Hi, I was diagnosed with t2 just before Christmas, phone call from my Doc, started on metformin and recommended to go an see the practice nurse in 4 weeks to discuss my diet. That is all the information I got. I am a nurse but do not specialise in this subject, so I feel I'm being left out on my journey to health, x
-
Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »
Need some basic help please.
- Thread starter Jayney26
- Start Date
C
catherinecherub
Guest
Hi, @Jayney26 and welcome to the forum.
There are plenty of members who will offer help and can relate to being left with very little information at diagnosis.
@daisy1 will be along soon to offer you a basic guide. Read it and then ask any questions you may have. This is a marathon, not a sprint and please take your time in coming to terms with it.
There are plenty of members who will offer help and can relate to being left with very little information at diagnosis.
@daisy1 will be along soon to offer you a basic guide. Read it and then ask any questions you may have. This is a marathon, not a sprint and please take your time in coming to terms with it.
Last edited:
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Location
- Switzerland
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
@Jayney26
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to 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 130,000 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 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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Hello and welcome to the forum
Here is the basic information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to 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 130,000 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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
- Messages
- 11,599
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Diet only
It's not the ideal time to receive the message, but it's done now!
There is loads, and loads, and loads of information on this site, which has been my mainstay for information and guidance, since diagnosis just over a year ago. I'd suggest you have a good dig around and do some reading, and keep asking questions. Don't feel uncomfortable to ask questions. It's what we all did and how this place works best.
If you possibly can, please get your hands on a blood glucose monitor, as diet and your monitor are the the first steps in learning about how this condition impacts you.
It's a funny old condition, and everyone reacts a little differently, so knowledge is power. Do you know what your diagnostic levels were? Are you carrying any weight, or have any other health issues?
Take it steady. you're in this for the long haul.
Bluetit1802
Legend
Hello and welcome from me. Some great advice from everyone above.
Lorraine deer
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum
K
Kat100
Guest
No one likes being the patient lol ....
Welcome to the site janey , great support here ....you don't have to agree with everything of course ....because we are all different ...
You will have already started to read information and search for other information ....
Take lots of questions to your gp , you can ask to see one with diabetic knowledge ...always worth a try ....
Find a diet which helps you and a lifestyle choice if needed....
Great recepies here ...and support .....
Take care kat
Welcome to the site janey , great support here ....you don't have to agree with everything of course ....because we are all different ...
You will have already started to read information and search for other information ....
Take lots of questions to your gp , you can ask to see one with diabetic knowledge ...always worth a try ....
Find a diet which helps you and a lifestyle choice if needed....
Great recepies here ...and support .....
Take care kat
carty
Well-Known Member
Loads of good advice on here I know that the best advice I got was to get a meter to test your BG s .Ask your GP or DN (you may be able to pull rank here) If they won't supply you with one buy one yourself The codefree is cheapest for strips
CAROL
CAROL
Daibell
Master
Hi and welcome. Daisy and others have already given lots of good advice. Yes, the meter is essential. Be aware that traditional NHS diet advice has been the opposite of what is needed to keep blood sugar down. You need to have a low-carb diet and not worry about proteins and fats; this may surprise you so bear this in mind when you see the DN or dietician. The Metformin will help reduce any insulin resistance due to excess weight and the low-carb diet will help with both blood sugar and weight. Do come back with any questions.
Cloudlesssky
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 273
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the forum!
Hope you managed to have a good Christmas.
Bee Gee
Hope you managed to have a good Christmas.
Bee Gee
Adelle0607
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 456
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
