Type 2 Diabetes

[learning2me]

Can anyone who is type 2 diabetic please sum up how it affects their life please?

[5129frederick]

Come on cookie, stop being such a prophet of doom!!!   I was diagnosed type 2 years ago - I didn't know I had it, and my wife and I were bombarded with literature regarding what I could and could not eat, all of it common sense!  I know full well what I'm not supposed to have.  There's an excess of sugar in almost everything we eat.  Where drink manufacturers play it clever is by giving calorific values per 100 millitres - 330 IN EVERY CAN containing the equivilent of SIXTEEN TEASPOONS OF SUGAR!  It holds roughly two cups, so it's as though you're having eight teaspoons of sugar in your tea!  It's the same as baked beans - all marked per 100 this and 100 that.  Forget the calorific values and look at the base of the tin.

I'm on seven tablets a day, half of which I forget because it has no real effect on me.  If I felt as sick as a preverbial parrot through not taking them, I'd soon remember to take them!  It certainly doesn't stop me from having the odd Kitkat or Mars bar.  The only thing I do take seriously - REALLY seriously, are my eyes which are X-rayed twice a year where they take X-rays of the back of your eyes and can tell very early on if there are any signs of annormalities.  That, and your feet, which they test you with a vibrating prong.  It DOESN'T stop you having a normal active life.  They gave me one of these machines to test my sugar level to keep it in check.  the only time I bring my sugar level right down is when I'm due for a blood test - after that it's back to baccon sandwiches!  I don't smoke and I can go several months without wanting a drink.  In fact, I live opposite a pub and have only been in there for a meal.  God has granted me a wonderful life, because if diabetes is the only thing wrong with me then I will surely die a happy man, and if there is anything seriously wrong with me, I don't want to know.  Live, and live a wonderful, happy life.

If I took everything I read too seriously I would die - of malnutrition!  

[cookiecookuk]

i am not a prophit of doom as i enjoy my life as well but as i could have 30/40 years of my life left the threat of serious problems is real and should be treated as such.i would like my eyes and legs to use when i get older.

i work in a nursing home and when you see someone who is only 65/70 have to have there leg amputated because of there refusal to eat a sensible diet then you realise that is is dangerous to abuse it

if you want to eat mars bars that is your choice and you should not ridecule my choices.

yes i have my eys feet and bloods tested on a regular basis and as i said i take my long term health seriosly and so shouild all diabetics.

statististics state that 1 in 4 type 2s will loose 1 or both lower limbs in there life due to ignoring there diet and not taking it seriously...food for thought

[saasher2012]

I agree with everything you have said treat this disease with contempt at your peril! If you want to stay of insulin for a long while & not have high blood pressure watch what you eat! You don't have to go without you just need to be sensible for your long term health, because I do I don't have to test my blood . I also listen to my nurses advice , see her every six months for a full check up, have my eye X-ray. Foot pulse, weight & blood pressure& everything she needs me to do. It affects all your major organs if you misuse the warnings.

[myraandjim]

I knew someone who also treated his diabetes as "no problem", ate what he thought he would, didn't bother with check ups etc. and generally treated his condition with contempt. After he had BOTH legs amputated he finally admitted that he wished he had listened to all the advice - too late by then. Anybody who wants to ignore diabetes then go ahead, but to mock others who are trying to help somebody newly diagnosed is a bit insensitive.Adjusting my husband's diet (and mine bcause I no longer buy a lot of things) is the best thing we have ever done, I'm not diabetic but am a lot fitter for following the dietry advice given to him.

[cookiecookuk]

thank you both for your back up.it is a serious disease.

my biggest problem with it is my weight as i can not exercise properly as i have ME which stops me doing a lot of stuff.

[guardpig]

 My eyes have had all the signs of retinopathy since I was a teenager. On the rare occasions i pitch up at casualy they get a wee sample, test it, look at my eyes, take bloods and still don't believe i am not diabetic.  Sooner or later I will be.  Then they will tell me(more in sorrow than anger) it is all down to diabetes, I just know they will. 

Have you seen the amount of sugar in low fat diet foods?. 

[cookiecookuk]

i agree with the sugar in low fat food.one of the worst i find is yoghurts some low fat yoghurts have up to 20 grammes of sugar per pot.that isa horrendous

[5129frederick]

Ho hum - I stand VERY MUCH CORRECTED HAVING READ YOUR LAST SENTANCE.  My late father was diagnosed type 2 late in life.  He didn't eat an awful lot of cakes but apparently it can be caused by a severe shock or trauma which could work out in his case.  My sugar level is around 9.8 - it should be about 6.5, but I'm getting to down gradually - I was 16.7 at one stage.  I don't eat Mars bars and bacon sandwiches every day - that would be foolhardy - most mornings I'll either have Shreddies with semi-skimmed milk or a lightly boiled egg.  I could never do what my father did though - from the age of sixteen, he swallowed two raw eggs every morning for breakfast.  Despite his nurse raving her sides out about it, he died just three weeks short of his ninetieth birthday, so it didn't do him much harm!  The biggest danger with diabetes type 2 is it is a gradual, silent killer.  Because my feet feel fine, and I feel fine, apart from intermittant strabismus as a result of a car smash and when I've been to long on the computer, I feel everything is alright and if I forget to take all my tablets it doesn't really matter.  What really woke me up was what you said about one in for losing their feet, but there's never been any sign of that, thank God - not said blasphemously.  I didn't mean to mock anybody.

I'll start taking it VERY seriously from now on.

[saasher2012]

We know you didn't mean to mock Frederick & that you tried to bring humour into it, diabetes in its early stages can be very frightening as the glucose level is being brought under control, so if we can inform people & more importantly encourage them to take the medical advice seriously , the better their lives will be, as I said it doesn't control me I control it! If it wasn't for the fact I always carry an emergency lunch bag around with me at all times you wouldn't know I was Diabetic, it doesn't stop me doing anything I want to do , some of our top athletes are diabetics.
I'm probably a bit more strict with myself because I'm in a very physical job & yes sometimes I am a bit naughty in what I eat ,but on the whole I stick to a healthy diet.

[ed_blackadder_1]

My mother has Diabetes, and was diagnosed about 12 - 15 years ago, she is insulin dependant, regularly has checkups on her feet and eyes.  Because of the diabetes she had cataracts, they were removed a number of years ago and she now sees better than she did before without glasses.  Her diabetes was brought on by long term use of steroids that she had to take for an arthritic condition.

It was a big struggle with her in the beginning as she was determined she wasn't going to inject, but after a couple of hypos and strong words from the doctor she gave in, apart from one hypo about 5 years ago she has been doing brilliantly.  She is 80 this year and in the spring and summer months spends most of her time in the garden, she is very active and I am sure this helps.

I know buying food can be a nightmare, especially the amount of sugar in low fat foods. and the amount of fat in low sugar foods,  mum has tried certain diabetic foods and they don't help her, she was advised by her nurse and diabetes uk not to eat them.

Mum always carrys a Mars bar with her ,  I will never forget the first time she had a hypo and dad knew he had to get sugar into her and panicked and instead of the liquid she carrys with her he tried to force feed her with a mars bar. needless to say this didn't work luckily the ambulance came very quickly and sorted her out, and dad learnt exactly what to do after that.

[bhgardeners]

My son's diabetic nurses used to say that the problem with type 2 is that the damage is actually done long before diagnosis and the only way to stop it is education of the young who just don't listen because they are going to live forever!.

[captainbovine]

I just hope that I don't have problems with my feet later on, having had these ops done on mine, as they are numb in certain parts of my heel now.

I feel great, my bloods are a steady 8 which my doctor is happy with. I have high blood pressure but it's under control with tablets.

My doctor has just realised that I am holding fluid and one of my bp tablets is the culprit!!! she is reducing it and hopefully I'll drop a few pounds.

My biggest problem is my weight, I've been big all my life so I can't see that changing in the near future, although I keep trying! no mars bars for me (yuk)

[myraandjim]

Cookie, what you say about sugar in low fat food is so very true, I make my own yoghurt so I know there is no sugar in it, ok the starter has to be bought yoghurt which probably contains loads of sugar but then I use my previous home made batch for the next lot and so on and don't add any sugar. I love this yoghurt just as it is, but if you want it flavoured just add a little pureed fruit, or chopped nuts, or whatever you want to add. I give my dogs a dollop of yoghurt every day and rarely have tummy upsets from them.

[saasher2012]

That's a great idea, another is making bread the salt content of mass produced is high!

[myraandjim]

I'm quite a joke in the family because I'm forever saying "I don't buy that I make my own", if I don't make it I grow it but I'm lucky in that I have now retired so have the time to do all these things, it would be so hard to do all these things and work full time as well.

[saasher2012]

Yes I'm afraid that's a problem for a lot of us, but I like the fact you do your own growing etc not only do you know what is going in your food but you are also benefiting from physical & mental stimulation , well done you!

[learning2me]

I'm bumping this thread as I would really appreciate any recipes and meal ideas, especially carb free meals.

[saasher2012]

Very close to finding my recipe books, give me some idea of what yo like food wise?

[learning2me]

Don't usually eat breakfast but have been told I must. Advised to have porridge with sweetener, weetabix or shredded wheat?

Occasionally toast as I bake my own wholemeal bread. What can I have on it?

Quick lunches without having carbs?

What desserts can I eat?

I do have a sweet tooth - can I eat fruit instead?

Takeaways?

Cold drinks?

Sorry I just don't have time to research this at the mo as I have my FIL in hospital with a life expectancy of 12 weeks and my OH is out of the country.

[saasher2012]

Ok! I'm chasing you round the board, yes it's important that you have breakfast, if you can eat porridge , do so it does fill you & it's a slow release, whole meal bread is good for toast& you can get some nice diabetic jam, leave me to find my books & I'll get back to you for sweets & drinks etc. as I said on the other thread it is important to have breakfast, what if any tablets are you on ie , Metformin.?