diagnosed type 2, two weeks ago help

kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
went for routine blood test and now type 2, on tablets three times a day, doctor referring me on Desmond course, but don't know what I'm really supposed to do, read so much information that in confused. No testing my blood sugar levels, so how are you supposed to know if your blood sugar low or high, if you've eaten the right foods, if stress makes you feel worse, feel like ive git 40 and falling apart
 

SueB743

Well-Known Member
Messages
376
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome to the forum. Firstly, try not to panic as you have come to the right place. I will tag @daisy1 for the new members information for you. There are lots of things you can do such as swapping sugar for sweeteners. If you are carrying excess weight, losing weight can also help bring your blood glucose down as your body doesn't have to work quite as hard to process everything. Many members find reducing carbohydrate beneficial - put in simple terms this breaks down into sugar, less sugar in means better blood sugar levels. There is lots of useful information in the dietary pages on the forum. There is also a new low carb programme which I've decided to sign up to. Please ask any questions you have as someone will always be able to help. It is a lifelong journey rather than a quick fix so things will happen gradually rather than overnight. It's a tough time but once you can accept things it will get easier. If you want to self test many members use an sd code free as the test strips are reasonably priced. This can help you see which foods in particular affect you personally as we all react in our own way
 
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pleinster

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
ignorance
Hi - hopefully, things will make more sense after the course, and you'll be less stressed once you get your head around the basics. Also, do ask your GP, or any diabetic nurse or team member you may have for a meter and a prescription for strips. If you are not being given one..look into getting a cheap one with cheap and available strips. They are not always given out to Type 2s, but I would recommend stressing that you wan to be in control as much as possible and want to shape diet around your readings...some may accept that. Only really through testing can you see results in the immediate and shirt term; otherwise you have to wait for your next HbA1c test (which tests the blood for the average level over the past 3 months. If you don't know what your current level is..ask..did the diagnosis come after a one off check of your blood sugar or was it the test I've mentioned (ask). Knowing where you are at the start is a good thing. You will want to inform yourself and I suggest simply checking the site out, particularly the Type 2 forum and the Low Carb Diet forum. Basic advice tends to be avoid sugar and eat a balanced diet with exercise, but many here will tell you (as Sue had pointed out) - cutting down on simple carbs is a good idea and has certainly been working for me. there are other views, so explore. Meantime, I would advise cutting down on bread, cereal and spuds as well as sugary and starchy stuff (biscuits, cakes, and the obvious stuff). I have cut them out entirely and eat healthily without them in ways which keep my levels lower. Also plenty of fluid (maybe 1 to 2 litres a day - no coke, fizzy drinks or anything sugary). You'll get your head around it soon enough... it's not the horror you may be anticipating right now. Try your best to get a meter and I'd say record your meals and test before and a couple of hours after..once you have the meter. Without one, all you can do really is cut down/out sugars and carbs that run to sugars. No problems with oily fish, meat, chicken, leafy veg, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach...avocado is excellent for you as is asparagus..and some people find cinnamon tea helps. But - do explore the site and do ask quesitons. good luck.
 
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kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
thank you for the information, is it normal to feel hot and have stomach ache feeling nausea whilst cutting down on sugar, finding it really hard, especially when have lots of teas with two sugars un, sugar on cereal, sweets,
 

kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
what are best drinks to replace the coke wtc, is Robinsons orange ok, what do i look for on food labels
 

LinsT

Well-Known Member
Messages
494
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Kerrydoo. If you're on Metformin, then tummy issues are a common side effect of that medication, so its likely that making you feel nauseous. If you're not already doing so, make sure you take them with food. When I first started taking them I found it useful to take them in the middle of my meal, rather than at the beginning or the end. If it doesn't get better, ask your doctor for the slow release type of metformin, if you're not on it already. I found things got a lot better as my system got more used to them and I have no problems now (I switched to the slow release formula).
Regarding your drinks, you can sweeten tea and coffee with sweeteners rather than sugar. You may have to play around to find the one most suitable to your palate.
Orange squash generally has sugar in too, so you need to avoid it unless it is a sugar free type. But check the labels as sometimes they add fruit sugar (fructose) to it and call it sugar free. Same with fresh orange unfortunately. All fruit juices/smoothies are full of sugar and have the same effect on us as sugar does.
You can have the zero sugar cokes in moderation.
Have a good look around the site for ideas of what's good to eat and drink and what's not. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like - the folks on here are great at helping each other out xx
 

LinsT

Well-Known Member
Messages
494
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
By the way - I also feel your pain on the sugar front. I found that really hard to deal with too. I get by reminding myself that my diabetes is my bodys way of telling me I couldn't carry on eating the way I was. Plus this forum has helped keep me sane and focused. I've come crying to these folks a lot when I've slipped up!
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. If the Metformin gives bowel problems do ask the GP for the SR (Slow Release) version. We've all become experts at reading food labels over the years and you will too. Just look for total carbs on the packaging. For non-labelled foods there are many web sites with carbs for specific quantities
 

kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
thank you for information was very useful , all daunting still at the moment, going back doctors today to see if can change medication, don't like feeling unwell and out of control
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
thank you for the information, is it normal to feel hot and have stomach ache feeling nausea whilst cutting down on sugar, finding it really hard, especially when have lots of teas with two sugars un, sugar on cereal, sweets,
Hi @kerrydoo and welcome to the Forum!
You need to cut out sugar as much as possible. I used to drink tea with two sugars 5-6 times a day (plus biscuits). I don't use sugar now, but one spoon of granulated sweetener instead. And I have started drinking green tea more, usually with some sort of fruit or herbal infusion and I have got to like them.

Cereals aren't good as they are largely carbohydrates which turn to sugar in your body. I don't eat breakfast myself, but forum members recommend eating bacon, eggs and mushrooms instead. Or you could eat low carb bread/toast. LIDL High Protein rolls or Burgen Soya and Linseed bread are low carb, and nice toasted.

Sweets made with sugar need to be avoided. You can buy non sugar sweets instead. Sula and Ricola make non sugar sweets, and can be bought at many supermarkets or online. I like Sula mint humbugs, Ricola elderflower sweets and Werthers non sugar butterscotch candies. But don't eat too many - they do contain around 3 carbs per sweet which does add up if you eat a lot.

As you cut down on sugar you will find you miss it less and less.
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
what do i look for on food labels
You need to avoid food with high sugar levels (above 3%) or high carbohydrate levels (above 10%). I think those are the figures recommended by the more experienced forum members on here, but I expect they will correct me if that is wrong.
You should try to avoid processed ready meals which are usually high in sugar content, and cook more meals from scratch with more vegetables.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@kerrydoo

Here is the information, to add to the very useful advice given above by members, which we give to new members. Carry on asking questions and you will get more replies.

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 150,000 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 

TrevorFisher

Active Member
Messages
31
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Kerrydoo

One thing you will notice on this forum, once you've looked at several of the posts, is that a lot of the information given to you by your GP, or practice nurse is simply wrong, or not up to date. I strongly advise you to seek out a diabetic specialist even if you only see them once or twice.

I've been T2 for about 10 years, taking insulin for 4 yrs, no-one at my gp has ever suggested reducing carbohydrate, only eating less food altogether.
since being on a low carbohydrate diet, my bg levels have reduced significantly, and I've also lost some weight.

Good luck on your way forward.
 
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kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
thank you again for all the wonderful advice really helps, what about fruit, I enjoy all fruits but can they only be eaten in moderation
 

kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
ive been looking on labels but found everything in grams what the basis on what I look for in numbers on carb which is fat and sugar salt etc
 

JayL

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Kerry, I also just was diagnosed with type 2, and the first thing you need to do is relax. This isn't the end of the world, but you just need to change your eating habits a little. Fruits are good, but some fruits are much higher in carbs...google carbs in bananas, carbs in grapefruit, and others to see what is better to worse. Type 2 allows you to eat anything, but you need to be smart about it, and do so in extreme moderation. The sweet thing really doesn't bother me, what I do is buy light & fit yogurt by dannon for desert, it's low in carbs, and taste like heaven, try cherry..lol. . There is also a 4g yogurt available. These really do help with the sweet cravings. You are allowed to eat most likely 45-60 grams of carbs per meal, 3 times a day, plus a snack. smart brekky is eggs, and grapefruit...stay away from cereal, and breads, they seem to make my sugar soar. Plenty of fresh veggies, stay away from corn, peas, and some beans, starchy ones..I steam brocoli, and cauliflower often. Best drink is water, but I find mixing up powder lemonade, and water tasty, and it's low carb, and sweet. Cashews / nuts are a great snack as well, and really are good for you. Just a few ideas that I found work for me, and I'm just a month - 6 weeks into this myself. Good luck, and I'll be talking to yas. Jay

You need to look at servings, and carbs. The serving size is at the top, it may say 1 1/2 cups, or 1 container, ect....then you look to see how many servings are in that box, can, or whatever it is. It may say for example 4 servings total.......You then look at carbs if it says 23 carbs, then you multiply 4 X 23, that equals 92, so if you ate all of that, you way way over did it, you are allowed 45-60 per meal, so you would be okay eating half the can, or box on it's own, meaning nothing else with it, cos that may hold carbs as well. Hope this helps.....you will get the hang of this quickly.
 
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pleinster

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
ignorance
Hi - JayL's advice is pretty good..you do need to rethink diet but it can still be a good range of grub. I've been working with my diet and with reducing carbs over a while now and have worked out by use of my meter and the records I keep what works for em and what doesn't. While I'd agree with much of what has been said by JayL, and certainly regarding bread and cereal (I don't eat any now) I would encourage you to work things out for yourself rather than rely on the diets of others and on what is "allowed" and "not allowed"...we are all quite different and you should not not relax thinking a particular food is "allowed" and therefore good for you personally. For example, if I ate 40-60 grams of carb each meal..my sugar level would rocket..three times a day is way to much for a lot of us. I also find that yoghurt also sets me off...and as for grapefruit...that's good for you..if you are not on particular meds. I am on three different meds whereby grapefruit in particular is specified as an absolute no-no - so you need to know what you cannot or should not eat from a medical personal stand point. This is not a criticism of the advice you have been given at all - it's great people are so helpful and we are all learning, but be very aware that we all have differing systems and circumstance as and the only way to be sure is to work out what works for yourself while taking on board everything you can that is suggested. personally, and like many others on this site, I am now on under 50g of carbs a day..often less than 30g. It is working for me..I have no cravings for carbs and feel healthier all round. To add to the advice you've been given..I'd advise looking at the Type 2 Low Carb Diet forum and at the success people are having with very low carbs. Drink plenty of fluid, definitely eat avocados...and let it all happen at your pace...it doesn't all need to change dramatically tomorrow! The end of the week is fine. :) Explore, record, take control. Paul
 

JayL

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 2
yeah, it's overwhelming, just go slow, take ur time at the grocery, look at labels, and eat smart. Did you say your being visited by a nurse soon ? Do you have prescription drug insurance? She should be putting you on metformin, which is free at Meijers, if not. You need to get a meter, and strips for sure. Take your blood sugar every morning b4 meal, if you feel a little off during the day, take ur sugar test again, and if it went higher, think about what you ate earlier, certain foods act differently on people with type 2.
 
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kerrydoo

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
hi
yes I on tablets but making me nausea's so going back today aee if slow release one, waiting for appointment for Desmond course which is for type 2 new comers. Going to ask about checking my levels cause was never mentioned other than another blood test in three months