Stunned Overwhelmed and more than a little bit Scared

[Daphne917]

Thank you has been a major shock......don't drink .......never smoked.......food was my only real vice...... gonna take a lot of getting used to eating what i want!!

Hi @ PeterNealon it is a shock when you think that you've done all that you can to live a healthy lifestyle. I never smoked or drank and ate what I considered to be healthy foods such as low fat food, whole meal bread, pasta, rice, fruit and jacket potatoes but, due to a problem with my metabolism, was always over weight. In addition my grandfather, mother and younger brother all had/have diabetes so genetics may play a part as well. However all is not lost and, once you get over the shock of your diagnosis, read around the forum and see how many members have managed to reduce their hba1c - some, including myself, to normal levels through controlling their diet. Use your meter to see what you can and cannot eat and ask questions when you need to!

 

[JenniferW]

It might be worth it - ... and can often find strips half the price that I would pay in the chemist etc.

Thanks! I will shop around. The truth is that buying your own meter supplies is going to add up over time and I need to keep an eye on the costs.

 

[Redsnapper]

Hi Peter, stick around here and you will not go far wrong. Nice people who are going through or have been through exactly what you are.I feel I am a considerable way along the road to decent control after following advice here.I really shudder to think how I would have coped without this community, for that is what it is.
Test and eat to your meter,look here for ideas to keep the low carb diet varied.People are so creative when properly challenged it is actually quite an eye opener.
Above all there is support, not everyone posts all the time but there is a wealth of experience and understanding here.More than I have had even from family and friends.
No need to be afraid, and welcome.
Nuff said.

 

[sarahlou72]

It does come as a shock when you are first diagnosed, 2 years on I have just got myself a meter. It's surprising how many strips you will get through.


http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm If you go here you are getting them direct from the supplier and they are cheaper than on Amazon especially if you use the discount codes that @Bluetit1802 gave you in a previous post.

 

[Bluetit1802]

It does come as a shock when you are first diagnosed, 2 years on I have just got myself a meter. It's surprising how many strips you will get through.


http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm If you go here you are getting them direct from the supplier and they are cheaper than on Amazon especially if you use the discount codes that @Bluetit1802 gave you in a previous post.

Post 12 of this thread already gives the full details.

.

 

[JenniferW]

Like you, I'm having to get used to the cost of test strips. I started using a meter at the beginning of August, doing pre and post-meal readings every day, i.e. 6 readings a day (my waking up reading is my pre-breakfast one). After a while, I started to see patterns and made changes, but also became aware of the cost. I'm someone on Pension Credit, and couldn't see me being able to keep this up for ever.

So then I did a week on and a week off, and that seemed effective. My diet changes were getting settled, as were my changes to how much exercise I was doing. I then had a break of a couple of weeks, while I spent a lot of time thinking about the pattern of results I was getting, and now I'm back to 6 readings a day for a couple of weeks because I want to monitor yet more changes I've made to my diet.

In all of this I've kept records of what I've been eating, regardless of whether I've been testing. Now I'm also adding in the exercise to the day's records. Overall, I've got 5 readings down, and my weight's started to come down without me doing anything particular about that. The low carb diet and more exercise seem to be doing that for me.

So, like me, you might end up not doing as many readings as you start off doing. There's a bit in David Cavan's book where he goes through various suggestions about how many tests to do and why, at different stages of developing your management of your diabetes, and there are some good comments here about that, too:http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/23557427.php That's written for Americans who're having to pay for their own test strips nd need to keep costs down.