I am so pleased I finally plucked up the courage to join and hope to learn and understand how to live with diabetes I really don’t know where to start, I am paraplegic, I had a spinal stroke some time ago and the stroke did so much spinal damage it took a good few years to come to terms with this, then diabetes came along, and I have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis, just wondering what else is round the corner !., I am very keen to learn so any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
Hi Everyone.
- Thread starter Jixel52
- Start date
- Status
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hi and welcome.
Sounds like life has not been overly kind to you but I am pleased you have found the forum and I hope we can help you with your diabetic journey. You sound like you have a good mental attitude which must be difficult to maintain in your circumstances, but good for you in being keen to learn because knowledge is power, so the more you can educate yourself the better placed you are to push back at your diabetes and perhaps achieve remission.
I will start with a few questions if you don't mind?....
1. How long have you been diagnosed with diabetes and how did that come about? ie were you symptomatic and if so, what symptoms or was it discovered through a routine blood test?
2. Do you know the result of the HbA1c test (blood test) used to diagnose it..... 48mmols/mol or above gets you into our not so exclusive club 🙄 but levels can get into (edited to say) 3 figures (not 4 figures as originally typed in error) if things have gone significantly awry. Knowing this number is important in understanding how big the hill or mountain is that needs levelling and is the starting point for your journey, so enables you and the doctor/nurse to track your progress. Taking personal control of your diabetes is really important rather than just taking whatever tablets and/or dietary advice the doc/nurse gives you and hoping that will do the trick. We encourage people to be proactive....
3. What if any medication have you been prescribed for your diabetes and have you been supplied with a home testing kit so that you can check your levels?
Most people (even some doctors and nurses) are under the impression that Diabetes is all about sugar when in fact all carbohydrates (both sugars and starches) break down in our digestive tract into the simplest form of sugar.... Glucose.... which gets absorbed into the blood stream (Blood Glucose or BG) to provide the cells of our body with energy. As diabetics we are unable to effectively or efficiently transfer this glucose to the cells, so too much of it gets stuck in our blood stream making our blood a bit thick and syrupy. This is not good for the fine blood vessels in our body, particularly in our eyes and feet and kidneys, so we need to find ways to reduce that glucose in our blood and one of the most effective ways is to not put so much in there in the first place which means cutting down on the carbs we eat.... So.... not just the cakes and biscuits and sugary drinks and sweets but also the bread and pasta and potatoes and rice and breakfast cereals and even fruit in all it's forms ie fresh, frozen, dried and particularly juiced. Choosing lower carb fruits like berries (rasps, blackberries, blackcurrants, strawberries etc over sweeter more exotic fruits like bananas and pineapple and mangos and grapes is good practice. I am currently eating rhubarb from the garden (which is technically a vegetable anyway) stewed with a little sweetener as that is very low carb and I have it for breakfast with my creamy Greek natural yoghurt and mixed seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger.
The best way to start is to keep an honest food diary of everything you normally eat now and start to work out the amount of carbs in grams that each food or meal/drink contains and total them up for the day. Then look to see where the big guns are or the easy culls and start to reduce them or substitute with lower carb options. It all seems very complicated at first but once you get into the swing of it (and we can help you with suggestions and info), you will be amazed at how much information of the carb content of food you can store in your head.... particularly when you find good tasty low carb foods that you really enjoy.
I think most of us have spend our whole lives piling our plates up with carb rich foods to bulk our meals out so it is scary at first to think about cutting down on many of those foods and we worry that perhaps we will go hungry and lets face it, bread is a carrier for so many foods, the prospect of cutting right back on it is mind boggling.... Sandwiches are just so easy and convenient and of course all the foods we eat on toast or have breadcrumbed. The good news is that there are low carb breads now available, the difficulty is finding shops that sell them and have them in stock and the premium price of course. Personally I just cut bread out and I feel better for it, but I won't deny it was really difficult at first because I really loved bread and almost always ate wholemeal, but diabetes doesn't care too much about colour and there is very little difference in carbs between white and wholemeal. Pleased to say, I don't miss it or crave it now or anything else really and interestingly, since I cut right back on carbs I hardly ever feel hungry and I can go all day on just one or two meals. My stomach has really shrunk and I feed my body with smaller amounts of good quality low carb foods. Things like eggs and nice cheeses and nuts and olives and meat and mushrooms and salads and interesting veggies cooked in all sorts of different ways. Cutting back on those carb rich staples led me to try all sorts of new foods to replace them. Aubergines and celeriac and butternut squash regularly feature on my shopping list along with lots of other low carb veggies and I am much more inventive with herbs and spices.
I eat a lot more fat now to give me calories instead of carbs and one of my little luxuries is real double cream in my morning coffee. The good thing about fat is that it takes quite a long time to digest compared to carbs so it provides slow release energy and keeps you feeling full for longer. I also think that the increased fat and particularly cream, yoghurt and cheese has been instrumental in making my bones stronger and my joints less painful. I can now run down hills where I was hobbling at walk before I changed my diet to low carb higher fat and thought I was going to need to enquire about a knee replacement. My teeth feel stronger and my gum health has improved, so there have been lots of positives to come from my change of diet. I hope you will find the same once you get to grips with it.
Anyway, I am sure I have whittered on far too much for one post so I will say goodnight and hope to get to know you better soon.
Sounds like life has not been overly kind to you but I am pleased you have found the forum and I hope we can help you with your diabetic journey. You sound like you have a good mental attitude which must be difficult to maintain in your circumstances, but good for you in being keen to learn because knowledge is power, so the more you can educate yourself the better placed you are to push back at your diabetes and perhaps achieve remission.
I will start with a few questions if you don't mind?....
1. How long have you been diagnosed with diabetes and how did that come about? ie were you symptomatic and if so, what symptoms or was it discovered through a routine blood test?
2. Do you know the result of the HbA1c test (blood test) used to diagnose it..... 48mmols/mol or above gets you into our not so exclusive club 🙄 but levels can get into (edited to say) 3 figures (not 4 figures as originally typed in error) if things have gone significantly awry. Knowing this number is important in understanding how big the hill or mountain is that needs levelling and is the starting point for your journey, so enables you and the doctor/nurse to track your progress. Taking personal control of your diabetes is really important rather than just taking whatever tablets and/or dietary advice the doc/nurse gives you and hoping that will do the trick. We encourage people to be proactive....
3. What if any medication have you been prescribed for your diabetes and have you been supplied with a home testing kit so that you can check your levels?
Most people (even some doctors and nurses) are under the impression that Diabetes is all about sugar when in fact all carbohydrates (both sugars and starches) break down in our digestive tract into the simplest form of sugar.... Glucose.... which gets absorbed into the blood stream (Blood Glucose or BG) to provide the cells of our body with energy. As diabetics we are unable to effectively or efficiently transfer this glucose to the cells, so too much of it gets stuck in our blood stream making our blood a bit thick and syrupy. This is not good for the fine blood vessels in our body, particularly in our eyes and feet and kidneys, so we need to find ways to reduce that glucose in our blood and one of the most effective ways is to not put so much in there in the first place which means cutting down on the carbs we eat.... So.... not just the cakes and biscuits and sugary drinks and sweets but also the bread and pasta and potatoes and rice and breakfast cereals and even fruit in all it's forms ie fresh, frozen, dried and particularly juiced. Choosing lower carb fruits like berries (rasps, blackberries, blackcurrants, strawberries etc over sweeter more exotic fruits like bananas and pineapple and mangos and grapes is good practice. I am currently eating rhubarb from the garden (which is technically a vegetable anyway) stewed with a little sweetener as that is very low carb and I have it for breakfast with my creamy Greek natural yoghurt and mixed seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger.
The best way to start is to keep an honest food diary of everything you normally eat now and start to work out the amount of carbs in grams that each food or meal/drink contains and total them up for the day. Then look to see where the big guns are or the easy culls and start to reduce them or substitute with lower carb options. It all seems very complicated at first but once you get into the swing of it (and we can help you with suggestions and info), you will be amazed at how much information of the carb content of food you can store in your head.... particularly when you find good tasty low carb foods that you really enjoy.
I think most of us have spend our whole lives piling our plates up with carb rich foods to bulk our meals out so it is scary at first to think about cutting down on many of those foods and we worry that perhaps we will go hungry and lets face it, bread is a carrier for so many foods, the prospect of cutting right back on it is mind boggling.... Sandwiches are just so easy and convenient and of course all the foods we eat on toast or have breadcrumbed. The good news is that there are low carb breads now available, the difficulty is finding shops that sell them and have them in stock and the premium price of course. Personally I just cut bread out and I feel better for it, but I won't deny it was really difficult at first because I really loved bread and almost always ate wholemeal, but diabetes doesn't care too much about colour and there is very little difference in carbs between white and wholemeal. Pleased to say, I don't miss it or crave it now or anything else really and interestingly, since I cut right back on carbs I hardly ever feel hungry and I can go all day on just one or two meals. My stomach has really shrunk and I feed my body with smaller amounts of good quality low carb foods. Things like eggs and nice cheeses and nuts and olives and meat and mushrooms and salads and interesting veggies cooked in all sorts of different ways. Cutting back on those carb rich staples led me to try all sorts of new foods to replace them. Aubergines and celeriac and butternut squash regularly feature on my shopping list along with lots of other low carb veggies and I am much more inventive with herbs and spices.
I eat a lot more fat now to give me calories instead of carbs and one of my little luxuries is real double cream in my morning coffee. The good thing about fat is that it takes quite a long time to digest compared to carbs so it provides slow release energy and keeps you feeling full for longer. I also think that the increased fat and particularly cream, yoghurt and cheese has been instrumental in making my bones stronger and my joints less painful. I can now run down hills where I was hobbling at walk before I changed my diet to low carb higher fat and thought I was going to need to enquire about a knee replacement. My teeth feel stronger and my gum health has improved, so there have been lots of positives to come from my change of diet. I hope you will find the same once you get to grips with it.
Anyway, I am sure I have whittered on far too much for one post so I will say goodnight and hope to get to know you better soon.
Last edited:
IrvineHimself
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @Jixel52 and welcome to the forums.
You are in the right place, we are quite a mixed bunch with a wide variation in both background and age, along with, of course, our previous medical history. From what you say, you have obviously been through the wars. Even so, despite your previous experience, I doubt the shock and worry of this latest curve ball life has thrown you is any less than it was for me. In fact, I am surprised that you are not screaming at the injustice of it all. From your post, you seem to have a positive attitude, which is good, but remember, it can also feel good to have a little rant and get it all out there.
As far as initial advice, given your osteoporosis and previous stroke, it is very important that you are guided by your Doctor about your diet. In general cutting back drastically on the carbs, all of them (they all turn to sugar), along with any medication your Doc has prescribed is the key to getting your blood glucose [BG] under control. You need to cut back in stages, since cutting back too quickly can lead to complication. But, I cannot emphasise this enough, in your case, you have to be guided by your Doctor. Advice that is good for your typical elderly, recently retired adventurer like me, may not be the best advice for someone in your specific situation. I am sure however, that there will be people along shortly who have a similar life experience to you who can give you more tailored advice.
The best of luck and welcome to the Forums, I hope to see you around here more often
Irvine
You are in the right place, we are quite a mixed bunch with a wide variation in both background and age, along with, of course, our previous medical history. From what you say, you have obviously been through the wars. Even so, despite your previous experience, I doubt the shock and worry of this latest curve ball life has thrown you is any less than it was for me. In fact, I am surprised that you are not screaming at the injustice of it all. From your post, you seem to have a positive attitude, which is good, but remember, it can also feel good to have a little rant and get it all out there.
As far as initial advice, given your osteoporosis and previous stroke, it is very important that you are guided by your Doctor about your diet. In general cutting back drastically on the carbs, all of them (they all turn to sugar), along with any medication your Doc has prescribed is the key to getting your blood glucose [BG] under control. You need to cut back in stages, since cutting back too quickly can lead to complication. But, I cannot emphasise this enough, in your case, you have to be guided by your Doctor. Advice that is good for your typical elderly, recently retired adventurer like me, may not be the best advice for someone in your specific situation. I am sure however, that there will be people along shortly who have a similar life experience to you who can give you more tailored advice.
The best of luck and welcome to the Forums, I hope to see you around here more often
Irvine
Last edited:
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Errr - @rebrascora meant the HbA1c on diagnosis could be into 3 figures - I rather believe you'd be dead a long time before it got up to 1,000! 
rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Blooming heck! Yes 3 figures not 4. I obviously hit the wrong key and didn' spot my mistake. Will edit original post.Errr - @rebrascora meant the HbA1c on diagnosis could be into 3 figures - I rather believe you'd be dead a long time before it got up to 1,000!
Thanks Jenny
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Jixel52
Sorry to hear about the complexity of overlapping conditions and challenges you are living with
But so glad you have found the forum. It can be so helpful to have the encouragement and sounding-board of so many people‘s experiences and approaches.
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to diabetes management. It’s very much a question of finding an approach that suits you and your particular diabetes (which can be fiercely individual, not to mention downright contrary at times!).
Keep asking away with any questions as they arise. Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’.
Sorry to hear about the complexity of overlapping conditions and challenges you are living with
But so glad you have found the forum. It can be so helpful to have the encouragement and sounding-board of so many people‘s experiences and approaches.
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to diabetes management. It’s very much a question of finding an approach that suits you and your particular diabetes (which can be fiercely individual, not to mention downright contrary at times!).
Keep asking away with any questions as they arise. Nothing will be considered too obvious or ‘silly’.
MikeyBikey
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Errr - @rebrascora meant the HbA1c on diagnosis could be into 3 figures - I rather believe you'd be dead a long time before it got up to 1,000!
Think your blood would have turned to raspberry jam by then!
I was told years ago to avoid vigorous exercise if my BG was 15 or over as the risk of a clot increases.
D
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Hi Jixel52,
It's great to have you here. We hope you find the Forum super friendly and useful! 🙂
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