newbie

[groggyj]

i have just been diagnosed on Thursday , and was wondering how to get my energy back as i want to excercise but no energy to do it, i can just about get through a day @ work and clean when i get in . They havent told what type i am either which is confusing me even more . I feel i have been left in limbo really . Help needed xx

 

[xyzzy]

Hello groggyj and welcome to the forum.

If you are feeling very unwell you need to visit your doctor and get him to do the tests to determine type as soon as possible as without knowing what type you are it will be very difficult for forum members to offer good and safe advice to you.

btw your details are showing you as Type 2 Diet Only. If you don't know what Type you are perhaps you should change that or someone may accidentally offer you the wrong kind of advice.

take care

 

[groggyj]

Thanks for that xyzzy ,im going to get up there asap xx . i didnt know i gotta see the GP too i though i would just go to clinic .

 

[xyzzy]

Not a problem groggyj sometimes going to see the doctor may get your treatment sorted out faster I noticed in your other post you said you would have to wait 4 weeks before seeing anyone. If you are feeling very unwell then the best person to tell is your doctor.

 

[groggyj]

hi all , been to see the doc type 2 , diet for 3 months , blood pressure up and choleseterol up. gotta go back next week to have bp done again , if its still up tabs for that straight away .

 

[daisy1]

Hi groggyj and welcome to the forum I think this information which I give to new members should help you. Ask as many questions you like as there is always someone here to 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 30,000 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

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

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

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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please sign our e-petition for free testing for all type 2's; here's the link:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/petition/

Do get your friends and colleagues to sign as well.

 

[xyzzy]

hi all , been to see the doc type 2 , diet for 3 months , blood pressure up and choleseterol up. gotta go back next week to have bp done again , if its still up tabs for that straight away .

Same as most of us T2's started out then :lol:

I'll quickly explain what worked for me and got my blood sugar levels back to normal within around a couple of months or so. Not a cure as I still have to be careful what I eat but am now feeling great! I am really happy that I have minimised the risk of all those nasty complications. I was diagnosed in early December last year so just 4 months ago and have now lost 3 stone in weight as well.

Diet wise its really easy. Just drastically cut down or better cut out all things with plain sugar, so biscuits, cakes, sugar in tea and coffee, pure fruit juices, non diet versions of soft drinks. Next try halving starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and any other flour based products. Replace what's now missing with extra meat, fish, eggs, cheese and especially vegetables. Vegetables that grow above ground are best although most of us find carrots fine. Things like yoghurt are fine as is a small amount of fresh fruit. I find the ones that end in "berry" are the best. If you don't mind artificial sweeteners things like Diet Coke are fine to drink. On the starchy foods that are left swap to the brown versions as they are better for bloods sugars so brown rice, pasta and bread. The bread that most recommend is actually Bergen soya bread.

The above diet is close to one you would be one recommended to try by the Swedish Health service. It was introduced in that country last year and the American health services and several other countries health services recommend something very similar. You may find it conflicts with advice given to you in this country as we have yet to update and still use older dietary recommendations. In fact we use diet guidelines that are over 30 years old. If you want to read more about the modern ways there is a thread discussing it with some useful links here http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28402

Next most members would recommend you test your own blood sugar levels. Did your doctor give you a meter and strips? Some do and some don't. It's a bit of a post code lottery and we find some progressive surgeries are pro testing and others anti. I'll warn you the anti ones can sometimes be very vocally anti!

The reason testing is important is you should try and keep your blood sugars below 8ish two hours after eating any meal. Above the 8 value is where the dangers of complications do begin to occur according to diabetic experts. So if you can't test how will you now if what you are eating is keeping you safe? The problem is every diabetic is different so my earlier advice to halve starchy foods is just a rough guide. You may find you need to eat less than half (like me) or that you can eat more than half (look some others)

As you get into it all and read around the forum you may see people talking about carb counting. If you want to understand what that is just ask. It is a powerful weapon that a diabetic can use to control their condition and one that many of us use to great effect.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

 

[groggyj]

hia all well. bought my 1st meter today before food it was 5 and 2hrs after food it was 8.7 ! 2 nimble , brown pasta 1 handful, and a piece of salmon in garlic and thats all ive had today and lots of tea with sweetener :crazy: oh and spinach lol not sure if 8.7 is acceptable.

 

[xyzzy]

Well done! Do you mean nimble the bread?

8.5 is the UK limit, 7.8 is used by loads of other countries which is why I said 8ish.

Most of the spike (your rise in BG's) in your meal will be coming from either the bread or the pasta. If the bread is white and you don't mind brown try swapping to brown as it "processes" slower and won't spike you as much. Either that or drop the pasta a tad. Just make sure you're eating enough though! The idea is to replace the starchy stuff with other foods or else you'll get to hungry.

Take a look around the low carb recipe ideas you will find on the forum there are loads of great ones.

Try not to think of the new way of eating as a diet as in the normal everday meaning of the word. It should be thought of as a means of controlling your blood sugars first. You're very likely to lose weight on it anyway as most people do.

Try and remember you are aiming for a long term life changing think rather than just a short term weight loss thing.

8.7 is brilliant as a first go and starting off at 5 is brilliant as well. :clap:

Keep asking questions.

 

[groggyj]

Hi All, sorry its been a long time . i had my 1st clinic the other day which went well , ive lost 18 lbs since i found out im t2 and i dont need meds for now as im doing it through losing weight . The clinic has put me foreward for the Desmond course , and they have put the strips etc on my script . . Onwards and upwards xxxx

 

[xyzzy]

Hi All, sorry its been a long time . i had my 1st clinic the other day which went well , ive lost 18 lbs since i found out im t2 and i dont need meds for now as im doing it through losing weight . The clinic has put me foreward for the Desmond course , and they have put the strips etc on my script . . Onwards and upwards xxxx

Brilliant news and well done losing 18lbs you must be really pleased! Let us know how you're doing and ask any thing you want :wave:

 

[groggyj]

Hi All sorry havent been on here for a bit , going for the eye test fri so i wont be driving after lol. And thanks for the comments

 

[xyzzy]

Hi All sorry havent been on here for a bit , going for the eye test fri so i wont be driving after lol. And thanks for the comments

Good luck with that sure it will all be fine I have my own booked in a couple of weeks :wave:

 

[sugerfree]

i diagnosed 3 months ago,eyes ok ,but tiredness so so bad ,cut all sugar out.and changed diet ,up and down days ,and yes tiredness was so so bad ,started meds ,and dont seem as tired ,on a good day .miss my cup of tea with sugar so so much ,i dream off and chocolate i drewl

 

[groggyj]

hi sugarfree, the tiredness gets me too more than anything else :shock: