Newly diagnosed type 2

[NatJS]

Hi there!

Newly diagnosed here and just trying to get to grips with what it means.

A few months ago I tripped over and fell while out in London and dislocated my shoulder in the process. I was in a huge amount of pain and got taken by ambulance to hospital. On the way one of the paramedics wanted to test my blood sugar (not sure why!) and it came back with a reading of 9. He said it was likely high due to the pain from my shoulder rather than diabetes, but it stuck in my mind and I mentioned it to my GP 2 weeks ago, who ordered a blood test. Unfortunately the results came back last week with a fasting glucose of 10.9 and hba1c of 92 (14.2 or around 10℅) which he said definitely puts me into the diabetic range.

I'm really dismayed because I had a blood test 3 years ago and it was completely normal. I suppose it shouldn't be a huge surprise because I'm a pretty big guy and I know that puts you at risk.

Looking back, although I've not had any of the obvious symptoms, the past few months I've been incredibly tired all the time, and have actually been spending days I've not been working in bed because of it. I'd actually put it down to depression (which I was diagnosed with a couple of years ago), but now I'm thinking might actually have been the diabetes making me feel that way.

Since I was diagnosed last week I've been taking 1000mg of metformin, titrating up to 2000mg in a couple of weeks time, and I've drastically cut carbs. It's been difficult keeping the carbs low (I accidentally ate a bag of jelly babies the other day and had a stack of pancakes this morning!) but hopefully the metformin is going to help a bit. I still haven't seen the diabetic nurse yet but I have an appointment this week so I'm going to ask her if I can get a glucose meter to work out which foods cause a spikes.

Anyway, I look forward to participating in the forum and hopefully getting to grips with the situation!

Cheers,

Nat

 

[CherryAA]

As a woman who had the same accident - but some weeks after diagnosis, and still undergoing Physio, I feel your pain !

You sound like a chap with a positive attitude so I am sure you will get to grips with it quickly !

 

[Liam1955]

Hello @NatJS and Welcome to the Forum . I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information that all new members receive on joining the Forum.

 

[Freema]

Welcome here @NatJS

 

[AM1874]

Hi @NatJS .. welcome,
When I was diagnosed T2 on Feb 7th, I was in the same position as you are today but with the help that I have received here, I made the decision to manage my diabetes positively, through testing and adopting the LCHF way of life. Result - I am now much more confident about the future
Not sure if you're testing but, if not, this may be useful. I was given the website at: https://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/ for the SD Codefree meter and I ordered one a few days ago.. it arrived yesterday. While I was waiting for this I also found the website at: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-blood-glucose-meter/ who distribute the TEE 2 meter, which is free. I have been using both for comparatine purposes since Feb 16th. My recommendation is that the TEE 2 is a little easier to understand and a bit more user-friendly The strips and lancets are relatively cheap and there's a free USB lead and CD programme for recording and monitoring your results .. the freephone support number (if required) gets you through to folks who are friendly and helpful. I don't know yet whether my Surgery will provide the strips etc on prescription .. but, more importantly, I now know what my BG levels are .. and I will be able to manage them
Hope this helps

 

[ME_Valentijn]

It's been difficult keeping the carbs low (I accidentally ate a bag of jelly babies the other day and had a stack of pancakes this morning!) but hopefully the metformin is going to help a bit.

It can help a lot to count carbs at first, and set a goal for how many you want per meal. Metformin isn't going to save you when you trip and your mouth accidentally lands on a stack of pancakes

A glucose meter is essential in managing diabetes. Your GP probably won't prescribe you one due to being Type 2, so it's worth investing in one with cheap testing strips. You might not need to test much eventually, but at the beginning it's the only way to find out what you can safely eat. It's also useful in determining if you're having symptoms due to hyperglycemia - trying to figure that out without a glucose meter seems to drive some people a bit batty

 

[daisy1]

@NatJS

Hello Nat and welcome to the Forum Here, to get you started, is the Basic Information we give to new Members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you want 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

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.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi @NatJS and welcome!

Some excellent advice already so I won't overload you with any more, but have to re-iterate what @ME_Valentijn said in that Metformin won't save you from pancakes or jelly babies, and indeed from any other excess carbs! It doesn't work that way I'm afraid. Only insulin can save you from those, either your own or injected. So, as diet is the key, you know what to do!

 

[NatJS]

Wow, thank you all for the generous welcome! It's nice to find such a friendly welcome here.

I had my first check up with the diabetic nurse just now, who kindly gave me a glucose meter to test myself with.

I'm pleased to report a pre-lunch (but 4 hours post breakfast) measurement of 7.4, which is quite a bit down on my fasting test of 10.9 a couple of weeks ago.

I don't know whether that's an errant reading or a result of being on the metformin for a week - I've been eating fairly low carb too for the past week and been to the gym a couple of times. Anyway it's left me feeling much more optimistic and less worried than I have been since my diagnosis - if it's really a true reading then it means my efforts have already started working pretty effectively!

I'll keep you all up as things progress...

 

[Bluetit1802]

Great news you were given a meter. Lucky you. Let's hope they prescribe enough test strips to make the best use of it.

Metformin on its own won't have helped in such a short time, and even in the long term doesn't help reduce glucose readings very much, so it looks like your diet and exercise has worked. Well done, keep it up, and eat to what your meter tells you. What were you 2 hours later?