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Newbie Type 2

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Mary345

Newbie
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3
A week ago I was diagnosed as type 2 following an HbA1c result of 48. This was part of my annual test as I had 2 TIAs 3 years ago and have been on 20mg Atorvastatin and Clopidogrel (75mg) since then. My weight has increased by 9kg since my previous test - I knew it had gone up but was shocked by how much.
The practice's policy is no meds initially. I was told by the nurse to increase my exercise, reduce my portion size and not to snack between meals even though I had already said I don't snack! I was given info about DESMOND which I will sign up to.
In the past week I have read many posts on this site as well as looking at the NHS website and others to get as much info as possible. I have started to reduce my portion size by cutting back on the amount of carbs I am eating and now walk every day rather than 5 times a week. A couple of times I have felt noticeably hungry and light-headed before meals so perhaps a meter would be a good idea as suggested by many posters. I don't think I'll be able to get one from the practice, (although I'll ask) and so I'll probably pay for one myself. What do I do about a sharps box and how do I organise it's disposal if the meter is not on prescription? I'm sure I'll have lots more questions so all advice will be gratefully received.
 
Mary345 said:
A week ago I was diagnosed as type 2 following an HbA1c result of 48. ........... I'm sure I'll have lots more questions so all advice will be gratefully received.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forums @Mary345 , our staff member @daisy1 likes to give new arrivals some reading material so hopefully she'll drop by later.

You can also click on the links in any moderator's signature (below) and you will find some useful stuff.
 
If the sharps are prescribed then you are provided with a bin and you return them to the prescriber.
Since they are not prescribed you are legally allowed to dispose of them in your general waste bin. As bizarre as this sounds even injecting drug users are allowed to do this with hypodermics, although they are obviously heavily encouraged to return them for safe disposal.
They become something called a 'separately distilled fraction of domestic waste' according the Hazardous Waste Regs.
I bought a Accu Click to go with my meter and that conceals all the sharps and saves me worrying about it.
 
If you buy your own meter (which is strongly recommended) there is no need for a sharps bin. Many test strips come in plastic tubs and people tend to collect used strips and lancets in those, then general household waste. It is very rare for T2s to be prescribed strips, and when they are these are restricted and you end up supplementing them yourself - do be very aware you need thousands of strips so make sure the meter you get uses cheap ones. They vary from about 7 pounds to 30 pounds for 50. You are entitled to buy them VAT free.
 
@Mary345
Hello Mary and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful and interesting.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 147,000 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.
 
Mary345 said:
A week ago I was diagnosed as type 2 following an HbA1c result of 48. This was part of my annual test as I had 2 TIAs 3 years ago and have been on 20mg Atorvastatin and Clopidogrel (75mg) since then. My weight has increased by 9kg since my previous test - I knew it had gone up but was shocked by how much.
The practice's policy is no meds initially. I was told by the nurse to increase my exercise, reduce my portion size and not to snack between meals even though I had already said I don't snack! I was given info about DESMOND which I will sign up to.
In the past week I have read many posts on this site as well as looking at the NHS website and others to get as much info as possible. I have started to reduce my portion size by cutting back on the amount of carbs I am eating and now walk every day rather than 5 times a week. A couple of times I have felt noticeably hungry and light-headed before meals so perhaps a meter would be a good idea as suggested by many posters. I don't think I'll be able to get one from the practice, (although I'll ask) and so I'll probably pay for one myself. What do I do about a sharps box and how do I organise it's disposal if the meter is not on prescription? I'm sure I'll have lots more questions so all advice will be gratefully received.
Click to expand...
 
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