General Chat

I am just a bit concerned about the info that is being posted here.

Anyone who has to inject insulin is Type one, not Type two.

Type two sufferers are not likely to suffer from an diabetic coma, but more likely from a heart attack, if they don't have their symptoms brought under control, usually by diet and lifestyle changes.

Peter - Type 2 Diet and Exercise diagnosed 2002 and I can assure you I have to resort to a bit of choccy or summat sweet on the odd occasion . I keep to a reasonable diet (approved by dietician) mainly eat at set times, with light snack mid morning and mid afternoon.

Example: out shopping with wife in a town some distance away. Had standard breakfast and then a mid morning snack in town. Lunchtime in town had a bacon butty and cuppa (as intended to eat main meal when got home). About an hour after bacon butty was in a big store and knackered - VERY tired. Went to store's cafe and had a cuppa and piece of lemon merangue pie was then OK within a few minutes.

Talking to others on other diabetic threads Type 2s can suffer bad lows.

Here's some comments from Saga Zone about GPs refusing issue of test strips etc:

1. My other half is also type II and has been refused further test strips and lancets because he is being so diligent with his diet. My argument is that now he is off all his medication he is costing the NHS nothing except for the routine tests every six months. Therefore it is in their interest to supply him with the test strips/lancets so he can spot quickly if anything is going wrong with his sugars.

This is common practice all over the country now and my MP is well aware of it and is appalled as we are. He has recently become a member of the Parliamentary Health Select Committee responsible for scrutinizing government policies and their outcomes...I am going to write to him again about just this subject. Will keep you posted as to what he says or can do, if anything!

Today I have received a reply from my MP as follows:

"I raised this issue when I joined the Parliamentary Select Committee and I will be bringing it up again in an Enquiry in 2008. You are indeed correct in your views and I will continue to tell the Government that what they are doing is unfair"

I hope that all Zoners reading this and in the same position re their test strips/lancets will write to their MPs too. If you do write, it may well be worth mentioning to your MP that Lee Scott, MP for Ilford North, is a member of the Parliamentary Health Select
Committee responsible for scrutinizing Government Policies and their outcomes and that he has already raised the issue.

2. I am type 2 diabetic since five years. I control my blood sugar with . diet. Up to one month ago I received the test strips and lancets, no problem. I saw a relive doctor, not my usual GP who was on holiday at the time about some thing else, he canceled my test strips and lancets with the comment "a six monthly blood test is enough, you don't need to test the blood." I am not happy about it, as I will not know if the blood sugar changes.

3. A colleague in Gloucestershire has been told he can no longer be prescribed blood glucose strips, but in South Worcestershire I can still obtain them on prescription

Ronald,

Sounds that you may be on the verge of type one diabeties.

My info is based on my wife's experience, she is type two and is in control through diet and weight watching. Certainly as far as she is concerned, the main thing is to avoid glucose sugar, full stop.

When training as a pharmacist she studied diabetes as one of her projects and is pretty well clued up on the subject.

Clearly we can't speak for what you are being advised for your particular case, so if you are advised to take sugar in certain circumstances then do so.

hi, my son is type 1 and hubby type 2, they have weetabix and toast for brekkie no sugar, you must have slow release carbs, so dont give up potatoes etc ,just everything in moderation, my son has ice cream and sugar free jelly as sweet,snacks are fruit and small pk of crisps, 3 rich tea and glass of milk are o.k.too.try grilling things as this is better, read the labels on most foods, as this will tell you the sugar count, also yougurt is ok, medic alert medallion is great idea, also carry a hypo stop or mars bar around .if you stick to these foods too, youll lose weight ,i did, will get easier , best wishes shell

Michelle,

You have summed it up very well.

Slow release carbs is the main thing for many, with type two, not sugar.

My wife has a tiny bit of sweetie treat twice a week and a drink on Sundays.

Other than that it is no fats, suggary foods, or alcoholic drinks. She feels much better in herself and has lost a dress size to boot.

The "Vet" is very pleased with her progress too.

Peter my last Long Term Sugars test was 6.3 I'm due another check up next week been told OK as long as longterms don't go above 7. My pre breakfast tests are usually twixt 5 and 6

Michelle - some Yoghourts are very high in sugar. Even Sainsburys Plain Organic Low Fat is 8gr per 100 so a pot is about 9gr

nudged for lancashire witch

Liz

Your body is producing far more sugar than it needs if you are type 2,and the last thing you need is to carry sugary bars around with you ,or sugar cubes,they only work for type 1.
Just follow your diaticians advice ,eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch time ,and a pauper at tea time,so that you go to bed with a low sugar count.
Don't eat grapefruit ,it works against your tablets,and go onlo a few fish meals [oily] which help destroy the cholesterol in your blood.
Just eat sensibly ,you will be fine.Fred.

I was borderline and my wife well over. she has regular check ups but I don't at the moment.

Best advice is to eat healthily. Most snacks, drinks, even so called healthy foods have far far too much sugar, even for people who don't suffer from Diabetes 2.

We only ever items marked No added Sugar, or reduced sugar and reduced salt - this is actually far more important that buying reduced fat products as these are often the worst offenders.

Get to know how to read the labels and check them before you buy, you will be surprised.

Oh and we agree with the other comments , Type 2 sufferers very rarely go hyper and require sugar bars - this is a feature of Type 1, but is it not completely unknown

Thanks, Liz for the nudge.

Also find Fred (Badger) and Bilbo comments helpful

LW

thought I would nudge this as there is a diabetic insulin thread on here to
hope nobody minds

Liz

Thanks for nudging this as type 2 is what my o.h. has recently been diagnosed with.

Lizx

I'm Type 2 diagnosed 2002 and still on a Diet and Exercise regime. Just had my MoT and my long term sugars 6.6. I'm pretty good with my diet - nil takeaways, processed food etc but I ain't a saint. I eat plenty of veg - between 5 and 7 a time 6 days of the week, and I have two portions of fruit a day. Diet is important as is exercise - wotever type you are and anyone on medication - metaformin or insulin should still stick with a good diet and do some exercise ie fast walking or similar.

It is rare for Type 2 diet and exercise people to have hypos but it can happen. ie I was over 2 hours late with my lunch (main meal of day) once and I went into a hypo so it is important to try to eat meals at a set time every day

I have my MOT this Friday, I am on metformin, try to eat sensible. Have lost nearly 2 stone - although seem to have a brickwall with losing weight,.
I also have a underactive thyroid with I am on thyroxine for, which doe not help with the weight loss, apparently.
When I had mot last year, results were not as good and I was also put on prandin to take before meals, on my last mot 6 months ago the results were a lot better - well within the "set" limits.
Was diagnosed nearly 6 years ago. My Cholesterol level then was 5.2 - which was good - the level my diabeties nurse said was to be under 5. A while later the goal post changed and went tobe under 4, and I was put on statin. Even though my level had been between 4.5 and 4.9 And since then have been between 3.5 and 3.8.

I try to keep sensible, most of the time and although job is not too active - do try to do a lot of walking,

Liz

My o.h. is on metformin. He had another apptmt with the doctor yesterday when doc. told him to take his socks off and shut his eyes, he wondered what was going on lol Doc was checking his feet for sensation! He has been told that because with the tablets his levels are lower than when first tested and because it is hard for him to take three tablets a day with working shifts etc, he can take two tablets, one in the morning and one in the evening. Then he has to remember to take the pill for his high cholesterol and another for his high blood pressure and his soluble aspirin to thin his blood a little after the bleed on the brain, he will rattle soon!
I like this week when I don't have to cook for him, as I can eat what I like without feeling guilty lol

Lizx

Hi Liz,
Good morning or whatever it is there, some ungodly hour no doubt.
I think testing sensation in the feet is very important, I get it done annually at the local hospital diabetes clinic, but am about 10 months overdue.
An annual check of the eyes is also important.
Your OH being on shifts can make it hard I know. If the doctor is happy with twice a day for Metformin that's great. He and I both rattle. I am not on diabetes drugs but have two drugs for blood pressure.
Night- mood stabiliser (3 tablets), statin and one of the BP drugs,
Morning- the other BP and an anti-gout drug.
Have a pleasant day and hope the weather is kind. It's not too bad here, especially after Sundays extreme heat.
Colin.

Hi Colin, as you can see by the time on the post it was around 5 something am when you added, it's now almost 6am and I am off to bed in a mo.

Just been watching my hedgehog feeding again, he is funny, he stands in the food tray and rather than walk round it, walks through the water bowl lol
Little wet footprints now round where I tossed a piece of banana, he wolfed that down before I could turn round and has had a good feed for the night lol

take care, the wind seems to have dropped at last, been very blustery and blowy here, I hate it. At least it kept the rain off tho

night all lol
Lizxx

Colin Hello - and hi there Liz and everyone else.
My OH is on metformin and we keep an eye on him. I got to borderline but turned it around and I followed a book by Sandra Cabot - she does other medical books as well. I was what is apparently known as Syndrome X, and one of the things I do is take cinnamon and chromium every morning I originall had the two supplements but have now found a combined one and it seems to do the trick but I watch the carbs mainly because they end up turning into sugar. This combined one also deals with my cholestrol.

Hey Liz - had morning tea with Huia and we had a very nice chat and she is a very likeable lady - so was glad that I took the time out to do that. We will meet up again sometime.

Love

Norma
xx