Rachox

When Rachel was diagnosed, she felt shell shocked. The response she received from the Diabetes Forum was much more in depth than the basic information she received from her GP, and she started low carb straight away.

Rachel is one of our forum moderators and helps new members of the forum out by keeping the information nice and simple so people are not overwhelmed.

  1. When were you diagnosed?

May 2017

  1. How much did you know about type 2 diabetes before being diagnosed?

I’m a retired nurse but diabetes wasn’t my speciality. It wasn’t until I joined the forum that I realised I didn’t know much about diabetes.

  1. How do you manage your type 2 diabetes?

By taking metformin and following a low carb diet.

  1. What support have you received since being diagnosed?

Mainly through the Diabetes.co.uk forum. I haven’t received much support medically, the doctor was just following a mantra and told me to cut out the obvious such as cake and biscuits. He also recommended me bariatric surgery and prescribed me metformin. I went on the internet that night and found out about the forum, then I started low carb straight away. My HbA1c reduced dramatically.

The GP and nurse were happy that it’s worked for men, but I’ve gotten the most practical support through the forum, which I’m also now a moderator for. I also keep in touch with members of the forum in real life, we had a meetup last year. My family are good too and support men, but I don’t think they fully understand.

  1. What were your first thoughts when joining the forum?

The title of my first post was ‘shell shocked.’ I’d gone to the doctors to discuss blood pressure medication and out of the blue my doctor wanted to talk to me about my bloods. Diabetes didn’t even enter my head. My first post was a long post and I got loads of replies from people giving me information on things like diet and testing and how to get free prescriptions.

  1. What’s your favourite thing about the forum? Any favourite threads for example?

The fasting blood glucose thread keeps me accountable and I try to respond to newer people so they can see what you can achieve. As a moderator I support those who are newly diagnosed and try and be supportive. I also like to look at ‘what have you eaten today’ for some ideas on meals to make.

  1. What advice would you give to someone who’s just been diagnosed with type 2?

I always try to not overload those who are newly diagnosed, when I posted for the first time the information came as I asked for it. As a moderator I signpost new members to the newly diagnosed information post and welcome them. I try to keep it simple.

  1. What advice would you give to the family of someone who’s just been diagnosed to help support them?

I think for the family a good thing is not to forget. For example, my family sometimes offer me a box of chocolates at Christmas and then pull it away when they remember. So, I guess the best thing they can do is just remember it really.

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