Diagnosed today, feeling a little lost and uninformed

[BeccaJu]

Hi everyone, I had a blood test as part of a health check and it came back with high levels, so had a further test and today the nurse confirmed I have Type 2. However, that was it, not much information given just a little piece of paper with D.J Unwin on (which I have since worked out to be D R Unwin and to show me three sheets of sugar equivalent for certain foods. I was told to go away change my diet and come back in three months and that was it.

I did have gestational diabetes with my youngest daughter who was born in 2014, I completely diet managed, had to test blood sugars daily etc so I wrongly expected to being similar.

I guess I just need a virtual hug and some tips on what to do to start out, other than when I had GD I am terrible at diets!

 

[mouseee]

Welcome.
It's not a diet! Theres huge motivation to eat the right things when you know you are keeping yourself healthy not just trying to lose weight!

Get the blood glucose monitor out, get testing before and after meals and you'll get this licked! Get your carbs low and you'll feel better than you have for ages...

I've gone from hba1c 101 to 39 in 7 months through Low carb.

Loads of support here for you! It's where I've learnt all I needed to make changes to be honest.

 

[PNJB]

It feels very daunting to bee given your diagnosis, but right here on this website is where you will be given truck loads of guidance and support. There is a wealth of helpful info here and a myriad people to offer support. First things first, look at some of the type 2 forum diet suggestions. They will all inform and educate you . Changing your diet is not a massive enterprise. It is an education of your mindset and dietary requirements. Over the next 3 months you will also be offered a DESMOND course by your GP to guide your first steps. Your diabetes bloodtest is known as Hb1Ac. This will be taken twice a year by your GP to monitor you. When you phone up for the results at your surgery, ALWAYS ask for a printout so that you can readily monitor what elements are outside normal range. These are the particular ones you should discuss with your GP to bring them back into range.. Secondly, ask your GP to dispense a Blood Sugar monitor and strips so that you can accurately monitor your own readings. Hope this is helpful info. Think of your diagnosis, not as an issue, but rather an early warning to modify your dietary lifestyle. In November my Hb1Ac was 66. In January it was 41. It can be done if you want it hard enough.

 

[BeccaJu]

I wasn't given a blood glucose monitor or told about it. Just told to change my diet.

 

[PNJB]

I wasn't given a blood glucose monitor or told about it. Just told to change my diet.

Just ask your GP (Or the Diabetes Nurse) at your surgery. Changing your diet is easy. Just click on the type 2 Diabetes forum on this web site and read all the excellent guidance other members have written about. Buy a good pair of scales and monitor your weight weekly, with an eager wish to lose any excess weight that diabetes causes you to put on. I started on this web site at 143 kg and now am 103 kg. Many others here were the guidance I needed to persevere. If you are not yet on Metformin or other "meds", make a note of them and their dosage, as they are prescribed. What you do not monitor, you do not manage.

 

[NéjiSaïdi]

Hi everyone, I had a blood test as part of a health check and it came back with high levels, so had a further test and today the nurse confirmed I have Type 2. However, that was it, not much information given just a little piece of paper with D.J Unwin on (which I have since worked out to be D R Unwin and to show me three sheets of sugar equivalent for certain foods. I was told to go away change my diet and come back in three months and that was it.

I did have gestational diabetes with my youngest daughter who was born in 2014, I completely diet managed, had to test blood sugars daily etc so I wrongly expected to being similar.

I guess I just need a virtual hug and some tips on what to do to start out, other than when I had GD I am terrible at diets!

One major step would a self-imposed diet change. You need to educate yourself about a healthy life-style. A healthy life-style would include regular exercise, good quality sleep, and ingesting the right food for you. The right food si a very individual concept; you need to keep record of what you eat and test regularly to see how your system reacts to macro-nutrients. What is good for someone might not be for you. As a start, you ought to rid your gut of refined carbs and processed food as much as you can; the more, the better. Secondly, you need to see which type of low carb diets is the one for you. I cannot recommend anything because I don't make part of the medical profession. All I have posted springs from personal experience with T2D. My diabetes is in remission, now; which has taken me lots of trial-and-error, experimenting, finger-pricking AND thousands of Google/YouTube searches &viewing. Good luck

 

[mouseee]

Most T2s wont be prescribed a blood glucose monitor and the NHS line still seems to be you dont need to test. For me, that's a bit like trying to run a personal best without a stop watch.
If you tested when you had GD then you'll know you can start to gauge your highs and lows and you can see what food you can tolerate without rises.

You can get a really cheap one from Amazon, you'll get links from others or search the forum! I got mine from Tesco which was £10 and £10 for 100 strips which last for a good while.

 

[Antje77]

I guess I just need a virtual hug and some tips on what to do to start out

Here's the hug!
As for where to get started, you might find our short introduction to diabetes useful: https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/basic-information-for-newly-diagnosed-diabetics.26870/

And then there's @JoKalsbeek , who'll be happy to tell you more about food

I am terrible at diets!

I think one of the main benefits of a glucose meter is getting direct feedback on how different foods affect you. With 'normal' diets the goal is a vague thing in the future, with diabetes it's about choosing the foods that don't mess up your blood glucose in the next 3 hours.

Good luck!

 

[xfieldok]

By pointing you at Dr Unwin, your nurse is indicating she is not against low carb. Keep her! So many health care professionals tell T2s to eat brown bread, pasta and rice etc, and no need to test, are so far behind current research, it is painful to read. Welcome to the forum, and stick with us.

 

[surdoux]

At least you got a 'bit of paper'!!, I was diagnosed only a few weeks ago, with no info. from doctor, all he said was "You've got diabetes, I'll arrange for you to go on a Desmond course". Knowing less than nothing, and being, in retrospect, a state of shock, I meekly went home and started researching. My immediate reaction was to cut out bread, cakes (I LOVED cake), biscuits, potatoes, in fact, any starchy foods at all, plus below ground vegetables. Next, I bought quite a few books (guides and recipes), and decided after reading the books and going back through the posts on this site (thank God I found it, it has been superb), to go on the 800 diet - with a few modifications to the recipes, as I found many of them to be a bit arty-farty for my liking. I also bought a second hand exercise bike (thirty pound off ebay - don't even think about buying a new one), a set of kettlebells, a blood glucose meter, a decent pair of walking shoes, a Fitbit watch and smart scales. As you might guess by now, I was taking this seriously and would do my utmost to control this thing and NOT let it get the better of me. I'm 72, 6 foot one and a bit (okay, a lot), overweight, although I play golf regularly and never really thought of me as unfit as such. However, I obviously was, as I found out once I started exercising. It has now been two weeks on the 800 diet, and six weeks since being diagnosed. I've lost a stone, feel fitter, walking further and building up an exercise regime, pathetic though it is. My wife has been an absolute angel, and has even joined me on the diet. She shops and cooks and checks every carb and calorie that I have, and to be honest, the meals are good, I don't feel particularly hungry, and although I do miss the stuff I don't eat any more, I realise that I have to do without them, apart from a few possible dates when I may have a treat.

So what, in a roundabout way, I'm trying to say is that yes, you are right to be concerned, but with some knowledge, a positive attitude and the invaluable help and advice you will get on here, you will be able to cope, improve and put your life under your own control.

 

[Sgathach]

I guess I just need a virtual hug and some tips on what to do to start out, other than when I had GD I am terrible at diets!

*hugs* you got this, I was also only recently diagnosed and still learning. I really found though, the more I learned and understood, the better I felt and I had something I was able to DO and manage rather than being stuck in that shock situation after diagnosis.

One step at a time. you got this ^.^

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi everyone, I had a blood test as part of a health check and it came back with high levels, so had a further test and today the nurse confirmed I have Type 2. However, that was it, not much information given just a little piece of paper with D.J Unwin on (which I have since worked out to be D R Unwin and to show me three sheets of sugar equivalent for certain foods. I was told to go away change my diet and come back in three months and that was it.

I did have gestational diabetes with my youngest daughter who was born in 2014, I completely diet managed, had to test blood sugars daily etc so I wrongly expected to being similar.

I guess I just need a virtual hug and some tips on what to do to start out, other than when I had GD I am terrible at diets!

Hugs aplenty, apply when needed.

You really do need to change your way of life; It's more than a diet, which sounds temporary, and this isn't anything other than a for-life kind of deal... But like @Antje77 said, it's easier when you see the results instantly...! It makes all the difference. Plus, you won't have to go hungry and there's plenty of good, tasty stuff to eat, (I mean, come on, bacon!), so it's a bit more sustainable than some diets can be.
Have a read here, it's everything I wish someone'd told me right when I was diagnosed: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

Like has been mentioned you need a meter, and as has been mentioned too, the NHS isn't likely to supply one. You want one with cheap strips, as that's where the costs are. How to use it effectively is also in the Nutritional Thingy I linked above. And how to get a good meter? I bugged Rachox enough to have her tell me to just copy and paste the info she usually provides, so, so here it is:

Here’s some info on UK meters, and to be clear I have no commercial connections with any of the companies mentioned. For a meter with cheap strips go for the Tee2 + found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here:

http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/

Some members have got a free Tee2 by phoning up to order, with a large order of strips they often throw the meter in for free:

Phone number 0800 8815423

With more expensive strips is the Caresens Dual which I currently use, this one has the advantage of glucose and ketone testing in one machine, it’s to be found here:

https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual

And to be totally transparent I used to use the SD Code Free from Home Health which has the cheapest strips available. However I found it to be becoming less and less reliable. Here it is for anyone wanting to give it a go, just bear in mind it seems they are replacing it with the Navii, details below.

http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/

and here for the extra strips

http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/

There are discount codes if you buy in bulk.

5 packs 264086

10 packs 975833

Home Health have recently bought out this one too, but I haven’t heard any reviews yet, links to strips and the meter:

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/

https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/gluconavii-blood-sugar-meter-glucose-monitor-starter-kit/

Don’t forget to check the box if you have pre diabetes or diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)
​

I hope all this helps... Also, if you read the link and want to know oodles more, check Dr. Jason Fung's book, the Diabetes Code, dietdoctor.com and this forum's website, diabetes.co.uk. (Not .org!). It's a bit of an uphill climb, but it is worth it, I promise you.
Jo