New Type-2 looking for reasons

[MikeW59]

Hello,

I'm Mike, just been told I have type-2, presented with a meter and test strips 2-weeks ago and now have a sore finger.

BG level was 22.8 (high I'm told) on 3rd March, now have an average reading of 13.8 on my smart little app. Agamatrix, should be between 4 and 7 I'm told so direction is down a bit. Am taking tabs (Gliser) something or other, to bring the numbers down. Started on 80mg per day and am now on 80mg at breakfast and 160mg at dinner?
Is this normal?
Does Gliser contain any carbs?

Am a bit confused by all the advice, do's and don'ts etc., logged on to Diabetes UK site as Doc said it was a good idea, nice chap!, have ordered a couple of books, recipes and a type-2 guide. Read some of the below posts and advice letters etc.

So fellow type2ees what do you recon?

Am I a lost cause that should just wrap up in a blanket and sit on the veranda watchin the dog pee against the tree until I croak.

Or will changing my diet, which is pretty good already thanks to MsMike, she who picks up the bits of me that are left and reassembles them into some kind of order and take more of the dreaded exercise prescribed?

Will I still be able to ride my Rocket-111 (motorcycle) around Europe with my mate and his misses if I have to stop every 2-hours to stab my finger and test de blood and play awesome bass rifts when my groove is with the blues?

The main question:
I had a mini stroke around 10-years ago. My fault, body abuse over many years and too many cigarettes. Have stopped now though, right after the stroke obviously, was a doddle and should of course done it much earlier. Anyhow, as a result lost a bit of mobility in my right foot.(from then on referred to as the 'bad' leg)

Have also battled with Cholesterol, take a statin (80mg) every day and have fasting blood tests every 6-months. Last tested in Feb-16 and readings were higher than normal but Doc said to watch my diet and readings should lower.

However, now for the painful bit.
2nd Jan 2017: fell down the stairs at home and managed to separate my quadriceps tendon from my kneecap on my left leg. OUCH indeed. (my 'good' legs kaput)

The 'bad' leg slipped forward, the 'good' leg went behind and I plunged down.
Essentially I was out of action for 2-months, had reconstruction surgery at Warwick hospital and spent much time on the sofa and lost in books.

Mid January Doc phoned and requested I hobble in for a blood test and results were through the roof so hence here I am stabbing my finger and eating Kale.

Is this a coincidence!
Could my high levels be due to the accident?
Am I just kidding myself?
Will the new 'bad' leg get better and become reclassified as the 'good' leg or will I have to concentrate on making the old 'bad' leg 'good' to replace it.
Either way the veranda does have its advantages and I couldn't possible cut the lawn at present even if I wanted too.

So here I am, confused, worried and walking with a limp.

Mike

 

[Amigo]

Hello,

I'm Mike, just been told I have type-2, presented with a meter and test strips 2-weeks ago and now have a sore finger.

BG level was 22.8 (high I'm told) on 3rd March, now have an average reading of 13.8 on my smart little app. Agamatrix, should be between 4 and 7 I'm told so direction is down a bit. Am taking tabs (Gliser) something or other, to bring the numbers down. Started on 80mg per day and am now on 80mg at breakfast and 160mg at dinner?
Is this normal?
Does Gliser contain any carbs?

Am a bit confused by all the advice, do's and don'ts etc., logged on to Diabetes UK site as Doc said it was a good idea, nice chap!, have ordered a couple of books, recipes and a type-2 guide. Read some of the below posts and advice letters etc.

So fellow type2ees what do you recon?

Am I a lost cause that should just wrap up in a blanket and sit on the veranda watchin the dog pee against the tree until I croak.

Or will changing my diet, which is pretty good already thanks to MsMike, she who picks up the bits of me that are left and reassembles them into some kind of order and take more of the dreaded exercise prescribed?

Will I still be able to ride my Rocket-111 (motorcycle) around Europe with my mate and his misses if I have to stop every 2-hours to stab my finger and test de blood and play awesome bass rifts when my groove is with the blues?

The main question:
I had a mini stroke around 10-years ago. My fault, body abuse over many years and too many cigarettes. Have stopped now though, right after the stroke obviously, was a doddle and should of course done it much earlier. Anyhow, as a result lost a bit of mobility in my right foot.(from then on referred to as the 'bad' leg)

Have also battled with Cholesterol, take a statin (80mg) every day and have fasting blood tests every 6-months. Last tested in Feb-16 and readings were higher than normal but Doc said to watch my diet and readings should lower.

However, now for the painful bit.
2nd Jan 2017: fell down the stairs at home and managed to separate my quadriceps tendon from my kneecap on my left leg. OUCH indeed. (my 'good' legs kaput)

The 'bad' leg slipped forward, the 'good' leg went behind and I plunged down.
Essentially I was out of action for 2-months, had reconstruction surgery at Warwick hospital and spent much time on the sofa and lost in books.

Mid January Doc phoned and requested I hobble in for a blood test and results were through the roof so hence here I am stabbing my finger and eating Kale.

Is this a coincidence!
Could my high levels be due to the accident?
Am I just kidding myself?
Will the new 'bad' leg get better and become reclassified as the 'good' leg or will I have to concentrate on making the old 'bad' leg 'good' to replace it.
Either way the veranda does have its advantages and I couldn't possible cut the lawn at present even if I wanted too.

So here I am, confused, worried and walking with a limp.

Mike

Oh you're certainly not a lost cause Mike especially with that great sense of humour. You sound like a walking catastrophe like me! You'll find a lot of walking wounded and hobblers on here!

If you've managed to give up the cigs and recovered from a stroke, you'll soon have this diabetes lark under control! Don't keep stabbing the same finger though and do the sides not the pad. Sounds like you're already heading in the right direction and once you discover what foods suit you, you'll get into an easier eating routine. Just keep the carbs light and concentrate on the vegetables and protein.
Sounds like you're on gliclazide but I don't take meds so others will advise you. I wouldn't have thought it contained carbs though.

I can't say whether your accident contributed to the accident unless you were on a high regime of steroids that can induce diabetes. Possibly the enforced lack of exercise and more goodies just brought the problem to the fore?

Don't be worried. This is do'able but not always pleasurable. Read all you can and learn about diabetes because that's the way to keep it under control.

A warm welcome to you anyway. If you're wanting some light-hearted fun, post on the Allygus Gourmet Cafe thread on here where another Mike will serve you any virtual food your heart desires without carbs and calories (but no booze!).

https://forum.diabetes.org.uk/board...coffee-bar-and-café.65388/page-16#post-695177

Best wishes, Amigo 🙂

 

[grovesy]

Welcome.

 

[happydog]

Hello MikeW59 and welcome to the forum. Each one of us is an individual so there is no "0ne size fits all" for getting control of diabetes. You are obviously a man with grit and determination and have already made life changes successfully, so you know that you can do it. Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there that made me confused and scared. We have some very special people on this forum who helped me and replied sympathetically and constructively to all my daft questions and encouraged me so much. Your fall and enforced inactivity will not have helped with D. I kept a food diary and found out what suited me and what sent my BG up. I also upped my exercise. It is important to choose something that you enjoy or you will not keep it up. I hated the gym but enjoy walking, so you will have to choose what to do. It does help enormously. Sorry I don't take meds at present so can't help you there. With the finger pricking as amigo has said use the sides and rotate the fingers. Get them warm before you prick and don't have the lancet set too deep. There is no quick fix but there is achievement if you are prepared to take control. Good luck with it and I hope you have success. Your delightful sense of humour and strong will should see you through, you are on the road already, well done 🙂

 

[Mark Parrott]

Welcome to the forum.🙂

 

[trophywench]

Hiya - trauma, pain and inflammation, other coincidental illnesses, not to mention stress, steroids and the outside temperature - can all affect our BG levels - so which one do you want to blame? Or perhaps, did your body have a predestined tendency (caused by genes or something else) towards getting diabetes - and having the accident was the final straw which broke the camel's back?

Why worry what the catalyst was - you can't turn the clock back and do something different, neither can you change either your genes or the weather! LOL

All and any carbohydrates affect our BG - but the starchy ones (whether they are white, brown or sky blue pink) and the sugary ones (and doesn't matter whether that's in fruit as fructose or maltose in something else or comes out of a bag marked 'Tate & Lyle') are the worst! Nobody normal can actually entirely avoid ALL carbs - even watery ole cucumber has the little stinkers - but there again it's a negligible amount, same as it is in lettuce and again nobody normal could possibly eat as much as those sort of things to actually make a noticeable difference to their BG.

So how to you work out what you can eat and what you shouldn't? Well - use your meter, is the answer! Have a read of 'Jennifer's Advice' and 'Test, Review, Adjust' - plus I should have a look at 'Painless Pricks' too if I was you. I think they are all in the advice to newbies at the top of the Newbies area of the forum.

Gliclazide works by encouraging your pancreas to push out more insulin to assist you - trouble is they can't pinpoint exactly when your pancreas will do it - so potentially you could have a too low BG at any time - so apart from anything else - it is a real safety issue. I know I take insulin - and only ride pillion, but I've been hanging off with my upper torso at right angles to the bike and SWORE I was completely upright, when hypo and how the hell my husband managed to control the bike, bring it to a safe stop, get me off it and ply me with full sugar Coke - I have absolutely no idea. Far far better to stop and test, even though yes it is a pain in the arse having to do it - at least feeling the pain in the arse proves you're still alive, which could SO easily not be the case otherwise.

We were returning from a holiday in France on either our Trophy or Blackbird, forget which, when we met a chap an a Rocket III on the ferry whilst chocking the bikes. Very odd, considering they hadn't been released yet???? So we went, Errr? Told us he was one of the regular road testers and had been in Spain hot weather testing! Most ordinary dress, ordinary - middle aged - bloke, bikes were delivered to his house in a plain van and went straight into his garage and NOBODY except those who were supposed to know knew anything about where he ever went off to, on his own, on his bikes (he owned a selection anyway and none of his neighbours ever batted an eyelid what he happened to be riding, as they just weren't into bikes!)

So it being the case that he said it never skipped a beat either on the road, on the track or up the odd goat track - I think it's absolutely essential that you check all that out as often as you possibly can, to make certain it's 100% true. Dirty job - but someone has to do it. Enjoy!

 

[MikeW59]

Wow!!
Overwhelmed with a warm fluffy feeling developing deep within.

Thank you so much for:-

I) Bothering to reply.
II) For the advice and best wishes.
III) For reading my rant.
IV) For confirming that a pain in the arse proves you are still alive. I'll have a quiet word with MsMike about that.

and probably at this stage I should say the yes I for one love Roman numerals.

Breakfast reading today was 10.9 so my average is slightly down to 13.6 which I guess is good.
My thinking is that the next time I see my nurse, Linda, she will increase me to 160mg two times a day, we will see.
The Doc is suggesting that I go to see an 'Endocrinologist' which I'm a bit reluctant about doing as anything with Endo in the title usually means pain, ok sometimes pleasure but usually pain.
He's also talking about Insulin which is a bit scary.

After my January event, MsMike or Jac to give you her real name had to inject me in the 'tummy' I would say, 'belly' she would retort pointing the finger 56 times over a 4-week period to prevent clotting etc. Bloody painful from my part and no matter that she wore a stethoscope and short nurses uniform its not really something I looked forward to let alone having to do it myself!!
Terror!

Today, I have to see Peter my physiotherapist. Its my 2nd visit since my fall to try and get some better mobility back. I can walk a bit now and have given up both the crutches and wearing a brace although slopes give me a bit of a problem and I still feel a bit like a lemming peering over the abyss at times.
I have been using our old exercise bike for 5 minutes a day of very slow peddling with no resistance which seems to help. At one point I even thought I saw the early stages of thigh muscle returning but it was just a shadow and yes I was surprised we had an exercise bike also.
A small reminder of times past for Jac and things to be avoided by me..
It was hidden behind a stack of bass amps, crash helmets and guitar cases, anyhow WD-40 sorted it out and now for 5-painfull minutes I sit astride and pedal with a squeak and a grunt to the amusement of Macie, our little Staffy dog.

Anyhow, thank you again.
Business is now calling for my attention and I've shed my load of trials and tribulations onto you all again which strangely I find quite therapeutic.

Warmest regards.

M.

 

[grovesy]

Endocrinologist are often Diabetic Specialist as well.

 

[trophywench]

All diabetes consultants are Endos first, before they specialise ! It's gastroenterologists you really need to steer clear of!

We can absolutely assure you that insulin needles, at 4 or 5mm long and about the width of a hair - are completely painless 99 times out of 100. Not like any other jab you have ever had or ever will have, in your life!

 

[Ljc]

Hi Mike. Many T2s who are proactive about their diabetes like you are, seldom need to go on insulin. But if you ever need to, you are likely to p yourself laughing when you see an insulin needle, I know from personal experience they are much much shorter , finer and kinder than those you've had in your tum.

 

[MikeW59]

Ha, hello Jenny and grovesy, thank you.

That makes sense I guess, beware the 'enters' rather than the 'endos', I'll try to remember that and I am assured about the insulin, a bit, but still don't fancy it.
My daughter, who is a nurse, said the same thing but it's still sharp and pointy no matter the size.
However, will do my best to wear my pants on the outside if and when required.

Without banging on, I really do admire you people, how you deal with things that I would find so difficult in such a matter of fact way.
Jenny I presume pumping means injecting since 1972, wow!!
That surely puts my woes into perspective.

I've read a bit about, blindness, amputations, pancreatic cancer etc. and it frightened me somewhat but equally I realise that that's very extreme and hopefully a long way off.
But none the less, very brave people and much respect from me.
I read a moving post from a lady who had recently undergone what seemed to be serious surgery on here yesterday.
Total admiration and another from a lady who was saying she felt lonely having to cope with the change in diet brought on by her diagnosis.

Hopefully the posts and replies from you and others will provide support when things get tough, a kind of companionship and at times a look at the lighter less serious side.

Please appreciate, as I'm sure you do, that this is all new to me. I'm finding my feet, good and bad and getting to grips with things I think, so, i'll see how it goes and keep stabbing my finger, on the side whilst rotating and taking my readings.

Now, time for a Kale break I guess!

Thanks again and catch up soon.

M

 

[MikeW59]

Thanks Lin.

M

 

[Grannylorraine]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[stephknits]

Welcome to the forum, glad you found us! The finger prick thing is far more annoying than the insulin needle. The painless pricks article mentioned is great. Good for you for tackling the kale - not a sacrifice i am prepared to make

 

[trophywench]

'Pumping' means exactly that Mike - loads of us now have ceased to have insulin jabs - we are attached to a small machine permanently (not actually permanent) but instead of lots of small jabs every day - an insulin pump drips it into use every few minutes, much like (but nothing like LOL) what a normal pancreas does, when you have one that's fully functional.

Tiny electronic things, fatter but shorter than a mobile phone, with a vial of insulin inside it. which drips along a piece of very fine tubing (finer than very fine fishing line - my husband and son in law have both tried to thread line through an old bit of my tubing and failed LOL) and into a cannula which has to be changed every couple of days.

Things have moved on a LOT since 1972. Pumper Sue has been diabetic even longer than me whilst still being younger - since she was little when she was diagnosed and I was a married lady of 22 ! Think Hobie has too, I know he was aged 3 !

From my POV I don't think what I or others like me, had to do and have to do is remarkable at all. None of us had any choice about it, let's face it! Much simpler to just say Oh bugger ! - and get on with it . No point in doing or saying anything else, after all ! Yes - it was difficult, of course. Yes, there were tears, of course. Yes, there were the 'Why ME?' days, of course! But after all that - nob all had changed. We were all still stuck with it !

And at the same time you know - I hadn't realised cos it creeps up on you - how Goddam awful I actually felt - until approx. 5 minutes after Nursie Nightshade gave me my very very first insulin jab. Good grief - I actually started to feel like ME again, THAT quickly! and so, with my sensible head on - I realised that if I wanted to feel like me for the rest of my life - and I did! - I just better accept it. And - you do, usually.

Can't say it's ever restricted me - never wanted to be a diver on an oil rig or go into orbit from Cape Canaveral, anyway! (or drive a bus or fly a plane, most of which we can do now if we really want to LOL anyway) - so here I am still me, and hope I stay me until I pop me clogs.

 

[MikeW59]

Hi Jenny.
Only just read this.
Yep, spot on girl.
Wishing you all the very best. Was good to hear a rational view on things. Much appreciated.
Take care.
M

 

[Poppy460]

Hello,

I'm Mike, just been told I have type-2, presented with a meter and test strips 2-weeks ago and now have a sore finger.

BG level was 22.8 (high I'm told) on 3rd March, now have an average reading of 13.8 on my smart little app. Agamatrix, should be between 4 and 7 I'm told so direction is down a bit. Am taking tabs (Gliser) something or other, to bring the numbers down. Started on 80mg per day and am now on 80mg at breakfast and 160mg at dinner?
Is this normal?
Does Gliser contain any carbs?

Am a bit confused by all the advice, do's and don'ts etc., logged on to Diabetes UK site as Doc said it was a good idea, nice chap!, have ordered a couple of books, recipes and a type-2 guide. Read some of the below posts and advice letters etc.

So fellow type2ees what do you recon?

Am I a lost cause that should just wrap up in a blanket and sit on the veranda watchin the dog pee against the tree until I croak.

Or will changing my diet, which is pretty good already thanks to MsMike, she who picks up the bits of me that are left and reassembles them into some kind of order and take more of the dreaded exercise prescribed?

Will I still be able to ride my Rocket-111 (motorcycle) around Europe with my mate and his misses if I have to stop every 2-hours to stab my finger and test de blood and play awesome bass rifts when my groove is with the blues?

The main question:
I had a mini stroke around 10-years ago. My fault, body abuse over many years and too many cigarettes. Have stopped now though, right after the stroke obviously, was a doddle and should of course done it much earlier. Anyhow, as a result lost a bit of mobility in my right foot.(from then on referred to as the 'bad' leg)

Have also battled with Cholesterol, take a statin (80mg) every day and have fasting blood tests every 6-months. Last tested in Feb-16 and readings were higher than normal but Doc said to watch my diet and readings should lower.

However, now for the painful bit.
2nd Jan 2017: fell down the stairs at home and managed to separate my quadriceps tendon from my kneecap on my left leg. OUCH indeed. (my 'good' legs kaput)

The 'bad' leg slipped forward, the 'good' leg went behind and I plunged down.
Essentially I was out of action for 2-months, had reconstruction surgery at Warwick hospital and spent much time on the sofa and lost in books.

Mid January Doc phoned and requested I hobble in for a blood test and results were through the roof so hence here I am stabbing my finger and eating Kale.

Is this a coincidence!
Could my high levels be due to the accident?
Am I just kidding myself?
Will the new 'bad' leg get better and become reclassified as the 'good' leg or will I have to concentrate on making the old 'bad' leg 'good' to replace it.
Either way the veranda does have its advantages and I couldn't possible cut the lawn at present even if I wanted too.

So here I am, confused, worried and walking with a limp.

Mike

Hi Mike
I was diagnosed last June and it was a real shock. I thought I could be pre-diabetic but I was off the scale and it had only been picked up by accident due to a water test for an infection. I was very angry and upset as I thought I ate a healthy diet and I wasn't over weight the typical reasons the media give for diabetes.

I am still trying to sort my diet out and the advice given by members of the forums has been great and I have felt so much better being able to talk to people with similar experiences.

As to curling up etc no way! I have lost weight, dropped a dress size, changed my hair and have had so many comments on how well I now look, and questions such as where do I now get my energy from? I am a lady in her early fifties and I had previously felt so ill that I didn't know how I was going to get to my sixties especially as the doctors had said it was all due to my age! I am continually surprised at the difference certain foods make to the way I feel and the difference the last few months has made. I felt so much better within a very short space of time, which was so wonderful as I believe the diabetes had been coming on for several years (I didn't know this could happen).

Yes I would desperately love not to have diabetes but as I do, I now know you just have to accept it and then go forward finding the best path for you. My teenage son is so much more aware of his diet now and my best friend has now told me that she has had her own wake up call, about her lifestyle and eating and drinking habits due to my experiences. So if some good can come out of this then great. It does take time to adjust and I get confused with foods but I wouldn't want to go back to the way I used to feel.

Keep smiling
Poppy

 

[MikeW59]

Hi Mike
I was diagnosed last June and it was a real shock. I thought I could be pre-diabetic but I was off the scale and it had only been picked up by accident due to a water test for an infection. I was very angry and upset as I thought I ate a healthy diet and I wasn't over weight the typical reasons the media give for diabetes.

I am still trying to sort my diet out and the advice given by members of the forums has been great and I have felt so much better being able to talk to people with similar experiences.

As to curling up etc no way! I have lost weight, dropped a dress size, changed my hair and have had so many comments on how well I now look, and questions such as where do I now get my energy from? I am a lady in her early fifties and I had previously felt so ill that I didn't know how I was going to get to my sixties especially as the doctors had said it was all due to my age! I am continually surprised at the difference certain foods make to the way I feel and the difference the last few months has made. I felt so much better within a very short space of time, which was so wonderful as I believe the diabetes had been coming on for several years (I didn't know this could happen).

Yes I would desperately love not to have diabetes but as I do, I now know you just have to accept it and then go forward finding the best path for you. My teenage son is so much more aware of his diet now and my best friend has now told me that she has had her own wake up call, about her lifestyle and eating and drinking habits due to my experiences. So if some good can come out of this then great. It does take time to adjust and I get confused with foods but I wouldn't want to go back to the way I used to feel.

Keep smiling
Poppy

Hi Poppy,

Absolutely, acceptance is the right way. We are a similar age and my experience has also been similar other than the dress size but I have been punching extra holes in belts for a couple of weeks now. Best of luck with everything and maybe you should give Kale a shot on the food front.

Mike