so thats why!

welsh_kev

Active Member
Messages
37
Hi, im kev and was diagnosed as a type 2 9 days ago. Forgive me as i ramble and please be kind.
i was basically feeling awful for the last few months will some, not all, of the classic symptoms. Being a bloke i chose to ignore them.
Ended up in docs with a water infection, quick urine test..told i was diabetic and to come back next day for blood tests.
Rang that night by out of hours doc and told bg was about 20? And to get back to docs next day. Doc has put me on metformin, 500mg to be ramped upto 3 times a day over 2 weeks.
Basically told to take pills, dont bother testing as only t1 need to do that and watch my diet, and to come back in 3 months.
Right, from the first day i knew, i have pretty much cut out carbs and sugar etc, upped my exercise and ordered a testing kit. I need to know whats going on inside me and adjust my diet to those foods that suit me.
Doc wont provide testing strips etc for reasons above.
My question at the mo is should i run with the accu chek meter when it arrives or should i go for the one that is available from amazon that appears cheaper all round?
Also, can i say what a superb source of information this forum is. I feel so much better since eating what seems to be a better suited diet and the improvements in such a short time are superb and very rewarding!!
 

dawnmc

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,431
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Well done Kev, you have picked the right route, you will find that after all your checks etc, you will be advised to eat starchy carbs with every meal. The best meter really is the one you can get cheaper test strips for. But test 2 hours after a meal to see if that food has affected your blood. You may find that metformin may become unnecesary after a while. To be honest taking it has had no effect on my BG level.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Kev and welcome to the forum :)

You will have lots of questions to begin with and this is the best place to ask them as there is always someone who will be able to answer. Sounds like you are already on the right track. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find this helpful.


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.
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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.
 

librarising

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,116
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
welsh_kev wrote
Also, can i say what a superb source of information this forum is. I feel so much better since eating what seems to be a better suited diet and the improvements in such a short time are superb and very rewarding!!

What a great story.

The major expense with meters is the strips, so if you're looking to economise, go for the cheaper version.
Testing is something you need to do more of at first, then reduce as you get to know what you react to.

Welcome aboard !

Geoff
 

welsh_kev

Active Member
Messages
37
thanks all,
well this is day 10 since diagnosis. as said, week last tues my bg was 20+ hence being rung at home by nurse. had my tester delivered today and just done my first test, my pre dinner reading is 7.2, looks like something is agreeing with me? will monitor over the next few weeks :)

kev
 

RoyG

Well-Known Member
Messages
350
Dislikes
To many to mention.
Hi Welsh_Kev, Thats an excellent start, I would say you're getting in the swing of it OK, when I first got diagnosed I dropped my Carbs down to around 30g a day, that was back in the beginning of May, since then I have lost a good few lbs, and am now at my near normal weight, It also never took very long before I started seeing some real improvements in my BG readings, seeing the two of them dropping gives you a real impetus to carry on, and also helped me deal with the initial shock of it all. It at least lets you know YOU can make a difference when you want too. I found this site my lifeline in advice, books to read and my food choices and recipes, It soon became less of a life sentence and more of condition that needs to be watched and nurtured, because it does have a nasty tendency to bite back if you take your eye off the ball, whilst I won't say it's all plain sailing it does get easier or it has for me at any rate as the weeks tick by. Just watch your diet, and test away to see your trend, keep up with your exercise, try not to get to stressed about it and learn all you can. Best of Luck.