New diagnosis - type 2 diabetes, hints and tips

[sweetheart]

My mum who is late 60's has just been told she has type 2 diabetes which will be controlled with tablets. My mum has a very sweet tooth so this will be her biggest problem. Does anyone have any hints or tips to help live with this?

Sympathies to your Mum! She'll have to go cold turkey on the sweet stuff and that's hell for a few weeks until you get used to it. I think everyone's different with regard to what does and doesn't boil your blood sugar so it's very much trial and error.

Good advice Here

lose weight and exercise.

She has been diagnosed after an eye test but had no other symptoms, no idea how long she's had it but apparently her renal tests came back ok which is good.

My mum has always been overweight and is always on a diet so telling her to lose weight is just going to be an additional kick in the teeth. Her and my dad are mostly housebound due to my fathers ill health so she doesn't even have many oppertunities to get out and go for a walk.

There was me thinking a bit of sugar in moderation would be ok - dies she really have to cut it out 100% forever?!

I guess this is going to be a steep learning curve for us all but especially my poor mum.

No. You don't. You can still eat sweets.

Honestly, lets not spread false information.

Everything in moderation. Even sweets.

She should follow The Plate Method to eat: 1/2 a dinner plate of veg, 1/4 of protein, 1/4 carbs.

Any type of carbs. Refined, unrefined, probably not chocolate.

My mantra is Eat Less. Move More. Gain Control.

I've been Type II for over 5 years.

Has she seen a dietician? They will be able to advise on carb limits. Also attending DESMOND education sessions too should be helpful.

She is going to see the dietician but not sure how long she's going to have to wait. Her blood sugar must be pretty bad because they have started her on the tablets straight away. She's taking 1 this week, 2 next week and 3 the week after and ongoing.

ZombTEE it's nice to hear she can still have the occasional treat. Will she have to monitor her blood sugar levels?

Her mum had diabetes and eventually died in her 60's of renal failure (although she never did anything sensible about her eating!) so you can imagine my mum is pretty upset by this.

Depends on what her Trust does. There is no consistency in that with Type II across the NHS.

I monitor mine but only 2 or 3 times a fortnight and only my just woken up fasting.

I don't know when her mum died but there have been major advances in care and meds in the last 5-10 years.

Her mum died about 25 years ago - I was quite young at the time but from what I can gather she didn't take her diabetes seriously at all and spent much of her time eating sweets - I do remember she cooked everything in lard / dripping! Her house used to stink!

Do you have any good hints or tips of ways to let her have treats? Things that are good to eat? Or recipies?

My number one tip is never ever but anything marked "diabetic". Expensive and pointless.

My dietician is a strong believer that regular sugar is better for you that the artificial stuff in any form, just use it sparingly.

Diabetes UK published several cookbooks that are helpful and have recipes on their website as well.

And my number one, never forgotten rule: if you can only eat a small amount if chocolate, make it extremely excellent chocolate.

thanks those sound like excellent tips, I'll look out for the cookbook Hoping mum get's to see the dietician soon as her dr told her no more sugar EVER which to me just sounds rediculous!

Ridiculous and impossible.

Footle, thanks very much for your information, i actually lol'd at the thought of my mum on a forum - she is not computer literate in any way, shape or form! I will ask her about her levels testing and see what she says, I think she is mostly quite in the dark so far. She hasn't even had any symptoms of being diabetic so this has all come as a bit of a shock. The dr has literally just said yes you've got it and here are some tablets. I'm hoping her appointment with the dietician comes through quickly for her.

My DH was diagnosed with Type II about 8 years ago. For 6 years he kept it under control through diet and tablets. Then about 18 months ago he read about a trial that had been done up north putting type II people on very low calorie diets (essentially, slimfast only not that, something a bit more medically designed). The trial had amazing results, several of the people saw their levels return to normal. Hubby got on the trial (which was being extended) and within literally a few weeks (really not many) his levels were back to normal. And there they have remained. He had his most recent diabetes check up today and he still is 'normal' in every way. He's cured. Except the NHS doesn't recognise that type II can be cured so he is still listed as diabetic and treated as such (ie he gets the eye tests etc).

There's an article about this treatment breakthrough here www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/24/low-calorie-diet-hope-cure-diabetes?INTCMP=SRCH

It's absolutely appalling that more people don't know about this - but not completely surprising because diabetes UK seem to have a lot invested in presenting type 2 as incurable. It isn't.

Thanks mord, as I said before my mum is quite overweight and has spent her life on diets including all the ones you have mentioned. It hasn't done her any favours so far and I think if suggested to her now amidst all this that she goes on a VLCD she'd clout me. I'll bear it in mind for the future but I don't think we're at despiration point yet which is where I think she'd have to be to consider giving this a go. Hopefully the dietician will be able to give her some further info about this at her appointment.

Sorry to hear. I think she?s going to need to make some changes to her diet and she?s got to do it fast. My father is a type 2 diabetic and this type 2 diabetes diet really helped him lose the extra pounds at a good pace. His blood sugar is in control and he?s feeling much more energetic than before.