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Hi Everyone

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J

Jules W

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago. I started my diabetes journey full of determination and in the first months I lost 5 stone. I’m still losing weight but more slowly now. I’ve lost over 6.5 stone now in total. I test my blood glucose myself and to start with it was regularly 4.something before eating. Now, two years later it’s more like 5.something before eating. I know I’ve slipped in what I’m eating; in the two years since I was first diagnosed my mum and dad both died. In addition I had an accident which resulted in me being in a wheelchair now. I’ve joined this group to get help with recovering my mojo and to get back on track. Help!
 
Welcome to the forum Jules from a fellow T2.
5 isn't really bad. And it allows a bit of room for it to drop without you going hypo. Do you know the sort of figures you're getting after eating.
Sorry to hear about your parents and the accident. 5s are pretty good considering.
 
Hi Jules and welcome.
Wow! You have done amazingly well to lose so much weight and to continue to do so despite such sad and stressful events is a testament to your self control and will power.
Firstly I would say that readings of 5 are still great and within the normal range, so don't be concerned about those. Your accident is most likely the cause for that slight increase from 4s to 5s since your mobility has been affected by the accident rather than a progression of your diabetes which sounds like it has been put into remission with those readings. I would be very happy if I could get consistent 6s or even 7s let alone 5s.
Do you take any medication to help control it or is it purely through diet?
I hope my positive comments don't discourage you from improving your diet but I am pretty sure others here will agree with me that those numbers are good and likely to make most of us jealous. The only thing I would suggest is perhaps to test again 2 hours after a meal and see what your readings are as that will give you an idea of which foods are having the most impact on your levels and therefore guide you on what to cut back on for maximum impact.
 
Hi Ralph-YK!

Thanks for your welcome. As I say, I have let things slip including regular testing. The last time I tested (a few months ago) it was between 7.2 and 8.7 (90 minutes post meal) so not too bad but not as good as before.

So is 5.5 the same as 55% then?
 
Hi Barbara!

Thanks for your welcome. I have to say that losing a lot of the weight was not due to self-control but more misery! However it’s kind of you to say so.

I posted my results 90 mins after meals above in my reply to Ralph-YK:
“As I say, I have let things slip including regular testing. The last time I tested (a few months ago) it was between 7.2 and 8.7 (90 minutes post meal) so not too bad but not as good as before.”
 
oops! I forgot to say that I take Metformin 500mg once per day. This is what I was put on when first diagnosed.
 
Sorry that your weight loss was more due to stress and grief than will power but it also shows that there can be a silver lining to even the saddest events much as we would rather they hadn't happened.
I am curious to know what your HbA1c was at original diagnosis?.... don't feel you have to share that info if you are not comfortable doing so though.
How do you find the Metformin? Does it upset your stomach at all?
It seems a bit pointless to comment on readings that were taken a few months ago so I would encourage you to start testing again and see where you are at. Having current numbers should help to encourage you to make improvements so that you have a means of recognising and measuring success.
Which BG meter do you have and do you get test strips on prescription? If not then it might be wise to buy a new meter that takes the cheapest strips available (the SD Codefree or the Spirit Health TEE2 meters, which are inexpensive to buy @approx.£15) if you don't already have one of those. Their strips cost just £8 for a pot of 50 as oppose to £15-£25 for some other brands.
 
You might also find it useful to give us an idea of your average daily menu... ie the sort of thing you have for breakfast lunch and tea, so that we might suggest simple substitutes for the higher carb components of the meals..... for instance many of us swap cauliflower for potatoes or rice as it can be cooked and mashed with a nice dollop of cream cheese and a spoon of mustard and eaten with bangers and other veg or used to top a cottage pie or fish pie. Or grated/finely chopped raw and substituted for rice or couscous in a recipe. And it tastes really good. Celeriac can be used in the same way.
 
Jules W said:
Hi Ralph-YK!

Thanks for your welcome. As I say, I have let things slip including regular testing. The last time I tested (a few months ago) it was between 7.2 and 8.7 (90 minutes post meal) so not too bad but not as good as before.

So is 5.5 the same as 55% then?
Click to expand...
I've replied on your other post - 5.5 HbA1c is equivalent to 37%. It is different to a finger prick 5.5, although I don't know the technicalities. It's well inside the normal range and I have to wonder why you have been kept on Metformin, particularly after such a massive weight loss. My HbA1c was 48% (6.5) in November, but I was getting finger pricks between 7 - 11 before and after eating. Why don't you ask your DSN for a telephone appointment to explain the measures and your results more clearly, and if you are now in remission ask about the Metformin medication?
 
Thanks for your reply Barbara. I think the answer to your question about why it hasn’t been changed is that my surgery don’t seem very good on long-term condition support sadly.
I can’t remember what my first HbA1c was but pre-diagnosis my blood sugar in a random fasting test was 14.1. Enough said....
I was low-carbing at the beginning but as I don’t eat meat or fish or eggs or a lot of types of vegetables I was pretty much starving! I’m now trying to watch what I eat but I do have quite a lot of carbs now.
For breakfast I eat two small slices of wholemeal seeded bread, toasted and tea.
For lunch I eat two small sticks of cheddar on four wholemeal seeded crackers, a bag of lentil crisps and a small nectarine. And a latte from one of these clever home coffee machines.
For dinner I eat a few things for example last night I had cauliflower cheese and a fish cake both ready meals from M&S, followed by a very small piece of apple crumble (also M&S) and single cream. Then another latte or tea.
I try not to snack between meals but if I feel the need I’ll eat some mixed nuts. Or have another coffee.
I know it’s not a good diet but it’s one I can eat.
 
Hi Felinia!

Thanks for your suggestion. I will ring her on Monday, although she hasn’t been awfully helpful so far.

I don’t know my cholesterol results or even if they test for them. And I’ve never been given any goals.
 
You are doing really well if you are eating all those foods - I'd be seeing far higher numbers on that diet. It just goes to show how different we all are.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. 🙂
 
Jules W said:
Hi everyone

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago. I started my diabetes journey full of determination and in the first months I lost 5 stone. I’m still losing weight but more slowly now. I’ve lost over 6.5 stone now in total. I test my blood glucose myself and to start with it was regularly 4.something before eating. Now, two years later it’s more like 5.something before eating. I know I’ve slipped in what I’m eating; in the two years since I was first diagnosed my mum and dad both died. In addition I had an accident which resulted in me being in a wheelchair now. I’ve joined this group to get help with recovering my mojo and to get back on track. Help!
Click to expand...

Good to hear of your story so far. So sorry to hear about the death of your parents, must have been a very difficult time.

Well done on your weight loss, and on your determination to get your ‘mojo’ back. There are a few new members who are wanting to do just the same in 2020, so you are in good company 🙂
 
I have a friend in the same boat Jules - freely admits she did nothing but comfort eat following her husband's sudden and tragic death - throw in what sound to everyone as medical negligence - and I don't blame her for that whatsoever. It would have been mega hard NOT to have! - so I do have great sympathy.

You both know you are each the author of your own misfortunes (diabetically speaking) and thus know that you each need to remedy this.

Good luck to you - and keep us posted and we'll carry on encouraging you!
 
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