Newly diagnosed

Lindaann17

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I found it easy to batch cook my meals from scratch, then I know exactly what I was eating every day, as I'm a vegetarian but I eat fish. I'm eating small meals every 4-5 hours and that seems to be working for me. I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I have high blood pressure and taking tabs for that and high chorlesterol which I'm also taking tablets for. I have one kidney so I'm going to give this change of lifestyle and healthy eating a good run.
 

Tippy.tosca

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi. I'm recently diagnosed with type 2 and I'm scared to death I'm on Metformin 500 mg 1 per day than increase to 2 after 2 weeks also Gliclazide 500mg one per day. I'm struggling to get my blood sugar now. Any help greatly received.
 

Jo_the_boat

Well-Known Member
Messages
784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, I found it easy to batch cook my meals from scratch, then I know exactly what I was eating every day, as I'm a vegetarian but I eat fish. I'm eating small meals every 4-5 hours and that seems to be working for me. I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I have high blood pressure and taking tabs for that and high chorlesterol which I'm also taking tablets for. I have one kidney so I'm going to give this change of lifestyle and healthy eating a good run.
Well done Lindaann for trying to get a handle on things. Keep at it and goodluck.
 

Jo_the_boat

Well-Known Member
Messages
784
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi. I'm recently diagnosed with type 2 and I'm scared to death I'm on Metformin 500 mg 1 per day than increase to 2 after 2 weeks also Gliclazide 500mg one per day. I'm struggling to get my blood sugar now. Any help greatly received.
Hello Tippy.tosca.
Nobody can tell you not to be scared - many of us are following diagnosis.
What I can say is that many people on here have had great success managing their condition so don't despair.
There is masses of help and advice. We are a large community who want to help so keep posting, keep asking questions and don't feel you're alone.
A lady called Daisy will be along before long with an introductory post which is very helpful.
Best of luck.
 

pleinster

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
ignorance
Hi. I'm recently diagnosed with type 2 and I'm scared to death I'm on Metformin 500 mg 1 per day than increase to 2 after 2 weeks also Gliclazide 500mg one per day. I'm struggling to get my blood sugar now. Any help greatly received.

Hi. Easy to say, I know, but don't be scared to death. Don't be scared at all. use this site to ask questions and to gain information. Looking to be aware of what you can do is the first step and finding out about how you own system is working is the next. The more you know the more you can do and that is what will get rid of fear and put you in control. I have tagged @daisy1 who will provide you with some great info to get your head around.

Like a lot of people here, I have adhered to a low carb diet with very good success. I stopped taking Gliclazide once I saw what changing my diet could do for me and focused on cutting the carbs right down. I don't want to bombard you with loads of info right now...and there are differing opinions...but...I would advise you to think less about what negative things can happen and more about what you can do to prevent them altogether. The most important things you should think about/research here are :
getting a self-testing meter and strips so you know what your blood sugar level is at any given time (notably after eating different foods) and considering what you eat. For me the most important thing to make a difference was the fact that carbohydrates effectively turn to sugar in the blood, so I looked at how much of that I was eating not just the sugary stuff. Ask questions, look at the opinions and at the experience of others. My levels have kept dropping since diagnosis through diet alone and I am now in the non-diabetic range so long as I stick to it. I have no intention of having any complications. Good luck.
 

pleinster

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
ignorance
Hi, I found it easy to batch cook my meals from scratch, then I know exactly what I was eating every day, as I'm a vegetarian but I eat fish. I'm eating small meals every 4-5 hours and that seems to be working for me. I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I have high blood pressure and taking tabs for that and high chorlesterol which I'm also taking tablets for. I have one kidney so I'm going to give this change of lifestyle and healthy eating a good run.

Hi. Sounds like you are pretty focused when it comes to diet so I reckon you will have very little trouble adapting further when you know exactly what foods are having a negative impact on your blood sugar. Regardless of pretty usual "advice" from a lot of diabetic nurses etc, many of us here believe that the best way to stay in control of the levels is to use a meter to self-test. You may already know this. Personally, I stick loosely to a low carb diet and that works for me. I did stick to it pretty rigidly for about a year and half and find I can now tolerate a few more carbs which is nice. I too have only the one effective kidney (following a transplant required due to an inherited condition...the other rubbish two are still in there). I got my diabetes from steroids taken as anti-rejection treatment. Anyway..good luck, I'm sure you'll be the kind type to stay in control.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Lindaann17 @Tippy.tosca

Hello and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will both find it useful. Ask questions when 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 276,000 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 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.
  • 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.
 

NewTD2

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,563
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Join the low carb program !