Struggling

struggling type2 said:

been type 2 for 5yrs bloods was great between 5-7mm but now up to 15mm been told to increase my med glilazide to 2 aday but bloods still not dropping im struggling big time cant seem to eat right foods gone back to my old ways NEED HELP feel like giveing up

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Hugs, I've been there and so have many others who use this forum. I will tag @daisy1 who has some great info she posts in threads for people new to the forum.

If you can give us some more specific info and questions, we will be able to help you more. Do you know what your HbA1c blood test result was? Do you test before and two hours after a meal?

struggling type2 said:

was told buy nurse not to test bloods any more as its stressing me out i just cant get back on track eating bad foods makeing wrong choices dont no what to buy to eat love yoghurts but told cant eat them full carbs

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That's what the nurses usually say, because they have been taught to say it. It's not always true. It depends on the individual. Some people do get stressed out by it, but they just need better support. For most of us, home testing is the key to getting better. For the short term, maybe you could just test first thing in the morning, and maybe not even every day, for a while? Although, if you are taking Glic you should always have your meter on hand in case you have a hypo, especially when driving.

When was your last nurse appointment and when is the next one?

struggling type2 said:

was told buy nurse not to test bloods any more as its stressing me out i just cant get back on track eating bad foods makeing wrong choices dont no what to buy to eat love yoghurts but told cant eat them full carbs

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Try Greek style yoghurt (very low carb and plain) with a small amount of strawberries or raspberries for flavour. I used to have it a lot either for breakfast or as a pud.

The Dietdoctor website has 100s of great recipes as does the Ditchthecarbs site. Please remember that because you are on Glic any lowering of carbs must be done gradually and you would be wise to restart testing, I know it is hard to face but a few small changes should see you back on track. We are with you, ask any questions you like and keep in touch. Best of luck.

@struggling type2

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 235,000 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 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

I know where you are. It's scary and you feel you don't know which way to go.
I blame bad advice from old dieticians.

Just do one thing. No more for now.

Buy a meter or buy strips for the one you already have.
When you see lower bgs you will relax more.

Low carb eat until then.
My emergency plan when my bgs go too high is to get my old handwritten diary out. Test my blood for a week to observe a pattern with foods and stress.
Calling your nurse for advice about holding off increasing Gliclizide til you have done this will be the answer.
Your nurse may not be aware your diet could improve compared to a eatwell plate version.
Many don't.

So recap. Ask not to increase med yet. Do a week of observation with finger prick blood testing.
Plan from there.

Most importantly. DONT PANIC.
Don't be panicked into a big change until you weigh up the facts. YOUR BODY'S FACTS.
I like mine written down so I can refer back to it. I note everything which was going on. Stress, appointments and activity levels.
I observe my body to see WHY the increase and what foods help.

DCUKMod said:

it is imperative you test before driving to ensure your numbers are in the correct zone.

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Out of curiosity, what is the correct zone in the UK?

Why dont you ask your doctor for different meds such as Metmorfin ?

Try palio diet, you can eat bacon & eggs for breakfast (no bread though) salads with ham, beef, or cheese, meat with 2 or 3 veg, if your hungry eat mixed unsalted nuts or a oaty bar thats sugar free. Your bloods will come down quickly and you will feel much better for it, just hard to keep to it. You will find you will be able to reduce medication not increase it.

Do yourself and your body a favour go on a low carb lifestyle you will be amazed at the results it’s not easy at first but stick at it

Australiadiabetic2 said:

Why dont you ask your doctor for different meds such as Metmorfin ?

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Metformin is usually a first line treatment and if the person is on Glicazide instead, that usually means they couldn't take Metformin or it wasn't doing enough.

struggling type2 said:

i dont drive ive started to cut out carbs changed foods to brown bread bbrown pasta bought 10 cal jelly will be cutting out potatoes just haveing veg meat bloods took just now 12.8mm its comeing down very slow

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Brown bread and brown pasta are still very high carb foods. You may find that if your BG is coming down it happens so slowly that your body has been exposed to high BGs for longer than it should have been, and you could get complications, including a higher risk of infections. How often do you see your diabetic nurse?

struggling type2 said:

see dr every 3 mths and yes ive got nasty infection but my urine sample after 2 lots antibiotics it now fine but i got all systems of bladder infection im just going eat meat veg i tried slow releise metaformin but gave me bad tummy diererrea
perhaps i should make new appointment with dietbetic nurse

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Yes, I think you should see your DN as soon as possible. Why not call today, and mention your symptoms of bladder infection. I've had infections because of high BGs, too. Your DN and GP should really be doing more to help you prevent these infections. There are many different medication options that they could choose from. Once your levels are under control you might be able to reduce the meds.

Do you know what your last HbA1c blood test result was? And what is your fasting (or a pre-meal) BG level now? It's really important for you to know what these numbers are.

struggling type2 said:

no hun i dont no the results just that they were high she said there was sugar in my urine but no infection ? going back to gp i think get things sorted

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I think that's the best idea, to see the GP again. If you could ask what the number was, that will be a lot more helpful for you than just that it was high. When our BGs are high, the kidneys dump sugar into our urine. That doesn't mean you have an infection, it just means getting an infection is more likely. This is why I hope your GP take things seriously and discusses medication changes with you. There are many to choose from and they all work differently.