I was first diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic back in mid-1996 and for a year or two managed quite well by changing my diet a little and doing some mild exercise which I fortunately could do back then...I could actually walk still.
Over the years I've gone from taking tablets to recently using insulin as well as tablets, still watching my eating habits reasonably carefully but the exercise has dwindled to a minimum for the simple reason I can only walk very short distances and can't stand for more than a few minutes.
Since I began using insulin my weight has gone up 5kg which I can ill afford to have happen as I was quite a hefty person to begin with. My other half has actually put on about 8kg since he began using insulin last year and unfortunately the insulin for some reason causes the weight gain to be around one's mid section which has happened to both of us.
"OK" I said to myself "You've got a bit slack during winter so it's time to cut back on food." I had begun to have two rounds of sandwiches for my midday meal which, with the bread we use, is about 60gms of carbohydrate and 45mg should be the maximum for that meal. Yesterday for lunch I had one round of chicken and tomato sandwich (and very nice it was too) and felt good about myself. That was 30mg of carbohydrate.
I try not to eat between meals although MOH and I often have an orange late afternoon. Yesterday we didn't have an orange and by dinner time (we eat quite late) I began to feel rather uncomfortable and decided to do a BG test and yes, I was having a hypo (low sugar) attack. 4.2 is low for me and there I was with a fast heartbeat, shakiness etc. etc. I immediately had a couple of spoonfuls of raw sugar and a peppermint which helped no end and I managed to do the salads for dinner while MOH took charge of the steak.
We discussed should I do my insulin injection before dinner as I usually do and the consensus was "NO. Definitely not". I tested a couple of hours after dinner and my reading was 8.8 and I had yet to take my diabetes medication. We both decided I should not do an injection at all but to take my tablets as usual and hope for the best.
I had quite a good night's sleep (except for next door having their darned pool pump going full bore all night) and when I got up this morning I did a BG test and got 7.2 which is a little high for me first thing in the morning but not all that bad.
What I can't understand is this: If I do my usual insulin injection before dinner I am quite likely to have a BG reading next morning between 6.0 and 7.0 and yet here I was not doing my injection at all last night and yet still having a reading of only 7.2 this morning.
I do not see my endocrinologist till next February so who do I talk to about this? I could book into see a diabetes educator but they are so rigid in their rules I doubt I would get any helpful answers so I just go with the flow I guess but today for lunch I had 3 slices of bread which is more than I wanted to eat but just didn't want to experiences another hypo 'cos they are certainly very unpleasant.
I have written this post more for my own personal satisfaction than anything else as writing experiences down helps me consider them more seriously. My question is to myself: "How are you going to even begin to try and lose some of that excess weight if you can't eat less without having a 'low'? Is there anyone I can talk to that will help me?" I really think these are questions I will have to try and answer for myself if I possibly can so wish me luck. Trial and error may be the only way to go.
See if your GP would refer you to a dietician. They should be able to suggest foods which will fill you up, and not leave you risking a hypo.
ReplyDeleteIt is my understanding that if the GP does the work and signs you up as a patient with a chronic illness there are a number of services you can get either for nothing or for a very low price.
All this good and sensible advice from someone who is neither. Feel free to ignore me or tell me to get back in my box.
I did have a brilliant dietician and from what she told me you more or less have to work out these things for yourself as every day is different. I do use the chronic illness 5 visits a year. This year it was for the physio who helped me with the lymphatic drainage problem I had after my hip ops but next year it will be 5 visits to my usual physio as I tend to run out of benefits from my private health insurance before the end of year. Thanks though for the advice. I just have to be more careful in future. Don't ever feel you have to get back in your box. I always appreciate every one of your comments and look out for them each time I post anything no matter how trivial or silly are the things I write about. :)
ReplyDeleteI think your main problem was not having the orange that you usually have. Frequent small snacks are a key to successful treatment. If you'd prefer not to have an orange or other snack, on any particular day, might I suggest moving dinnertime forward a bit?
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