Type 2 bodering Insulin

[daz4565]

Morning all, would just like to introduce myslf to you all, i am Darren of Altrincham, Cheshire and i was diagnosed as Type 2 some 6 years ago now.
My doc was managing it with Glicazide and metformin for years which was ok nd Simvastatin for cholesterol which is under control, however after recent blood test my doc said that blood glucose levels had risen to an all time high, highest its been since diagnosed, so he took me off glicazide cos said my body was now rejecting it and put me on 30mg Piogliazone...now a full tab gave me bad headaches so he dropped me to half tab a day, which is ok for me now, however he did give me a self blood glucose test machine which is giving me very high readings every day between 11.1-as high as 23.4which was last night! he said if gets to 25 to get intouch immediately!
This makes me very concerned about my diabetes as he said if this new tab doesn't work then im going on insulin.....when he told me this u could have knocked me over with a feather !
Now my background is very active, i Hockey skate once a week now for 2 hours and i run a Landscape and gardening business which is very energetic 6 days per week..my weight stays constant at 13 and a half stone but recently i dropped a cuple of pounds.(age 40)
I watch my sugar content in foods but most foods especially tins have added sugars....so difficult to manage that but we have to eat.
I dont really know what i want from this site, but re-assurance that all will be ok i suppose..i have no diabetes history in my family...i am the first ... had the worst nights sleep las night that i have had in along time with cramp wakeing me up twice in the night( dont know if a connecton here or not but thought would mention it)
Personally though i do not think my Doc/nurse is doing a good job as i have a friend who goes to Wythenshaw Hospital diabetic team which is a drop in clinic and she says they are absolutley brilliant offering shed loads of help and advice so wondering if i should start going there??
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as i am actually worried about my future and want to chat with others with similar problems, many thanks all
Darren

 

[cugila]

Hi Darren, and welcome.

This place is the best move you have ever made. You want to get control of your Diabetes, this is the place to be. I'm a T2 of 11 yrs so know the problem well.

Cutting to the chase I think we need to know a bit about a typical days food intake for you. Once we have a clearer picture about what sort of fuel you are using, then the better the advice wil be.
There are many Diet regimes you will hear about. the important thing is to have one that is right for YOU.
I notice you say you don't think much of your Health Care Team - this is the time to get a referral to a specialist, an Endocrinologist. They are highly trained and typically have to train for 10 yrs or more. They do know what they are doing.
If you are not wanting to go on Insulin, then tell them that. I did just that a while ago and have gained control because of what I saw here. There are other options, gaining control is the first one. We can help.

So c'mon daz, give us that list ?

Ken.

 

[daz4565]

hi .
ok a typical days food would consist of cereal for breakfast...recently been having porridge with either granules sweeteners or recently discovered Vanilla rice dream milk which is lovely and sugar free, lunch consists of Butties with best of both or warbys white bread with various fillings such as salmon, tuna, beef, ham et etc with smetimes lettuce.... a packet of quavers crisps, bananas, apples, raw veg, cherry tomatoes etc throughout the day when peckish, 2 litre sugar free drinks juice etc...evening meals consist of veg, pulses, meats such as chicken, turkey, steaks etc etc... some night a couple of Holsten Pils or Vodka and orange ( been concentrated orange which have just discovered had sugar in !) so changing brands there.... My alcohol consumption has dramatically dropped though....in the last year.
that is a typical day for me .....

 

[cugila]

WOW. :shock:

Seriously, Darren. You need to sort out a Diet plan ASAP.

Your diet is full of all the wrong things for a Diabetic. You have probably been told that a 'Healthy Diet' should encompass plenty of starchy carbohydrate etc - well you sure took that one to heart, maybe literally ??

That sort of diet nearly killed me. I use a low carb/low GI/low fat/low salt/low sugar diet devised by myself ( not Atkins) with the help of the good people on here. You need to read the Food and low carb sections on here and get up to speed pretty quick if you want to stop further complications.

If you are not sure about anything just ask.

 

[fergus]

Hi daz,

From your description of your blood glucose numbers it does sound as if your insulin resistance is getting worse and your own insulin production might be starting to fade. Your intake of carbohydrates sounds very high and this is also driving your blood glucose upwards.
Have a read throught the Success Stories thread and see if that strikes a chord with you.

All the best,

fergus

 

[Dennis]

Hi Daz and welcome to the forum.

Not to beat about the bush, I was horrified when I saw your diet. If a non-diabetic had described that to me my first thoughts would have been "Well you may not be diabetic yet, but carry on eating that and you very soon will be!". I see that you have been careful about not eating sugar, but sugar is not the worst thing for a diabetic. The big enemy is carbohydrate, and in particular the starchy carbs that do nothing except increase your blood sugar. These are bread, cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes. As Fergus and Ken have suggested, have a read round the various topics on the forum and I think you will soon get an idea of what steps you need to take.

The other thing is, as Ken suggested, get yourself a referral to an endocrinologist as soon as possible. Unfortunately your GP's actions show that he knows very little about diabetes. He should have recommended that you reduce the carbs in your diet (but obviously didn't). He has taken you off gliclazide and substituted pioglitazone. These are two entirely different treatments and one is not a substitute for the other - it's like being prescribed an elastoplast to deal with a headache!!! Gliclazide is designed to make your pancreas produce more insulin in order to process the carbs that you are eating. Pioglitazone is like a stronger version of metformin. It reduces insulin resistance so will make your body's own insulin work more effectively, but it won't reduce BS levels anywhere near as much as gliclazide (or any similar sulphonylurea drug) will do.

There are also many other type 2 treatments that your GP should consider before resorting to insulin. Again the fact that he isn't considering these simply shows that he is well out of his depth.

 

[hanadr]

Dennis and Daz
I should thnk that if Daz can no longer control his bgs with gliclazide, It' may have finished off the beta cells.
Daz ask your doctor to check your serum insulin. If you haven't enough left and you are resistant, insulin therapy may be your only answer. Possibly combined with Metformin. Numbers in the 20s are not good!
I too would suggest reducing carb intake. And in the meantime ask for some ketostix to check for ketones in the urine. High BG plus ketones is a BAD mix.
Still controlling the carb intake should help pretty fast.

Try it you'll probably see an improvement in days.
If you don't know what to eat, try Atkins phase 2. You can google that. And there's help on this forum too.

 

[daz4565]

Than all for your info, it was a real eye opener for me and i have taken it all on board by vastly reducing my carb intake...checking all products and eating salads for lunch !!! every day...and yes it is reducing my BS levels too...some days down to 8 or 9 but mainly in 11-13's now...not sure why as not changing much....oh well...d day with doc on Friday but i will mention these pointers you have all mentioned...once again thanks and keep you posted.
Oh , i had my eyes tested Monday too, and the optician sad that my Eye pressure was on the high side now......oh joy but going for a second test on friday as he said it could have been the eye drops he put in on monday that caused it, but anyway...thats another issue....cant believe i have diabetes sometimes, always wonder ....why me????....
Thanks all
Darren