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Hi I’m new looking for help? I’m type 2 but given no help from doctors trying to get appointment with diabetic nurse is hard work. What machine do I buy really struggling tired all the time and need to drink juice all the time ! Is this normal ??
Hi I’m new looking for help? I’m type 2 but given no help from doctors trying to get appointment with diabetic nurse is hard work. What machine do I buy really struggling tired all the time and need to drink juice all the time ! Is this normal ??
Hi and welcome.
I was diagnosed 2 months ago - it is better to drink water if you can - juice does contain carbs and if it is fresh fruit juice (undiluted) it will also be full of sugar. Being thirsty is a symptom of T2D.
I hope you manage to get an apt with your Diabetic Nurse soon. I was diagnosed by GP but then had to wait 2 weeks to see the DN.
Try not to panic. This forum is a good place to start - check out the learning zone for information and ask questions on the forum. There are some very helpful people here.
Others are more equipped to help you with different monitors you can get.
Check threads on the general messageboard where people have posted similar questions about monitors.
Hello @Scsusanne. Welcome to the forum. The unquenchable thirst is due to high blood glucose (BG) levels and I am sorry to say the the sugar in the juice isn’t doing you any favours , try plain water or plain sparkling water instead. Your probably peeing for England too, it’s your kidneys trying to excrete the glucose .
Do keep pushing for an appointment, if necessary contact the practice manager.
How long have you been diagnosed .
How did you come to be diagnosed, ie symptoms .
You can do an awful lot to lower your glucose levels
It’s carbohydrates we can no longer tolerate well, sugar in all it’s forms is just a simple carbohydrate.
So look for the total amount of total carbohydrates in the nutritional label on the back of packs
Try to reduce the starchy carbohydrates, these turn to glucose very quickly , that’s things like, potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, things made with flour. Those of us on insulin use grunt juice to treat low blood glucose. Grapes are little sugar bombs .
I know that sounds awful but we do get to eat good tasty food, ok,
We have no problems with protein in any form, and this will surprise you , so long as you do not have a medical condition that requires a low fat diet, we are fine with good fats, so dairy is ok.
Feel free to ask all the questions you you need to about diabetes , we’ll do our best to help.
Drinking juice is one of the worst things you can do as you are just putting a lot more glucose into your system. Water is what you need to flush your system out.
When your blood glucose levels are very high, your kidneys try to remove it and you wee a lot more as a result and the glucose comes out in your urine and consequently you are thirsty because you need more fluids. If you drink something like juice which is high in sugar then your kidneys just have even more work to do, so you are causing a vicious cycle. I would recommend that you drink lots of water and do not eat or drink anything high in carbohydrates (that means both sweet stuff like fruit and fruit juice, cakes, biscuits, scones, sweets, chocolate etc but also starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals including porridge) Try an omelette for breakfast or lunch and drink lots of water.... can't stress that enough!.
Since you are suffering from these symptoms it is very important that you get an appointment quickly so if the nurse is not available then get an appointment with a GP or if necessary, get yourself to an A&E to get checked out, especially if you start to feel ill. Many pharmacies will test your blood glucose for you and if it is in the high 20s then I would recommend going to hospital if you can't get a GP or nurse appointment, but if you tell the practice receptionist that you plan to go to A&E or that it is an emergency, then they should find a slot for you with the GP.
The Blood Glucose Meters that we recommend here on the forum are the ones which have the cheapest test strips as that is by far the most expensive cost of using one. For that reason the SD Gluco Navii (Previously the SD Codefree) or the Spirit Health TEE2 Blood Glucose Meters are recommended. The meters retail at about £13 (Available from Amazon) and the test strips are £8 for a pot of 50.
I hope you get an appointment asap and start to feel better soon.
Hello @Scsusanne
Welcome to the forum. As you can see from the replies above you have come to a good place to find out how to cope with Type 2 Diabetes.
You will find links to some test strips, and an item 'Test Review Adjust' about how to use them to find out the effect of various foods on your blood sugar levels.
Maggie Davys letter is also worth a read, as it describes this ladies journey through Diabetes.
It is a very personal journey and there is no 'one size fits all' and you need to take your time to find out the best solution for you.
We are all here to help - just ask, at let us know how you get on.
I joined in May as that’s when I was diagnosed, I was given metformin 500g every time I eat, breakfast lunch and dinner. I got an eye test and told I would get an appointment through an app for dietician still waiting, so just kept taking my tablets and watching my diet but recently been feeling down, thirsty and tired again. I phoned today to get an appointment with diabetic nurse and told she gives her appointments out at the start of the month and I need to go get my bloods tested at treatment room (arranged for Thursday) and to leave it ten days till I phone again for an appointment but as above I should just get an appointment with my doctor. I don’t drink alcohol and have been drinking water but I take on board no diet irn bru but just feel like it’s a big world and I don’t know anything about it. I need to take it more seriously and start reading and learning. Thanks for all your advise I really do appreciate it x
Pleased to hear you have arranged for a blood test and hopefully the result of that will prompt the nurse to see you sooner as it sounds to me like you have not been well monitored and your levels may be high. I know it isn't much fun drinking water glass after glass day after day but when your glucose levels are high it is best to stick with it. Perhaps add a slice of lemon or a sprig of mint to flavour it or a splash of diet Irn Bru if that is your tipple.
You might want to self fund a Blood Glucose Meter so that you can test your own BG and work out which foods you need to avoid and which you can get away with. They are relatively inexpensive to buy @ approx. £15 but the on going cost of purchasing test strips for it can run the finances up and for that reason the SD Gluco Navii (previously the SD Codefree) or the Spirit Health TEE2 Blood Glucose meters are recommended by members of the forum because they have the cheapest test strips @£8 for a pot of 50 whereas some other brands can be £15-£25 for a pot of 50 test strips.
In the meantime, if you give us an idea of what your daily menu looks like....ie an average day's breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus any snacks, we might be able to suggest things you could swap to help your BG levels come down
I have been trying to be healthy by eating baked potatoes and pasta and I think reading everything I’ve just made myself ill, no wonder I feel terrible. I have just bought a monitor so thank you for that I’m now going to read up on low carb food and diets as I think that’s where I should head. Thank you all for the advice I’ve learned more here in two nights than in six months from my doctors. I will phone them in the morning and get an appointment with doctor and appointment with dietician as I think I need to start again with my food it’s like baby steps
You are not alone in making poor dietary choices for your diabetes and in fact many GPs, nurses and even dieticians recommend those sorts of foods that you have been eating. I have found that it is really only people who live with diabetes who understand how to manage it and this forum has been invaluable in my learning process.
Most of us started from a position of relative ignorance about diabetes and assumed we just needed to cut out the sugar and sweet stuff. For me having a BG meter enabled me to see what happened when I ate stuff and the most shocking thing was one Saturday night when a packet of Jacobs salt and vinegar crackers sent my BG up to 27 and I spent the whole night flushing my system with glasses of water and going to the loo to try to get rid of it. My "healthy" breakfast porridge was the last high carb food I gave up before my levels came down into single figures. By that stage the nurse and consultant had decided that I needed to start on insulin and as it turned out I was Type 1 and not Type 2, but having learned to eat low carb by then, I found it best for me to continue and use the minimum amount of insulin I could manage with. I enjoy my new low carb higher fat (LCHF) way of eating as the fat makes up for the things I need to avoid, so I have cream in my coffee at breakfast instead of sugar or sweetener and a chunk of nice cheese whenever I feel hungry and I cook my leafy green veggies like cabbage or kale in butter or serve them with a dollop of cream cheese and cauliflower cheese is a regular feature on my menu with ham or good quality sausages. Omelettes with an assortment of fillings and accompanied by a salad are a simple and filling staple.
Hi, Sounds like you have been poorly treated (or to be more accurate not treated at all) by your GP surgery. You should have been sent on a Type 2 training course like DESMOND, X-PERT or OVIVA and you should certainly have seen a diabetic nurse straight away, not just fobbed off and sent home with pills. So ask for a referral to a course straight away. Then you should have been monitored 3 monthly until stable. No wonder you have been feeling ill, thinking you were doing the right things by having baked potato, pasta and juice. When I was first diagnosed I to was very tired and peeing for England, but I had great service and support from my GP and this Forum. The other thing you should do is ask for your HbA1c result, both on diagnosis, and when you have your blood test, then post it on here. With that information people can tailor their help to you.
Diabetes UK recommends <130gm carbs a day. Most of us go a lot lower. I aim for 75gm +- 15gm, and others operate even lower. Whatever suits you. Just to give you an idea of my daily menu, which had 71gm carbs today: Breakfast: Poached egg, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes: Lunch Cheese salad: Dinner Roast chicken, carrot, swede, cauliflower, green beans, a little gravy: Snack 80gm frozen berries, Greek natural yogurt, Benecol drink, 170ml milk for tea, lots of water. I monitor mine a day in advance with a NutraCheck web membership with a downloadable app. There are several, some are free, mine is not but offers a week free trial. It helps keep me on the straight and narrow by measuring carbs, cals, etc. You just have to weigh everything (not guess) as portion sizes are crucial - it is so easy to eat more carbs than you think. I'm sure others will offer you suggestions for managing and recipes. Best wishes.
I actually feel relieved reading everything has really helped I thought I was making good choices but I was totally wrong. I feel as if I’m now pointed in the right direction and a monitor will help and so will seriously looking at my diet. I new I was doing something wrong but couldn’t put my finger on it. Everyone’s help has been amazing x
So pleased you feel like you now have the knowledge and tools to help you manage your diabetes and there is a support network here to help you when/if you get stuck, lose your way a bit or just want to have a good rant as we all do from time to time as it can be frustrating when you have to plan every meal and be quite focussed. We understand and there are lots of tips and tricks to help make it a little easier..... things like swapping cauliflower mash for potato. ie Cook and mash cauliflower with a good dollop of cream cheese and serve with bangers and fried onions or use to top a cottage or fish pie topped off with grated cheese of course. Surprisingly it tastes really good and even non diabetics enjoy it or don't even notice the difference.
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