Newly diagnosed and disapointed :(

sara2309

Newbie
Messages
2
About an hour ago my Dr confirmed I have type 2 diabetes, I have worked really hard over the last few years to lose weight (20kg) and make myself more active (I walk for miles!) I have just turned 50. I have no idea what is what right now, my blood numbers were 8.9 and 56 but don't know as yet what those mean. I have an appointment with the Diabetic nurse on Tuesday. I just wanted to say hello and applogise in advance for lots of questions! :)
 

PhilT

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Type of diabetes
Family member
Treatment type
Diet only
No probs. The 8.9 is likely your fasting blood glucose and the 56 your HbA1c in mmol/mol

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chubbyian

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Arrogance
Well you have come to the right place for help and advice. the main thing at this stage is to just take things one step at a time, and dont think you have failed, you have done so well keeping it a bay for so long. WELL DONE :thumbup: you just need to keep up that same commitment
 

manc603

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
No need to apologise.

Like you I have not long turned 50 and was only diagnosed a few weeks ago and felt like a rabbit caught in headlights as I had no symptoms at all.

I'm following the great advice found on this site with positive results. If you have any questions, someone will always pop along to answer.
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Sara and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I am sure you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will 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 70,000 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.
 

sara2309

Newbie
Messages
2
Thanks all, as the daughter of an insulin dependent father I was sort of expecting it and was surprised at how much of a shock it was! My partner decided some months back that he really needed to lose weight and started the Atkins diet (not strictly, but as more of a guide line) and lost 31kg his blood levels dropped from 7.2 to 4.9. Having spent the day reading the information available here and researching on the net I have decided to go for a low carb diet and be really good about it. (I also found out that there are no carbs in Brandy...... so a small one won't hurt!) There is so much to read here and I am loving it. I am off to look for a recipe page, I am sure you have one as I have loads of low carb scrummy dishes that I have been cooking for the other half for months!
 

Thommothebear

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,186
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Low carb is definitely the way to go, worked well for me, but keep up the exercise too.


Sent from a melting iceberg. help!!!