Michael...Newly Diagnosed Type 2

[Michael2457]

Good Day all,

At the age 51 I have just been diagnosed (last Wednesday) with type 2 diabetes.plus high colestoral. To say I'm surprised is an understatement as the blood test I had In march showed nothing. However,in the last 5 months I have been suffering with extreme tiredness,nausea,bloatedness,high acid reflux and constipation. On going to a consultant he sent me for a gastroscopy and an colonoscopy but NO blood test! The gastroscopy showed I had an hyiatus hernia,which was the bloatedness,and acid reflux issue.I was mdicated with a pill. The colonoscopy showed nothing! It wasnt until 3 weeks ago that the doctor suggested a blood test,the first showed signs of diabetes,the second confirmed diabetes type 2!

I was In the Army as a Infantry soldier for 18 years,In which I was very physically fit,active,and a pure fitness fanatic,so this has come as a Huge shock to me, I was running around Iraq with 80lb of kit in 40 degree heat for many hours at the age of 41! So yes completely gobsmacked!

So basically I was struggling for 5 months without knowing I had diabetes. In that time I continued my high carb diet,and sweets,biscuits,cakes etc without realisng it was those foods that was causing my symptoms. I walk a lot so I couldnt understand why my legs where buckling from under me and I was feeling weal,faint,sick! In fact, I thought it was that I hadnt eaten enough carbs, so I went to the shop to stuff myself with more mars bars!!!


Looking back now,Im suprised I dont need Insulin injections!!! I have been given metformin,after 3 days,I still feel weak,faint, is that normal please ??? Also I dont have my first appointment with a diabetic nurse until 3 weeks time,and the doctor gave me NO advice on what to eat,she just said no sweets,biscuits,chocolate.

I only last night found out about lowering carb intake! Yet I do eat a high carb diet. I love cereals which some are higher carb,and pasta,ready cooked frozen meals, and bread a lot of. So thought of a low carb diet is a bit of a mystery to me. Has anyone any tips,suggestions,links to pages on low carb diets,what I should should not be eating, small portion but often or large and less often ? etc

Appreciate your help please, Thanks Michael

 

[zand]

Hi welcome

I'll tag @daisy1 for her welcome info for new diabetics.

Do you have any idea what your blood test results were? How high is your blood glucose and your cholesterol?

Here's some links to low carb threads.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/my-first-year-of-lchf.76070/


And a couple of others that might interest you too

www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ

And keep asking questions

 

[mfactor]

Loads of info on here and a lot of the docs have no idea , will tag @daisy1 who will give you tons on info

 

[Michael2457]

Hi welcome

I'll tag @daisy1 for her welcome info for new diabetics.

Do you have any idea what your blood test results were? How high is your blood glucose and your cholesterol?

Here's some links to low carb threads.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/my-first-year-of-lchf.76070/


And a couple of others that might interest you too

www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1vvigy5tQ

And keep asking questions

Thank You for the Information Zand,really appreciated.

To be honest I was in the Doctors for less than 5 mins as she rushed the appointment. She didnt tell me what my blood test reading results were,no blood glucose,nor cholesterol readings! She didnt even tell me to get a meter nor take readings,just told not to eat chocolate,cakes,sweets . I am learning a bit more on the web,but Im really surprised at the lack of "advice" from the doctor,and the fact I have wait 3 weeks for a nurse for that advice..

 

[Michael2457]

Loads of info on here and a lot of the docs have no idea , will tag @daisy1 who will give you tons on info

Thanks Mfactor, appreciated. Yes you are very correct,docs have no idea! So unhelpful!

 

[zand]

When you go in to see the nurse ( or before that even ) ask for a print out of all of your recent blood test results. That will give us more of an idea of how to help you.

 

[Michael2457]

When you go in to see the nurse ( or before that even ) ask for a print out of all of your recent blood test results. That will give us more of an idea of how to help you.

I will do, thanks. Have you any Idea about the medication Metformin please? I have been taking 500mg for 3 days and feel even more tired,is that normal? Do they kick in eventually ? The dose increases to 1000mg after a week .. I just want this extreme tiredness to stop as I cant walk anywhere as feel too weak!

 

[zand]

Yes I believe Metformin can make you feel more tired than usual. I would stick with it for the time being as it may be only temporary. I think it can take up to around 10 days after you are on the full dose to work properly, so hang on in there.

 

[Michael2457]

Yes I believe Metformin can make you feel more tired than usual. I would stick with it for the time being as it may be only temporary. I think it can take up to around 10 days after you are on the full dose to work properly, so hang on in there.

Thank You Zand,appreciated.

 

[kjsmith]

It does get better Michael when your body adapts to it. Tiredness can also be a symptom of high BG and as your levels drop things should improve. I've been on Metformin since just after diagnosis 10 weeks ago and now have no side effects other than the very occasional tummy ache.
I found managing my symptoms quite tricky as my BG levels began to drop but I kept plodding on and refusing to be beaten and I feel better now than I have for ages

 

[Liam1955]

Hi Michael12457. Welcome to the Forum. Metformin is usually the first diabetic tablet that doctors prescribe and is usually tolerated by a lot of people. However, it does have some unpleasant side effects but with time these usually stop. And it is supposed to help you loose weight too. Don't be afraid to ask questions about your Diabetes, there are some very knowledgeable, kind, considerate and friendly people on this forum. Regards, William.

 

[daisy1]

@Michael2457

Hello Michael and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and which, in particular, gives a lot of information on carbs which you should find useful. Ask as many questions as 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 150,000 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.

 

[Lau89]

Hi there, hope you find some good advice on the forum, its a relief to be able to talk & share things on here

 

[Totto]

Hi @Michael2457 and welcome to the forum!

The best thing you can do in order to get your BG, that is blood glucose, down is to lower your carbs intake. Nothing is as bad for my BG as flour so no bread or pasta. Potatoes and rice as almost as bad.

What is important is to fill up on other macro nutrients like fats and protein. I do the high fat low carb and normal protein way of eating or LCHF. I think @zand posted a link to the Dietdoc, brilliant site.

 

[Prem51]

Hello @Michael2457 When you do get to see the nurse you should also asked to be referred for a diabetes management course. Your GP should have offered to refer you, but it seems she was a bit rushed.

 

[Michael2457]

It does get better Michael when your body adapts to it. Tiredness can also be a symptom of high BG and as your levels drop things should improve. I've been on Metformin since just after diagnosis 10 weeks ago and now have no side effects other than the very occasional tummy ache.
I found managing my symptoms quite tricky as my BG levels began to drop but I kept plodding on and refusing to be beaten and I feel better now than I have for ages

Hello KJ, Thank you for your encouraging reply,appreciated. Its good to hear symptoms will calm down a bit eventually. Ive been extremely tired like this for 5 months now,more so outdoors/walking. So my fingers are crossed,

 

[Michael2457]

Hi Michael12457. Welcome to the Forum. Metformin is usually the first diabetic tablet that doctors prescribe and is usually tolerated by a lot of people. However, it does have some unpleasant side effects but with time these usually stop. And it is supposed to help you loose weight too. Don't be afraid to ask questions about your Diabetes, there are some very knowledgeable, kind, considerate and friendly people on this forum. Regards, William.

Thank You William. appreciated.

 

[Michael2457]

@Michael2457

Hello Michael and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and which, in particular, gives a lot of information on carbs which you should find useful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to help.
:
.

Thank You Daisy for all the advice and links to help me.Really appreciated, I shall have a good read now.

 

[Michael2457]

Hi there, hope you find some good advice on the forum, its a relief to be able to talk & share things on here

Thanks for your reply Lau,appreciated. The site looks very good, informative,so I.m sure I can learn a lot from the articles and others.

 

[Michael2457]

Hi @Michael2457 and welcome to the forum!

The best thing you can do in order to get your BG, that is blood glucose, down is to lower your carbs intake. Nothing is as bad for my BG as flour so no bread or pasta. Potatoes and rice as almost as bad.

What is important is to fill up on other macro nutrients like fats and protein. I do the high fat low carb and normal protein way of eating or LCHF. I think @zand posted a link to the Dietdoc, brilliant site.

Thanks for the advice Totto, Appreciated. I shall avoid those things,though I will miss the bread as it always fills me up.