Newbie with hubby who has sugar imbalance

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Diana***

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Hi all

I am Diana from Sheffield whose husband has a sugar imbalance but not yet diabetes. I am trying to control his sugar levels by diet at the moment but his gp was not happy with his last blood test and wants us to check sugar levels in foods to be 2-5% preferably, 10% absolute max. Not easy!!!

Have got a few Low GI reference books so that is helpful too.

Back soon

Di

🙂
 
Hiya Di, and welcome - I used to live in Sheffield (in Crookes), spent many an hour running down the Rivelin valley!

I would say that the thing to watch out for is not just sugar, but the total carbohydrate content of foods - all carbohydrate gets converted to glucose in the blood, it's just that simple sugars will convert faster. Low GI takes longer to digest and is therefore a slower, more even release of glucose. Regular exercise will also help to maintain better blood sugar levels too, if this is possible.
 
Hi Diana - Exercise doesn't just mean competitive sports, gyms etc. Does your husband walk or cycle anywhere - or drive / take bus or tram for short journeys (say up to 2 miles for walking, up to 5 miles for cycling) that he could walk or cycle instead? That could be enough to make a real difference to his blood sugar levels, in combination with low sugar diet. Perhaps your husband would value the money saving aspect of walking or cycling if he would object to "exercise"? Admittedly there is initial cost of buying bike, lights, reflective kit, helmet, pump, tools etc, and occasional inner tube or brake cable replacements, but many items can be bought second hand or obtained from Freecycle.

Anyway, good luck, and let us know how you both get on.
 
When I was diagnosed I wasn't too keen on exercising, hadn't done any since school, but I went jogging anyway - and sprained my ankle! So I decided to get some exercise videos and do it in the comfort and safety of my own living room. I do half an hour 3 times a week - don't exactly enjoy it but I just tell myself that hour and a half could add years to my life. Rosemary Conley dvd would be a good start.
 
wheres my blood arghh!

good morning pple well been a diabetic 3 weeks now lol!

finding it really hard getting blood outta my fingers at the minute i do try as much as possible to change hands and fingers and they do day only start on your fingers to begin, but when im having to prick my finger about 4 times for blood i get really demorilised and burst out crying in front of my kids ,(they must think im mad).I am also finding my skin is getting really tough on the end of my fingers is that usual?

thanks stef
 
steff09 said:
good morning pple well been a diabetic 3 weeks now lol!

finding it really hard getting blood outta my fingers at the minute i do try as much as possible to change hands and fingers and they do day only start on your fingers to begin, but when im having to prick my finger about 4 times for blood i get really demorilised and burst out crying in front of my kids ,(they must think im mad).I am also finding my skin is getting really tough on the end of my fingers is that usual?

thanks stef
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Hi steff, it's sooo frustrating when this happens, isn't it? You go through that horrible finger prick, only for it to fail! There are a few tips:
  • After you've pricked the finger, leave it for a few seconds. This is because the body's reaction is 'I've been injured! Must close the wound!' After a little while, the finger relaxes
  • Hang your hand down during these few seconds, to get some help from gravity
  • Make sure your finger is warm before you prick it - very difficult to get blood from cold fingers. If necessary, run it under some warm water.
  • You can also 'milk' the blood by squeezing down the finger towards the end.
 
yes northener very i am nervous enough then when i muster up the courage only for it to fail it gets me soo mad, anyways thanks very much for those tips i shall try them when i do my next bloods



thanks
 
A couple more things, Steff:
What part of your finger are you pricking? It's less painful to prick the side of your finger tip, not the pad. The pad is equipped with a very high density of nerves for feeling, sensation, pain receptos etc, while the side doesn' have so many.
What sort of pricking device are you using? If you just have a lancet, but nothing to hold it, it may be more painful. Most blood glucose meters come with a pricking device - and may last longer than the meter, if it is updated and strips discontinued.
 
I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but are you changing the lancet? Most people think to change needles but for some reason just keep on using the same lancet. I do this, I know I shouldn't. Most prickers also allow you to change the depth the lancet goes in so changing that may help.

Also, if you go to the list of posts for whatever part of the board you are using (messageboard, newbies, exercise, etc) there is a link to post a new thread. That way people will know you are starting a new subject. If you reply to a thread which is already started, some people might miss it if the title post in the thread is not of interest to them.
 
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Diana*** said:
Hi all

I am Diana from Sheffield whose husband has a sugar imbalance but not yet diabetes. I am trying to control his sugar levels by diet at the moment but his gp was not happy with his last blood test and wants us to check sugar levels in foods to be 2-5% preferably, 10% absolute max. Not easy!!!

Have got a few Low GI reference books so that is helpful too.

Back soon

Di

🙂
Click to expand...
Dear Diana***,

If your husband REALLY is not yet diabetic, it may be possible to stop him progressing to becoming one! To do this he must adopt a low carbohydrate approach to dieting. However, you should be aware that this approach is not what your doctor will recommend. There are many diets that he could choose, a Google search will give you many options. The diet I chose was Atkins but Protein Power is a good one too. One more thing: If a low carb approach is to work, your husband must follow the diet exactly as prescribed ie NO CHEATING!

Regards Dodger
 
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hi cope and liz ,

well cope at the moment i am using sides of thumb third n second finger in on both left and right hand , i use a freestyle lite pen thing that you insert the lancet pull the trigger thing back and then you let it go and it pricks the finger for me It is very nerve racking for me at present i dread pushing the button for the needle to go in my finger tip i have to have at least minute n half to pscye myself up

Liz i always use same lancet i have a box of 200 to get through mind you lol,i aint even sure if once i have used the needle on 1 test if i can re-use for rest of the day does anyone know????


p.s thanks for telling me how to start a new thread Liz i have been wondering actually
 
Hi again Steff

I find the ring (4th) and little finger are best for me, I don't like doing it in my thumbs. I think like needles, lancets should only be used once however they could probably be used more than that but each time they would get a little bit blunter, hurt a little more and make a bigger hole in your finger.
 
reusing lancets & needles

Have look on your box of lancets - it proabably says "for single use only" and / or has a symbol of number 2, with a line through it, which also means don't use each lancet more than once. However, many people do use lancets and needles more than once, and very few have had any problems as a consequence. If anything, it makes more sense to change lancets more often than needles, because lancets come into contact with blood vessels, while needles generally only come into contact with fat tissue. Changing needles each time means wasting slightly more insulin, as the needle needs to be full of insulin, with no air bubbles, before injecting, to ensure accurate dosage.
 
Hi again

yes cope you were right it says on side of my box of lancets single use only ,ahh why did'nt i think of that 🙂

Liz i must be honest i have not even tried my lil finger yet i was to nervous i tryed the other day and could'nt do it , but i will give it a go if only to give my thumb and other finger a rest lol..Im so scared of any types of needles i cant even go for blood tests without a friend being there im terrible :(
 
steff09 said:
Hi again

yes cope you were right it says on side of my box of lancets single use only ,ahh why did'nt i think of that 🙂

Liz i must be honest i have not even tried my lil finger yet i was to nervous i tryed the other day and could'nt do it , but i will give it a go if only to give my thumb and other finger a rest lol..Im so scared of any types of needles i cant even go for blood tests without a friend being there im terrible :(
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Hi steff, I use my little finger and the one next to it, and try to alternate hands to give the other a chance to heal. I hadn't used my little finger until I met someone on a diabetes course who used hers. I was told not to use the thumb, so have never used it. Perhpas it's because if you hurt your thumb it causes you more problems than if you hurt a finger - cos you have three more of them on each hand (unless you're a polydactyl!).

I use lancets more than once, but only use needles once - down to individual preference, I think.

It's never pleasant, I've found, but you do get used to it. It's odd that non-diabetics seem more horrified by the thought of injections, but I find that, most of the time, they don't hurt at all - but the blood tests do!
 
hi northener,
seconded on the blood tests hurting when i went for one the nurse could not get any blood out of me she tryed 3 times once in hand twice in arm she sent me off down the hospital they had it out and filled 3 test tubes within a minute weird how nurse had no joy i was terrified by then my arm was yellows the following morning, was not a great experience for a very terrified person lol.

Ah liz also mentioned little finger i am going to use it now when i do this test as you say i will have to lay off using my thumb ...

thanks Stef 😱
 
pintsize said:
Hi i'm graham you must wash your hands hard to get your blood flowing
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Hi Graham, you're absolutely right - getting the blood flowing by washing in warm water helps a lot, and also means that the test is not contaminated in any way by what you might have on your fingers after eating etc.

I've found that, after a long run when my heart has been thumping away and I'm all warmed up, I don't even have to squeeze at all!

Another point to note is that, the test might fail because the test strip is faulty. I have, on occasion, had what I thought was more than enough of a blood drop, only for it to smear and the meter to flash up an error. It doesn't happen very often, but I used to think I was doing something wrong until I read on here that otheres had encountered the same problem.
 
different blood / different blood vessels

Steff - the reason for differences in amount / speed of blood not obtained from finger prick and the 3 tubes obtained within a minute at hospital is that finger pricks take capilliary blood from the tiny blood vessels that link arteries with veins, while tubes of blood are obtained from veins, which take blood back from body tissues to the heart to start again. A yellow arm just means that some blood has leaked out into the surrounding tissue, causing a bruise. One tip to reduce the chance of a bruise after a blood test is to press the cotton wool or gauze supplied on the puncture without bending your arm.

(I'm ignoring the pulmonary circulation system here, which takes blood between heart and lungs, as it's not relevent to blood tests for diabetes)
 
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