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Tony Walker

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone.

I am here to find a better pathway to coping with the BIG 'D'.
I have been type 2 for about 10 yrs now and i thought i was doing ok, But i have realised i have had my head buried in the sand so to speak. I have been taking insulin since 2010 and thought i was be an easy fix :(. I just haven't got to getting proper control. basically i am still treating life as if i haven't got this aweful condition, and it's biting me back hard. i just had my Hba1c results today and they are 86 or in old money 10. my weight has ballooned over 21 stone/130kgs and to top it off my driving licence isn't being renewed by the DVLA till my medical records show i'm fit to drive. ps i was working as a driver, so now looking for work. :(.

sorry to sound negative. I am actually a really positive person, But the big 'd' has me on the ropes.
 
Hi Tony and welcome 🙂

Sorry to hear you've been having such a hard time. It can be really hard to keep motivated. Do you have a glucose meter and a prescribed supply of testing strips? Perhaps you could make a fresh start by doing a few days of testing to see what your BG levels are like when you wake up (before breakfast), mid-morning, before lunch, mid-afternoon, before tea, and at bedtime. If you also keep a food diary, this will help give you a picture of where you might need to make changes to your insulin doses and/or to the types of foods you are eating.

Don't be afraid to go back to your doctor or diabetes nurse and ask for help. If you take in your test results and food diary they should be able to provide some support. And there are lots of knowledgeable folks on the weight loss section of the forum if you need advice on this. Chin up! 🙂
 
Hello Tony, welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place for help, advice, and a good natter!

What type of insulin are you on? Do you take anything else? There are people with all possible combinations of treatment on the forum, so ask any questions you like.

Do you carb count? What sort of foods do you eat, and what do you avoid?

Join us in the weight loss forum for help with that side of things. Losing weight really can help with D - I'm living proof of that!
 
testing

thanks for the replies Redkite and LeeLee. yes i do have a blood glucose meter and a prescribed supply of test strips. i have been asked by my diabetes nurse to test just before i eat breaky, dinner and tea. I have been really hit and miss in the past with testing. sometimes going months without testing. i am currently on novomix 30 flexpen insulin. 120 units in the morning and 150 units at night But as i have found out today i should be taking my insulin 5 minutes before i eat. Not as i have been, anywhere upto 3 hours after. I also take metformin modified release i should take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening but i forget to take the ones in the morning 9 times outa 10. I have tried to keep a food diary but i forget to fill it in at mealtimes and end up forgeting stuff iv'e had. I do eat a reasonably balanced diet and avoid obvious stuff like fried food and high sugar stuff like fizzy drinks and sweets. but i think i am genuinely addicted to crisps (4 packs daily) and diet coke ( 2 Litres daily). your advice about joining the weight loss forum is where i'm heading now
many thanks Tony
 
Welcome and Good Luck! It sounds as if you know what you need to do, but 'doing it' is tedious, requires motivation and support -don't be scared to post 'little' successes on here (even if it's what you have for breakfast tomorrow, or getting through your first day without liquid sugar) - it's the small steps, the things you can acheive in a small space of time, that make up the massive journey to conquering the Big D and it's good to celebrate them - inspire others in the process.
 
small success's

Thanks Lizzzie,

You do have a good point there to celebrate small success's. One small thing for me is since 2 weeks ago i have had to walk loads more than i would normally do.(awaiting driving licence renewal from dvla).
 
Hi Tony,

As you'll see from my minimal posts, I am a recent newcomer.

But fear not, in the very short time I have been accessing this forum, the support, suggestions and recommendations have been absolutely invaluable ! I've been Type 2 for just over 2 years and have found my way here, after getting minimal support / advice and differing information, from nurse / doctors.

Getting input from people who deal with this on a day to day basis has been an absolute god send and I already feel so much more positive about my own situation.

So welcome and I hope joining this forum proves to be as positive an experience for you as it has been for me and, I'm sure, many other newbies !

Try and stay positive....and ask, ask, ask ! The members are very generous with their time and can really help / provide support at dark times...

HelenHanfe
 
It's quicker to get where you need to go if you have a bike. I have always cycled, even when my BMI was 53 😱 but it's even easier/faster these days. Makes commuting quite relaxing (3? miles each way).
 
Hi Tony

All diabetes has a 'treatment triad' - Diet, exercise and medication, in that order.

The main problem in the food section is - carbohydrates. That's anything with flour in it including bread, cakes, pastry and pasta, anything with starch in it - eg rice and spuds, some root veg eg parsnips and quite a number of fruits - bananas are really high in carbs, followed by grapes, oranges, cherries, plums/peaches, pears and even the humble apple.

And the worst time to eat carbs is usually breakfast time because if you have insulin resistance (and I'd guess you do on those doses though they aren't that unusual for T2s they are probably getting on for 10x the daily amount of insulin a non-diabetic uses) then it will usually be at it's worst, first thing of a morning.

Base your brekkies on protein - do you remember the really old egg advert - 'Go to work on an egg' ? They weren't joking. Protein will actually last you far longer (ie keep you feeling full for longer) than any amount of cereal, which will send your BG into the stratosphere and a little while later, bring it down to earth at a rate of knots at which point you go, I'm hungry, best have a snack ...... and just do the same again. Repeated at lunchtime and dinner time.

Which does you NBG - as you have discovered.

So please - stop it!

The only way to find out exactly what foods you can personally tolerate and keep your BG within bounds, can only be determined by your meter, so you need to test both before eating and after to see what the increase is. eg you are 13.0 before you eat and 15.0 after. This means that what you ate is pretty much OK - so now you have to find out why your BG was 13 before the meal and tackle that! If you work through from day to day test, test, testing, a pattern will emerge which will tell you what you should do.

Have a read of 'Test, review, Adjust' - part of Alan Shanley's blog, here

http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.co.uk/#uds-search-results

It's very good advice.
 
good advice

Thanks Helenhanfe, Trophywench. it looks like i have eventually found the support and advice i really need. your advice about not eating a carb based breakfast is a really good one for me as i always wake up with a higher BG level than when i go to bed.
 
dawn syndrome

Thanks Trophywench, this article on dawn syndrome seems to hit the nail on the head for me. i think that i will try some of the ideas in the article about limiting the effect. i especially like the idea of a lump of cheese before bedtime, even if it doesn't work i might has some awesome dreams:D
 
Hee Hee!

Doc How's your diabetes been Mr Bloggs?

Mr B Well it's fine apart from the fire breathing Zombies doc ......
 
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