Diabetics feet! Who needs feet anyway...

[monkeybiter]

That's how I've done it so far, 50% reduction in food intake. I tell myself hunger is my friend. I also tell myself that when I've lost a little more I'll start exercising, even though it's so bloody boring!

I'm not monitoring blood sugar levels, I considered buying one of the many testers but is there much point in the early stages of type 2?

 

[MusicMan]

Mike, you must be advised by your doctor on testing. If they recommend it, the testers and consumables are free on the NHS, though they are recommending them less often these days. What is much better is the haemoglobin HbA1c, which shows how well your sugar has been controlled in the last 3 months. This should be done at least annually and more often if there is a suspicion that your sugar is not well controlled.

I hate gym. I decided to spend lots of time workshopping and gardening, which probably takes more time than gym but is much more fun!

Keith

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You also need to watch your intake of carbs, which the body converts to sugars. I bake my own bread, 50 - 50 or more wholemeal (stoneground) to white - commercial white bread is treacherous stuff. I told my endocrinologist I bought 16kg sacks of flour and ate 12 - 15 pieces of fruit a day and he went nuts - but my HbA1c is good. Fruit other than bananas is good - bananas contain glucose as well as fructose. Fructose isn't so bad except it tends to keep your weight up. You should also be getting annual retinal screening as well as an HbA1c.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Two ulcers one on the big toe one on the ankle, due to poor blood supply. I go for yet another angioplasty. Phil, you do understand that this is high risk, don't you? the consultant says. If this goes wrong you could lose your leg, but we have the chance of surgical intervention afterwards. But this this could lose you the leg, anyway, there's a high risk with that. Your alternative is to do nothing - then you'll lose your leg. Six attempts by the most experienced nurse and two doctors with an ultrasound machine to find a vein for a cannula and away I go. I lie there listening to the most appalling jazz (whatever floats the man's boat - I'm at his mercy ) watching a little wire snaking down through my artery towards the calf. Your biggest problem is that there are three arteries going from the knee to the foot and two of the three are blocked - and to make things worse they're the two largest ones.
A lifetime later he says we're all done. When do I know it's OK? Oh, you'd have known before now, he says. Still got one leg ... brilliant!!


P.S. ... up early for codeine - the sock keeping the dressing on the ulcer rolled up and sat right across it during the night. Bummer. Have I frightened anyone yet? I hope so.

 

[MusicMan]

Congrats Phil, well survived!

 

[monkeybiter]

Have I frightened anyone yet? I hope so.

Err...yeah, a bit. Thanks, I think.

 

[n0legs]

Still got one leg ... brilliant!!

Good to hear it Phil
You look after yourself mate :wink:

 

[DennisCA]

Looks like I am developing this too, and I am not even that overweight (90kg / 188cm tall). Doctors appointment next week, diets and exercise in my future looks like.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Good luck - steer clear of it if you possibly can.

 

[DennisCA]

I might suffer from pancreatitis so that might be the underlying cause... A doctor will have to give final opinion. Still I am putting together a weekly schedule of weight lifting (something I used todo a little of) every other day with 1 hour walks the other days.

 

[DennisCA]

No luck in steering clear, type 1 diabetes diagnosed.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sorry to hear that, mate. Back to the beginning - watch every little sore , splinter, anything on your feet.

 

[DennisCA]

Thanks. I think I'll be fine though after having been pumped full of information by the doctors and doing my own research. The procedures for glucose management is much more effective nowadays and that's A and O (this is a swedish saying, might not translate well) in preventative care, along with a proper diet.

Fortunately my diet is pretty diabetes friendly, but I need to stop the irregular snacking and sandwiches in the evenings, but otherwise my diet is OK, doctors said all my blood fats levels etc. where excellent so whatever I've been doing there is OK to continue, just more carefully. I've always drunk whole milk, proper cheese, eggs, not really into light products and not really a big fan of sweets. It's a bit frustrating to have been doing everything right and still get diabetes. But in my case it's an auto immune diesase and genetic as well (uncle got type 1 at age 40, 70 now and in perfect health though, I'm 34). I just hope my kids don't get it, or at least it'll hold off as long as it did for me, better to get it as an adult than as a child.

I'm on long lasting Insulin glargine (Lantus) once a day to keep a basal rate and then rapid acting insulin (NovoRapid) for meals. I have to count (estimate) carbs and also take into account my glucose level, so a lot of routines for every meal but I think I can do it. Got this nifty tester / finger pricker that's an all in one unit and I'll have to test blood glucose before and after every meal.

A good news is they're already starting to roll out test versions of fully automatic insulin pumps that measure blood glucose and regulate the insulin levels automatically. basically an artificial pancreas. So maybe I'll "only" have to do this 5-10 years, before something better is available. Keeping the hope up anyway.

Doctors think all this might have been stress related.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

This is what it looks like when your extremities start to rot off.



Washing the codeine down with liquid morphine and awaiting another angioplasty to try to save the leg.

 

[n0legs]

Jesus H Christ Phil!!
Good luck mate, hope you get fixed up.

 

[John933]

No, I did ask - they wouldn't let me bring it home!

Why not? after all it is your property isn't it? Sorry to hear the news though.

What I am about to say could be a load of rubbish. It come's about from reading old history book's. Going back to 1066, when France colonised England. We all know about that. The English became subjects, this state of affairs is still in effect up until today. As being a subject your body is the property of the crown. So the toe in-effect belongs to the crown. But I don't think the Crown will have it mounted some place in the palace. You live and learn.
John933

 

[finneyb]

A good news is they're already starting to roll out test versions of fully automatic insulin pumps that measure blood glucose and regulate the insulin levels automatically. basically an artificial pancreas. So maybe I'll "only" have to do this 5-10 years, before something better is available. Keeping the hope up anyway.

Dennis my daughter has Type 1 and has a pump, CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) etc. She also runs a blog along with another Type 1 - can be a little irreverent at times http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/ her latest piece 'The machines are taking over ' may be of interest.

Brian

 

[DennisCA]

Since it's been a few months it seems the doctors have revised their opinion to type 2. I'm eating some medicine called janumet now and keeping my blood glucose in check pretty well thanks to it. Taking a dose of long lasting insulin once a day as well, but I get to skip the mealtime injections.

 

[finneyb]

Dennis

That's good news.
Never heard of Janumet, but Google tells me its a combination of two drugs for Type 2 that I do recognise.

Brian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Sitagliptin I'd don't know. I'm on Metformin, linagliptin, gliclazide and dapagliflozin. (and allopurinol, aspirin, thyroxine, meloxicam, lisinopril, pregabalin, atorvastatin, codiene, slow release DHC, zomorph and oromorph ... by the bye).