# Just saying hello as new to Forum



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

My Name is Steve and I am new to this forum So hello everyone. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2007 mainly due to bad diet and too much drinking beer! I was on 5 needles a day (Lantus SolarStar and Novorapid) and tablets (Statins, Aspirin and blood pressure). 

In October 2014 I no longer take any medication whatsoever so just thought I would give back my experiences for anyone worried about their future and what it holds (well T2's anyway).

Steve


----------



## KookyCat (Oct 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum Steve


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks Kookycat


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 2, 2014)

Wow Steve that is so impressive You must have worked really hard Well done!  Lindarose


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks Lindarose.

I remember sitting in my hospital bed and the nurses (well support staff) were offering me sugar in my coffee and carbs on every menu and my blood sugar was going up not coming down! I wondered how would I get out of here at this rate? So I started doing some research on the Internet from my bed and took it from there really. I read a book by Dr. Bernstein called Dr.Bernsteins Diabetic Solution and this made everything fall into place for me. I guess once you know how to control Type 2 it becomes much easier it is just gaining that understanding and the will power to keep off the naughty foods lol!


----------



## HOBIE (Oct 2, 2014)

Hi Steve, Well done for being so positive & doing the right things


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks Hobie. I am a real ale lover so it has been very hard lol!


----------



## Bloden (Oct 2, 2014)

Welcome sbettoni. Congrats on turning things around!


----------



## Mark T (Oct 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum Steve


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Cheers Mark


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks Bloden. I think the NHS need to train diabetic staff a little better so they can advise newly diagnosed patients instead of blindly still promoting the food pyramid i.e. fruit, wheat and carbs!


----------



## stephknits (Oct 2, 2014)

What a great story!  Welcome to the forum


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 2, 2014)

Thanks Stephknits  Its really weird but whenever I talk about this I still feel pain in my finger from the pin pricks yet I haven't actually used my Accu-Chek monitor for about a year!


----------



## Bloden (Oct 3, 2014)

sbettoni said:


> Thanks Bloden. I think the NHS need to train diabetic staff a little better so they can advise newly diagnosed patients instead of blindly still promoting the food pyramid i.e. fruit, wheat and carbs!



We need more diabetic doctors and nurses!


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 3, 2014)

Yes we definitely need more doctors and nurses but to me its all about the training they are getting (or not,  in the case of what works for Diabetics) and the support staff should be better trained also. The after care should include some sort of classroom education system to properly train and prepare patients to understand how to change their lifestyle and move forward with the correct information. I'm not sure the diabetic nurses at the doctors surgery who take your bloods afterwards are all that clued up either! Its all about the training on both sides of this story nurse and patient.


----------



## Bloden (Oct 4, 2014)

I meant drs and nurses who are diabetic themselves.


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 4, 2014)

Ha ha oh I see what you mean now


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 4, 2014)

I agree with all being said My own diabetic nurse is a lovely lady but tells me to just eat a good balanced diet But to keep bg levels down I just can't do that! Of course she doesn't want me to self check so I won't see the spikes just a gradual worsening of hba1c So I'm just doing my own thing - with help from books and of course people on here who are like minded x


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 4, 2014)

With so many Diabetics now its imperative that the nurses at the surgeries are trained fully as well because the could be sending people home to eat the wrong things and live the wrong lifestyle which might be good for a none diabetic but one who is trying to keep a good Hba1C should not be eating fruit, wheat and carbs!

I have been on a few American forums and they believe in this even stronger than we do here. Most are convince that the US Giant Pharmaceutical and Agricultural companies are keeping the propaganda going for fear of losing money and they think that if the medical association and government admit they were wrong and actually T2 Diabetes can be reversed with the right foods then the Pharmas and government would lose billions in sales and future business.


----------



## Andy HB (Oct 7, 2014)

sbettoni said:


> With so many Diabetics now its imperative that the nurses at the surgeries are trained fully as well because the could be sending people home to eat the wrong things and live the wrong lifestyle which might be good for a none diabetic but one who is trying to keep a good Hba1C should not be eating fruit, wheat and carbs!



Not strictly true.

I think it is better to understand how different foods affect you and to what extent.

I eat fruit, bread (home-made wholegrain usually) and porridge and my last HbA1c was 38mmol/mol which isn't too shabby.

But I know what I can and cannot get away with (for instance, Granola does nasty things to me as well as white bread .... I don't touch them .... ever).

Welcome to the forum from me, by the way!

Andy


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 7, 2014)

Hi Andy, thanks for the welcome...
I think I may have been a little brainwashed by the books I've been reading (Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Solution and Wheat Belly) and by my own obsession with low carb diets. I can eat fruit and bread but I get indigestion from both so tend to keep away from them. On a low carb diet I have no indigestion at all.

Steve


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 7, 2014)

Hi Steve My ears pricked up when you mentioned getting a little obsessed with low carb eating I too have read Dr Bernsteins book along with several others written by Americans along similar lines They definitely all push the low carb diet and logically it makes sense for diabetics and there are certainly some amazing results.  I just can't understand how my bloods don't respond as they should! Fasting level is now improved to around 6 but that level rises after a no carb breakfast of egg and ham It usually goes down to around 7 before no carb lunch of just chicken then up to well over 7 after an hour or 2 I'm so so bored with the food I'm supposed to eat and wish I had the same results as everyone else who follows the low carb approach As I've said on here before my surgery don't offer any help They just promote a balanced diet I shall carry on regardless.....


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 7, 2014)

How long have you been diagnosed Lindarose? or how long have you been dong low carb? I think its normal for bloods to rise to around 8 1-2 hours after a meal and I don't think your figures are bad at all. I joined an American forum and you should see some of their figures and I'm talking nearly 3 figures!! You may want to try the first phase of Atkins and see how your bloods are on that...


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 7, 2014)

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago and started 500mg metformin daily about a year later I tried the newcastle reversal diet in august and lost weight but didn't change bg levels much Then I realised the shakes had more carbs than I would eat in a low carb meal so decided to try that approach Research lead me to experiment with even lower carbs and now I'm just disheartened I agree my  levels arnt too bad but I've read that it's not good for them to jump by more than 2 or 3 after meals and don't see why they are with my diet  Ile have a look at the Atkins diet and maybe that's worth a try Thankyou so much for the suggestion Ile let you know how it goes -Linda


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 7, 2014)

I stuck to the Atkins strictly (a few years before I was diagnosed) and lost about 3 stone and never felt better. The website is great and you can download all the allowed foods in the 4 phases in pdf files. Once you get started I'm sure you will see a further improvement in your figures but you have to be very strict and follow it carefully especially in the first phase. Just keep an eye on your ketones!!


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 7, 2014)

Thanks for that info Steve Just one more thing - how do I keep a check on ketones?


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 7, 2014)

You can get a pack of ketostix on Amazon. You basically wee on them and then measure what colour the strip turns against a guide provided in the pack. The diabetic nurses love to give you grief for this if your on low carb so beware lol


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 7, 2014)

One thing I forgot to ask...do you keep a food and drink diary to help analyse your bloods?


----------



## Lindarose (Oct 8, 2014)

Right ile order some sticks (and def keep quiet about them!) And yes I keep a record of everything It's great to see 6 most mornings Have even had the occasional 5.8! I'm wondering whether the daytime results might improve over time if I can persevere It's amazing how you've gone from all those meds to nothing A real inspiration


----------



## sbettoni (Oct 8, 2014)

Most mornings I was around 8 but that's expected due to the "dawn phenomenon" (google it ;-) I was always getting told off by the nurse for having too much protein in my blood readings when I was doing strict Atkins but it made my blood sugar levels perfect so you just have to find the right balance otherwise they will be tut tutting you at your next Hb1Ac!! Thanks by the way for saying I'm an inspiration that's really nice


----------

