I thought I could control it but.....

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hey Lisa you've really got your hands full with triplets aswell comming down with everything..... chicken pox aswell......good luck hun x try and have a little bit of something nice for you and dont worry, one of the main things with us T2, is getting a good 3 month or 6 month HbA1c.food isnt the only thing that causes it to rise, illness and stress cant be just as mad for us...but everyone is differnt and we all have ways and means of coping, remember at the end of the day we are the ones to be in control of our condition x
 
LisaLQ said:
Bit hard to test without a monitor!
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Have you tried asking for one? Some manufacturers give them away. If you want, I could give you some details from the latest Sweet magazine.

LisaLQ said:
To be fair Peter, that's just a guess and your opinion. We've had this conversation before. My symptoms have not changed since diagnosis, when my fasting level was only 7.8. My HbA1c was only 6.4. So no, I dont just get these symptoms when my bloods are way too high. I get symptoms much earlier.
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Have you told your healthcare team about this?
 
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Told my healthcare team what? That their advice is laughed at, that I'm told they're talking rubbish, that I need to test? Yes, I've told them all of that - and they still say I dont need to test. I dont see them again for another 6 months.

I could ask people for a glucose monitor but that would be going against my diabetic nurse's advice, and I cant afford to run it without prescription.

I'm sorry if my post came across as aggressive, but instead of offering advice, some people have felt the need to moan, complain and belittle my nurse's advice without even knowing the full story. Why not tell me what I can do, instead of laughing about what I cant? And no - I dont mean "hit your nurse" as was suggested on another thread.
 
I think Tez means that if you get these symptoms maybe you should go back to the nurse/doctor and tell them about it. It does sound like you are flying high, which is quite likely as you have Diabetes.
 
I've had all these symptoms for weeks, that's why I was tested in the first place, but my tests came back ok. Hence my thread about my extreme thirst. Apparently it's due to my amitriptyline, not just the diabetes. The headaches only started when I started the statins, and feel just like hangover/dehydration ones, but drinking lots doesn't do anything for them.
 
LisaLQ said:
I've had all these symptoms for weeks, that's why I was tested in the first place, but my tests came back ok. Hence my thread about my extreme thirst. Apparently it's due to my amitriptyline, not just the diabetes. The headaches only started when I started the statins, and feel just like hangover/dehydration ones, but drinking lots doesn't do anything for them.
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So what is your doctor going to do about your extreme thirst? Is there another medication you can take? Or the headaches? Are there different statins? Don't suffer.

Regarding testing, I'm not telling you to go against your healthcare team's advice. If you don't want to test then that's fine by me and I respect that. I'm the kind of person who needs to know if I'm going about my management in the right way. I had to buy strips to begin with, and once I showed my doctor my progress - learning what food and exercise does to my BG I got them on prescription.

I just hope your thirst and headaches go away.
 
They're not going to do anything about the thirst, it's just one of those things I have to get used to - apparently in a month or so it'll improve.

I do want to test, just my nurse says I dont need to, and I trusted her, but with everyone telling me otherwise I dont know who to believe any more. The one thing I can be certain of is that I wont get a monitor off my docs as things stand. They say I am doing fine without. I cant change that, and I cant afford to run one without prescriptions - ?20+ might not seem like much to most folks, but to us it's a lot of money, especially if I'm supposed to test 6+ times a day.

I didn't ask for this to happen, but my actions have affected more than just me. While I was obviously stupid enough to eat myself diabetic, my kids shouldn't have to pay by going without so I can test my blood to find out that, as the blood tests have shown, all is well.
 
LisaLQ said:
I do want to test, just my nurse says I dont need to, and I trusted her, but with everyone telling me otherwise I dont know who to believe any more. The one thing I can be certain of is that I wont get a monitor off my docs as things stand. They say I am doing fine without. I cant change that, and I cant afford to run one without prescriptions - ?20+ might not seem like much to most folks, but to us it's a lot of money, especially if I'm supposed to test 6+ times a day.
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Lisa, I've been on Amitryptiline (spelling?!) for around 3 or 4 years and never associated any significant thirst with it.. but of course, we all react differently to drugs..

As for the testing - it makes me mad that as T2's we're actively discouraged from testing and not offered the means to do so. As I've said before, I was lucky and my practice nurse gave in and gave me a meter and arranged for me to get strips on prescription (although they don't expect me to request any more than a maximum of 50 per month). In my own personal experience (as someone who is somewhat of a control freak) I didn't feel that I would be happy waiting 2-3 months at a time to get blood tests that would show me if what I was doing was making any difference.

The benefits to me of testing has been the ability to find out what foods cause a spike in my levels and finding alternatives that don't. I've also seen the positive impact of exercise on my bg. The overall result is that I've managed to reduce my fasting levels from 7.2 on diagnosis to a more manageable 5-6 (the higher readings on the morning after I've had a little indulgence or two before going to bed!!!!). To feed my need to test, I've purchased strips off ebay at a fraction of their cost. Not ideal, but I hope that when I go to see my doc and can show her evidence of what I have achieved through testing, they'll slacken the purse strings and give me more strips as and when I need them.

I'm not trying to say that you are wrong to trust your team in how they are managing your diabetes, I'm just saying that that would not work for me. I totally understand your frustration and appreciate that my way of doing things will not work for your financial situation. If I win the lottery, I'll bulk buy strips and distribute them to all who need them! (Of course, this will be after I've arranged for Steph's limo to pick her up and take her for the retail therapy I promised her some weeks back - sorry Steph.. can't even squeeze a thimblefull of fuel out of lotto wins to date..)

So, enjoy Christmas with the family. Allow yourself the odd treat and pat yourself on the back for all you have achieved so far. Remember, this journey is a marathon and not a sprint - there are bound to be slips and trips along the way. Just take it one step at a time and be well and happy.

Karina {{{{{hugs}}}}
 
LisaLQ said:
Told my healthcare team what? That their advice is laughed at, that I'm told they're talking rubbish, that I need to test? Yes, I've told them all of that - and they still say I dont need to test. I dont see them again for another 6 months.

I could ask people for a glucose monitor but that would be going against my diabetic nurse's advice, and I cant afford to run it without prescription.....................
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Hi again Lisa,

That's what they all told me too - i.e. "do not test" and my situation got gradually worse over eight years. Then I started testing and my blood glucose levels have basically normalised over the last twelve months since I started testing.

These days, I ask all the same people what they themselves would do in my situation. All of them - yes 100% - admit that they would test.

As far as I am concerned, the most important thing that any non-insulin dependent Type 2 such as myself can do after cutting out sugary foods is to cut back dramatically on the starchy carbohydrates - i.e. cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.

Best wishes - John
 
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I've recently had my 6 month test after being diagnosed. My fasting test was 6.5 coming down from 15 when I was first diagnosed. I was diagnosed because my blood pressure was through the roof and I was sent for blood tests. After diagnosis I saw the practice nurse who immediately arranged for my testing strips to be put on my prescription (my partner had bought a testing machine)
The reason I mentioned the blood pressure thing is because I had a constant headache, sore eyes and tiredness. I can usually tell when my blood has gone awry because the symptoms are generally the same. I made a pact with myself not to overtest and get too hung up on testing. Having said that I find that testing randomly ie differerent times of the day before and after meals etc has been worthwhile.
Also over the last few days i have had a nasty cold and it has been a real eye opener for me as my blood 2 hours after eating has been between 12 and 13 where usually it is around 6 to 7. I guess what Im trying to say is that testing is important for type 2 if only to help us as individuals understand how our own bodies are or are not coping with our illness.
 
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heliocentric said:
I've recently had my 6 month test after being diagnosed. My fasting test was 6.5 coming down from 15 when I was first diagnosed. I was diagnosed because my blood pressure was through the roof and I was sent for blood tests. After diagnosis I saw the practice nurse who immediately arranged for my testing strips to be put on my prescription (my partner had bought a testing machine)
The reason I mentioned the blood pressure thing is because I had a constant headache, sore eyes and tiredness. I can usually tell when my blood has gone awry because the symptoms are generally the same. I made a pact with myself not to overtest and get too hung up on testing. Having said that I find that testing randomly ie differerent times of the day before and after meals etc has been worthwhile.
Also over the last few days i have had a nasty cold and it has been a real eye opener for me as my blood 2 hours after eating has been between 12 and 13 where usually it is around 6 to 7. I guess what Im trying to say is that testing is important for type 2 if only to help us as individuals understand how our own bodies are or are not coping with our illness.
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Dear heliocentric,

I agree with your approach ,but, in my opinion, it does not go far enough. I am a "controlled carber" which means that I use my meter to tell me which and how much carbohydrate I can tolerate. The most potent way of reducing fasting and ultimately, HbA1c blood sugar readings is to severely restrict things like sugar, potatoes, bread, rice, pasta etc. When you know what your tolerance (we are all different) is the amount of testing can be greatly reduced. For example, I now test less than once per day. If you are recently diagnosed, you probably have significant beta-cell function left and so can tolerate quite a lot of carbs. Relying on oral meds to control your readings and eating "plenty of starchy carbs" like DUK and your medical team recommend is, in the long term, doomed to failure. This was clearly shown in the UKPDS trial which is by far the most important trial carried out in the UK on behalf of type 2s.

Warmest Regards Dodger
 
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Hi Heliocentric,

Great advice there from Dodger!

In my opinion, the way to go for Type 2s such as ourselves!

Best wishes - John
 
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