I have type 2 diabetes and at the moment I am on 80mg of Gliclazide I have been taking these since March of last year. I have had a call back to the nurse for blood tests as I have not had any since March, she tells me I should go for regular checks with her every 3 months but no one told me this.
It would appear that I can have the strips to test my blood for free and the lancers, I have been paying so hence I have only done them once in a while.
Now I am stuck as the doctor has told me it is out of control as is my cholestorol, she wanted to up my medication but I am not sure that this is the way to go so I am trying to do it with diet but trying to find a diet to follow seems very difficult. I found this site via google and I was wondering if anyone could help.
I took my blood test last night before I went to be and it was 13.6 this morning it was 6.5 now what I need to know is what it a acceptable range.
I am dreadfuly over weight and have a  under active Thyroid problems as well    

hi anne, and welcome, you have come to the right place.

most of the advice given by nurses is and docs is at best inconsistent. the general concensus here is to eat less carbs. how much less depends on your bodies reaction to them. without overloading you too much , bg wise , ideally you should aim to be below 8 1hr after meals and below 6mmol 2 hrs after a meal. others will be along soon and give you some links to other posts on the forum. there is certainly a lot of info to take in, but, if you take your time you will soak it in.
dont worry about asking questions we are used to them, they may seem daft to you but dont worry we dont think so!

fire away and wait for the answers, have a troll around the forum and read the posts that interest you.
see you soon

moby

Hi Anne and welcome to the forum.

I also have thyroid problems in as much as it's hypothyroid and since you are overweight I am assuming yours is the same.  I take 100msg of Thyroxine daily, but what is more important to me is to monitor it at my 6 monthly reviews to ensure that my results are within range.  So I would be interested if you have a result for your TSH test you can post here.  With all tests (and yes if you are offered 3 monthly reviews grab them with both hands - I make my own appointments having put reminders on my calendar) it's a good idea to get print outs so you can track your progress and come here and ask about them.

As regards to diabetes, the answer to diet is as our Nige recently said "it's an Anne diet" what suits you, or rather your BG results, in other words.  In order to find that out read these two links and come back and ask questions.  As Moby so rightly said "No question is silly""

http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/blood-glucose-testing
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/joomla/jennifers-advice

Hi Anne,
Welcome to the forum, the more knowledgable ones will be along soon. I am a type 2 diagnosed July and am on metformin. I have just been told my cholesterol is too high and I am doing a trial of a statin for this. To start with you need to test your blood sugar regularly (especially if getting test strips and lancets on perscription). I normally test mine on waking, 1 hour after each meal and then before I go to bed. I also test if I eat something different just to see the effect on the sugar levels. This is how I decide whether I can eat something, if my blood sugar goes up to double figures I avoid it or eat in moderation. If the rise is very small then I will eat it again. I prefer this way of doing things and I can manage that. Some people avocate low carbohydrate but I find I cannot stick to that. It is a case of trial and error until you find what you can cope with and what your blood sugars can cope with.
There is a lot of useful information on this site and the peeps are very helpful, if you have any questions just ask. My blood sugars started off at 25 on diagnosis and are now down to 5-10 most of the time, they do especially go higher sometimes. 13.6 definately sounds too high for your sugar. I am very overweight and although losing some weight it is very small amounts over a period of time this is affected by the psychiatric meds I take. Your weightloss will be affected by the underactive thyroid, are you on any treatment i.e. thyroxine for this?
Others on the site will advise you more than me because I am still learning, they find it useful to know an example of what you eat through the day.
Sorry my mind has gone blank now. I hope you can get yourself sorted out. This is a very good site you have stumbled upon but sometimes Sun eve is a bit quiet. Didin't want you to think everyone was ignoring you.
Take care
Jo

Welcome Anne this is a very good forum with help given by much more knowledgable people than me so ask away the advice is good

Hi Anne

Welcome to the forum - you have been given some great links to read and as people are saying - testing is the key to working out your own diet.

Many people find that as they start to manage the carb intake to get bg's under control the weight comes off too but with thyroid probs this may be more difficult if you are not having treatment for that.

No question is silly - take your time and the changes you make will become the "norm"

Hi Anne, welcome to DSF,  You have already been given some great advice and I would certainly recommend the two links given by Patti as a great starting point to gaining control of your diabetes. Also lots of useful advice at "Diabetes Info"  (top of page) Good luck and please keep us informed, by the way we also have a great chat room which you might like to visit, see the link on the DSF homepage.

Thankyou for the promt replies
I take 100 mcg of Levothroxine it has just been increased with this last round of blood tests before it was 75 mcg of Levothroxine I have been on these for quite a few years.

But what is your TSH level at your tests Anne?

Quoted from ANNE

I have type 2 diabetes and at the moment I am on 80mg of Gliclazide I have been taking these since March of last year. I have had a call back to the nurse for blood tests as I have not had any since March, she tells me I should go for regular checks with her every 3 months but no one told me this.
It would appear that I can have the strips to test my blood for free and the lancers, I have been paying so hence I have only done them once in a while.
Now I am stuck as the doctor has told me it is out of control as is my cholestorol, she wanted to up my medication but I am not sure that this is the way to go so I am trying to do it with diet but trying to find a diet to follow seems very difficult. I found this site via google and I was wondering if anyone could help.
I took my blood test last night before I went to be and it was 13.6 this morning it was 6.5 now what I need to know is what it a acceptable range.
I am dreadfuly over weight and have a  under active Thyroid problems as well    

Hello Anne

Welcome, from the far side of the world

I see that you have already had some great advice. I wrote this for new people, it may help you tie the threads together (click on the coloured text): Getting Started.

Please read that and click on any of the other links in it that you find relevant. Then come back with lots of questions.

Quoted from Pattidevans

But what is your TSH level at your tests Anne?

Sorry what is TSH levels I am not aware of this abreaviation sorry

(TSH)Thryoid Stimulation Hormone.

Hello and welcome Anne.

It would be useful to know some numbers.  Is there any chance you could get them from the doc?  Generally its a good idea to get printouts of all your lab tests every time so that you can look back and compare them.  Receptionists in particular can be awkward about this, but its your data so you are entitled to it.

Now blood test results can easily be a couple of pages long but I think the most useful at the moment (if you can get them and if these specific ones were done) would be:

TSH
HbA1c  (sometimes referred to as average blood glucose)
Total Cholesterol
Triglicerides
HDL
LDL

You've been given some good links so I won't bang on too much.

But as you mention that you are trying to do it with diet, I'd like to mention this....
Dietitians, docs, nurses, Diabetes UK, most cookbooks all recommend "base your meals on starchy carbohydrates".  Most people here suggest avoiding carbohydrates and finding out what works for you personally instead.  The difference is that:
a)  Theirs is a guess and doesn't work.
b)  Our approach works and we prove it with a meter every day.

So read the official advice with a pinch of salt, while you work out what works best for you personally with the help of your meter.

Have a good read around and let us know what we can help with

Hi Anne,

just wanted to say hello and take it 1 day at a time, there is lots of info to take on board lol

Gilly

Hi from me too Anne!

There's a lot to get your head round so always take 'baby steps' and don't try reading everything at once - else you will just land up confused!

To increase your thyroxine your doc will have looked at your last blood test for that and the reult must have been higher than it should be.  So the extra would have been given to bring it down.  Anything much over 3 is considered 'not right' - but the snag with that is as eg Patti and others have discovered - they actually requre a reading UNDER 3 to feel 'normal'.  (Patti says she needs a reading of around 1 to feel like Patti - so this doesn't mean you will, just don't be surprised if it lands up that you do.... )

I won't start confusing you with diabetes drugs or anything at the moment, but do read the links folk have given you and come back and tell us what you would eat in a typical day and if possible any test result numbers either from your own meter or from the doctor.

Then we can see if we have any helpful suggestions to make!