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Newly diagnosed - all at sea

N

norbitonite

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello all

I was diagnosed with Type 2 on Tuesday. I had flaked out in the supermarket on Saturday and when I was still feeling out of sorts and, unable to get a doctor's appointment, I went to A&E fully expecting to be sent away for time wasting! Instead they took a bs reading, rushed me into resus (clearing somebody out to make room for me) and put me on a saline drip and an insulin pump for 24 hours.

My reading on admission was 33. Whilst on the pump, it came down eventually to a low of in the 7s. They then stopped the insulin and it went back to the 17s.

I was discharged on Wednesday teatime with a whole bag of meds: GIICLzide 40mg, Metformin 500mg x 2 daily, Ramipril 2.5mg, and Simvastatin 20mg. Nobody talked me through the whys and wherefores of the meds, nobody gave me any dietary advice. The consultant said that it would all be managed in the community, ie via the GP's practice.

Next morning, I took myself to the medical centre to get myself on the radar. They've booked me in with the Diabetes nurse two weeks hence and I got to see one of the doctors on Friday morning, who issued me with a blood glucose monitor, told me to test 4 times daily and to 'eat healthily'. She weighed me, and my bmi is within the normal weight range, albeit at the upper end. Due to lifestyle, I probably eat too much bread and - in an attempt to be healthy have been drinking a lot of 'Nak'd' juices ( lots of fructose, I guess).

I'm testing my blood on waking, 2 hrs after brekkie, before dinner and 2 hrs dinner (which also equates to before bedtime). My fasting numbers range from 14-19, my after meals from22-26. Frighteningly high. The consultant said that she wanted my GP to review my meds after 2 weeks and potentially increase the Metformin dosage. The GP said that I didn't need to see her and should just request a repeat prescription via reception.

I guess I'm here seeking advice, direction, hint, tips support. To be honest, I'm scared and there's so much conflicting advice on the internet I don't know what to do for the best,
 
@norbitonite . I'm not surprised you don't know what your doing you are probably in shock with all that's happened! @daisy1 please post newcomers information.
The good news is you have now come to the right place for friendly, knowledgeable advice based on first hand experience. The most important thing is to get your blood sugar levels down and many of us find low carb diets helpful. Have a look in the diet and nutrition section of the forum and have a read. Others will soon be posting with ideas and useful tips. Good luck
 
@norbitonite

Hello norbitonite and welcome to the forum :) Here is the 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 over 150,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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 bloodglucose 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.
 
Hi, having a read of Daisy's post above should give you plenty of useful information, have a look on the low carb section of the forum at what people are eating to get some ideas too... I'm tempted to say maybe you are actually a type 1 with those bg readings, have you had bloods taken at all? As blood tests would tell you if you were, a lot of people can be misdiagnosed.. Or I may be just jumping the gun :) please ask any questions you have, nothing is silly and we are all here to help, Abbie
 
Hello and welcome.
What a realy bad shock for you,I do hope you are feeling better.what you eat can do everything to help,I got my levels down in a couple of weeks after joining the forum,best thing I ever did.
Good advice from Daisy,but spend time reading posts,it will motivate you.
All the best.
 
Hi. Yes, do follow the dietary advice given by daisy and others. It is quite possible that you aren't T2 but late onset T1 (LADA or T1.5) with blood sugar that high and not much overweight. Keep up the low-carb diet and see how the blood sugar goes. Metformin won't have that much effect but is a good safe drug anyway. If your pancreas is underperforming then the Gliclazide will help as it stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin. The simvastatin is a statin and you need to decide over the longer-term whether you need it. When you have a full review which should be in 3 months ask what your cholesterol breakdown is i.e. LDL, HDL and Trigs. Don't worry about the total figure, but the ratios determine whether you possibly need the statins. The Ramipril is for blood pressure. Check what your BP reading is at the review and see whether you need them at all or whether it should be increased or decreased. If your blood sugar remains high e.g. in the teens or higher 2 hours after a meal then discuss tests for T1 and come back here if needed for more advice.
 
Mrsass said:
Hi, having a read of Daisy's post above should give you plenty of useful information, have a look on the low carb section of the forum at what people are eating to get some ideas too... I'm tempted to say maybe you are actually a type 1 with those bg readings, have you had bloods taken at all? As blood tests would tell you if you were, a lot of people can be misdiagnosed.. Or I may be just jumping the gun :) please ask any questions you have, nothing is silly and we are all here to help, Abbie
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Hi,

During the 36 hours I spent in hospital I had bloods and urine tested, X-rays and hourly bg readings. They specifically looked at whether I was Type 1 or 2, and the diagnosis is 2.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. Yes, do follow the dietary advice given by daisy and others. It is quite possible that you aren't T2 but late onset T1 (LADA or T1.5) with blood sugar that high and not much overweight. Keep up the low-carb diet and see how the blood sugar goes. Metformin won't have that much effect but is a good safe drug anyway. If your pancreas is underperforming then the Gliclazide will help as it stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin. The simvastatin is a statin and you need to decide over the longer-term whether you need it. When you have a full review which should be in 3 months ask what your cholesterol breakdown is i.e. LDL, HDL and Trigs. Don't worry about the total figure, but the ratios determine whether you possibly need the statins. The Ramipril is for blood pressure. Check what your BP reading is at the review and see whether you need them at all or whether it should be increased or decreased. If your blood sugar remains high e.g. in the teens or higher 2 hours after a meal then discuss tests for T1 and come back here if needed for more advice.
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Hi

Had the tests in hospital under the care of the diabetes consultant, so hopefully it is accurate. They especially sought to rule out T1.

My BP was fine on Friday when checked by the GP. Maybe I had what they call 'white coat syndrome' in hospital, ie stress because of feeling unwell and somewhat afraid. Plus hourly obs meaning I got no sleep whatsoever! Bound to have an impact on the BP?

Thanks very much for the explanation of the meds. It's really helpful.
 
Hello @nortonbrite. I'm glad you have had such a lot of useful information. Are you feeling any better? If you look amongst the threads for food and nutrition you will find people posting on the , 'what have you eaten today' threads. If you decide to try low carb , for example, if you post your food diary people can offer suggestions. I also use the myfitnesspal website to log my food as this allows me to track how many grand of carbs I've eaten and how many calories.
 
Hi and welcome,

To get those levels down you will have to reduce your carbohydrate consumption, and that means bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals and flour (anything made with flour, such as tinned soups, sauces, gravy etc.) We also need to be careful with fruit and milk. The good news is we can eat fats, so bacon and eggs are on the menu.

Use your meter to show you what your meals are doing to your blood sugar levels. Test before you eat and then 2 hours after first bite. Look at the rise. Anything above 2mmol/l and that meal needs serious tweaking. Anything above 1.5mmol/l it still needs tweaking. Keep a food diary and record your levels alongside. Soon patterns will emerge and you will learn which carbs affect you most, and in what portion sizes. As an example, you may find one slice of bread is fine, but 2 slices are definitely not. Whilst your levels are so high, it would be wise not to eat any bread/spuds/rice/pasta/flour, then once you get down to nearer normal, you can experiment.
 
Since I left my job last June I have lost about 2.5 stone and thought therefore that I was eating well and healthily. With hindsight I was eating way too many carbs - albeit it 'less bad' ones - fructose and lactose. Oh, the irony.

My monitor is my friend!
 
Don't know what happened there, only the second half of my post came through.

Thank you, @mo53, I'm feeling much, much better physically and therefore much more stable emotionally.

My BG - although still in the teens - is trending consistently lower and is now in the low teens, rather than the high teens/twenties. I have been low carbing yesterday and today and testing consistently.

My challenge is that tomorrow I have to go away on business for a couple of days, so that's two nights in hotels/eating in restaurants. Then next week I'm in hotels Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with the added complication of a wake buffet on Monday. That'll be a real test of my resolve.
 
@nortonbrite I must admit restaurants I tend to go for the steak and salad. Carveries are ok if you avoid the Yorkshire puds and potatoes and fill up on lots of veg. The wake might as you say prove difficult. I went to one a couple of weeks ago and there was a beautiful buffet. I had cubes of cheese and I cut the pastry off a slice of a rather lovely corned beef pie! Eggs are handy too! You seem to be doing really well. Brilliant!
 
I was at a funeral party last week. In deference to the deceased, the food was tea and cakes. Nothing else. (She was a great lover of tea and cakes) I left the cakes alone but spied a short bread biscuit coated in real sugar and couldn't resist. I am wearing a Libre sensor, so was able to plot my blood sugar continuously from first bite to several hours later when I had my next meal. I was delighted to say I rose no more than 0.3mmol/l Maybe my pancreas was shocked in to action when the biscuit hit my insides, not having seen one in over 2 years! I am not advocating people try this, however. I'm sure it was a fluke.
 
Overnight BG on admission to hospital last Tuesday (ie 8 days ago) 33 - yes, 33
Score on discharge from hospital 7 days ago after 24 hours on insulin pump which brought it down to low single figures and 10 hours on no insulin 17.5
Started LCHF at the weekend following all the info I'd read on here, and BG has been trending steadily downwards.
Yesterday for the first time BG at bedtime was lower than BG on rising.
This morning at waking, BG of 11.9. Had hotel breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and mushrooms, with a mini Babybel for good measure. +2hours BG 11.5!

I know they're still high, but they're the lowest I've had since I came off the insulin pump and I'm so encouraged by the way LCHF seems to be working in helping me get BG under control.
 
I know you will, but don't worry about these highs. You will get them from time to time, they only time you should worry is when they are consistent...like every day. I hope everything works out for you
 
LucyM88 said:
I know you will, but don't worry about these highs. You will get them from time to time, they only time you should worry is when they are consistent...like every day. I hope everything works out for you
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Hi, Lucy

Thank you for the support - it is really appreciated.. However, perhaps my post was unclear - these readings are all-time lows for me which I'm really happy about. A reduction of 20+ points in a week, readings that are lower 2 hours after meals than before, readings that are lower at the end of the day than the beginning.

As I say, I know the numbers are still high, but I'm fantastically encouraged by the progress so far.
 
Hi and welcome .
sorry to hear that you too have had such a shock . I was diagnosed on the 9th January after both my Doctor and Endocrinologist missed all the classic symptoms .!
i have not read through all the replies as I need to dash off and put my Father to bed but I am surprised at your medication and surprised that no one else has mentioned it.
You need to get your blood glucose levels down really quickly and 40mg of Glicazide is way too little to achieve this in my personal experience.

I started with a BS level of 28.6 HbA1c of 133 and started talking 80mg twice daily and after 4 days my levels were still 21.3 so I upped my dose to 120mg twice daily by breaking the tabs in half and taking 1.5 tabs twice daily.
On the 5th day I awoke and my vision was completly blurred, like trying to look through vasoline. I could only make out shapes and blocks of colours . Naturally I was very concerned and wondered if this was a permenant loss of vision but thankfully my vision returned to where it was before I was diagnosed.

I see your Doctor has prescribed metformin which my Doctor didn't . I understand metformin primarily acts on the Liver to reduce the amount of glucose produced and increase Insulin sensitivity whereas Glicazide, (which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin) seemed far more effective for me in bringing my BS levels down quickly to single figures after just 12 days.

i expect that your local Diabetic nurse will arrange for you to have a retinal scan asap . i had mine a couple of weeks ago and fortunately there was no evidence that high BS levels had damaged my retinas thank goodness.

Ae you keeping a diary ? I found it quite helpful as i could monitor progress and start to see patterns where certain food caused spikes in my BS levels and others didn't. I found a reeally useful excel spreadsheet on this site which I downloaded and adapted for myself .
Hope you feel a lot better soon
 
Hello @norbitonite . You sound as though you are doing really well. Your blood sugar results are tons better. You have really taken to the LCHF diet. Your hotel breakfast sounds perfect. Brilliant!
 
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