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Jayne68 - Hi

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Jayne68

Jayne68

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, hope I'm posting in the right thread lol. I've just been diagnosed with T2 diabetes and have been put on Metformin straightaway possibly because of my poor health - I had a minor heart attack on Christmas Eve and have poor kidney function, I have bloods done every 2 months to keep an eye on it (I only have 1 kidney, so no backup kidney to help out). I also have hypertension which I'm on Amlodipine for and just for fun I also have COPD. I also have widespread OA which I'm on morphine for plus high cholesterol which I take Atorvastatin for. I have a badly swollen left leg and foot which is undiagnosed attack present....not sure if it's related to the other health issues, the diabetes or is unrelated.
 
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Jayne68 said:
Hi everyone, hope I'm posting in the right thread lol. I've just been diagnosed with T2 diabetes and have been put on Metformin straightaway possibly because of my poor health - I had a minor heart attack on Christmas Eve and have poor kidney function, I have bloods done every 2 months to keep an eye on it (I only have 1 kidney, so no backup kidney to help out). I also have hypertension which I'm on Amlodipine for and just for fun I also have COPD. I also have widespread OA which I'm on morphine for plus high cholesterol which I take Atorvastatin for. I have a badly swollen left leg and foot which is undiagnosed attack present....not sure if it's related to the other health issues, the diabetes or is unrelated.
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Hi @Jayne68, welcome to the forum 🙂 I moved your post to its own 'thread' so it wouldn't get overlooked 🙂 Very sorry to hear about your diagnosis, especially on top of everything else you are having to deal with :( Is your doctor aware of the problem with your leg? What advice have you been given regarding your diabetes?

I'd suggest reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter and getting a copy of the highly recommended Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - the more you understand about diabetes, the easier it will be to manage it well 🙂 The best way to determine if your diet is appropriate for managing your blood sugars well is to test - have you been prescribed a meter and test strips? Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S to understand how testing can help tailor your diet so you can get good blood sugar control without limiting your diet unnecessarily. People can have very individual tolerances for the same things, so it's important to discover your own. If you haven't been given a meter and strips it's worth funding your own whilst you investigate your diet - the cheapest option we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips at around £8 for 50.

Finally, to give you some idea of an appropriate diet, I'd suggest looking at the GL (Glycaemic Load) diet - it's an approach to selecting and combining foods so that they have a slow, steady impact on blood glucose levels. The GL Diet for Dummies is a very good introduction 🙂

Please let us know if you have any questions and we will be more than happy to help! 🙂
 
Welcome to the forum, glad you found us. Lots of folk on here have a collection of health conditions too, so will understand your struggles. Let us know how you are getting on. 🙂
 
Welcome aboard - from someone who has a different set of complications!
 
Thanks for the welcome! I'm kinda confused about some things actually for example, my diabetic nurse told me I can't have fruit juice anymore but does that mean I can't eat fruit? When I pointed out that I take a fair amount of morphine which has a constipating effect and the fruit juice helps counter that, she suggested laxatives instead?! I won't take those as long term they make your bowels lazy and they're just plain horrible anyway! My hc1ab results were 63 and 69, and my glucose levels on the day when she did 6the finger prick was 12.6. I haven't been given a monitor or anything, just put on the Metformin and sent away to get on with it. To say I feel a bit fuddled is an understatement lol.....I feel like I can't eat anything but meat and veg-no potatoes though lol. Any advice you could give me would be very gratefully received
 
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Hi Jayne. Your nurse is right about the fruit juice. As for fruit, it depends. Some contain more sugar than others & your body just sees it as sugar (the 'natural sugars are fine' thing is a myth). Berries are the lowest sugar (blackberries, strawberries & to a lesser extent, blueberries). Tropical fruit is the worst. The best thing you can do is invest in a meter. GP's are reluctant to give meters to Type 2's who aren't on hypo inducing drugs (money saving apparently). That way you will know what foods you can & can't eat. The cheapest is the SD Codefree from Amazon or Home Health with test strips costing around £8 for 50. Test before food & 2 hours after (with fruit, I would test 1 hour after as it gets into your bloodstream quite quick). You are looking for no more than a 3 mmol/l rise after food.
 
Thanks for the advice Mark, I decided to buy one of the meters you recommended from Amazon so am just waiting for it to be delivered. Am wondering if I should get a diabetic cookbook, at least until I get a handle on this......any thoughts?
 
Jayne68 said:
Thanks for the advice Mark, I decided to buy one of the meters you recommended from Amazon so am just waiting for it to be delivered. Am wondering if I should get a diabetic cookbook, at least until I get a handle on this......any thoughts?
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Have a look at The GL Diet for Dummies Jayne 🙂 What you want are food combinations that will have a slow, steady impact on your blood sugar levels. This gives you more flexibility over your meals than a 'one-size-fits-all' solution.
 
Thanks Northener, I don't mind admitting that I feel totally out of my depth at the moment with this lol.....I'm still getting my head round the fact I had a heart attack and have an angiogram in just over a week's time - something I'm totally dreading, have a lot of things going on at the moment and this really couldn't have come at a worse time......if there's anything such as a 'good' time. Sorry about the moaning, I'll try and keep it to a minimum lol
 
When I was first diagnosed, I bought a 'Diabetic Cookbook'. Avoid these like the plague. These certainly are not diabetic friendly. Apart from the book Northerner recommends, I also recommend The Dopamine Diet by Tom Kerridge. Some lovely recipes in there & most, if not all are suitable for us.🙂
 
Hi Jayne and welcome to the forum. Just a suggestion but please check out your prescription of Metformin, I was under the impression that it should not be prescribed if you have kidney problems.
 
Thanks Sue, you are correct, it does say that on the info leaflet that come with the meds.....I just assumed that my GP has decided I can take it😳
 
@Pumper_S. I agree. ..I've just read the patient information leaflet and it says Quote: Do not take if you have any long-term problems with your liver or kidneys Unquote.
 
Like I said, my GP is aware of my kidney probs and can only assume he thinks it's ok for me to take it. I might ask my diabetic nurse though when I go to see her in a few weeks
 
Jayne68 said:
Like I said, my GP is aware of my kidney probs and can only assume he thinks it's ok for me to take it. I might ask my diabetic nurse though when I go to see her in a few weeks
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Do query this with your GP - they sometimes miss these things. It might be worth getting a medications review from your pharmacist - most of them offer this service. They go through your meds and make sure you know how to take them properly, and also if there are any possible interactions or problems: they often know much more than GPs as they are specialists 🙂

Regarding the angiogram - don't worry about this, it is a very common and straightforward procedure. I had one at diagnosis as they thought I'd had a (minor) heart attack. Actually, when they injected the dye it was a most pleasant experience as my entire body felt flooded with a wonderful warmth! 🙂 Let us know how you get on 🙂
 
Yeah if it's like having a CT scan I've had several of those and know what you mean about the all-over warmth.......not too keen on the sensation of 'feeling like you're passing urine' though! Actually what's bothering me most about it is the going up though the groin....I'm really hoping they will use my wrist
 
Jayne68 said:
Yeah if it's like having a CT scan I've had several of those and know what you mean about the all-over warmth.......not too keen on the sensation of 'feeling like you're passing urine' though! Actually what's bothering me most about it is the going up though the groin....I'm really hoping they will use my wrist
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They went through my groin - at the time I didn't know there was an alternative. It wasn't a problem, but it did entail me spending about 30 minutes afterwards making polite conversation with the nurse who had her fingers pressed into my inner thigh whilst the entry point healed! 😱 🙂 I'm not sure if the wrist involves a similar situation.
 
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