Newly diagnosed

[meab2]

Hi everyone,my name is Emma and I am 3 weeks in to being newly diagnosed as type 2.

I'm originally form the U.K but now live in Turkey . The only reason I found out I had diabetes is because me and my husband would like to try for another baby but after 3 years of trying and 2 miscarriges ,I finally plucked up the courage to go and see a doctor .

I was given metformin and told to take half a tablet in the morning and half a tablet in the evening for the first 10 days and then start on a full one morning and evening (1000mg). Apart from 1 bout of gastoenteritis which possibly could have been down to some chicken I ate I have been feeling ok .

I have been told to go and see a speciallist in a bigger city but as yet have not made an appointment . I have totally changes my diet ,before I was a big snacker but hardly snack at all now ,maybe a few nuts if I feel like it . The metformin totally suppressed my appetite at first and after my bout of gastroenteritis I went back to taking only half a tablet and so I am only 2 days back into taking a full tablet twice a day,but I am wondering if it will surppress my appetite again ? I dont feel it is yet .
After 3 weeks I have lost 3kg which is really good for me as I have struggled for a long time to lose weight ,so I hope it will be a steady pace to get to my goal .

I have been trying to do as much reasearch as I can via this site and the internet, but I would lıke to ask about the numbers as I dont really know if my sugar level is just above average or way over .I have seen a lot of the measurments in mm but mine was in mg/dL . The guide on my paperwork was 74-118 mg/dL but my actual level was 168 mg/dL.I would be grateful if anyone could tell me what that means ?.Other then the hospital telling me to go and see a speciallist they just sent me home with the tablets and told me not to eat certain thing . I am trying to be as low as possible as far as carbs are concerned but dont know what sort of limit I should set ? We dont really get a lot of processed food over here and things tend to be cooked from scratch so I keep having to refer to a book I bought years ago that is a calorie carbs counter .

Thanks for reading my intro

 

[Guzzler]

Hello and welcome to the forum. There is a conversion chart on the forum, just use the search function that is at the top of the page. Dietdoctor.com has some wonderful information, too. I shall tag @daisy1 who will swing by with loads of useful info for all those newly diagnosed. Read around the forum and ask any questions at all, there's always someone to answer. Best wishes.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Emma and welcome! I'm now five months from diagnosis. Once I was over the initial shock, I saw it as the proverbial kick up the bum to get healthier. I was started on Metformin and tolerate it well now after a bit of stomach upset in the early days. I wasn't advised to eat low carb by my GP, but stumbled on this forum by chance and took up a low carb life style with self monitoring. I started on less than 100g carbs/day and after 6 weeks reduced it to 50-70g/day. The best way to see what foods suit you is to test right before a meal and then two hours after the first bite, you’re looking for a rise of no more than 2 mmol/l (36* in your numbers). It's worked for me, to date I've lost over three and a half stone and got my HbA1c down to a non diabetic level, all due to the advise I got here. I'm sure you'll find a way to do it too!

Here are the blood sugar levels you are aiming for:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html


*In the UK we read blood glucose readings in mmols/l, some countries use mg/dl.

 

[meab2]

Thank you both , yes I have been reading a lot on here since I found out, but as I say wasnt told anything about how much carbs etc..so I really need to go and see a specialist and find out some more .

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Metformin can cause bowel issues for a week or two. If it continues ask for the Slow Release version Metformin SR. Ref diet you need to keep the carbs down as the body converts carbs to glucose which will increase blood sugar and can result in weight gain. There is no magic amount per day, but try 150gm or less and go lower if you need to. Metformin does suppress the appetite a bit which can be good. It can change the taste of foods for a while making them a bit metallic. My taste change lasted 6 months!

 

[daisy1]

@meab2

Hello Emma 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 be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 250,000 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.

 

[meab2]

Thanks for the info .

 

[Freema]

welcome here meab2 / Emma this is a great forum for support and information

 

[Grateful]

Thank you both , yes I have been reading a lot on here since I found out, but as I say wasnt told anything about how much carbs etc..so I really need to go and see a specialist and find out some more.

Welcome @meab2.

Sad to say, you may not be able to find a specialist who advocates the low-carbohydrate method to control diabetes. Now, I cannot say whether it is the appropriate route for you to take. But in some cases it will have a much bigger impact in controlling T2 diabetes than a drug such as Metformin -- which is a good drug, but just one factor in the big picture.

If the low-carb route makes medical sense for you, there is a lot of advice on this forum. There is even a sub-forum here, for low-carb cooking.

When I was diagnosed nine months ago I did not know about this forum, unfortunately. But I did find a great low-carb cooking site at https://www.dietdoctor.com/.

If you do decide to try this "low carb" method of controlling diabetes, be warned that the medical profession tends to consider it controversial (not to say oppose it altogether). I was incredibly lucky that my doctor actually prescribed this diet and wanted to try to control my condition without drugs. It worked very well for me (see signature below) and it has worked for many people on this forum. "Your mileage may vary" as they say here in America.