All new to me

joninstjohn

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
So a week of raging thirst leads me to buying a glucose monitor. My first reading was 27.4 mmol/l. When I presented this to the GP he booked me in for some blood tests and said he'd see me 3 days later. No real advice or anything. He didn't even take my blood pressure.

4 hours later it was 28.2 mmol/l and I was getting worried so went to out-of-hours. Ended up over night in hospital with 3 litres of saline and prescribed Metformin.

Levels are down but stubbornly still above 10.

Off to make an appointment with the nursing specialist.

I'm a bit bewildered as to what I should be doing. Hope the appt. is soon.

Cheers

Jon
 

Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Hello and welcome to the forum. To be diagnosed with Diabetes can be bewildering and a little overwhelming at first. I shall tag @daisy1 who will post the welcome pack offered to newcomers. In it you will find all the basic information that your GP, unfortunately, doesn't have the time to give you.

There are options that you can choose from per your approach to the condition so I suggest that you read around the forum and ask as many questions as you like. Good luck.
 

andcol

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
3,176
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
welcome to the club no one wants to be a member of. Have a read of daisy's post and then come back and ask questions you want/need
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
Welcome to the forum @joninstjohn. Your bs levels would suggest you could be diabetic, but you won't know for sure until you get the results of the blood tests (HbA1c) which gives your bs levels over the last 8-12 weeks.
It is all bewildering at first, but once you get the diagnosis you should be able to take steps to deal with it.

There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. If you are diagnosed as Type 1 that is controlled mainly by taking insulin. I don't know anything about that, but there are T1s on here who can give you advice.
If you are diagnosed as T2, that can be controlled by diet and exercise.

Let us know when you get your test results - ask your GP for a printout of the full results, and people on here can help you understand them.
 
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paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
well done you did the right thing. at the moment they assume your type 2 as 90% are. but until youve had two tests they are guessing. with the symptoms and blood glucose levels there is no doubt your diabetic. the hospital treated you correctly. your gp not so much. a drop to just over 10 is an excellent start. you should be starting to notice the symptoms vanish. can we ask your age did you have ketones and any relevant history. we cant diagnose your type but we can really help no matter what type you are. and welcome to the forum
 
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Ross.Walker

Well-Known Member
Messages
291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
sprouts, evil things
In the early days 10 is good, and you are doing something right, keep it up. lots to learn and take in, but you can be in control.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@joninstjohn
Hello Jon and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 259,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
The fact that it came down a lot with only metformin makes Type 2 pretty likely IMO. The fact that the GP sent you out like that makes me wonder if he should be delivering your mail instead of your baby. How long after high school does it take to get a GP license there? We don't have true "GPs" anymore here. The shortest residency program here is 3 years now (family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics), after 3-4 years of university and 4 of med school.
 

paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
its about 10 years to be a fully trained
 

joninstjohn

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi thanks for the warm welcome, I'm 42 keytones??? Still very confused and can't get to see diabetic nurse until Monday. Alarmingly to me I just checked prior to dinner and my level has gone up to 21.5 in spite of eating next to no lunch and eggs with cottage cheese for breakfast.
 

TheBigNewt

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,167
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi thanks for the warm welcome, I'm 42 keytones??? Still very confused and can't get to see diabetic nurse until Monday. Alarmingly to me I just checked prior to dinner and my level has gone up to 21.5 in spite of eating next to no lunch and eggs with cottage cheese for breakfast.
"Liver dump", that's cute. Sounds like relatively untreated diabetes to me. Better lay off the apple pie. Seriously I hope you get some medical help soon. They seem to go pretty low and slow there.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
If you are a really lucky type two like me then eating a low carb diet will sort out the diabetes and get things back to something closer to normal.
I avoid anything with a high percentage of carbs - ten percent or under, and limit the amount of the things at the higher end of that range - but once you get used to having mushrooms courgettes or sweet pepper, cauliflower, or huge salads along with the meat and fish or eggs or shellfish - well it seems to be just fine.
I started out by trying to stay under 8 mmol/l after meals - that seemed to be the number to aim for, as if I stuck to it I then noticed that the numbers for the same meal began to drop a little each week. Soon I was seeing under 7, and the Hba1c came back as not even diabetic at 6 months.
So I'll need to on eating this way for the rest of my life - not a problem. I am getting thinner and more energetic - what's not to like?
I tend to have some carbs with my first meal - I eat twice a day - as if I don't my numbers tend to rise. My main meal in the evening has far more carbs, but I seem able to cope with them then, far more than first thing. I also have my meals spread out in the day - that helps me, but other people fast for long periods in the day - it is something you need to work on and see how you react to things as what works well for one is not so good for another - though for type twos most carbs are bad news.
 
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Dark Horse

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,840
The fact that it came down a lot with only metformin makes Type 2 pretty likely IMO. The fact that the GP sent you out like that makes me wonder if he should be delivering your mail instead of your baby. How long after high school does it take to get a GP license there? We don't have true "GPs" anymore here. The shortest residency program here is 3 years now (family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics), after 3-4 years of university and 4 of med school.
Details of how to be a GP:- https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/general-practice-doctor

In the UK, people start their medical degree straight from school (what you might call high school?) at the age of 18 - there is no requirement to do a non-medical degree first. Because students in England and Wales specialise from the age of 16 (typically in 3 or 4 subjects), a first-year university student studies at a similar level to a second-year student in the USA.

Requirements to study medicine are explained here;_ https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2032/msc-entry-requirements-for-uk-medical-schools.pdf
 
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paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
ketones not keytones. i promise your not turning into a phone. when a diabetic usually type 1s are high like yours the cells cant use the glucose in the blood the cells then switch to using your fat reserves and this produces ketones , ketones are acidic and unless treated will lead to keto acidosis if this happens it becomes a very serious condition. you blood will become acidic and if not treated quickly will kill you very quickly.
 

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hope you get a proper diagnosis soon. Better not to change anything to drastically before you are told what type you have as the diet advice given here is not "one size suits all" it depends if you have T1 or T2
 

paulus1

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
not doing anything is that wise when they are in the 20s. diet may not be the first tool to use if type 1 but its really the only tool a person has with out medical support. i cant believe a doctor would leave you un medicated at those levels. i really think that at those levels folks should be sent to hospital.
 

Circuspony

Well-Known Member
Messages
959
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
If your glucose readings stay in the high 20s then I think you should go back to hospital. My GP was convinced I was type 2 due to my age (40s) despite presenting with weight loss & ketones. I spent 10 days struggling to get my glucose levels reading anything other than 'high' on the meter and ended up in A&E. Late onset type 1 and only insulin was going to help.
 
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EllieM

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
9,209
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
forum bugs
I'm with the others who can't believe that the GP sent you home with a blood sugar of 27. And also with Circuspony that you should go back to hospital emergency if you have any more readings in the high 20s (or even mid 20s). Good luck, hope you get sorted soon.
 
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