Hi - what happens next???

[Captain]

Hi,

I'm working offshore and just had my 50th birthday. Went to the medic with a cold, told I had been feeling thirsty and had a dry mouth. He asked about diabetes in the family - my Mam & brother have it, so he gave me a test. Result 15.6. Went back next day in the morning result 11.2, next day 9.8. What the heck happens next and what do the results mean? Going to the docs when I get home on Thursday. What can I start doing from now that will help?

Alternating between "Why did I have the test" to "Thank goodness I've found out"

19 stone, 6ft tall, excercise quite a bit, medical last year in July showed no problems.

Any advice will be gratefully received

Regards
Steve

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Captain and welcome to the wonderful world of diabetes.

As you are seeing the Dr. on Thursday I would see what advice you are given then and come back with any questions you may have.
Carbohydrates and sugars raise blood sugars for diabetics. You may find that some carbs are alright for you or you may have to control your portion size or, as some do, cut them out altogether. People here have different ways of managing their control and it really is trial and error.
The one thing I would ask for is a meter and test strips as these are a necessary tool to see how foods affect your blood sugars. If this is denied you then it will mean that you will have to fund your own. Explain that you need these to be proactive in your management and it may work.

Hope all goes well for you on Thursday and come back and ask as many questions as you need to. No question is considered silly and we were all where you are now at diagnosis.

Hope this helps,
Catherine.

 

[Synonym]

Hi Captain and welcome to the forum.

Let us know how you get on at the doctor's :!:

 

[noblehead]

Hi Captain,

Hope all goes well on Thursday, try and write down any questions you may have for your doctor, often enough when we go into the surgery they disappear out of our head!

Do come back and tell us how you get on.

Nigel

 

[Captain]

Hi Guys - thanks for the replies

Went to the docs on thursday and she was very positive. Wouldn't give much judgement until after the results of a fasting blood test which I have had today. Results will be in on Monday all being well. Feeling Ok in myself, have lost nearly 10 pounds since last week (good old weightwatchers!!!!). Eyesight is bloody terrible - optician says it is my age and my eye muscles are not as quick. Feel as though I need longer arms. Don't know if this is a symptom or not... Started at the gym and also got a puppy - three walks a day. Blood pressure OK at 117/80. So as I said - feeling positive.

Thanks again for the replies
Steve

 

[Synonym]

Feeling Ok in myself, have lost nearly 10 pounds since last week (good old weightwatchers!!!!). Eyesight is bloody terrible - optician says it is my age and my eye muscles are not as quick. Feel as though I need longer arms. Don't know if this is a symptom or not... Started at the gym and also got a puppy - three walks a day. Blood pressure OK at 117/80. So as I said - feeling positive.

Thanks again for the replies
Steve

Hello again Steve

Well done on the weightloss. The eyesight may well improve once your BG levels are down but it will take a while. I had such a bad time with my eyes that I got some pinhole glasses from jdharris.co.uk and they helped enormously. Saw the prices of opticians specs :shock: and decided I didn't want to go down that route and now my levels are under control and with the help of the pinholes my eyesight is back to normal, thank goodness. 8)

What breed of puppy did you get? Watched 'Marley and Me' last night so hope your experience will be different in certain ways! :lol: You will certainly get the exercise! :roll:

Let us know how your blood tests pan out.

 

[Dobbs]

hi Captain
it's definitely better that you found out, no question there at all.
Those numbers are high but not totally scary, especially as they seem to be coming down already. Mine was 17.6 when I was diagnosed, and now the fasting numbers are mostly in the 6s.
This forum is a Godsend, full of great advice.
Good luck.

 

[Captain]

Got the results of my tests yesterday - I'm type 2. HBA1C test was 10.4%. Colesterol is 5.2. Also found out that I have an underactive thyroid, so tabs for that and an introduction to Metformin, building up over the next three weeks.

I've been told not to monitor sugar levels - just keep on with a healthy diet. Seeing the diabetic nurse on Tuesday. Got the all clear from the works doc to return offshore - lots of support from him and my own doc.

The pup is a staffie/ whippet cross - i think? Feeds, sleeps, Cr*ps, sleeps, piddles, sleeps but alround looks like she is going to be a good'un.

Still feeling positive, glad I found out and just working through it

Ta-ra for now
Steve

 

[cugila]

Here is some information to be going on with regarding your Diabetes, obviously your Cholesterol will also need some attention but I think this is enough for now.
Ken.

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 a bread, potatoes, pasta and rice 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.

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.

 

[Synonym]

I've been told not to monitor sugar levels - just keep on with a healthy diet. Seeing the diabetic nurse on Tuesday. Got the all clear from the works doc to return offshore - lots of support from him and my own doc.

The pup is a staffie/ whippet cross - i think? Feeds, sleeps, Cr*ps, sleeps, piddles, sleeps but alround looks like she is going to be a good'un.

Sad that you have not been given sensible 'eat and test' advice. Just make sure you follow the advice that Cugila has just posted! Try to get a meter from the DN if at all possible or failing that get your own - otherwise you are working totally blind! :roll:

Glad you are enjoying the puppy!

 

[g-man]

Steve,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, never nice news to hear.

I would recommend the book 'Type 2 the first year' as a very valuable resource and it will answer a lot of your questions that you will undoubtedly have. It certainly helped me with a lot. You may also have to notify your employer due to you working offshore.

It would definitely help to get a meter and see how different foods affect you.