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Hi - very new-awaiting confirmation and test results -a couple of questions

Leadinglights said:
The dose of gliclazide is not relevant to the fact you should be provided with a monitor and strips on prescription as it is a medication that could cause low blood glucose so you need a means of testing particularly if you drive to make sure you are safe./
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Thanks for your advice - rang gp yesterday and am now seeing nurse to get glucose monitor tomorrow instead of 11th.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Welcome to the forum @Sweetmadriana

I can still remember the crushing fatigue brought on by my high glucose levels before diagnosis. It was like wading through treacle, and everything felt uphill and laboured. Rest was never restful, and even simple straightforward tasks seemed like a mountain to climb. :care:

Exercise isn’t ideal at very high glucose levels (as reported by a fingerstick meter) and T1s are advised not to exercise if BGs are 12+

The HbA1c you have had is more of a 3-month overview than the ‘moment in time’ of a capillary glucose BG meter, so it’s not really easy to say what your levels might be like day-to-day at your current HbA1c level.

Hope you get some reassurance, and some answers as to what is happening at your appointment in a week or two.
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Have just come across this TED talk which made a lot of sense to me but it is a bit old -wondered if it was still sound advice?
Sarah Hallberg - reversing type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines
Haven't posted the link in case it is not a good one to share.
 
Many people here follow a low carb way of eating and find it very effective but it doesn't suit everyone. The late Sarah Hallberg's TED Talk really struck a chord with me too and it has been posted on the forum at least a couple of times before, but as with any approach, there are detractors. The thing with diabetes management is that it is individual and what works for one person may not work for another and the key thing is to find an approach that appeals to you and you feel you can sustain long term. For me that has been following a low carb, higher fat approach. I don't suffer the cravings I used to do eating this way and it has really dramatically improved a lot of other health issues I was having including acute migraines, IBS, and joint pain. I am Type 1 so I need insulin and as a result I am encouraged to follow a normal diet by health care professionals, but I was initially diagnosed as Type 2 and started eating low carb and found all these benefits to it, so have stuck with it.
 
rebrascora said:
Many people here follow a low carb way of eating and find it very effective but it doesn't suit everyone. The late Sarah Hallberg's TED Talk really struck a chord with me too and it has been posted on the forum at least a couple of times before, but as with any approach, there are detractors. The thing with diabetes management is that it is individual and what works for one person may not work for another and the key thing is to find an approach that appeals to you and you feel you can sustain long term. For me that has been following a low carb, higher fat approach. I don't suffer the cravings I used to do eating this way and it has really dramatically improved a lot of other health issues I was having including acute migraines, IBS, and joint pain. I am Type 1 so I need insulin and as a result I am encouraged to follow a normal diet by health care professionals, but I was initially diagnosed as Type 2 and started eating low carb and found all these benefits to it, so have stuck with it.
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Thank you - I expected that the TED talk would be known to people. It was not so much the diet advice but changing the blame game from you have diabetes because you let yourself get fat, to you may have become fat because you've been fighting insulin intolerance for years.
 
I found her whole talk really inspiring and heartfelt. So sad that she lost her life to cancer a year or so ago. There is another heartfelt TED talk by Dr David Attia on the same issue of blame culture with diabetes, where he freely admits his thoughts as a junior doctor amputating a patient's foot or toe, how he was not as sympathetic as he should have been because he was indoctrinated with that blame culture and how regretful he was now that he understood diabetes better. It is also a really powerful video!
For me eating more fat was the key bit of her advice which made sense and helped me to stop feeling guilty about going against the low fat advice I was getting from my health care professionals and which we have been bombarded with pretty much all our lives. My body seems to run better on fat and it has helped reduce my bingeing and cravings..... and interestingly.... my cholesterol levels have reduced slightly since eating more fat, rather than increasing my cholesterol as we have been lead to believe it would. I have been low carb now for 6 years and I fully intend to continue that way for as long as I have control over what I can eat.
 
rebrascora said:
I found her whole talk really inspiring and heartfelt. So sad that she lost her life to cancer a year or so ago. There is another heartfelt TED talk by Dr David Attia on the same issue of blame culture with diabetes, where he freely admits his thoughts as a junior doctor amputating a patient's foot or toe, how he was not as sympathetic as he should have been because he was indoctrinated with that blame culture and how regretful he was now that he understood diabetes better. It is also a really powerful video!
For me eating more fat was the key bit of her advice which made sense and helped me to stop feeling guilty about going against the low fat advice I was getting from my health care professionals and which we have been bombarded with pretty much all our lives. My body seems to run better on fat and it has helped reduce my bingeing and cravings..... and interestingly.... my cholesterol levels have reduced slightly since eating more fat, rather than increasing my cholesterol as we have been lead to believe it would. I have been low carb now for 6 years and I fully intend to continue that way for as long as I have control over what I can eat.
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I've sent it to my MIL who has already started on the bad diet hints! Interestingly, I've had it in the back of my mind for a while that I actually feel better afer a bit more 'fat' but now know not to link that fat with sugar too. Anecdotal evidence from another relative that when they went back onto butter and full fat milk their cholesterol went down not up too!
 
Sweetmadriana said:
Thank you - I expected that the TED talk would be known to people. It was not so much the diet advice but changing the blame game from you have diabetes because you let yourself get fat, to you may have become fat because you've been fighting insulin intolerance for years.
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This was a brilliant talk and I posted here ages ago and really made complete sense to me. I was very saddened that she had passed away fairly suddenly. Certainly worth reposting the link if you have it to hand.
 
links to those two TED talks:

Also, a passing comment from a friend yesterday was that I was th3 third person she knew who had had covid recently and then developed diabetes. Looked it up and it is being documented in the research literature that there is a link between covid and sudden onset type I - there is a very recent review article in Nature endocrinology but I can only access the abstract.
 
@Sweetmadriana , welcome to the Forum 🙂 It is frustrating when first diagnosed as you just want to feel well again as quickly as possible but you will!. Glad you're finding the Forum helpful, just ask away....
 
It is known that viruses can be a trigger for Type 1, so it is not surprising that a new virus like Covid would be a trigger. Type 1 involves the immune system mistakenly attacking the insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas and killing them off. In more mature adults this often happens more slowly than it does in children and can initially be mistaken for Type 2 as a result, because there is a gradual loss of insulin production and changing diet and sometimes oral Type 2 meds can sometimes show improvement in the early months and years. Unfortunately most people are not given the C-peptide and antibody tests at diagnosis which would help to correctly diagnose them properly, so they get stuck with that initial Type 2 label and there is a bit of a 2 tier class system with the regard to treatment within the NHS between Type 1 and Type 2, so someone misdiagnosed can have a bit of a battle on their hands to get the support they need and to overturn that initial diagnosis. I was lucky that mine was picked up in a matter of weeks but we have members here who were misdiagnosed for years and no doubt some who are still misdiagnosed. So many health care professionals are still of the misconception that Type 1 only develops in young people, so if you get diabetes in later life or if you are a bit overweight then it must be Type 2.
 
Thanks for the info. I know that the stats say 90% of later onset diabetes is type II but, as a scientist, would question the validity of that argument if people are not tested at diagnosis and especially with the increasing evidence of the link between type I and covid.
After advice from the forum re needing glucose monitor with glicalozide, I saw nurse yesterday. BG level 10.7, 2 hrs after eating so, a bit high, but not disastrous. Attitude was very much, don't actually use it because you can't do anything about treating highs anyway because you are not on insulin. Contact us in the extremely unlikely event that you think you are heading towards a severe hypo. We'll take bloods again in 3 months.
I'm not sure what else I expected, and to be fair I was already quite clued up from previous knowledge and reading around this site and the kind and informative responses that I have already received from this forum, and she is also referring me to a diet course of some kind, so why do I feel a bit abandoned? If I hadn't found this forum I think I would be feeling very lost.
The scientist in me wants to know what my fasting BG was before I started the meds and diet because now I have no starting level to refer back to. I do not have many symptoms of diabetes at all other than overwhelming fatigue, which isn't helped by the fact that I am still fighting off chest infections; just getting over the second since Christmas and already feel like my throat is threatening a third. Advice was that fatigue should improve in a couple of weeks. Should I fight against it and take on normal level of activity and exercise or do what I really want to do which is sleep!
I have changed my diet to be as carb free as possible but still eating a couple of slices of wholemeal bread a day and eating fruit. Is this too much, too soon as someone else warned me about ketone levels?
I am, on the whole, quite positive about the diagnosis in the sense that it is an explanation for my tiredness and I can do something about it myself, easier to cope with than the OCD and anxiety that I also manage in that sense, so not quite sure why I feel so irritated and frustrated with GP and nurse? It is very early days for me - less than a week since phone call from docs - but I think that is part of it - a phone call to say you have high blood sugars and need a CAT scan which alarmed me, before finding this site, to now - no ned to worry- we'll check you again in 3 months. Sorry for the pointless rant - but you do all say you don't mind!
 
@Sweetmadriana wow - how daft can you get?
Your nurse has obviously never met anyone who has reduced carbs and gone back to normal levels - or maybe she put it down to the medication - but the advice I wanted to give was, rather than going for small amounts of high carb foods, try lower carb things - stirfry, low carb vege mixtures, salad when it gets warmer, and most berries are low carb too, and spread them through the day as your medication probably requires some thing to go at.
I'd not worry about forced activity - but I was diagnosed 8 years ago and could go very low carb as I gave up on the medication - it was dreadful, but in 3 months I was no longer diabetic and dancing around like a spring lamb - even doing housework!!!
 
Sweetmadriana said:
Thanks for the info. I know that the stats say 90% of later onset diabetes is type II but, as a scientist, would question the validity of that argument if people are not tested at diagnosis and especially with the increasing evidence of the link between type I and covid.
After advice from the forum re needing glucose monitor with glicalozide, I saw nurse yesterday. BG level 10.7, 2 hrs after eating so, a bit high, but not disastrous. Attitude was very much, don't actually use it because you can't do anything about treating highs anyway because you are not on insulin. Contact us in the extremely unlikely event that you think you are heading towards a severe hypo. We'll take bloods again in 3 months.
I'm not sure what else I expected, and to be fair I was already quite clued up from previous knowledge and reading around this site and the kind and informative responses that I have already received from this forum, and she is also referring me to a diet course of some kind, so why do I feel a bit abandoned? If I hadn't found this forum I think I would be feeling very lost.
The scientist in me wants to know what my fasting BG was before I started the meds and diet because now I have no starting level to refer back to. I do not have many symptoms of diabetes at all other than overwhelming fatigue, which isn't helped by the fact that I am still fighting off chest infections; just getting over the second since Christmas and already feel like my throat is threatening a third. Advice was that fatigue should improve in a couple of weeks. Should I fight against it and take on normal level of activity and exercise or do what I really want to do which is sleep!
I have changed my diet to be as carb free as possible but still eating a couple of slices of wholemeal bread a day and eating fruit. Is this too much, too soon as someone else warned me about ketone levels?
I am, on the whole, quite positive about the diagnosis in the sense that it is an explanation for my tiredness and I can do something about it myself, easier to cope with than the OCD and anxiety that I also manage in that sense, so not quite sure why I feel so irritated and frustrated with GP and nurse? It is very early days for me - less than a week since phone call from docs - but I think that is part of it - a phone call to say you have high blood sugars and need a CAT scan which alarmed me, before finding this site, to now - no ned to worry- we'll check you again in 3 months. Sorry for the pointless rant - but you do all say you don't mind!
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It sounds a very outdated attitude that there is no point in testing as there is nothing you can do when as a scientist you know you can't manage something unless you can measure it. So by testing your meals and keeping an accurate food diary with carb intake you can make adjustments to your carb intake as you will know that if your the increase from before eating to 2 hours after is more than 3mmol/l then the meal is too carb heav
 
Leadinglights said:
It sounds a very outdated attitude that there is no point in testing as there is nothing you can do when as a scientist you know you can't manage something unless you can measure it. So by testing your meals and keeping an accurate food diary with carb intake you can make adjustments to your carb intake as you will know that if your the increase from before eating to 2 hours after is more than 3mmol/l then the meal is too carb heav
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Thank you -that is good advice
 
Totally understand your frustration! Sadly your situation/experience is all too common. I guess the nurses have quite a lot of patients who don't want to engage and make lifestyle changes and manage their diabetes well and maybe that wears them down, but such a shame not to identify, support and encourage those who are keen to get to grips with it.

Testing before and 2 hours after meals is one of they key benefits of testing in allowing you to actually "see" your diabetes in numbers because yes, it can be mostly invisible with few if any symptoms and therefore very easy to ignore until it is too late and complications set in. Of course the only reason they are obliged to provide you with a test kit is in case you have a hypo, but you can put it to good use testing meals. Suggesting you contact them if you have a bad hypo is ludicrous as we all know you have to sit half an hour on the phone just to try to get an appointment!

I would not push your body to do anything too exertive just yet. If you can manage a bit of a walk each day or similar gentle exercise that would be good, but do allow your body to rest when it tells you it needs it. I can remember having really bad muscle fatigue for months after my diagnosis, to the point that I was struggling to keep my arms up to wash my hair in the shower or hold my phone to my ear for more than a minute or two. And walking up stairs was like climbing Everest!
 
rebrascora said:
Totally understand your frustration! Sadly your situation/experience is all too common. I guess the nurses have quite a lot of patients who don't want to engage and make lifestyle changes and manage their diabetes well and maybe that wears them down, but such a shame not to identify, support and encourage those who are keen to get to grips with it.

Testing before and 2 hours after meals is one of they key benefits of testing in allowing you to actually "see" your diabetes in numbers because yes, it can be mostly invisible with few if any symptoms and therefore very easy to ignore until it is too late and complications set in. Of course the only reason they are obliged to provide you with a test kit is in case you have a hypo, but you can put it to good use testing meals. Suggesting you contact them if you have a bad hypo is ludicrous as we all know you have to sit half an hour on the phone just to try to get an appointment!

I would not push your body to do anything too exertive just yet. If you can manage a bit of a walk each day or similar gentle exercise that would be good, but do allow your body to rest when it tells you it needs it. I can remember having really bad muscle fatigue for months after my diagnosis, to the point that I was struggling to keep my arms up to wash my hair in the shower or hold my phone to my ear for more than a minute or two. And walking up stairs was like climbing Everest!
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Thank you, it really is different talking to people on here who just 'know'; but your fatigue symptoms were so much worse than mine -so glad you are feeling better!! Now going to make the most of some blue skies and go for that gentle stroll. I really appreciate you all taking time out of your day to help.
 
I actually didn't feel that bad before I was diagnosed other than the thirst and weeing for England day and night and a bit zombified because I was having to get up and go to the loo and then drink water 5 or 6 times each night. The muscle fatigue came later when I had been on insulin for a few months. I am fine now and feel really confident with my diabetes management and probably fitter now than I was 10 maybe even 20years ago, partially thanks to a low carb, higher fat way of eating as that really seems to suit my body, but I do listen to my body and I will have a nap in the afternoon if I feel like I need one (doesn't happen very often but occasionally I will just need to zonk) and I get plenty of good sleep at night.

I have learned most of what I know from this forum and carefully experimenting on myself and doing lots of testing to understand how my body responds to different foods and exercise and medication. Having a scientific mind really helps with that although you have to learn that you can do identical things 2 days running and get different results, but over the longer term you learn to spot trends and it is the trends which are important rather than individual results.

Keeping a food diary along with before and 2 hours after pairs of results is really helpful.
 
Hi @Sweetmadriana, I was interested by your comment about chest infections. I had Covid about two years ago and noticed thereafter that I was getting chest infections more frequently, which while I have well controlled asthma, was a bit of concern. This was before my diabetes diagnosis. I think for me the issue was more to do with Covid which had left me a bit run down than possible undiagnosed diabetes particularly as I have not suffered with such infections in the last six months or so.
 
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