Newbie arriving on Platform 9

[Jambuttie]

Hi Everyone

I'm new to the forum, although I have been diagnosed with T2 for 2 years now.

Reason I'm here?
To understand more about T2 and how to beat it.
Find new friends.

My last HCA1 was 72. I am in the T2 Testing programme which I started yesterday. My bedtime reading was 8.4, this morning 6 and just before dinner 5.7.

Originally I was given the red booklet on diabetes, printed in 2014, with its insistence that I have a low fat diet. At the same time the nurse told me about the Low carb diet... ok so far?
I lost 9lb in 3 months according to the doctors scales. I felt fine and carried on low carb.

Next visit I had an HCA1 spike of 72, and was put on Sukarrto SR, which bought the HCA1 down to acceptable levels, retinal scan showed a bit of damage.

Now 6 months later HCA1 spikes again to 72 and I've put on 5kgs... I believe the long hot summer and home BBQs were to blame along with Full Fat soft drinks. Nurse asked me what I eat and told her I had a treat of steak, egg, chips and peas. How many chips, I said about this many - probably around 18 in various sizes. She then says cynically "You like your carbs don't you". You what??? first potatoes in 6 days and only 2 pieces of small Warburtons sliced bread (9g carbs a slice) with ham or cheese or fish filling and she accuses me of eating to many oven chips... My Sukarrto SR is doubled and I get the threat "Your only 53, what about your children". Implying that next step is Insulin and then death if I don't buck my ideas up.

My dinner recipe tonight was seared salmon fillet in Olive oil with herbs, fried cherry tomatoes and a large pepper, served on lettuce with mozzarella . Very nice and filling. Could be baked also.

I'm going to test morning and when I get home and at bed time to see what I get and then in 3 months I will see what the HCA1 test says, at least this time I will have my results just incase. I will test at other times as well.

 

[CathyB]

Hi @Jambuttie, welcome to the group no one wants to join 😉 you clearly have a lot of experience and know what you are aiming for, you will find loads of great information here so do take some time to read back posts, these are all people with a lived experience, no text book advice here 🙄
Feel free to ask any questions you might have, we are a friendly bunch

 

[Ljc]

Hi @Jambuttie , welcome to the forum, we all need a little treat sometimes.
As you are on the testing program, I hope they are providing you enough strips to follow a way of testing in a link I am going to provide in a mo, that will enable you to find out how the various carbohydrates affect you as we are all different in this respect,

Here it is
test-review-adjust by Alan S

 

[Jambuttie]

@Ljc, I went for the year long supply, which is something like 400 of each, which won't be enough to test everyday, but I gather that isn't what is meant to happen?

I will have a look at the link you sent.

Thanks

 

[Ljc]

Only 400 for a year . Ok you might find this link better then
teting-on-budget.
If you find you need more strips and they won’t provide more if you can afford to self fund some yourself, many here use the SD Codefree glucose meter whose test strips cost around £8 less VAT which you are fully entitled to claim,for 50 where high street brands cost in excess of £15

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Codefree-G...fm-21&linkId=f39210144fdc26c27738e45b6d957003

 

[HOBIE]

Low carbs or lower is prob the best way to go. Welcome & good luck 🙂

 

[Drummer]

I stuck to 50gm of carbs per day to get normal numbers, but from low carb foods, rather than small amounts of high carb ones.
I find that no matter what I do HCPs like to sneer.

 

[Jambuttie]

Question, Ive just tested after lunch and I was 12.5, almost double! I had toast and pate, very little carbs there, and a glass of sugar free orange squash. but I had just spent the last hr cleaning the car, could that affect the reading, like with Blood pressure.

 

[Lanny]

I find that exercise puts up my blood sugars initially & then drops steadily afterwards. The drop, depending on the exercise, can continue to the next meal too. You could test again later, an hour or two, & see what your blood sugars are then.

 

[Jambuttie]

@Lanny, thank you, I thought that might be the case.

 

[Alister]

You would be surprised just how many carbs in a slice of bread & how much of an affect they have.

generally (or at least until I had to put diabetes control secondary to more urgent issues) I would restrict myself to 1 slice of Bergen bread at a time
wholemeal pasta & rice I would have between 1/3 & 1/2 the amount that ate previously & maybe 6-8 oven chips in any one meal.

Insulin: don't think of being put on insulin as a failure. I have been on small dose of background insulin (basal)since diagnostic (HbA1c 107) that with the diet changes & drugs brought me down to 37 in 6 months. Even with my current low residue diet which is not Diabetic friendly I am testing arond 6-7 before meals. Some Diabetics need more medical help than others but that is just the way things are. with the correct approach improvements should nt be too hard

Oh yes I test regularly which really helps me to see if anything is good or bad for me.

 

[Jambuttie]

I've looked at the back of many a bread product.... won't be eating bagels for instance, but the Warburton's Small loaf is 9g per slice, oddly the Hovis Low Carb, has more carbs.... Burgen is 9.1g per slice and thicker than the Warburton's, probably helped by the seeds in it. I manage with two slices a day.

Good news on the testing front, out of 4 before breakfast tests 3 are under 7.

I'm just over a week into the doubling of Sukarrto SR and having a bad stomach most days. I have also realised I should be taking my evening medication with food and not at bed time, oops.

 

[Lanny]

I don’t eat a lot of bread but, when I do I have kingsmills no crusts 50/50 at 17g carbs for 2 slices. It’s half the size of the normal kingsmill but, I’ve never liked crusts & cut them off anyway! I only eat a couple slices of toast now & then! But, when I first started eating breakfast, for better blood sugar control only since 2015, I ate 4 slices toast with tea: 34g carbs which didn’t affect my BS much!