Diagnosed today...

totsy

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,041
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
liars, animal cruelty
Hya Andy,
welcome to the forum:)
 

mrfluffy000

Member
Messages
5
Hiya Andy - sorry you've had to join this club!! LOL . Been a T1 Diabetic for 50 years now - it's not fun and it can be very confusing at first, but it's a minor inconvenience, nothing more, unless you let it be!! Good luck and shout if you need help!
 
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
hello and welcome to a place where we understand you.
 

DiamondAsh

Well-Known Member
Messages
641
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Disregard for authority. Noise.
keep us updated chuck :)
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Andy and welcome to the forum:)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help to answer questions that you haven't asked yet!


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 70,000 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

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.
 

sanguine

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,340
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Welcome to the club Andy, I'm just 10 days ahead of you and have learned so much in that time. Be positive and take control.
 

Lizzy5172

Well-Known Member
Messages
119
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi Andy
Newly diagnosed myself (two weeks ago today) seems a lifetime ago!! but it gets better and I have had huge amounts of advice from here. Hang on in there.
 

AndyH71

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
What a welcome! Thanks to everyone, just knowing people actually read posts and reply is a relief!
My Dad lived with T2 diabetes for 30+. years before he passed so I've got a bit of a glimpse into my future with this and it wasn't a bolt from the blue. I hope I can stay clear of the complications he had though! A look through my medical history though and every visit to the docs for last 3 years can be put down to a symptom in one form or another - I'm looking forward to feeling less rubbish! :D

Struggling with the diet side of things at the moment though. Not sure if I'm bring impatient about how long it takes the drugs to work (it's been 1 day so far!) but I've really cut the carbs over the last few days (never had a sweet tooth or any sugary things anyway) and there's not been much change. After 2 days of pretty much just salad and veg my daily average has gone up now I've started the metaformin. I'll give it few days to settle down but it's a bit frustrating and confusing!
 

jack412

Expert
Messages
5,618
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)

nigelho

Well-Known Member
Messages
227
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Just saying hello! More questions when it all sinks in!
Andy



Type 2 newbie
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Hi Andy, I'm a type 1 diagnosed 5 years ago. Keep on the forum and watch the CARBS. Please read the labels and look for the total carbs and not the sugar. Ask about getting a meter. Just remember all carbs you eat will increase your BSs, You need to adjust what you eat to what tablets you're on.