Newbie

[Karen ob]

Hi,
I was diagnosed last September with type 2 diabetes, it freaked me out for awhile as I’ve become very restricted with my movements due to chronic pain from a back op and fibromyalgia, also last September I broke my ankle and two metatarsals falling down the stairs which are refusing to heal properly, all this isn’t helping me use the blood sugars I need to.
My drs started a group helping people to eat low carbs, keeping an eye on weigh and blood sugar for everyone. Obviously covid 19 has put a stop to the meetings for now, but it put me in a better position to understand the complexities of carbs and sugar on the body, still got a long way to go and hope I can get more help from this group

 

[trophywench]

Hi Karen - yes, shedloads of lower carbing advice on the forum Do you test your own blood glucose at home too, to discover how any changes you make are affecting it?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.
As Jenny says, lots of people following a low carb way of eating and plenty of tips and tricks for making our food enjoyable.
Being able to test your BG at home before and 2 hours after food is an invaluable resource in helping to tailor your diet to your own needs and body's intolerance of carbs. Interestingly, due to differences in our individual gut biome and metabolism( and many other factors), we don't all break down carbs in the same way, so 2 people with diabetes might be very different in what they can and can't eat and a BG meter will how you that.... For instance one person might get away with porridge whilst another person gets a big BG spike from it. If that person really loves porridge, they can experiment with different portion sizes, different brands (the largest flaked, jumbo oats often release slower), mixing it with different foods like cream or creamy yoghurt to slow down it's release of glucose or even try eating it at a different time of day which surprisingly can make a big difference.
Unfortunately GPs do not generally provide BG meters to Type 2 diabetics unless they are on specific meds which can cause their BG to drop too low, but they can be purchased relatively cheaply (approx.£15) for a basic model. It is however the on going cost of buying test strips for them which tots up the cost and for that reason we recommend the 2 meters with the cheapest test strips @£8 for a pot of 50. Those are the SD Gluco Navii BG meter or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2.

It sounds like you have a forward thinking GP at your surgery to start a low carb group to help his diabetics. Such a shame it is currently on hold be we can definitely help you here.

If you would like to share what you currently eat, we could possibly make suggestions for where you could cut carbs.... things like using mashed cauliflower instead of potato etc...

Anyway, just wanted to day "Hello" and give you a flavour of the advice which is available here. Please feel free to ask any questions you have.

It would be helpful to know your most recent HbA1c reading and what/if any diabetes medication you have been given as this info can affect the advice we might give you.

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi Karen ob Welcome to the forum. You are extremely lucky to have such a clued-up GP.
Most of us on LCHF are doing it against our GP's advice - because it works for us and is the sensible approach to diet for a T2.

Do you have a Blood Glucose meter?
I find it invaluable to be able to measure my body's reactions to the food I eat. Thus I found I had to cut the carbs rather more than the average T2.

 

[Deleted member 27171]

Hi @Karen ob welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have a very switched on practice. Nice that they’re able to deliver this in groups too for a bit of support. 🙂

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Karen ob
I am glad that you have found us.

There is loads of useful advice available on here, so have a look around, and do ask absolutely any questions that you have. Someone will come along with an answer.

 

[Karen ob]

Hi Karen - yes, shedloads of lower carbing advice on the forum Do you test your own blood glucose at home too, to discover how any changes you make are affecting it?

Hi, yes I’ve started checking my own bloods to see what makes mine spike, it’s a long process though.

 

[trophywench]

Hey Karen - diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint!

Were it a baby you couldn't expect it to walk, read and write, count to 10, or feed itself let alone be toilet trained! So actually - you've made more progress than you think - so don't get discouraged!

 

[MissDaisy]

Hi,
I was diagnosed last September with type 2 diabetes, it freaked me out for awhile as I’ve become very restricted with my movements due to chronic pain from a back op and fibromyalgia, also last September I broke my ankle and two metatarsals falling down the stairs which are refusing to heal properly, all this isn’t helping me use the blood sugars I need to.
My drs started a group helping people to eat low carbs, keeping an eye on weigh and blood sugar for everyone. Obviously covid 19 has put a stop to the meetings for now, but it put me in a better position to understand the complexities of carbs and sugar on the body, still got a long way to go and hope I can get more help from this group

Hi Karen,

I’ve just joined too, we are similar as diagnosed Nov Type 2 and Fibromyalgia since 2006.

I am also having trouble with BG readings always between 12-15 or higher. For instance this morning beforehand no food it was 12.8!

I going to get a food diary and also phone GP Monday for blood test HbA1c results. Have you had yours taken yet? If so, do you mind sharing

I am here to find out about diet as GP advised GI foods although many here say LCHF is better. Food diary & loads of BG readings ahead then!

Exercise is harder with chronic pain & fatigue as you know but I am managing 10min stretches & 20mins walking exercises a day so far. How about you? Since diagnosis of Fibro I’ve gone from size 6-8 to size 16, Pregabalin is a weight gain med but need it as pain intolerable without it.

Anyway, enough about me - just thought I’d say hello as I can relate

Sending gentle hugs MissDaisy

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Karen ob

Glad you have found us! Sounds like your GP practice were doing some great things, shame the pandemic threw a spanner in the works!

It’s great to have others to connect with though, so I hope the forum can become a useful part of your diabetes toolkit and a virtual support group while your face-to-face meetings are in a break 🙂

 

[Karen ob]

Hi and welcome from me too.
As Jenny says, lots of people following a low carb way of eating and plenty of tips and tricks for making our food enjoyable.
Being able to test your BG at home before and 2 hours after food is an invaluable resource in helping to tailor your diet to your own needs and body's intolerance of carbs. Interestingly, due to differences in our individual gut biome and metabolism( and many other factors), we don't all break down carbs in the same way, so 2 people with diabetes might be very different in what they can and can't eat and a BG meter will how you that.... For instance one person might get away with porridge whilst another person gets a big BG spike from it. If that person really loves porridge, they can experiment with different portion sizes, different brands (the largest flaked, jumbo oats often release slower), mixing it with different foods like cream or creamy yoghurt to slow down it's release of glucose or even try eating it at a different time of day which surprisingly can make a big difference.
Unfortunately GPs do not generally provide BG meters to Type 2 diabetics unless they are on specific meds which can cause their BG to drop too low, but they can be purchased relatively cheaply (approx.£15) for a basic model. It is however the on going cost of buying test strips for them which tots up the cost and for that reason we recommend the 2 meters with the cheapest test strips @£8 for a pot of 50. Those are the SD Gluco Navii BG meter or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2.

It sounds like you have a forward thinking GP at your surgery to start a low carb group to help his diabetics. Such a shame it is currently on hold be we can definitely help you here.

If you would like to share what you currently eat, we could possibly make suggestions for where you could cut carbs.... things like using mashed cauliflower instead of potato etc...

Anyway, just wanted to day "Hello" and give you a flavour of the advice which is available here. Please feel free to ask any questions you have.

It would be helpful to know your most recent HbA1c reading and what/if any diabetes medication you have been given as this info can affect the advice we might give you.

Not sure what my HbA1c reading is, I’m gonna ring the drs tomorrow.. im on metformin (might of spelt it wrong) 2x a day.

 

[Karen ob]

Hi Karen,

I’ve just joined too, we are similar as diagnosed Nov Type 2 and Fibromyalgia since 2006.

I am also having trouble with BG readings always between 12-15 or higher. For instance this morning beforehand no food it was 12.8!

I going to get a food diary and also phone GP Monday for blood test HbA1c results. Have you had yours taken yet? If so, do you mind sharing

I am here to find out about diet as GP advised GI foods although many here say LCHF is better. Food diary & loads of BG readings ahead then!

Exercise is harder with chronic pain & fatigue as you know but I am managing 10min stretches & 20mins walking exercises a day so far. How about you? Since diagnosis of Fibro I’ve gone from size 6-8 to size 16, Pregabalin is a weight gain med but need it as pain intolerable without it.

Anyway, enough about me - just thought I’d say hello as I can relate

Sending gentle hugs MissDaisy

Hi, I struggle to do any exercise...

Hi Karen,

I’ve just joined too, we are similar as diagnosed Nov Type 2 and Fibromyalgia since 2006.

I am also having trouble with BG readings always between 12-15 or higher. For instance this morning beforehand no food it was 12.8!

I going to get a food diary and also phone GP Monday for blood test HbA1c results. Have you had yours taken yet? If so, do you mind sharing

I am here to find out about diet as GP advised GI foods although many here say LCHF is better. Food diary & loads of BG readings ahead then!

Exercise is harder with chronic pain & fatigue as you know but I am managing 10min stretches & 20mins walking exercises a day so far. How about you? Since diagnosis of Fibro I’ve gone from size 6-8 to size 16, Pregabalin is a weight gain med but need it as pain intolerable without it.

Anyway, enough about me - just thought I’d say hello as I can relate

Sending gentle hugs MissDaisy

hi, I’m struggling to do any exercise at the minute because of my foot.. Also having a flare at the mo so that’s not helping. It’s good to know someone can relate
I’m gonna ask for my blood results tomorrow so hopefully if I don’t forget I’ll put it on here lol

 

[rebrascora]

Your HbA1c will be a number of 48 or above which is the diagnostic level for diabetes, but it can be into 3 figures in some severe cases. It can also be expressed as a % which is the old unit of measure.
Yes you are correct with the spelling of Metformin. How are you managing with it? Are you suffering the usual side effects with it of digestive upset or are you one of the lucky ones?

 

[Karen ob]

Your HbA1c will be a number of 48 or above which is the diagnostic level for diabetes, but it can be into 3 figures in some severe cases. It can also be expressed as a % which is the old unit of measure.
Yes you are correct with the spelling of Metformin. How are you managing with it? Are you suffering the usual side effects with it of digestive upset or are you one of the lucky ones?

I’m one of the lucky ones..thankfully

 

[Karen ob]

Found out today my HbA1c was 48 in January this year and the other reading was 6.5,
back in September last year it was 9.7.
since I got my diagnosis in September I began a low carb diet and started Metformin 500mg 2x daily.
i was doing really well with my diet until lock down...then it’s slipping back to how I used to eat.. I’m struggling to keep away from the sweet stuff ☹