Newly diagnosed Type 2
- Thread starter Ladyjan
- Start Date
I don't know they only gave me a leaflet at the doctor's they said my sugar reading is off the scale I don't know where to get a blood test kit they just gave me metform
Resurgam
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Notebook and pencil - or something digital if you carry that with you.
Assess your diet, find out the carb content of things you eat.
My personal reaction was to remove all high carb foods from my diet and eat a low carb diet with salad every day and lots of low carb veges.
I used a glucose meter and watched how my blood glucose levels rose after meals, and watched how the averages fell week by week. My second set of results were beyond all my expectations and I thought they'd be good.
There is a section on low carb diet, but I did Atkins for ages - and would probably have never got a diagnosis if I'd only stuck to it - but that is of no consequence now, I now hardly qualify as diabetic.
Assess your diet, find out the carb content of things you eat.
My personal reaction was to remove all high carb foods from my diet and eat a low carb diet with salad every day and lots of low carb veges.
I used a glucose meter and watched how my blood glucose levels rose after meals, and watched how the averages fell week by week. My second set of results were beyond all my expectations and I thought they'd be good.
There is a section on low carb diet, but I did Atkins for ages - and would probably have never got a diagnosis if I'd only stuck to it - but that is of no consequence now, I now hardly qualify as diabetic.
Resurgam
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Lidl had some meters a few weeks ago - you might find one marked down. Otherwise there is one you can get mail order, which is cheaper for the replacement strips too, called 'codefree'.
Bluetit1802
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Hi, and welcome,
You have started in exactly the right place!
This forum is the best diabetes forum I have found, and the main website has most of the basic information you need.
You could do worse than read all about diabetes on the main website by following the links, learn what all the various tests mean, learn what all the numbers mean and how to interpret them, and read round the forum to see how others are managing. Everyone here is friendly, but best of all, we are all diabetics of one sort or another, and who better to learn from than fellow diabetics?
To answer your queries, first of all ask your surgery for a print out of your test results. You will hopefully be given this, and then you can see exactly where you are starting from and how far you have to go. Do this every time you have tests so you can compare results and keep an eye on how you are doing.
Secodly, you can get a testing meter from any pharmacy, but do be careful to first check how much the replacement strips cost. They vary enormously. Many on here use the Codefree, which isn't available from pharmacies but has the cheapest strips.
You can get one here. https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ Don't forget to declare you are diabetic as this will mean you get the VAT knocked off. There are many meters available, and all have to pass the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed.
You have started in exactly the right place!
This forum is the best diabetes forum I have found, and the main website has most of the basic information you need.
You could do worse than read all about diabetes on the main website by following the links, learn what all the various tests mean, learn what all the numbers mean and how to interpret them, and read round the forum to see how others are managing. Everyone here is friendly, but best of all, we are all diabetics of one sort or another, and who better to learn from than fellow diabetics?
To answer your queries, first of all ask your surgery for a print out of your test results. You will hopefully be given this, and then you can see exactly where you are starting from and how far you have to go. Do this every time you have tests so you can compare results and keep an eye on how you are doing.
Secodly, you can get a testing meter from any pharmacy, but do be careful to first check how much the replacement strips cost. They vary enormously. Many on here use the Codefree, which isn't available from pharmacies but has the cheapest strips.
You can get one here. https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ Don't forget to declare you are diabetic as this will mean you get the VAT knocked off. There are many meters available, and all have to pass the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed.
Bluetit1802
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Not low fat! Low carbohydrate plus real natural fats. None of the rubbish low fat products.
"Off the scale" would be quite high. Can you call your GP to get the actual values? Are you having hyperglycemia symptoms - peeing a lot, exhaustion, very thirsty, etc?
eldergarth
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hi welcome to the forum i will tag @daisy1 who will supply you with some useful info we give all new members
ask as many questions as you like and some one will be able to help you
Metformin will typically take a while to work, and it isn't a good idea to stay hyperglycemic for weeks waiting for that to happen. It might be a good idea to go back to your GP very soon. If your doctor won't do anything about it (he might not know any better) you might need to go to the hospital. If your values were literally "off the chart" (too high to measure) you should already be in the hospital.
Cutting back carbs might help in getting blood sugar levels down a bit in the short term. Metformin actually aggravated my hyperglycemia at first, by causing a lot of diarrhea and increasing dehydration, so watch out for that
Prem51
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Hi @Ladyjan and welcome to the forum. It is a great shock when you get that diagnosis and does take a bit of time to get your head around it all. A lot of us on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has reduced our blood sugar levels and controlled our condition.
Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want to. The people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
You should ask your GP surgery for your HbA1c (blood sugar) test results so you know where you are starting from. They should give you a printout of the test results which will also show other useful information, such as your cholesterol levels.
Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want to. The people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
You should ask your GP surgery for your HbA1c (blood sugar) test results so you know where you are starting from. They should give you a printout of the test results which will also show other useful information, such as your cholesterol levels.
daisy1
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@Ladyjan
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 like 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 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 like 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.
CherryAA
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I wouldn't worry too much about being " off the scale". The effect of diabetes at first is that every single day you go a little bit higher and those days soon add up to a lot, especially as the point at which you notice it , it has "gone off the scale" - .
By the same token, if you go low carb, then every single day will go lower and those will soon add up too. You can come down a lot quicker than you went up, bu adopting a low carb diet. I moved my numbers from severely diabetic to pre diabetic in 4 months, and many others on here have done that as well. My diabetes diagnosis grew up over at least 4 years . I figured that whatever damage that had done to my body was unlikely to change much in a few more months so I didn't take any drugs. My logic was that all the evidence showed could turn it around without taking them and then at least if/ when I did start taking them I would not what real difference they made.
In my opinion its just wrong to prescribe metformin before you have had any chance to find out what the low carb diet does. That just leaves you thinking you are relying on medication when in fact you are not.
Good luck!
By the same token, if you go low carb, then every single day will go lower and those will soon add up too. You can come down a lot quicker than you went up, bu adopting a low carb diet. I moved my numbers from severely diabetic to pre diabetic in 4 months, and many others on here have done that as well. My diabetes diagnosis grew up over at least 4 years . I figured that whatever damage that had done to my body was unlikely to change much in a few more months so I didn't take any drugs. My logic was that all the evidence showed could turn it around without taking them and then at least if/ when I did start taking them I would not what real difference they made.
In my opinion its just wrong to prescribe metformin before you have had any chance to find out what the low carb diet does. That just leaves you thinking you are relying on medication when in fact you are not.
Good luck!
AM1874
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Hi @Ladyjan
Welcome .. I'm new here as well and I understand the shock and the worry of a diagnosis out of the blue. I see that you've already had a lot of advice and support but I thought it might be helpful to share my experience of BG testing. I was also given the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ SD Codefree meter and I ordered one a few days ago.. it arrived today. While I was waiting for this I also found the website at: http://www.spirit-healthcare.co.uk who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. I have now received both, and done my first tests. My recommendation is that the TEE 2 is a little easier to understand and a bit more user-friendly .. the freephone support number (if required) gets you through to folks who are friendly and helpful ..
Hope this helps
Welcome .. I'm new here as well and I understand the shock and the worry of a diagnosis out of the blue. I see that you've already had a lot of advice and support but I thought it might be helpful to share my experience of BG testing. I was also given the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ SD Codefree meter and I ordered one a few days ago.. it arrived today. While I was waiting for this I also found the website at: http://www.spirit-healthcare.co.uk who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. I have now received both, and done my first tests. My recommendation is that the TEE 2 is a little easier to understand and a bit more user-friendly .. the freephone support number (if required) gets you through to folks who are friendly and helpful ..
Hope this helps
