# Newbie with hubby who has sugar imbalance



## Diana*** (Feb 8, 2009)

Hi all

I am Diana from Sheffield whose husband has a sugar imbalance but not yet diabetes. I am trying to control his sugar levels by diet at the moment but his gp was not happy with his last blood test and wants us to check sugar levels in foods to be 2-5% preferably, 10% absolute max. Not easy!!!

Have got a few Low GI reference books so that is helpful too.

Back soon

Di


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## Northerner (Feb 8, 2009)

Hiya Di, and welcome - I used to live in Sheffield (in Crookes), spent many an hour running down the Rivelin valley!

I would say that the thing to watch out for is not just sugar, but the total carbohydrate content of foods - all carbohydrate gets converted to glucose in the blood, it's just that simple sugars will convert faster. Low GI takes longer to digest and is therefore a slower, more even release of glucose. Regular exercise will also help to maintain better blood sugar levels too, if this is possible.


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## Diana*** (Feb 8, 2009)

Exercise!!! That's a foreign word to my husband!!!


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## Copepod (Feb 12, 2009)

Hi Diana - Exercise doesn't just mean competitive sports, gyms etc. Does your husband walk or cycle anywhere - or drive / take bus or tram for short journeys (say up to 2 miles for walking, up to 5 miles for cycling) that he could walk or cycle instead? That could be enough to make a real difference to his blood sugar levels, in combination with low sugar diet. Perhaps your husband would value the money saving aspect of walking or cycling if he would object to "exercise"? Admittedly there is initial cost of buying bike, lights, reflective kit, helmet, pump, tools etc, and occasional inner tube or brake cable replacements, but many items can be bought second hand or obtained from Freecycle. 

Anyway, good luck, and let us know how you both get on.


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## David B (Feb 25, 2009)

When I was diagnosed I wasn't too keen on exercising, hadn't done any since school, but I went jogging anyway - and sprained my ankle! So I decided to get some exercise videos and do it in the comfort and safety of my own living room. I do half an hour 3 times a week - don't exactly enjoy it but I just tell myself that hour and a half could add years to my life. Rosemary Conley dvd would be a good start.


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## Steff (Feb 26, 2009)

*wheres my blood arghh!*

good morning pple well been a diabetic 3 weeks now lol! 

finding it really hard getting blood outta my fingers at the minute i do try as much as possible to change hands and fingers and they do day only start on your fingers to begin, but when im having to prick my finger about 4 times for blood i get really demorilised and burst out crying in front of my kids ,(they must think im mad).I am also finding my skin is getting really tough on the end of my fingers is that usual?

thanks stef


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## Northerner (Feb 26, 2009)

steff09 said:


> good morning pple well been a diabetic 3 weeks now lol!
> 
> finding it really hard getting blood outta my fingers at the minute i do try as much as possible to change hands and fingers and they do day only start on your fingers to begin, but when im having to prick my finger about 4 times for blood i get really demorilised and burst out crying in front of my kids ,(they must think im mad).I am also finding my skin is getting really tough on the end of my fingers is that usual?
> 
> thanks stef



Hi steff, it's sooo frustrating when this happens, isn't it? You go through that horrible finger prick, only for it to fail! There are a few tips: 

After you've pricked the finger, leave it for a few seconds. This is because the body's reaction is 'I've been injured! Must close the wound!' After a little while, the finger relaxes
Hang your hand down during these few seconds, to get some help from gravity
Make sure your finger is warm before you prick it - very difficult to get blood from cold fingers. If necessary, run it under some warm water.
You can also 'milk' the blood by squeezing down the finger towards the end.


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## Steff (Feb 26, 2009)

yes northener very i am nervous enough then when i muster up the courage only for it to fail it gets me soo mad, anyways thanks very much for those tips i shall try them when i do my next bloods 



thanks


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## Copepod (Feb 26, 2009)

A couple more things, Steff: 
What part of your finger are you pricking? It's less painful to prick the side of your finger tip, not the pad. The pad is equipped with a very high density of nerves for feeling, sensation, pain receptos etc, while the side doesn' have so many. 
What sort of pricking device are you using? If you just have a lancet, but nothing to hold it, it may be more painful. Most blood glucose meters come with a pricking device - and may last longer than the meter, if it is updated and strips discontinued.


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## Lizzie (Feb 26, 2009)

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but are you changing the lancet? Most people think to change needles but for some reason just keep on using the same lancet. I do this, I know I shouldn't. Most prickers also allow you to change the depth the lancet goes in so changing that may help. 

Also, if you go to the list of posts for whatever part of the board you are using (messageboard, newbies, exercise, etc) there is a link to post a new thread. That way people will know you are starting a new subject. If you reply to a thread which is already started, some people might miss it if the title post in the thread is not of interest to them.


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## C*5_Dodger (Feb 26, 2009)

Diana*** said:


> Hi all
> 
> I am Diana from Sheffield whose husband has a sugar imbalance but not yet diabetes. I am trying to control his sugar levels by diet at the moment but his gp was not happy with his last blood test and wants us to check sugar levels in foods to be 2-5% preferably, 10% absolute max. Not easy!!!
> 
> ...


Dear Diana***,

If your husband REALLY is not yet diabetic, it may be possible to stop him progressing to becoming one! To do this he must adopt a low carbohydrate approach to dieting. However, you should be aware that this approach is not what your doctor will recommend. There are many diets that he could choose, a Google search will give you many options. The diet I chose was Atkins but Protein Power is a good one too. One more thing: If a low carb approach is to work, your husband must follow the diet exactly as prescribed ie NO CHEATING!

Regards  Dodger


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## Steff (Feb 26, 2009)

hi cope and liz ,

well cope at the moment i am using sides of thumb third n second finger in on both left and right hand , i use a freestyle lite pen thing that you insert the lancet pull the trigger thing back and then you let it go and it pricks the finger for me It is very nerve racking for me at present i dread pushing the button for the needle to go in my finger tip i have to have at least minute n half to pscye myself up

Liz i always use same lancet i have a box of 200 to get through mind you lol,i aint even sure if once i have used the needle on 1 test if i can re-use for rest of the day does anyone know????


p.s thanks  for telling me how to start a new thread Liz i have been wondering actually


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## Lizzie (Feb 27, 2009)

Hi again Steff

I find the ring (4th) and little finger are best for me, I don't like doing it in my thumbs. I think like needles, lancets _should_ only be used once however they could probably be used more than that but each time they would get a little bit blunter, hurt a little more and make a bigger hole in your finger.


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## Copepod (Feb 27, 2009)

*reusing lancets & needles*

Have look on your box of lancets - it proabably says "for single use only" and / or has a symbol of number 2, with a line through it, which also means don't use each lancet more than once. However, many people do use lancets and needles more than once, and very few have had any problems as a consequence. If anything, it makes more sense to change lancets more often than needles, because lancets come into contact with blood vessels, while needles generally only come into contact with fat tissue. Changing needles each time means wasting slightly more insulin, as the needle needs to be full of insulin, with no air bubbles, before injecting, to ensure accurate dosage.


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## Steff (Feb 27, 2009)

Hi again 

yes cope you were right it says on side of my box of lancets single use only ,ahh why did'nt i think of that 

Liz i must be honest i have not even tried my lil finger yet i was to nervous i tryed the other day and could'nt do it , but i will give it a go if only to give my thumb and other finger a rest lol..Im so scared of any types of needles i cant even go for blood tests without a friend being there im terrible


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## Northerner (Feb 27, 2009)

steff09 said:


> Hi again
> 
> yes cope you were right it says on side of my box of lancets single use only ,ahh why did'nt i think of that
> 
> Liz i must be honest i have not even tried my lil finger yet i was to nervous i tryed the other day and could'nt do it , but i will give it a go if only to give my thumb and other finger a rest lol..Im so scared of any types of needles i cant even go for blood tests without a friend being there im terrible



Hi steff, I use my little finger and the one next to it, and try to alternate hands to give the other a chance to heal. I hadn't used my little finger until I met someone on a diabetes course who used hers. I was told not to use the thumb, so have never used it. Perhpas it's because if you hurt your thumb it causes you more problems than if you hurt a finger - cos you have three more of them on each hand (unless you're a polydactyl!).

I use lancets more than once, but only use needles once - down to individual preference, I think.

It's never pleasant, I've found, but you do get used to it. It's odd that non-diabetics seem more horrified by the thought of injections, but I find that, most of the time, they don't hurt at all - but the blood tests do!


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## Steff (Feb 27, 2009)

hi northener,
seconded on the blood tests hurting when i went for one the nurse could not get any blood out of me she tryed 3 times once in hand twice in arm she sent me off down the hospital they had it out and filled 3 test tubes within a minute weird how nurse had no joy i was terrified by then my arm was yellows the following morning, was not a great experience for a very terrified person lol.

Ah liz also mentioned little finger i am going to use it now when i do this test as you say i will have to lay off using my thumb ... 

thanks Stef


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## pintsize (Feb 27, 2009)

Hi i'm graham you must wash your hands hard to get your blood flowing


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## Northerner (Feb 27, 2009)

pintsize said:


> Hi i'm graham you must wash your hands hard to get your blood flowing



Hi Graham, you're absolutely right - getting the blood flowing by washing in warm water helps a lot, and also means that the test is not contaminated in any way by what you might have on your fingers after eating etc.

I've found that, after a long run when my heart has been thumping away and I'm all warmed up, I don't even have to squeeze at all!

Another point to note is that, the test might fail because the test strip is faulty. I have, on occasion, had what I thought was more than enough of a blood drop, only for it to smear and the meter to flash up an error. It doesn't happen very often, but I used to think I was doing something wrong until I read on here that otheres had encountered the same problem.


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## Copepod (Feb 27, 2009)

*different blood / different blood vessels*

Steff - the reason for differences in amount / speed of blood not obtained from finger prick and the 3 tubes obtained within a minute at hospital is that finger pricks take capilliary blood from the tiny blood vessels that link arteries with veins, while tubes of blood are obtained from veins, which take blood back from body tissues to the heart to start again. A yellow arm just means that some blood has leaked out into the surrounding tissue, causing a bruise. One tip to reduce the chance of a bruise after a blood test is to press the cotton wool or gauze supplied on the puncture without bending your arm.

(I'm ignoring the pulmonary circulation system here, which takes blood between heart and lungs, as it's not relevent to blood tests for diabetes)


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## Steff (Feb 28, 2009)

hi cope graham and northener 

Ah last night i took blood from my little finger was easy lol the blood came flowing i made sure i had washed my hands they where nice and warm and i did'nt build it up so much in my head my result was the lowest i had in 3 week it was 8.8 . 

Cope i have more blood tests next week i shall remmeber the no bending of arm thanks 

Stef x


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## Admin (Mar 3, 2009)

*Do not advise members to change diet/medication*

Dodger - you really must not advise people to change their diet/medication. You may _advise_ - and explain how the diet works for you - but it does not work for everyone. And advise such as '_must adopt_' is bad advise and will not be tolerated. I do agree that a sensible low carb approach can help - and Diana should look into this but I would not advise anyone follow an extreme diet, espacially without consulting their doctor. I have not removed this post - but want members to be made aware of this.

Regards Admin



C*5_Dodger said:


> Dear Diana***,
> 
> If your husband REALLY is not yet diabetic, it may be possible to stop him progressing to becoming one! To do this he must adopt a low carbohydrate approach to dieting. However, you should be aware that this approach is not what your doctor will recommend. There are many diets that he could choose, a Google search will give you many options. The diet I chose was Atkins but Protein Power is a good one too. One more thing: If a low carb approach is to work, your husband must follow the diet exactly as prescribed ie NO CHEATING!
> 
> Regards  Dodger


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## Ikklemo (Mar 3, 2009)

Hi Steff
Not sure where on your fingers you are testing, my DN told me the best place to test is on the either side of each finger (not on the tip or finger pad) that way you can get two tests to each finger and not to use the thumb and to avoid the little finger if possible.  So I tend to use the left side of the first three fingers on my left hand, then on the right hand and then the right side of my fingers on the left hand and then the same on the right, that way my fingers do not get sore.  Briskly shaking your hands up and down before for  a few moments before taking blood can also help.

Mo


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## C*5_Dodger (Mar 3, 2009)

Dear Admin,

I apologise, without reservation. I really did overstep the mark. I think that I was recalling the advice someone gave me when I first became diabetic which was essentially what I wrote to diana***. It started me on the path to using controlled carbs. In fact it is where I got the phrase "If you don't put the glucose into your body, how can you have high blood sugars". So diana*** ignore my post I should not have tried to prescribe a diet for your husband.

Regards   Dodger


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## Steff (Mar 3, 2009)

hi mo thanks for that i am using the pads of my fingers i knw i shudnt but it where i find it most comfortable, I was told to use my little finger but i guess diff strokes for diff folks so they say 

Cheers Stef.


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## Northerner (Mar 3, 2009)

Ikklemo said:


> Hi Steff
> Not sure where on your fingers you are testing, my DN told me the best place to test is on the either side of each finger (not on the tip or finger pad) that way you can get two tests to each finger and not to use the thumb and to avoid the little finger if possible.  So I tend to use the left side of the first three fingers on my left hand, then on the right hand and then the right side of my fingers on the left hand and then the same on the right, that way my fingers do not get sore.  Briskly shaking your hands up and down before for  a few moments before taking blood can also help.
> 
> Mo



Hi Mo,

Just wondering why you were told not to use the little finger? I was told not to use the index finger - I wish these people would get their story straight!


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## Lauraa (Mar 3, 2009)

Heyy, im new to this website, just joined!!
Where did u find these books to help u and your husband?
Im not yet type 1 diabetes but it sounds like ive got what yr husbands got, i have to check the amount of carbohydrates etc. in every food i eat! It would be a great help if u could tell me where u found these books, thanks, Lauraa x


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## Ikklemo (Mar 3, 2009)

Northerner 

When I was in hospital a couple of years ago (not diabetes related), and for my sins the nurses were taking blood every 2 hours! (even thought they couldn't sort out the fact that each time I bent my elbow, I blocked the insulin pump they had me on as the needle was in the fold of my elbow), the staff nurse told one of the nurses off for using my little finger.  

The staff nurse then made sure at the shift change to point out to all the nurses that they should only be using my three fingers and never, ever my thumb or little finger! 

Do you know that it is possible to have a BG test during the night without really waking up - and apparently I would give the staff nurse the middle finger each time she came round to test - much to the amusement of the other nurses.

Mo


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## Copepod (Mar 4, 2009)

Ikklemo - sometimes I despair of (lack of) current nursing skills - a simple, soft splint would have stopped you bending your elblow enough to block off insulin / glucose IV (I suspect it was actually a 2 part infusion). I trained as a nurse in 1980s, and was perfectly capable of taking blood pressures, pulses, blood glucose levels etc without waking patients - but the only 2 nights I spent in hospital, after being knocked off my bike by a car door and waiting over 48 hours for 9cm gash in my upper arm to be cleaned and sutured - the nurses managed to wake me for blood glucose levels every 2 hours both nights and using noise bunch of keys to unlock and adjust infusion machine, plus doing blood pressure in intermittent hours. So, by the end of 2 nights I was absolutely knackered!


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## C*5_Dodger (Mar 4, 2009)

Dear Lauraa,

You did not address your message to anyone, except by implication! diana*** was offered books by me. But you can see that I have been "wire brushed" by Admin for offering dietary advice, so I'm not sure that I can offer you advice. However, this forum does have a "books" thread so that is one place that may be of interest, and Amazon can get you any book you need.

Regards  Dodger


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