Type 2 Diagnosis And Not Feeling Great

Brie912

Active Member
Messages
33
Hi, I'm going to ramble a bit, sorry. It's all very new to me. I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on Friday. It was a bit of a shock and a bit upsetting, since I've been losing weight (due to being more active) and just started trying to look after my health better. I had been checking my blood sugar occasionally because I got a blood test machine for other reasons and it was always really high, around 15. I thought that was because it was a cheap one off Amazon. Anyway, since Friday I've been trying to do a low carb diet and have cut out breads, rice, pasta, dried fruit, fruit juice, potatoes etc. It's been going ok, though I've been hungry a lot and my blood sugar has been coming down. It's been 11 when I wake up, which was progress. Yesterday I went swimming and I felt so tired and hungry afterwards. I came home and ate straight away and went to bed at 6pm and slept for 14 hours. Today I've eaten what I thought was quite a lot of food but I've been feeling a bit off. Like tired, a little shaky, like I don't want to move or do anything. I tested my blood sugar and it was 7. I know that's in the normal range but it's a lot lower than normal for me. I also just wanted to cry, but I think that's more feeling overwhelmed.

The diabetes nurse I spoke to on Friday was great and referred me to an education program, offered a dietitian referral and made a follow up appointment for in a month but we didn't speak about blood glucose testing (she probably didn't want to throw too much at me at once). I feel like I want to talk to her again but there's not much more she can tell me right now. She's also prescribed me metformin which I'll start taking tomorrow. Will that help? Have I taken the low carb diet too far, too quickly?
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome to the forum.

You were feeling grotty because your body is struggling to get used to lower blood sugars. It is very common, and will disappear as long as you don't give in to it. You are on the right track, testing and cutting out those starchy carbs.

Are you only testing randomly? You are best to test immediately before eating and again 2 hours after first bite. Look at the difference between the before and after test levels and keep this down to as far under 2mmol/l as you can. If it is above 2mmol/l there were too many carbs in that food, which you will need to identify and change things. Keeping a detailed food diary will help enormously with this.

If you are very hungry I suggest you are not eating enough fat. As we cut carbs we also need to increase fat or will run out of energy, and be hungry. Fats and protein will stop hunger. Carbs will just make you more hungry.

Tagging @daisy1 for her very helpful information post. Meanwhile read round and gather as much information as you can, and ask as many questions as you like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dbr10

Brie912

Active Member
Messages
33
I'm mostly testing randomly. Sometimes when I wake up to see if it's any lower than 11 like it has been. And sometimes a couple of hours after eating. This morning I tested and it was about 8, so I'm confused as to why it went down to 7. I don't really know how much fat I'm having. I'm vegetarian so not eating any meat or fish but I'm having a lot of eggs.
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
I'm mostly testing randomly. Sometimes when I wake up to see if it's any lower than 11 like it has been. And sometimes a couple of hours after eating. This morning I tested and it was about 8, so I'm confused as to why it went down to 7. I don't really know how much fat I'm having. I'm vegetarian so not eating any meat or fish but I'm having a lot of eggs.

Random testing is not a good idea. You must begin consistent testing, before meals and 2 hours after. Other times are up to you. Morning fasting levels will be the last to come down, so try not to worry too much at this stage. If you can get your meal time before and after rises down, the rest will follow.

Blood glucose never comes down in a straight line. You will always get ups and downs, especially in the mornings because it isn't just food that causes raised levels. Stress is a major factor, also disturbed sleep, restless sleep, anxieties, and most of all our livers. Every morning (and at other times) our livers dump stored glucose into our blood streams to get us ready for the day's activities, and this is a major variable.

Lots of eggs are good. There is a sub forum for vegetarians that may help https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/vegetarian-diet-forum.71/
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alison Campbell

Brie912

Active Member
Messages
33
Thank you! After reading some of the vegetarian posts, it seems that not having enough fat might be my problem. And I'll start testing before meals and 2 hours after and see what works.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Brie912

Hello Brie912 and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and 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.