General Chat

My husband was diagnosed with diabetes on Monday. We have been given virtually no advice on what he can or cannot eat other than to avoid anything with sugar. Could somebody give us some tips please. Regards. Alyson.

Have a look at Diabetes UK site.really helpful also whenif he needs to go to diabetic clinic you can get cook books for diabetics. Hope this helps. Sue ps Alyson.when you get into the diabetes uk site have a look on the top of the page,it gives you 'what is diabetes' how to manage diabetes.you can even contact them for local help and advice.

Try this site: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/home.htm They way you manage the diabetes depends on the individual - my grandmother is just careful how much sugar she eats and moniters her bllod sgar, but my aunt has to have insulin as well as oing the same as my nan. Ask to speak to the nurse at the doctors, tell her that he's just been diagnosed and that you have not been told how to manage it. She should be able to advise and give you some info.

Alyson I think it is just a case of being sensible with his diet, and of course take the medication he has been given. Good luck to him, and, of course, you for putting up with it all. Granny

Thankyou all for your advice. He has not been given any medication as yet but has to go back in 2 weeks time to the surgery. When he was diagnosed on Monday his levels were 15.5 and today they were 9.5 so i think we must be doing something right. Just not sure what food to buy for him when i go shopping tomorrow. Alyson.

alyson,your hubby should have been given a full diet/nutrition package by the doctor/hospital. no great changes required normally,just a healthy diet,low in fat,sugar,and salt. but he really should have been given a health pack!! bryan.

Diabetes UK do an excellent book (I think it has a Rainbow on it) that my Mum first used. There are lots of different sorts of sugar (including foods that you don't realise have sugar in them) and he should get some proper advice for him. Has he been referred to a diabetic clinic at the doctors or hospital? Is he being treated by diet only for the time being? My Mum started off diet only, then onto Metformin and now has insulin. Hubby should always have something on his feet and shouldn't go barefoot. Unfortunately she has sustained damage to her eyes that can never be repaired which is all her own fault for not controlling her sugar levels properly. The probelm is that she is use to having high sugar levels so when it is what we call normal she feels ill. As long as he does the right things he should lead a normal life. PS Definitely don't bother with Diabetic Chocolate yuk! - might as well have the real thing as long as it is all planned and controlled

Bryan. When my late husband started with diabetes he wasn't given any health pack or advice. So I took him to Diabetic clinic at the local hospital and I got loads of info from a woman that worked there. Sue

sorry about your hubby sue. but it really is a bloody disgrace,the way some patients are being diagnosed,and basically told to get on with it...don't start me off!! bryan.

Thankyou all once again for the advice. Just been to have a look at the website and i must say was very impressed with the amount of information on there. Gives me a lot to go on with what type of foods he can eat and what to avoid. The GI indexes are very confusing though so i think i will pass that one by and just try and use common sense. Bryan: He has not been given an advice pack as yet. He will see a dietician in about 3 months time who will give him all the info. Mind you i think by that time we would have worked most out for ourselves and with the help of good people from here. Once again thankyou all. I am sooo grateful. Alyson.

I was diagnosed 7 yrs ago and take insulin twice daily. Don't buy diabetic foods, too costly and not much better than ordinary foods. Eat little and often, Have breakfast usually porridge - slow release energy food. Mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and evening meal. If sugar levels are too low before bed time, have snack. Monitor sugar levels regularly throughout the day. Usually morning and evenings before retiring, and on alternate days stagger in-between i.e, 2 hrs after breakfast, following day, 2 hrs after lunch, following day, before evening meal. Sensible and wholesome diet and plenty of excercise if capable, to maintain sugar balance. Always carry something to snack on or boost sugar levels if outdoors, I usually carry those small lucozade sweets. Lucozade is the best thing to boost sugar levels quickly if needed. If overweight, try to lose a few pounds, as this will help maintain a healthy lifestyle. It has been known for those who are diagnosed diabetic, to reverse the condition if a healthy lifestyle is maintained and excercise taken......unless they are on insulin. This will help prevent related illnesses later down the line. Also, keep a check, or get your G.P, to always check your blood pressure. If you have your eyes checked regularly, due to having to wear glasses, an optician can detect any changes related to the condition. I know it all sounds quite scary but, when I got the condition, I was extremely ill for several months before it was diagnosed, and went straight to insulin. I was told at the time that people can be walking around with the illness for up to seven years without realising that they have it. I have done very well regulating my illness, and keeping my sugar levels normal, I've lost about a stone in weight and feel so well now. Wishing your husband good health, Lin XX

Hi Alyson Is it Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes? It is probably type 2 if he has developed it later in life. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 5 years ago and I have been keeping my blood sugar levels stable simply through losing a little weight, exercising - a good brisk walk daily - and being sensible about what I eat. I don't need any medication. You can eat some sweet things but everything in moderation. I find a lot of fatty things like chips etc shoot my blood sugar levels up more than the occasional sweet thing. GI is good once you get a handle on it - it's just eating food which takes longer to digest and therefore requires less insulin all in a rush - things like wholegrain bread, rolled oats and some types of rice are excellent. Things like white bread, biscuits, processed cereals etc are digested very quickly and are not so good for a diabetic. I was quite stressed about it at first but it is not hard to live with once you get to know which foods affect you. I still have to test my blood sugar regularly but it just becomes routine. Seems dreadful that he wasn't given any information - and I thought the health system in Australia was crook! I'm sure you will find the web sites helpful though. Good luck Anna

Hi Linda and Anna. Thankyou both for your input. Any information is very much appreciated and helps a lot. Hubby was told by the nurse at our GP surgery to take his blood sugar levels once a day about 3 hours after a meal. He has started eating breakfast of weetabix with skimmed milk and a piece of toast using wholemeal bread. He then has a light lunch and evening meal. He cannot do a lot of exercise because he has very bad arthritis but he is trying to do a bit more walking. We think that this has only just started because he was tested not long before Christmas and all the tests came back negative which is a good thing because as you say Lin people can walk around with it for a long time not knowing. You have done very well Lin to regulate it the way you have and congratulations on the weight loss. Keep it up. ANNA: I think it is type 2 that he has but we have not been told. There are a lot of question that we will ask when he goes back to our GP in 2 weeks. Hubby does not take very much sugar anyway as he has been trying to lose weight. Very rarely eats anything sweet. He was only eating one proper meal a day which was usually grilled meat and salad and sometimes a piece of toast in the mornings. The nurse said that this was probably a key factor in him developing diabetes as his body was going too long without food. I had a look at the information about GI indexes but i could not understand it.Think it will take a bit of getting used to. Thankyou all for your advice. Regards. Alyson.

Yes Alyson, it definately sounds like type 2 as Anna says, that's the one you get in later life, and your hubbies past lifestyle will, like the nurse suggested, have contributed to the condition. Going without food all day is no good. You must eat little and often. I was diagnosed with type 2 as I was 51 when I was diagnosed. However, if your husband only has to control his diabetes with a good healthy diet and possibly prescribed tablets, he could eventually revert back to near normal, even if he doesn't rid himself of it altogether. I'm sorry to hear about his arthritis but whatever excercise he can manage will help. If I'm going out, I take the bus.....as it's uphill, then walk back, a good half hours walk. Porridge or Ready Brek is better than weetabix, less sugar and slower burning. And don't forget, there is always hidden sugar in most foods today, as well as salt, also NO good. It is a lot to take in at the beginning, but it will become easier and I know your husband will definately feel all the better in time. He will become less tired and perhaps in time, will get around better which in turn may also help his arthritis?? Of course it's not for me to try and diagnose anyone else. I'm only speaking from my own experiences Alyson but, I wish you and hubby well for the future. Lin XX

Thankyou Linda. Off to bed now...early start in the morning. Alyson.

Morning Alyson & Hubby, Just now rooted this address out for you. It's the diabetics U.K association, if you contact them, they will send you a pack with all the relevent information you need which is appropriate to the type of diabetes hubby has. Their address is 10 Queen Anne street, London W1G 9LH Tel: 020 7323 1531 OR Email [email protected] Website www.diabetes.org.uk Best wishes, Lin XX

Alyson I would phone you surgery and ask their advice if worried. They may just want to see if the diabetes improves with just a reduction of sugar for the time being. During the two weeks they may have an overall idea of how they want you to manage the condition. Elaine x

Wonderful support on this thread. My wife has Type 2 and simply looks after herself religiously. I help as well of course! Best of luck. It's mostly a case of being SENSIBLE in all things.

I'm so pleased to have spottted this today. I'm quite worried about my mum at the moment, she has had diabetes for about 3 years or so. She isn't taking insulin. She does not look after herself properly. She is having leg and foot pain. This last week she has had a really bad pain in the bottom of her back and her water has been very strong. She called me today and I have said she should see the doctor. She doesn't check her blood and eat and drink at regular intervals. I'm worried as she has a lot of stress looking after my dad who is very disabled now mainly due to Parkinsons. She's 67. I've told her she should ask to see a diabetes nurse at the very least. She's had times when she feels all the life has drained out of her and I feel sure it must be to do with this. I don't really know what to do. Diane

Hi Diane, It must be so difficult for your mum especially as she is ill herself but, she cannot afford to neglect her own health. She must eat regularly and check her sugar levels at least twice a day. The sensation of 'life draining out of her,' Is complete exhaustion and without wishing to alarm you too much on such occasions she may be near to collapse. So you must encourage her to seek further help if you can. Also, the sensation of foot and leg pain may well be connected to the diabetes, I have experienced similar on several ocasions. But please Diane, don't panic too much, all these problems can easily be rectified if mum gets on her case now and stays on it. Get the info from the Diabetes address I have left on Alyson's thread, perhaps if your mum has this info, it may encourage her to take better care of herself. If you feel you or your mum are not getting enough advice from her G.P, don't be alarmed, as I was. Some G.P's know little more than we (the diabetic) do, and that's not because they are bad G.P's, only that diabetes might not be their speciality. That's why it is helpful to gather as much info as you can from the appropriate sources. I do wish your mum well Diane......hope she improves soon. Best wishes, Lin XX