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Janjayjan1

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Type 2
Hi everyone!

I've been diagnosed with Type 2 quite recently so I'm still trying to learn the ropes. I have an issue with my leg which my doctor says is due to my lowered immune system, however I also seem to get every cold/bug that's going, and I wondered whether anyone has any ideas on good ways to boost my immune system? I'm taking vitamins C, D and zinc - but if anyone has any tips for foods or vitamins that might help I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!
 
Hello Janjayjan1, welcome to the forum.

The best thing you can do to boost your immune system is to lower your blood glucose level. Are you on diet/exercise only, or have you been prescribed any drugs? Do you have a test meter and a supply of strips so that you can see how different foods affect you? Have you been given any dietary advice?
 
Janjayjan1 said:
Hi everyone!

I've been diagnosed with Type 2 quite recently so I'm still trying to learn the ropes. I have an issue with my leg which my doctor says is due to my lowered immune system, however I also seem to get every cold/bug that's going, and I wondered whether anyone has any ideas on good ways to boost my immune system? I'm taking vitamins C, D and zinc - but if anyone has any tips for foods or vitamins that might help I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!
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Hi Jayjanjay1, welcome to the forum 🙂

Susceptibility to infection is greater when your blood sugar levels are on the high side, so this situation should improve as your levels improve.

There's lots of good information available to help you learn about your condition. A good place to start is by reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and I would also highly recommend getting a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - these will all get you up to speed and give you the knowledge you need to tackle your diabetes and bring your levels under control. Things may seem bad at the moment, but equipped with the right knowledge and some determination, you will find that you will begin to feel much, much better than you may have done for some time! If you have any questions then please do ask - nothing is considered 'silly', and there are lots of lovely, friendly and experienced people here who will be only too happy to help 🙂
 
Hi LeeLee

I'm just taking Metformin and the doctor says I don't need to monitor my levels as I don't have "that kind of diabetes"! To be honest I'm not happy with my doctor, who has told me I need to lose weight before she will do anything else to help (like referring me to a dietician), which is why I'm looking for help here. I'm trying to lose weight and take some exercise, but it's hard to exercise when I seem to have a permanent cold.

I'm finding lots of useful information on this website, I think sometimes it's better to get advice from people with experience than the so-called experts!
 
Janjayjan1 said:
I'm just taking Metformin and the doctor says I don't need to monitor my levels as I don't have "that kind of diabetes"! To be honest I'm not happy with my doctor, who has told me I need to lose weight before she will do anything else to help (like referring me to a dietician), which is why I'm looking for help here. I'm trying to lose weight and take some exercise, but it's hard to exercise when I seem to have a permanent cold.

I'm finding lots of useful information on this website, I think sometimes it's better to get advice from people with experience than the so-called experts!
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It really irritates me when I read about this sort of approach :( There is no such thing as 'that kind of diabetes' - everyone benefits from testing their blood sugar levels because the tests provide information that it is just impossible to get in any other way. Chiefly, when you are newly-diagnosed, you need to know which of the foods you enjoy you can continue to enjoy without fear of them adversely affecting your blood sugar control, or if you need to find a substitute or if reduced portions would still be OK. This sort of testing doesn't have to be forever, but just during those early days and weeks as you learn how you tolerate different things - once you have the knowledge and experience testing can be reduced significantly.

It can also help with weight loss. When you are Type 2 this means that you are ( usually) insulin resistant, meaning that you need to produce more insulin than a non-diabetic person in order to use the glucose in your blood as energy for your cells. Unfortunately, more insulin can also often mean more weight gain, or at least problems in trying to lose weight, as the extra insulin will help to convert any unused glucose into stored fat. Reducing your body's need for insulin by eating less carbohydrate (and choosing carbs that will have least effect on your levels) will help with weight loss.

The key to everything is carbohydrates - all carbs will convert to glucose, so it's best to try and keep them to a minimum (things like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta etc.). It's worth keeping a food diary recording the actual amount of carbohydrate in everything you eat and drink (read the packets or weigh out loose food). It's a bit laborious, but it will give you a good picture of your average daily carb consumption and help you to find places where you might make changes. Many people find that choosing low GI (glycaemic index) foods can help - The GL Diet for Dummies is a good introduction. If you have any questions about food, please ask us here and we will be happy to help 🙂

If your doctor won't prescribe strips, and you can afford it, it is well worth getting your own. By recording your results and following an efficient testing schedule (see, for example, Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S ) you can then show your doctor how it is helping you to understand your diabetes and how to control it. This may then persuade them to prescribe some strips for you. It is the strips that are expensive, not the meters. One of the cheapest options we have come across is the SD Codefree Meter which has test strips are around ?7 for 50.

Remember, we're here to help whatever your questions of concerns! 🙂
 
Wouldn't it be lovely to invite all the people who make these idiotic comments - the ones who OUGHT to know better, I mean - to meet forum members in a gym where we would all be issued with boxing gloves?
 
As others have said, lowering your blood glucose levels does help (well, it did for me anyway) and improving diet to include loads of dark green leafy veg, lots of protein and fewer carbs. Spinach is your friend.

The single most useful tool to help you understand how different foods affect you is the glucose testing meter. I'm very lucky that my doctor appears to be in the 'testing is good' camp and has been giving me 100 strips a month since dx.
 
Thanks!

Thank you for all the advice, I'll do my best to follow it but I suppose I'm on a learning curve and I need to find out what suits me by trial and error. I did buy a monitor from the chemist and took some readings but when I told the doctor I got the "not that type of diabetes" comment. A few people told me to find out what my number was but she wouldn't tell me specifically, so it's hard to know whether the readings I took were good or bad - they seemed to go down a bit so I assume that was OK. She told me to use the strips I had and then stop, as as the strips were quite expensive I did!

Anyway, I'm really grateful for all the practical advice you've given me. My aim is that when I go back for a check up my doctor will find I'm doing really well!
 
Janjayjan1 said:
...I did buy a monitor from the chemist and took some readings but when I told the doctor I got the "not that type of diabetes" comment...
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It really is an idiotic comment to make I'm afraid, Diabetes is diabetes, the origins and reasons for the diagnosis may vary, but whatever the type it is about keeping your blood sugar as closely within the range that a non-diabetic person might expect (with a some leeway, as it's not easy!). The easiest way to do that is by testing to see what happens when you eat something!
 
Northerner said:
It really is an idiotic comment to make I'm afraid, Diabetes is diabetes, the origins and reasons for the diagnosis may vary, but whatever the type it is about keeping your blood sugar as closely within the range that a non-diabetic person might expect (with a some leeway, as it's not easy!). The easiest way to do that is by testing to see what happens when you eat something!
Click to expand...

Agree with Alan, most of my doctors follow the approach that type 2's don't need to test and its so wrong. By testing my health has improved especially my eyes and in a year the damage found has now reversed itself thankfully.
 
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