Newly diagnosed and confused

Katiepinny

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello

I was diagnosed with diabetes two weeks ago and I am so confused.
I first went to the doctor's for carpal tunnel and they tested me "just in case." Well, my blood sugars came back really high (74), but as I am only 25 years old and my bmi is terrible (not great, mind) they didn't believe so tested me again. It came back at 75 so they confirmed that I had diabetes. They know it's not type 1 but they don't want to confirm it as type 2 yet.
They gave me a load of leaflets about eating healthy and what foods to avoid until I see a specialist. I've been trying my hardest and I've already lost half a stone. I am struggling though as I have a massive sweet tooth, but I don't know what I'm allowed to eat until I see the specialist. The referrals seem to be taking forever as I've only got my eye screening confirmed. I've also been signed up to a programme called dice, which I hope will help but it isn't until mid March.
Does anyone have any advice on what to do in the mean time?
Also, how do I deal with this life long condition? I'm feeling really overwhelmed at the moment and I don't know what to do!
 

NewTD2

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,563
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hello

I was diagnosed with diabetes two weeks ago and I am so confused.
I first went to the doctor's for carpal tunnel and they tested me "just in case." Well, my blood sugars came back really high (74), but as I am only 25 years old and my bmi is terrible (not great, mind) they didn't believe so tested me again. It came back at 75 so they confirmed that I had diabetes. They know it's not type 1 but they don't want to confirm it as type 2 yet.
They gave me a load of leaflets about eating healthy and what foods to avoid until I see a specialist. I've been trying my hardest and I've already lost half a stone. I am struggling though as I have a massive sweet tooth, but I don't know what I'm allowed to eat until I see the specialist. The referrals seem to be taking forever as I've only got my eye screening confirmed. I've also been signed up to a programme called dice, which I hope will help but it isn't until mid March.
Does anyone have any advice on what to do in the mean time?
Also, how do I deal with this life long condition? I'm feeling really overwhelmed at the moment and I don't know what to do!

Hope this helps and welcome to our community!

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb
 

lindijanice

Well-Known Member
Messages
433
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hey Katiepinny, welcome to the Forum....you have definitely come to the right place to hear of others' experiences, suggestions and support - we really are a good group of people, bonded together by our desire to control our diabetes and not have it control us!! You will meet people who travel the world, skydive, trek the mountains and then people like me who like to walk my neighborhood and come back to a good cuppa and book!! Everything in between, and so it goes too with what we have found works for managing our own personal diabetes - no two of us are exactly the same - it does cause some confusion initially for newbies, but the key thing to remember is that thankfully, you have been diagnosed as having diabetes and you have many years to perfect your management. Remember this - it is a marathon and not a sprint!!

Unfortunately, we can get impatient with info that we read that seems conflicting and impatient with ourselves if we don't get it right, right away!! You need to decide right now that you are going to be patient with yourself, advocate for yourself re: definitive diagnosis and treatment. I'm sorry you have to wait so long for everything in the UK, but that seems to be the way it goes. (I live in Canada and have to say I have been well pleased with the delivery of care for me - can't speak for anyone else!!)

Anyway, while you are waiting for all you appointments, there is a lot you can do for yourself, especially writing down everything you eat and drink and start cutting back on that sweet tooth and other high carb foods - loads of information here on the Forum - just browse around, ask questions and hopefully someone will tag Daisy so she can give you some great information for newbies....Blessings/L
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
It isn't you that's wrong, it is the modern diet.
I'm afraid that although you can eat meat fish shellfish eggs, cheese and lots of salad, low sugar fruits such as berries (not blueberries) and low starch vegetables, what is pushing your metabolism, and even your sense of taste off balance is all the sweet and starchy foods, which although we have been advised to eat them for so long, are causing weight gain, illness and unhappiness for many.
The number 75 is most likely your Hba1c - it indicates how high your blood glucose has gone, on average, over the life of your red blood corpuscles. Mine was 91 on diagnosis thanks to all the healthy carbs I had been eating.
There are quite a few people on the forum who are not taking medication but are controlling their diabetes by sticking to the amounts of carbs which enable them to keep their blood glucose in the normal range. They do eat fats and protein and - for quite a few of us, around 50 gm of carbs a day. Some have to stay lower, others go a bit higher, so it is handy to have a meter to test your levels using a small drop of blood.
For me, eating low carb foods means the weight just falls off - and even when as now I am trying to build up some muscle I just get thinner and thinner so I have to get all new clothes. I used to be a XXL at diagnosis, now I am fitting into Ls, and I am not even trying, I don't restrict calories at all.
 

Rachox

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
15,810
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Katiepinny and welcome
I’ll tag in @daisy1 who will post loads of useful info for you.
As well as addressing your diet, I’d advocate getting a meter so you can monitor your own blood sugars at home to see what food you personally can tolerate as unlike Resurgam, I can eat blueberries.
 

daisy1

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

Hello Katiepinny 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 want and someone will 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 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. Most of these are 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.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. At your age, T1 would be the expected diagnosis but as your BMI is high then T2 is always possible. There are some tests to help distinguish T1. Follow a low-carb diet and the weight and BS should go down. It then makes it easier to differentiate between T1 and T2 and hence the right drugs.