Retina scan

One thing that diabetics should have every year is an eye scan, normally at a hospital. This is to check the eye's retina which is subject to gradual damage (called diabetic retinopathy) which a diabetic may not be able to detect for themselves until there is significant (permanent) damage.

This was my first time, it took about 40 minutes at the hospital, though I had to take the day off work as my pupils would stay dilated. The process was as follows:

1. Get an appointment, an important step as the waiting list was 3 months!
2. A nurse puts drops in your eyes so that your pupils stay dilated.
3. Wait for 15 minutes or more for the drops to take effect. I could still read my book, but I listened to a podcast instead to pass the time.
4. Have the digital photo taken. This was entirely painless, I just looked into the lens of a large camera which then flashed to take a photo. The eye expert immediately checked my scan with me on a computer screen, luckily I was clear of any damage (which would have shown up as pink crystals).
5. The photo is kept on record as a comparison for my next checkup.
6. I then traveled back home on the bus wearing sunglasses to protect my eyes.
   

Eat porridge and lose weight

Key to controlling blood sugar levels for type 2 diabetics is keeping the weight off. I have steadily lost weight (in order to reach my ideal body mass index) by sticking to a very simple rule; eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Porridge oats with
blueberries and cinnamon
taken with the porridge still
cooking in the saucepan

I used to just grab a slice of toast and drink half a cup of tea before rushing for the train but now I get up half hour earlier in order to cook some porridge^† seasoned with cinnamon or nutmeg and drink herbal tea or black coffee. I then walk to the station rather than taking the bus (taking 20 minutes, half the time going up a steep hill) , which gets my body burning carbohydrates, so that by the time I get to work I actually feel energized and not hungry until lunchtime.

† My recipe for porridge: 5 tablespoons of whole oats, 1½ cups of water; simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (no sugar, no milk, no sweeteners needed).
- I keep blueberries frozen as I only have them about once a week as an extra treat and limit myself to a teaspoon or two with a meal. They defrost and can be eaten with yogurt or can be cooked pretty normally.
- Fresh strawberries are a good option though you only need to add one or two (chopped) to give a strong flavour to the porridge.
- Cinnamon is recommended for diabetics as various studies have shown half a teaspoon a day may reduce blood glucose (but please don't be ripped off by pharmaceutical companies selling it to you in pill form).
- Note: add berries in preference to raisins or dried fruit of any kind as they are very high in sugar, as for honey it is sugar.

I was switched onto porridge by reading the story of a 100 year old man who has it every day, and also the fact that when you read through the sugar content of most processed cereals they have a surprising amount of added sugar (while natural oats have a fair amount of carbohydrate (49%) but they have no sugar so at least your system has to process the food and releases sugar more slowly). I was particularly surprised by Special K which is 17% sugar and 80% carbohydrates but is marketed as a diet product as it is fat free; shame on them.

Aspirin and heart-attacks

I asked the doctor to add aspirin to my prescription, he needed to be argued around but my facts were clear so he did eventually. He's put me on 75mg/day (baby sized), these are soluble so I just add one to my porridge in the morning while it's cooking.

The main fact that made me decide to start on aspirin is the possibility of dying of a heart attack before I'm 50. Based on a study in 2002, if diabetic men die between 40 to 50 years old there's a breath-taking 75% chance of this being due to a heart attack. I haven't found a recent study on aspirin specifically for diabetics, but for the general population in the long term aspirin reduces the risk of a heart attack by 32% while increasing the overall risk of stroke by 13% percent.

See BBC article on aspirin.

Perfect eyesight

I have been short-sighted since I was about 22, becoming slightly more so over the years. I can see clearly without glasses for about 3½ foot and so wear them for driving or when I want to see detail on the television.

Within a day or two of starting the Metformin, I noticed an amazing side-effect. Strangely my eyesight became absolutely perfect. I could gaze out of the office window and see mesmerizing details of the London panorama. We went to see a foreign film and for the first time in, literally, decades I could read subtitles and enjoy the film in crystal clear resolution without my glasses. It was a side effect my GP could not explain but I had found some accounts on discussion groups about diabetics with the same temporary experience.

Sadly it was indeed a temporary adjustment, my superman-like ability has now faded away after a few weeks. It does however make me wonder; if Metformin has this effect on eye, then why can't pharmacy companies come up with a drug to "cure" short-sightedness? Any venture capitalists out there interested?

Diagnosis

This was the day I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic.

I went to the doctor because I had lost a stone in weight and couldn't understand why. I was shocked to get the diagnosis (though relieved it wasn't cancer), particularly as 3 years earlier I knew I was clear because of medical tests I for a new job. My blood sugar levels were far too high to be managed by diet alone but luckily can be managed by taking Metformin (pills) rather than having to take insulin (injections).

Educating myself about diabetes has not been straightforward, so I thought I'd kick off this blog to layout what went well, and not so well, when trying to manage my diabetes.