Newly diagnosed 6 weeks ago.

[MichaelUK]

Hello

Hiya everyone looking for some advice, newly diagnosed with Type 2 five weeks ago currently on one metformin 500mg twice a day and one simvastatin taken at night.
My blood sugar was 17.8 on my first blood test with doctor.

I feel knackered all the time, no energy whats so ever, sometimes i feel like i seem to be getting better but then the next day i am knocked for six again also suffering from headaches a couple of times a week.

Changed my diet trying to cut out all sugars and processed foods, having more pasta and rice, lots more fruit and vegs, was wondering about the fruit i am having roughly two of the following each day, satsuma, bananna, apple and pears. could these be effecting my BS. The veg i am having varying from day to day are carrots, cabbage, peas, sweetcorn, some baked beans but not to much due to the sauce, salad veg.
Having porridge for breaksfast mixed with some seeds ands nuts. this is new to me never had breakfast before.

Been told by the doctor i do not need to test my BS until she see me again on 30 July for the next round of blood tests so i do not know where i am with my BS levels on a regular basis but have tested them a couple of times using my Father's test meter but can not do this every day due to me using up his test strips, can these be purchased without a presciption? and they show a little decrease on a morning at 13.8 which i know is still way to high.

Sorry for such a long post and any spelling mistake finding it hard to concentrate this morning due to a headache.

Michael

 

[sugarless sue]

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

The main carbs to avoid or reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating then two hours after eating you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the affect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.

As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try !!

As a Type 2 the latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l.
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.
If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

Sue/Ken.

 

[sugarless sue]

Hello

Hiya everyone looking for some advice, newly diagnosed with Type 2 five weeks ago currently on one metformin 500mg twice a day and one simvastatin taken at night.
My blood sugar was 17.8 on my first blood test with doctor.

I feel knackered all the time, no energy whats so ever, sometimes i feel like i seem to be getting better but then the next day i am knocked for six again also suffering from headaches a couple of times a week.

The reason you are knackered is the high blood sugar levels you have. Get the levels down and you will not be so tired.

Changed my diet trying to cut out all sugars and processed foods, having more pasta and rice, lots more fruit and vegs, was wondering about the fruit i am having roughly two of the following each day, satsuma, bananna, apple and pears. could these be effecting my BS. The veg i am having varying from day to day are carrots, cabbage, peas, sweetcorn, some baked beans but not to much due to the sauce, salad veg.
Having porridge for breaksfast mixed with some seeds ands nuts. this is new to me never had breakfast before.

All the foods marked in red are quite high in carbs. This does not mean you can't eat them but it does mean you need to test to see the effect they have on your blood sugar levels and then adjust the portion sizes.

Been told by the doctor i do not need to test my BS until she see me again on 30 July for the next round of blood tests so i do not know where i am with my BS levels on a regular basis but have tested them a couple of times using my Father's test meter but can not do this every day due to me using up his test strips, can these be purchased without a presciption? and they show a little decrease on a morning at 13.8 which i know is still way to high.

You really need a meter of your own as this is the only way to find out which foods are affecting your blood sugar levels. Doctors tell you not to test to save costs on the NHS for the test strips ! :evil:

You can buy a meter in any chemist's, it is the meter strips that are expensive. Ask the chemist which test strips are likely to be prescribed in your area and,once you can show the doctor how pro-active you are in controlling your diabetes you MAY persuade her to prescribe them !

Sorry for such a long post and any spelling mistake finding it hard to concentrate this morning due to a headache.

Have you had your blood pressure checked out as well ? There are many reasons for headaches and that can be one of them.

Michael

 

[MichaelUK]

Sugarless Sue

Thanks for the replys.

Yes i do have high blood pressure and high colestorel, but not taking anything for blood pressure yet.
I guess the doctor is thinking it will come down when i start losing weight.

Michael

 

[cugila]

Sugarless Sue

Thanks for the replys.

Yes i do have high blood pressure and high colestorel, but not taking anything for blood pressure yet.
I guess the doctor is thinking it will come down when i start losing weight.

Michael

You need to go back and see the GP, if it is high blood pressure it needs addressing sooner rather than later. Do you know what your levels are ? I have high blood pressure which is controlled by medication and if it goes high if I forget to take a tablet then I feel dreadful. Headaches etc.....I have lost over 5 1/2 stone and I still need the medication........high BP is mainly about your arteries not the weight. Mine never did drop even with all the weight I lost.

Get it sorted out now.

Edited: How to lower your Blood Pressure.
http://www.bpassoc.org.uk/BloodPressure ... rlifestyle

Ken

 

[MichaelUK]

Ken

I think my blood pressure was something along the lines of 140/110.
I plan on going back to my doctors tomorrow if i can get an appointment, been off work again this week due to feel so **** and having no energy. i can not go on like this something needs to be changed.

Michael

 

[cugila]

This is definitely something you need to discuss further with the GP. It may all be down to the high numbers of your Diabetes but it could also be a combination. You should not have to put up with feeling so ill. Let us know how you get on.

If you have Diabetes, your doctor will want to be sure that your blood pressure is very well controlled. This means that they will probably want your blood pressure to be below 130 over 80.

People with Diabetes and high blood pressure are sometimes given the blood pressure medicines known as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, because they are thought to help protect the kidneys. However, other blood pressure medicines can also be used.

Ken

 

[Sue Morton]

I was newly diagnosed in March and put on Metformin 2x500mg a day. On this site Bayer are giving away free testing unit Contour which are very good so apply for it and you get 50 test strips). You should according the NHS rules get a free meter and tabs on prescription - however because of the "PCT" (according to my DN) they don't do it because it costs a lot of money. If you show that you are trying to control your diabetise then they may re-think and give you them ask and try to stress how important it is to you. Doctors saying "no need to test" is a load of rubbish.

One of the side affects of metformin is headaches and I started to get them not bad enough to take tablets but still a headache it would come and go but of lately I haven't been getting them so I assume my body is getting used to them.

With regards to your diet its a minefield out there. There are 2 forums one for low carbs and one for carbs on this site. Try having a read they show what people are finding when eating certain foods etc but as stated above each person is different and also you could be eating something for quite a while when alll of a sudden your blood sugars go up - the manufacture may have changed in how the produce it and that change could effect your BS. So testing is a must. Some one on the forum suggested new potatoes as being best to eat i tried them and had a high BS can only allow 3 very small ones - carrots or as my DN told no root veg. Rice or pasta should be very small portions the size of your hand.

Don't recall if you drink but larger is very high in sugar as well as beer - again this forum helps on that. I was lost when I first got diagnosed and this site has helped me a lot especially when feeling down or losing sight of my goals just sign in and read a few bit and it gets me sited up to carry on fighting.

All the best but go for that Bayer Contur meter being advertised on the home page.

Sue 8)

My first big blood test showed a fasting of 9.8 and my DN wanted to put me on 3x500mg a day but i said I have only just started and want to try and keep it down by what i eat

 

[MichaelUK]

Went back to the doctor today and was seen by my old doctor who just moved back to this office, we spoke about how unwell i am feeling and about my blood pressure being high.

He took my blood pressure and to my relief it had gone down to 122/90 from 140/110 hope it stays this way, made an appointment to give more blood on friday for tests he is not happy with how i am feeling and just wants to get the blood work done before we move forward.

So feeling better that the Doctor seemed to taking me serious unlike the one i saw on Tuesday last week, who seemed to be just going through the motions with me.

He also said i get myself a meter he will make sure i get the test stripes on presciption.

Any ways i keep you all informed on how i get on and i have lots of reading to do on this forum.

Michael