Absolutely No Idea!

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi Guys,

I went to the doctor with what I thought could be symptoms of diabetes.

Off to the hospital the following day for the blood test, returned home and less than 4 hours later had a phone call from the surgery asking me if I felt unwell and if I did, please could I go back to surgery - felt ok so given appointment for following day. Amusing, but actually quite efficient, I thought!


Back to the doctor, given metformin, no information except not to have too much sugar and an appointment with the diabetic nurse 10 days later.
I've done a little research online, but then found your forum and thought this may be the best place to ask a few really basic questions...hope that's ok.

My blood sugar level was 27. I realise this is high, but is it very high? Silly question, but do you know what I mean ... I suppose it can't be that bad because I'm pretty much ok, just very tired and falling asleep quite a bit when I sit down - missed the ending to quite a few good TV programmes!

I am over weight at 16 stone and would like to lose at least 4 stone so joined Slimming World. Does anyone know if this is better or worse than other groups, eg. Weight Watchers when you have diabetes - or doesn't it really matter?

And finally - for now! - apart from avoiding sugars, are there any foods I should eat/it would be helpful to eat and do I need to avoid eating too much fruit
because of the natural sugars?

Thanks for your help!

 

[brettsza]

Hi BeeGee

Welcome to the forum
This is the wisest decision you would have ever made to come here as almost everyone here was in a similar position as yours
I have been through this exactly only 2 months ago and I came here and got loads of info
First of all 27 is quite high, you should aim for about 6 to 8 as per the guidelines but people with lot more knowledge will guide you better.
Yes you would have to avoid all fruits for now as they are sugar just natural sugars
You would have to cut out on all carbs like bread pasta anything that has carbs in it
Also buy a meter to test yourself regularly
A lot of people here including me follow LCHF diet Low Carb High Fat
Once you cut on all these you will see the Glucose levels reduce over a period of time.
Read up as much as possible on the threads to gain as much info as possible.
Ask any questions even if you think they are silly.
Everyone here is very nice and supportive.
Sorry about the diagnosis but as long as you can keep your sugars down it should be alright.

 

[daisy1]

Hi BeeGee and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful and get the information you need, both from here and from members.

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 over 100,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[sanguine]

Hi BeeGee, welcome.

Yes 27 is high (that will be a reading in mmol/l) and you need to get that down. The metformin will help, but the main thing you have to do is cut carbs as Brettzsa has said. For a diabetic carbs = sugar. Cutting carbs will also help you to lose weight. Have a look at www.dietdoctor.com/lchf. The fat part of this regime (it's a lifestyle change not just a diet) is to restore some of the calories that you previously got from carbs, but regulate it as you require to get to your target weight.

You may be offered a glucose meter by your DN, but it's not common for a T2. Either way you should get one because it is your main weapon in managing diabetes - you need to know what foods you can eat and what you can't and the meter will show you what spikes your levels. Many on here get the SD Codefree (Amazon, Ebay etc) because the strips are about the cheapest.

Check your food cupboards and the labels at the supermarket next time you go shopping. Try and get food with less than 10g carbs per 100g, preferably 5g/100g. Ignore the bit that says 'of which sugar', this is irrelevant for us. I would also forget about Slimming World and Weighwatchers, their diets are for non-diabetics and recommend so-called 'healthy carbs', much the same as what the NHS will (wrongly) tell you. Ignore 'low fat' products as they will contain added sugar.

Loads to take in, but you have made a great start in managing your condition by coming here.

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi BeeGee

Welcome to the forum
This is the wisest decision you would have ever made to come here as almost everyone here was in a similar position as yours
I have been through this exactly only 2 months ago and I came here and got loads of info
First of all 27 is quite high, you should aim for about 6 to 8 as per the guidelines but people with lot more knowledge will guide you better.
Yes you would have to avoid all fruits for now as they are sugar just natural sugars
You would have to cut out on all carbs like bread pasta anything that has carbs in it
Also buy a meter to test yourself regularly
A lot of people here including me follow LCHF diet Low Carb High Fat
Once you cut on all these you will see the Glucose levels reduce over a period of time.
Read up as much as possible on the threads to gain as much info as possible.
Ask any questions even if you think they are silly.
Everyone here is very nice and supportive.
Sorry about the diagnosis but as long as you can keep your sugars down it should be alright.[/QUO

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi Brettsza and thanks for your reply - sorry you've been recently diagnosed too.
When you start off posting in a forum its really nice to get a quick reply.
I'm wondering how it is that diabetics seem to loose weight, yet you say that you have a LCHF diet - doesn't the fat increase your weight or at least stop you losing it?
Again, thanks for replying.
BG

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi BeeGee and welcome to the forum

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful and get the information you need, both from here and from members.

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 over 100,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

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 bloodglucose 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.

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi Daisy 1,
Thanks for your reply.
There's a lot there to take in and, whereas I don't feel worried about having diabetes itself, I am still confused about foods and so on, so this is helpful.
All a bit confusing at the moment.
Do you think that my low-grade tiredness/can't quite summon up the energy to get on and do things is part of the symptom set - or am I just using it as an excuse to be lazy?!
Seems a lovely group and forum, glad to have found you all and thanks for the support.
BG

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi BeeGee, welcome.

Yes 27 is high (that will be a reading in mmol/l) and you need to get that down. The metformin will help, but the main thing you have to do is cut carbs as Brettzsa has said. For a diabetic carbs = sugar. Cutting carbs will also help you to lose weight. Have a look at www.dietdoctor.com/lchf. The fat part of this regime (it's a lifestyle change not just a diet) is to restore some of the calories that you previously got from carbs, but regulate it as you require to get to your target weight.

You may be offered a glucose meter by your DN, but it's not common for a T2. Either way you should get one because it is your main weapon in managing diabetes - you need to know what foods you can eat and what you can't and the meter will show you what spikes your levels. Many on here get the SD Codefree (Amazon, Ebay etc) because the strips are about the cheapest.

Check your food cupboards and the labels at the supermarket next time you go shopping. Try and get food with less than 10g carbs per 100g, preferably 5g/100g. Ignore the bit that says 'of which sugar', this is irrelevant for us. I would also forget about Slimming World and Weighwatchers, their diets are for non-diabetics and recommend so-called 'healthy carbs', much the same as what the NHS will (wrongly) tell you. Ignore 'low fat' products as they will contain added sugar.

Loads to take in, but you have made a great start in managing your condition by coming here.

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome!

You've had some great answers so far, so I can't add much.

But I can promise you that once you have brought your blood glucose levels down, you will be enjoying seeing the end of tv programs.
The falling asleep at the drop of a hat will disappear.

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi and welcome!

You've had some great answers so far, so I can't add much.

But I can promise you that once you have brought your blood glucose levels down, you will be enjoying seeing the end of tv programs.
The falling asleep at the drop of a hat will disappear.

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi Brunneria,
Thanks for your reply and saying hello.
You know, I think that for me its just as important to know that someone has bothered to send me a reply and help me feel that I'm welcomed, so thank you. It makes you feel as if you matter and not dealing with this on its own - that's helpful in itself.
So, the high blood glucose level is responsible for the tiredness - that's encouraging in itself!
Thanks again and I hope all is going well for you.

 

[Sam72]

Hi!

I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago now and have found really valuable info and support here.

I was given metformin and sent away to wait for an appt with the diabetes doctor/ nurse. Don't know when that will be.

I did loads of reading- here and other sites and decided to start LCHF. WITH STARTING THE METFORMIN AND starting to limit carbs I felt pretty rubbish for a bit. Emotionally I felt battered too. 2 weeks down the line I already have lost weight , feel more energy and trying to stay positive.

I'm sure it will be up and down for me but my aim is to bring my BG levels Dow,n and lose weight as a by product of that. It's good to know people here have been/ are going through similar and get ideas and support.

Welcome!

 

[Loobles]

Hi and welcome!

You've had some great answers so far, so I can't add much.

But I can promise you that once you have brought your blood glucose levels down, you will be enjoying seeing the end of tv programs.
The falling asleep at the drop of a hat will disappear.

That's the main thing I noticed... I stopped falling asleep all the time. Seriously, I'd get home from work about 2pm and just sleep until hubby came home at 5pm...then sleep all night. I'm amazed I actually found time to shovel food into my mouth LOL.

Welcome to the forum, I can't really add anything except emphasise that testing your blood before and after eating is key to helping you identify what foods spike your blood glucose and also how much of foods you can tolerate x

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Hi!

I was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago now and have found really valuable info and support here.

I was given metformin and sent away to wait for an appt with the diabetes doctor/ nurse. Don't know when that will be.

I did loads of reading- here and other sites and decided to start LCHF. WITH STARTING THE METFORMIN AND starting to limit carbs I felt pretty rubbish for a bit. Emotionally I felt battered too. 2 weeks down the line I already have lost weight , feel more energy and trying to stay positive.

I'm sure it will be up and down for me but my aim is to bring my BG levels Dow,n and lose weight as a by product of that. It's good to know people here have been/ are going through similar and get ideas and support.

Welcome!

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Thanks for saying "Hi".
Very interesting what people are telling me about LCHF - hard to believe that a higher fat diet with the low carbs will result in weight loss as well as lowering the blood sugars. Glad that after just 2 weeks you are feeling bit better.
Will be interesting to see how we both get on!
Thanks again.BG

 

[Cloudlesssky]

That's the main thing I noticed... I stopped falling asleep all the time. Seriously, I'd get home from work about 2pm and just sleep until hubby came home at 5pm...then sleep all night. I'm amazed I actually found time to shovel food into my mouth LOL.

Welcome to the forum, I can't really add anything except emphasise that testing your blood before and after eating is key to helping you identify what foods spike your blood glucose and also how much of foods you can tolerate x

 

[Cloudlesssky]

Thanks Loobles - love your name!
Looks like I might be a bit more lively in a couple of weeks!
Thanks for saying hello, it really helps that people are friendly and welcoming.
Think I'd better get a monitor thingy - better go to ebay!
Hope all is going well with you.

 

[JohnD54]

Thanks for saying "Hi".
Very interesting what people are telling me about LCHF - hard to believe that a higher fat diet with the low carbs will result in weight loss as well as lowering the blood sugars. Glad that after just 2 weeks you are feeling bit better.
Will be interesting to see how we both get on!
Thanks again.BG

Beegee welcome.

At this stage I will only add that I am also recently diagnosed, mid May found this forum early June and the subsequent advice has enabled me to lose weight and gain some measure of control over my BS levels.

At 5ft 10" and fifteen stone end of May following the LCHF dietary requirements, am currently just shy of 12 stone, and happily heading to my personal target weight of 11 and a half.

Ask as many questions as you want there will always be someone in hand to answer.

Good luck.

 

[sanguine]

Thanks for saying "Hi".
Very interesting what people are telling me about LCHF - hard to believe that a higher fat diet with the low carbs will result in weight loss as well as lowering the blood sugars. Glad that after just 2 weeks you are feeling bit better.
Will be interesting to see how we both get on!
Thanks again.BG

You don't get fat by eating fat, it's more to do with calorie balance. When you change to LCHF you lose a lot of the calorie intake you previously got from the carbs. To get through the day you need to replace those calories from another source. This means protein or fat. You eat what you need to to take in enough calories, and burn off what you need with exercise to end up using more calories than you consume. This is how you lose weight. Some have difficulty with high levels of fat, but all it really means is you don't actively avoid butter, cream, olive oil, avocado etc. But you should avoid anything that says 'low fat' or 'reduced fat' - they usually have added sugar.