So many questions

Miss_Piggywig

Active Member
Messages
28
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I've just been given a type 2 diagnose. Feel like it was dropped with new advise given. I have a very complicated medical history. I have Addisons another autoimmune issue now this. Feeling over whelmed. Any advice on where to get the best information and how to keep myself well would be great.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Are you sure they said type 2 and not type 1?
Type 2 diabetes is not an autoimmune issue, and can usually be treated by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet and tablets if required.
 
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Art Of Flowers

Well-Known Member
Messages
956
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The advice is to get yourself a blood glucose meter and eat a low carbohydrate diet. That means reduce or cut out breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Stop drinking fruit juice as it has lots of sugar and cut out fruit such as bananas and grapes. You can eat more fat in your diet to compensate for less carbs e.g cheese, butter, full fat yoghurt, avocados, nuts etc.
 
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Miss_Piggywig

Active Member
Messages
28
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Are you sure they said type 2 and not type 1?
Type 2 diabetes is not an autoimmune issue, and can usually be treated by reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet and tablets if required.
Yeah that's what the nurse said but she has no idea of my other conditions and just has a raised blood test to go on. Guess I will have to wait to see my consular in a month as not even sure the GPS will understand. If it's type 1 can ot be controled by diet? They have given me 3 months to have a 'health diet' to get blood sugar down. That was the only advice she gave me.
 

Freema

Expert
Messages
7,346
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
welcome here Miss_Piggywig :)

it seems it is very common to have diabetes also when having addisons disease... so maybe thats why it was dropped in this I think unrespectfull way..

but dear starting your low carb eating style is very healthy actually if one does it in a healthy way, so maybe this eating style will help you in more ways..
many people do loose a lot of weight if they go relly low carb like under 50 grams a day most without even feeling hunger, but if you read the information everyone new in here gets carefully you´ll get good start coping with this condition on top of your other ones,
Low carb also seem to lower inflamation levels in ones body it has in my case at least...
welcome here this is an amazing forum for help and support so stay here dear

@daisy1
 
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daisy1

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

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 more questions 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 235,000 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.
 
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