Update From nurse yesterday !

[Jacinta (Australian)]

Hello lovelies , sorry for not being around as much been trying to get myself busy as it’s getting closer to my Telehealth appointment then doing the tests and hopefully finding out what type I am . Not going to lie it has been playing around my head for ages now since I still don’t know what type I am and my doctor saying once we know we will establish a good plan to help you out , now would that mean they up my metriform ? (If I’m type 2) , cause at the moment I have only been taking 1 a night (doctors orders) with dinner and it’s been absolutely amazing , I been exercising a lot more then I would from before I was first diagnosed . I went and seen my nurse yesterday and she’s extremely happy with my progress I been using the MyFitnessPal app with lodging everything I eat and drink . I’ve lost weight it’s slowly going down , my weight at the start was 80.3kg and I’m now 79.1 kg and around my waist was 105 and it’s now 101 and my blood pressure was high but the nurse thinks it’s cause I’m at the doctors which I’m okay with . Overall she’s extremely happy . Me loosing weight in my opinion isn’t because of the calories that she wants me to do , I think it’s cause of low carb , cardio and strength (resistance training) , cause she’s lowered my calories down to 1300 . Other then that my mental health has calmed down a fair bit then I was when I first posted here . I now use my mental health problem for exercise and strength resistance training and see if that will keep it at bay .
Also my nurse is worried cause she noticed I haven’t eaten alot of fruit , I eat berries and other then that I ate 1 small madrine , I do have 2 problems I don’t know what fruit to eat ? And second I have ibs that some foods my ibs sometimes dislike . Can any one have any suggestions on what fruit is okay besides berries ? Even in small portions?? 🙂 Thankyou .

 

[Sally71]

Apples and pears probably aren’t too bad. The ones you really need to avoid are tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples etc, they are very sweet which means they are loaded with sugar!

 

[Leadinglights]

I can't remember if you are testing your blood glucose or not but if you are you could try a small portion of the fruits which are Ok for you IBS wise and see if they affect you glucose level. The riper the fruit the more carbs it usually has.
I am pleased your nurse is happy with your progress so keep it up.

 

[Drummer]

As your nurse seems to have not a clue about diet or diabetes, I should stick to the berries really.
Of course tomatoes cucumbers courgettes aubergines are also (botanically) fruits and should confer the benefits of fruit - whatever they are.

 

[Cherrelle DUK]

Hi Jacinta,

Just wanted to pop in and say how amazingly well you've done! You seem to have made some really important and beneficial changes that will put you on the right path so congratulations.

Fruit also contains sugars be them natural or not so I wouldn't go out of my way to add them if you can do without. Berries are best with tropical fruits being the most difficult for diabetics to process.

As with everything, moderation is the key so if you have a few pieces of a fruit which is high in sugar it's not the worst thing that can happen but you just have to make sure that it's not a regular occurrence and is part of an otherwise healthy diet.

 

[Felinia]

I find the best way to moderate my fruit intake is by getting frozen fruit. Then I can measure out my 80gm portion. There are various berry mixes to ring in the changes, although I expect Australian mixes are different. But as someone else has suggested, the best bet is to test before and 2 hours after to see which fruit suits you best. I personally find apples lethal, and can't take any citrus fruits due to hiatus hernia. Grapes are also sugar bombs.

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

Apples and pears probably aren’t too bad. The ones you really need to avoid are tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples etc, they are very sweet which means they are loaded with sugar!

Thankyou lovely will defianetly avoid tropical fruits .

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

I can't remember if you are testing your blood glucose or not but if you are you could try a small portion of the fruits which are Ok for you IBS wise and see if they affect you glucose level. The riper the fruit the more carbs it usually has.
I am pleased your nurse is happy with your progress so keep it up.

Unfortnately leadinglights my doctor said not to self test but I’m getting to the point I’m going to have to wether I tell the doctor or I keep it to myself, I can’t keep guessing what fruits are okay or not it’s driving me nuts , especially when the nurse is like yeah you can eat any foods and any fruit when I know in my gut I can’t . Ah I didn’t know that to be honest Thankyou for that lol not information . And Thankyou 🙂

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

As your nurse seems to have not a clue about diet or diabetes, I should stick to the berries really.
Of course tomatoes cucumbers courgettes aubergines are also (botanically) fruits and should confer the benefits of fruit - whatever they are.

Oh drummer trust me it annoys me a lot , like I said to leadinglights even though my doctor said not to self test I’m going to have to cause it’s driving me up the wall , it’s all good and well for the nurse to say you can eat anything and that includes carbs and I know very well in my gut I can’t cause that would be the reason why I ended up with this diagnoses and all the progress I have made would literally fall apart which I’m avoiding at all costs. I. Love my berries very much , Thankyou for that hun I’ll note that down , I eat cucumbers and tomatoes in salads a lot .

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

Hi Jacinta,

Just wanted to pop in and say how amazingly well you've done! You seem to have made some really important and beneficial changes that will put you on the right path so congratulations.

Fruit also contains sugars be them natural or not so I wouldn't go out of my way to add them if you can do without. Berries are best with tropical fruits being the most difficult for diabetics to process.

As with everything, moderation is the key so if you have a few pieces of a fruit which is high in sugar it's not the worst thing that can happen but you just have to make sure that it's not a regular occurrence and is part of an otherwise healthy diet.

Thankyou so much hun , it took a while but I’m happy where I am at , I just hope my HBA1c levels at the 3 month mark will show it in results on how well I’ve done . I’m trying my nurse wants me to intake more fruits when I know in my gut I have to avoid fruit expect berries and maybe look out for ones that will raise my blood sugars . Even though my doctor said no to self testing I’m just going to have to do it wether she finds out or not , I’m going to have to do it for myself . Thankyou for all the information hun I do appericate it a lot .

 

[Leadinglights]

Thankyou so much hun , it took a while but I’m happy where I am at , I just hope my HBA1c levels at the 3 month mark will show it in results on how well I’ve done . I’m trying my nurse wants me to intake more fruits when I know in my gut I have to avoid fruit expect berries and maybe look out for ones that will raise my blood sugars . Even though my doctor said no to self testing I’m just going to have to do it wether she finds out or not , I’m going to have to do it for myself . Thankyou for all the information hun I do appericate it a lot .

I don't see any reason why you need to tell her you are testing. After all it is your diabetes not hers. When your levels then come down you might then say that you have been testing and that you feel it gives you more control.
There are certainly some inexpensive monitors and strips available on line in the UK. Look at the cost of the strips as that will be the ongoing expense. Here the monitors regarded as reliable and inexpensive are either the GlucoNavil or Spirit TEE2 available on line and much cheaper than at the pharmacy.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thanks for the update @Jacinta (Australian)

So pleased to hear how well you are doing, and how your state of mind has improved.

I’m another that finds apples or pears fairly easy on the BG. So they might be worth a try - you can always check with a meter to be sure if you decide to get one 🙂

 

[Drummer]

Oh drummer trust me it annoys me a lot , like I said to leadinglights even though my doctor said not to self test I’m going to have to cause it’s driving me up the wall , it’s all good and well for the nurse to say you can eat anything and that includes carbs and I know very well in my gut I can’t cause that would be the reason why I ended up with this diagnoses and all the progress I have made would literally fall apart which I’m avoiding at all costs. I. Love my berries very much , Thankyou for that hun I’ll note that down , I eat cucumbers and tomatoes in salads a lot .

Yes we can eat some carbs - though it varies person to person what can be coped with - by not testing we just can't tell what is and is not right for us.
I find beans cause me to spike - but they don't give me wind - maybe I can digest more of them than most people - the meter tells me to avoid large servings of them.
I sorted out my diet, stick to what I know I can cope with and enjoy all the tasty colourful carbs I know are safe for me.
My diabetes just went away, I lost weight and size, I regained health and energy - I feel cheerful too. At my age of 70 I can't really ask for more than that for myself.

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

Yes we can eat some carbs - though it varies person to person what can be coped with - by not testing we just can't tell what is and is not right for us.
I find beans cause me to spike - but they don't give me wind - maybe I can digest more of them than most people - the meter tells me to avoid large servings of them.
I sorted out my diet, stick to what I know I can cope with and enjoy all the tasty colourful carbs I know are safe for me.
My diabetes just went away, I lost weight and size, I regained health and energy - I feel cheerful too. At my age of 70 I can't really ask for more than that for myself.

I still have some carbs but it’s not the carbs that the nurse wants me to have , she wants me to eat pasta , rice , bread etc etc but I’m just going to have to get a testing kit I think , that way I’ll be more alerted in what spikes and what doesn’t .
When testing is it 2 hours after the first bite or after you finish your meal ??? Sorry I’m new to this hole machine thing and nervous to look at numbers , also how often should we be testing to the point where I might be able to only need to test not as much ???
Thankyou

 

[Leadinglights]

Initially you will probably be doing quite a bit of testing but once you find which meals don't increase your level by more than 2-3mmol/l then you would not need to test those meals again. An after meal level of less than 8.5 mmol/l is what you want to aim for. Normally a regime of testing before you eat and then 2 hours after the first bite. For most people this would be when the peak of your blood glucose would be.
You could just start with one meal in the day then once that seems move on to another, but that would be up to you and you may decide you do every meal in the day. But do keep a record of what you have and the portion size as well.
As diabetes is very fickle the same food eaten at breakfast can produce a different result to if eaten for lunch. As they say every day is a school day except some days you have the grumpy teacher.

 

[Felinia]

I still have some carbs but it’s not the carbs that the nurse wants me to have , she wants me to eat pasta , rice , bread etc etc but I’m just going to have to get a testing kit I think , that way I’ll be more alerted in what spikes and what doesn’t .
When testing is it 2 hours after the first bite or after you finish your meal ??? Sorry I’m new to this hole machine thing and nervous to look at numbers , also how often should we be testing to the point where I might be able to only need to test not as much ???
Thankyou

Hi, I was told it's 2 hours after 1st bite. When I was first diagnosed I tested up to 10 times a day: first thing, before and 2 hours after a meal, last thing, and if I had a snack. My fingers were so sore! But now it's just for new foods, as I've learned what I can and can't eat without spiking. Pasta, rice and apples are out, but I can have a small slice of wholemeal bread and a couple of new potatoes. But someone else will be totally different. I've found the information offered by "specialists" differs enormously and you have to be your own detective - one size does not fit all diabetics.

 

[Drummer]

I still have some carbs but it’s not the carbs that the nurse wants me to have , she wants me to eat pasta , rice , bread etc etc but I’m just going to have to get a testing kit I think , that way I’ll be more alerted in what spikes and what doesn’t .
When testing is it 2 hours after the first bite or after you finish your meal ??? Sorry I’m new to this hole machine thing and nervous to look at numbers , also how often should we be testing to the point where I might be able to only need to test not as much ???
Thankyou

I test just before starting to eat, and then again two hours later - but as long as you consistently do the same routine that should show you how you are coping - it would not work so well if you timed from the finish of the meal and some days you had a ten minute meal and others a leisurely three courses, but judge for yourself from your own experience.
There is no reason I can think of for a type two diabetic to eat high carb foods such as pasta, rice or bread. You can maybe eat a small amount of one of them and then show the nurse the numbers over the next few hours - one very good reason to use a meter, particularly if you can then show the same thing after a low carb meal eaten the previous day - you might find that a high carb meal will raise numbers for some time after, even a couple of days.

 

[Hardy]

"There is no reason I can think of for a type two diabetic to eat high carb foods such as pasta, rice or bread" - as you and others say, each person with diabetes is different and responds differently. I don't find blanket comments such as this helpful.
Jacinta - refine what works for you, it sounds like you're doing a great job 🙂

 

[Drummer]

"There is no reason I can think of for a type two diabetic to eat high carb foods such as pasta, rice or bread" - as you and others say, each person with diabetes is different and responds differently. I don't find blanket comments such as this helpful.
Jacinta - refine what works for you, it sounds like you're doing a great job 🙂

I am open to any post advising I should eat high carb foods as long as they explain how to cope with the spike in blood glucose levels which would result as night follows day, and how to prevent the increase in weight which I would see next morning would be a help too.

 

[Hardy]

"Advising to eat high carb foods" bears no relation to "There is no reason I can think of for a type two diabetic to eat high carb foods such as pasta, rice or bread". You may get a spike and gain weight, but others may not. Some people with Type 2 diabetes can eat some some high carb without spikes and weight gain. It does not necessarily need to be totally excluded. For you, you've chosen that. Others may not chose that.