Technical advice

[akabob]

My doc informed me that I have diabetes 2 and then went on holiday. Back in two weeks!

IApparently, my 2 blood tests show my sugar content at 15 and 16. What does this mean? Is this high? Low?

I have a colestoral count of 8. How bad, problematic is this?

I'm to take Metaformin (50 grams) three times a day - with each meal.

I've seen on other forum thread that need to be careful of pasta - is this just the refined pasta? Be careful with bread - I don't eat white bread so is this a problem?

Can I eat olives, tinned fruits?

Thanks folks.

 

[sugarless sue]

A cholesterol count of 8 is high. Generally the lower you are the better as a diabetic. This can be sometimes achieved by changing your diet. Here is some general advice for newly diagnosed.

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!
If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l. ( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l (Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Sue/Ken.

 

[akabob]

Inppropriate advice re technical question

Look I don't want to be rude (or alienate people) but I do wish to be blunt. I asked some questions because I don't know and haven't been able to find the answers. I won't be seeing my doctor for at least two weeks and i won't be seeing a dietician for at least the same period.

It's senseless posting the same reply to every one. I'm getting conflcicting advice. On the thread technical questions I asked specific questions because i don't know the answers.

 

[Dollyrocker]

Re: Inppropriate advice re technical question

The people who post here aren't doctors, it's made very clear on the forum that any advice given should be corroborated by your doctor. You will always gfet varied opinions if you post on the internety, that's the way it works.

Grateful much?

 

[Patch]

Re: Inppropriate advice re technical question

I'll answer your specific questions - but Sue pointed you in the right direction to allow you to research and find the answers for yourself. If you are foud to be diabetic, that's what you'll have to do to maintain tight control.

Your q's:

Apparently, my 2 blood tests show my sugar content at 15 and 16. What does this mean? Is this high? Low?

This is very high. A normal persons BG levels are between 4 and 7 at all times of the day. Ideally a (non-dabetic) persons BG would be below 7 before eating, and STILL below 7 AFTER eating. This is difficult to maintain in a diabetic person.

I have a colestoral count of 8. How bad, problematic is this?

This looks lke it is a TOTAL cholesterol count. TOTAL cholesterol is usually (in a healthy person) below 4. However, to get an accurate view of your lipids (lipid = fat = cholesterol) you'll need a breakdown of LDL (Bad) and HDL (Good) cholesterol (called a lipid profile). Your Triglyceride level (Trigs = another type of cholesterol) should also be closely monitored.

I've seen on other forum thread that need to be careful of pasta - is this just the refined pasta?

This is the most important advice anyone will give you - EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! Some people can tollerate small amounts of pasta without it raising their sugar levels. Most people will tell you that all types (refined/wholemeal) of pasta raise your bg. You'll need to test your blood after you've eaten pasta at 1 hr and 2hr intervals.

Be careful with bread - I don't eat white bread so is this a problem?

As above - everyone is different. Eat some and then test. I haven't found an bread that I can eat without a BG spike (brown OR white).

Can I eat olives, tinned fruits?

I eat lots of olives as part of a low carb diet. They are high in fat, but if you follow a lo-carb regime you can easily include olives.

Tinned fruits are a no-no. They are high in sugar, and are usually packed in sugar syrup. Some fresh fruits have minimal impact on BG. I eat lots of berries with no impact on my BG. I have to avoid banana's and pears at all costs, though...

You'll have to take control of this yourself. Your Dr. can give you advice, but essentially it'll fall to you to find out what foods you can eat, and what foods you cannot eat. Get a meter, and some test strips, and test after eating your favourite foods. You'll probably find that a lot of your favourite foods are no longer going t o be in your diet, as they'll cause Bg spikes

I hope this has helped you. I know it's daunting, but ALL the informati0n you'll need is on this forum. Everyone is happy to help - PM me if you have any specific questions on Lo-carbing. (But ONLY after you've done a little research!!! :wink: )

Good luck!

 

[Sue Morton]

Re: Inppropriate advice re technical question

Akabob, all the advice you have been given above is excellent advice. I was newly diagnosed in March this year and it is hard to get to grips with being a diabetic and reading the advice given here has helped me a lot.

The only way to find out what foods you can eat without raising your BS is to test, but some doctors say that type 2 don't need to test unfortunately. I was told that I don't need too test by one of my doctors which I found totally wrong. How will you know what sends your BS up? Even with the foods that they say you can eat can put your BS up. Its only through testing that you find out what your body can tolerate. As each person is an individual what one can eat another can't. So you will have do what we all have done is test and find out what food sends your BS up.

I hope you don't have a doctor (or PCTs) that wont allow you the meter and the test strips etc on prescription if they don't allow you can apply for a Contour meter free on this site. You get 25 strips and the needle thing free but after that you have to buy them which are expensive. There are conversations on here about where to get cheap ones. I purchased some the other day from eBAY and am awaiting delivery.

There will be different information about food because we are all individuals and react different. There is a good community here and when you feel that you are going off track visit the forum and it helps you to get back on track. You might get a bit depressed about everything but you will come to terms and find a way forward.

Wish you all the best for the future

Sue

 

[Anonymous]

So that members can see just what the alleged 'inappropriate advice' was that the OP refers to we have merged the two topic's.

Member's will be able to make their own minds up about what is good or bad advice and respond to the OP as they see fit.

Mod 3.

 

[cugila]

Re: Inppropriate advice re technical question

Look I don't want to be rude (or alienate people) but I do wish to be blunt. I asked some questions because I don't know and haven't been able to find the answers. I won't be seeing my doctor for at least two weeks and i won't be seeing a dietician for at least the same period.

It's senseless posting the same reply to every one. I'm getting conflcicting advice. On the thread technical questions I asked specific questions because i don't know the answers.

So far all the advice you have been given by a Monitor and members has been good sound advice.

As for posting a good basic advice sheet for any Diabetic that is what happens when we have new or inexperienced members such as yourself join. It is designed to help them get to grips with their Diabetes.

The majority of our members find it very helpful and actually say that there are things in that advice which they didn't know anything about. They are grateful for any of the help they receive on this Forum.

So, not wanting to be rude (or alienate people) but wishing to be blunt.....read my signature..... :wink:

cugila
Forum Monitor

 

[catherinecherub]

Re: Inppropriate advice re technical question

Look I don't want to be rude (or alienate people) but I do wish to be blunt. I asked some questions because I don't know and haven't been able to find the answers. I won't be seeing my doctor for at least two weeks and i won't be seeing a dietician for at least the same period.

It's senseless posting the same reply to every one. I'm getting conflcicting advice. On the thread technical questions I asked specific questions because i don't know the answers.

Everyone is different, there is no blueprint for managing your diabetes, you have to own it and you have to manage it.
The guidelines you have been given from Ken and Sue are just that, guidelines. They cannot write menus out for you. I doubt that Ken and Sue eat exacly the same diet. They give excellent advice and you may or may not welcome it, it is up to you. There are no hard and fast rules. Test your responses to foods and then you will know if they are right for you. They are not saying what you can and cannot eat because no one knows the answer to that question.
Examples :- You may be able to eat potatoes, I cannot eat potatoes. You may not be able to eat pasta, I can eat a small portion of it. Patch has stated he cannot eat tinned fruit. I can eat peaches, plums, pears and berries in natural juices but I have to drain the juice off and only have a small portion. We are all different.

It is a minefield when you are new and you will have to keep testing until you can see what is right for you. It does not happen overnight and it is trial and error. Try not to get stressed about it as this will raise your blood sugars. Remember we were all new to this once and as bewildered as you are.

Take care,

Catherine.

 

[akabob]

Well, I might have come across as a bit abrasive and impatient. If I did then I apologise. The standard/automated reply that was given by Sugarless Sue whilst informative was without meaning to me. I’d read that advice on other posts. I wanted answers to specific questions – it was only in this sense that the advice given was inappropriate. So once again sorry.

I don’t know what ‘the strips’ are or what to do with them. I don’t know what terms such as mmol/ mean. I’ve checked these terms out but the science is meaningless to me. I don’t know what it all means. So telling me the NICE guidelines is not meaningful or helpful to be.

In the meantime I’ve looked at information about diabetics on a variety of sites in UK, Australia etc. The information is daunting and from an initial perspective conflicting. On the one hand I need carbohydrates but on the other I need to avoid if on low carb diet. It’s confusing and contradictory to me. How do I know I need to be on low carb diet?

I’d like to specifically say thank you to Patch for answering the specific questions I asked. I now know that I am considerably sicker than I realised initially. (So as you can see, Dollyrocker, I am extremely grateful).

 

[cugila]

Well, I might have come across as a bit abrasive and impatient. If I did then I apologise. The standard/automated reply that was given by Sugarless Sue whilst informative was without meaning to me. I’d read that advice on other posts. I wanted answers to specific questions – it was only in this sense that the advice given was inappropriate. So once again sorry.

First of all, the advice you were given is not automated. We read each and every post on this Forum and we offer advice where appropriate. It is up to the individual to either accept or ignore it.
There are many things in that advice which are pertinent to you and your circumstances. We answer posts or parts of posts as we see fit. We are not obliged to answer each and every aspect of a particular post. Quite often we leave certain areas for other members to answer. If they don't answer you that is nothing to do with us and is no reason to say that your advice given was inappopriate.

I don’t know what ‘the strips’ are or what to do with them. I don’t know what terms such as mmol/ mean. I’ve checked these terms out but the science is meaningless to me. I don’t know what it all means. So telling me the NICE guidelines is not meaningful or helpful to be.

'Strips' are blood glucose test strips which you use in a meter to test your blood glucose levels. A very important item. mmol/l is the measurement used when taking your blood glucose readings with a meter and the test strips. If you had asked the supplementary questions then we or other members would have answered you. The NICE guidelines are the suggested levels which you should at first try to achieve. It is self explanatory and is something that not all Diabetic's even ones with many years experience do not know, so they are helpful.......something you as a newly diagnosed Diabetic need to know.

In the meantime I’ve looked at information about diabetics on a variety of sites in UK, Australia etc. The information is daunting and from an initial perspective conflicting. On the one hand I need carbohydrates but on the other I need to avoid if on low carb diet. It’s confusing and contradictory to me. How do I know I need to be on low carb diet?

You mention a low carb diet, we here on this Forum as Monitor's do not recommend any type of diet, one of us is a low carber, the other just reduced carbs. By giving you the information about carbs and other things that is designed to help you. It is not forcing you to do anything. You read the information from ALL members and make your own mind up as to which way you think will work best for yourself. We are all different in how we react to certain foods and only by frequent testing in the first instance will you find out what works for you.

I’d like to specifically say thank you to Patch for answering the specific questions I asked. I now know that I am considerably sicker than I realised initially. (So as you can see, Dollyrocker, I am extremely grateful).

Hopefully now you can see why the information was given to you and what it's aims are. We would be grateful if you have a problem with any answers given by a Monitor that you in future address it directly to them using the pm (Private Messaging system) and not start a thread calling the advice 'inappropriate.' That was offensive to both of us as we work as a team here, trying to help ALL members. Normally we would delete such posts, however the answers here may be of help to other new members as to how we deal with things on this Forum. In accordance with the Forum Rules and Ethos which can be found in 'Diabetes Discussions.'

Perhaps now we can get back to answering any questions you may have. That would be more helpful to you than the present thread ........

cugila and sugarless sue
Forum Monitor's

 

[Dippy3103]

To reiterate what others have said there is no one size fits all to this.
I am a reduced carb diet, I was given the usual eat plenty of strachy carbs' advice by the nhs. I have got my HB1ac down to 6.2 this way (hb1ac us your average blood glucose over a longer period, usually 90 days). The only way you will know is to suck it and see! Don't worry it was a whole new language to me a few months ago.
Word to the wise. Everyone who takes the time to reply or advise you is doing so out of a desire to help. In particular cugila and sue put in a huge number of hours to help the newly diagnosed such as you and I.... They don't have to do any of it and then where would people like you and I be?