# Hi from Northern Ireland



## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

Hello everyone.  I have just been told I have type two diabetes.  Scarry!  But I still have my good looks!  Thats what my 105 special children tell me.  I'm the headmaster of a special school.

Can anyone tell me about the sugar content per 100g I can eat Is anything below 8.0g per 100g OK?

Ceara


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## Northerner (Apr 24, 2009)

Hi ceara and welcome! I think the rule generally is that anything above 10g per 100g is high sugar, but as you will no doubt find out sugar is not the only thing to look out for. You will need to find how your body copes with all kinds of carbohydrates, to find the best diet and balance for you. Lots to learn - but do please ask away here if there's anything you need to know!


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## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

I had no symptoms at all.  I feel fit as a fiddle.  No history of diabetes in my family at all.  There really does seem a lot to learn.  I am going to depend on you good folk a lot I think.


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## Steff (Apr 24, 2009)

hi ceara and welcome x


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## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

Hi Steff

What is a hypo?  and can I get one with type two?  I exercise about one hour every day and am fine (or am I missing some symptoms).

I am not a stressed person - I look at my special children every day and see them smile through the most serious of conditions  so I'll smile too - i just need some basic info.

The nurse was very nice but she gave so much info so quickly.  I will not use the internet in case I get 'wrong' info hence I joined your club.

Ceara


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## Steff (Apr 24, 2009)

hypo is when you go low you will need to get an answer from some else about the exact levels etc etc im only 2 mnth in myself and im still learning lol , but yes both type 1 and 2s can get them or hypers which is going high i get them every other day (hypers) im yet to have a hypo


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## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

What is a hyper?  and what should I look for?  My kids in school with ADHD get hypers - they would love it if the head master got them too.


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## Steff (Apr 24, 2009)

well i get sweaty blurred vision my speech slurrs and my legs go to jelly  really thirsty , thats me personally speaking a hyper is when you blood sugars are hi so therer oppostie to hypo , like i say many more on here can tell you all the figures 

i think aiming for between 4mmol/L - 8mmol/L is stable.


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## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

Steff

What are the numbers and how do you know them.  I am on no medication at all except Statins.

Ceara


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## insulinaddict09 (Apr 24, 2009)

ceara said:


> Hi Steff
> 
> What is a hypo?  and can I get one with type two?  I exercise about one hour every day and am fine (or am I missing some symptoms).
> 
> ...



Hi ceara, welcome to the forum there is a wide range of experience here so feel free to ask anything and they'll be someone who will be able to help hypo's are when your blood sugar levels go too low, anything under 4 usually but it can vary from person to person. you might feel hot, hungry, irritable, shaky, dizzy, headache etc. what meds are you taking or are you just diet controlled


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## aymes (Apr 24, 2009)

Hi Ceara

A hypo is when your blood sugar goes low, usually below 4. This is a result of missed matched medication (insulin or some type 2 tablets) to your carbohydrates/activity. If you're not on diabetes medication it shouldn't be something you need to worry about.
Hypers are when you're sugars are high, if you're on insulin they can be treated with correction doses but if you're not on medication it's more tricky to sort. You will probably be aiming for blood sugars between 4 and 7 but that is something you need to agree with your care team. 
Have you been told to test your blood sugars, I know there's quite a debate within the medical community about type 2s testing. If you're not on medication then I assuming your team will be looking at you trying to control it through diet and exercise. There is a lot of good information online but you're right, you do need to be careful of the source! Diabetes UK's site is generally a good starting point.  There's a lot of good reccomendations for books on this site and I'd reccomend that as a good starting point.


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## insulinaddict09 (Apr 24, 2009)

ceara said:


> Steff
> 
> What are the numbers and how do you know them.  I am on no medication at all except Statins.
> 
> Ceara



You can get a glucose testing meter from your diabetes nurse for free, or you can get one quite cheaply from the chemist.
The doctor or diabetes nurse will tell you what sugar levels to aim for to start with.


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## ceara (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks everyone.  Its nice to know that you are not alone.


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## insulinaddict09 (Apr 24, 2009)

ceara said:


> Thanks everyone.  Its nice to know that you are not alone.



No problem  if you want any information or just to have a moan someone will always answer you, we might not have all the answers but we can always listen if you want to get it off your chest.


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## mikep1979 (Apr 24, 2009)

hi ceara and welcome to the site.

mike


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## Tezzz (Apr 25, 2009)

ceara said:


> Hello everyone.  I have just been told I have type two diabetes.
> Ceara



Welcome to the forums. I was scared when first diagnosed, the gang here have been great and very helpful. If in doubt ask. DiabetesUK is a good source of information.


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## bev (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi and welcome to this forum!
Things will seem chaotic to begin with - but you will soon get into it all - well you have to!

I note that your a head teacher, and would like to make you aware of the following.
Lots of children with type 1 diabetes are being discriminated against within the school environment. I am a member of another forum for parents of children with type 1 diabetes, there are some horror stories on there about schools and how they deal with diabetic children.
My own son is at a great school -he is just 11 and diagnosed 5 months ago. But there are children who have awful schools. One little girl was told by her teacher to take the sweets (jelly babies for a hypo) out of her mouth as it wasnt fair that the other children couldnt have one! After her mother complained, the teacher actually asked if the child could be discreet about eating them! Another teacher asked if the child could wear a badge - to identify her from the rest of the class - in case she needed to eat sweets for a hypo. Some children dont get to go on school outings because the school wont train anyone to oversee injections or glucose monitoring. There are countless stories like this - but we are campaigning to get things changed, so that diabetic children can be included in every aspect of school life. The other forum is www.childrenwithdiabetes.com   .

take a look at the link - there are some awful stories near the end of the document. http://lnk.nu/childrenwithdiabetesuk.org/spw.pdf      . If you have the time to look then thankyou!

If there is anything you feel you could help with then please let us know. Many thanks.  Bev


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## ceara (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi Bev

In addition to being a school principal I also am a member of the Disability Tribunal.  The examples you have provided would be illegal here in Northern Ireland and the schools would be 'destroyed in court'.  Please include me in your campaign.  I will freely give educational advice to any member of the forum who needs it. 

Ceara (The name of my school)


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