Greetings to you all.
I am Zahir shamsery ,from Bangladesh.
Age 62 years.
I was suspecting cancer in my tongue and went to cancer hospital at Kolkata, India.
After check up , Doctor assure me that it is not cancer.
But I have just been diagnosed with diabetes.
Those who have little idea about my country, know well that treatment in our country is out of the reach for lower middle class and middle class people.
For the low income group or working class people, nothing to mention , they have just born to die, I am sorry and ashamed but that is the reality.
Anyway, I wish to know, how do you differentiate the diabetes?
What would be the proper measure for a diabetic patient?
How I can take self care?
On receipt the reply shall remain grateful and obliged.
Thanks,
Zahir Shamsery.
Dhaka,Bangladesh.
Welcome to TuD Zahir! I hope you will find answers here.
In Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin on its own. The pancreas stops producing insulin because the immune system starts attacking it and damages it. The patient then needs to inject insulin to make up for this.
In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still produces insulin, but the body can’t use it properly. This is called insulin resistance. The treatment is usually pills and/or insulin. Some people can manage their insulin resistance with just a correct diet and exercise program.
There are a number of tests the doctors can do to determine which type of diabetes you have. What kind of medication was prescribed to you? This will give you a good idea.
To take care of yourself, you need to watch and reduce the amount of carbohydrates (bread, pasta, starchy vegetables) and sugar you eat. You should also get a home glucose monitor, so that you can check your blood sugar levels and keep them in the correct range. I am not sure which measurements are used in Pakistan, but in South Africa the correct range is 4-6 mmol before meals, and 6-8 mmol two hours after eating. If it is too high, you can exercise or take more medication to bring it down, and reduce the amount of carbohydrates you are eating. If it is too low, you should eat or drink a fast-acting carbohydrate, like 200ml fruit juice or sugary sweets, to bring it back into range.
I hope this helps!
Respected Megan Skelly ,
First , I am from Bangladesh and not from Pakistan.
Next,I have been diagnosed, just couple of days back. Wish to know about food and exercise .
Can you give some tips, please?
Hello Zahir,
I invite you to check out these areas in the Forum:
http://tudiabetes.com/forum/categories/583967:Category:4890/listForCategory - for food
http://tudiabetes.com/forum/categories/583967:Category:15011/listForCategory - for exercise
Do you have access to a blood glucose meter? You need to use one to test your blood sugar throughout the day.
Welcome Zahir,
I think for your condition diet and lifestyle are the 2 best approaches to take to get your condition under control. I would look into lowering your carbohydrate intake as much as comfortably possible. From what I know about the Bangladeshi diet, there are a lot of starches with rice and breads. If at all possilbe limit rice/bread and focus more on things like dhal.
Also look into consuming more protein if at all possible depending on availability and costs. Protein has much lower impact on blood glucose. Look into eating ghee and similar fatty foods as this will also helkp to minimze how fast dhals you eat are turned into sugar. If you can get olive oil where your at consider adding this to your diet as it helps to manage blood sugar. Coconut milk and raw coconut, easy to find in Bangladesh, are also good for weight management and have other great health promoting properties. Eat nuts and seeds like tahini, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews!
Be sure to incorporate as many spices into your diet as possible. Turmeric the yellow spice in curry powders is excellent for helping to prevent damage to the eyes, the nerves, and various systems of the body by diabetes. Eat your curries without the rice! Also look into garam masalas, sumac, thyme, basil, rosemary, chili powders, and various spices as these also have very potent anti-inflammatory effects and have been shown to both lower blood sugar as well as lower Hemoglobin A1c. They also lower cholesterol levels as well. Garlic helps to lower blood sugar and helps the body to manage cholesterol as well. Ginger is great for lowering inflammation as well as controlling blood sugar. All of these are available in Bangladesh. Cinnamon is also excellent.
Last but not least eat many vegetables with lots of colors! You have many vegetables in Bangladesh. You must capitalize on the abundance of healthy vegetables. Vegetables have very low impact on blood sugar!
To summarize: 1. Eat your vegetables! 2. Eat your meat (fish, chicken, goat, etc. perhaps no beef for religious reasons) 3. Avoid things like naan and rices! 4. Eat healthy fats like nuts, seeds, unsweetened coconut, and high quality ghee! 5. Eat many spices which have many health promoting effects! 6. Try to avoid western foods and frying in vegetable oils. Use ghee and coconut oils to cook. 7. Exercise by walking and some resistance exercise when possible. Walk to the markets and carry your groceries home with you.
Good luck.