Hi

[Mav45]

Hi
I have type 2. But I am struggling to control it and it's getting me down I feel stressed all the time and I am having bad mood swing and I was wondering if anyone else is having the same problems

 

[Martin Canty]

Hi Mav, welcome to the group.... Sorry to hear you are struggling, but this group is great for advice,& support.

Mood swings can be part of wildly fluctuating Blood Glucose levels, I certainly suffered before diagnosis & as I brought my BG under control they lessened to the point of serenity....

 

[Bubbsie]

Hi
I have type 2. But I am struggling to control it and it's getting me down I feel stressed all the time and I am having bad mood swing and I was wondering if anyone else is having the same problems

I think many of us here have felt like that at some point or another Mav... are you able to tell us a little more about yourself such as when you were diagnosed...are you.on medication... if you can give a little more information that would help members here offer the right support or advice...is there any part you are finding particularly difficult or is it your diabetes as a whole...if you could update us a little more that would help us to help you.

 

[Mav45]

Yes I was diagnosed in Dec 2016 I am on metformin 500mg 2 twice a day and gliacizde 2 a day. I am in need of a operation but my hba1c level is 88 and i cant have it till it reaches 69 and trying to eat healthy is nearly impossible. As I am on benefits

 

[Martin Canty]

I find that a relatively cheap way to eat healthy is to cut all major carb sources such as Bread, Rice, Pasta, Cereals & starchy vegetables such as potatoes, replacing them with green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach & the like

 

[Mav45]

I went to desmonds and i was told to eat pasta rice and potatoes along with veg has these was slow releasing carbs

 

[Mark T]

Cooled new potatoes and chips are slowish, most other forms of potato are pretty fast. Although you have to watch portion size of any of them.

 

[Martin Canty]

pasta rice and potatoes

Unfortunately the medical community don't really get the effect that these foods have on our BG levels, I too was told "wholemeal this, wholemeal that is OK".... I didn't achieve good control until I cut them from my diet (not to say that the occasional slice of bread or potato ends up in my tummy).

Another think is that Low Fat foods tend to be full of carbs, the advice to eat low fat foods (or at least foods that are not naturally low fat) is flawed for T2's (besides, I think that they may be more expensive or certainly "Diet" products tend to be). I make most of my food from scratch so an average meal is pennies rather than pounds, the most expensive part of the meal being the protein but these days I find that one chicken thigh is usually plenty.

There is a saying (in the community) that goes "Carbs crave Carbs", the more carbs you eat, the more you want them, leading to larger portion sizes than we really need, comparing my meals 3 years ago to today I certainly eat a lot less, have a more active life & am more healthy than I was before diagnosis ( do yoga 4-5 times a week & am trying to run at least once a week)

 

[Drummer]

I went to desmonds and i was told to eat pasta rice and potatoes along with veg has these was slow releasing carbs

Unfortunately that is total nonsense for someone unable to cope with carbohydrates in their diet.
You can eat any meat, fish or shellfish, eggs, cheese, and low carb salad and veges, also berries, other than blueberries.
I buy quite a lot of the marked down or misshapen items at the supermarkets as I am an oap - or I was - I feel so much better that I have gone back to work.

 

[Martin9]

Unfortunately that is total nonsense for someone unable to cope with carbohydrates in their diet.
You can eat any meat, fish or shellfish, eggs, cheese, and low carb salad and veges, also berries, other than blueberries.
I buy quite a lot of the marked down or misshapen items at the supermarkets as I am an oap - or I was - I feel so much better that I have gone back to work.

What's wrong with blueberries I eat them all the time, are they bad..?

 

[Bubbsie]

I went to desmonds and i was told to eat pasta rice and potatoes along with veg has these was slow releasing carbs

I attended a DESMOND course Mav...the dietary advice was archaic & way behind the times...for me pasta...potatoes and serious carbs are completely off the menu...as @Martin Canty says replacing them with vegetables...leafy green ones would be preferable...why not have a look at the 'What did you eat yesterday' thread that will give you a good indication of how members manage their diabetes.

 

[Bubbsie]

What's wrong with blueberries I eat them all the time, are they bad..?

Nothing wrong with blueberries...I love strawberries & blueberries Martin...unfortunately more than 5/6 give me a huge spike in my BGs...disappointing as it is I'm giving them up...or just limiting myself & exerting more self control when I next encounter them...you may well tolerate them better than I do...always thought I'd be fine with them...but not so for me

 

[Martin9]

Nothing wrong with blueberries...I love strawberries & blueberries Martin...unfortunately more than 5/6 give me a huge spike in my BGs...disappointing as it is I'm giving them up...or just limiting myself & exerting more self control when I next encounter them...you may well tolerate them better than I do...always thought I'd be fine with them...but not so for me

I've actually never checked bloods after eating blueberries usually have about 10 at a time, might need to check after this advice tho'

 

[Bubbsie]

I've actually never checked bloods after eating blueberries usually have about 10 at a time, might need to check after this advice tho'

Well don't be too dogmatic about the blueberries Martin...we can handle the occasional spike...I have to say I was surprised & disappointed about the strawberries more than anything...I don't like much fruit & veg...those were one of the few I ate regularly.

 

[Maz2]

I went to desmonds and i was told to eat pasta rice and potatoes along with veg has these was slow releasing carbs

Welcome to the Forum Mav. The general opinion on here is that this is incorrect advice as these are the foods that push up blood sugars. It may be an idea to get a machine to test yourself and see how you react. You would need to take a reading before the meal and then take another 2 hours later. If the blood sugar reading is more than 2-3 mmols higher than when you started you are not reacting well to the food.

I note you are on benefits so self-testing may be a bit expensive. I understand the cheapest meter is the SD Codefree which you can buy on line from Amazon and the strips are much cheaper. I have one and also an AccuChek but use the Codefree in preference now as the Accu strips are expensive. I don't know if your GP would fund it in the circs, I know they don't generally but may be worth asking in your situation. I can't have one as I am pre-diabetic, got out of it, in it again so I would not stand a chance of having it funded.

 

[CathyB]

Welcome Mav, as the others have said, low carb will get low bg results. Like you I was given the DESMOND advice but chose to follow what I learned from here, I am now rocking a steady 5.5, I have recently bumped into 2 others who were on the same DESMOND course as me and took the nutritionist advice, one is now on insulin and the other is still fighting double figures...! I get the cost issue, it takes a while to work it all out, if you shop at the market it’s usually cheaper than supermarkets, or ALDI are very reasonable and have regular offers on meat and veg.

 

[Brando77]

I've actually never checked bloods after eating blueberries usually have about 10 at a time, might need to check after this advice tho'

And me

 

[Drummer]

What's wrong with blueberries I eat them all the time, are they bad..?

Blueberries are about twice as carby as any of the other fruits called berries, so far better to avoid them.