newly diagnosed

JUNE56

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with Type 2 this week. Nobody seems to understand the emotional roller coaster i'm going through. When I tell people i have diabetes their immediate reaction is to tell me about a friend, granny, sister etc etc who has it and are fine.
 

daddys1

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,353
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi, Believe you me we have all been on this roller coaster, after the doctor diagnosed me on the 22 September 2014, I had tears in my ears when I left the surgery. We have all been there, but you have come to the right place. @daisy1 will be along soon will a list of helpful material.

Don't worry and don't panic it will all sort it self out once you get a handle on it.

Ask as many questions as you like there will be many others that will come to help.

Neil
 
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daddys1

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,353
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with Type 2 this week. Nobody seems to understand the emotional roller coaster i'm going through. When I tell people i have diabetes their immediate reaction is to tell me about a friend, granny, sister etc etc who has it and are fine.
Hi again,

It will help everyone if you are able to give some idea of what the figures were when you were first diagnosed, like your fasting glucose figure and the HbAc1 figure do you have them.
 
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Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
Nobody seems to understand the emotional roller coaster i'm going through. .

We do ... trust me .... keep us updated on your figures and then the experts here will guide you thru :)

You are NOT alone
 
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daddys1

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,353
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
We do ... trust me .... keep us updated on your figures and then the experts here will guide you thru :)

You are NOT alone
Hi Mike, I have tagged @daisy1 but she do sent seem to be about, I'm not entirely sure how all this works do you?
 
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Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
Hi Mike, I have tagged @daisy1 but she do sent seem to be about, I'm not entirely sure how all this works do you?

No Neil, I don't. I'm pretty much like you in offering basic info (as you have) and then probe with some other questions and let her add the usual script.

I think new people need some attention just so they know there's help around :)
 

Moniker

Well-Known Member
Messages
219
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome! You will find this a very supportive community.
 

pavlosn

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,705
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi @JUNE56

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but welcome to this forum.

You are absolutely correct that the time following diagnosis is an emotional roller coaster. Simply put being diagnosed with a life long incurable condition like diabetes involves going through a grief process very similar to a berievment. It is not uncommon to experience the full spectrum of emotions associated with the different stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance and hope. The sequence in which these are felt and the period we stay in each stage differs from one individual to another. We may also go through a stage more than once before reaching acceptance.

You may feel scared and that's ok. This will go away as you become more familiar with the disease but it will not go away completely. It is good to remain a little scared of it and use that fear as motivation. But remember you have diabetes it does not have you. It is still your life to live.

Guilt is also a feeling often associated with a diabetes diagnosis. There is always that little voice at the back of our heads, fed and amplified by the negative information in the media, that accuses us that we brought this on to ourselves. Do not go there! No matter how bad your lifestyle may have been, I am certain it has not been any worse than millions of others that do not go on to develop diabetes. A diabetes diagnosis is not some kind of punishment for past sins.

Things can also a bit overwhelming at first as you are flooded with masses of often conflicting information. Your life may seem not you are own as you are go from one medical test to another.

But things do get easier, as you become more educated about this disease and you start taking action to bring your levels down. I will go as far as to say that proving to yourself that you can manage your levels is a very empowering even thrilling experience.

As the others have stated @daisy1 will be along soon with the very useful introductory material given to newly diagnosed diabetics that find their way to this forum,

Take your time to study this well and ask as many questions as you need to about anything you are not certain about.

No such thing as a stupid question. The only stupid thing to do is not to ask and stay confused.

There are a lot of very friendly, very experienced and very well managed diabetics on this site that will be very happy to offer assistance to you.

The two practical things that I want to stress to you that most on this forum would agree are vital to glycemic control are: limiting and controlling your carbohydrate intake and the need to self test and monitor your glucose levels regularly.

Unfortunately your doctor's advice in these two essential areas may differ to what we advise. You have been duly warned.

It may feel like your life as you know it is over now and in a way it has, you can no longer eat anything you like at any time for instance. But this may not necessarily be a bad thing. Many of us have found that as a result of diagnosis we have been forced to adopt much healthier lifestyles involving exercise and much improved diet and have lost weight and feel fitter and healthier as a result.

Diabetes is a very serious illness. One that can not be ignored if one wants to avoid some very unpleasant health complications.

But it is easily manageable. Respect its rules and it allows for a full and satisfying life.

Take care and once again welcome

Pavlos
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
Hello @JUNE56 and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to help.
I see you have had some very good advice already.

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 over 100,000 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.
 

Clivethedrive

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,996
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Jogging
Hi and welcome june56,looking forward to know you better, welcome to the best and most caring forum on the web! Ask any question you want and someone will respond,
 

Enclave

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
2,602
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Welcome .. Your in the right place now for asking advice, we have all been there.. at the moment for you it's about getting your head around things. T2 Diabetes is not the end of things but a new start .. I find if you can embrace this as a new challange .. This is a condition that can be controlled .. The main thing at this stage is to get yourself a bs meter .. Homehealth do a home bs testing meter that has cheep testing strips .. You will use a lot of test strips as you learn what food you can eat without your sugars going high ...
So do return with with all the questions that are running around your head .. Your not alone now ...
 

Cloudlesssky

Well-Known Member
Messages
273
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi and welcome to the forum.
I was also diagnosed this autumn and have found this a great source of support - especially over those silly little questions that pop up when there's no one else to ask!
You will get your head around this. It took me a couple of weeks to understand the sort of things I needed to do and, I'm sure you'll get there too.
And yes, everyone knows someone who has diabetes - and a couple of scare stories to go with it!
Try not to worry, we've all experienced similar, I'm sure and you can just share how you're feeling and what you are worried about here.
Take care,
Bee Gee
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome. Do stick around and ask questions.
 

Snowy12

Well-Known Member
Messages
935
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Tuna,People spitting on the floor and ironing.
image.jpg Welcome to the forum.
 

sanguine

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,340
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Intolerance, career politicians, reality TV and so-called celebrity culture, mobile phones in the quiet carriage.
Hi, welcome from me :)
 

JUNE56

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and thank you for the information and advice that you have been kind enough to offer. I feel really bad that I haven't read this until today. Have found working my way through the forum and website harder than I thought. Have only just found my way back here.
 
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Paul59

Well-Known Member
Messages
954
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi June your in good hands & with friends here, that have to live with it everyday so know how best to deal with it & control the beast.
Just ask anything your not sure about & someone will have an answer. Welcome aboard.
 
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