Help needed

[Tommysgirl]

Hi I was diagnosed type 2 diabetes last May, and I definitely struggle mentally at having to give up everything I like and I at the moment being furloughed and at home at lot its more difficult than normal, this week I have been having the most awful tummy aches and trouble with other things as well but I also have ibs so not sure if pain is ibs related or diabetes related or neither? Tia

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Tommysgirl and welcome

Are you on any medication for your diabetes and if so, what. Also what was your most recent HbA1c and when?

You mention that you are having difficulty with your diet.... I think most of us are at the moment due to being at home more and stressed, but making the right choices is important.
What sort of things would you normally have for breakfast, lunch and dinner and what sort of snacks and drinks.....
If we know what you are eating now (please be honest so we understand what might be going on) we will have a better idea of the appropriate advice to give you.... which might be to dial 111 or just suggestions as to alternative foods which you might still enjoy but would be less damaging to your health.
Do you have a Blood Glucose meter or have access to one, perhaps from a relative if you don't have one yourself?
Being able to read your own Blood Glucose levels can be a very useful tool in managing your diabetes and many Type 2 diabetics here on the forum self fund. They are relatively inexpensive to buy @ approx. £15 but the on going purchase of consumables like test strips is where the cost tots up and for that reason we recommend the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 which have the cheapest test strips at just £8 for a pot of 50. Being able to see what the food you eat does to your BG helps you to tailor your diet to your own body's response and as diabetics we are all very different. It also helps in situations like this when you feel unwell. It is possible that your BG has gone dangerously high, particularly if you have been comfort eating, and if your were able to test yourself we could give you more definitive advice.

Can you be more specific about your symptoms. Don't worry about offending us, but it may help to figure out what is going on. For instance.... are you suffering from constant weeing and thirst or is it perhaps uncontrollable diarrhoea and or wind. Do you feel very weary and lethargic and fall asleep after meals. Have you lost any weight recently which happened easier than you expected? Do you need to lose weight and if so how much and has it increased recently?

Sorry for all the questions but if you feel really unwell then it is probably best to contact 111 and seek medical help and in the meantime do not eat or drink anything which contains carbohydrates, so that is both sugars including natural sugars in fruit and fruit juice and milk, but also starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereals, cakes and biscuits. Best to drink plain water to help flush your system.

 

[Tommysgirl]

Hi

No worries to the amount of questions, right I've always had a sweet tooth and I like a drink! My husband is a postman and with him being at work and then I was diagnosed I started just drinking on the nights my husband does (2 nights) sat night and whatever night when he had the next day off. A few years ago he had a cycling accident and damaged most of his arm but because of that he now has trouble with his back! He had started going to the gym and swimming and that really helped but with lock down he had to stop it shocked his back and he had 2 weeks off and then a week off on holiday so I was drinking a lot more. Used to drink cider but the last time I was very sick and then felt ill the second time so now only drinking light beers, dry wine or gin and low cal tonic. My husband went back to work this week so I drank Monday night and then it'll be tonight. I've also been nicking the odd sugary treat which I know I shouldn't but just needed it and also this week been eating more fruit always eat veg maybe too much pasta and potatoes and weetabix and shredded wheat and always have a glass of water on the go. I am on metformin but my blood sugars aren't settling down and should be seeing a specialist but again with lock down not heard from them, they are talking of maybe having Insulin instead in which case I could then get a bs monitor. All this week I have had really bad tummy pains, and have been badly Constipated, felt really down about it today as it had been all week but then had an awful bout of diarrhoea and feel so much better but now my hands and arms are really shaky??

 

[Drummer]

Do you have a glucose meter, and do you use it?
I suspect that with all that you are doing to yourself it might be rather a shock to see how high your numbers go.
Starches from grains and potatoes and fructose from almost all fruits have always sent my numbers high - I eat very very little of them, concentrating on low carb foods, eating salads, stir fries or roas veges and having protein and fat as my main foods.
Whilst you eat high carb foods your numbers will never settle down - they can only go up under the deluge of glucose coming in. Drinking alcohol means that your liver processes that first, leaving your blood glucose high. Using insulin is not really going to help if you are already making more than enough, which is the case for many type twos, when the problem is more carbs than can be coped with.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear you are feeling poorly, and having a tough time @Tommysgirl

Diabetes can be tricky to manage, especially where you have other health conditions to factor into the mix.

Alcohol and diabetes have a difficult relationship too. And while occasional drinks are probably going to be OK, there can be significant problems when those drinks are more often and greater in number. As we are all being told, unfortunately there is no ‘safe’ lower limit to drinking, and if you choose to drink (as I do), then the fewer drinks and smaller quantities the better.

It seems like you already know there are some obvious things like cakes, biscuits, sweets and sugary drinks that you should be cutting right back on, but you might also be surprised at how much *all* carbohydrate affects your BG levels, including rice, pasta, bread, pastry, grains, cereals and many fruits. The really tricky thing is that blood glucose responses to food are highly individual, and it can be impossible to say which types and amounts of carbohydrate will ‘spike’ your BG without checking for yourself.

The best way to find out is to get hold of a BG meter, and take a reading immediately before and 2 hrs after eating to see how much your BG has risen. Then using these ‘meal rises’ to identify any carbs or meals that seem to be spiking your BG, and experimenting with reducing amounts and swapping types of carbs in your meals (sometimes just having things at a different time of day makes a difference). It’s a practical and personalised way to gradually tweak and change your menu to find one that suits your tastebuds, your metabolism and your BG levels 🙂

If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.

One of the most affordable meters members here have found is from SD, and has been recently updated to the SD Gluco Navii which has test strips at around £8 for 50

Without knowing your BG levels, it’s very difficult to know of any of the uncomfortable symptoms you are experiencing might be related to your diabetes, or something else entirely.

 

[Sally W]

Sorry to hear you’re struggling. I’m also eating more & some things that are not the best as time at home can lead to boredom & food is more accessible.

Testing & moderation of alcohol, treats is helpful but there are positives of this situation.
Are you able to get out & walk at all? One positive of losing my job is the hours daily walk I do up a hill. It’s really reduced my numbers.

Also time at home does give time to practice recipes if you like cooking? Psychologically, I’ve never done well with being told what I can’t do so changing it into what I can certainly helps me. I don’t remove anything from my diet completely apart from fruit juice & sugary drinks. What I do do is cook Mediterranean style alternatives that feel similar. Michael Mosley Fast 800 recipes are brilliant. Chicken Tikka Masala, stuffed mushrooms, lasagne with aubergine sheets, coffee & walnut cake all feature but I do think there needs a little discipline with some things. I made a rule of no alcohol during the week and just a glass of wine or G&T at the weekend took a while but now it’s my normal. I occasionally allow myself to go off limits with fish & chips from takeaway or pasta when eating out but my blood sugars are well controlled. Also you do need to have a mindset of occasional rather than a come off the diet so I might as well just carry on. Some people can’t do that have to be strict.

Good luck & if you fancy any recipes I’ve plenty so do ask & keep testing
.