new to diabetes

rascal

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi my name is Barry,

went to doctor with chest pain, after blood tests told im diabetic, still a bit shocked and if im honest a bit scared.
still waiting for chest pain investigation, i hope to gets tips here on how to cope with diabetes my first reading was 17.5,
im glad ti find this forum
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Barry and welcome to the forum :)
Here are the tips you are looking for to help you look after yourself. This is the information we give to new members, and, after having read this, ask all the questions you need to and someone will come along and 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.
 
Messages
18,448
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Bullies, Liars, Trolls and dishonest cruel people
rascal said:
Hi my name is Barry,

went to doctor with chest pain, after blood tests told im diabetic, still a bit shocked and if im honest a bit scared.
still waiting for chest pain investigation, i hope to gets tips here on how to cope with diabetes my first reading was 17.5,
im glad ti find this forum

Hello and welcome Barry :wave: sorry to hear of your chest pains. I hope you can get a diagnosis very soon.

Best wishes and take care RRB
 

Sharon68

Well-Known Member
Messages
58
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
hi Barry :thumbup: Hope you get sorted with the chest pains very soon, can be very frightening.

Grab a coffee, put your feet up and spend some time reading through the info on here, I did when I was first diagnosed and it helped a huge amount.
 

Mrs Taz

Member
Messages
19
Hi Barry, I was diagnosed end of January with type 2. Which are you, are you on medication? So glad I found this as everyone is so nice and really helpful. It is life changing and a lot to learn, I've read the booklets over and over again and still not taking it in.
Hope you get the chest pains sorted.
 

Chuckles21

Well-Known Member
Messages
57
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
This is my 4th week coming to terms with being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes changed diet completely having being told this dreadful news at first I didn't know what to do or say I just sat with the doctor stunned and after reading all these posts I find it easier to believe after seeing I am not alone


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mo1905

BANNED
Messages
4,334
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Rude people !
Chuckles, trust me, it's not the end of the world ! There are many
Worse things you can get !


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BobCornelius

Well-Known Member
Messages
132
Hi Barry, welcome! You too, Chuckles!

@ Barry, May I venture don't grab a coffee, grab a water until the chest pains are diagnosed! :)

@ Chuckles, I'm coming up to my third year since diagnosis, ( April 19th at 09:15am ) ( not that it was memorable, or anything...), and I'm still learning and getting used to it!

There are good people with experience and advice here, I've learned a lot from this forum. Don't be afraid to ask, somebody will have been there, done that, bought the t-shirt etc!

:)

Bob
 

MCMLXXIII

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,823
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome denmorris!:smile:

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rascal

Newbie
Messages
2
Hi Everyone and thank you for the welcome, Mrs Taz im type 2 and im taking metformin at the moment just 1 tablet a day until next week.
trying to take it all in found a lot from this forum.
 

Chuckles21

Well-Known Member
Messages
57
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Pains have progressed to both arms and legs feels like I can't feel them as there numb most of the time pins an needles are crazy


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