# husband has type 2 diabetes



## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

my husband was told yesterday that he has type 2 diabetes. the drs put him on 500 mg metformin tablets and told him to take 1 a day for a week then 2 a day then if needed 3 a day. Is that normal? His reading hi after lunch around 2:50pm then around 23 after evening meal.
His readings so far are: 
after breakfast yesterday 20.1,
after lunch yesterday hi, 1 tablet taken after reading
after dinner yesterday 23.5,
first thing today 23.7 had food and 1 tablet after
breakfast today 20.2
lunch today hi
what should i do to help him bring levels down?


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## Steff (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi V1cky its very early days for your husband yet, it is normal yes about the info you gave about Metformin thats how i started on it anyway.Have you been given any information on diet and things like staying clear of carbs which can be found in pasta,bread etc etc.Its shows alot for you to have come on here and joined here so pleased you found this forum quickly


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## Northerner (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi, and welcome to the forum  Sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. It does sound as though his levels are pretty high at the moment, but that's not unusual so soon after diagnosis - the good news is that things should get much better soon, and you have now found lots of friendly, experienced people who will do their best to help with any questions or concerns you may have, so please do ask if anything is bothering or confusing you.

Diabetes is chiefly about carbohydrates, so it's important to try and keep portions of these small as you start to learn how they affect his blood sugar levels. I would suggest  reading Jennifer's Advice and Maggie Davey's letter, and if you can get a copy of Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year by Gretchen Becker to help you through these difficult early stages 

How soon after eating are you taking the tests? Ideally, you need to know the value before eating and then one or two hours after eating so you can work out how much they have risen by. It will take a little while for the medication to start working, so don't expect things to come down overnight, it should happen gradually over the coming weeks. Any regular exercise will help bring levels down also, as will losing any excess weight if this is a problem at all for him.

Remember, you're not alone, we will do our best to help!


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

not gone over diet yet i thought carbs where good for him as there on the list we where given, i just want to help him get it under control. i just sit and google for help with it as this is all new and i'm not sure what to do with diet ect for him?  checking his levels just under 2 hrs after food, its hard as he drives a taxi for a living so he has to pop back home for me to check them.


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## Steff (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> not gone over diet yet i thought carbs where good for him as there on the list we where given, i just want to help him get it under control. i just sit and google for help with it as this is all new and i'm not sure what to do with diet ect for him?



Most carbs can cause alot of spikes for diabetics spikes meaning a high blood sugar reading, theres no reason why we cant have a little of things but type 2 is all about keeping it in moderation,the links Northerer has given will be a great start, the Gretcher Becker book is amazing and will help alot x

It will be a lot of confusion to start with we have all been there, your now a member of this forum so use it to your advantage I swear you will be advising newby partners of diabetics before long x the first thing you did was join here for that I admire you and your husband is lucky to have a caring wife as you are


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## slipper (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi V and welcome to the forum. Carbohydrates are the worst things for raising the levels. At this stage it would be useful to reduce the carbs so that his levels start to come down, at a steady pace, not by a sudden large amount.

Certain types of carbs are worse than others but simply if its white bread, rice or a breakfast cereal, then change it for wholemeal and even then a smaller portion, but to be honest even wholemeal was too much for me.  Go easy on the potatoes and pasta too.

My problem was worse at breakfast, and I loved toast, but soon found with the help of a meter and some testing strips, toast was no for me. I found out about Burgen Soya and Linseed bread from the forum and changed to that with an egg, or a slice of ham etc and all was much better.

Its hard at first to understand it all, I'm 8months in, and can at last cope with it much better than at first when it was all a huge puzzle. Ask away on here as you get more into it, there is always someone to help.


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

thanks steff, what sort of things should he be eating as his loaded with carbs since yesterday because we thought they where ok, just want his levels around normal if they can.
not sure why i thought bread, pasta, rice ect was good for him now just going by what i've read. how did i miss that


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## Northerner (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> not gone over diet yet i thought carbs where good for him as there on the list we where given, i just want to help him get it under control. i just sit and google for help with it as this is all new and i'm not sure what to do with diet ect for him?  checking his levels just under 2 hrs after food, its hard as he drives a taxi for a living so he has to pop back home for me to check them.



Try not to get overwhelmed by it all V1cki, it will come in time. Many people find that following the principles of the GL Diet (Glycaemic Load) is good for people with diabetes, as it teaches about food that will release it's energy slowly and steadily. I'd suggest The GL Diet for Dummies. It might sound complicated, but it's not really and you'll soon get the hang of it - we are always here to help


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

ok so carbs are a no go area? the info we got from the diabetic nurse and diabetes.org.uk website both say plenty of starchy carbohydrate foods. now i'm confused please put me in the right direction as i'm not sure how to look after him.


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## Steff (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> thanks steff, what sort of things should he be eating as his loaded with carbs since yesterday because we thought they where ok, just want his levels around normal if they can.
> not sure why i thought bread, pasta, rice ect was good for him now just going by what i've read. how did i miss that



Well things like nuts are good to snack on but as i said not to many, other things   for breakfast that are good for me anyways are poached or scrambled egg with bacon all grilled of course, the breakfast meal can be the hardest to get alot of the cereals out there are a pain in the backside, but they is a bread out there called burgen bread which is good I eat that alot usually toast it and have scrambled egg on top x

Someone with a whole load more of knowledge will give you a more comprehensive idea of foods to eat etc


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## Northerner (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> ok so carbs are a no go area? the info we got from the diabetic nurse and diabetes.org.uk website both say plenty of starchy carbohydrate foods. now i'm confused please put me in the right direction as i'm not sure how to look after him.



Carbs are not out of the window, but it's important to choose the ones that your husband can tolerate well, and in the right quantities. I would count up the carbs in each meal - you can get a great little book like the Collins Gem - Carb Counter to help, or there is a book called Carbs & Cals: A Visual Guide to Carbohydrate & Calorie Counting for People with Diabetes which has pictures of meals with their carb and calorie counts - lot of people here use it. With this information you can see what the total for each day is and would be a good idea to try and keep this to around 100g-150g per day until you learn more.


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

so just do the level 2 hrs after tea and reading 17.6, all tea was was basmati rice, chilli con carnie and sugar free squash, now confused what meals i should be cooking??


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## Steff (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> so just do the level 2 hrs after tea and reading 17.6, all tea was was basmati rice, chilli con carnie and sugar free squash, now confused what meals i should be cooking??



Hi Vicki was the chilli home cooked or was the sauce from the jar? ive started making alot of home cooked meals as theyre so much better then shop bought as you can see what your putting in there.The rice can be a struggle to but brown rice is a good alternative to basmati etc, dont put to much pressure on yourself V1cky your learning and it will all come to you x


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## Mark T (Mar 31, 2012)

Welcome to the forum v1ckidow 

The problem with the advice from people like Diabetes UK and many diabetes nurses is that they seem to set the advice level for diabetics on insulin.  No one with an ounce of common sense is ever going to advise someone with essentially a glucose-tolerance issue to eat more of the stuff.

DUK and others advise lots of starchy carbs because the alternative is to eat lots of protein and fats.  Unfortunately they don't draw a distinction between unhealthy saturated and trans fats and mostly ok and in some cases essential unsaturated fats.

Interesting they only put your husband on metformin if he is getting 23's and HI's.  I would of half expected something a bit stronger!  Metformin isn't that effective at lowering blood glucose levels by itself!


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## Mark T (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> so just do the level 2 hrs after tea and reading 17.6, all tea was was basmati rice, chilli con carnie and sugar free squash, now confused what meals i should be cooking??


What was the level before tea?

17.6 isn't all that bad if the pre-level was 15.  It would be more shocking if he had started from a 5 or 6.


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

Steff said:


> Hi Vicki was the chilli home cooked or was the sauce from the jar? ive started making alot of home cooked meals as theyre so much better then shop bought as you can see what your putting in there.The rice can be a struggle to but brown rice is a good alternative to basmati etc, dont put to much pressure on yourself V1cky your learning and it will all come to you x



rice was out of a packet that i just microwave and the chilli con carnie was already in the tin from asda as we did mot have long for tea with us working and the kids at home.x


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## Austin Mini (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi Vickie, I was diagnosed diabetic in 1988. I went into hospital and was given insulin. I felt a lot better in 15 mins. Three days later I was discharged on tablets. I tested my bloods, with readings like your hubbys, and rang the diabetic nurse after two days. She came around and put me on insulin there and then. Next day I felt a whole lot better as my readings came down. My eyes went blurred vision and had eight weeks off work as the eyes gave up the sugar. Those readings of your hubbys are far too high. Get him an appointment with your Doc or better still the diabetic nurse (she knows what to do and is more experienced with diabetics). Dont worry keep calm and note down the readings. He should never have been allowed out with those readings. MM


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## Northerner (Mar 31, 2012)

Austin Mini said:


> Hi Vickie, I was diagnosed diabetic in 1988. I went into hospital and was given insulin. I felt a lot better in 15 mins. Three days later I was discharged on tablets. I tested my bloods, with readings like your hubbys, and rang the diabetic nurse after two days. She came around and put me on insulin there and then. Next day I felt a whole lot better as my readings came down. My eyes went blurred vision and had eight weeks off work as the eyes gave up the sugar. Those readings of your hubbys are far too high. Get him an appointment with your Doc or better still the diabetic nurse (she knows what to do and is more experienced with diabetics). Dont worry keep calm and note down the readings. He should never have been allowed out with those readings. MM



Austin, you're forgetting her husband is a taxi driver and it may affect his livelihood to go on insulin straightaway. Insulin would bring the levels down quickly, but that doesn't mean he should necessarily be put on it straightaway - the doctor will have much more information to hand than we do so at this early stage.


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

Mark T said:


> What was the level before tea?
> 
> 17.6 isn't all that bad if the pre-level was 15.  It would be more shocking if he had started from a 5 or 6.



didn't check before tea so not sure, dr only gave him the tablets as his fasting bloods where 15 on the first and 17.5 on the second and an average of 23.6 over a month or so we where told so not sure.
as this is all new to us both i'm checking his level first thing in the morning the 2hrs after food as i know how to use the readers because of family history i had to do it for my little sister as she was blind from birth while mum sorted the insulin out. just not sure how to deal with type 2 or what meals are best. 
all meal plans welcome as i've hit a wall with what to get ready...


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## Northerner (Mar 31, 2012)

v1ckidow said:


> didn't check before tea so not sure, dr only gave him the tablets as his fasting bloods where 15 on the first and 17.5 on the second and an average of 23.6 over a month or so we where told so not sure.
> as this is all new to us both i'm checking his level first thing in the morning the 2hrs after food as i know how to use the readers because of family history i had to do it for my little sister as she was blind from birth while mum sorted the insulin out. just not sure how to deal with type 2 or what meals are best.
> all meal plans welcome as i've hit a wall with what to get ready...



How about an omelette?


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## v1ckidow (Mar 31, 2012)

Northerner said:


> Austin, you're forgetting her husband is a taxi driver and it may affect his livelihood to go on insulin straightaway. Insulin would bring the levels down quickly, but that doesn't mean he should necessarily be put on it straightaway - the doctor will have much more information to hand than we do so at this early stage.



the problem would be big if my husband went on insulin as he would have to pack up taxis for good, its bad enough that he can't drive the lorries now because the insurance won't cover him but type 2 ok driving taxis, it weird i know but different jobs mean different things.


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## Mark T (Mar 31, 2012)

What sort of things do you find it easy/prefer to cook?

Typically our evening meal has always been some form of protein combined with some new potatoes and veg.  From opening the fridge to serving that is about 30 minutes.  From a diabetics point of view, usually it's the potatoes that are the major thing to consider (I actually cut myself back to 3 new potatoes).

The pre-prepared tin stuff isn't so bad, but it's a good idea to have a good read of the labels to see what it contains.  I've once or twice removed an extra potato or two from my plate because the tin had a bit more carbohydrate then I wanted. (when I was loosing weight I was aiming for 70g carb per day, but these days I think I aim for ~150g)

How is your husbands weight?


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## slipper (Mar 31, 2012)

I'm with Mark, some protein, easy stuff like tinned ham, very tasty and low in calories too, with small boiled potatoes (2 in my case), with cauliflower and broccoli, 2 things I used to hate, but now buy frozen packets. Put in steamer and 15 minutes all done.

Lunch is usually a pitta bread with mushroom omelet.


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## Vicsetter (Mar 31, 2012)

Judging by what you said about your husband's metformin it's early days and you should be concentrating on helping him with his eating.  I would suggest that you try and substitute Burgen and a wholegrain bread instead of  white.  Cut down on the portion size of carbs, 50g rice instead of 75g, 2 small potatoes instead of 4 etc. Give him time for the metformin to kick in.

Is there a reason why he doesn't take the meter with him, would be a lot easier than coming home.  Is eating during the day a problem, it is difficult when you have to buy something when you are out and taxi drivers seem to eat a lot in their cars, so it's sandwiches, burgers etc.


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## v1ckidow (Apr 1, 2012)

Is there a reason why he doesn't take the meter with him, would be a lot easier than coming home.  Is eating during the day a problem, it is difficult when you have to buy something when you are out and taxi drivers seem to eat a lot in their cars, so it's sandwiches, burgers etc.[/QUOTE]

did my husbands levels this morning and his 13.2 before food alot better than the last 2 days.
the reason he doesn't take it with his is because he can't take needles in the car and is still not sure how to check his levels on his own yet.
eating during the day is not to much of a problem as we have friends that run a cafe near where we work so they help with meals that he can eat ect.
i just need to get the balance right on what he can have but not sure what to avoid as he eats lots of different things.


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## Katieb (Apr 1, 2012)

Hi there. It's really confusing when you start out, isn't it. But please don't worry - you seem to be doing fine looking at the reducing numbers. I'm a busy working mum and need to prepare meals quickly. I eat carbs only twice a day and make sure they are wholewheat ones (burgen bread, wholewheat pasta etc). If I do have potatoes, I stick to a couple of new potatoes boiled. I usually have a small portion of porridge for breakfast with a handful of berries, or if my bg is raised, scrambled eggs/ham or low fat yogurt and berries. Lunches are usually fish or chicken and salad with a low fat dressing. My evening meal is meat or fish, loads of veg and a small portion of new potatoes or wholewheat pasta or rice. Stir fries are really quick, easy and healthy. Chicken, veg and a small portion of noodles (medium egg noodles) is ok for me. I often make my own veg soups and have for lunch or evening meal. If your husband doesn't need to lose weight, he can snack on nuts, houmous with carrot sticks etc. If he does need to lose weight, then these are ok but he may need to limit them to small portions. I recently discover cauliflower mash! Grate the cauli and blitz in the microwave for 2-3 minutes with seasoning in a covered dish (cling film works ok) and use instead of mash on shepherds pie, or serve with curries and chillies instead of rice. It works. Honestly! The very best of luck and keep doing what you're doing, cos you're doing fine! Katie


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## v1ckidow (Apr 3, 2012)

hi again thanks all for the advice, had to go back to the drs again with husband as his reading high 20's since last night, drs put his metformin up to 3x a day and have to let them know what his reading is tonight and first thing in the morning as it might mean hospital time, not looking forward to that as it will mean he will have to pack up work if he need insulin injections.


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