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Hello

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emab

emab

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi I’m new to the group my name is Emma and I was diagnosed with type 2 in May this year after feeling really unwell for a long time and ignoring it, my hba1c was 120 and I have not got my head around things at all, so I am open to any information / advice as I need all the help I can get,
I’m feeling uneducated and down about things at the moment and I’m fed up of feeling unwell
 
Hi Emma and welcome to the forum. You will find this site very friendly and hopefully very helpful. I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis and you have described how many of us felt when we too were diagnosed, it is a great shock but we will do our best to help you through. Those are high readings and no wonder you felt ill, you will begin to feel better once you have better control of your bg’s (blood glucose). Have you been given medication? A lot of us now have a low carb diet as it is the carbs that turn to sugar in our bodies and of course that is what we can’t cope with. You need to lower these so things like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and all sweet stuffs should only be had in small quantities and perhaps some you can cut out completely. I won’t overload you with info as I know how daunting it can all seem but others will be along with more info and feel free to ask absolutely anything you want, no matter how small you may think it is. We have all been where you are so completely understand. Good luck to you Emma. X
 
Hi sue thank you for replying I have cut out sweet stuff totally and I am on low carbs and smaller portions I’ve lost a stone so far, but just feel rubbish I’ve got really painful feet which the doctor said is nerve damage due to the diabetes this is one of the main things that is getting me down to be honest, I feel like I’m in shock and don’t really know what I’m doing, I’ve been put on metformin 1000mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening.
Should I still be feeling wiped out and have no energy? Xx
 
Hi Emma, you are finding what most of us find, that it takes time to get things turned around. Losing a stone in a month suggests you are on the right path, and the trick is to keep going. Your system is having to react to a change in how it works because of your low carb diet as well as getting used to the medication. You are on the max dose of metformin and that can take some getting used to.

Does your GP have a diabetic specialist nurse? Getting from an Hba1c of 120 back to "normal" is perfectly doable but you need regular monitoring to keep track of what is going on. It will not happen overnight. A good DN (diabetic nurse) is a real asset and as well as monitoring your blood glucose they will arrange for regular testing and if necessary changes in medication to get you sorted. They will arrange for podiatry to check out your feet and eye testing to look for other effects of running at high glucose levels and deal with them before they get to be a major issue.

Don't despair or give up. Ask questions so you get to understand your version of diabetes and your plan for managing it. You will get there and it is well worth the effort.
 
Hi thanks for the reply
Yes I have got a diabetic nurse and she has arranged for my feet to be checked and she said I definitely have neuropathic nerve damage and I’m also waiting for a app to get my eyes checked
Yes I know what you mean it is going to take time I think I just expected to feel abit better by now and I don’t really so it’s getting me down abit I am obvs doing something right to have lost a stone but I feel like I’m scared to eat carbs and can’t get past that
I think I was wanting quick result and I know that’s not going to be the case But il get there x
 
Sounds like you have got the bases covered and are beginning to develop the approach needed to get things right. Took me three months to get from a Hba1c of 88 to 52 and three further months on I still get fatigued. You have got further to go but age is on your side when compared to me.

No need to be scared of carbs, its just that eating them in quantity is a bad idea, bit like eating lots of other things in quantity. Trouble with carbs is that they are everywhere, especially in processed foodstuffs, and keeping track of carb intake can be a bit tricky. Keeping a food diary and noting down what you eat with an estimated carb count might help. I found, and I think others have as well, that once you get into a low carb routine where meals are not based around carbohydrate you won't miss them at all.

If you can treat the change as a challenge rather than a pennance then that might also help and you know you have got there when you start shouting at the TV when some chef or some advert or some pundit tells you that their carb loaded foodstuff is healthy!
 
You are so right I feel better already for talking to you, you have been a great help
Sometimes you just need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel and that your not on your own I really appreciate your help thank you
 
Well done Emma you are on the right road. It took me weeks to even accept that I had diabetes, I just thought it was all a big mistake. I had problems with my eyes which adjusted once the Metformin had started working and they returned to normal, I also used to need to sleep every afternoon which I also don’t need to do now. I was only diagnosed in Jan this year so I still ask questions and still having to change my diet accordingly as I am a fussy eater. I have however managed to get my HbA1c down from 90 to 51 and hopefully next month it will be lower than that. You will see the benefit of your efforts quite quickly which is a real encouragement and we are here to do that too so take heart x
 
Thanks so much you are all so nice on here I’m so glad I have joined 🙂
 
One other little bit of advice that you may or may not be aware of; 5 pieces of fruit a day is no longer a good idea with diabetes due to the high natural sugars. Everybody differs on which suit them best but generally bananas and tropical fruits are not great but berries such as strawberries and raspberries are lower. I test with my monitor to check which are ok with me but where some people can have a large apple or orange, others can’t go near them. Personally I only have a couple of bits a day and usually the berries but I do have them with cream as higher fats are ok in moderation. Hope this is not giving you too much info all at once!!
 
SueEK said:
One other little bit of advice that you may or may not be aware of; 5 pieces of fruit a day is no longer a good idea with diabetes due to the high natural sugars. Everybody differs on which suit them best but generally bananas and tropical fruits are not great but berries such as strawberries and raspberries are lower. I test with my monitor to check which are ok with me but where some people can have a large apple or orange, others can’t go near them. Personally I only have a couple of bits a day and usually the berries but I do have them with cream as higher fats are ok in moderation. Hope this is not giving you too much info all at once!!
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Yes I have stayed away from bananas I’m ok with raspberries strawberries and blackberries I suppose it is trial and error isn’t it
No it’s not too much info it’s great to speak to someone who has t2 and understands x
 
emab said:
Yes I have stayed away from bananas I’m ok with raspberries strawberries and blackberries I suppose it is trial and error isn’t it
No it’s not too much info it’s great to speak to someone who has t2 and understands x
Click to expand...
Certainly do, does sound like you’ve got a handle on things though, better than I had at this early stage x
 
Although your Hba1c is one of the higher ones I've seen on here, (mine was 91 at diagnosis and I got down to normal in 6 months) - eating a low carb diet should soon sort you out - with any luck. Having small amounts of berries as a dessert a couple of times a week, but no other fruits - unless you count the botanical fruits, cucumber, aubergine,courgette, sweet peppers and tomatoes for example, which are nutritionally ideal for type twos as they are low carb.
I usually avoid foods which are more than 10 percent carbs, except for small amounts of high cocoa chocolate once in a while.
 
Drummer said:
Although your Hba1c is one of the higher ones I've seen on here, (mine was 91 at diagnosis and I got down to normal in 6 months) - eating a low carb diet should soon sort you out - with any luck. Having small amounts of berries as a dessert a couple of times a week, but no other fruits - unless you count the botanical fruits, cucumber, aubergine,courgette, sweet peppers and tomatoes for example, which are nutritionally ideal for type twos as they are low carb.
I usually avoid foods which are more than 10 percent carbs, except for small amounts of high cocoa chocolate once in a while.
Click to expand...
Thank you that gives me hope x
 
Welcome to the Emab from a fellow T2.
I'd suggest self testing. That way you can see what effect your food has, along with any changes your make. Keep a food diary, along with a record of your levels. Hopefully, after a couple of weeks you'll start to see a pattern.
 
Hello Emma, welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
emab said:
Yes I have stayed away from bananas I’m ok with raspberries strawberries and blackberries I suppose it is trial and error isn’t it
No it’s not too much info it’s great to speak to someone who has t2 and understands x
Click to expand...
Hi Emma I was given a tip about frozen berries called summer fruits,most of the supermarkets have them I got more from Lidl today,I add them to my Milbona Greek natural yoghurt from Lidl they do a 1kg tub that's very cheap,the berries are quite low carb as they are not very sweet,they are handy to have and you can take the desired amount out at night ready for the morning or just take them out of the freezer in the morning and thaw them in a bowl of water for 10 mins,I then sprinkle Lidl walnuts on the top
I can relate to you with foot pain,I was told that I had peripheral neuropraphy(at least that's what the doctor thought it was) about 15 years ago,unrelated to diabetes as far as I know, it wasn't ever investigated as it was put down to my lifestyle,it nags at me sometimes so has made me depressed over the years but I've learned to live with it now and it kind of sits in the background
 
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Hi Emma and welcome from me too.

Did your Diabetic nurse give you a Blood Glucose Meter to test your own blood? With such a high HBA1c they have discretion to do so I believe. My practice nurse gave me one and I had a reading of 112 at diagnosis. If not, ask for one. She can only say no. If that happens, you can buy them quite cheaply but the test strips are the part that runs up the cost. The CodeFree Glucose Meter is the one recommended here on the forum because the test strips are the cheapest.
Well done on your weight loss so far. As others have said starchy carbs also need to be reduced as well as the sweet stuff. If you can cut right down on bread (and swap your regular loaf for a low carb option.... many people here sparingly use Bergen or there are other options.... and avoid breakfast cereal and even porridge which is usually considered healthy, you should make good progress. Breakfast porridge was the final carb meal that I cut out and only then did my BG levels start to drop below 10.... I now have a mushroom/ham/cheese/onion/aubergine/pepper mix and match omelette with a side salad or the Milbona Creamy Greek Yoghurt (lowest carb natural yoghurt I have found so far) from Lidl as @belugalad mentioned with raspberries and pumpkin seeds for breakfast and they both work well.
Eggs are usually great for diabetics and it is always a good idea to eat more oily fish. If you find eating a lot of green leafy veg hard work, a small dollop of butter or cream cheese mixed into it makes it so much more appetising and if you are eating very few carbs, you do need to get your energy from somewhere so increasing your fat intake a little should help with that.

I am so sorry to read that you are suffering neuropathy in your feet. That must be awful. I do hope that settles down a bit once you get your Blood Glucose levels lowered.

Good luck and keep us posted with your progress. We are pretty much all in the same boat here, so we know how mind blowing it is, particularly in those initial few weeks/months. Once you get your head around a completely new way of eating, it can be very enjoyable. I was a sugar and bread addict and I don't eat either now. I will confess to keeping a pack of sugar free sweets in the car (Sula Rhubarb and Custard are so nice my partner also eats them) but I don't really miss all the sweet rubbish I used to consume and I love the feeling of being more in control rather than craving sugar all the time. I also taste things so much more now that I savour my food.

We are here to offer support and tips to help you go forward with this new, healthier lifestyle.
 
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rebrascora said:
Hi Emma and welcome from me too.

Did your Diabetic nurse give you a Blood Glucose Meter to test your own blood? With such a high HBA1c they have discretion to do so I believe. My practice nurse gave me one and I had a reading of 112 at diagnosis. If not, ask for one. She can only say no. If that happens, you can buy them quite cheaply but the test strips are the part that runs up the cost. The CodeFree Glucose Meter is the one recommended here on the forum because the test strips are the cheapest.
Well done on your weight loss so far. As others have said starchy carbs also need to be reduced as well as the sweet stuff. If you can cut right down on bread (and swap your regular loaf for a low carb option.... many people here sparingly use Bergen or there are other options.... and avoid breakfast cereal and even porridge which is usually considered healthy, you should make good progress. Breakfast porridge was the final carb meal that I cut out and only then did my BG levels start to drop below 10.... I now have a mushroom/ham/cheese/onion/aubergine/pepper mix and match omelette with a side salad or the Milbona Creamy Greek Yoghurt (lowest carb natural yoghurt I have found so far) from Lidl as @belugalad mentioned with raspberries and pumpkin seeds for breakfast and they both work well.
Eggs are usually great for diabetics and it is always a good idea to eat more oily fish. If you find eating a lot of green leafy veg hard work, a small dollop of butter or cream cheese mixed into it makes it so much more appetising and if you are eating very few carbs, you do need to get your energy from somewhere so increasing your fat intake a little should help with that.

I am so sorry to read that you are suffering neuropathy in your teeth. That must be awful. I do hope that settles down a bit once you get your Blood Glucose levels lowered.

Good luck and keep us posted with your progress. We are pretty much all in the same boat here, so we know how mind blowing it is, particularly in those initial few weeks/months. Once you get your head around a completely new way of eating, it can be very enjoyable. I was a sugar and bread addict and I don't eat either now. I will confess to keeping a pack of sugar free sweets in the car (Sula Rhubarb and Custard are so nice my partner also eats them) but I don't really miss all the sweet rubbish I used to consume and I love the feeling of being more in control rather than craving sugar all the time. I also taste things so much more now that I savour my food.

We are here to offer support and tips to help you go forward with this new, healthier lifestyle.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info it is much appreciated
 
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