Newly diagnosed and stressed

Loupott

Member
Messages
5
Hi All,

Just need to vent really, I'm struggling with all this information being given to me by the Dr etc and despite what they are doing, I'm on metformin and a new tablet my blood sugar is 23.5.

My head is throbbing and my eyesight is incredibly distorted today. I can't get to see the diabetic nurse until September (end of).

I feel lost. Any advice?.

Thanks
 

mariavontrapp

Well-Known Member
Messages
261
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
I had poor eyesight when first diagnosed but it soon settled down once I got on top of things.

You will find that a lot of people on this forum recommend an LCHF diet - this means low carbohydrate, higher fat. It has helped so many of us to get our blood sugar levels down and often to lose weight. You might find that your doctor/nurse give different advice to this and it is up to you to choose which path to take.
My recommendation would be that you start by reading people's testimonials - there is a section on the forum with this heading. After that, I would recommend that you read about low carb eating and decide if you want to follow that route.
Keep posting and asking questions.
 
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ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
Welcome, Loupott. I will tag @daisy1 who has some info for newbies she can post for you.

I take it you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and the other new tablet is a sulfonylurea of some kind, eg gliclazide, glipazide?

If you feel unwell, please call NHS Direct on 111 for advice, or go to a walk in centre or see a doctor some other way. Do you have any nausea or fatigue? Are you thirsty and needing to pass urine more often than usual? These are symptoms of hyperglycaemia and if they get bad, you could need medical attention.

I will try to keep things as simple as I can. I think the most important thing is to reduce your carbs like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and cereal (including porridge/oats). I take it you already have a meter and test strips? If so, that will be a big help.

Once your blood glucose levels are coming down, you can take a deep breath and start planning out all the things you can do to look after yourself and prevent complications. We can help you :) By the time you see your DN things will be much better.
 
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Loupott

Member
Messages
5
Hi

Thanks for the advice, I've no idea why I feel so bad: I've been up all night and day urinating and I'm so thirsty. I've monitored my carbs and taken the tablets as requested. Luckily I've had no nausea but I'm absolutely shattered.

I just wished I'd listened when they told me I was prediabetic. Very very cross with myself.

Thanks again x
 
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ButtterflyLady

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,291
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Acceptance of health treatment claims that are not adequately supported by evidence. I dislike it when people sell ineffective and even harmful alternative health products to exploit the desperation of people with chronic illness.
Hi

Thanks for the advice, I've no idea why I feel so bad: I've been up all night and day urinating and I'm so thirsty. I've monitored my carbs and taken the tablets as requested. Luckily I've had no nausea but I'm absolutely shattered.

I just wished I'd listened when they told me I was prediabetic. Very very cross with myself.

Thanks again x
You feel bad because you have hyperglycaemia. Once your BG is below the mid teens, you should start to feel better, I think. The tablets don't do much, its the carbs that matter most. Please don't beat yourself up, I ignored the advice when I was pre-D too. It's not our fault our HCPs didn't stress the importance of making changes, like the people here do.

Are you able to list out for us exactly what you have eaten in the last day or so?

The thirst, urination and exhaustion are hyperglycaemia symptoms. But it's possible they could be caused by something else, especially the exhaustion, as so many things can cause that, such as a virus, for example.
 

Loupott

Member
Messages
5
Well the good news is my BS were 11.9 this morning which for me is amazing!.

I'm currently taking steroids for my asthma unfortunately however I'm told this is likely to increase my BS.

My low carb high fat diet starts today.....
 
G

graj0

Guest
Well the good news is my BS were 11.9 this morning which for me is amazing!.

I'm currently taking steroids for my asthma unfortunately however I'm told this is likely to increase my BS.

My low carb high fat diet starts today.....
Welcome, sorry to hear that you have yet another challenge. I'm not asthmatic myself, my wife is, so I can appreciate what a b.gg.r that is to deal with. As you say the steroids will affect the numbers and not in a good way.
I don't know what your relationship with food is, I had followed a strict regime before low carbing so it was easy, not everyone will find it as easy. If I was to be asked for advice I could only say, don't beat yourself up, just get straight back on the wagon. Personally I cut bread/rice/pasta/potato and except for Saturday's treat (eggs, which must have toast) and Sunday's (bacon, must have more toast), and rice every now and again, I don't have too many problems keeping below 100gms of carb a day. I weigh everything and have some software to break everything down, so I can be fairly accurate on the amounts of carb. So, in my case I ditched Gliclazide, Januvia and the dreaded stating purely because my numbers were low.
I didn't replace the missing carbs with extra fats, the decrease in calories was useful for losing some weight, but don't forget, everybody has a different approach. There is no single right way, it's going to be very personal to you.
I see you have a monitor which is good, using it will help you identify which carbs might be OK, even the body's response to carbs differs from person to person. Use the meter and test, test, test, much better than waiting for an HbA1c which is only an average and misses the peeks and troughs which do the damage.