Hi there, newbie here........

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Linny Anne

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Relationship to Diabetes
Carer/Partner
Good morning all. Newbie here. Linny. Will be searching for all the help and advice possible. Partner was diagnosed as type 2 in 2019, and basically has had no support or help from his GP. He is waiting on a hip replacement but the hospital have pushed back to his GP for more support for his diabetes. Have found he should have been referred through our local NHS trust to a local diabetes group but nothing, no doubt they will say Covid was to blame for this, he was diagnosed in Aug 2019. Sorry for the rant just getting so frustrated about it all. We are both overwhelmed and lost due to all the information we are now seeing and reading, so thanks for reading and in advance for all the help and suggestions and advice I hope to gain from here.
 
Welcome to the forum. They don't like to do surgery if blood glucose levels are high and not managed too well as it can impede tissue healing and there is more risk of infection so you can understand their reluctance but that does not help when somebody is struggling and mobility is restricted and they are in pain.
The lack of support from GPs is not uncommon so in reality people have to be proactive in helping themselves.
It would help people give some suggestions if you gave a bit of information about your partner, what is his HbA1C is as that will indicate how much work needs to be done and what medication if any he is taking.
Diet is often the most important factor and many find a low carbohydrate approach works but whether that is suitable may depend on the medication.
If you look at this link that may give you some ideas for where you can make some easy changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Exercise will also help but if he struggles walking then there are seated exercises which can help to increase general mobility, especially the arms which he may need to strengthen up in preparation for using crutches.
 
Leadinglights said:
Welcome to the forum. They don't like to do surgery if blood glucose levels are high and not managed too well as it can impede tissue healing and there is more risk of infection so you can understand their reluctance but that does not help when somebody is struggling and mobility is restricted and they are in pain.
The lack of support from GPs is not uncommon so in reality people have to be proactive in helping themselves.
It would help people give some suggestions if you gave a bit of information about your partner, what is his HbA1C is as that will indicate how much work needs to be done and what medication if any he is taking.
Diet is often the most important factor and many find a low carbohydrate approach works but whether that is suitable may depend on the medication.
If you look at this link that may give you some ideas for where you can make some easy changes. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/
Exercise will also help but if he struggles walking then there are seated exercises which can help to increase general mobility, especially the arms which he may need to strengthen up in preparation for using crutches.
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Thanks Leading Lights, his HbA1C at the time of his heart attack was 98, then it was coming down and in August last year was at 78, not great but going the right way at least, his Nov count spiked to 102 though. We had been on holiday in September so put it down to that adding to the increase. His op is for a hip replacement and he struggles day to day. He is on max metformin as well as his heart drugs. I know I havent helped in what I feed him lol. I apologise for the rant, have been trying to get him on the right track, and this latest set back with his op seems to have been the kick up the backside he has needed to take this seriously. So I suppose my rant is just a lot of frustrations from everywhere inside me. The usual "why havent you been listening to me all along and warning you!" I think. I now have him, and me, eating breakfast when we get up (which is 5am big change for meeating that early), and eating properly, 3 healthy meals a day, and he has been looking into the swim timetables at our local centre to see when he can go. Its now down to me re the recipes and food, so once again thank you, and apologies for the downbeat intro. We will get there, just maybe sometimes i will be coming on here for support from what looks like an amazing group of people.
 
Linny Anne said:
Thanks Leading Lights, his HbA1C at the time of his heart attack was 98, then it was coming down and in August last year was at 78, not great but going the right way at least, his Nov count spiked to 102 though. We had been on holiday in September so put it down to that adding to the increase. His op is for a hip replacement and he struggles day to day. He is on max metformin as well as his heart drugs. I know I havent helped in what I feed him lol. I apologise for the rant, have been trying to get him on the right track, and this latest set back with his op seems to have been the kick up the backside he has needed to take this seriously. So I suppose my rant is just a lot of frustrations from everywhere inside me. The usual "why havent you been listening to me all along and warning you!" I think. I now have him, and me, eating breakfast when we get up (which is 5am big change for meeating that early), and eating properly, 3 healthy meals a day, and he has been looking into the swim timetables at our local centre to see when he can go. Its now down to me re the recipes and food, so once again thank you, and apologies for the downbeat intro. We will get there, just maybe sometimes i will be coming on here for support from what looks like an amazing group of people.
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You will certainly find lots of support here so feel free to ask any questions. There have been a few people recently who have been frustrated and concerned that their partners were not taking their situation seriously.
My other half was very supportive in the dietary changes and we both have gone for a low carb regime which really is now just our new way of eating, he lost some weight as well which he wanted to do but does have a few extras.
Finding lower carb substitutes for potatoes, rice and pasta and basing meals on meat, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy, vegetables and salads with fruit such as berries still give options for tasty meals. I know it is more time consuming but cooking from scratch so you can minimise high carb prepared sauces and use dry rubs, herbs and spices and going easy on takeaways helps.00
 
Hi and welcome.

The first thing that I would say is that it would be wise to invest in a Blood Glucose meter, so that you can see how he reacts to different foods and this will help you tailor his diet to what works for him. "Healthy eating" is a confusing term for diabetics because our bodies can respond quite differently to none diabetic people, so what might be considered healthy for them, may not be for your average Type 2 diabetic. For instance porridge and fruit are both considered healthy choices and often combined at breakfast, but both are quite high carb and at breakfast time we are often more insulin resistant, so eating carb rich foods in the morning is often a bad idea. Eggs in all their various ways work well as they are low carb, providing you don't have lots of bread or toast with them. Wholemeal bread contains almost exactly the same amount of carbs as white bread, so a simple swap to wholemeal is not going to improve things. Cutting down to just one slice from two will half the carbs so that is a better option and if that one slice is wholemeal instead of while then all the better because the extra fibre will help with cholesterol and gut health. Similarly, swapping to wholemeal pasta is not really going to make a big difference to your husband's BG levels but halving the portion of pasta and having more sauce with it and maybe a bit more meat and plenty of cheese and bulking it out with veggies (spiralized courgettes for instance), will keep it filling but half the impact on his BG levels.

You may also find that eating breakfast when you didn't before will be having an advese effect rather than a positive one, particularly if you are now having cereal or toast so you might be better off reverting to no breakfast or many of us have full fat creamy Greek yoghurt with a few berries and seeds as a low carb option, particularly if eating breakfast is preventing snacking between meals on cakes or biscuits etc.

If you can give us an idea of the sort of things you currently eat, ie a typical breakfast lunch and evening meal, we can perhaps steer you towards better options, but being able to test and see how his particular body responds to those meals will give you a reasonably clear indication of what works and what needs to be reduced from his diet.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome.

The first thing that I would say is that it would be wise to invest in a Blood Glucose meter, so that you can see how he reacts to different foods and this will help you tailor his diet to what works for him. "Healthy eating" is a confusing term for diabetics because our bodies can respond quite differently to none diabetic people, so what might be considered healthy for them, may not be for your average Type 2 diabetic. For instance porridge and fruit are both considered healthy choices and often combined at breakfast, but both are quite high carb and at breakfast time we are often more insulin resistant, so eating carb rich foods in the morning is often a bad idea. Eggs in all their various ways work well as they are low carb, providing you don't have lots of bread or toast with them. Wholemeal bread contains almost exactly the same amount of carbs as white bread, so a simple swap to wholemeal is not going to improve things. Cutting down to just one slice from two will half the carbs so that is a better option and if that one slice is wholemeal instead of while then all the better because the extra fibre will help with cholesterol and gut health. Similarly, swapping to wholemeal pasta is not really going to make a big difference to your husband's BG levels but halving the portion of pasta and having more sauce with it and maybe a bit more meat and plenty of cheese and bulking it out with veggies (spiralized courgettes for instance), will keep it filling but half the impact on his BG levels.

You may also find that eating breakfast when you didn't before will be having an advese effect rather than a positive one, particularly if you are now having cereal or toast so you might be better off reverting to no breakfast or many of us have full fat creamy Greek yoghurt with a few berries and seeds as a low carb option, particularly if eating breakfast is preventing snacking between meals on cakes or biscuits etc.

If you can give us an idea of the sort of things you currently eat, ie a typical breakfast lunch and evening meal, we can perhaps steer you towards better options, but being able to test and see how his particular body responds to those meals will give you a reasonably clear indication of what works and what needs to be reduced from his diet.
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Hi rebrascora. For him, it's more of a case of getting him to eat regularly, as he would either not bother or due to his job wouldn't get time,(i ate mine a lot later but am eating at the same time as him in support) so his body going into the old starvation mode which doesnt help his weight (he is 15st at 6'3" with it all round his stomach). Wholegrain cereals due to time of morning. Doing him lunches when I knew he would be able to have time to eat them, which has consisted off salad and proteins, or sandwich with added veg, soups. Evenings I have always tried to cook better, but I think the problems are portion sizes, and he loves his carbs, potatoes being the go to choice, and red meat. Typical old school style. Thats good advise re the morning measures, will be one to watch out for, thank you for that. It is a whole reset for us both. I have been telling him there is no magic pill or wand waving that will help. I need the educating too in order to do better for him and myself. He was told to collect a a glucose machine from the chemist last year. And that was it from his GP. He has used it probably twice. I have got all of it ready to go for him and he hasn't done any readings since this kick. His pre op assessment nurse range this morning to ask whether his GP had been in touch after their email back to the GP last week, he has had nothing from his GP, so this was the reason for my 'enough is enough for us now' post. Lack of knowledge, awareness, understanding are no doubt part of the reasons / excuses for not getting a handle on before now as well. We will engage with people in the same or who have been in our positions and learn from them, like yourself. Already clicking and saving links from this site, and will be making him read them at the weekend. As you can see, this is probably more a case of me letting of steam about the whole situation.
 
Hi @Linny Anne
What most people don't realise (including most healthcare professionals) is that whole grains contain the same amount of carbs as refined grains do - so both can spike our glucose and so unless you test with a blood glucose meter (just before eating and then 2 hrs after first bite) and get a spike of 2.0 mmol or less, then its best to assume that a T2 Diabetic body struggles to handle them!
The safest breakfast for a T2D is eggs - no cereal, no bread, no fruit juice, no tropical fruit. But you can add things like meat (including bacon), fish (e.g. kippers), cheese, mushrooms. with unsweetened coffee, tea or water.
 
I think men, no disrespect intended, have more difficulty in imagining that a meal can be fulfilling and satisfying without having a heap of high carb potatoes, rice or pasta. But by having enough protein and healthy fats and some lower carb substitutes it can still be 'a proper' meal.
All meats are good as they are low carb and high meat content good quality sausages are OK.
I make a corned beef hash with a combination of butternut squash and celeriac, not a potato in sight but very tasty.
 
@Leadinglights I feel that it is usually women who shy away from eating protein. Indeed they are often anaemic because of avoiding red meat.
 
Hi @Linny Anne and welcome

Has your partner been given an idea of what HbA1c level would be acceptable for hip replacement surgery to go ahead ? For my last ankle surgery I had to have an HbA1c of approx 48mmol/L to give the surgery the best chance of success/limit infection etc. I’m not suggesting that is the value that your partner will have to aim for as all surgeries/ hospitals are different but knowing what HbA1c level would be acceptable is helpful so you know what you’re aiming for & the day to day glucose levels he needs to see on a meter to get there.

It is so frustrating to be sent away when the surgery is needed but knowing what sort of reduction in HbA1c would be a useful piece of information. Wishing you well.
 
Welcome to the forum @Linny Anne

Sorry to hear that you and your husband sort of fell into the 'wilderness void' of Covid, when routine levels oif care, follow-up and support weren't as available as they would usually be.

Sounds like you had some early successes, but then his levels began creeping upwards again.

Great to hear you are aiming for a bit of a diabetes reboot now though. Hopefully with the support and encouragement of the forum, plus a few suggestions and shared experiences of what others have found worked for them, you'll be able to see a positive change in his BG levels which will enable the op to go ahead in a timely manner.

We are all rooting for you!
 
Does us all good to get things off our chest - and this forum is a brill place to do that.

As a comment for both you and your husband, years ago I said to a dietician, I know you quote 'a handful' is the advised portion size for veg when considering your '5 a day' - so then you just have to try and work out what that looks like on a dinner plate - but what's the size for the protein element? She replied 'the same size as a pack of normal playing cards'.

Yes, THAT little !
 
Thanks everyone, I definitely needed the rant yesterday and am more clear headed today so will spend more time at the weekend surfing the various forum pages on here and safely googling ideas. Have to get him to take and record his glucose measurements better so that I can get a better handle as suggested on what foods work for him and which dont. Will also help with the breakfast suggestion, of seeing if eating that early is good for him or not. Sending you all big virtual hugs for listening and understanding. Just trying to help and get through life as we do. Thank you
 
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