Hello!

[Lynn Hall]

Hi. I'm looking for mutual support and glad to be here. I have steroid induced Type 2 diabetes, but I am not on any medication because I have had adverse side effects to everything that has been prescribed. Kind of left hanging....

 

[trophywench]

OK Lynn - what's your blood glucose level day to day? What was your HbA1c when you were diagnosed, how long ago was that, which meds have they asked you to try? How often are the NHS following you up?

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @Lynn Hall and welcome to the forum.
Perhaps you already know this, but in case you don't. Reducing carbohydrates in the diet has the largest beneficial effect on Blood Glucose and Diabetes than almost any medication (with the exception of insulin). Thus even if you can't take any diabetes medication you can still make your diabetes less severe.
There are thousands of people who reversed their Type 2 diabetes just by changing what they eat - I'm one of them.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Lynn Hall, welcome to the forum.

Very tricky when you're not being given directions on how to proceed from your GP but you're in the right place as many people on the forum have experienced something similar.

Some great questions above which will help you to gauge where you are and how you're getting on along your journey. I'm not sure if you're still on medication that will impact your Diabetes but reducing carbs and sugar are often the basic steps people take to get their numbers down.

Might help to keep a food diary for a week and see what can be replaced or removed at a steady pace.

If there's anything we can help with, do let us know.

 

[Lynn Hall]

OK Lynn - what's your blood glucose level day to day? What was your HbA1c when you were diagnosed, how long ago was that, which meds have they asked you to try? How often are the NHS following you up?

OMG! When I read your reply, I wondered what language this was! I don't know the answers to any of these questions. I'm not being monitored. I speak to a doctor at the hospital every few months via phone. I was prescribed three different medications, including Metformin and each ones caused adverse side effects.

 

[Lynn Hall]

Hi @Lynn Hall and welcome to the forum.
Perhaps you already know this, but in case you don't. Reducing carbohydrates in the diet has the largest beneficial effect on Blood Glucose and Diabetes than almost any medication (with the exception of insulin). Thus even if you can't take any diabetes medication you can still make your diabetes less severe.
There are thousands of people who reversed their Type 2 diabetes just by changing what they eat - I'm one of them.

thanks for this. I have reduced carbs, since last summer, but the doctors have kind of given up on me because of the adverse reactions I've had to the prescribed meds. I can't measure my blood sugar levels due to my needle phobia.

 

[ianf0ster]

thanks for this. I have reduced carbs, since last summer, but the doctors have kind of given up on me because of the adverse reactions I've had to the prescribed meds. I can't measure my blood sugar levels due to my needle phobia.

OK, so how much have you reduced the carbs by?
A Low Carb way of eating is said to start at about 130gms of carbs per day , which may not seem much but most doing Low Carb are under 100gms per day and I personally eat less than 40gns of carbs per day (some days as little as 20gms).

Tell us which medications you are on (in case some of them require eating carbs) and what food you typically eat in a day. Then we may be able to suggest some food swaps.

 

[Lynn Hall]

OK, so how much have you reduced the carbs by?
A Low Carb way of eating is said to start at about 130gms of carbs per day , which may not seem much but most doing Low Carb are under 100gms per day and I personally eat less than 40gns of carbs per day (some days as little as 20gms).

Tell us which medications you are on (in case some of them require eating carbs) and what food you typically eat in a day. Then we may be able to suggest some food swaps.

I'm not on any medication because I have had adverse reactions to everything. The doctors don't know what to do with me. I speak with an endocrinologist every few months, but there seems to be no point in that. As for the carb situation, I only eat potatoes, pasta or rice about three times a week and very small servings. I've been following a low carb diet according to a book I have.

 

[Leadinglights]

To describe the blood sampling lancets used for taking the sample for a home blood glucose monitor as a needle is a gross overestimate of the size of it and in some devices that are used you don't even see the 1mm long end the thickness of a toothbrush bristle. The drop of blood needed is the size of a pin head.
Really to get any understanding of how to manage you condition you need to know where you are at with your blood glucose level so you know if the carbs you are having can be tolerated.

 

[ianf0ster]

I'm not on any medication because I have had adverse reactions to everything. The doctors don't know what to do with me. I speak with an endocrinologist every few months, but there seems to be no point in that. As for the carb situation, I only eat potatoes, pasta or rice about three times a week and very small servings. I've been following a low carb diet according to a book I have.

You are taking no medications so you could go very Low Carb or even Keto in theory.
I doubt many in here would call having potatoes , pasta or rice about 3 times per week as Low Carb!
You can replace potatoes with the following : Mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato. celeriac instead of boiled potato, haloumi fries instead of chips.
You can replace normal pasta with either bean pasta (available from most supermarkets - we get ours from Aldi or Sainsburys) or you can replace it with spirilised courgettes (either do it yourself with a spiriliser tool or buy it ready made at a supermarket), Replace rice with 'cauliflower rice' or 'green rice' (again do it grind the cauliflower or broccoli yourself or buy ready made at a supermarket).

 

[Lynn Hall]

You are taking no medications so you could go very Low Carb or even Keto in theory.
I doubt many in here would call having potatoes , pasta or rice about 3 times per week as Low Carb!
You can replace potatoes with the following : Mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato. celeriac instead of boiled potato, haloumi fries instead of chips.
You can replace normal pasta with either bean pasta (available from most supermarkets - we get ours from Aldi or Sainsburys) or you can replace it with spirilised courgettes (either do it yourself with a spiriliser tool or buy it ready made at a supermarket), Replace rice with 'cauliflower rice' or 'green rice' (again do it grind the cauliflower or broccoli yourself or buy ready made at a supermarket).

thanks for the dietary advice. When I said above "3x a week", I didn't mean that I eat those three times a week, I meant at the maximum. Like two tiny new baby potatoes or a dessert spoonful of rice or pasta; the bare minimum. It's mostly water based veg that I eat and salads with spinach or grated courgettes and carrots.

Even what you describe as a tiny lancet is enough to trigger my phobia.