Newbie diagnosed T2 last wed 7th nov 12

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
The only T2 I ever wanted was a VW but here I am.

Fasting blood glucose of 13.9 at diagnosis and started metformin 1x 500mg increasing after a week.

My initial thoughts were anger, sadness, self pity, bewilderment and still feeling all of these emotions. Forgot to mention how scared I am.
 

Fraddycat

Well-Known Member
Messages
709
Hi Red, welcome to the forum, those feelings are completely natural, its going to take a while to get used to the idea. But the good news is, that if you can get to grips with it you can start to feel better than you have done for quite a while. That is if you have been having symptoms like exhaustion, extreme thirst, shaking before eating, peeing all the time. If you can get your blood sugar heading downwards then you will start to feel much better.

Have a read round and ask lots of questions :)
 

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
Thanks Fraddycat.
I know it is early days but I am determined to get this under control. I was indeed and still am experiencing those things to a certain degree. I have been testing 3-4 times per day. A fasted test 1st thing and then other tests 1-2 hrs after eating.
 

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
Can checking your bloods just after a hot bath affect the readings? My readings have been encouraging for the last day or so including a fasting reading this morning of 7.6 and now my latest reading 1.5 hrs after breakfast of muesli, skimmed milk and a couple of strawberries is 17.0
 

lucylocket61

Expert
Messages
6,435
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
museli is quite high in carbohydrates. Skimmed milk has some carbs in too. Maybe you have accidentally had quite a high amount of carbs without realising it?

strawberries also have carbs in too.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
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Tablets (oral)
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Hi Red and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members which should help you a lot. Have a good a read then ask as many questions you need to on things that worry you. We are all 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.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Was it no sugar added muesli or one of the ones loaded with sugar? Sounds like you are already trying reduce your carb intake which should help a lot if you keep at it. If you are overweight then an increased dosage of Metformin in the futue will also help together with exercise and a sensible level of carbs. If none of these have enough effect and you are young and not overweight then do come back to ask for more guidance. Your GP should be doing an HBa1C test within about 3 months which will give a good measure of you average sugar level.
 

Merluna

Active Member
Messages
28
Hi red! I know how you feel! I was only diagnosed t2 4 weeks go! I felt much the same and still do sometimes! I started on metformin once a day and now I'm on 3x a day. My fasting bg was 16 and my hpa1c was 12! Not good! I have changed my diet, cut my carbs in half and changed those I do have to low gi. I have had bg readings of 9 all day today and I'm really chuffed! A hpa1c of 12 suggested my ave. bg was 18-19!!!!!!! My average bg is now 10 which equates overtime to a hpa1c of 7.2 which is fantastic! Only an estimate but with small changes you can put things right.
Try not to worry, you need to educate yourself about foods with carbs and hidden carbs in, I have porridge for my breakfast, many on here it doesn't suit but I'm fine with it :) I try to have no more that 45g of carbs in any meal. I calculate it looking at the values on packets of stuff! I also fill myself with low carb veg such as broccoli and cauliflower. I find celeriac a lovely low gi alternative to potato (approx1.9g carb per 100g)
Try not to worry too much, I'm only 32 and have developed t2 as a result of other hormone related conditions.
You will be fine :)
 

Paul_c

Well-Known Member
Messages
432
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
RED 96 said:
Can checking your bloods just after a hot bath affect the readings? My readings have been encouraging for the last day or so including a fasting reading this morning of 7.6 and now my latest reading 1.5 hrs after breakfast of muesli, skimmed milk and a couple of strawberries is 17.0

the good news is that you have gotten hold of a meter for yourself...

Meusli... have a look on the box/bag and see what they consider to be a portion... weigh it out and put it in the bowl... you'll find it's really very small compared to what most folk consider to be a portion... I was shocked considering what I had been blissfully giving myself every morning as a supposedly "healthy" breakfast... I had been pouring out three portions at breakfast...

breakfast for me now is either reheated leftovers from the previous evening meal, or else a three egg cheese omelette...

eggs are good for breakfast... that's just my personal opinion... and the old adverts used to recommend going to work on an egg before the low fat anti cholesterol mantra kicked in... :(
 
Messages
18,448
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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RED 96 said:
The only T2 I ever wanted was a VW but here I am.

Fasting blood glucose of 13.9 at diagnosis and started metformin 1x 500mg increasing after a week.

My initial thoughts were anger, sadness, self pity, bewilderment and still feeling all of these emotions. Forgot to mention how scared I am.

Hello and welcome :thumbup: your first sentence did make me smile :)

I'm sure will get lots of help and support and remember, you're not on your own.

Take care with best wishes RRB
 

Hobs

Master
Messages
11,797
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Dislikes
Argumenative barstifferous (new word *lol*) types who think that they know everything *wink*
Hiya RED 96 and welcome to the forum.

You mentioned skimmed milk. Now I'm not saying you'll find the same, but I've discovered whole (full fat) milk affects my blood glucose less than that skinny stuff and my coffee tastes a whole lot better too :clap:
However, any kind of muesli will send my reading too high so I tend to breccie on eggs & bacon with a slice of dark brown toast from home made bread (V high fibre) spread with real local butter.
My last blood fats test was 3.4 so my diet has not affected that all important cholesterol they keep on about and I always get good comments at my clinic reviews :D
 

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
Hi Daibell

it was no added salt or sugar meusli from sainsburys. prob had too much as i went to bed hungry rather than snack as i would have done before. Thought meusli would be harmless. I have an awful lot to learn
 

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
Hi Merluna

Thanks for the tips. You have done extremely well in 1 month. I hope it continues and my results will follow.

I am finding it really difficult to work out what is best at moment but when I have my readings with me tomorrow will share them if its ok.

On a bit of a roller coaster at the moment though where my thoughts and feelings are concerned. most of the time I am positive but then I have really low points
 

Fraddycat

Well-Known Member
Messages
709
Hi Red, I snack on a piece of cheese, it really seems to satisfy me - in fact I just had a babybel :) other good snacks are a slice of ham, cheesy triangle or a tomato. I try never to be hungry, but I remember the feelings you are having when you hold your head in your hands and say 'what can I eat???'

Take your time, read lots, don't go hungry, your sugars took a while to get to this high level, they will take a little while to come down again. Drink plenty of water!
 

RED 96

Member
Messages
22
Thanks Fraddycat. I will try those tips but they just dont seem to make sense. I have to get more informed in how it all works.
 

Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi Red96. Although muesli contains carbs and therefore you need to be aware of that, nothing is forbidden with diabetes but your overall daily carb intake will affect your blood sugar. I have homemade muesli for breakfast but keep the quantity small. I think it was Sid Bonkers on this forum a while back who said that if you can't hold it in a cupped hand then it's probably too big. I also have egg and bacon as well. Although the media is very anti fats, salt etc, with diabetes you need to think more broadly on the basis that diabetes can be defined as an intolerance of glucose that varies widely from person to person. Fats aren't a big problem for us as it's a good way of obtaining calories without high levels of glucose at the end. Unsaturated fats are, of course, the best. Have low-GI carbs where you can as these are absorbed slowly so you avoid sugar spikes. This means avoiding white flour-based products and going for wholemeal or multigrain flour. Foods such as beans and lentils are good as they are carbs with lots of good fibre.
 

GraceK

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Hello RED and welcome to the forum ... It's perfectly natural to feel scared and confused in the very early stages of diagnosis, simply because the majority of newly diagnosed haven't a clue what to do, what to eat, what to drink etc.

I've only been diagnosed 3 months and was put on Metformin straight away 2000mg a day. I've now got my first HBA1C down to more or less the levels of a non diabetic and that has only happened with the help of the meds and the information I got from the forum. And believe me I was feeling pretty dire when I was diagnosed. Now I'm feeling alive. So a lot can happen for the better in a few short weeks.

With regard to what to eat - everyone has different views and of course what suits one doesn't suit another - but this is the eating regime that has suited me very well - http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

Daisy has given you some brilliant information which, if you spend time now reading through it, will pay off in a few weeks time. It seems daunting at first but if you set your mind to getting to grip with the basics, that's the best place to start. :D
 

Merluna

Active Member
Messages
28
Hi red! How you feeling today? I'm so chuffed with myself as I was at a party last night, the meal I stuck to all the meat stuff, there was loads but I did treat myself to a small chunk of French bread and a cupcake! Along with wine! Eek was dreading bg but it was 9 again this morning :) :) :)
You will get to grips with it :) don't fret! Like everyone says you might have to change your normal diet try other breakfast/snacks etc! Personally I've started keeping fresh cooked chicken in the fridge and munch on that as a snack!
How were your bloods today?
I've got my next diabetic blood test hpa1c etc on Friday so fingers crossed it will show my hard work :)