Struggling Newbie type 2 .. Advice

VelvetRose

Member
Messages
20
I was told Friday I have diabetes .. I've had to wait til Wed to see Diabetic Nurse ..Bought a Acu-Chek my level has been ranged from 7.7 -8.0 -8.8- 9.3 .8.0 .8.0 .. reduced carbs & eating plenty veg .. Porridge .. Salads.. & 1 ham sandwich ..reduced salt intake still feeling like I'm going to pass out during day .. 3 meals a day .. Really can't wait til Wed .. but have too. Ant advice to get me thru next couple of days ...
 

Allic1971

Active Member
Messages
42
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi VelvetRose,

My numbers are similar to yours and I'm on meds, I wouldn't Stress too much until you see the nurse, stress can make you BGL rise.

I can't eat porridge, too often as it sends my BG levels up too high..

I find I do better with wholemeal grain bread and a poached egg or 1/4 tin of beans :wink:

I also have a snack mid morning, afternoon and evening, I find it better on the BG numbers to avoid eating too much all in one go :wink:

I have 15 almonds, piece of fruit, or Chobani Greek yogurt with strawberries a little splenda sweetener. I also try to add some soluble fiber to meals or a glass of water, it binds to the fats that you eat and it helps your body not to digest it all...

Don't starve your self just make healthy choices :wink:
Good luck!
Alli
 

msmudge

Member
Messages
9
Don't panic or worry. Is no big deal. I've been type2 for about three years now and my readings are rarely under about eight or nine. Nothing is going to happen overnight. Including getting to grips with it. Getting stressed will put your blood glucose up without even eating anything. So just relax, and in the meantime just be sensible and stay away from the obvious sugary things.


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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,653
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi. Those figures aren't too bad so don't get stressed. Don't forget you can have eggs, bacon and so on for breakfast. As you have noted it's the carbs that are the issue. Don't worry about salt. 85% Dark Chocolate is also OK!
 

Mongoose39uk

Well-Known Member
Messages
495
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Sprouts
If you didn't worry when you get the news there would be something wrong with you.

It takes time to get your head around it.

It's not the end of the world though. There isn't much it stops you doing.

Your going to be looking at labels on food for a while though.
 

whompa73

Well-Known Member
Messages
396
Dislikes
Chavs
Mongoose39uk said:
If you didn't worry when you get the news there would be something wrong with you.

It takes time to get your head around it.

It's not the end of the world though. There isn't much it stops you doing.

Your going to be looking at labels on food for a while though.[/quote
Then there must be somthing wrong with me then. Oh wait a moment now I remember. No but in all seriousness every one is diffrent and has diffrent journeys to get to the diagnosis. Where as I may not be gald in the traditional sense of the word I am glad that I now know what has been wroung with me and can now tackle it and even after only a week have made massive in roads to feeling better and getting bg levels down . Ok they wher prety much sky high and would still be classed as very high but they are heading in the right direction fast and the way I feel along with other symptoms is much improved. Remembrr the diagnosis s not the start of the desiese you have had it probably for quite some timebefore that aandif you have only found out after having some of the more unpleasant symptoms then the diagnosis is the start of getting/feeling better. Good luck
 

VelvetRose

Member
Messages
20
i Spoke with Diabetic Nurse Thurs & my HBa1 was 55 ..( don't understand it ) Advised me of taking care of skin ..& feet .. I'm going to be on a diet management to start with to see if I can progress on that .. I already on healthy diet ..will check low Carbs on packages ..eat fresh meat & Veg salads .. never buy frozen or packaged meals ..
Til our new Dr arrives in Nov .. I have to sort out my strips for testing .. no issue .. Been put forward for a Diabetic Eating Day ..training to able identify whats good & bad .. No Meds @mo .. Eye scan..
Will aim to improve my levels in the future .. Still have blurred vision & ilght headed/dizzy ..& sleep for Scotland ..
Time will help me adapt to my new life
 

whompa73

Well-Known Member
Messages
396
Dislikes
Chavs
VelvetRose said:
i Spoke with Diabetic Nurse Thurs & my HBa1 was 55 ..( don't understand it ) Advised me of taking care of skin ..& feet .. I'm going to be on a diet management to start with to see if I can progress on that .. I already on healthy diet ..will check low Carbs on packages ..eat fresh meat & Veg salads .. never buy frozen or packaged meals ..
Til our new Dr arrives in Nov .. I have to sort out my strips for testing .. no issue .. Been put forward for a Diabetic Eating Day ..training to able identify whats good & bad .. No Meds @mo .. Eye scan..
Will aim to improve my levels in the future .. Still have blurred vision & ilght headed/dizzy ..& sleep for Scotland ..
Time will help me adapt to my new life

Best of luck chuck. Sounds as if your already getting and start on it. Would love to do the diet coures myself.
 

EllisB

Well-Known Member
Messages
116
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Velvet Rose, it looks like Daisy has missed this thread with her usual message.

There is increasing evidence that the NHS advice might be flawed. Some say that carbs should be moved up the food pyramid (i.e. fewer carbs than fresh fruit and veg).

Fats are another area that the advice is at odds with recent evidence. The jury is out on saturated fats, but many here will agree that getting your energy from unsaturated fats, particularly omega 3, is not as bad as the nutritionists wold have us believe.
 

Weens12

Well-Known Member
Messages
140
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
VelvetRose said:
i Spoke with Diabetic Nurse Thurs & my HBa1 was 55 ..( don't understand it ) Advised me of taking care of skin ..& feet .. I'm going to be on a diet management to start with to see if I can progress on that .. I already on healthy diet ..will check low Carbs on packages ..eat fresh meat & Veg salads .. never buy frozen or packaged meals ..
Til our new Dr arrives in Nov .. I have to sort out my strips for testing .. no issue .. Been put forward for a Diabetic Eating Day ..training to able identify whats good & bad .. No Meds @mo .. Eye scan..
Will aim to improve my levels in the future .. Still have blurred vision & ilght headed/dizzy ..& sleep for Scotland ..
Time will help me adapt to my new life


Hi VelvetRose,

First of all, (((((((((( Hugs )))))))))

An HBA1c of 55 at diagnosis is not too bad in the scheme of things. I was diagnosed T2 a year ago with an HBA1c of 83, so you're doing better than that. As a T2 you should be aiming for an HBA1c under 48. So you have a little work to do, but it's not an impossible task, by any means. Your HBA1c reading is an indicator of what your blood sugar has been over the past 3 months approximately. As you're newly diagnosed, your HBA1c may be taken every 3 months, and certainly will be taken at your annual review from now on. If you've been advised to lose weight, you will likely see both your HBA1c and your fasting, before & after meal meter readings, improve pretty quickly when your weight starts to go down.

As other people has said, you will need to be careful of carbs from now on. You will also need to practice portion control, and avoid taking large amounts of carbs at a time, to keep your blood sugar stable. You say you already have a healthy diet, so you're halfway there. You may only need to make small adjustments to your total carbs at any meal to reap the benefits as far as your blood sugar goes.

Apologies, if this has already been said...I find that the best way to reassure yourself that things are going in the right direction is to test: after fasting (1st thing in the morning), before a meal, and 2 hours after. Use this information to find out what foods suit you, and adjust portions accordingly to bring the blood sugar into the good range. You'll find that some foods are better than others. Obviously, cut out any sugary snacks, and reign back on refined carbs e.g. white bread, pastries, cakes etc.,

You'll also find that some carbs can be as bad as sugar for pushing up your blood sugar e.g. mashed potatoes are converted to glucose very quickly. We're all individuals, with different tolerances. Some people can eat a lot of carbs and some prefer to eat only small amounts to control their blood sugar. Testing will give you the information you need to find out the right level for YOU.

My advice would be to eat lean meat, fish, eggs and veg which is grown above ground ( e.g. cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower etc .. i.e. the green stuff!) ... actually cauliflower is a wonder food - you can make pizzas, mash, rice, tabouleh and many many more things with it!!

Add wholegrains: wholewheat pasta, brown basmati rice, (would recommend Sainsbury's So Organic Fairtrade brown basmati rice)
Be careful of bread - a lot of people recommend Burgen, as it doesn't spike them. I eat rye bread.

Explore the recipes section - there's lots of great tried and tested ideas.... and test, test, test!

It's a lot to take in at once, eyes, feet, cholesterol, ... etc., and if you're anything like me, you just want to get on with it, and get things under control. A good idea is to prepare for your appointment with your Diabetic Nurse by writing down a list of things that you're concerned about, and discussing them with her. It will make you feel more in control, as well as getting answers to any questions you have.

Good Luck!
 

Crasper

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
VelvetRose said:
i Spoke with Diabetic Nurse Thurs & my HBa1 was 55 ..( don't understand it ) Advised me of taking care of skin ..& feet .. I'm going to be on a diet management to start with to see if I can progress on that .. I already on healthy diet ..will check low Carbs on packages ..eat fresh meat & Veg salads .. never buy frozen or packaged meals ..
Til our new Dr arrives in Nov .. I have to sort out my strips for testing .. no issue .. Been put forward for a Diabetic Eating Day ..training to able identify whats good & bad .. No Meds @mo .. Eye scan..
Will aim to improve my levels in the future .. Still have blurred vision & ilght headed/dizzy ..& sleep for Scotland ..
Time will help me adapt to my new life
Hi velvet rose.
I was diagnosed in June. Already had the eye scan (all ok) dietician yesterday - told to carry on eating what I have since diagnosed. My HBa1 was 90 and was told that 47 is non diabetic . I bought a meter for testing and phoned my DN for strips who told me not to bother for several weeks / months as the results will be erratic due to the diet taking time to regulate . I feel less anxious now that I've stopped but will see what happens in September when I have my next HBa1 test. I've also started going to a proper chiropodist for a lovely pedicure . Feel as if I'm doing all that I can to avoid further issues and now trying to relax a bit more . Slowly coming to terms with it . Just need to get rid of the nasty yeast infections that caused me to go to the doctors when initially diagnosed !! Sure that in the next few weeks you will feel more in control too x


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VelvetRose

Member
Messages
20
Hi all Thank you for your great advice .. I'm taking it on board .. Its a learning process .. But I'm taking it serious enough to watch my sugar levels by noting everything I eat .. I'm doing a morning & evening BT ..If its High I look at what I ate & go by carbs & what maybe contains high sugar/carbs that may cause it ..So writting my food intake down in my book .aiming to keep it below 8 at mo & try reduce it to below 7 ..

I still have an issue with running to loo to pee every hr or so .. No infection & no sign of keytones .. Any advice or is this the norm for me from now on ???

Thank you again
Dawn