Shell shocked

[Sam72]

Hi all. Have literally just returned from the doctors with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Have been given metaformin to take 3 times a day and have appointments in the next week or so to see nurses, doctors and who knows else!! Feeling completely shell shocked and upset.

I'm 42, have 2 primary school children and i am a teacher. Been feeling so poorly for over a year now. Doctor diagnosed depression and I resigned from my job in the summer because I felt ill and put it all down to stress.

Last week I had a blood test following a couple of skin infections and now I'm told I have diabetes.

Where do I go from here? Feel overwhelmed.

 

[Andy12345]

hi, welcome

Your first job is to put the kettle on, have a seat, breath and don't panic!

Firstly stop reading about type two diabetes on google, if your anything like me the only thing you will se is the complications we can get from it! everything you need to know is here, you can research further later, but for now you are in a state of panic and we need to keep things simple so you can absorb them, diabetes is controllable! no big deal as long as you take it seriously, in fact it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise because once you get your blood glucose numbers where they should be you should start to feel a lot better and be able to return to work if you so wished, its not a disability, or a death sentence, it basically means your body can no longer deal with sugar or carbohydrates very well and you therefore need to reduce your intake drastically, also exercise helps us and weight loss if you are heavy, so for now, take some time and read the forum, there are many many happy diabetics who's feet aren't falling off or dropping dead every minute, we can help you gain control you will need a little willpower and a lifestyle change, but the changes you will need to make are only the stuff you should have been doing anyway so its all good, don't worry about feeling depressed, in denial, angry etc etc this is all normal, we all go through it, so as to not bombard you with too much, have a read and try to take some of it in, this is a marathon, not a sprint, there is no need to try and become an expert overnight, take your time, for starter, cut out all sweet stuff, carbohydrates are our enemy so try to reduce, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread, just for now until you decide where you wanna go with your control, this will have an immediate improvement on your blood glucose whilst your finding out whats what, ask as many questions as you like, nothing is a silly questions, i promise you its been asked before

best of luck

 

[zand]

Hello, welcome to the forum! As Andy says, just ask questions and we'll do our best to answer them.

 

[Zombiedude]

Hi there.
I joined last Wednesday after recieving my diagnosis a couple of weeks ago.
This forum and it's users have proved to be the most supportive, friendly, wonderful people who have such a wealth of advice and knowledge that you'll start picking things up pretty quick.
I am still learning but find the encouragement, support and advice have been a real comfort for me.
I honestly think I would have been lost and in much more despair had I not signed up here.
Do some forum searching, check your replies often and take some comfort in knowing that this place will help.
You'll see.

 

[Sam72]

Thank you! Had a cuppa and a few deep breaths... I've been told to eat 3 "healthy" meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks in between. I generally eat fairly healthily but have a fatal sweet tooth.

What sort of snacks would be appropriate? I take it a bar of chocolate or slice if cake is out!!!! Shame :-/

I don't eat much meat and do enjoy carbs such as rice pasta bread and potatoes. Doc said to switch to whole meal/ brown variety?

Thanks so much... Feel a bit calmer now.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Hi Sam Uncontrolled diabetes can play havoc with your mood and stress levels. Now that you know what you are dealing with, you can take control and will be back to the true Sam again in no time.

Have a look around the forum at what we eat. There are a lot of delicious diabetes-friendly cake recipes out there so don't despair

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hello and welcome.

What the NHS deems healthy is mainly aimed at healthy people who are not diabetics. Carbs are not healthy for us.(and this includes the wholemeal varieties because all carbs turn to sugar once inside the system) If you don't normally snack, there is no need to start. I have never snacked, and to be honest if you do snack between meals you are at risk of increasing your levels which may not come down again before your next meal, thus your next meal will raise your levels even further. This is all very confusing, but it will all come together eventually.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

 

[Andy12345]

awesome well we all love carbs lol the problem is when we eat carbs they turn into sugar in our stomach as a rule so they are best reduced and avoided where ever possible, the cake and chocolates are not great, lol this probably isn't what you wanted to hear but they are what got you here in the first place, if it helps i lived on that stuff 24/7 but with the fear i was given at diagnosis and desire to see my kids grow up, i have made the changes and found it to be fine once you get used to it, i follow a low carb diet, this suits me as i can have fry ups and full fat products which help with any hunger issues, there is a low carb section on the forum with lots of ideas about meals etc, its a lovely way to eat, but some people find a different approach, you can read about them on here but no one does the chocolate and cake method lol, whats healthy and what isn't is a matter of opinion, as is much of what you will see, its all about finding a way that suits you, by reading peoples experiences and success stories you will which way looks good, the low carbing is what works for me and many others but dosent suit everyone, the wholemeal suggestion by your doctor many would agree with, as far as I'm concerned carbs are carbs, they all turn to sugar, just at different rates, lots of bread calling itself whole meal isn't really whole meal anyway, i think the rules are it needs 7% wholemeal flour to be classed as such, if you can't avoid the bread, you could try "burgeon soya and linseed" available in most supermarkets and the coop, its still bread but its a little better than the wholemeal, do you have a blood glucose meter? if not its an amazing way of seeing what the food does to your blood glucose, you can buy them on amazon if the doctor or nurse won't give you one, they can be quite expensive on the testing strips but others will be able to point you towards a cheaper brand called code free, basically the idea is you prick your finger as you start a meal, then 2 hours later you prick it again, this tells you how high that particular food sends your bg therefore means you know which foods to avoid, this is great because you don't have to rely on what i say or your doc/nurse, you can see for yourself, many doc/nurses say we shouldn't do this but they are very wrong, its an essential part of this whole control thing

 

[Sam72]

Ahhh! Thought the chocolate and cake diet might be out

What sort if things do people swap the carbs for? Will have to think differently as I definitely have a carb based diet at the moment.

 

[Andy12345]

yes diabetes is a great way of turning everything you do upside down lol

i can see you still have a sense of humour which will help you through this first stage, after that being miserable like me is fine

think about whats left if you take out the bread,rice,pasta and potatoes... whats that? not much? lol it seems like that but you'd be surprised, if you need snack, some nuts are great, they are fatty so fill you up and are very low in carbs so they shouldn't effect your bg, meat (i know you said you don't eat much sorry) but meat is carb free pretty much, cheese and dairy products are almost car bless apart from milk, cream is carb free where as milk isn't, so in your coffee try some cream instead, its great if you can get past the bits on top (i can't, i only drink coffee in the dark ) salad! salad is awesome, easy, carbless and and full of nutritious stuff, salads don't have to be a tomato on a bit of lettuce, you can really add some life to a salad, i use lettuce, peppers, jalapeño peppers, cucumber, olives, etc etc salads are the best, vegetables that grow above ground are awesome too, the ones that grow below tend to be starchy and carby again there are ways and ways to cook em, before DB i never ate any veg but now i love it, there are alternatives to potatoes like cauliflower mash (have a read of the low carb forum for recipes) basically there are too many to mention but there are alternatives to everything, the basic rule is to eat home cooked foods, stuff that isn't in a packet, the stuff that looks like it did when it grew or walked about, as soon as they process food they add stuff (like sugar ughh) take a look at www.dietdoctor.com look at their video section....in fact ill put it here...

take a look at that video you will start to see what I'm trying to explain (badly)

 

[Andy12345]

i should say this what I'm explaining is only my approach others will share there experiences with low fat/ low go gl/ pot noodle diets, but this approach is makes sense and has worked for me, you will have to decide which is best, its all about teaching yourself by reading our experiences and deciding whats best for you

 

[Andy12345]

as i re read what I've written there are lots of holes in what I've said but my post would be a book and I'm trying not to overload you with my opinions too much

 

[douglas99]

i should say this what I'm explaining is only my approach others will share there experiences with low fat/ low go gl/ pot noodle diets, but this approach is makes sense and has worked for me, you will have to decide which is best, its all about teaching yourself by reading our experiences and deciding whats best for you

I wouldn't advise pot noodles, low GI/GL is ok though.

 

[uncle]

Hi
Be kind to yourself, don't look back,and wish you had done things different, look forward to what needs changed, little baby steps first in no time you will be thinking I can handle this, I have the support and I have the knowledge to deal with it.
Positives rather than negatives, hey the changes you make will probably be a benefit to your 2 youngsters.
If you look at some of the diets on here one that sticks out is the low carb high fat LCHF which means nuts to snack on, cheese, real butter, cream, all the things you think put on weight but are good for type 2s

Did your GP give you a blood sugar testing meter if not ask for one you may get the test strips as well but some GPs don't prescribe so you have to buy them.
Let me know I have an old one with some strips if needed

 

[Sam72]

You're being really helpful thanks!

May research the pot noodle approach! (The humour is masking the terror I think at the moment!)

 

[pavlosn]

Hi Sam

Welcome to the one club nobody wants to join.

Diabetes is serious but it is not a death sentence.

It does though require a commitment from you if you are to control it and avoid complications (you really do not want to go there)

Well done for finding your way to this forum. You will be in good hands, as well as in good company here.

Depending on what your current lifestyle is there may be some adjustments you have to make such as exercise more and drastically reduce your carb intake including but not limited to that sweet staff you are so keen on. There are alternatives out there and experimenting is half the fun.

There is a lot of information on the forum that is useful but take your time to look around, there is no rush.

In the meantime if you have any specific questions ask away.

Pavlos

 

[lessci]

If you're going down the low carb route the humble Cauliflower will be your new friend, Blitz in a food processor it becomes a rice replacement, you can use it to make a pizza base, mashed instead of potatoes. Courgette ribbons to replace pasta. Swede and or Celiriac can also be used instead of mashed potato. If you still crave chocolate go for 70% or more Dark Chocolate (personal favourite is from Aldi, your get 4/5 individually wrapped bars in a packet) gives you the chocolate taste but is such a rich flavour you really can't eat much. I'm about 15 months into my diagnosis and still learning. Best advise I ever got was to get a meter. When I try a new food I test before then 2 hours after, if the BG level is less than a 2 point rise my system can manage if not its food I try and avoid.

 

[izzzi]

Hi, Sam 72

You have probably guessed by now how different we all are in our control with diabetics.
Whatever you decide, just make sure that you take your time to adjust to your dietary requirements. I like the way you have described your sweet tooth.
( you will notice a great improvement as soon as you pack in those lovely sweets/sugar etc; )
I am a fan of @Avocado Sevenfold 's diet due to a simple method to help control diabetics,also as you do not eat a lot o meat.
There is also a need for a Blood Glucose Meter, ( they are necessary as you will soon find out )
Amazon do great offers (codefree bg kit).
I am one of the lucky ones whose Doctor recommended me to look into this Forum, and I have never looked back, ( mind you some of the nurses think they know better ).
Best of luck and don't give those left over sweets to your children.

 

[sanguine]

Welcome Sam

Not much to add to the above, except to reiterate that you should cut carbs as much as possible (replace the calories if you need to with protein and fat - and avoid any 'low fat' processed foods, they usually contain added sugar).

Do you know what your blood test numbers were? One would probably be what is called an HbA1c, you may also have had a fasting blood glucose. It sounds likely that your feeling ill over the last months was due to the diabetes and high blood sugars (I was similar pre-diagnosis); stress will also have contributed to the high glucose levels as your adrenaline system got into conflict with the insulin system. Have a read of Jenny Ruhl's website (books also available), don't have a link at the moment sorry.

But do get a meter (e.g SD Codefree from Amazon etc) so you can then check what foods are best for you to minimise spikes after meals. A book called Carbs & Cals has all the relevant numbers against photos of foods and meals. Try and stick to food products with less than 10g carb per 100g (or 5g if you can) - ignore the 'of which sugar' bit which is meaningless to us.

Good luck, just keep asking questions.

 

[jack412]

You're being really helpful thanks!

May research the pot noodle approach! (The humour is masking the terror I think at the moment!)

did the Dr tell you to start with one metformin for a week then two, then three? if you have tummy trouble, it's normal. if it's bad..ask dr to swap you to slow release
try this for your sweet tooth cravings
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm


http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/