Newly diagnosed

[vonbon1]

Hi my name's vonbon, I was just diagnosed yesterday with type 2. I had had the usual fasting blood test and then the glucose one too. The fasting blood came back at 7 and the the glucose one at 13. something. I wasn't expecting that result as my gp had told me a few weeks ago that my blood tests had come back at 7 for over 2 years. so I really was expecting to be pre diabetic.

I'm a little out of sorts with it all just now. I also have hydracephilis(water on the brain) which is hard enough to cope with,along with some other complaints. so having been informed about the diabetes I'm a little shell shocked if not confused.
My practice nurse had a chat with me yesterday, gave me a booklet and some bits of paper with information on.
I got home made a cup of tea and sat down to read them.

Being a larger lady I had promised my partner that I would stick to the diet I was to be put on. well other than the usual cutting out sugar, which I don't have anyway.(unless it comes wrapped in a chocolate bar) all the information I got on diet was in the papers. well it tells me, I'm quoting this word for word, "Aim for a regular dietry intake of 3 meals a day. eg Breakfast, lunch, evening meal" here come the important bit " Include starchy carbohydrate at each meal eg bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal.
Starchy carbohydrate is broken down in the body to help provide a slow steady supply of energy.
starchy carbs should be eaten in moderate quantities.

I've had a wholemeal roll (dry) and potatoes today, I have been so careful I'm even a little scared to eat in case I eat the wrong thing. but here is my problem I keep seeing cutting back on carbs as they make you produce sugar.
so you see my dilema. hydracephilis makes taking in to much information a nightmare. I get confused very easily and right now confusion is off the scale. HELP please do I eat carbs or cut back on them????

 

[Squire Fulwood]

You are not alone in your dilemma. The NHS appears to be giving contradictory advice in that they diagnose a person with diabetes by determining that their blood sugar is too high. Then they give out the diet sheets you describe advising us to eat carbohydrates which will make blood sugar even higher.

They don't seem to notice that they are being inconsistent.

I see it simply as, if you want high blood sugar then eat all the carbohydrates they recommend but if you want to bring your blood sugar down then cut down on the carbohydrates. You don't have to cut them out altogether but the ones to watch out for are sugar, flour, rice and potatoes.

People on this forum are very much in favour of acquiring a meter and finding out just how much of what you can eat. I am of the same opinion.

 

[daisy1]

Hi vonbon and welcome to the forum

I'm afraid I don't agree with the idea that you must eat lots of starchy carbs as so many people will tell you. In my opinion, and most members here agree with this, carbs must be limited. It is carbs that make your levels higher. Have a look at this information we give to new members and I think this will help you. Ask all the questions you like and someone will answer you.


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.

 

[CathyN]

Hello

Understand your confusion at the moment, but things will become much clearer for you very soon. You need to get a meter from the chemist, or on line, and begin to test your blood to get blood sugar readings before you eat and 2 hours after you eat.
Carbohydrates are great energy givers but many of us do not need as much energy as they give and find it better to cut down on them. But you will not know which ones to limit until you test what they do to you.

There's support and advice here.

Keep in touch and ask lots of questions.

Cathy N

 

[vonbon1]

Thank you, yes I agree many conflicting things. I already read that thanks Daisy, but will go through it a few times so it sinks in.
Getting a monitor soon. my man deals with that sort of thing so it will be here in a few days. I feel a wee bit more informed and will do as you advise. I will certainly ask many questions and probably a few times too lol.

This has been a big help to me thanks guys. :thumbup:
vonbon xx

 

[Yorksman]

I got a meter and was suprised to see the different results that I got after different foods. White bread is worst for me followed by mashed potatoes. Parboiled long grain brown rice is best for me with only minimal effect, plus dark rye ryvita and pumpernickel being roughly the same. I had an excellent lamb and barley stew and the barley it seems, has little effect as well. There are several other things in between but all I do is have half portions of those. Porridge oats is an example. Once you get your meter, you can find out what works for you.

 

[CathyN]

Dear Yorksman

That lamb and barley stew sounds great. Any chance of you posting the recipe on here??

Cathy N

 

[Yorksman]

Hi Cathy,

Here is the recipe for lamb stew with pearl barley recipe:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... ley-recipe

You can use most types of lamb. I went for one which had least fat on it and off the bone.

Of course you can use the same recipe with chicken, ham or beef. They all make good hearty meals. The Hairy Bikers do a Scotch Broth recipe which is similar but they add potatoes which, in my opinion, makes it more of an irish stew. Scotch Broth traditionally has no potato in. Like all whole grains, the barley is chewy and quite filling.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/biker ... roth_91406

Enjoy!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You have already been given a lot of good advice from other posters. Yes, it's difficult to get your head around the fact that professionals in the NHS are giving advice that will make T2 diabetes worse when the role of the NHS and doctors is to make you better. If you track back thru the many articles and discussions on the web including professional papers you find that the eat plenty of starchy carbs position is based on bad science. 'They' claim that the brain needs carbs for energy; yes it does but fats and protein can provide that via the liver when needed. Many starchy carbs are fine when the grain, vegetables etc on which they are based isn't refined and cooked. When it reaches us it is often high-GI and very rapidly absorbed. If the NHS used the terms high-fibre and low-GI it would make more sense. If you look at the NICE Diabetes guidelines update Oct 2012 (Google it for download) you would find that these are the terms now used, so doctors/nurses should be following this expert and up to date NICE advice. Lentils, beans and pulses are amongst the list of good carbs.

 

[Nik442]

Hi, the NHS print outs I was given by GP at the end of last year refers to the Glycaemic Index throughout. This was reiterated at DESMOND although I find eating the 230g/day of low GI carbs a day they recommend impossible. i stay away from mashed pots for obvious reasons but a couple of boiled new pots are fine for me. Print outs I have are not exactly specific in places referring to bread and potatoes....dig deeper .....

Nik

 

[vonbon1]

Thanks everyone very helpful advice. I appreciate your help xx

 

[Daibell]

Hi. Eating 230g/day of any carbs for a diabetic will be too high unless you are in very early stages. I keep below 150 which still isn't low enough for me but isn't too difficult once you get to know the foods.

 

[Nik442]

Hi, diabetes is such a complicated condition. Re LC/HF diet: how much fat (g/day) do people on here eat in order to maintain weight or is it more to do with calorie intake or both!?



Nik

 

[Valerie_london]

It's probably not right for me to answer this, as I'm not diabetic myself, and also it probably depends on whether you need to lose weight and if so, how much and how urgently... but in terms of managing your diabetes, I'd be inclined not to worry too much about your fat intake, as I believe this will not adversely affect your sugar levels, unlike your intake of carbs and sugars.
Happy to corrected if I'm wrong though.

 

[Nik442]

Hi, thanks for the reply. No, I didnt have to lose weight. I cut back the carbs and have lost over a stone in weight. I'm losing about 1lb a week. DN said technically I'm not underweight as my BMI is not <19 (it's currently 22) and although she said there are things they can try I want to avoid that. Just wondered what quantities of fat people eat/day if they are low carbing and dont want to lose weight.

Nik

 

[Valerie_london]

Personally I'd say, fill your boots... especially with 'good' fats like avocados, oily fish, eggs, olive oil, nuts etc, but also don't shy away from cheese, butter, meat (unless you are vegetarian of course). I'm not sure about the science, but I believe that just as a low carb diet is helpful in regulating blood sugars, so is fat. And if there's no specific health reason for you not to eat plenty of it, then personally I would (and do) go ahead. Try and balance with plenty of the lower carb fruits and vegetables though, but I honestly don't believe the old mantra that fat is automatically bad, and also helps in terms of keeping you full and satisfied.

Hope someone else comments though as my credentials are probably a bit flimsy.

V

 

[vonbon1]

Thanks Valerie. I cut back on certain carbs as I'm terrible for bread & crackers with plenty clover. I'm having one wholemeal roll a day with a little salad cream to moisten it. having tatties, pasta & rice. I'm doing really well for me as I tend to graze all day. not much of a meal eater. so I'm quite pleased that so far other than a piece of fruit I haven't had a snack at all. not much of a meat eater either. I like chicken, and minced beef but nothing else. don't eat fish either.
I don't like pulses such as lentils and barley YUK so I'm finding it a little difficult. Variety is not the spice of life in my house lol
will keep at it. thanks again
vonbon :roll:

 

[vonbon1]

Personally I have a huge amount of weight to lose, have cut back on carbs and fat, I have to say I'm not missing them either. I'm awful for bread, love it with loads of butter but haven't had a slice for 10 days. I've lost 5lbs already Yay.

vonbon x

 

[lindisfel]

Hi all,
Good to meet you.

I was diagnosed October 2012 on two two week spaced HbA1c results of 50 (in new money). I cut out a lot carbs and have gone down from 103 to 93 kilograms and my bmi is now less than 25...I am a tall guy.
Disappointingly my HbA1c the other week was still 50!

I got myself an Acc chek mobile in November....didn't know I could get a free meter! ...which I recently found was reading c.18% low!
However, I have plotted my corrected blood glucose over the best part of 24 hours (I do have a similar carb diet each day). The upshot is; the result when I made a correction for the meter and measured the area under graph and calculated the average did not come up to the average said be c.9 mmol as per the converter on this site or even 8.2 as stated elsewhere on the net.

How reliable is the HbA1c analogue of blood glucose and the presumed conversion...it is hardly diagnostic at threshold levels, just indicative? Does not the turnover rate of our red blood cells introduce a variable factor?
regards
Derek

 

[hester]

Hello everyone.
First off I find this site confusing............. I'm not replying............ I'm trying to communicate for the first time! Am I getting through? Will I find you again?
Last October I was told I was pre diabetic with a reading of 7 and 6 the year before, or perhaps the numbers were the other way around. Kidney test was normal. Since then I have become really careful with what I eat, no sugar, no or v little white carbs and trying to exercise more but the weight is actually coming off but v slowly. The news was really disappointing as I love beans, lentils etc, and have my own allotment so masses of vegetables were the norm. Bread was my downfall and I do miss it dreadfully. I'm 65 and about three stone overweight for the last 20 years or more. I was told nothing about glucose monitoring and the advice for another glucose test was next year with just the advice to lose weight and avoid sweet stuff
I take a v low dose statin and a v low dose high b pressure med. I feel well but do have fluttery feelings in my legs and sensations in my feet.
I would really appreciate advice. Should I go back to the GP? THanks, Hester