Been told by doctor I have type 2 diabetes, also my blood pressure and cholesterol are high. Been given atorvastatin (20mg) for cholesterol and ramipril (2.5mg) for blood pressure, got to take 1 each per day and go back in two weeks for another fasting blood test. Also got to make appointment to see surgery nurse for 30 minute consultation to talk me through everything but can't get appointment until 7 October which is six weeks away. Any suggestions regarding diet, lifestyle etc in the meantime.
Confused
- Thread starter mick6261
- Start Date
Ha
Had a fasting blood test but can't remember much what doctor said results where, knocked me for six when he said I had diabetes, had to ring surgery back because I couldn't remember which type I had. Doctor said to make an appointment with nurse and she would explain everything to me but only appointment is 6 weeks away so just looking for some advice on foods, lifestyle etc till then
LittleGreyCat
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Diet drinks - the artificial sweeteners taste vile.
Having to forswear foods I have loved all my life.
Trying to find low carb meals when eating out.
Mainly, don't panic.
Read through this site and look at the advice.
Accept that you are going to do most things wrong for the first few months.
It takes a while to get a grip on what diabetes is, what helps, what doesn't.
If you want some specific advice, firstly post age, weight, height, current things you eat, amount of exercise, any other problems/issues and go to the surgery and get a print out of your blood test results.
Then post them here.
With information, we can give you all sorts of well meaning and conflicting advice ;-)
You need to undertake a review of where you are now - which should help to work out how you got to be diabetic.
Then you need to plan your way to a better future.
The good news is that newly diagnosed often have a great chance to turn their condition around if they act quickly.
No promises, though.
Think positive.
Cheers
LGC
Read through this site and look at the advice.
Accept that you are going to do most things wrong for the first few months.
It takes a while to get a grip on what diabetes is, what helps, what doesn't.
If you want some specific advice, firstly post age, weight, height, current things you eat, amount of exercise, any other problems/issues and go to the surgery and get a print out of your blood test results.
Then post them here.
With information, we can give you all sorts of well meaning and conflicting advice ;-)
You need to undertake a review of where you are now - which should help to work out how you got to be diabetic.
Then you need to plan your way to a better future.
The good news is that newly diagnosed often have a great chance to turn their condition around if they act quickly.
No promises, though.
Think positive.
Cheers
LGC
douglas99
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There is no need to rush.
A few weeks won't make a lot of difference, and you also need to avoid any sudden shock to your body anyway, regardless of where you are.
We would all agree a lifestyle change is usually needed, we usually disagree on what though.
See your nurse, listen to what she says, read up on whatever you can, only you know what you eat, and what you can change now.
A safe way to go, and normally the easiest to change, is to stop processed food, give up the sugar, the white flour, rice, all the usual stuff that comes to mind when you think of a healthy diet.
If you need to lose weight, now's a good time for that as well.
Do it for 6 weeks, see the nurse, then reassess what diet you want to commit to.
A few weeks won't make a lot of difference, and you also need to avoid any sudden shock to your body anyway, regardless of where you are.
We would all agree a lifestyle change is usually needed, we usually disagree on what though.
See your nurse, listen to what she says, read up on whatever you can, only you know what you eat, and what you can change now.
A safe way to go, and normally the easiest to change, is to stop processed food, give up the sugar, the white flour, rice, all the usual stuff that comes to mind when you think of a healthy diet.
If you need to lose weight, now's a good time for that as well.
Do it for 6 weeks, see the nurse, then reassess what diet you want to commit to.
Hi. The highest priority is to review your diet and reduce the carbs, not just sugar, and have low-GI ones where you can. Do get hold of a glucose meter such as the SD Codefree from Amazon which will help you determine what foods affect your blood sugar the most. If you are 'formally' diagnosed with T2 by the nurse you will be given within 3 months an HBa1C blood test which shows overage blood sugar over the previous 3 months. This will help the nurse decide whether medication is needed. Many T2s who are overweight find that diet alone brings blood sugar under control. Do ask any other questions that come to mind
daisy1
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Hi Mick and welcome to the forum 
Here is some information to get you started. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to 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 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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is some information to get you started. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to 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 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
jack412
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That's common, it progresses differently in all of us. some can just use diet for 30 years, others will be on insulin in a couple of months or everything in between
@mick6261 , what I did was cut all grain and grain product, potato, fruit and sugar to start with, I got a meter and tested and ate what didn't spike my blood glucose.
I now eat most stuff except wheat product, lots of veg, normal meats and lots of olive oil. a few fruits and potato,
.these links helped me
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbliving/a/Food-Cravings.htm
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
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sanguine
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Hi Mick, welcome.
Actually a few weeks can make a really big difference. I took advantage of the delay to seeing the DN (only three weeks in my case, although it seemed an eternity at the time) by significantly reducing all carbs (not just the supposed 'healthy' ones), starting to walk every day and getting a meter to test how I was doing. By the time I saw the DN I had lost about 6kg in weight, my BP was down from 160/90 to around 140/80, and my blood glucose levels were in the 6s instead of 10s. Because I did this and could show her all the figures she agreed for me to continue what I was doing with no medication, and I've been doing it since.
How much and how quickly you reduce your carbs is up to you and how your body reacts to it. I jumped straight into no more than 50-60g a day and didn't have any cravings. But try it gradually and see what happens.
Otherwise have a good read around and ask questions.
But don't panic, this is all manageable. Do you know what your HbA1c was at diagnosis (ask at the surgery and get a print out if you don't).
douglas99
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A very rapid change in BS has been suggested to possibly cause damage to the eyes.
It depends how high it was, how long it was there for, and how fast it falls.
Slower is allegedly better than faster for that reason.
sanguine
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I don't think 10s to 6s over three weeks (in my case) is that rapid, and likely to be much less of a change than the uncontrolled spikes I would have had before I was diagnosed but nevertheless diabetic. I have my eyes tested annually (one recently) and they're fine.
jack412
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@douglas99 can you provide a credible cite to that claim or retract it please. I had a quick google and found nothing
rapid drop in blood glucose causes eye damage
https://www.google.com.au/#q=rapid drop in blood glucose causes eye damage
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sanguine
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I can't see any mention of rate of change of BG in Mick's posts so why raise it?
douglas99
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jack412
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douglas99
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I can't see any info about the op's BG, or any results, hence the advice not to rush into any sudden change without knowing more information about the op.
izzzi
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Hi Mike 6261,
Best ask your health centre for copies of your blood test etc; ( usually cost £1.00p ) These copies are very helpful for reference.
You may consider buying a BG meter.I use one which is reasonably priced from Amazon ( Codefree Blood Glucose Monitor/Monitoring Test/Testing Kit+Strips+Lancets+Case - in mmol/L)
I am on ramipril as well and have no problems.
Please take your time as it is not as difficult to cope with as you think.
Hope all goes well for you.
There is a lot of nice people on this forum and you will soon find out how different we all are regarding diets etc;
Best ask your health centre for copies of your blood test etc; ( usually cost £1.00p ) These copies are very helpful for reference.
You may consider buying a BG meter.I use one which is reasonably priced from Amazon ( Codefree Blood Glucose Monitor/Monitoring Test/Testing Kit+Strips+Lancets+Case - in mmol/L)
I am on ramipril as well and have no problems.
Please take your time as it is not as difficult to cope with as you think.
Hope all goes well for you.
There is a lot of nice people on this forum and you will soon find out how different we all are regarding diets etc;
