Hi, just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetis. I have an appointment for the diabetic clinic in a weeks time and don't know what to expect. I am 49 and overweight and also have post herpetic neuralgia (a complication caused by shingles) which has caused nerve damage to my right side. I have recently been experience extreme pain in my hands and tingling/pain in my toes. The nerve damage restricts my movement, but I try to swim three times a week. I am currently off work with stress and feeling very down on myself. Sorry for all the info,just worried about first appointment.
Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter Meggie3009
- Start Date
pavlosn
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,705
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Welcome to the forum.
Sorry to hear about your t2 diagnosis and about your pain you are experiencing.
It is only natural to be in shock when first diagnosed. We have all been there and things do get easier with time. Promise.
Try reading the first three topics on the newly diagnosed forum as an introduction to diabetes and as preparation for your visit to the nurse/clinic.
If you have any questions after reading these ask away. Plenty of knowledgable friendly people on this forum!
Try not to stress too much.
Once again welcome and good luck
Pavlos
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Sorry to hear about your t2 diagnosis and about your pain you are experiencing.
It is only natural to be in shock when first diagnosed. We have all been there and things do get easier with time. Promise.
Try reading the first three topics on the newly diagnosed forum as an introduction to diabetes and as preparation for your visit to the nurse/clinic.
If you have any questions after reading these ask away. Plenty of knowledgable friendly people on this forum!
Try not to stress too much.
Once again welcome and good luck
Pavlos
Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
Hi. Don't panic about the appointment as you should find it very low-key. Your weight and height will be taken and diet will be discussed. If you haven't yet had an HBA1C blood test (from the arm) it should be done within 3 months and it will tell you and the GP/Nurse what your average blood sugar has been over the last 3 months. You may be started on the tablets most of us have; Metformin. As you are overweight these will help reduce blood sugar a bit. If you find these cause bowel upset then do ask the GP for the Slow Release (SR) version; some have a problem some don't. With regard to diet, NHS advice varies a lot and can be pretty bad. As you will find around the forum most of us would recommend reducing your carb intake and portion sizes which will reduce both your weight and blood sugar. Do ask any other questions
daisy1
Legend
- Messages
- 26,457
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
- Dislikes
- Cruelty towards animals.
Hi Meggie and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find useful. Ask all the questions you want and someone will be able to 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:
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-and-whole-grains.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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is the information we give to new members which I hope you will find useful. Ask all the questions you want and someone will be able to 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
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-and-whole-grains.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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hi Meggie
If it's any help, tingling pain helped me find this forum. I switched to low carb and within 3 weeks it had gone. I've since lost weight ( although still more to go ) and got fitter.
Watch what you eat. The NHS advice can be patchy. Get a meter and test your levels and don't eat things that raise your blood sugar.
Any questions just shout!
Cara
If it's any help, tingling pain helped me find this forum. I switched to low carb and within 3 weeks it had gone. I've since lost weight ( although still more to go ) and got fitter.
Watch what you eat. The NHS advice can be patchy. Get a meter and test your levels and don't eat things that raise your blood sugar.
Any questions just shout!
Cara
Thanks everyone for your responses. I've read all the info and feel a bit better now. At least I know now and once I've had my appointment next week I can concentrate in keeping control and losing weight. Been feeling unwell for absolutely ages now and just put it down to being in pain all the time. Thanks again x
Hi Meggie....I've just been for my very first appointment with the diabetic nurse, after being diagnosed just over 1 1/2 weeks ago.....she was lovely, and very helpful. I did write down some questions before hand, and she was more than happy to answer them!...I know treatment/advice from professionals probably differs by where you live, this visit she took my BP, weighed me, tested urine, gave me flu & pneumonia jabs...and disused the first blood tests I had and diet. I'm seeing her again in 3 weeks and she's going to check feet etc.....also been referred for a retinal scan.....will have more blood taken in 8 wks time then go and see a specialist diabetic Doctor...I.feel a bit calmer and not so worried now....hope all goes well for you, take care...Jayne
judy.suirane
Member
- Messages
- 24
I have recently been diagnosed and in shock for awhile! It's been two months now and I am doing my best to move forward. Doing 4 tests a day and one injection of 20 units. I am 59 and a bit overweight but not too bad . I live in Nova Scotia Canada but have family in the UK. I am finding lots of useful info on this forum and it's nice to have others who understand what you're going through. I have been reading a lot about diabetic depression and with the combination of recent diagnosis , endless snow and bone chilling cold -25 degrees feeling tired and overwhelmed. Anyone else hit this wall??
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