know from experience this is when my blood sugar levels is at its highest even though it is a fasting test
I shout at the TV when I watch so called experts telling people that by following their promoted plan you can reverse type 2, as far as I know this is b*ll***t, I believe that I will have type 2 for the rest of my life, but I can control the symptom (high blood sugar ).
I have found that it took me a long time to accept my diagnosis, but now I have, I have a check list of goals. If possible I want to control it without meds, or at least the minimum amount I can. Any help and advice from fellow strugglers gratefully accepted

Diet, exercise, BG testing and routine.

Diet - find a limit of carbohydrates that keep your BG in the target range. It may be a small value, it may be moderate. That is something you'll have to work out for yourself. Your BG meter will be your best friend for this. Typically, the lower the value of carbs eaten - the better the control.

Exercise - this has so many beneficial properties but is often the last thing that diabetics utilise. Not only does it increase insulin sensitivity, it also lowers blood pressure, promotes weight loss and leads to a general sense of wellbeing.

BG testing - fasting, pre and post-prandial. This will indicate what foods are good for your BG control and ones which are not. You can then construct an eating plan of foodstuffs which will optimise your BG control by keeping you in the target range as much as possible.

Routine - A combination of all of the above. Eating regularly (time of day, interval time between meals, size of portions, carbs per meal). Exercise, make a plan of what you'll do, when you'll do it and for you long. BG testing, do this consistently to paint a detailed picture of what is happening with your blood glucose.

A lot of the aforementioned is easier said than done. But I can guarantee that if you even implemented 50% of what's been said, you'll no doubt improve

Good luck to you,
Grant

 

[Hiitsme]

Hi and welcome @dw422
I will tag @daisy1 for her helpful info for newcomers.
I am someone who is trying to control with diet and exercise and so far it seems to be working. For me it was using a meter that really helped. I tested before meals and 2 hours after. If the rise was over 2 then I looked carefully at what I had eaten, particularly the carbs to see what needed cutting out or changing. The first thing I had to cut out was cereals and now have scrambled eggs and mushrooms for breakfast. Some people can manage cereals so the only way is to test. I had to cut down or cut out things like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread etc. I can now manage some of those things but I do still test. I also wrote down everything, what I had eaten, weighed most items and recorded all my readings.
What is you HbA1c? What sort of numbers do you get when testing? Have you tried low carb? I only restrict carbs that my body can't deal with.

 

[Prem51]

Hi @dw422 and welcome to the forum. Have a read round the threads and you will see that a lot of us have found that by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating we have been able to reduce our blood sugar levels and control our condition.

 

[daisy1]

@dw422

Hello and welcome to the forum As mentioned above, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 220,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

 

[Freema]

welcome here dw422

 

[mist]

Shouldn't it be WD40?

 

[Daibell]

Hi. The morning fasting blood test isn't of great value due to the overnight liver-dump of glucose so I wouldn't do it very often as it doesn't tell you much. The 2-hour post meal test is more useful.

 

[dw422]

A few answers to points raised, routine has been a hard thing to achieve as up until Friday 4th I work a 4 cycle shift. As I am being let go on that date, it should become easier. I have tried to eat a semi Atkins diet for a while and now have been put on a cholesterol tablet. I think it is a positive I was on diamicron and sitagliptin until my last clinic visit, I am now on metformin and sitagliptin, let me know if I have that right.