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Newly diagnosed type 2

princessleia29

princessleia29

Well-Known Member
Messages
130
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all

I was diagnosed 4 weeks ago today as Type 2 diabetic and I am really in shock still. A part of me has responded positively and I've got on with losing the weight I need to lose and exercising more but another part of me is really distressed and anxious and it's hard to handle this diagnosis. I was told over the phone by the doctor after I went for routine tests after turning 40 and I did not think this was a very nice way to do it. I then worried all weekend and did not want to eat and I saw the doctor the following week and did not get much information. I finally saw the diabetic nurse who was helpful but when I mentioned the Newcastle diet she advised I lose weight normally at first and just to try and control this by food and exercise alone. I am really distressed as I have been trying to lose weight for some time (I was about 3 stone overweight at diagnosis) but due to emotional eating I wasn't getting anywhere. I had absolutely no symptoms and if I had not had the routine test I would not have known at all. I have overhauled my diet but finding it hard that my coping mechanism of eating when I am stressed has had to go and it's difficult to manage that. I feel scared on the one hand and determined on the other to get the weight off and sort this out. I've lost 11lbs already and I am very focused but I just hope it's enough. I want to reverse this. My Mum had diabetes but she was much older I don't understand how this has just happened.
 
Hi and welcome @princessleia29

It is perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed when you're diagnosed, I remember it well! I too had no symptoms (I had blood tests for suspected Glandular Fever), I too received my diagnosis over the phone from a totally unsympathetic and rude doctor, it's a recurring theme that many have discussed on the forum.

Diet can be quite an emotive subject amongst the forum members, what is vitally important is that you do what works for you, many of us here advocate a Low Carb diet as carbs tend to cause raised blood glucose levels. Your healthcare team will only recommend the NHS healthy plate, in my opinion this is dangerous for us Type 2s.

You've probably been told that you don't need to self test your blood glucose levels, this is complete tosh, it's the only way to know what foods cause spikes in your levels. I would thoroughly recommend getting a blood glucose meter but the test strips can be expensive if you're self funding, about the cheapest on the market is the SD Codefree it's readily available on Amazon, the test strips are £7 for 50, where most others start at £20!

This condition is manageable and if well controlled doesn't need to cause you any problems and it does get much much easier as you get used to it, remember to control your diabetes don't let it control you, being as focused as you are will make it easier for you.

The important thing to remember is that you're not alone, this forum is a great place and there's lots of fantastic advice here, ask as many questions as you want to, we're a pretty friendly bunch :)

@daisy1 should be along soon with some great advice for the newly diagnosed, which is really worth a read, and this site is also pretty good too - http://www.bloodsugar101.com

Welcome again, have a good look round and ask away :)
 
Thank you for your reply it does help to talk to someone who understands my fears. Luckily I was given a blood testing kit by the nurse and I've been using it a lot to keep an eye on myself and I am pleased to say my readings have come down to normal range it was originally 11.8 after breakfast and now it's 6.4 after breakfast!


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
princessleia29 said:
Thank you for your reply it does help to talk to someone who understands my fears. Luckily I was given a blood testing kit by the nurse and I've been using it a lot to keep an eye on myself and I am pleased to say my readings have come down to normal range it was originally 11.8 after breakfast and now it's 6.4 after breakfast!
Click to expand...

You're one of the lucky ones! And that's great levels, keep up the good work :)
 
I totally agree with semiphonic. Good advice there.

I had a routine blood test ordered by my GP as part of the health scheme for people over 60. Before I heard any results I had a routine appointment with my Oncologist, and it was she who gave me my diagnosis! She was looking at all my blood results in respect of any possible chemotherapy damage and simply said "Oh I didn't know you were diabetic". I replied "I'm not, as far as I know". She said "I'm an Oncologist, not an Endocrinologist, you must talk to your GP about it". Wham bam! Went home in a fuzz and couldn't raise a cheer that my cancer was in remission with no chemo damage!!!
 
Yes it is scary, and yes I would suggest that it has been caught early and in plenty of time for it to be controlled. It's really easy for me to say not to worry about it, but I'm 6 months further down the road and it really was a struggle at first.

I meant to say in my original reply, it's ok to disagree with your healthcare team, it's your diabetes, your body and your life, as long as there's no other medical conditions that can be effected, your diet is your choice!
 
Thanks again for your advice I guess I just wanted to do things with their approval I do really feel like "here is your diagnosis see ya" I asked to see a dietitian but that hasn't happened yet. I have been reading pages on the internet trying to research everything but find a lot of conflicting stuff! Are carbs ok? I already have wholemeal stuff and I've read that new potatoes are better than white potatoes and that sort of thing is this right? I've been using the GI diet to try and get ideas.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
No, carbs are not OK. All carbs turn to sugar once in your system, and some a lot quicker than others. You have to remember that Carbs = Sugar and cut down. The ones to avoid or DRASTICALLY reduce are potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, pastry and batter. You can test this out for yourself with your meter. Test before eating and then at 1hr and 2hrs after eating. You may be in for some surprises! Your dietician (unless she is enlightened) will tell you to eat carbs with every meal. This is extremely incorrect for type 2's. Carry on researching, read this forum, and test, then learn from your testing. It is a long learning curve, but if you apply yourself you will get there!

New potatoes are better than mashed or baked, but still need to be restricted portion-wise. You might manage one or two small ones. Wholemeal stuff is better than white stuff, but still not good. A heavily seeded bread is best, but look for low carb ones such as Burgen or LivLife. Read the labels to see what the total carbs per slice or per 100g are.
 
princessleia29 said:
I guess I just wanted to do things with their approval I do really feel like "here is your diagnosis see ya"
Click to expand...

I was exactly the same, we put all of our trust and faith in our doctors, it wasn't until I found this forum that I realised that they're not always right. I wonder what the advice would be if the doctor was diabetic? Now that I'm better informed I can have more constructive discussions with my GP. As an example; I told my GP that I was no longer taking statins, he wanted me to keep taking them but we had a reasoned discussion and agreed that my risk of heart disease was now greatly reduced, so he agreed they weren't needed. He wanted me to keep taking Metformin which I agreed to.

I can only agree with @Bluetit1802 's brilliant reply regarding carbs, they are as bad (and sometimes worse) than sugar for us, as she suggests use your meter and see what they do to you. Everyone's different so you may have tolerance for things that others haven't.

One thing I will say, as I've got my levels under tight control I find I can tolerate some carbs which I couldn't before.
 
Hi @princessleia29 and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information, which was mentioned by @semiphonic, which we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Carry on asking questions 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 100,000 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.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I totally agree with semiphonic. Good advice there.

I had a routine blood test ordered by my GP as part of the health scheme for people over 60. Before I heard any results I had a routine appointment with my Oncologist, and it was she who gave me my diagnosis! She was looking at all my blood results in respect of any possible chemotherapy damage and simply said "Oh I didn't know you were diabetic". I replied "I'm not, as far as I know". She said "I'm an Oncologist, not an Endocrinologist, you must talk to your GP about it". Wham bam! Went home in a fuzz and couldn't raise a cheer that my cancer was in remission with no chemo damage!!!
Click to expand...

Have you managed to control your diabetes with just food and exercise then? Your blood sugars look good!
 
yes, no medication. I have lost almost 3 stone in weight, which has helped, plus cut my carbs down and added an extra 20 or 30 minute walk a day. There are lots of members who either have never had medication or who have now been able to reduce the amount or come off it altogether. My blood sugars aren't bad but could be better so its all work in progress!
 
Bluetit1802 said:
yes, no medication. I have lost almost 3 stone in weight, which has helped, plus cut my carbs down and added an extra 20 or 30 minute walk a day. There are lots of members who either have never had medication or who have now been able to reduce the amount or come off it altogether. My blood sugars aren't bad but could be better so its all work in progress!
Click to expand...

I have 3 stone to lose in total well I'm on my way so 2 and a half now! I am happy that I have already got my blood sugar down and I am doing fast walking for 30 mins on my treadmill that I got second hand every day as well as swimming so I hope it's working!
 
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