Avoiding use of insulin type II diabetes?
My OH has had type 2 diabetes for a while and remains around 2 stone overweight.
He has steadfastly refused to take seriously that he needs to change his diet and lifestyle in order to improve his blood sugars.
Sure enough, he has now been told by the nurse at a recent check up that he will probably need insulin as his sugars are around 9ish.
I am very upset about this because I dont want him to get ill and I view this as a very serious illness. He has a somewhat fatalistic view about life which I am trying to change.
We are going to focus on him losing the 2 stone, but has anyone had experience of being at risk of going on insulin and then changing enough about their diet in order to prevent this?
He has steadfastly refused to take seriously that he needs to change his diet and lifestyle in order to improve his blood sugars.
Sure enough, he has now been told by the nurse at a recent check up that he will probably need insulin as his sugars are around 9ish.
I am very upset about this because I dont want him to get ill and I view this as a very serious illness. He has a somewhat fatalistic view about life which I am trying to change.
We are going to focus on him losing the 2 stone, but has anyone had experience of being at risk of going on insulin and then changing enough about their diet in order to prevent this?
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Type 2 diabetes is controlled by diet, physical activity and tablets, Type 1 diabetes (known as Diabetes mellitus) is controlled by insulin all the time, Type 1 diabetics are certainly not overweight and if anything you lose weight and usually it develops in your teens (can develop if you are older) and is the more aggressive of the two.
No, if you get ill enough with type 2 you certainly may need insulin because your body packs up.
Read my edited post, type 2 diabetes is usually treated by diet exercise and tablets but if one doesn't comply then it'll get worse, type 1 you have to have insulin injections straight away, weight doesn't come into it, if anything type 1's lose weight.
The tablets involved are usually glucose lowering tablets.
He wont eat anything I cook for myself as its usually too salady (repeats on him), too tomatoey (too acidic) or too peppery (too acidic).
He gave up alcohol about 6 months ago.
@OP, I know of at least two FMs on here who changed their diets, lost weight and now have normal blood sugar. Hopefully they'll post here! Some people will tell you it's progressive no matter what you do, and some will tell you it's reversible, but I don't think it's that black and white.
I'm type 1 and, aside from insulin, I eat lowish carb and exercise. Exercise is really key, in my opinion.
The exercise is really difficult, he leaves home at 7am and gets home around 8.30/9ish. Because he wont eat what I cook, he then has to cook dinner so really has no time for exercise.We are discussing getting an exercise bike again (the last one went on ebay as it was only used as a clothes horse)
Who knows, perhaps the experience of being on insulin will be the motivation he needs to get off insulin.... if that makes sense.
I'm not diabetic myself though, so haven't really looked into it.
Actually Type 1 diabetics are known to be better educated about the disease and more in control of their blood sugar levels . This is due to the use of monitors and insulin, having to be strict and in control . They are usually diagnosed young and are closely observed and more supported and more in control mainly brcause they have no choice but to be in control
The trouble is, the GP, nurse and the diabetic association disagree with this. I know that there is a lot said about cutting starchy carbs (which I personally do other wise it makes me crave food), but the official advice is not to.
Nail on the head.
They can be overweight, but 8 times out of 10 they're not, and it develops when they are around 13 or 14.
I've never heard the 8 times out of 10 statistic, but ok. Type 1 can develop any age, most commonly between 10 and 14- though more recently the greatest increase in incidence has been in the under-fives. I was four.
And considering type 1 diabetics on average have a reduced life expectancy of around 20 years compared to around 10 years for type 2s, I'm not sure better educated necessarily leads to compliance or better control. Especially among teens- diabulimia being one just example.
Not that this has anything to do with the OP's problem...
I do Slimming World and there is a lady in our group that is T2 diabetic and was on insulin but has been taken of it as she is doing so well her blood sugars are normal. I think they put her back on tablets just to see how the sugars settle but they are talking about taking her off them too. All of this under the proviso that she has to keep up the healthy eating. Back to her old ways and she will most likely be straight back on the insulin.
I started following the NHS advice with the diference that I bought a monitor because I wanted me to be in control, not my doctor or my illness. When I was on the 'recommended' diet, I watched my blood sugar average getting higher and higher. After 2 weeks, I sat and sobbed because I was hungry but didn't dare eat because everything was making me sicker. My reading on getting home from work that day was 19.6. THat night I did some googling and found a lot of diabetes support groups on the net and read about people who'd taken control and improved their condition by following a low carb diet.
After the first 24 hours my figures started dropping and within 8 weeks I'd got down to a morning level of between 5 and 6. I also lost 2 stone in those first 2 months. I'm now 6 months into low-carbing, nearly 5 stone lighter and my doctor has taken me off the medication because my average (the HbA1c reading) is 5.4 which is a good level for a non-diabetic.
I don't eat anything with flour or sugar, no potatoes or rice and very little fruit. Fruit contains masses of sugar and the complex carbs the NHS diet recommends are ultimately turned into glucose by the digestive process - all carbohydrate becomes glucose in the bloodstream no matter how it starts.
Yes, there are restrictions but I enjoy my food - I don't have to avoid stuff I love like bacon and cheese. I avoid milk because of the lactose but have cream (almost carb-free) in my 2 cups of coffee a day. I eat meat, fish, eggs, piles of veggies and if I want something sweet i have sugar-free jelly. I make a 'bread' with flax seeds and ground almonds and I'm experimenting with adding granulated sweetener and spices/coffee/cocoa powder to turn it into a cake.
DIabetes UK and the NHS are beginning to accept the benefits of low carb diets and some recently diagnosed type2s have been advised to try it. The main sticking point seems to be testing - most areas are reluctant to provide monitors and test strips unless you're on insulin. I bought mine and got the cheapest I could - SD Code-free from a supplier on eBay. It's very basic but gives me the info I need. You can get free meters via Diabetes UK but they are normally very expensive to maintain as the test strips can be up to £1.50 each. (mine are around £6 for 50). WHen I first started testing I did it up to 10 times a day - before all 3 meals, an hour after, 2 hours after and at bedtime - so I had to get the cheapest way. There will be people along who tell me that my monitor isn't the most accurate - but it's accurate enough and a hell of a lot more accurate than not testing at all.
Google 'diabetes support forum' and have a look at a couple. There's a wealth of info out there from people who live with the condition and have improved their sugar levels. We accept that we may not have 'beaten' it but we've given ourselves a fighting chance of avoiding complications.
I'd rather never eat a potato again than go blind or lose my feet. ;-)
I'd go to a GP/Optician about your sight, it sounds like diabetic retinopathy, its very treatable.
Blood sugars of 9 wouldnt be classed as ill enough though would it? And surely he would go on Metformin tablets rather than insulin?
He has been on metformin for 10 years. Today is the start of our 2 stone challenge, we are going to lose 2 stone each.
He has all the testers and now got a new tester as of yesterday to monitor over the next few weeks I think and then he has to go back.
My blood sugars have evened out and I am feeling better than I have in many years.
Death wasn't what worried me it was going blind that put the fear in to me to do it.
First 10 days was hardest then suddenly I no longer craved sugar and carbs when I do eat them now I regret it as they make me feel sleepy lethargic and bloated so I just don't bother..
diabetes is hard to maintain. You often see a steady deterioration, so it starts with metformin, and gradually progresses to insulin.
I hesitate to say this, but as well as losing sight, and limbs, you also lose your "manly" functions
Thanks for this, I didnt have time this morning to reply properly
Im quite interested in the results for some people of low carbing and have tried this myself to lose weight. I find it easier not to eat so much if I cut out starchy carbs (we dont tend to eat sweets, biscuits and cakes anyway), but dont seem to be able to keep it up for long. The longest I did keep up for and lost about a stone, my cholesterol went up and the GP told me not to eat less carbs but to focus on low fat - what do you do?
I think there are some people who can eat a 'low fat diet' and lose weight and it suits them, others have bodies that react badly to the starchy carbs like potatoes and rice. I do know personally that I have a problem with things like potatoes and grain based foods, porridge for example makes me ravenous, so I need to try to stay away but am worried about things like cholesterol.
He has decided he is doing slimming world and focusing mainly on the green days, I am a bit worried that he'll be stuffing down loads of potatoes and rice (he doesnt eat pasta), so we will see if just the weight loss itself can bring the BS down.