I Have Type 2 Diabetes

[nightowl]

This is hard to write, because until last Tues I was convinced the blood tests would come out negative. I had/ have none of the classic symptoms. The Doctor only checked it out cos I had a nasty boil on the back of my neck.

I am still in shock, and angry with myself cos it's all my own fault. Years of being overweight, not enough exercise, stuffing my face with sweet goodies, thinking it wouldn't happen to me.

As a fully paid up chocaholic, this is a nightmare! Just 2 biscuits sends my blood sugar sky high! I am constantly craving sweet stuff and it's driving me insane! I can think of little else!

Even worse, the tablets I have to take (Metformin) have yet to have any effect except to upset my tummy (which is, apparently, normal)

Are any of our members out there T2 Diabetic? Or have any of you got any tips/advice on beating the sugar cravings? Are there any sugar-free biscuits, cakes or chocolate out there?

[blodau]

Oh NO. I am sorry to hear that. It must have come as a shock. I can't help on the practical side I'm afraid, but I'm sure someone here will. In the meantime

[Barbara]

I am sorry to hear this night owl, and yes, your right, we never think things will happen to us.
what about making your own biccys , then you could sweeten them with things you are allowed to eat,

[snowowl]

Sorry to hear about your illness NO.We all plod along thinking nothing will happen to us or ours only other people but sadly thats not true has iv found out a lot recently.
There are lots of diabetic choccies and sweets out there i have never tasted them so dont no what they are like.
As a sweet toothed person it must be hard to adjust to.

[Tig]

Oh Nightowl, what a downer, and to find out at this time of year with all the festive food stuffs on offer!

There are loads of biscuits and confectionary products on sale for folk with diabetes, I've seen them in Boots, but I bet the major supermarkets stock them as well. Your tastebuds will still probably need to adjust though, and your expectations shouldn't be too high

Found some biccie recipes which you may be able to try ...

allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/searchresults.aspx?keywordGroup=10_Biscuit&keywordGroup=4_Diabetic




x Tig

[carolann]

So sorry NO to hear about your illness. My Aunt (Mothers sister) was diagnosed last year with it, she has never eaten sweet things and she is so dainty you would think she would blow away in the wind and she made fancy cakes for a living so it may not be the sweet things that you loved to eat. I think it is in your genes. My grandma and 2 Uncles on my mothers side had it, but my mother didnt. Are there any other members of your family past or present who have had it? I myself am what they keep calling a border line Diabetic so I have to watch that I don't eat too many sweet things. In the meantime here is a from me, so don't be or too hard on yourself girl, the cravings will pass.

[Deleted]

hiya. sorry to hear that you have diabetes, thorntons have diabetic sweeties, fudge and chocs, they are a bit on the expensive side, but they are lovely, boots also have diabetic biscuits and chocolates. also asda do there own sugar free chocolate and sweets which arent that badly priced, in some pharmacys they have diabetic jam. we get the jam at work as i work in a residential home we cater for diabetic needs. you can also get sugar free jelly, cake
mix. i know diabetics uk website have some recipes and also there is a diabetic recipe book out and im not too sure if they are by anthony worrell thompson. anyway hope this helps love and keep your chin up lv vik

[Biggles]

I am so sorry to hear your news--N O--It is hard, very hard coming to terms with your news and so close to Christmas too.

It is surprising how many people have this and dont realise until they are tested for it.

This is just for you--

--Bigs

[farmersboy]

NO,my wife has type 2 Diabetis,had it for about 7 yrs,its being kept under control by tablets,she has a blood tester that she uses now and again,to make sure she stays between 4 and 9,she eats more or less the same food as i do,only in moderation,sweetners from ASDA,instead of sugar,2 ASDA bars of DARK chock per week,an ice cream when we are on holiday,a glass of wine in the evening.
So its not so bad if you cut back on the sweet stuff.
Your GP should change your tablets till he finds one that suits you,wife had same trouble to start with,oh,and she doesnt buy any diabetic food,just plenty of fresh veg from my garden

[Ladygardener]

Nightowl sorry to hear about your news. It will take you time to adjust to it all and your different eating routine. My younger brother aged 44 and moderatly overweight was diagnosed this year. He's since adapted his diet and eats much healthier, he's lost a few stones and now has his blood sugars well under control with his diet and medication. He does still have treats as FB's wife does and he does have chocolate sometimes too. It's going to be difficult for you as you're a chocaholic but as MGF Tig and SO say there is a wide variety of diabetic chocolate etc in most big supermarkets and boots. I do wish you the very best of luck in managing this.

[Deleted]

NO

Just wanted to add my voice to those saying sorry to hear your news. However, from what FB says, it doesn't sound all bad so hopefully once you've adjusted, you'll be ok.

FA x

[Jasmine]

to you NO.
I don't know much about diabetes (FIL has it and keeps it under control with injections) but I am sorry to hear your news.
Jx

[Amo]

All I can offer is huge hugs and wishes that the new way of coping becomes normal quickly!!

Amo xxx

[Ruthie]

I too know very little about type 2 Diabetes but wanted to say sorry to hear your news. This may not help at all but what about chewing some sugar free gum when you have a craving for chocolate. The minty taste MAY take away the craving for a bit.
As others have said though, you will adjust to a new regime. Us humans are very flexible and adjustable when need must!

[Ladygardener]

Big Brother is watching, I see there is a link at the top of this page now about type 2 diabetes

[nightowl]

Thank you everybody, for the hugs and sympathy.

This is all so new. I haven't really given the tablets time to work yet. Could take a few weeks to work properly. Then they will help my body deal with sugar and I should be able to have a few treats

I joined a Diabetes forum. Lot of help and info there but most members in USA so different sugar-free foodstuffs available than here. They were the ones who told me it was normal to get upset tummy with these tablets but say it usually settles down and they are good.

Thing really getting to me is that the Practice nurse let slip that I had high blood- sugar levels in a test A YEAR AGO!!!! So I was pre-diabetic and the b@st@rds never told me! There was a chance I could have stopped it developing by losing weight and eating healthily. Might not have stopped it, but there was a chance. And I never knew!

Keep having an overwhelming urge to go up to the Surgery and smack my Doc in the kisser!! And the nurse who gave me a hard time last Friday cos I hadn't managed to stop smoking, lose weight, and lower my sugar levels....IN 4 DAYS!!!!

I know it's really all my own fault. That my eating habits made me a prime candidate, but cos there's no history of diabetes in my family I thought I could getaway with it.

Apparently it's a world-wide problem and increasing at an alarming rate!

[Ruthie]

Oh dear NO. That's a bit naughty of them. If they don't make people aware of potential problems what can you do. Don't they say prevention is better than cure? While none of us can deny that we are told the dangers of smoking (I'm a smoker myself ) how were you to know that you were at risk of type 2 if they didn't warn you?

My friend's sister was grossly overweight and was diagnosed with type 2. She had other mega problems and eventually had one of those ops where they put a band round the duodenum (or is it Oesophagus?). Anyway, the point is that she eventually lost a lot of weight and the type 2 virtually disappeared, she just had to watch her suger intake etc.

What I'm trying to say (not very well) is that this can be controlled and, if you can lose some weight that will help even more. But we're talking long term here..............Rome wasn't built in a day................or 4!!

[Dr Bill]

Nov 26, 2008 21:12:58 GMT nightowl said:

I joined a Diabetes forum. Lot of help and info there but most members in USA so different sugar-free foodstuffs available than here. They were the ones who told me it was normal to get upset tummy with these tablets but say it usually settles down and they are good.

Might I suggest the British Diabetic Association which also has a forum
www.diabetessupport.co.uk/

And there is lots of information on their website
www.diabetes.org.uk/

[Spruance]

My Dad has had type 2 diabetes for over ten years now, and whilst he had to be very careful when first diagnosed, he is now able to have the occasional sweet treats without compromising his overall condition.

He has to take tablets every day, and still keeps fairly active playing golf several times a week.

So don't despair NO, I think you will find that once you have gotten over the initial shock, and more importantly, your doctor has sorted you out with the right tablets, the condition shouldn't interfere with your everyday life very much at all.

(NB: You will need to notify the DVLA and also your car insurer of your condition, but if your doctor has raised no objections, it won't affect your ability to drive or insure your car.)

[JennyWrenn]

Oh goodness yes FB I had forgotten Mrs FB has diabetes - in fact looking at her, so attractive, healthy and youthful you would never think it

Have met Mrs FB twice now and of course tend to forget - she never mentions it either so maybe she has it under control

So N.O there is a positive reply for you, from FB

[nightowl]

Thanks again everyone , positive advice and support coming from all directions

To clarify something Jas said, I think her FIL must have Type 1 diabetes, which is very different and usually present from childhood. In Type 1 the body does not make Insulin and it has to be injected. If their body then doesn't give it enough sugar to deal with, the Insulin can make them go "hypo", which means they go all woozy and eventually collapse, which is when someone has to force-feed them something sugary to raise their blood-sugar levels. That is the big fear with Type 1 and very different to Type 2.

In Type 2 the situation is almost the opposite. It used to be called "Late-onset Diabetes, and was typically seen in people of my age (55) who constantly gave their bodies too much sugar to deal with so that the natural Insulin they do still produce sort of gives up the battle. It ceases to process the sugar as it should, and allows it to overload in the blood instead of storing it in the muscles. Too much sugar in the blood thickens it and can affect eyesight, extremities, and the heart.

It can kill you just as easily as a "Hypo" (low sugar) can kill a Type 1 sufferer, it just does it in a different way Type 2 is no longer confined to the middle-aged, and is affecting more and more people in their 20s and 30s cos of modern junk-food lifestyles!!

It's all pretty scary stuff and I have an awful lot to learn One thing I have found out is that my reaction to the diagnosis is quite normal. The denial, the anger, the defiance ("Sod it! I'm going to ignore it and it will go away!"), the rebellion against the rules I am going to have to follow All normal, and commonly called "The Freak-out Phase".

I know that one day, when I've stopped freaking out and settled things down, I can be like Mrs FB and it won't affect my life too much It helps so much to be able to let rip and whinge on here. I can't whinge on the Diabetes forum cos they're all suffering it too, and mostly much worse then me!!!!

[farmersboy]

NO,please dont go down that(sod it,ill eat what i like)road,just do what your nurse/gp tells you,and you will be ok

I still have to remind Mrs FB sometimes that she is overdoing the sweet stuff.

I think lack of exercise is one of the main things to bring on diabetes,we put hers down to that while she was waiting years to have 2 hips replaced,and she just had to sit around.

[nightowl]

I put mine down to being an idle, greedy cow!! ;D

[farmersboy]

;D Arent we all from time to time ;D

[roan]

Hi Nightowl

I am a Type 2 Diabetic, first diagnosed four years ago. In my case I was diagnosed early enough not to have to go on drug therapy. My doctor advised me to change my diet, excercise and lose weight.

My wife was very supportive and agreed to eat what I ate so that we would not have to have different meals.

The first step was to avoid all sugar products. In my case they were making me nauseous when I ate them, so that was not a big deal.

I started excercising daily. Firstly just a few minutes (I was really unfit) which I gradually built up to doing 6km a day.

It took a while for the weight to start coming off, but after six months I was down to my target weight of 140lbs. I felt so good and by then was really enjoying my daily walks!

When shopping we adopted the 10,10,10 plan. This was one that I devised myself after reading what was good and what was bad. Essentially every time we bought anything we looked at the label to make sure it had less than 10gms per 100 of fat, less than 10gms per 100 of sugar and less than 10gms per 100 of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates convert to sugar, so you have to watch them!

We immediately cut our food intake in half, so a typical days food was:

Breakfast: One Weetbix with milk and a cup of tea

Lunch: One ham sandwich, one apple or banana and one diet yoghurt (watch the 10,10,10 requirement).

Dinner: One slice of meat, one boiled potato, vegetables as desired. One apple or banana and one diet yoghurt.

It is important to have those three meals at set times, so we have breakfast at 7am, lunch at 12pm and dinner at 6pm.

We do snack if needed, usually a cracker or biscuit. We allow ourselves one treat a day which is usually a ginger nut biscuit with our afternoon cup of tea.

One golden rule: When visiting friends or dining out, don't make a fuss about being diabetic. Choose foods wisely and if served up something sweet, just have it - there have to be exceptions!

My readings are usually between 5 and 7 now and I feel really good! By doing what I have done I have avoided the need for medication in the forseeable future.

I am on the committee of our local Diabetic Society and do our newsletter, so have to keep up to date with developments etc. Having the support of other diabetics is very important!

It can take some time to find the right medication for you, but once found, you should be able to lead a perfectly normal life!

One thing you should do, is carry barley sugars with you as the medication can be too effective at times and give you a sugar low which will be an unpleasant experience. You will soon get to know when such an attack is coming on and the barley sugars work well to bring your blood sugars up again.

We have a lot of fun in our Diabetic Society, go out for meals, share our experiences and just enjoy being able to speak freely about something that society can't quite get its head around.

I hope what I have said helps and I will be thinking of you as you settle into this major change in your life.

Just do what you can, when you can and if you can. If you can't, don't berate yourself, just look at the positives.

Which brings me to another aspect of diabetes - depression. Expect to be depressed at times - it is quite normal, as is being lethargic and having no energy. Sugar is converted into energy, so if you can't convert sugar you have no energy - simple Eh!

PM me any time if you need support etc.

Roan

[nightowl]

Blimey Roan , you are tough on yourself aren't you? That is a very strict regime compared to the dietary advice I have been given

Only ONE weetabix for brekky? Only ONE slice of meat (it better be a big one!) and ONE potato (ditto) ? I have not cut portion size down to that extent, but have managed to take off a couple of pounds in the last week or so No wonder you are down to 10 stone - it's a wonder you haven't disappeared completely! ;D

I am not sure whether the main priority is to get the sugar levels down, or to stabilise them first and then bring them down. In the last 12 days I have gone from an average of 15-16 with peaks of 18+, to an average of 14 but much more steady with virtually no spikes (see, I'm learning the lingo!)

I know that's still a long way from what is required, but it's a good step in the right direction (IMO), considering the Metoprolol has not had a chance to kick in yet, and it's early days.

Thanks for the advice and support. Cheers Roan

[fozzie]

NO, both of us are T2. It is not the end of the World. I second all that Roan has said. Exercise is a key factor, but not so easy in the winter. We enjoy our walks. Another key item is the eating regime. Again once you get in to it not a a big deal. Roan mentions Barley sugar sweets, another good source of instant sugars is Orange juice. It is all a bit much to take in all in one go, It will get easier and better.

As Roan if you need to talk or just SHOUT then we are only a PM away.

xxx
Foz & Mrs Foz

[nightowl]

Thanks for the advice Foz (and mrs Foz) , but right now I should think the chances of me going "hypo" and needing instant sugar are so remote I have trouble imagining it!

I have decided that the blurred vision problems associated with Diabetes are not caused by the illness, but by reading endless bl**dy food labels!! . The other day in Tesco I developed a blinding headache and realised I had been in there an hour and a half peering at the darn things!!! I am sooo sick of checking them out already

One good thing I've discovered is that while I could take or leave normal pasta, I think the wholewheat stuff is really nice Never tried it before.

Badly missing fresh crusty white bread with real butter

[Missredhead]

Have just caught up with this thread.......

I'm sorry to hear your news NO .

[fozzie]

We use a lot of GI based diet/cook books. Anthony Worrell T is also T2 and Mrs F uses a few of his specialist books. Reading those labels still drives me up the wall . It is sometimes so difficult to work out sugars, fat free easy, sugar free no so easy. LIDL is a very hard place to go as the content labels are not very easy to understand. The trafic light system is useful but we both stand there reading labels. You suddenly realise how many thingd have a v.high sugar content.

Keep going, still here!

Fxx