Hi. Recently diagnosed with type 2. I've been to see the diabetic nurse at the gp practice this morning and given virtually no information at all. She didn't go through anything with me. Gave me 2 booklets and told me to read them. Increase Metformin but not told me over how long or to how many just that she'll see me again in a month and repeat my bloods but no information on what to do
New type 2
- Thread starter Hayley23472
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Bluetit1802
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Hi and welcome,
You have arrived at the right place for all the help and information you need. Everyone on here is a diabetic of one sort or another, with a great deal of experience between them. All you have to do is read round, learn what diabetes is, learn about the various blood tests we have and what the numbers mean, and how others manage this condition. If you go to the home page and follow some of the links you will find all the information there, plus of course reading round all the forums. I will also tag @daisy1 who has some very useful and important information for newly diagnosed.
One piece of advice I have is for you to find out what your test results were. You can ask for a print out, which will be given to you, and if you are in England you can also ask if your surgery puts test results on-line. (They were supposed to have done this by last April but some surgeries are a bit behind) It is important that you know where you are starting from and as we have regular blood tests it is useful to see in black and white how you are improving.
Ask questions!
I can't help with the Metformin as I don't take it. Someone will be along to help you with that.
You have arrived at the right place for all the help and information you need. Everyone on here is a diabetic of one sort or another, with a great deal of experience between them. All you have to do is read round, learn what diabetes is, learn about the various blood tests we have and what the numbers mean, and how others manage this condition. If you go to the home page and follow some of the links you will find all the information there, plus of course reading round all the forums. I will also tag @daisy1 who has some very useful and important information for newly diagnosed.
One piece of advice I have is for you to find out what your test results were. You can ask for a print out, which will be given to you, and if you are in England you can also ask if your surgery puts test results on-line. (They were supposed to have done this by last April but some surgeries are a bit behind) It is important that you know where you are starting from and as we have regular blood tests it is useful to see in black and white how you are improving.
Ask questions!
I can't help with the Metformin as I don't take it. Someone will be along to help you with that.
Prem51
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Hi @Hayley23472 and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately your experience is fairly common.I can't help you about the metafornin either, but I expect someone who is on it will be along.
It does take a bit of time to get your head around everything but you will get a lot of good advice and support on here.
Do you know what your HbA1c (blood sugar) level was from your test? If not you should find out from your GP surgery as you need to know where you are starting from.
It does take a bit of time to get your head around everything but you will get a lot of good advice and support on here.
Do you know what your HbA1c (blood sugar) level was from your test? If not you should find out from your GP surgery as you need to know where you are starting from.
Hi. The reason to gradually increase the Metformin is to avoid the possibility of bowel upset in the first few weeks. Most people seem to be advised to go up a step each week to reach the maximum dose you have been prescribed. It's not critical but reduces the risk of any upset. Daisy will be along shortly with good advice for Newbies. BTW be careful with any diet advice in the booklets you have been given as some areas of the NHS are still in the dark ages with regard to diet advice for diabetes - just follow Daisy's advice.
Thanks for replying. My Hba1c was 84. They've said go up to 2 next week for that reason on the Metformin but haven't said anywhere how many a day to go up to! She said about loosing weight but as my BMI is above 40 she couldn't offer me WW or slimming world and my only option is a dietitian at the hospital and that was about all she did say
eldergarth
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Bluetit1802
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If you follow a low carb diet your blood sugars will come down and you should lose weight. Weight Watchers or Slimming World are OK for losing weight, but not OK for diabetics because of the food they suggest you eat.
You need to buy a blood glucose meter and start testing out your meals. By testing before and 2 hours later you can start to learn what those meals are doing to your levels, and by keeping a food diary including portion sizes and recording your levels alongside you will see patterns emerging and be able to reduce the carb portion sizes or eliminate completely. This really is the only way to control this disease.
The main culprits are bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, and flour. We also need to be careful with fruit and milk. A meter is the only tool we have to tell us how much of these things we can eat - if any. Have a look at this site for what you can eat. You should find low carbing an enjoyable experience.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
I do urge you to get a print out of your full results. It isn't just the HbA1c that is important, it is also the cholesterol, lipids, kidney and liver functions.
You need to buy a blood glucose meter and start testing out your meals. By testing before and 2 hours later you can start to learn what those meals are doing to your levels, and by keeping a food diary including portion sizes and recording your levels alongside you will see patterns emerging and be able to reduce the carb portion sizes or eliminate completely. This really is the only way to control this disease.
The main culprits are bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereals, and flour. We also need to be careful with fruit and milk. A meter is the only tool we have to tell us how much of these things we can eat - if any. Have a look at this site for what you can eat. You should find low carbing an enjoyable experience.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds
I do urge you to get a print out of your full results. It isn't just the HbA1c that is important, it is also the cholesterol, lipids, kidney and liver functions.
Resurgam
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Eating a low carb diet can restore your numbers to just about normal pretty quickly.
It is worth sticking to it just to see the expression on the faces of the diabetes advisers when the second lot of test results is being written out.
I was put on Metformin and a statin and I think I must have got every possible side effect - very upsetting.
It is worth sticking to it just to see the expression on the faces of the diabetes advisers when the second lot of test results is being written out.
I was put on Metformin and a statin and I think I must have got every possible side effect - very upsetting.
AM1874
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Hi @ Hayley23472 .. and welcome
I was in exactly the same position as you when I was diagnosed T2 about 3 weeks ago .. no information, no idea what was happening to me, shocked, worried and feeling lost. 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 .. and actually beginning to consider myself a bit of an "old hand". Still early for me but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly
As others have said, 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
Hope this helps
walnut_face
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- Type of diabetes
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welcome @Hayley23472 sorry you have had to join the club, I can offer you 3 pieces of advise
1. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
2. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
3. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
1. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
2. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
3. Get a blood sugar meter and use it
Art Of Flowers
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Hi Hayley
It is usual to take metformin twice a day with meals. You make like to start once a day until your body gets used to it.
You need to avoid sugar in food such as breakfast cereals, orange juice. Also, cut down on carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta. Check out recipes on dietdoctor.com.
Get a glucose blood meter to test your blood sugar levels. You can find which foods raise your blood sugars. The Low Carb High Fat diet is great for lowering blood sugars and losing weight. Don't worry about high fat, as you need to increase fat consumption when you lower carbs, e.g. Eat more butter, cheese, cream, avacodo, nuts.
You should be able to reduce your blood sugars to normal levels in a few months by eating low carb.
It is usual to take metformin twice a day with meals. You make like to start once a day until your body gets used to it.
You need to avoid sugar in food such as breakfast cereals, orange juice. Also, cut down on carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta. Check out recipes on dietdoctor.com.
Get a glucose blood meter to test your blood sugar levels. You can find which foods raise your blood sugars. The Low Carb High Fat diet is great for lowering blood sugars and losing weight. Don't worry about high fat, as you need to increase fat consumption when you lower carbs, e.g. Eat more butter, cheese, cream, avacodo, nuts.
You should be able to reduce your blood sugars to normal levels in a few months by eating low carb.
daisy1
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@Hayley23472
Hello Hayley and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new Members and I hope you will find it useful in getting started on your diabetes care. 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 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:
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
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 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.
Hello Hayley and welcome to the Forum
Here is the Basic Information we give to new Members and I hope you will find it useful in getting started on your diabetes care. 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 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
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
- 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 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.
