Newbie questions

LCW

Member
Messages
11
Dislikes
Depends on the day!
:roll: :roll: Hi there-- I'm newly diagnosed T2 and working my way through the differing ways to help myself, including looking for testing strips as I've already been made aware that it's not a popular request to ask for the second free pack of 50 iTRUEone strips n 8 weeks from my surgery. Plus I don't know how long it normally takes to receive an appointment from the surgery's recommended ophthalmist to check the condition of my eyes. I've waited 8 weeks--- been advised by the surgeries diabetic nurse to ring them, (she gave me the number), but they said they had not yet received a ref-feral (from her). I told her this and she said that the opthalmist pick up on newly diagnosed diabetics and use their own info to contact the patient. I cant see the logic and don't want to make another appointment just to ask her why she gave me the number in the first place! S-S-S-S-OOO, I have just made an appointment at a high street optician for next week--quick and easy. I'm told it's free for diabetics. I feel this appointment to be urgent, as one of the problems I have occasionally is this strong ache behind my eyes and I'm concerned that each episode of the headache is damaging them and I want to act upon it if I can. Sorry about my moans but my last request for help or knowledge is : is your body harmed each time you get hungry and that gnawing growl in your stomach has to persist until you find something to eat?

After initial diagnosis I turned into a blubbering woman, but over that , now I find things to moan about. Just waiting for the next stage--is that acceptance? There--got it all out. Nothing left to moan about until the next thing!!
 

Yorksman

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,445
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
You won't be the first person to think that every little pain or throb, or rumble in the digestive system is something to do with diabetes. Most of these things are your own imagination running wild. T2 is more subtle and many people who have it are not even aware of it. The ache in the eye is worth persuing, though diabetes mostly affects the vision, blurriness and so on. If the medical services are dragging their heels though, sorting something out for yourself is well worth doing. It's the same with the test strips. Probably a good sized portion of the people on this forum have quickly found peace of mind by doing things for themselves and not waiting for the so called professionals. The House of Commons All Party Group on Diabetes has called the care offered by the NHS as a lottery. If there is anything that you can do for yourself, do it, don't wait. You'll feel more reassured. But, on the other hand, the need for urgency is rarer than you think. Most things take their time.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi LCW and welcome to the forum :) I hope you get a lot of answers to your questions.

Here is the information which we give to new members which I hope you will find helpful. Carry on asking questions and you will get plenty of answers.


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.
 

LCW

Member
Messages
11
Dislikes
Depends on the day!
Thank you Daisy 1 and Yorksman, for your responses. I've a lot to learn.