New here

Tuesday said:
New here but not New to having type 2 diabetes.
Mainly hoping to learn more.
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Welcome to the forum, I noticed you have posted in a couple of other threads.
Would you like to say a bit about how you manage your condition, what meds and what diet are you following. What was your latest HbA1C, we are all learning about new way of improving things so do ask any questions you may have.
What suggestions people make will depend on those answers.
The comment about the soup was likely that if people are following a low carb regime then tinned soups can be very high in carbs as they often contain potatoes and starches as thickeners./
 
My last a1c was 7.6 and has climbed since the previous one before that of 7.1.
I'm basically unable to control my diabetes despite 4 meds (2 insulin and metformin and ozempic) and a previous keto diet and massive weight loss due to a mouth surgery. Therefore needing to eat soups mainly.

None of my numbers are in the desired range of 4 to 7 or 10 after meals. My best so far is a 10 fasting.

The diet I follow now is the one I can afford so whatever is cheap food bad or good. In addition to being only able to eat dinner due to other health conditions.

In my 10 years since diagnosis I've likely received nearly all the advice there can be so I just like to read and learn more. Just in case there's new advice or ideas.

I also live in an isolated city 4 hours away from most medical help so my specialist dr appts. are done by phone. And doing lab tests means no food for 1 day due to finances. So I try to go 1 or 2 times a year even tho the dr wants 4x a year. And I'm approaching 60 years of age. Female.
My story is pretty bleak but it is what it is.
 
Welcome to the forum. Do you know how to adjust your insulin doses or does someone else do this for you? That would be how you get your levels down.
 
Tuesday said:
I self adjust and am at the highest I can without a hypo.
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Sorry you’ve lost me. What do you mean “you’re at the highest you can without a hypo”. If your levels are always very high above the targets then you don’t sound on the brink of a hypo.

Have you done basal testing and checked your bolus ratios?
 
Lucyr said:
Sorry you’ve lost me. What do you mean “you’re at the highest you can without a hypo”. If your levels are always very high above the targets then you don’t sound on the brink of a hypo.

Have you done basal testing and checked your bolus ratios?
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I think there's something else coming into play here. But I haven't figured it out. Maybe dirty or old test strips or who knows. There are so many variables. Plus stress can drop me to a hypo too. If a hypo is being below 4. I only know that using more than 100 units a day of basal causes me to go below 4 in the afternoon no matter how high I start. A measured hypo with my freestyle lite Metre. Plus be4 I even test I can feel it.
I have a ratio of 1 to 3. I have not tested that in a few years. I wasn't sure how to with only eating once a day. Is it done the same way? Plus my dr prefers to know the amount so I'm stuck having to just pick a number to give him. I tried telling I have a ratio but he insists on one dose number. Which isn't always going to be the same so I just tell him what the highest is that I've ever used.
 
Tuesday said:
I only know that using more than 100 units a day of basal causes me to go below 4 in the afternoon no matter how high I start.
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So sounds like your basal could be either ok or too high or the type or timing of basal doesn’t suit you, and your bolus could be ok or too low but you aren’t really sure.

So I’d suggest starting with basal testing then bolus testing. You could do the online Bertie course for more understanding on how the insulin works and adjusting it, or there are books people could recommend if that’s your preference.
 
Lucyr said:
So sounds like your basal could be either ok or too high or the type or timing of basal doesn’t suit you, and your bolus could be ok or too low but you aren’t really sure.

So I’d suggest starting with basal testing then bolus testing. You could do the online Bertie course for more understanding on how the insulin works and adjusting it, or there are books people could recommend if that’s your preference.
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When I was in a better financial position I bought 'using insulin' and 'think like a pancreas' books but they didn't address only eating once a day and insulin use? Of course I understand why. So I guess I dig them back out and apply the same techniques to the way I eat.
 
Another reason for bad numbers could be that what I get to eat varies alot. So if something is for sale that's low carb or even keto I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. And if the sale had high carb foods then I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. It's extremely hard to take regular doses on such a varied diet.

What can be done to help that?
 
Tuesday said:
Another reason for bad numbers could be that what I get to eat varies alot. So if something is for sale that's low carb or even keto I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. And if the sale had high carb foods then I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. It's extremely hard to take regular doses on such a varied diet.

What can be done to help that?
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Can you batch cook meals and freeze in meal size portions. Can you get 'wonky' veg and fruit as they are often cheaper.
I don't know what supermarkets you have but some so veg of the week offers.
 
Tuesday said:
When I was in a better financial position I bought 'using insulin' and 'think like a pancreas' books but they didn't address only eating once a day and insulin use? Of course I understand why.
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It’s fine to eat once a day if that’s your preference. The point of basal bolus insulin is that if your doses are correct it doesn’t matter how often you eat, you just bolus based on what/when you’re eating
 
Tuesday said:
Another reason for bad numbers could be that what I get to eat varies alot. So if something is for sale that's low carb or even keto I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. And if the sale had high carb foods then I'd be eating that for any number of weeks. It's extremely hard to take regular doses on such a varied diet.
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Again this is where basal bolus with ratios not set doses would help. If your ratios are set right it doesn’t matter how varied your diet is, you just bolus according to what you’re eating right then.
 
At this time I'm really struggling with a daily health condition that at this time affects me worse than diabetes and am pretty exhausted. It's hard to think and do the adjustments needed. I want to feel a little better before doing something so serious.
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions.
 
Tuesday said:
At this time I'm really struggling with a daily health condition that at this time affects me worse than diabetes and am pretty exhausted. It's hard to think and do the adjustments needed. I want to feel a little better before doing something so serious.
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions.
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Can your GP help you with your other condition, I know it is often tricky when people are juggling multiple conditions especially when treatment for one conflicts with the other.
If you use the search you may find others with similar problems who have found something which helps them.
 
Leadinglights said:
Can your GP help you with your other condition, I know it is often tricky when people are juggling multiple conditions especially when treatment for one conflicts with the other.
If you use the search you may find others with similar problems who have found something which helps them.
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All the dr could do was prescribe meds. which were not covered in my insurance so I'm unable to have them. So I eat once a day and only have to have the symptoms once a day as opposed to multiple times if eating 3x a day.
 
Tuesday said:
All the dr could do was prescribe meds. which were not covered in my insurance so I'm unable to have them. So I eat once a day and only have to have the symptoms once a day as opposed to multiple times if eating 3x a day.
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If it is a gut issue you may find something that will help you choose suitable foods that will minimise your problem by looking at the website of the charity Guts UK
 
Tuesday said:
All the dr could do was prescribe meds. which were not covered in my insurance so I'm unable to have them. So I eat once a day and only have to have the symptoms once a day as opposed to multiple times if eating 3x a day.
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You mention insurance not covering medication, so can I assume you are not in the UK and treated under the NHS. People are very welcome from other parts of the world but it helps to know this information because medications and protocols can be surprisingly different in other countries.

You comment about having symptoms after eating makes me wonder if you might need Creon?
Would you like to tell us a bit about how your initial Type 2 diagnosis came about? Just wondering if you might be Type 3c rather than Type 2 and perhaps if you need Creon (Pancreatic Enzyme supplement) but don't take it, it might explain why your levels are so variable. I appreciate that I may be way off the mark with that thought, but it just floated through my head so thought I might as well mention it.
 
rebrascora said:
You mention insurance not covering medication, so can I assume you are not in the UK and treated under the NHS. People are very welcome from other parts of the world but it helps to know this information because medications and protocols can be surprisingly different in other countries.

You comment about having symptoms after eating makes me wonder if you might need Creon?
Would you like to tell us a bit about how your initial Type 2 diagnosis came about? Just wondering if you might be Type 3c rather than Type 2 and perhaps if you need Creon (Pancreatic Enzyme supplement) but don't take it, it might explain why your levels are so variable. I appreciate that I may be way off the mark with that thought, but it just floated through my head so thought I might as well mention it.
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I just thought today that the OP may not be in the UK with mentioning insurance.
 
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