Newly diagnosed but so confused.

cruiksl

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Evening,
Looking for some advice. I went for blood tests at the end of January as I was exhausted. I thought it was my iron levels that were low. Doctor called me back for a fasting blood test.

The first blood test gave me a reading of 9.9. The fasting blood test gave me a reading of 4.8.

From this info, I was advised from a nurse appointment yesterday that I am type 2 diabetes but can be controlled by diet.

I'm being referred to Desmond for more information but the nurse basically told me not to eat a lot of fruit in one sitting, lose weight, exercise more and I knew what I had to do ! She will see me back in a month.

I asked about blood monitoring and was told not to do it.

To be honest, feel like I've been sent away with no advice and really not sure what I should be eating.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you
 
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himtoo

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
4,805
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
mean people , gardening , dishonest people , and war.
why can't everyone get on........
Hi there and welcome to the forum :)

I am tagging @daisy1 for her great starter pack for all newly diagnosed.

Have a good read and then ask any questions you want.

someone should be along to support and help.

all the best !!
 
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Pulley_

Active Member
Messages
39
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Welcome @cruiksl

Have a good old research on low carb high fat diet - no where near as scary or restrictive as it sounds and has made a HUGE positive difference to my life in so many ways (I am T1 and insulin resistant) so slightly different from yourself, but use this forum as your bedtime reading for the next couple of weeks and everyone's kind words and informative messages will see you through the first stages of confusion.

Have a good Google of 'lchf' and you will soon get to grips with the basics and feel a lot more in control!

Good luck
 
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Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Yeah, your dsn has given you some good advice, but she hasn't given you the whole story.
I would advise reading the low carb forum, I'm is not only sugar that is having an effect on your blood glucose levels. It is carbs. Both sugar and carbohydrates turn to glucose after digestion, and having too many of either will raise your blood glucose levels too high and keep them there.
You do need a monitor, and if your serious about getting back to good health and you can, then a food diary and monitoring your blood glucose levels is paramount in your future health.
You really need to find out what foods are not good for you!
 
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Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Evening,
Looking for some advice. I went for blood tests at the end of January as I was exhausted. I thought it was my iron levels that were low. Doctor called me back for a fasting blood test.

The first blood test gave me a reading of 9.9. The fasting blood test gave me a reading of 4.8.

From this info, I was advised from a nurse appointment yesterday that I am type 2 diabetes but can be controlled by diet.

I'm being referred to Desmond for more information but the nurse basically told me not to eat a lot of fruit in one sitting, lose weight, exercise more and I knew what I had to do ! She will see me back in a month.

I asked about blood monitoring and was told not to do it.

To be honest, feel like I've been sent away with no advice and really not sure what I should be eating.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

Have you mis-typed the 4.8, or misunderstood? A fasting blood test of 4.8 is perfectly normal. (The 9.9 is a bit more dicey depending on when and what you last ate.) Do you mean 48? It is important you get this right. If it is 48 it sounds like an HbA1c test and would just tip you over into diabetic. Under 48 is pre-diabetic, 48 and over is diabetic. I suggest you ask for a copy of your blood test results (computer print out) as this will have all the details and will be invaluable to you further down the line for comparisons.
 
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cruiksl

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Many thanks for advice. I'm still getting my head around it all. Apologies the reading was 48 for the HbAlc test as she mentioned I was right on the guidelines. I've ordered a monitor and will Google lchf diets. It seems a lot to get head around and after years of low fat diets just need to retrain my thinking x
 
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daisy1

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

Hello and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you want 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 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.
 
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muzza3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,789
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Cauliflower pretending to be rice and any vegetable pretending to be pasta
Welcome @cruiksl

I know there is a lot to take in but this is a great place to ask the questions you need answers to. Yes have a look at the low carb diets and information and when you start testing post the results for some feedback.
 
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