Greetings from another Newbie

Noa

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello All

I was diagnosed T2 on 27th December 2018. Did come as a shock but I have other (multiple) health issues and am now very overweight so perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised.

My GP gave me a book about Diabetes, produced I think by the NHS. She told me my HbA1c number was 52 on the 18th December, which was why she had asked me to go in and see her. She also told me that she would refer me to clinic and for a retinopathy scan and also for an educational course. I was prescribed Metformin Sukkarto (SR) 500mg, initially 1 with evening meal for 2 weeks, then 2 with evening meal for 2 weeks and review in a month.

I had that review this afternoon. I feel it went very well and that my GP was very pleased. Since I saw her at the end of December I read the book she gave me, investigated the Diabetes UK website, took advice from here and bought myself a blood glucose monitor kit with testing strips and lancets. The kit came last Thursday so I’ve been using those to monitor my blood glucose levels and adjust diet accordingly, and it's really helped me. I've lost 4lbs this week! Took me a day or so to get the hang of using the lancets and testing my blood but I'm all right now. Pleased with my numbers, which I'm managing to keep fairly low all things considered. We went out for a meal last night for my husband’s birthday and I opted for the salmon which should have been served with new potatoes and seasonal veg, but I asked if I might forego the spuds and have extra veg and they were fine about it. So I was very pleased when I tested later and found my numbers remained low. Yay me.

This coming Friday 1st February I'm starting the Newcastle Diet as I believe it will help me lose weight fast (safely) and improve my blood sugar levels, which is what I want and am aiming for. I have a target weight loss but I won't say what it is yet - perhaps when I'm a quarter or half way there. This particular diet also lowers blood pressure and I am currently on medication for high blood pressure so my GP is being very supportive and prepared to monitor me to reduce medication as necessary as my BP drops naturally on this diet. When I've completed the 8 weeks, I'll start the Mediterranean Diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The ultimate goal is to reverse the diabetes and I am determined to do that. GP has also now provided the testing strips and lancets on prescription so I won't have to pay for them in future, and a sharps box. I'm glad about that as I had no idea what to do with all my used testing strips which have blood on them, and also the lancet needles. The sharps box will be a great help.

I want to say thank you to all of the people who created this site and manage and maintain it. And to those of you who have posted your success stories, and those whom like me, are very new to all of this and feel somewhat overwhelmed and are trying to navigate our own path on what is for each individual a very personal journey.

To everyone who has a plan, I wish you great success.

To those who haven’t yet formulated one, I offer encouragement for your next steps.

As Winston Churchill said, “If you're going through hell, keep going.”

You – we all – can do it. I believe that.
 

Rosie B

Member
Messages
21
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Noa
Well done with your Weight loss. I'm sure you'll find the Newcastle diet helpful .Read a little about it.
Like you I'm also newly diagnosed. HbA1c 82 . Blood sugar tests at home have been high. But I started Metformin yesterday (tues) and I've been so poorly .Vomiting and diarrhoea. So not the best start .I had it with food. Anyway I'll give it another go and hope it'll be better.

Keep going and don't give up .
 
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Noa

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello Rosie
I'm so sorry to hear that you've been so poorly and especially with the sickness and diarrhoea. No, not the best start. I think I've been very fortunate as I don't seem to have had any adverse reaction to the Metformin I'm on but have read on various posts here that many people have. I do hope your symptoms ease quickly and you feel better soon.
I must sound ridiculously positive in my first post. I'm just pleased that so far, even so early in my own journey, I've made what is for me better progress than I thought I could after hearing the diagnosis and trying not to worry about potential outcomes.
Are you on the SR metformin? Slow release? My GP told me there's was another option but she thought I would do better on this one. If you don't feel any better, perhaps you could query with your own doctor? Hopefully they will get the type and dosage right for you.
All the best.
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
Welcome to the forum @Noa and @Rosie B! It will be around 2.30 am in the UK, so probably not many forum members online now, but you should get more replies later.

@Noa Your type of diabetes (shown below your avatar) is shown as 'Insulin-dependent Type 2'. I gather from your post you have not been prescribed insulin. It would be best to change it to just 'Type 2' as forum members who are not on insulin themselves will be reluctant to give you any advice, as we don't know about insulin.
To change just go to your profile, click on 'personal details', and choose 'Type 2' in type of diabetes, and then click 'Save changes' at foot of page.
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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*
@Rosie B Metaformin often has those results initially, but they should go after about two weeks. If they persist you should ask your gp to prescribe the slow release version, Metaformin SR which is supposed to be without those side effects.
But if you can't cope with Metaformin, your HbA1c of 82 isn't very high. There are members on here with higher initial readings who have reduced their blood glucose by changing what they eat. Many find that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating has brought their figures down.

'Low Carbohydrate' means avoiding or limiting starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. Starchy carbs quickly turn to sugar in our bodies so aren't good for T2 diabetics. The energy you would have got from carbs is replaced by increasing intake of 'healthy fats' like oily fish, dairy products, avocados, olive oil and nuts. Protein is good too - meat, fish and eggs.

Have a read round the threads to see how this works, and ask as many questions as you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
 
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Rosie B

Member
Messages
21
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Noa, I'm on Metformin 500 mg. Not the slow release one.
I'm taking it first thing. Then next week I've to take it morning & night . Then week three I've to take 1000mg morning and night. I'm hoping the side effects will ease.

We've just got to keep going
 
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Rosie B

Member
Messages
21
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
@Rosie B Metaformin often has those results initially, but they should go after about two weeks. If they persist you should ask your gp to prescribe the slow release version, Metaformin SR which is supposed to be without those side effects.
But if you can't cope with Metaformin, your HbA1c of 82 isn't very high. There are members on here with higher initial readings who have reduced their blood glucose by changing what they eat. Many find that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating has brought their figures down.

'Low Carbohydrate' means avoiding or limiting starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. Starchy carbs quickly turn to sugar in our bodies so aren't good for T2 diabetics. The energy you would have got from carbs is replaced by increasing intake of 'healthy fats' like oily fish, dairy products, avocados, olive oil and nuts. Protein is good too - meat, fish and eggs.

Have a read round the threads to see how this works, and ask as many questions as you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
@Rosie B Metaformin often has those results initially, but they should go after about two weeks. If they persist you should ask your gp to prescribe the slow release version, Metaformin SR which is supposed to be without those side effects.
But if you can't cope with Metaformin, your HbA1c of 82 isn't very high. There are members on here with higher initial readings who have reduced their blood glucose by changing what they eat. Many find that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat approach to eating has brought their figures down.

'Low Carbohydrate' means avoiding or limiting starchy carbohydrates like potatoes, bread, pasta and rice. Starchy carbs quickly turn to sugar in our bodies so aren't good for T2 diabetics. The energy you would have got from carbs is replaced by increasing intake of 'healthy fats' like oily fish, dairy products, avocados, olive oil and nuts. Protein is good too - meat, fish and eggs.

Have a read round the threads to see how this works, and ask as many questions as you want. The people on here are friendly and supportive, and you will get a lot of good advice.
 

Debandez

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,019
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome @Noa firstly I will tag in @daisy1 who will send you lots of invaluable info.

You already have a plan. And a great plan it is too. Lowering your carbs. Carbs turn to sugar and not good for us diabetics.

You will find lots of encouragement on this amazing forum. You have joined the best diabetic club in the world! So much info, advice, support and everyone is so friendly.

I myself was diagnosed a year before you, December 17. Hba1c 62. I found DCUK and LCHF woe and never looked back. I asked my DN to bear with me whilst I tried diet. Didn't accept the metformin. I lost 1 stone in my first month and the same in my 2nd and was flabbergasted! But the icing on the low carb cake was in Feb 18 my hba1c was in pre diabetic range at 47. When I checked my bp (which had been borderline for meds) it was showing me as an athlete! 110 over 66 being an example. In May my hba1c was 41 and non diabetic. I had reached my target weight (lost over 50lbs). Now I'm maintaining. My current hba1c is 39 but I have a home a1c now kit which tells me it's 31. And that is all down to having a blood sugar testing kit and cutting out or right back on the carbs that spike me, potaties, rice, pasta, bread, cereals, juice mainly. I have found great alternatives through the the thread 'what have you eaten today'. Take a look.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/unread

Good luck on your journey.
 
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Diawara

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,298
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Prem51 thanks for your information.
I'm doing Michael Mosleys blood sugar eating plan .And it's very much protein & healthy fats / low/no carbohydrates. It's suiting me well. I've lost 12lb in 3 weeks .So im very encouraged.
Thank you for your help.
nearly a year ago i was diagnosed fasting blood sugars were 15.0 i followed mms 8 week blood sugar diet...t by june last year my hb1acwas down to 5.5% and off metformin so good luck...
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@Noa
Hello Noa and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and helpful.

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.
 
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Noa

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
@Rosie B, I love your avatar! I've just finished reading Michael Mosley’s 8-week blood sugar eating plan, about to mooch through the recipe book. Well done you for that incredible weight loss.

@Prem51, many thanks for the lovely welcome. Is my info showing correctly now? If so, thanks for assistance and if not…I’ll look and try again. How do you get all the information shown at the foot of your post? Is it used as a signature?

@Debandez, thanks to you too for the welcome, and for tagging in @daisy1. It’s a relief to hear that my plan is okay and I’m not just leaping about gung-ho. I do think this forum is amazing and the people here are very supportive and helpful. So glad I found it. There’s another one which I think the NHS promotes, but I saw a lot of posts insisting that diabetes can’t be reversed and I believe it can – too much research and information and people who have done it to argue that point! So I left that forum alone and didn’t engage in it. Congratulations on your incredible journey of hard work, persistence and success! You are an inspiration. I’m so pleased for you that you’ve reached your target weight. Gives me hope that I can do it, too. I’ll check out the links you kindly provided.

@Diawara, I appreciate your confirmation that the 8 week blood sugar diet really works. Congratulations on achieving such a healthy outcome. I think it’s great that you still post on the forum, by the way, because these kinds of experiences are just so encouraging to those of us just starting out. Thank you.

And to the Legend that is @daisy1, thanks for the welcome and all the info. I am reading everything I can to learn and understand about diabetes and how to control/manage/reverse it.
 
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Debandez

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,019
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
@Rosie B, I love your avatar! I've just finished reading Michael Mosley’s 8-week blood sugar eating plan, about to mooch through the recipe book. Well done you for that incredible weight loss.

@Prem51, many thanks for the lovely welcome. Is my info showing correctly now? If so, thanks for assistance and if not…I’ll look and try again. How do you get all the information shown at the foot of your post? Is it used as a signature?

@Debandez, thanks to you too for the welcome, and for tagging in @daisy1. It’s a relief to hear that my plan is okay and I’m not just leaping about gung-ho. I do think this forum is amazing and the people here are very supportive and helpful. So glad I found it. There’s another one which I think the NHS promotes, but I saw a lot of posts insisting that diabetes can’t be reversed and I believe it can – too much research and information and people who have done it to argue that point! So I left that forum alone and didn’t engage in it. Congratulations on your incredible journey of hard work, persistence and success! You are an inspiration. I’m so pleased for you that you’ve reached your target weight. Gives me hope that I can do it, too. I’ll check out the links you kindly provided.

@Diawara, I appreciate your confirmation that the 8 week blood sugar diet really works. Congratulations on achieving such a healthy outcome. I think it’s great that you still post on the forum, by the way, because these kinds of experiences are just so encouraging to those of us just starting out. Thank you.

And to the Legend that is @daisy1, thanks for the welcome and all the info. I am reading everything I can to learn and understand about diabetes and how to control/manage/reverse it.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Best foot forward.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Noa, I'm on Metformin 500 mg. Not the slow release one.
I'm taking it first thing. Then next week I've to take it morning & night . Then week three I've to take 1000mg morning and night. I'm hoping the side effects will ease.

We've just got to keep going
Hi and welcome. For most people the side effects fade after a week or two. If not then do ask the GP for the Slow Release SR version. Yes, the low carb diet will help provide a long-term lifestyle change
 
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Prem51

Expert
Messages
7,393
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
*
@Prem51, many thanks for the lovely welcome. Is my info showing correctly now? If so, thanks for assistance and if not…I’ll look and try again. How do you get all the information shown at the foot of your post? Is it used as a signature?
Hi @Noa, your description is still showing 'Insulin-Dependent Type 2' . After you have changed your 'Type of Diabetes' you need to scroll down to the little green box with 'Save Changes' and click on that.
You can put anything you want in 'Signature' which will be shown under all your posts.
 

Noa

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello everyone

I was due to start the Newcastle Diet on Friday 1st February but actually on that day I was unwell and had to cancel and reschedule an appointment as I felt too ill to leave the house. On Saturday morning I was violently sick, developed awful abdominal pain, which continued into Sunday. Because I hadn't eaten much and hadn't been able to keep anything down, I opted to use the Asda Great Shape shakes as an easy way to 'eat' and I drank plenty of fluids. Those shakes are one of the recommended products for the Newcastle Diet. By Tuesday I was no better and had to go to bed, and the rest of that week is a blur really. The pain was truly awful and at one point I thought it might be a flare up of diverticulitis so began a course of antibiotics as my GP is kind enough to allow me to always keep some in for this very reason, not that it happens regularly. But in addition to the pain and the nausea and vomiting etc, I did have bleeding and what I call 'liver lumps' within the blood. Forgive me if this is too much information as I'm just trying to explain what was going on. So I stopped the drinks, started the antibiotics, stayed in bed as much as I could and somehow survived on water, mint tea and clear soup. I also stopped taking the Metformin as we weren't sure if it was causing the problems. Happily, the antibiotics seemed to do the trick, the pain eventually subsided, the bleeding stopped and I was able to get up and stay up, but I've been so exhausted it seems to have taken me days to feel something like human again. I started the Metformin again on Thursday evening with my meal, and yesterday I had two of the shakes, one for breakfast and one for lunch. Unfortunately, the pain is back and I don't know if it's the shakes causing it or the Metformin having got back into my system.

I won't have the shake drinks again, and I've decided to stop the Metformin altogether. Will I be okay not taking it? Throughout all of this my numbers have been good. One strange thing that did happen is that I lost a stone in weight but when I stopped taking the Metformin due to the pain etc, I put almost half a stone back on almost immediately! Is that common?

Apologies for jumping around all over the place in this post, it's the first chance I've had to return to the forum since I posted last.

My appointments have come through for Diabetes Clinic Course - 7th March - and retinopathy scan - 15th March. I will mention all of this at clinic and see what they say but just wondered if general view is that Metformin is likely culprit?
 

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Possibly the metformin it is know to cause tummy problems if it is the standard one .It will not hurt you to stop it for a few days but do mention it to your doctor if you think it is the cause. There is a slow release version which many people find kinder on the stomach ask your doctor for that if you are not having it already. Hope you feel better soon
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,849
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
As Metformin is notorious for causing gastric upset I do wonder whatever your doctor thought would happen prescribing it to you with your medical history.