What was your fasting blood glucose? (full on chat)

There has been one heck of a lot of posts on this thread today, I have had a job reading through them all from this morning.

I have an upset tummy at the mo. I had a meal with a friend today, and the food looked 'thrown' on the plate, instead of arranged. It didn't look appetising. I just ate the low carb food, but I felt tired after the meal. So I am feeling a bit frail in bed at the mo. I checked my blood sugar just now and amazingly it was 6.1. I am rarely as low as the 6's. So I will check again in a bit.

I am looking forward to my own plain wholesome food tomorrow!

Debandez said:

Thinking about my presentation.

Think im going to start with subject of sugar. Maybe a joke to get a giggle,
but jokes about white sugar are rare.

Jokes about brown sugar, well, demerera!!

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old un but a gold un..Got me with that one..

@Muddy Cyclist that is a beautiful painting!

Gorgeous picture @Muddy Cyclist your friend will love it.
Ha I was thinking the same thing about my cauliflower yesterday.

gennepher said:

But not a slice of bread or anything like that. The carbs have to be part of vegetables or something like that.

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I am still learning with Carbs but like you bread is absolutely a no no. I have 3 Rivita (that's 18grams of my daily total)for breakfast with cheese, smoked salmon or prosciutto followed by full fat youghurt and raspberries or strawberries and my bloods stay low. 4 Rivita or 1 slice of bread, of any kind, and I over cook my BG. I find that providing I keep my carbs less than 20 grams per meal I cope but my daily total is always aimed at 35 grams.

Hope your tum feels better soon.

DJC3 said:

Ha I was thinking the same thing about my cauliflower yesterday.

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I'm bulk buying them, better investment than gold.

I really don't like doing animal portraits but keep getting asked, not my style really. But thanks all for your kind comments.

Muddy Cyclist said:

I am still learning with Carbs but like you bread is absolutely a no no. I have 3 Rivita (that's 18grams of my daily total)for breakfast with cheese, smoked salmon or prosciutto followed by full fat youghurt and raspberries or strawberries and my bloods stay low. 4 Rivita or 1 slice of bread, of any kind, and I over cook my BG. I find that providing I keep my carbs less than 20 grams per meal I cope but my daily total is always aimed at 35 grams.

Hope your tum feels better soon.

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Thank you for your wishes. .

I couldn’t even have those many carbs for breakfast @Muddy Cyclist. Later in the morning maybe.

I do log every meal and every reading. My carb goal is between 24 and 50 daily. Eating just at home, it is usually nearer 24. It is a work in progress...

Muddy Cyclist said:

5.6 today 6 am sorry about your cold Bubbsie, I have one, caused havoc on my Monday bike ride, light head, thought it was my Blood Sugar but luckily the result of a cold I hope and not a flare up of my Fibromyalgia.

Debandez what energy you have! Below are some thoughts on what you are fighting for.

Many of the T2D’s on this site and it’s forums know there is a frightening amount of poor advise handed out by most NHS professionals. What you are doing to change this is amazing and although I do not totally understand all that you report, I am learning, I am also sure I have missed many posts and this next comment may have been discussed.

Case 1 Me Muddy cyclist.
I was diagnosed T2D in April and had all the usual bad advise from the health centres Diabetic Specialist Doctor. Fortunately it is in my nature to question, in this case medication, diet, long term expectations, choosing to do nothing until I have done some research. Even when I returned to the same Doctor and explained my plan of action, no meds, LCHF diet, increased exercise he was not supportive, still offering medication and playing the ace card “you could well be insulin dependent in 3 months” sorry I know I have posted that comment before. I am now sure I made the correct decision but there was always that niggling doubt because the Doctor is the professional.

Case 2 My next door neighbour.
My next door neighbour was just diagnosed T2D and saw the same Doctor who I am sure gave him the same advise. My neighbour thinks the doctor’s advise is great and agreed to take the medication and eat all the wrong foods, thinking cutting out some sugar in his tea, eating less chocolate and biscuits and eating low fat everything will do the job. He knows the success I have had since April but really is not interested in finding out how LCHF diet could help, or how medication may harm him, his choice of course.

My point is a huge part of the population is like my neighbour, honest decent people who trust professionals and do not question. So for the majority any program that the NHS rolls out will be seen as the correct approach. People have the gift of freewill and make their choices so need alternative options offered to them and of course they are not. I am not sure how or if you will combat this but really admire your efforts and hope you have real success.

PS I tried to fill in the latest NHS survey about the new Type 2 website they want to launch. Sadly it does not work properly on my iPad making in impossible to complete, and the questions are very strange, sums up the NHS.

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I'm learning every day myself. But what I've learned I want to share. To help others. I'm no good at answering newbies questions. I'm a bit stupid and would say the wrong thing and end up upsetting them. I dont do much there. My niche is in my community and saying yes to any PR. I have worked very closely with the PR team since I hit the 50lb weight loss mark. They noticed my long status and contacted me. The rest is history. It will only take that one interview and I will be sitting with Holly and Phil or Lorraine I'm not fussy! To help as many others as possible. Because the majority of us are not being offered alternative advice to the eatwell plate and meds. My mum was one of those, in her mid 50s. Ended up insulin dependent within a few years. Her health deteriorated. Lost her sight (peripheral only in the end), sores on her legs that would not heal. Daily visits from the community nurse, stroke, kidney problems, liver issues. Neuropathy. The list is endless. I saw her suffer. Not once did she moan. My mum was amazing. I look back and see her buying cakes from the cake shop ' I will just give myself an extra few units'. Eating everything as usual thinking the insulin would sort everything. That's the trouble. Meds offered at the outset. Not explained properly how they work. Possible complications never highlighted. Pts think they can take the meds and carry on business as usual. As far as I can see the meds take the sugar out of the bloodstream. Some they can get rid of and some they can't. The bit they cant rots us, its stored in other parts of the body. So you can have a lowish hba1c with the meds but still get complications cos still having too much sugar to deal with. We need to be told about this. Up front. We need more education and we NEED to be given the option of lchf.

We live in good times yet bad times. Money is the root of all evil. They make a fortune out of us diabetics. Why would they want that to change. If they did they would be encouraging lchf. Dont get me wrong, its not for everyone but PLEASE give people the option.

One if my close friends is a case 2. Diagnosed about the same time as me. Taking meds, cutting back on sugat. Eating what he wants apart from that. Chinede on a Saturday which he finishes on the Sunday..beers and wine every night chips, fish, pasta, rice and potatoes all eaten with gay abandon. Hba1c going up. Nurse has told him things need to change. Just been in and out of hospital over last 3 months. Kidney issues. Rash all over his legs. Heart rate racing a lot of the time. Yet the drs and nurses dont ask him to look at his diet. It beggars belief. I will try to do.my bit for the cause xxxx

gennepher said:

Thank you for your wishes. .

I couldn’t even have those many carbs for breakfast @Muddy Cyclist. Later in the morning maybe.

I do log every meal and every reading. My carb goal is between 24 and 50 daily. Eating just at home, it is usually nearer 24. It is a work in progress...

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I'm with you on that @gennepher 3 ryvitas alone would have me way up high. But it just shows how we are all different and there could never be a rule book sadly.

Debandez said:

My mum was one of those, in her mid 50s.

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Mine to, she didn't stand a chance and I and my two sisters listened to the professionals and gave her all the wrong advise. I am fortunate and also am not ashamed to tell people I have T2D and how I am trying to cope with it, I hope some of my enthusiasm rubs off on friends, family and other T2D people I meet, at least enough to make them consider alternatives.

I am sure you will make a difference but unfortunately slowly.

jjraak said:

old un but a gold un..Got me with that one..

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Your emoticon is much funnier!

Muddy Cyclist said:

Mine to, she didn't stand a chance and I and my two sisters listened to the professionals and gave her all the wrong advise. I am fortunate and also am not ashamed to tell people I have T2D and how I am trying to cope with it, I hope some of my enthusiasm rubs off on friends, family and other T2D people I meet, at least enough to make them consider alternatives.

I am sure you will make a difference but unfortunately slowly.

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Article on diabetes in The Sun 24th Aug for full week. That's going to be a biggy for us. Massive circulation. Things are changing....

gennepher said:

I couldn’t even have those many carbs for breakfast @Muddy Cyclist. Later in the morning maybe.

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That's what makes it all so difficult, we all react differently, it's all trial and error, thus so important we monitor and log. My log book is named Dracula Diaries, my humour again. But at least we are all making an effort to understand our bodies this journey will never end but hopefully we take control.

I think my sore fingers is a small price to pay, there are some days playing my guitar or banjo is agony but needs must.

Debandez said:

Article on diabetes in The Sun 24th Aug for full week. That's going to be a biggy for us. Massive circulation. Things are changing....

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Fantastic!

Bubbsie said:

I wholeheartedly agree MC...I have a friend diagnosed several years before me she is in the most awful mess...now dependant on ever increasing amounts of insulin she was badly advised by her health care team...however there is another edge to her journey...after my diagnosis like you I researched & followed the advice I felt best for me LCHF...my BG came down & my general outlook on the management was optimistic...I have tried to persuade my friend to adopt some of the changes I have made & said while she has complications any small improvement she could make would be a benefit...she refuses...whist criticising the advice (or lack of it) she has received from her HCP's she refuses to change anything at all...she is content to blame all her ills on her GP & her DSN...so knowledge is powerful but only if you are prepared to make good use of it.

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Likewise I've tried to share my knowledge with my t2d friend who is having terrible health problems. He continues to eat how he always has. Even though he knows cutting carbs would help enormously. Its not easy for some. In fact I'm still agast at how easy I find it. But I focus on my family and not wanting to be a burden to them in any way, shape or form if I can at all help it.

gennepher said:

Absolutely no one that I have told about me doing LCHF have been approving or supportive. Even my family. In fact everyone I have told have been to the point of hysterically telling me that -
You will die
You must follow the advice you were given (the nurses and dieticians advice led to increased blood sugar readings and more meds and then more meds)
You mustn’t test your blood sugar so often, you will get an infection
All my internal organs that I will irreplaceably damage by doing LCHF, this was in graphic detail by the dietician
And so much more which actually scared me

And so I was wavering for a long time. Doing it ‘their’ way but my readings went up and more meds and it was don’t worry we can give you more meds. Then trying LCHF which brought my readings down, and trying to get nurse, doc, dietician etc on my side and explaining. The dietician was the worst in really scaring me with his words and manner of all the bad things that would happen to me by not following his conventional advice, he said he was trained and I was not and that LCHF was a fad thing on the Internet and he brought his face within a few inches of mine as he said this. I would call his behaviour abusive. We parted company on not very good terms. No one treats me like that.

That was the push I needed to totally disregard the current nhs advice on diabetes. And using LCHF I am now in single figures. But this is still a work in progress for me.

Go to dash. I would like to say more but I am now very late. I will look in tonight to read this thread.
Take care x

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The thing is we know more about diabetes than our own HCPs. They have probably had weeks on nutrition in their training. They have to cover so much. They are in fact GENERAL practitioners not experts, far from it.

Viv19 said:

I’m not sure what’s better, sometimes bad advice or not much at all. I don’t have the kind of ‘back-up’ here with diabetes clinics, d nurse etc that appears to be offered in the uk. I do have a supportive gp, but although I would class her as one of the really good gps, especially with diagnosis, she hasn’t offered much advice re diet, apart from putting me on Metformin about 5 yrs ago after saying that I was pre-diabetic. She’s supporting my LC diet (I haven’t mentioned the high fat aspect because I can’t really manage to eat HF) and and me giving up the Metformin. I know she’s pleased about my weight loss and she keeps an eye on my bg levels.
She’s good, but if I hadn’t found this forum I’d be whistling in the dark. It’s clear though that we have to be prepared to help ourselves. After all nobody is going to care about your health as much as you do (well except perhaps for a switched on partner or a mum!). Your health is down to you and if you wait to be taken by the hand and told step by step exactly what’s best for you, well it probably isn’t going to happen, unless you are very very lucky.
In the end there’s only one person who will be affected by the sneaky snack that nobody else sees. It’s difficult though to cancel ‘low calorie’ thinking and replace it with ‘low carb’ thinking. The first is weight/figure threatening, the second is life/serious condition threatening.
Sorry about the waffle. Something came over me. It started as a comment. :-/

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Here here (sorry for my short comment but it sums my thoughts up perfectly).

and there but for the grace of god (and the forum ) go i.

when you see it happening, it's almost criminal, because that COULD have been me or any one of us,
less inclined to investigate a little bit, less able to use the web, less questioning of the status quo.

and for far too many... totally unaware of the approaching train wreck they will be facing,
because well,... it's just inevitable, isn't it..

(i put rolled eys because, even on the new smiley site there is NO emoji that covers how all THAT makes me feel.
and if there was one, i'd probably be banned for using it..)

Bubbsie said:

I do remember that post gennepher I was horrified by his behaviour...the same advice was given to me by my GP at my initial dx who at my first review with him tried to put me on maximum medication despite my BG's coming down from 17.4 to under 8.0 after 12 weeks...I refused & wrote to him after that we discussed LCHF & some of the material I used to decide which diet I should follow in order to manage my diabetes...shortly after he told me he had began to recommend some of that reading material to his newly diagnosed T2 patients...it beggars belief that the trained professionals are so entrenched in their opinion of what's best for us based on their training...not on research & development...pretty typical of my experiences & possibly others at the hands of their health care professionals

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Right. How about I draft a letter to 'my surgery ' asking for them to get up to date with effective methods of controlling bs and report back !('as times appear to be changing for diabetics' that sort of thing. I could create a template and put it on forum, anyone who wants a copy to send to their GP surgery can have one. We could attack from every angle of the UK and beyond!! Change starts at the bottom ....m

Debandez said:

Article on diabetes in The Sun 24th Aug for full week. That's going to be a biggy for us. Massive circulation. Things are changing....

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Can you post a link please?