Type 2 newly diagnosed and scared

[Daibell]

A nurse friend advised me when I started using a meter to run my fingers under a hot tap for a minute or two so that the capillaries were open. This means you can set the needle depth to a minmum level to get the small drop of blood needed; you do get used to it and it's just a prick.

 

[happypixi]

I have been told that when you do a BG test, dont prick the tip or the fleshy bit on your finger, do it at the side as it does not hurt as much.

I have just been told today that it looks very much like I'm a type two diabetic, I have my HBA1C test tomorrow, medication will start on tuesday, looks like I'm being given metformin but have to see doctor again on tuesday.

my Bg was 7.2 on my last blood test and 8.0 on the one before that. I was told about three/four years ago that I could be diabetic but my previous GP never did anything else, he got me to blood test every day for seven days but nothing after that.

I telephoned my GP surgery on tuesday and the receptionist said that no further action was needed regarding my blood test and then i get told by my GP that yes, you are more than likely diabetic type two. I sure am glad that i kept my appointment.

I'm not really scared as I have two really good friends who are both type two and they have already given me lots of advice.

 

[caesarella]

I would recommend you read the book that we use that has been very helpful. Trouble is that I am from the US and not sure if it is available there. We restrict our carbs to 15g of fast-acting carbs per meal with very good success. But I do have a question. Why isn't monitoring equipment given with new diabetes diagnosis?

 

[hanadr]

Lucy
pretty much everything that should be told to you has been. Control of carbs is necessary for good blood glucose numbers. [Normal non-diabetics have a bg reading about 5 most of the time]
I keep batting my head up against medics who advise high carb low fat diets for BG control they SEE it doesn't work and still say it.
They'd rather believe the patient is non-compliant than that their advice is rubbish.
As to getting a meter, I have to buy my supplies, because my health centre and PCT will not prescribe them for me. I buy from Abbott Diabetes Care, where 50 strips cost about £16 including P&P. Their service is exemplary. I use the Freestyle Mini meter. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles; it only has 3 buttons, but you can download to he computer if you want to. I don't bother.
If you think you want to try the low carb route, Which I'd heartily recommend[I've been low carb for years with only good effects, such as non-diabetic BG levels], there are meal ideas on this forum and I find cookbooks designed for the Atkins diet very helpful. Atkins suits T2 very well.
Ultimately, it's dowwn to you to control T2, although your healthcare team might not be particularly helpful
Hana

 

[lucylocket61]

Thanks for all the help everyone

My meter has arrived. How often and when should I test? My surgery seems to think I dont need to test at all. I see the practice nurse tomorrow, but she will probably say 'no testing' too.

 

[xyzzy]

Thanks for all the help everyone

My meter has arrived. How often and when should I test? My surgery seems to think I dont need to test at all. I see the practice nurse tomorrow, but she will probably say 'no testing' too.

Yes she probably will but just ignore her at least to start with while you get yourself "sorted"

Testing is a very individualistic thing so this is my opinion. I would say to start with the minimum should be 2 hours after each meal and when you first wake up (I do mean when you first wake up not 45 mins later just before brekkie.) I'd also test just before your main meal as well. Optionally test before the other meals. So that at the start is 5 times a day or 7 if you do the optional ones so that's pretty intensive to begin with.

When I started I used testing for two purposes.

First it was a way of keeping me good and competitive "YES new world record low etc, etc.!" Writing the results down helps keep you good. Don't know why but the act of writing it down (or in my case typing it into a spreadsheet) is far more powerful psychologically than just looking at the meter reading. It kind of makes the reading you get a permenant thing whereas on the meter its just the last reading that gets lost by the next one you do so far more easy to forget bad ones.

Secondly I obviously used it to see how I was improving day by day and how I reacted to each type of food. It's this later thing that then allows you to begin to reduce testing. The obvious thing is to work out "safe" meals i.e. meals that you know are not going to raise your BG's so on those you don't need to test. Alternatively work out a range of safe breakfasts and lunches and then only test before and 2 hours after you main meal. I'd stick with the wake up test for a while as I found it was a really good indicator of my overall levels were progressing.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Ref the morning test just be aware that due to overnight glycogen dumping by the liver to get you going for the day and which varies from person to person and day to day that it can affect early morning tests.

 

[lucylocket61]

Thanks for the help I will google 'glycogen dump' in a minute.

Is it just me or does it seem odd that at a time when you are feeling low and vulnerable and shocked, you have to start hassling for treatment like meters and strips?

I wonder how much money an amputation costs compared to access to proper monitoring equiptment for say 30 years?

It just seems mad and more costly to me to refuse to help patents help themselves in this way. :shock:

 

[lucylocket61]

I have seen the practice nurse. Came back with a diet sheet telling me to have carbs every meal. And a booklet from DiabetesUK. And come back in 3 months for another HbA1c test.

Thats it.

Thanks to this site i was able to ask to be referred to a DESMOND course, but whether that will happen or not I dont know. I forgot to ask about blood pressure or cholesterol - and she didnt mention it. Should I be being referred to a dietician and optical person and foot person?

I feel like I am going to have to fight the surgery for any treatment or referrals. And I dont want to fight. I shouldnt have to fight.

I'm tired, and scared and feel abandoned by the NHS.

 

[xyzzy]

I'm tired, and scared and feel abandoned by the NHS.

That sums up quite a lot of people and its such a shame. Just ask everything you need to know here. Like you but 3 months in I have yet to be told what happens with eye tests and like you the nurse is only concerned about HbA1c tests and then only when I demanded another one so I'm going to ask my gp if I can add a cholesterol test to the HbA1c test.

 

[spendercat]

I am sorry to say that most doctors and nurses are not very interested in Diabetes. It is not very dramatic and it is not curable. They suspect it to be self inflicted. If you insist upon specific treatment they will probably go along with it, because that's the line of least resistance. Otherwise they will hand you the leaflet, give you the statutory minimum treatment, and expect you to go away and either treat yourself and improve, in which case they take the credit, or follow their recommendations and get worse, in which case it is your fault for not complying.
They are only human.

 

[Defren]

I'm tired, and scared and feel abandoned by the NHS.

I'm newly diagnosed as well, and like you am tired and scared. I have bought my own meter, should be here tomorrow. I have already made up my mind, I am going to ignore the dietary and testing advice from my surgery, and follow the people here. The folk here live with diabetes every day, so should know what they are talking about. I went to Google and found a carb counter, and used that to plan my main meal today. I am really pleased that I have only had 36 carbs, so far, and as I am really full, won't be having anything else, and if I do it will only be a single well done you jaffa cake

 

[lucylocket61]

Does it matter when and how you have your daily carbs?

I typically have around 15g for breakfast, 65g at lunch and another 15g at tea time. The rest (approx 10) are in my cups of tea and i cup of coffee with sugar a day.

Does this sound OK? I havent started testing yet. A combination of cowardice, confusion and not wanting to go against what the practice nurse said.

 

[Daibell]

The best thing is to eat little and often to spread the glucose hit from the carbs. I'm not aware of any reason to have carbs at any particular time of day although I think late at night is best avoided. Do you really add sugar to your drink? I always use a sweetener and there are many to choose from. Do try to train yourself off added sugar as it will give you more flexibility for other more interesting carbs.

 

[happypixi]

Im newly diagnosed type 2, my GP said that they dont usually like type 2 to test BG but he found me a new blood glucose meter, I have been put on 500mg metformin once a day and been told to test twice a day. I see GP in two weeks and the diabetes specialist nurse in april 3rd (she's booked up till then!!!!)

Im just going to keep carbs low until I see DSN.

 

[milesrf]

I have been diagnosed type 2 this week. I am scared. I have been doing high card/low fat dieting on the advice of my HCA, for the past 16 weeks cos i need to lose 10 stones of weight. My sugar levels are going up and up, I have only lost 3kg in 16 weeks, and I am now diabetic

Help!!!! I dont want to die of obesity and diabetes.

my next appointment with a doctor is in 3 weeks.

my Hca-thingy test last week was 7.2, up from 6.1 before i started dieting.

For those with type 2, the low-carb method of dieting to lose weight and control type 2 is often harder to start, but tends to work better. The most successful people I've seen over the years at controlling type 2 on various web forums and on newsgroups were almost always those who used the low-carb method.

I was diagnosed with type 2 ten years ago, went onto a low-carb diet within months, and have not yet had to start insulin. Exercise is not very practical for me since the reason for the diagnosis was some checking in the emergency room after I had a stroke that left me unable to work since then, or even move very fast.

You may want to ask your doctor if a low-carb diet is an acceptable method of losing weight. Basically, you avoid all foods with much sugar or starch at first, but can add rather limited amounts of them back to your diet after the type 2 is under control.

 

[milesrf]

Im newly diagnosed type 2, my GP said that they dont usually like type 2 to test BG but he found me a new blood glucose meter, I have been put on 500mg metformin once a day and been told to test twice a day. I see GP in two weeks and the diabetes specialist nurse in april 3rd (she's booked up till then!!!!)

Im just going to keep carbs low until I see DSN.

For metformin, 500mg a day is seldom enough to do much with your type 2. It's started at a low dose and then built up in order to help you past some of the side effects for new users.

I've found that testing my BG for the first few years after I was diagnosed with type 2 helped me learn what is or is not safe to eat and still control type 2 with a low-carb diet. I seldom test now, though.

I found that the best times to test were as soon as you wake up in the morning, and at the peak reading time after the start of a meal (the peak reading time varies for different people, but is 1 to 2 hours after the start of the meal for most).

 

[milesrf]

Thank you for your replies. That is more info than I have had in 16 weeks of medical involvement.

I want to start to cook meals from scratch. Can you recommend a book which gives the the carbs of ingredients, rather than of ready meals or ready-made food please?

I haven't seen it as a book, but it's available as a website:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR15/wtrank/wt_rank.html

Requires you to have the ability to read PDF documents. Suitable software for that is available free from Adobe.

 

[milesrf]

Thanks. Is there a limit to how few carbs I must eat? Do I have to have a certain amount?

I dont know how I will know my blood sugar levels. I havent got a monitor or anything and I dont see my doctor for another 3 weeks, let alone have any blood test appointments. Who should I talk to about it?

I feel so much better and happier now I have started posting.

Carbs are not essential unless you have a liver problem that prevents turning proteins into glucose, or a kidney problem that interferes with disposing of the wastes from this conversion. Still, some people have found that keeping a limited amount of carbs in their diets helps control their BG levels.

Here in the US, doctors often have their nurses take blood samples for blood tests when you see them. A few types of blood tests require going elsewhere, though.

 

[milesrf]

Thanks for the help I will google 'glycogen dump' in a minute.

Is it just me or does it seem odd that at a time when you are feeling low and vulnerable and shocked, you have to start hassling for treatment like meters and strips?

I wonder how much money an amputation costs compared to access to proper monitoring equiptment for say 30 years?

It just seems mad and more costly to me to refuse to help patents help themselves in this way. :shock:

I've seen two other names for it more often:

dawn phenomenon
Somogyi effect

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/Articles/Diabetes-Definitions/dawn_phenomenon/