New to Type2 the noo

terrysallgold

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
hi,
I have recently discovered I am Type2 and that after initial tests have been told my blood sugar was 86 and need this reduced to 58. My feet were checked and found to be in good condition and my cholesterol 4.9. Blood pressure was high also. I don't
understand all the terms and jargon yet but am on it. Education it would appear is the way forward so I'm hungry for knowledge! My GP wanted to prescribe tablets but didn't because I have a liver impairment and wanted that to improve before he does so. I have 6 weeks to improve on my last results before my next blood tests in mid-April.
 

AM1874

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,383
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Not much
hi,
I have recently discovered I am Type2 and that after initial tests have been told my blood sugar was 86 and need this reduced to 58. My feet were checked and found to be in good condition and my cholesterol 4.9. Blood pressure was high also. I don't
understand all the terms and jargon yet but am on it. Education it would appear is the way forward so I'm hungry for knowledge! My GP wanted to prescribe tablets but didn't because I have a liver impairment and wanted that to improve before he does so. I have 6 weeks to improve on my last results before my next blood tests in mid-April.
Hi @terrysallgold .. and welcome
I was in exactly the same position as you when I was diagnosed T2 about 3 weeks ago .. no information and no idea what was happening to me. Since joining this forum, though, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. It's still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly

Managing and controlling your diabetes through exercise, diet and testing - with or without medication - seems to be the best way forward. For me, committing to an LCHF lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day, seems to be working .. I have lost a stone since my diagnosis on Feb 7th and my BG levels are down from 12.5 to around 6. There is a wealth of info about LCHF on the forum .. and a wealth of relevant advice and positive support.

You may also find the following posts useful ...
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/taking-the-driving-seat.116651/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-to-expect.117018/page-2#post-1399186
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-to-expect.117018/page-2#post-1399186
Hope this helps ..
 
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urbanracer

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
5,186
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being able to eat as many chocolate digestives as I used to.
hi,
I have recently discovered I am Type2 and that after initial tests have been told my blood sugar was 86 and need this reduced to 58. My feet were checked and found to be in good condition and my cholesterol 4.9. Blood pressure was high also. I don't
understand all the terms and jargon yet but am on it. Education it would appear is the way forward so I'm hungry for knowledge! My GP wanted to prescribe tablets but didn't because I have a liver impairment and wanted that to improve before he does so. I have 6 weeks to improve on my last results before my next blood tests in mid-April.

Hi @terrysallgold ,
Welcome to the forums.

Whilst your blood sugars are a bit high we see people report here that thier blood sugars are in the 100's so don't despair you're not doing too badly. The figure used to diagnose you is called the hba1c number, please click on this link to learn more......

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html

Have a read around the forums and ask any questions you need answers to.

@daisy1
 
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Maggie/Magpie

Well-Known Member
Messages
279
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Butternut Squash, Cabbage and confrontation.
Hi and welcome to the forum,
Were all here to support and guide you down the road of reducing your HbA1c blood sugars. We've all been first timers at some point and it can feel daunting at first but you have made a good start by posting on this website.
Most of us have reduced our carbohydrates by following the Low Carb high fat diet, it also helps with weight loss. Have a look at this diet on here. Carbohydrates convert to sugar so reducing how many we eat can only be a good thing. I was diagnosed in october, I've managed to reduce by HbA1c considerably and lost just over two stone in weight just by halving my carbs. So it's well worth trying.
I'm tagging @daisy1 for you who will be along in a bit with some useful information she provides for all first timers and with the web links your need.
Keep reading, ask any questions you may have and keep posting.
Good luck
Maggie
 
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chalup

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,745
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Welcome to the forum, lots of great friendly people here and all the info you can absorb. :)
 
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CherryAA

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,171
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
six weeks is plenty of time to make a big difference and show that things are going to move in the right direction.
I adopted LCHF on the day I was diagnosed and made a dramatic improvement in 6 weeks as a result as shown below with no meds.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@terrysallgold
Hello 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 need to 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 147,000 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 free 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. They're all 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.
 

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 @terrysallgold

I was diagnosed with an HbA1c in the 90s so a little above you and within 3 months I was down at 40. Now, I admit it, am a bit compulsive when I set my sights on something. My approach was low calorie (fasting).; you can read my 3 month journeyfollowing the link in my signature. Other achieve similar results using different approaches. One that is fairly favourable in outcome is low carb. The NHS recommend High Carb, Low Glycemic Index. It doesn't work for me as the glucose is still released it just lasts longer.

Have a look at these options:
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lowcarb/
Michael Mosley's 8 week sugar diet (based around 8 weeks of low calorie to reverse diabetes) - based on the work of Prof Roy Taylor and others
 
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Liam1955

Master
Messages
10,964
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Anti-Gay People, Self Centre People, Two Faced People and Bad Language.
Hello @terrysallgold (like the name :)) Welcome to the Forum:). May I ask what is wrong with your Liver? (I also have a Liver Condition).