Diagnosed Type 2 01/01/2015

tpowell29210

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I am new here and have been diagnosed since the new year. I have been borderline much longer. I had the classic symptons of extreme thirst and hourly urination. Tested at 450 and immediately given insulin in the Dr's office. I refused hospital for one day hoping insulin would bring BS down which it did. I went from insulin with each meal to Levier twice daily and now only metformin at 2000 units and now 1000 units. Hab1c now 6.2. I look to this thread for info and inspiration. My diet is one that I eat to my meter and is basically LCHF most of the time. My meter doesn't will not let me lie to myself.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,793
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Welcome to the forum @tpowell29210
I've noticed that you have started to get control of your condition.
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information. If you have any questions, please ask as someone knowledgeable will answer.
Join in the fun, best wishes.
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Welcome! Congratulations on the quick improvement. Were your health care professionals surprised that managed to do this?
 

noblehead

Guru
Retired Moderator
Messages
23,618
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Disrespectful people
A warm welcome to the forum typowell29210, hope your good progress continues :)
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@tpowell29210

Hi and welcome to the forum :)

Congratulations on the progress you have already made. This information which we give to new members should help you even more, with its advice on diet and carbs in particular. Ask as many questions as you like 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 over 150,000 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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tpowell29210

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
My Dr was very pleased with the test results. Quite frankly he had warned me about a year previously that I was pre diabetic but I paid little heed to his warning. I did not become serious about controlling my blood sugar until I had the classic and undeniable symptoms. I had hoped that my Hab1c would be below 6. Even so,with a daily walk and low carb intake I have more energy,motivation and drive than I have had for years. I look upon the diagnosis as a positive life changing event. Strange right? I have not been depressed but even more upbeat than before, By the way,I have had crohn's for 40 years and been a smoker for most of that time. I decided to quit and have not had a cigarette for over 8 months. So in the scheme of things this mandated change in my life-style has had a most positive effect on my health and may in fact keep me around a few years longer.
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Yes, I bet he was pleased. But was he surprised? Mine sure were when I got to normal blood glucose levels. They believe that type 2 is progressive.
 
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SueB743

Well-Known Member
Messages
376
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just wanted to say hi and well done on your latest results sounds like you are doing brilliantly. I agree this is the start of a better way of life
 

Patricia21

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,764
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Animal crualty
Welcome from me as well,and well done,stay with us and keep up the good work.
 

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.
Welcome and very well done :)
 

tpowell29210

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Yes, I bet he was pleased. But was he surprised? Mine sure were when I got to normal blood glucose levels. They believe that type 2 is progressive.
Did your diet remain the same over the years while your blood sugar was going down or did you keep restricting your carbs. What I'm trying to determine is if one has a good plan in place will blood sugars continue to decrease over time.
 

tpowell29210

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Welcome and very well done :)
Oh,in reply to whether my Doc was surprised. No. I have been taking readings on a one touch and downloading the results to my computer. I was taking printouts and graphs to him for review so he knew the ball park results. I'm still not sure what the numbers all mean. My fasting is about 120 every morning and ny afternoon is around 110 but rarelyI spike up to 160 or even 180. I have been able to pinpoint the causes of spikes and its turned out to be portion control of sweet potatoes. I am flummoxed by all the conflicting nutritional info out there. I came here because I believe that those with experience with diabetes have better info to pass on than the "experts".
 
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NoCrbs4Me

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,700
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
Vegetables
Oh,in reply to whether my Doc was surprised. No. I have been taking readings on a one touch and downloading the results to my computer. I was taking printouts and graphs to him for review so he knew the ball park results. I'm still not sure what the numbers all mean. My fasting is about 120 every morning and ny afternoon is around 110 but rarelyI spike up to 160 or even 180. I have been able to pinpoint the causes of spikes and its turned out to be portion control of sweet potatoes. I am flummoxed by all the conflicting nutritional info out there. I came here because I believe that those with experience with diabetes have better info to pass on than the "experts".
I ask whether your doctor was surprised because since I was diagnosed I have been in contact with quite a few nurses, doctors, and pharmacists and they all seem to have been trained that type 2 gets progressively worse and definitely does not get better. They were all (pleasantly) surprised that I had gotten my blood glucose levels to normal values and gotten off metformin. I seem to be an exception to what they see with their other patients.

As for my diet, right after I was diagnosed I lost weight with a low calorie/high carb/low fat "healthy" plate diet for about the first 6 months, then I got a blood glucose meter and almost immediately significantly reduced my carbs. I then gradually reduced even more until I had completely eliminated sugar, grains, rice and starchy veg. Now I'm starting to add a bit of sweet potatoes back in, since they don't seem to spike my blood glucose much. My dietary plan now is pretty straightforward: eat nutrient dense, whole foods and avoid factory processed "food".
 
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tpowell29210

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I have eliminated since 01/012015 all things white and things that grow underground. I've lost 30lbs and 5 inches in waist. All this while quitting smoking. I'm only on metformin 500 twice a day and my goal is to get off completely. Because of crohns I never eat fast foods so perhaps the diet change for me was not as drastic as it may have been for others.I have 2 squares of 85% cocoa chocolate at night for a treat. But I miss the convenience and satisfaction of bread. Oddly enough even before I suspected that I was diabetic I had cut back on sweets chips desserts but not all bread. I have added more fat to my diet. I found that oatmeal and plain greek yogurt caused my blood sugar to spike but a slice of coconut cake didn't affect it. I don't have to understand it I just have to remember that the meter doesn't lie. I hope to be off met completely in 3 months. Thanks for responding and sharing your info.
 
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PatsyB

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,956
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Diabetes
Hi and welcome to the forum :)
 

TyTy

Well-Known Member
Messages
414
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Not much
Hi welcome to the forum tpowell29210, Seems you are controlling your diabetes , welldone