Hello everyone!

MicksBabe

Newbie
Messages
4
Hi there

I have recently been diagnosed as having Type 2 Diabetes. I am still very much in the dark as to what this entails and what the future will bring. At the moment it is being controlled by diet - i have yet to meet the dietician!! All i have been told so far is to eat a healthy diet and watch my sugar intake. But i am so confused - how much is too much? Do i have to cut out ALL my choccies and ice-cream? I guess i am lucky it has been picked up on - i have just moved house and had to change doctors and it was found when i had my MOT. My BP was sky high and after 9 years on the same tablet it has been increased twice, so now am on 32mg instead of 8!! Then it was my cholestorol and now my blood sugar - HELP!! This site seems so friendly and helpful, so throw anything my way. Thanks - Chris :D
 

hrhmoo

Active Member
Messages
27
Hi there MicksBabe

Lovely to meet you, I would say try and cut out as much sweet and carbs that you can...however I would check out the diet forums as you will find lots of people on there doing various things...I am totally insulin dependant so don't want to give you the wrong advice :D
 

hanadr

Expert
Messages
8,157
Dislikes
soaps on telly and people talking about the characters as if they were real.
Hi Chris
They key to blood glucose is that glucose polymerises and becomes starch. Thus you need to control the amount ofitwhich you eat.
Table sugar is 50% glucose. since there's no need for sugar in your diet, you can drop that completely. If you like your tea or coffee sweetened, use a substitute. I personally like Splenda. I'm one of those people who have chosen to restrict starch very severely. You may not want to do this, but it's simple once you get used to it.
Also you need a blood sugar meter to tell what's going on. Don't let them fob you off with the bad information that a 6 monthly check will do. IT WON'T. You can gteet into a load of trouble in 6 months. :(
You may well get a meter from one of the suppliers with 10 strips included. Try Bayer diabetes care. They were giving them away a while back. Just email or ring them.
Once you have a meter, you can tell what your blood glucose is doing[they come with instructions]. Ideally, it should be around 5 at all times, but up to 7 2 hours after eating is probably fine..
the strips are a constant problem. Doctors often won't prescribe them. A load of us here buy our own. I buy from my meter supplier direct.Anyway, if you are not on medication, you don't get free prescriptions.. Still once you have a meter, you can check through these forums and learn more about diet, or ask specific questions
Hana
 

totsy

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,041
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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hya chris and welcome,
have a good look around the forum and whatever answers u dont find please ask and someone will be along to help you :D
 

wallycorker

Well-Known Member
Messages
613
Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. As a Type 2 the same as me, you will already have been told about the need to cut right back on the sugary foods. After that the next thing that you need to get to understand is that you ought to be aware that it's a good idea to cut back on the starchy carbohydrates that you eat - i.e. cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta, rice etc because it turns to sugar almost as soon as it gets into your body. It is quite possible that your healthcare professionals might be telling you something different.

Starting to test is a good idea too and, once again, your healthcare professionals might be advising you differently on that too.

You'll get a lot of great advice from people on this forum.

Best wishes - John
 

MicksBabe

Newbie
Messages
4
Thanks to everyone for the comments.I was told by the doctor that i didn't need a monitor and that 3 monthly check ups would be fine.I will certainly look into getting one - it might put my mind more at ease.I am just baffled by all the jargon at the moment.And the more i try to learn the more confused i become! :?