Diabetes after pancreatitis

[eggyg]

Hi again @Margaret Wilson. I have had a meter since my diagnosis and have no trouble at all getting as many strips as I need. I try to follow a low carb, high protein diet, no sweets, cakes, biscuits, well on occasion and that's fine. I eat Burgen soya and linseed bread, it is lower in carbs than most other bread and very tasty. I try and limit my pasta, rice and potatoes, mashed potatoes send my BGs sky high but new potatoes in their skins are fine. Sweet potatoes are fine as well as they are a slow release carb. Have a look on the food section of the forum. Also be wary of fruit as it's high in sugar, especially grapes. Soft fruits are ok in moderation, strawberries, raspberries etc. Also I don't tolerate cereal very well, I eat lots of eggs! Very versatile. As @mikeyB says we really don't know how much damage has been caused. I also suffered from pseudo cysts after my acute pancreatitis and had to have them drained, I lost 3 stones in 6 weeks and was in hospital for a month. I can truly say it was the worst time in my life, I was only 41 and had a young family, my husband thought he was going to lose me. But here I am 16 years later, fairly healthy and living each day. I don't class myself as ill or disabled, I just get on with it. I embrace my scars and still wear a bikini on the (foreign) beach, what will be will be. Please don't resist going on insulin, they will definitely give you a meter then! Our type isn't common, I like to think we are special, or as we call our selves on here, weird! And it definitely is misunderstood. Please carry on rambling! Elaine. 😉

 

[mikeyB]

Hi Margaret

I'm sure would benefit from logging on to the pancreatitis forum where there are plenty of friendly folk who have trod the same pathway, so your more complex questions about the condition will get loads of answers. As I said, it's quite a rare condition. Everyone there got there in different ways, but the basic problems are the same for everyone.

https://www.pancreatitis-forum.org.uk/

I look forward to seeing you there. There are folk on this forum who do both, (including me, of course) but don't be a stranger here. 🙂

 

[Margaret Wilson]

Still not comfortable getting round this technology BT trying mybest (will master it dome day) thank u Elaine and mikeyb and others who have helped. To keep up to date I have now been given a meter from doc. Last chance at trying to get bgs down!!!!! I did find the pancreatic forum helpful. I do feel have been floundering with this for s while with no help but feel I am now getting help. Elaine or anyone this might just be common sense but if u eat a meal and bgs go high is it a matter of leaving out each item to find out what is causing the highs. Thanks everyone again (getting myself mentally ready to go on insulin) . I must say I find it very difficult!!!!

 

[Margaret Wilson]

Rambling again how do you manage with meter, I go out quite a lot. Do u take meter out with u!!!! I hope this does not sound too stupid!!!!

 

[Ljc]

Hi Margaret . No question is stupid !!!

Rambling again how do you manage with meter, I go out quite a lot. Do u take meter out with u!!!! I hope this does not sound too stupid!!!!

When I had a meter (I use a different system now) I took it with me and tested whenever I need to, I didn't go into loos to test.

 

[trophywench]

Re seeing which foods to reduce the amount of, or stop having - it's only whatever has carbohydrate in it which will be the possible culprits and of course to identify them you need to know what foods are fats, what ones are proteins and which ARE the actual culprits.

Eg Roast lamb, roast and mashed spuds, cabbage, carrots and gravy.

So the spuds are the obvious thing with the most carb then root veg have it - but carrots aren't that bad though they have some (but parsnips would be bad!) and then if it's thickened gravy whatever it's thickened with (usually flour or cornflour in some form, or Bisto) all of which have carbs but not normally shedloads. So first try cutting down on the obvious - the spud content. Have another veg instead - like peas or runner beans or something else. There's no carb at all in unprocessed meat and you'd have to literally eat a mountain of cabbage before you found enough carb to count - after all yes there is even carb in lettuce and cucumber but there's so much water and cellulose in them that nobody could ever possibly eat enough of it to matter in the slightest!

Although Yorkshire puds are made of flour (and eggs and milk) - there isn't a HUGE amount of carbs in one small one cos if they're made properly they should be mainly air! However if you eat 2 or 3 or more in one go then of course it starts to mount up.