CONFUSED

gavmoulds

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hi all. I've never been impressed with my Doctor's surgery but I think they have just slumped to a new low.

I recently had my habc1 or whatever it is. Phone call from Doctors yesterday. The results are diabetic. Can't tell me anything else. Appointment with the diabetic nurse in 2weeks. In the meantime I feel terrible and some days struggle to stay awake.
 

xfieldok

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,182
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the forum. You will find heaps of info on here. Do a lot of reading, ask questions.

I was continuously sleepy when I was diagnosed. The nurse told me that I had too much glucose sloshing about in my body.

It is important you ask for a printout of your results. You need to know where you are starting from.

Most of us benefit from the low carb diet. No rice, pasta, bread, potatoes or beer. A by product of this diet is weight loss.

Cut out sugar, as much as you can and the above foods. Fruit is also not good for us bananas are particularly bag.

This is a steep learning curve but with the help of the forum you will get through it.

Your surgery is unlikely to give you a meter unless you are on insulin. The meter is the most Powerful tool we have.

Read around the forum and ask questions. We have all been where you are now. You are not alone.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome.
You should soon get a message from Daisy giving you lots of information - but the one basic fact to keep hold of - above anything else, is that you can't cope with carbs - that is starch and sugar.
You can have roast meat, or fish, shellfish if you like it, and eggs and most cheese is OK. You can put cream in your coffee, or on a small portion of berries (though blueberries are a bit high in sugar and best avoided)
There are lots of veges which are low carb - I stick to those below 11 percent carbs or have just a very small portion.
The great thing is that for a lucky type two that can put all the readings into the normal range quite quickly, and as the metabolism recovers it brings back energy, and even weightloss!!
The most annoying thing is that people have been trying to get it noticed that we are eating too much carbohydrate - Dr Atkins was telling us this decades ago - but it was ignored in favour of low fat and high carb - like that has worked well.....
 
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Sam50

Well-Known Member
Messages
228
Type of diabetes
Don't have diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
hi @gavmoulds welcome to the forum, have a good read around the forum and ask anything that you need to know-everyone is very supportive here.

You might find that you are given conflicting information regarding what is 'healthy' for a diabetic. You need to reduce carbs as well as obvious sugars. So no/low bread/grains/rice/pasta/potato/starchy veggies like sweetcorn/parsnip. Lots of yummy recipes on the forum.
all carbs turn to sugar during digestion some take longer to digest than others but the effect on the blood glucose is the same.

get yourself a BG meter and test yourself before and 2 hours after eating to see how different foods affect you. as your blood glucose lowers you will soon start feeling more energized x
 
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Ragmar

Well-Known Member
Messages
132
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
This is how it went down for me too man. I got a phone call in the morning, told I was diabetic and to have a good day.

I was at a cafe at the time feeling pretty lost. But I found this forum, and it's helped me a great deal. When I saw my doctor I told her how it felt being told that over the phone, and asked for a referral to another doctor
 

NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Make sure you get a printout of all your test results or online access to them.
 

tshirtmeister

Member
Messages
6
Research fasting. I cured my T2 in less than a month how 21 day fast and two 4 day fasts. I also switched to a low carb high fat diet. It was a real struggle mentally to not eat for 3 weeks but it worked. Research Dr Jason Fung The two big lies of Type 2 Diabetes. Worked for me plus I lost 50lbs now of ugly fat 20 to go!
 

Crocodile

Well-Known Member
Messages
683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
I can't have it often
@gavmoulds
Welcome to our cosy little corner. You've mentioned the surgery and a high HbA1c. I would like to just add one other thing that doesn't get enough air time. That is, if you are overweight, lose it. It really does make a massive difference along with dietary changes. They go hand in hand.
Glenn
 

rab5

Well-Known Member
Messages
842
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
My Diabetic nurse
welcom to the diabetic adventure. we have all been there. Search the forus, work out what works for you. IMHO stay away fro carbs. Check out www.dietdoctor.com

Loads of videos and info

Good luck stay on your feet and reach for the sky
 

Tony337

Well-Known Member
Messages
727
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Not being on holiday....
Hello
Welcome along and please don't panic.
Easy for me to say as I've been diabetic for 44 years and I only mention this so you know the futures bright as all you will have to do is make a few lifestyle changes.
Nothing too taxing just alter a few eating habits and do a little more exercise.
You should see your results improve which will encourage you more then Bingo you're on the road to recovery!

I wish you well sir

Tony
 

daisy1

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

Hello Gavmoulds and welcome to the Forum :) Just in case you haven't seen this, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask more 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.