# Diagnosed 18months ago-still finding it difficult



## MaureenEaves (Sep 21, 2015)

Hi, I was diagnosed type 2 diabetic last March 2014, put on Metformin, this year-June 2015 given Gliclazide?.  I am struggling with finding how much sugar I should be having, how I calculate it. I know how to read the labels on food--I have only been seen by Diabetic Nurse twice since diagnosed. Feeling very low and fed up, cannot eat veg every evening, cannot eat salad every day neither. Struggling with what food should I have, restricted on fruit.  YOGHURTS--they have proven impossible!! Cannot find one that I like without a fruit topping, DO NOT do the plain youghurt. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Adamj35 (Sep 21, 2015)

*Re*

Hi there if been diabetic 7 years and was struggling for years up until last year when I found the perfect diet to keep the dreaded weight off but still feel full to stop the snacking and sugar urges lol


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## Northerner (Sep 21, 2015)

Hi Maureen, welcome to the forum  Sorry to hear that you appear to be getting a poor service from your healthcare team, unfortunately it's not uncommon 

The first thing to be aware of is that you shouldn't just concern yourself with sugar - diabetes is all about carbohydrates, of which sugar is just one type (others are rice, pasta, potatoes, bread etc.). As a general rule you need to be looking at 150g carbohydrates a day or less, depending on what you can tolerate. There's no reason why you should have to restrict your diet to vegetables and salads, but you do have to be a bit clever about things and find out your personal tolerances for different meals and types of food. For example, some people get along fine with porridge for breakfast, but others find that it sends their blood glucose levels very high. In order to find out your tolerance for things you need to test your blood glucose before, and one or two hours after eating to find out how much the meal raises your levels. Have a read of Test,Review, Adjust by Alan S  to understand what I mean. If you have been put on gliclazide  then you should have been prescribed a meter and test strips, as this medication can send your blood glucose levels low - if you drive you must test your levels to ensure you are safe to do so, so if you don't have these, ask your GP or nurse for them (they don't always know about the driving restrictions - even if you don't drive you should insist on the strips as you may need to check if levels are dropping low.)

I would recommend getting a copy of The GL Diet for Dummies - this is a method of selecting and combining food so that it has a slow and steady impact on your levels. You will see that it includes a wide variety of foodstuffs to choose from, so no need to limit yourself to boring meals! 

As a general guide you can eat anything, as long as it is in moderation and provided you have done the testing to find out how well you tolerate a thing and in what amount. It might seem like a tedious and long-winded process, but once you have established your tolerances for your favourites you won't need to test as often. It's all about tailoring your meals to what your body can cope with well.

Some other things you may like to read are Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker - these will hopefully give you a much better understanding of your diabetes than that provided by your doctor and nurse - knowledge is power, and knowing why thing happen makes them that much easier to tackle.

Please ask ANY questions you may have, there is always someone here who will be happy to help and there is a lot of experience of all the things you are going through. I look forward to hearing more from you


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## Adamj35 (Sep 21, 2015)

*Re*

Good advice admin I think we all struggle from the start until we find the routine and diet and a goal for are selfs


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## Copepod (Sep 21, 2015)

How about hazelnut yogurts?


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## trophywench (Sep 21, 2015)

What restricts your fruit intake?  If it's just the carb content then any berries are lesser carbs than other fruits.  If you don't like them - well I can't help!

If it's another medical condition, well if you can't, you can't.  Same as the veg, could you explain what the prob is with these two foodstuffs?


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## Amigo (Sep 30, 2015)

Hi Maureen, I was dx Type 2 in Feb this year and understand your issues. I love salad but there's times I just can't face another one no matter how interesting I try and make it. And diabetes does inevitably take away the 'grab and run' approach to eating because many of the things we'd have once grabbed are carb laden. They caused the problem in the first place! 

I agree with northerner about forgetting the sugar count, I just look at the carb content and try to limit any 'treats' to under 10/14 g of carb. Because I'm sick of soft food like yoghurt, I allow myself an ice cream sandwich occasionally and have found some excellent Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches in the freezer section of Lidl. Each one has chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream and are only 106 calories and 14 g carb (1g being fibre). They're called Gelatelli ice cream sandwiches and are really cheap too! 

Try to keep some little treats like pieces of chicken, cheese and seafood in the fridge for when you get desperate. It's not easy but it's worth it!


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## Ralph-YK (Sep 30, 2015)

I was diagnosed December 2014 and know what you're on about.
I've actually seen a dietician now.  Still making my mind up.  However, it's worth you asking to be referred to one.  If you can find the information you might be about to refer yourself.
First meeting was 40 minutes.
Keep a food diary to take with you.  Mine said a few weeks will do.


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## MaureenEaves (Oct 3, 2015)

*Thank you all*

well after reading all your reply's, and going to a Desmond meeting I am still none the wiser.  One  person said that if you have been put on Gliclazide-well yes I have--you should be prescribed a monitor and testing strips--WELL, no, my doctors and nurse say that I do not need to do this as my PCT does not fund the monitors and strips for Type 2 DIABETICS.  I am beginning to think sod it. I AM going to get as advised the GL diet for Dummies and try that.  I just seem to be getting no help from nowhere.  SO--my lovely husband has ordered me a monitor and testing strips so that I can test and see what number I am at and then monitor what I eat and test again.  Frustrated is the word--no help from the medical profession is another moan. Well-- I will wait to receive the monitor, take a reading and eat my 'breakfast' not porridge that's for sure but my muesli and see what numbers we come up with and take it from there. THANKS everyone for your kind words and help.  Maureen


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## MaureenEaves (Oct 3, 2015)

*TROPHYWENCH--reply*

My limited amount of fruit is --sent from my Diabetic Nurse who said all of this;-
No more than 6 grapes a day, 1-thin slice of melon a day, ONLY English apples and pears-you must not have any if the 'pinks', 1 banana a day BUT it must be more green than yellow, WELL---English apples and pears are flaming hard to find many times of year, 1 thin slice of melon--there is only me that eats melon in this house so 1 slice a day-it will be off before i finish it.  Cannot have oranges, lemons and limes because of Rheumatoid Arthiritis, no grapefruit as you all know.   YOGHURTS--were another flaming pain--i asked about the only yoghurt I can stomach as I am NOT a yoghurt fan--Muller greek style ----NOOOOOOOOOOO was the reply. Eat plain greek yoghurt--I like fruit with my yoghurt--well take an apple and pear and cur them up and put in your yoghurt--I dont want to start peeling and chopping a yoghurt where ever I may be .   AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## HOBIE (Oct 3, 2015)

There are lots of foods without carbs.  How about telling you nurse about going out for a long walk to lower your bg.  Kippers are good for you


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## Northerner (Oct 3, 2015)

MaureenEaves said:


> well after reading all your reply's, and going to a Desmond meeting I am still none the wiser.  One  person said that if you have been put on Gliclazide-well yes I have--you should be prescribed a monitor and testing strips--WELL, no, my doctors and nurse say that I do not need to do this as my PCT does not fund the monitors and strips for Type 2 DIABETICS.  I am beginning to think sod it. I AM going to get as advised the GL diet for Dummies and try that.  I just seem to be getting no help from nowhere.  SO--my lovely husband has ordered me a monitor and testing strips so that I can test and see what number I am at and then monitor what I eat and test again.  Frustrated is the word--no help from the medical profession is another moan. Well-- I will wait to receive the monitor, take a reading and eat my 'breakfast' not porridge that's for sure but my muesli and see what numbers we come up with and take it from there. THANKS everyone for your kind words and help.  Maureen



Do you drive Maureen? They have put you on a medication - gliclizide - that has the potential to drop your blood sugar levels low, so you MUST be able to test! In fact, on this medication you need to test if you feel low, whether you drive or not! They can't have a blanket ban just because you are Type 2 regardless of the meds you are on, they have to take account of how it works and act to keep you safe. Grrrr! This sort of thing makes me so mad because it is a complete lack of understanding and stupid short-term cost-cutting  Do they deny meters and strips to Type 2s on insulin? Gliclizide effectively works by causing your pancreas to produce more insulin. 

I think you need to press your case further. Here are the NICE guidelines relevant to this situation:



> 1.4 Self-monitoring of plasma glucose
> 
> 1.4.1 Offer self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education. Discuss its purpose and agree how it should be interpreted and acted upon.
> 
> ...



I have highlighted in red the line that applies to your situation. I suggest you take it to your GP and ask then to explain why you should not need test strips and a meter. Don't let them pass it off to the PCT/CCG - ask for the full clarification from them. The full document details from NICE are here:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg87/chapter/guidance

Good luck!  Let us know if you have any more questions


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## Andy HB (Oct 4, 2015)

Hello from me. Welcome to the forum.

I am so annoyed to see when medical types get it so wrong. It is no comfort to you, I know, but when I was diagnosed and put on gliclazide, I was given a meter told how to use it and also offered a place on a course within the month.

With the information obtained, change in diet (I ate healthily, avoiding or reducing those foods which affected me badly... Nothing faddy though. It remained a normal diet. There is no need to stop eating anything if the meter tells you it is OK. Even over ripe bananas). I was also able to exercise regularly (daily walk for me. But anything will do!).

The result? I am now off all medication and my Hba1c is still the best ever since diagnosis. Good support and advice helped me. They should be doing the same for you and everyone else.

Andy


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## MaureenEaves (Oct 4, 2015)

*Update*

well just to let you all know that after my rant and getting it all off my chest I have decided to buy a glucose monitor with everything needed to monitor my levels--it arrives Wednesday this week so I shall keep you all updated as to how things go. cheers for everything. Maureen


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## Pine Marten (Oct 4, 2015)

Good luck, Maureen! I am type 2 and take Metformin only so my surgery doesn't supply meters or test strips. I bought the Codefree one from Amazon and pay about £7 for a tub of 50 strips.

You'll soon get the hang of testing - it really is the only to find out what foods affect you. Don't listen to the stupid medics who don't know what they are talking about, come here to the forum and you will find that people's actual experiences will tell you far more than you'll ever get from the surgery!

All the best. Do let us know how you get on.


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## AndBreathe (Oct 4, 2015)

Pine Marten - DO you realise if you buy your Codefree strips directly from the distributor, Home_Health that you can get a discount on the price?  OK, you have to buy 5 or 10 pots at a time, , but it does bring the price down to £5.20 a pot, or £25.98 (I think!) for the 5 pots.  The discount for 10 pots is exactly the same percentage.

The HomeHealth website is  here:  http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

The discount codes are:

5 pots:  264086
10 pots: 975833

You add the code at the Checkout stage.

Second class postage is free, or an additional 50p for first class.

One thing to be careful of is that the codes only apply to 5 or 10 pots.  The checkout process doesn't apply the discount if you buy 6 or 11 pots for example.


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## AndBreathe (Oct 4, 2015)

Maureen - Sorry to have deflected your thread a bit with my post to Pine Marten, but I hate to hear of anyone paying more to manage their diabetes than they need to.

For yourself, it really is worth trying to work out a way of managing the carbs.  It can make such a difference to our condition and our overall feelings of well being.

I was diagnosed in October 2013, so a bit longer than you, but I was fortunate to get my head around it pretty quickly.  I accepted that I had to make some pretty big compromises, in terms of my diet, and open my mind to eating different things, or the same things, but in a different way.

The result for me was losing a load of weight, without trying, and ending up with every single one of my blood tests since being at non-diabetic levels.

I absolutely accept it's not easy, and some people have other health conditions to take into account, or family circumstances that make some of the changes difficult, so not everyone will manage the scores I have been fortunate enough to achieve, but it is possible for you to make a difference.  I'm very confident of that.

Good luck with it all.


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## Northerner (Oct 4, 2015)

MaureenEaves said:


> well just to let you all know that after my rant and getting it all off my chest I have decided to buy a glucose monitor with everything needed to monitor my levels--it arrives Wednesday this week so I shall keep you all updated as to how things go. cheers for everything. Maureen



Let us know if we can help at all Maureen  

I would still point out the NICE guideline regarding gliclizide and the need to test to the GP/nurse. Test strips, however cheaply you can get them, are an expense no-one in your situation should need to pay out for - some people under your CCG may not be able to afford them, and some people may just accept what the GP says and then present a danger to themselves and others out on the road, so it is not just a personal but also a public safety issue. I don't drive, but the thought of a hypo setting in whilst I'm cruising down a motorway is terrifying


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## Pine Marten (Oct 4, 2015)

AndBreathe said:


> Pine Marten - DO you realise if you buy your Codefree strips directly from the distributor, Home_Health that you can get a discount on the price?  OK, you have to buy 5 or 10 pots at a time, , but it does bring the price down to £5.20 a pot, or £25.98 (I think!) for the 5 pots.  The discount for 10 pots is exactly the same percentage.
> 
> The HomeHealth website is  here:  http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm
> 
> ...


Ooh no, I didn't! Thanks for that, AndBreathe, I'll check it out


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## AndBreathe (Oct 4, 2015)

There's no point paying more than you have to.  I can't imagine many folks ordering less that 5 pots at a time anyway.

And just for completeness, Homehealth are very happy for me to give out the discount codes.  It's a lovely business.  (I have no professional relationship with them.)

When you buy directly from them, the boxes usually have a sticker on with the discount codes printed on.


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## Andy HB (Oct 4, 2015)

AndBreathe said:


> There's no point paying more than you have to.  I can't imagine many folks ordering less than 5 pots at a time anyway.



Just be aware, though, that strips do have a lifetime (usually pretty long, so isn't a problem for most people).

Unfortunately, my pot of contour strips (at £25 for a pot of 50) expired on me! I don't test that often any more (have all the information I need already).

Andy


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## AndBreathe (Oct 4, 2015)

Whilst it's worth noting, I've never had any issue with the Codefree strips.  They usually have at least a year before they're anything near their date.  

I do take note of that in particular, as I sometimes have to order to last me several months at a time, as I regularly do long (several months) trips, based in a country with an horrendous postal system, only trumped by it's nightmare Customs and Excise arrangements.

My current batch, which I received in March (long story, but almost 30 tubs) expires at the end of October 2016, and I know there have been several batches go through the distributor since then, as as I know others who have discussed batch numbers and relative accuracy.


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## Pine Marten (Oct 5, 2015)

I've just ordered 5 pots  . Oddly enough when I checked my last Amazon order I saw that it came from Home Health...I hadn't realised it was the same place (d'uh!). Still, the discount worked so it was indeed a fair bit cheaper.


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## Northerner (Oct 5, 2015)

I'll change the recommendation to link to the Home Health site instead of amazon, thanks for the information AndBreathe, that means you can get 5 pots for the price of a single pot of one of the more common brands!


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## MaureenEaves (Oct 29, 2015)

Thank you all sincerely, well since last on here, I have spoken at length to the practice nurse, bought myself a Code free test kit (from Amazon) other retailers are available!!, She then 'gave me a GluNEO test kit' yes folks- she gave me one, told me that the Code free ones are not reliable so for the first week or so test with both units, I did- the GluNEO gave a lower reading by up to 2 units. Yes  lost 7 stone before being diagnosed, lost a little since, but just put back a few pounds over our holiday.  Rather naffed off again as I am getting terrible with food.  I don't want spuds, veg and meat, I don't want salads, sometimes I just want a sandwich and a pkt crisps, or a wrap. I am going to see a Dietitian--appt not as yet to see if he/she can give me some inspiration. I could just cry--the Gliclzide has made all my skin go dry, rough and itchy, when  told the practice nurse she just reached into her drawer and gave me a sample tube of Aveeno moisturizer. Marvelous!.  Yes I have psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteo arthritis, and now flaming diabetes--the Nurse also projected to tall me that my reading will be wayward because of all the medication I am on and what time of day I take things. Well 17 tabs a day-every day, and 1 self injection for my rheumatoid. SO-how do I carry on. I just feel that I can do no right, just everything is going against me. Sorry for the rant. all you good people don't really need to see this.


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## Mini-Vicki (Oct 30, 2015)

Maureen,
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I was diagnosed with T2 several years ago, and it took me a very long time to adjust to the change in diet. It was very confusing, and my medical team at the time were awful. They had minimal knowledge, and the limit of their dietary advice was 'don't eat sugar' which obviously was no help at all! I went on an X-Pert course, which helped a lot, as did talking to other people in similar situations.
I've since moved to a different area of the country and my healthcare team are so much better. They have discovered I'm actually T1, so I've been started on insulin, and also referred to a psychologist to help me deal with being diabetic. When I was first diagnosed, I went through a kind of 'grief' period, which made me angry a lot, and in denial. I think the psychological effects of becoming diabetic are often ignored or not understood my GPs. Maybe it would help you if you had someone to talk to? A doctor might be able to refer you, or ring the Diabetes UK support line, who are excellent.
I think testing would be a great idea, as you can see what affects different foods are having on your blood sugar, and it will help you feel as if you have a measure of control over your health. Some foods will surprise you, my dietician told me to avoid baked 'old' potatoes and go for new potatoes instead, but I found that a jacket potatoes didn't raise my blood sugar that much, which I was pleased about, as a good jacket pot is a favourite of mine.
I also went to a diabetes uk 'living with diabetes day' earlier this year, that was brilliant and again, it was great to have other diabetics to talk to.
Remember that you are within your rights to ask your doctor to a referral to a specialist if you feel you are not getting the care you need.
The GI book is brilliant. Changing your diet does take a lot of work, and a huge lifestyle change, but it is definitely worth it.


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