If any newly diagnosed or anyone needs help I’m here!

Little_Lucy

Well-Known Member
Messages
138
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi! So I’m 15 years old and I’ve been diabetic for over two years now I’m about to do my mocks for GCSES and I’m doing the DofE I’ve been able to control my diabetes (as much as I can) (I know most of the tricks in the book) and I haven’t been on this site for a while because I didn’t need the help so I thought I’d come back and give help instead (I hope I know all the answers ) so if you need any advice on GCSES, DofE or just managing anything in general I’m here!
 

Polly1974

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi Lucy I have been diagnosed t2 for a few months now but I’m finding it so hard to get to grips with as in food intake / what types of food / and terminology as such / what I have to look out for as such I’m on insulin now but my friend told me that once your on insulin your just a step away from becoming t1 and then go down hill from there. I thought as soon as I was diagnosed then a simple pill would sort it all out maybe a little naive but the only thing I knew about diabetes was what I got taught during my lifeguard training 17 years ago! I’m what you would call a poorly controlled diabetic didn’t even know what that was thought it was someone not taking their meds properly!
 

sally and james

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,093
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Diet only
my friend told me that once your on insulin your just a step away from becoming t1 and then go down hill from there.
Utter rubbish! There are many Type 2's who come off insulin having made alterations to their diets and life styles. Type 2 DOES NOT progress to Type 1, which has quite different causes. Many, actually most, Type 1's live long and happy lives with families, careers (note our current prime minister) and so on. There is nothing "down hill" about their lives.

@Polly1974 I will tag @daisy1 for you, who will be along soon with the newbie's post, which explains a lot of things. I suggest you read it carefully and then ask loads of questions from the forum members in general.
best wishes
Sally
 

Lyndsay444

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi there
I was diagnosed t2 4 weeks ago with a blood test result of 105 seems it explains the excessive thirst etc and lethargy.
I’m on 2000mg of metformin and 80mg of gliclozide tablets daily. Been told to get my blood glucose down to 7, however that’s impossible the lowest if ever managed is 11. And at that result I was pretty much unable to function I just slept 24 hours I didn’t want to eat anything and I felt absolutely awful. I’ve been like that the past 3 days with blood result of 11-13.
I ate some chocolate biscuits today and bloods shot up to 22.8 and I feel great.
I was able to get house in order after doing nothing for last 3 days.
I’m worried if I get my blood below 10 I will be in a comatose state.
I wondered if my blood monitor could be set wrong? Or if people are managing on higher glucose levels than the recommended 7.
I’ve not had a hypo crash ( nurse said that’s below 5 )
I’m sure I would feel dead at that considering I’m exhausted at 11-13.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
 

Lyndsay444

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Forgot to say that I cut out all sugar and went into very low carb diet! And that I’m a vegetarian.
 
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi there
I was diagnosed t2 4 weeks ago with a blood test result of 105 seems it explains the excessive thirst etc and lethargy.
I’m on 2000mg of metformin and 80mg of gliclozide tablets daily. Been told to get my blood glucose down to 7, however that’s impossible the lowest if ever managed is 11. And at that result I was pretty much unable to function I just slept 24 hours I didn’t want to eat anything and I felt absolutely awful. I’ve been like that the past 3 days with blood result of 11-13.
I ate some chocolate biscuits today and bloods shot up to 22.8 and I feel great.
I was able to get house in order after doing nothing for last 3 days.
I’m worried if I get my blood below 10 I will be in a comatose state.
I wondered if my blood monitor could be set wrong? Or if people are managing on higher glucose levels than the recommended 7.
I’ve not had a hypo crash ( nurse said that’s below 5 )
I’m sure I would feel dead at that considering I’m exhausted at 11-13.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Lyndsay444. I was diagnosed T2 3 months ago with a Hba1c of 101, so similar to yourself. I too went immediately onto a low carb diet, alongside 2000mg metformin per day. 4 weeks in, I had exactly the same experience as you are having now. Whenever my bs went down below 10 or 11, I felt dreadful, cold, shaky exhausted. I stuck with the diet and the meds though, and now I've got my bs down to 7 and below everyday, I feel fantastic. I had my hba1c tested this week and it is now 63, so making good progress. I think as the blood glucose comes down, your body has to reset itself, having been used to functioning with much higher glucose levels for possibly a long time. Hope this helps. Good luck with your journey!
 
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Lyndsay444

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Thank you Adele
It’s so reassuring to know that I’m not alone and that what I’m going through is normal.
I will persevere and see what happens.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Polly1974

Hello Polly and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find this useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 well over 235,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

4ratbags

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,334
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Lyndsay444 you're definately not alone, your body has simply learnt to function on higher BS and once it starts to go down it can make you feel awful. Don't worry with time your body will adjust.
 

Little_Lucy

Well-Known Member
Messages
138
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hello everyone, i am type 1 so I can not give you much advice on type 2 things but I can tell you it does get better and it’s a bit cheesy but you can’t feel bad about it the more you hate it the worse it gets and so I’ve always had a positive attitude towards it as I don’t want it to get me down and I always think that if I have a positive attitude I always try harder my blood sugar levels are better and everything is just better!
 
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knipster

Well-Known Member
Messages
97
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Thank you Adele
It’s so reassuring to know that I’m not alone and that what I’m going through is normal.
I will persevere and see what happens.
When I was first diagnosed getting down to levels about 7 ish made me feel terrible! The body just has to adjust over time to the new blood levels. Now i feel great at 5-6 and shaky at under 4 (which is what I was told is hypo) and headachey above 12.