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Hi first time on here

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Philrocks2020

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Thought i would sign up and share some experience and also see if what i sometimes feel somebody else does?
 
Welcome @Philrocks2020 🙂

What do you feel sometimes? I’m sure you’re not alone. Diabetes can bring a whole mix of feelings. Are you on any meds? How are things going?
 
Well thanks for asking, the thing that gets me is the morning blues, I know everyone is a bit like that at the moment but this has been going on some time. I don't know weather its high sugar or low sugar as i don't test as i am Diabetes 2.
So recent blood test were 7.1 then 6.9 then 6.6 now crept up a bit to 6.8.. and on 1 x metformin pill. also lost weight from 11.5stone to 10.10stone in old( money) oh yea stopped smoking too. Just a small vape 3mg to help get through it...
 
Err, if you don't test yourself, these test results were presumably at your GP surgery using a fingerprick's worth of blood? Or were they 'an armful of blood' ones that had to be sent to the lab for testing?

The armful of blood test - HbA1c - does not report in small numbers, it is measuring something different to a fingerprick one which tells you your blood glucose right now this second whereas the lab HbA1C test shows how much excess glucose has 'stuck' to your red blood cells over the previous 3-ish months.

eg. did a fingerprick before lunch - 5.8. My latest HbA1c a month ago - 53.

Anyone that does use a meter and test their blood - whatever Type of diabetes they happen to have - do it to glean information and use that info to assess whether their treatment of their diabetes is OK day to day, or not, if not, investigate ways of enhancing what they're doing to improve their health.
 
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It could be your blood sugar @Philrocks2020 but it sounds more like you’re just feeling a bit down. Do you wake up thinking anything in particular or is it just a general background feeling of ‘down-ness’? Does it get better as the day goes on?

I haven’t felt down during Lockdown, but I have felt a bit panicky - about money and general worries about when things will be more normal. I wake up in good spirits but I do wake up sometimes with the burden of all the things I have to do. Just a general pressure really.

Have you found anything that helps? I like to take a few minutes just to sit and relax in the morning before starting the day, so I get up earlier to allow myself time to do that. Without that ‘Me Time’, I’d feel less relaxed. I also find getting out of the house for a walk helps, as does listening to music, reading, etc, or doing little jobs around the house.

Well done on stopping smoking, by the way. That will help your health. If you’d like some ideas for getting your blood sugar a little lower, then there are lots of people here who can help.
 
hi trophy and inka. Thanks for your comments well this Diabetes thing is a bit of a mine field and I guess everyone is different as we are all at certain times of life. I should be lucky that i am diabetes 2 and that's been driven by my past life style. Pub mash bread cakes biscuits lots of tea with sugar (builder tea). I have how ever been a landscape builder so plenty of exercise. Somebody said i was fat on the inside??
So now don't drink beer or take sugar hit the red milk, Small mash. but right now i have switched to nice red wines especially since lock down.
I get tested every 3 months with an armful at the surgery and my levels have crept up.6.6% 6.7% 6.8%.
However i know its the lovely cakes my partner has made as her new hobby since lock down..(she's fired now lol) So new spread sheet been made (god 3 years on and still doing it ) but that's life.

So back to the blues .special treats and maybe the one extra red wine could be the reason but i don't know. Probulary my fault. Its Hard stopped smoking stopped drinking beer sex i think is number after 5 lol.
I am determined to reduce this level and i am always studying article's (Mr. Mosley did a big bit in the Mail) so I am glad I found this site. Lower my levels would be good. any help on that one would be good. So the BIG Q How many carbs should i have a day??
Today so far I have had porridge ,peach ,half a can of soup, one by slice whole grain bread gonna have chicken tonight.
I do exercise 45 mins walk today and this week just built a massive fence in my garden and going to lay a lawn soon.
Whoops I do go on .. Anyway thanks again for now tomorrow gonna get up put the radio on and hit my ironing pile.. yea
 
The answer to how many carbs you "should" have in a day is another one of those minefield questions. It all depends on your specific physiology.
Have you considered buying a BG meter to test at home and figure out what foods you can tolerate and which really cause your BG to rise?
 
Low carb is anything under 130g a day. It might be worth roughly counting up your carbs for a few days to see your starting point.

Walking is great exercise - and good for mental health too. It sounds like you’re doing the right things. Maybe you just need to identify areas where you can tweak things a little? There are low carb cakes by the way, so your partner or you could maybe have a look at those if you’re finding you need a treat after giving up the smoking.

I agree with @ColinUK that testing your own blood sugar at home would be a good idea. You could then spot problem times and problem foods or routines that might be pushing your blood sugar up.
 
It's worth saying that it's not advisable to slash your carbs overnight. That can cause vision issues. It's far better perhaps to determine your current carb consumption and then cut it by 1/3rd - sit with that for a couple of weeks and then cut your new consumption by 1/3rd and sit with that for a couple of weeks and so on until you're at a "low" level.
 
ColinUK said:
The answer to how many carbs you "should" have in a day is another one of those minefield questions. It all depends on your specific physiology.
Have you considered buying a BG meter to test at home and figure out what foods you can tolerate and which really cause your BG to rise?
Click to expand...
Hi Colin .I am going to work on that 130grm I think and start from there each day. So the BG meter i think might be a good idea because I find going through a pain barrier of not eating nice stuff continually looking at what and why to eat does my head in, when I perceiver for 3 months and then go to the clinic for a blood test and they say well nothing has changed or it has crept up der!! so a monitor what one where to buy safely ,should i ask my Doctors..
Thanks
 
Unfortunately the things you list are ones which even singly would raise my blood glucose - starchy or sweet foods are exactly what I can't cope with.
 
Philrocks2020 said:
Hi Colin .I am going to work on that 130grm I think and start from there each day. So the BG meter i think might be a good idea because I find going through a pain barrier of not eating nice stuff continually looking at what and why to eat does my head in, when I perceiver for 3 months and then go to the clinic for a blood test and they say well nothing has changed or it has crept up der!! so a monitor what one where to buy safely ,should i ask my Doctors..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Don’t bother asking your doctor as most unfortunately say don’t bother.
There are many BG meters on the market but the thing to remember is that the cost of test strips mounts up so it’s a good idea to buy one with good value test strips.
Many on here have opted for the Gluco Navii as test strips are cheap.
 
Test strips depending on machine can vary from around £8 for 50 to £25+.
 
Good morning and Thanks Colin. Ordered one today hopefully wont need many test strips the kit comes with 50.
Also started my carb count yesterday and did 139'c Tea with milk my problem love a cupper, stopped the sugar now on a candela.
 
Philrocks2020 said:
Good morning and Thanks Colin. Ordered one today hopefully wont need many test strips the kit comes with 50.
Also started my carb count yesterday and did 139'c Tea with milk my problem love a cupper, stopped the sugar now on a candela.
Click to expand...

Let us know how you get on with it @Philrocks2020

Over the years many forum members have found a strategy of before and after meal checks very helpful in tweaking their diet to suit their metabolism better. Looking for a rise of 2-3mmol/L or less from the carbs in the meal - initially the numbers themselves are almost less important than the rises. if you reduce the rises, then the numbers will come down gently on their own 🙂

If you are interested in this approach you may find test-review-adjust by Alan S a helpful framework.
 
Hi. Colin. Well i have opened the box on the gluco Navii hell there is a lot of reading so i have just got passed that stage and i think i now what to do but haven't don't it yet..i think i will start on a Friday and do every Friday. I have also been targeting my carbs and have been on 101 to start then 105 then whoops 169 2 x bowls of porridge well i was going into the garden for 2 days running relaying my lawn with 1 ton top soil.. now im back to 106...My problem low carb dinner fish tonight but still would like an ice-cream and spotted dick!!.My just have fruit and ice-cream (soy).
 
I think you've set the meter to report in mg/dL (the usa way) instead of mmmol/L, the UK way. To convert divide by 18 so eg 90 = 5.0 etc. So 101 = 5.9 and 169 = 8.4.
 
You should be able to set your meter to read in mmol/L units @Philrocks2020 - which will make conversations with your Dr easier.
 
I think those numbers may relate to grams of carbs rather than meter readings in mg/dL.
The way I read it the OP is only intending to check their BG once a week on a Friday, but maybe I am misunderstanding.
 
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