Diagnosed today :(

shellysexbomb

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134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
Hello y'all, great forum with much valuable info. I had a random glucose level come back at 9.9, so was asked to do 2 fasting glucose tests. One was 7,7 and the second was 6.6, nurse said this was 'borderline' so I had to go do the GTT. Finally, after a 2 week wait, I got the phone call yesterday inviting me to the Docs today. The glucose level after the GTT was 12.6 so am confirmed as type 2 diabetic. It seems lifestyle change is the way forward ( I have been doing slimming world for 6weeks in any case and have lost 13lb so far) No meter as they dont think it would be of any relevance for me to know. Havent had cholestrol done for over 12 months but it was 4.7 way back then. BP is fine. I read in one post that it is a good idea to invest in a meter for self monitoring, so I have done. Now at what points is it most important to check glucose levels?
Thanks in advance :)
Shelly
 
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Madbazoo

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209
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
To start test first thing in a morning (fasting) then before and 2 hours after meals. Keep a record of the readings and what you eat. You can identify which foods you can tolerate and which spike your levels.

Share your readings and diet with us all and we will help work it out.


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daisy1

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Hi Shelly and welcome to the forum:)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful and that it answers your question. Ask more questions as 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-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
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 bloodglucose 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.
 
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popsy

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Having to give up my eat everything philosophy..and I really really dislike consequences.
I will never know why doctors say that a meter will be of no use to us T2's right off! For me it was the single most important tool I could have, it was the turning point in understanding what spiked me and what was ok. My results speak for themselves and I said that exact thing to the doctor. All he said was, well yes maybe :) Silly man.

Like Madbazoo says, at first test before a meal then two hours after. You will soon find out what spikes you and what you can eat safely.

Read everything you can on here and congrats on your weight loss!

Good Luck :D
 
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mo1905

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Hi Shelley and welcome to the forum and well done on the weight loss so far. I agree with others, BG testing is key. As to when to do it, depends on your funds if you're paying for strips but Madbazoo's suggestions are a good start. Now, I'm also very interested in your forum name......................:)
 
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totsy

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hya shelley and welcome to the forum:)
you have already had great advise
 
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Yorksman

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2,445
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I read in one post that it is a good idea to invest in a meter for self monitoring, so I have done. Now at what points is it most important to check glucose levels?

They are worth their weight in gold for anyone willing to use the data. It took me about 3 months to work out what effect certain foods had on me and, once I understood that I could eat this but should avoid that, I could work out a diet. Then I started to use the meter to see if the diet was working, so early morning tests, tests last thing at night and also occasional before and after meal tests, to see the effect of certain foods. Another 3 months of doing that and I started to see the early morning readings slowly going down and, after one year, my HBA1c is back in the normal range.

I also found that I became tolerant to some foods which used to spike my BG levels, if eaten in moderation. Knowing what is going on is important for anyone who wants to attempt to manage their condition. The NHS can't be bothered to test you regularly enough and you could go months eating the wrong things if you relied on them.
 
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shellysexbomb

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Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Went out last night (been planned for ages) A final 'blowout' so to speak before I cut back massively on the booze. Tested this morning and was 5.2. Has sunday lunch with hardly any potatoes and it was 10.6 2 hours after! A little confused as to what foods I should be cutting out as this lunch was 90% veg. Will be gutted if it means even one small yorkshire pud is off the menu ;(
 

Scandichic

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Went out last night (been planned for ages) A final 'blowout' so to speak before I cut back massively on the booze. Tested this morning and was 5.2. Has sunday lunch with hardly any potatoes and it was 10.6 2 hours after! A little confused as to what foods I should be cutting out as this lunch was 90% veg. Will be gutted if it means even one small yorkshire pud is off the menu ;(
Couple of things......
An sd codefree meter has cheap strips - accu check £25 vs codefree £7! Downside - must be bought on line via amazon or ebay although your chemist might be able to get them in for you.
LCHF - try Dietdoctor.com.
As Daisy says, it depends on what you want to do as different things work for different people. LCHF works for me and a whole bunch of others. If it's low gi - douglas99 is helpful.
This forum has been a lifeline for me - the people are lovely, generally non judgemental and happy to help.
Personally, I would get rid of the potatoes, pasta and bread, although some people can tolerate brown rice and wholemeal bread. At first, didn't know what to eat for lunch or breakfast. More due to time but 6 weeks in , I've found I no longer need bread or rice.
Good luck and welcome!
 
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mrs gimli

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Hiya did you have meat juice gravy it could be that and stuffing I find shoots mine up.it really is trial and error .today I felt I'd ate well but did my sugars two hours after to be 8.2 very annoying as I expected in the 5s and 6s.for me writing down what I ate for two wks and the no's to match beside helped me see a pattern.don't let it get you down
 
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AndyH1

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Hi Shelley,

One of the reasons your reading was ok after being on the booze, might be because, like myself and many others have found, alcohol can lower BG levels, although my doctor is loathe to admit, it even says so on Diabetes UK.

Other times to test might be before and after vigorous exercise, shows what an valuable aid exercise can be, and also if you do lots, whether or not you need to fuel during exercise to keep your levels up.

I used to be on a balanced diet and well controlled until recently, I now need meds to control my levels, and even they weren't really helping, so now like many others, I am on a reduced carb diet (100/150g per day), which seems to be working. I got that advice on here. My GP still says I should be eating balance diet. For me, spuds, rice, pasta and bread are no longer on the menu, and also very few carbs in the evening, unless I have a few glasses of wine, when I can indulge a bit more. Look out for hidden carbs as well, gravy, sauces etc, booze.....

Keep using that test meter, don't get complacent like me. Once you're well controlled it might be tempting not to use it, but just remember, for many people it is a progressive condition, and you need to know whats happening with your body in order to be able to manage it better.

Andy
 
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A

AnnieC

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Yes only a meter will tell you what you can eat without going high BS every one is different what one can eat another can't, I hated to think I would have to give up roast potatoes but from using a meter I found can actually eat about three small ones and a small yorkshire with a Sunday roast and still be down in the 6's two hours later . Good luck with your diet
 
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FatGenes999

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:joyful:Welcome to the Forum, Shelly!

Like most of the posters here I think that the meter is very useful. I've learned what spikes my blood glucose by using the meter, and I can't imagine any knowledge being more important than that for us.
Even though my GP said she only wants to see the twice a day three-month readings from the meter before our next appointment, I still tend to do an average of four readings a day. Doing this has been especially helpful because I can see if my feet neuropathy is coinciding with higher BG. It always is!

See ya soon!
 
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shellysexbomb

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks for the replies everyone, means a lot that there are other people that know what this is like. Had appointment yesterday to discuss the 'complications' of diabetes. Already read all about them on various places on 't'web. Nurse says it is definitely progressive and the 'reversals' that are seen are due to practically starving yourself (which is unsustainable) making the BS levels look like the diabetes has 'gone', however as soon as the test subjects ate 'normally' the BS was off the scale. Depressing news :(
She is 'allowing' me another 8 weeks to get the bs under control through diet, I think what she doesn't realize is that since the beginning of January (when the raised BS was first noticed) I have been following slimming world diet. 60g of wholemeal bread a day so low carb to start with, and because i LOVE bread I tend not to have that anyhow cos I cant see the point. So basically, apart from the bit of mash on a Sunday, I have been just about carb free since Jan. Cant think of what else to do to lower the levels, short of starving :(
 

Syd

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Messages
93
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello Shelly,

We are all different and what works for some will not necessarily work for others. Many members of this forum seem to favour the low carb/high fat diet, for me after diagnosis I adopted the balanced diet recommended by the Doc. I was (still am) very overweight, and this seemed to be the first problem to tackle. I cut out all the junk 'food' I was eating, and started eating three regular meals a day with reduced portion sizes. I always had a 50% or more carb content of every meal, but chose the better complex carbs eg whole grain rather than white bread.

The weight began to fall off, and the BG fell in direct proportion. But I had problems with my post breakfast level particularly after eating breakfast cereal with low fat milk. I then started taking exercise after breakfast. The exercise was only a brisk walk for 40 minutes or so but the effect on the BG level was instant. I could have my 35 grams of carb breakfast, go for a walk, and my BG level two hours later would be pretty much where it was before breakfast (in the low 5.0's).

So I would see if you can still have that slice of bread or toast and can walk it off.

I also found that my daily post breakfast walk seemed to assist my glucose processing throughout the day, with the two hour reading getting back to the pre-meal reading.

Regards Syd


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AndyH1

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Cant think of what else to do to lower the levels, short of starving :(

Hi Shelley,

Syd raises a really good point about the exercise. You don't mention any exercise in your original post. It is a very good way to lower levels. For years I was med free, my care team, called it diet controlled, but I always said I was exercise controlled. A couple of months ago I tested one morning and got a reading of 22mmol/l, so a jumped on the bike, gave it some welly for an hour, in that hour it dropped to below 10 (since then I've been put on meds).

If you can find some time to include exercise in your daily routine I'm sure it would help. Lots of people on here have found that. you don't have to swim the channel before lunch or run a marathon before dinner. Even a brisk walk would help, but if you find a form of exercise that you enjoy, and raises your heart rate above normal and do it for, say half an hour day, I'm sure it would help. it would also help your weight loss. If you're self conscious about exercising in public you could buy a cheap exercise bike/rower/treadmill on fleabay and start indoors (that's what I did).

Mind you, if you did want to take your exercise further and start swimming, running, cycling etc, there is plenty of support/advice on here. Some of us even enjoy our sports :D.

Andy
 
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shellysexbomb

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thanks everyone. I DO exercise but at convenient times rather than post meal. I am quite physical at work, lots of walking around. I bought myself a horse with the money I saved from quitting smoking (quit last September) saved £2000) as an incentive to keep up the weight loss (so I can ride him) Did all this prior to the diagnosis, so its a kick in the teeth really, that as I finally decided to get a grip its too late to avert the disastrous diabetes. Anyhow, I do lots of walking around/mucking out and general activity in the day to day care of said horse, as well as the lifting carrying and walking I do in my job. I think I might try 'timing' the carb intake so I am out and about after, rather than doing it all then coming in for tea and the sofa :)

Edit: I have a treadmill and multi gym that I use 'occasionally' too lol
 

shellysexbomb

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I think today is the day it has really hit me. I HAVE to make these changes or seriously shorten my life expectancy and play russian roullette with the life quality if I dont. Its not a good feeling. I work for Warburtons bread as a school visitor which means either baking bread or making healthy sandwiches with a class full of kids on a daily basis. We do taste testing on all the yummy fruit/seeded breads. Its going to be so hard NOT joining in the activities. And no more pringles? *sob* :'(
 

shellysexbomb

Well-Known Member
Messages
134
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I have just had some lettuce, cucumber and onion with low fat yoghurt/mint sauce on (about and hour ago) and my sugar is now 9.7.....is it EVERY mouthful of food no matter WHAT the food is?
 
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Syd

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Messages
93
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
The blood levels will come down with sensible diet.

When I first started testing I would have been chuffed to bits with a FASTING level of 9.7. Now a couple of months on, it's usually in the 4's or low 5's.


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