Lupus and Diabetes

[UKMoss]

Has anyone with Lupus SLE and Diabetes with low blood sugar? How do you keep glucose levels up?

[Quiettwerp]

Most important! Two types of diabetes:

Type1: autoimmune and not lifestyle related. Patients have no insulin at all due to insulin producing cells destroyed by autoantibodies. Hence frequent insulin injections daily plus BG fingerpick testing of capillary blood. Lifelong need for injected insulin.😢. Not reversible.Carbohydrate counting is way of management for correct insulin dosage.

Type2: strong genetic factors at play, lifestyle related eg obesity, insulin resistance, patients still produce insulin, can be reversed 👏 and prevented 👏as many studies have shown through strict diet and calorie intake. Not autoimmune disease.👍

Blood glucose fluctuations are serious in both types. WHO advises 4-7mmol/litre in a fasting, non pregnant adult as good control of BG. Hence frequent daily testing of BG.

[Ingrid1234 in reply to Quiettwerp]

Thanks for posting. My type1 diabetes is difficult to control.

Often my BG is too high.😢

If BG too low <4mmol/litre, quick acting carbohydrate is required eg glucose tablets, sweets, honeyed tea, pure fruit juice etc. Will bump up blood glucose but later at meal time more insulin required and so it goes on!😢

And my Prednisolone bumps BG up so 6/7 fingerprick tests.😢plus more injected insulin required.😱

[StriatedCaracara]

I think I might be heading the way of Type 2, but wondered whether something else might be making blood sugar go down sometimes. Posted this a couple of days ago after feeling bad after eating rich fruit cake (no icing)

healthunlocked.com/lupusuk/...

Because my potassium goes down when I have too much carb, I have tried to have a diet where carbs are slow acting. I also work to decrease the rate at which carb is absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream, by including slight amount of fat (although keeping saturated fat below 20gms / day). So I may have tiny portion of low fat cheese and low fat biscuits instead of a pudding.

If adrenaline levels high, when insulin acting, this also makes things worse for me. For example sandwich buffets at work after stressful morning - there is too much bread, and cake...so I stick to fruit and salad with some protein.

[Quiettwerp in reply to StriatedCaracara]

Hi,

For slow/long acting carbohydrate food try bananas, porridge, various high fibre cereals, wholemeal pasta etc.

Most also contain minerals eg bananas are fairly rich in potassium. You probably know this.

Yes to all the fruit, nuts, beans, grains, veg, tofu, sweet potato and pulses👍

Oily fish eg mackerel, tuna for marine collagen.👍

Regards.