O/T Diabetes

[ExmouthExile]

If your sugar level is 6.8, then you have little to worry about. If you are an undiagnosed and untreated diabetic, then I would expect your sugar level to be in the 20's. I was diagnosed with type 1 about 11 years ago, I was the world's biggest coward when it came to needles, and to begin with, I was lucky enough to have a partner who didn't mind doing the injections for me. I had to learn to do it myself eventually, and to start with, I had a spring loaded device where I only had to hold it over the injection site and press a button, and the spring fired the needle in for me. After 11 years, I can now stick a needle in myself no problem. Like someone else said though, 9 times out of 10 it's totally painless, but occasionally you do hit a nerve, and then it's bloody painful for a few seconds.

The worst thing is the inconvenience. I inject on average about 8 times per day. It's a pain in the ass when you just want to grab a snack and eat it, but first there's blood tests to do, then calculating the dose of insulin required, then the injection itself .... and that's every time you eat! Can't fault the Health Service though, I've always been very well cared for.

 

[Durlston]

If your sugar level is 6.8, then you have little to worry about. If you are an undiagnosed and untreated diabetic, then I would expect your sugar level to be in the 20's. I was diagnosed with type 1 about 11 years ago, I was the world's biggest coward when it came to needles, and to begin with, I was lucky enough to have a partner who didn't mind doing the injections for me. I had to learn to do it myself eventually, and to start with, I had a spring loaded device where I only had to hold it over the injection site and press a button, and the spring fired the needle in for me. After 11 years, I can now stick a needle in myself no problem. Like someone else said though, 9 times out of 10 it's totally painless, but occasionally you do hit a nerve, and then it's bloody painful for a few seconds.

The worst thing is the inconvenience. I inject on average about 8 times per day. It's a pain in the ass when you just want to grab a snack and eat it, but first there's blood tests to do, then calculating the dose of insulin required, then the injection itself .... and that's every time you eat! Can't fault the Health Service though, I've always been very well cared for.

That sounds an absolute nightmare. I feel for you mate. There's so much to learn about it, confronting injecting the needles and remembering all your things everytime you go out. Agree that the NHS does a good job in difficult circumstances at times.

I think the right carbohydrates will take a while to sort out what's best, Hovagirl. Every thing I eat now I look to see if there's sugar in it. Even a ham and mustard sandwich I had at lunchtime contained some!

 

[HovaGirl]

I think the right carbohydrates will take a while to sort out what's best, Hovagirl. Every thing I eat now I look to see if there's sugar in it. Even a ham and mustard sandwich I had at lunchtime contained some!

This site might give you some good advice:
Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way - What Should I Eat? - The Nutrition Source - Harvard School of Public Health

But don't forget, you can't completely delete sugar from your diet, and you shouldn't, because the brain needs sugar! It's all about balance. Remember, though, tomato sauce and most processed foods are full of unnecessary sugar.

 

[ExmouthExile]

I think the right carbohydrates will take a while to sort out what's best, Hovagirl. Every thing I eat now I look to see if there's sugar in it. Even a ham and mustard sandwich I had at lunchtime contained some!

There's a lot of carbohydrate in white bread, so try and stick to brown if you can. As long as you don't overdo it, you can pretty much eat whatever you like as long as you know how to compensate with the right amount of insulin. A lot of uneducated diabetics will take a set amount of insulin at a set time of the day, but there is a system whereby you can calculate the exact amount of insulin to take according to what you eat, which means that you're in better control. Obviously, the sweet stuff is going to be a lot more, so it's healthier to avoid it if you can, but you don't have to give it up altogether.

I hope you're not diabetic, but if you are, feel free to PM me if you need any help or advice. It's a bit of a shock to begin with, but it doesn't have to spoil your quality of life if you can learn how to control it, instead of it controlling you.

 

[Sigull]

type 2

My contribution...Type 2 for two years, no meds ( diet & excercise)
Booze...... Holsten Pils is OK.. carbs & sugar brewed out & it's 5% ( but dear £2.50/80 a bottle) diet drinks/ skimmed milk too.
Bread....I only eat Burgen bread from Tesco
No sweet fruit juices/Fatty foods/only biccies should be Jaffa cakes.
If your BMI is over 30...get it down (25 is the target) I did it on a low carb diet-I swim about a mile each week...oh & I,m 70
Get a meter and initially test your sugar (BGs) levels after different foods & keep a food diary, after a while you can ditch that when you've sorted what "spikes" you.

 

[Mileoakman]

Just to add a second pennies worth. I shouldn't worry about going onto injections yet as your current readings are nowhere near the point when you need to start. It took me about 14 years from being diagnosed until I started a one a day injection a year ago. If its confirmed that you are diabetic its almost certainly diet and oral medication to start with.

 

[Durlston]

Visiting the hospital shortly to get it all sorted out, didn't manage much sleep and been fasting since last night. Thank heavens for diazepam which has chilled me out a bit.

 

[BensGrandad]

I have been type2 for about 25 years now, I take Metformin,I diet and inject my profile is at about 8.5 and I am comfortable at that.
at 3.5 I would be heading for hypo everyone is different my very stupid consultant wanted to get my profile down(makes their figures look good) and put me on Glicacide (sp) as well and the following day I had a hypo at 1.2 and damn near croaked
you have to do what you are comfortable with if I want a mars bar then I have one and adjust my diet for the rest of the day I inject at night (in the stomach) and since I have been doing that my blood sugar has been reasonable.
I very rarely eat any sugar free food and now even have nothing on corn flakes or in tea or coffee.
watch your weight as that can lead to complications look after your feet and eyes and if you want advice speak to the diabetic nurse as they have seen it all and can be your best friend in a panic
read food labels
good luck.

I am in the same state and take the same medication so would agree 100% with that post. My problem is I should but dont watch my weight enough.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

After a couple of blood tests last week my doctor thinks I'm diabetic after a blood/sugar level of 6.8 (3.2 - 6 is normal) and am booked into the hospital next week. Whether it's type 1 (having to inject insulin) or type 2 (more common and a careful diet followed) I'm not sure. I went to my doctors because I seem to feel extremely tired one day and ok the next, also there's far too much sugar in my diet.

I was wondering how people on NSC with diabetes cope with either type 1 or 2? The thought of possibly having to inject insulin every day worries me as I don't know how to do that safely as I might hit an artery.

There's so much to learn about diabetes and it's all a bit overwhelming at the moment. Any help would be much appreciated.

I've had type 1 for nearly 30 years, so PM me if you need any help and advice. Your blood test result sounds absolutely fine to me, though – 3.2 is a serious hypo for most people, and 6.8 is pretty perfect for someone with diabetes, so the diagnosis seems a bit strange. When I was diagnosed, I had a blood sugar of 44 and had two days to live, so 6.8 sounds ok to me. Fingers crossed, you'll be fine.

Insulin injections are fine, you'll have no danger of hitting an artery. The needles are tiny, and you inject into your tummy / thigh etc. I've been injecting insulin daily since the early 80s, but now on a pump, which is brilliant.

There's a good forum and loads of advice etc, here... Diabetes UK, UK Diabetes Resource, Diabetes Symptoms, Diabetes Diet, Gestational Diabetes

Good luck

 

[Albion Rob]

I too am in the Type 1 club. diagnosed about eight years ago at the age of 22.

As others have said, it's not a massive drama, more of an annoying niggle. Injecting isn't too bad as the needles are pretty small and very fine. My experience with the NHS has been very positive - make sure you make the kmost of the diabetes nurses in the early stages because they'll give you tons of information.

I can't claim my control is brilliant but that's mainly because I'm a bit of a fatty but it's certainly not too bad either. As others have said, you'll need to inject more if you're having something high in sugar or carb-heavy (I find takeaway pizza has drive my blood sugar crazy). It's annoying having a hypo at an inconvenient time like before playing football or while you're out with mates but if you take the right action you should feel much better in 10 minutes or so and people are pretty understanding.

My three pieces of advice:

Carry Lucozade or dextrose tablets everywhere without fail. Forgetting your insulin is very bad but you can head home and get in but forget your sweets when you're having a hypo and you could be in all sorts of trouble.

Remember to let the DVLA know. I got a massive bollocking from them when I forgot to tell them.

Make sure you check two hours after breakfast/lunch/dinner. Then if you've got it wrong you can use a corrective dose (check with your nurse about corrective doses - very important). You have to see it as something that will inevitably have peaks and troughts through your lifetime but taking action when things are not right is better than ignoring it (somehting I've been guilty of a few times).

Best of luck with it all.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I too am in the Type 1 club. diagnosed about eight years ago at the age of 22.

As others have said, it's not a massive drama, more of an annoying niggle. Injecting isn't too bad as the needles are pretty small and very fine. My experience with the NHS has been very positive - make sure you make the kmost of the diabetes nurses in the early stages because they'll give you tons of information.

I can't claim my control is brilliant but that's mainly because I'm a bit of a fatty but it's certainly not too bad either. As others have said, you'll need to inject more if you're having something high in sugar or carb-heavy (I find takeaway pizza has drive my blood sugar crazy). It's annoying having a hypo at an inconvenient time like before playing football or while you're out with mates but if you take the right action you should feel much better in 10 minutes or so and people are pretty understanding.

My three pieces of advice:

Carry Lucozade or dextrose tablets everywhere without fail. Forgetting your insulin is very bad but you can head home and get in but forget your sweets when you're having a hypo and you could be in all sorts of trouble.

Remember to let the DVLA know. I got a massive bollocking from them when I forgot to tell them.

Make sure you check two hours after breakfast/lunch/dinner. Then if you've got it wrong you can use a corrective dose (check with your nurse about corrective doses - very important). You have to see it as something that will inevitably have peaks and troughts through your lifetime but taking action when things are not right is better than ignoring it (somehting I've been guilty of a few times).

Best of luck with it all.

What insulin are you on, Rob?

 

[wigman]

Another one here in the Type 1 club and have sent Durlston a couple of pms on the subject. I inject 4 times a day (3 Novarapid and 1 Lantus ) and eat what i want in moderation.There are worse things in life to live with and with a bit of adjusting to his lifestyle he will be fine.

 

[Albion Rob]

What insulin are you on, Rob?

I'm on NovoRapid. Just been given these new disposable FlexPens and not really liking it. Preferred my old refillable pen.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I'm on NovoRapid. Just been given these new disposable FlexPens and not really liking it. Preferred my old refillable pen.

Refillables were always the ones for me. I was on NovoRapid three times a day, plus two Levemir injections (morning and night), so five jabs a day in total. Now on the Accu-Check Spirit Combi pump – apart from getting the tubing caught round doorhandles from time to time (and I dropped it down the bog the other day ), it's great!

 

[Albion Rob]

Refillables were always the ones for me. I was on NovoRapid three times a day, plus two Levemir injections (morning and night), so five jabs a day in total. Now on the Accu-Check Spirit Combi pump – apart from getting the tubing caught round doorhandles from time to time (and I dropped it down the bog the other day ), it's great!

I'm quite interested in the pump although a bit concerned about how it would work when I play football or go to bed etc. Surely strenuous physical activity would be off the agenda? Or at least activity that involved physical contact?

I'm novoRapid at least three times a day (more when I snack) and just a big hit of Levemir in the evening. maybe I should look into those pumps, though....

 

[eastlondonseagull]

I'm quite interested in the pump although a bit concerned about how it would work when I play football or go to bed etc. Surely strenuous physical activity would be off the agenda? Or at least activity that involved physical contact?

I'm novoRapid at least three times a day (more when I snack) and just a big hit of Levemir in the evening. maybe I should look into those pumps, though....

I was really reticent about the pump at first, but am glad I took the plunge in the end. I worked out that I'd done something like 50,000 injections in my life, so one quick jab every three or four days is marvellous!

The brilliant thing about the pump is that it drips quick-acting insulin in constantly, so it's VERY flexible. If you're running late and are rushing about more than usual, you just choose 'temporary basal rate' and it decreases the amount of insulin being dripped in by X% to cope with the exercise, so in theory you don't have a hypo.

You are supposed to wear it 24/7, but if I do serious contact sport or go swimming, take a shower etc, I just take it off for the duration. Test sugars afterwards if you've not had it on for a while, and if they're a bit high you just do a small quick-acting correction. Because it's pumping tiny amounts in every minute you can tinker doses to suit your own body. For instance, I'm on 1.3 units per hour at the moment, but at 5pm, I'm only on 1.1 units, 'cos I tend to go low at that time of the day. First thing in the morning, I'm on 1.5 units per hour. So if you tend to go hypo in the middle of the night, you can decrease the amount of insulin pumped in between 2am and 3am (for example). Similarly, if you tend to have a dawn phenomenon, you can programme the pump to give you a bit extra at 5am (or whenever), so you don't wake up high.

It's great for pizza and stuff, too, as you can tailor doses to the type of food you eat. So if you eat a 100g CHO pizza and you'd normally inject 20 units of insulin (and you'd have a huge rush of insulin, possibly going hypo, but then ending up high), you can eek out the 20 units so it's injected over three hours, fitting in with the way the pizza is digested.

The only down side is that you have to wear it permanently (so you do have to wear it at night), and it can be a bit of a fiddle changing the cartridges (like in the old days, you have to get rid of air bubbles etc etc, they don't do pre-filled cartridges unfortunately), and the tubing can get caught on things like door handles. But I do love it on the whole.

 

[Albion Rob]

I was really reticent about the pump at first, but am glad I took the plunge in the end. I worked out that I'd done something like 50,000 injections in my life, so one quick jab every three or four days is marvellous!

The brilliant thing about the pump is that it drips quick-acting insulin in constantly, so it's VERY flexible. If you're running late and are rushing about more than usual, you just choose 'temporary basal rate' and it decreases the amount of insulin being dripped in by X% to cope with the exercise, so in theory you don't have a hypo.

You are supposed to wear it 24/7, but if I do serious contact sport or go swimming, take a shower etc, I just take it off for the duration. Test sugars afterwards if you've not had it on for a while, and if they're a bit high you just do a small quick-acting correction. Because it's pumping tiny amounts in every minute you can tinker doses to suit your own body. For instance, I'm on 1.3 units per hour at the moment, but at 5pm, I'm only on 1.1 units, 'cos I tend to go low at that time of the day. First thing in the morning, I'm on 1.5 units per hour. So if you tend to go hypo in the middle of the night, you can decrease the amount of insulin pumped in between 2am and 3am (for example). Similarly, if you tend to have a dawn phenomenon, you can programme the pump to give you a bit extra at 5am (or whenever), so you don't wake up high.

It's great for pizza and stuff, too, as you can tailor doses to the type of food you eat. So if you eat a 100g CHO pizza and you'd normally inject 20 units of insulin (and you'd have a huge rush of insulin, possibly going hypo, but then ending up high), you can eek out the 20 units so it's injected over three hours, fitting in with the way the pizza is digested.

The only down side is that you have to wear it permanently (so you do have to wear it at night), and it can be a bit of a fiddle changing the cartridges (like in the old days, you have to get rid of air bubbles etc etc, they don't do pre-filled cartridges unfortunately), and the tubing can get caught on things like door handles. But I do love it on the whole.

Thank mate, really useful. Definitely going to explore this further.

 

[Durlston]

Hospital went well yesterday although everything took a long time. I get my diabetes results either this afternoon or more likely tomorrow. Got the rest of the week off work. The nurses were fantastic and helped with my anxiety on the issue.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread and sent pm's. It means so much to me and NSC is great for lending support to people when they need it. I love you all!

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Hospital went well yesterday although everything took a long time. I get my diabetes results either this afternoon or more likely tomorrow. Got the rest of the week off work. The nurses were fantastic and helped with my anxiety on the issue.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread and sent pm's. It means so much to me and NSC is great for lending support to people when they need it. I love you all!

Fingers crossed for you, fella

 

[MikeySmall]

Another one here in the Type 1 club and have sent Durlston a couple of pms on the subject. I inject 4 times a day (3 Novarapid and 1 Lantus ) and eat what i want in moderation.There are worse things in life to live with and with a bit of adjusting to his lifestyle he will be fine.

Another Type 1 here - diagnosed 10 years ago aged 21. Likewise I inject 4 times a day (3 novorapid and 1 Lantus) - alot of good advice and imo alot of bad advice here. Type 1 and Type 2 are controlled differently. My pennies worth is that everyone will react to things differently. My brother (who has been diabetic for 34 years) and I can eat the same meal and do the same amount of exercise and still have blood sugars that are miles apart. Nowdays diabetes control is so much better than it used to be, so you can eat near enough anything as long as you get your insulin dosage correct. Fatty foods are generally not great as they effect how insulin is absorbed. PM if you need any further advice. My blood sugar was 30+ when diagnosed - 6.8 sounds pretty normal. Good luck.