Big Shock! Diagnosed With Type 2 This Week

KevLlo

Newbie
Messages
1
So, no symptoms for me. Paid a visit to the GP last week about a sebaceous cyst and a precautionary HBa1c comes back as 108! My GP was as stunned as I was, I am 10st 4 and have followed a vegan diet for the past two years. Went and purchased a blood glucose machine that day, thinking the result must be wrong, only to find it well and truly confirmed - first test 24.3!

Spent a good 24hrs feeling flat as a pancake and asking why? how? Time now to take control and this looks like a great place to start.
 

Bertyboy

Well-Known Member
Messages
215
Type of diabetes
Type 1
So, no symptoms for me. Paid a visit to the GP last week about a sebaceous cyst and a precautionary HBa1c comes back as 108! My GP was as stunned as I was, I am 10st 4 and have followed a vegan diet for the past two years. Went and purchased a blood glucose machine that day, thinking the result must be wrong, only to find it well and truly confirmed - first test 24.3!

Spent a good 24hrs feeling flat as a pancake and asking why? how? Time now to take control and this looks like a great place to start.
Sorry to hear that, Kev. Out of interest, with relatively high A1C and glucose levels, did your GP also run any ketone tests?
 
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Jaz006

Well-Known Member
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92
Welcome Kev you have come to the right place. I was you two weeks ago but my readings were not as high as yours. Take your time to get used to the idea of being a diabetic otherwise you will suffer from information overload. Being diagnosed comes as a complete shock to most people so please allow yourself to grieve if that makes sense. It is not a death sentence but it does take a while to come to terms with.

This site is amazing It's a fantastic place to learn about your condition while gaining peer support from others who are also walking along the same path as you. I have not brought a testing kit yet but I plan to do so. I have discovered spinich omelette is amazing and mixed nuts as a snack taste beautiful... So it's not all bad.
Anyway... Welcome welcome welcome :). Take care
 

bigsi1984

Well-Known Member
Messages
88
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
This is a great place to ask questions, check information and get support. I found out about 6 weeks ago but I was expecting it. Take a few days to find your feet and then get your reading hat on, research, read here and go about making some changes. By best advice would be to make any changes slowly and one at a time. No point rushing and over reaching only to find yourself back at square one after hitting a couple of hurdles. It's never too late to get a grip of things so I wish you all the best. Smash it!
 
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Brunneria

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
21,889
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome!

It is a big shock, isn’t it?

Is your doc testing to confirm whether you are type 1 or 2? And do you have the testing equipment to keep track of your blood glucose? :)
 
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Norman Stanley

Active Member
Messages
25
My diagnosis kind of stunned me for a few days too. Then I decided to tackle it like a problem to be tackled through logic and reason and have been meticulously following a low carb diet since my diagnosis. My HbA1C results were just a little worse than yours last month and now my average weekly blood sugars after meals for the last week have been about 5.8 mmol/l.

It might be even harder for you though to restrict your carbs when you are a vegan since you rely on plant material for so much of your intake. Is there a reason why you don't eat eggs? As a vegetarian for many years because I didn't like causing unnecessary pain to animals I still had regular eggs by raising a half dozen spoiled and pampered chickens in my yard. They had a good life and I had a regular source of many nutrients that are more difficult to get otherwise on a vegan diet. Eggs are low in carbs and moderate in fat and protein and can be a staple part of your diet if you are happy to have 'ethical' eggs.
 
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Jenny15

Well-Known Member
Messages
770
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Jazz music, science denial, and running out of coffee.
My diagnosis kind of stunned me for a few days too. Then I decided to tackle it like a problem to be tackled through logic and reason and have been meticulously following a low carb diet since my diagnosis. My HbA1C results were just a little worse than yours last month and now my average weekly blood sugars after meals for the last week have been about 5.8 mmol/l.

It might be even harder for you though to restrict your carbs when you are a vegan since you rely on plant material for so much of your intake. Is there a reason why you don't eat eggs? As a vegetarian for many years because I didn't like causing unnecessary pain to animals I still had regular eggs by raising a half dozen spoiled and pampered chickens in my yard. They had a good life and I had a regular source of many nutrients that are more difficult to get otherwise on a vegan diet. Eggs are low in carbs and moderate in fat and protein and can be a staple part of your diet if you are happy to have 'ethical' eggs.
I would love to have half a dozen spoiled and pampered chickens in my yard! They are so intelligent and friendly. I don't have the room or resources to build the enclosure needed to meet council regulations, or I would get some in a flash. Wonderful pets and a source of delicious, ethical eggs.
 

Quiet David

Member
Messages
6
I went to my own GP as a follow-up to a Bell’s Palsy, and came away with T2.

Not really a surprise to be honest. I’m the fourth generation in my family to live with it.
 

Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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*
Hi @KevLlo and welcome to the forum. Getting that diagnosis is a shock and leads to a whole range of emotions. It will take a bit of time to get to grips with it all.
You will find a lot of good advice and support on this forum.

And welcome to the forum @Quiet David.
 
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Jenny15

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Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Other
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So, no symptoms for me. Paid a visit to the GP last week about a sebaceous cyst and a precautionary HBa1c comes back as 108! My GP was as stunned as I was, I am 10st 4 and have followed a vegan diet for the past two years. Went and purchased a blood glucose machine that day, thinking the result must be wrong, only to find it well and truly confirmed - first test 24.3!

Spent a good 24hrs feeling flat as a pancake and asking why? how? Time now to take control and this looks like a great place to start.
Welcome to our merry band of diabetics, @KevLo!

Usually people don't get symptoms of T2 unless their BGs have been very high for some time, so it's possible that it's not entirely certain that T2 is what you have. Your GP can order further blood tests to check this out. There are many types of diabetes beyond just T1 and T2. But whichever flavour you have, there is hope, and this forum offers great support and info, in my experience.

High BGs increase the risk of infections, so it's possible that if the sebaceous cyst was infected, there was a link between the two. Your doctor was right to run a precautionary HbA1c.

Has your doctor said anything about discussing medications for diabetes, or asked you to make another appointment about it? I'm not suggesting you have to take meds but it's a good idea to discuss options with your doctor so you can make an informed choice.
 
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Jenny15

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Quiet David

Member
Messages
6
At the time (2011) my GP said nothing. It has happened again twice and after seeing an ENT consultant recently he confirmed the correlation. Just waiting for an MRI next month
 
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Australiadiabetic2

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
24.3 ? mine comes back as 9.5 and i was worried, normal is under 6.5, but the positive is you will get a new lifestyle better diet and exercise,dont worry too much

I was the same as you i went to the doctor for a cold and came out with diabetes ,high blood pressure and sciatica, wish i never went now :banghead:


Hugs to you :nurse:and remember we are always here:)
 
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NikkieDuranie

Well-Known Member
Messages
97
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
So, no symptoms for me. Paid a visit to the GP last week about a sebaceous cyst and a precautionary HBa1c comes back as 108! My GP was as stunned as I was, I am 10st 4 and have followed a vegan diet for the past two years. Went and purchased a blood glucose machine that day, thinking the result must be wrong, only to find it well and truly confirmed - first test 24.3!

Spent a good 24hrs feeling flat as a pancake and asking why? how? Time now to take control and this looks like a great place to start.
Welcome Kev, I am new of this week also. Take time to read and don't rush. My test at surgery was 17.3 on blood glucose machine am now waiting on my hb result.

Have found this site great so far, so keep coming here with questions. Have you been put on meds?
 

Kerrmet

Newbie
Messages
1
So, no symptoms for me. Paid a visit to the GP last week about a sebaceous cyst and a precautionary HBa1c comes back as 108! My GP was as stunned as I was, I am 10st 4 and have followed a vegan diet for the past two years. Went and purchased a blood glucose machine that day, thinking the result must be wrong, only to find it well and truly confirmed - first test 24.3!

Spent a good 24hrs feeling flat as a pancake and asking why? how? Time now to take control and this looks like a great place to start.


Everything I have heard about type 2 is that it is almost impossible to have a plant based diet and have bs under control. There are too many carbs in what you are eating and not enough protein. I have followed the low carb high fat way of eating for 8 weeks and my fasting sugar went from 184 to 97. Read Dr. Bernsteins Diabetes Solution, considered the bible of diabetes books. Also there are some really awesome type 2 diabetes facebook support groups which have helped me tremendously! Best of Luck!

kerry
 

Norman Stanley

Active Member
Messages
25
Everything I have heard about type 2 is that it is almost impossible to have a plant based diet and have bs under control. There are too many carbs in what you are eating and not enough protein. I have followed the low carb high fat way of eating for 8 weeks and my fasting sugar went from 184 to 97. Read Dr. Bernsteins Diabetes Solution, considered the bible of diabetes books. Also there are some really awesome type 2 diabetes facebook support groups which have helped me tremendously! Best of Luck!

kerry
You can do it. It is just more difficult. Low carb nuts like Brazil, pecan, macadamias and almonds can play a part in getting the fat and therefore energy needs. Brazil nuts for example are 66% fat, 14% protein and only 4% carbs.

It takes more planning and effort but a vegan LCHF diet is possible.
 
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ringi

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3,365
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@KevLlo

Hello Kev and welcome to the Forum :) As mentioned above, here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and interesting. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will 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 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.
 

Jaz006

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
24.3 ? mine comes back as 9.5 and i was worried, normal is under 6.5, but the positive is you will get a new lifestyle better diet and exercise,dont worry too much

I was the same as you i went to the doctor for a cold and came out with diabetes ,high blood pressure and sciatica, wish i never went now :banghead:


Hugs to you :nurse:and remember we are always here:)
Lol@ wish I never went now quote...brilliant
 

jayney27

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,643
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome to the forum, hopefully you will find, support, motivation and new friends here. You will also discover that you are not alone, we are all walking this path together, we walk at different paces and sometimes get a bit lost but we are never alone.
As already suggested, take your time to come to terms with your diagnosis, read and ask questions, you will find us a lovely bunch of people.
Good luck and best wishes :)
 
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