Newly diagnosed - rollercoaster of emotions

[geoffh]

Hi everyone.
After my dad sadly passed away recently, I asked the doctor for a checkup. He ordered a number of blood tests, as a result of which I found out my fasting glucose level was 12 (and 13 the following week).

Not good at all.
Annoyingly I had to chase the surgery for results, and after eventually tracking them down I was given an appointment with the diabetic nurse (this coming week). So I guess that's me a diabetic then.
I've no idea what they'll recommend - medication, insulin or 'just' diet and exercise. I've so many questions, but I'm worried I'll be in and out in a few minutes.

Since that first test I've been all over the place. Both my parents are (or were) diabatic (type 2) so I kind of knew it was inevitable, but I didn't expect it this soon (I'm 38). There's so much info on the web I can barely take it all in. I flit between hope (people losing weight, changing lifestyle enough that they can effectively 'reverse' their condition) to statistics on life expectancy, the inevitability of insulin and medical complications later on. It's been a rollercoaster.

I am absolutely determined not to let this beat me - I'm really quite overweight and have already lost 5kg by cutting out all processed sugar and simple carbs. I do exercise, but probably not enough. But will it help? I'm starting to feeling it's all inevitable.

Tell me there's hope, please!!

Sorry to be negative - I'm usually a happy positive person, but it's been a tough year!

Geoff

 

[GeoffersTaylor]

Hi Geoff. I'm Geoff.

I was diagnosed just 3 months ago so I'm still quite new to this - you are definitely not alone! You have lots of possibilities to take control, and the steps you've taken are a really good start. Realising that carbs aren't your friend anymore is a good base from which to decide your next steps.

There'll be other, more experienced folks along on this thread shortly. I'm going to tag @daisy1 who usually provides a big pile of useful info and links.

I have my 3 month review tomorrow, and I hope (and expect) that they will show a decent improvement in my numbers because of the lifestyle changes I've made from following info on this site.

There's more than Hope, sir! There can be an expectation of improvement if you want it!

Welcome

 

[Sirmione]

Hi! you are making a great start so don't worry, I think you will already have learned that many of us here have great success controlling our blood glucose levels by cutting the carbs from our diets to a minimum and replacing them with fats particularly from foods such as fish and olive oils which contain "good" oils.

My personal approach was first to endeavour to get my carb intake near zero, then carefully re-introduce carbs, testing after each meal to see the effect of various foods. It seems to work for me and hopefully the control I have over blood glucose is tight enough to halt or at least delay until seriously old age any diabetic complications.

 

[Devonbear]

You say cutting out sugar and simple carbs. Have a read around other people's accounts about the effect (pretty much) all carbs have on their blood sugar. I would suggest you also cut out "complex carbs" (regardless of what the NHS may tell you). Ditch the brown bread / wholemeal pasta / brown rice and the root vegetables and the fruit. You'd be amazed at the difference.

 

[Sobeit]

Hi Geoff Welcome! Im new to this too .Diagnosed a few weeks ago! Im not going to pretend its been easy for me,far from it..but boy Im glad I hav found this forum. Its been a great help with all that I have learned from reading other peoples posts ; and its nice to know any questions will be answered by people who really nderstand what u r going through ! Its great u r so positive not to let this beat u.I feel that way too.. But I think its detrimental to your positive way of looking at things to read up on too much negative stuff on the internet .My doc said she is treating a man in his mid nineties who got diabetes at my age and is a prime example of someone who has done all the right things etc..Im feeling much more positive about new eating habits now it does get easier.I found it very hard to come to terms with on first hearing.Have u someone u can offload to ,share your feelings with,positive and negative..That really is important in my book..Id be lost without my hubby,but this is your other family .We care and are here to support u! Good luck

 

[Sobeit]

Hi everyone.
After my dad sadly passed away recently, I asked the doctor for a checkup. He ordered a number of blood tests, as a result of which I found out my fasting glucose level was 12 (and 13 the following week).

Not good at all.
Annoyingly I had to chase the surgery for results, and after eventually tracking them down I was given an appointment with the diabetic nurse (this coming week). So I guess that's me a diabetic then.
I've no idea what they'll recommend - medication, insulin or 'just' diet and exercise. I've so many questions, but I'm worried I'll be in and out in a few minutes.

Since that first test I've been all over the place. Both my parents are (or were) diabatic (type 2) so I kind of knew it was inevitable, but I didn't expect it this soon (I'm 38). There's so much info on the web I can barely take it all in. I flit between hope (people losing weight, changing lifestyle enough that they can effectively 'reverse' their condition) to statistics on life expectancy, the inevitability of insulin and medical complications later on. It's been a rollercoaster.

I am absolutely determined not to let this beat me - I'm really quite overweight and have already lost 5kg by cutting out all processed sugar and simple carbs. I do exercise, but probably not enough. But will it help? I'm starting to feeling it's all inevitable.

Tell me there's hope, please!!

Sorry to be negative - I'm usually a happy positive person, but it's been a tough year!

Geoff

Sorry to hear about your Dad..x

 

[Indy51]

Hi and welcome to the club that nobody wants to join - yet for myself and many others, being forced to stop and reassess our diet and lifestyle has turned out to be a positive rather than a negative. I feel better than I've felt in years and I hope your diagnosis will turn out to be a positive for you too.

So sorry for your loss.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Welcome to the forum and sorry for your loss.

I was 38 when I was diagnosed too. It felt too young, but it became ok once I got used to it. You certainly can get diabetes under control and return your blood tests to the normal range, with a bit of effort. There's no reason it needs to progress. When doctors say it always progresses, they are thinking of people who don't make any changes to their diet.

 

[daisy1]

@geoffh

Hello Geoff and welcome to the forum. I am so sorry for your loss. Here is the information which has been mentioned above which we give to new members. This should help you control your levels with the help of reducing carbs as far as possible and hopefully you will soon see results. Ask as many questions as you need to 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.

 

[wiserkurtious]

Hi everyone.
After my dad sadly passed away recently, I asked the doctor for a checkup. He ordered a number of blood tests, as a result of which I found out my fasting glucose level was 12 (and 13 the following week).

Not good at all.
Annoyingly I had to chase the surgery for results, and after eventually tracking them down I was given an appointment with the diabetic nurse (this coming week). So I guess that's me a diabetic then.
I've no idea what they'll recommend - medication, insulin or 'just' diet and exercise. I've so many questions, but I'm worried I'll be in and out in a few minutes.

Since that first test I've been all over the place. Both my parents are (or were) diabatic (type 2) so I kind of knew it was inevitable, but I didn't expect it this soon (I'm 38). There's so much info on the web I can barely take it all in. I flit between hope (people losing weight, changing lifestyle enough that they can effectively 'reverse' their condition) to statistics on life expectancy, the inevitability of insulin and medical complications later on. It's been a rollercoaster.

I am absolutely determined not to let this beat me - I'm really quite overweight and have already lost 5kg by cutting out all processed sugar and simple carbs. I do exercise, but probably not enough. But will it help? I'm starting to feeling it's all inevitable.

Tell me there's hope, please!!

Sorry to be negative - I'm usually a happy positive person, but it's been a tough year!

Geoff

I got diagnosed type 1 in july and every1 on here knows how your feeling,when first diagnosed and you look up info about the condition everything scares the sh$te out of you but after time passes It tends to get a little easier.all the best for the future bud and were all kinda in this together and this sites amazing

 

[MyM]

I got diagnosed T2 just over 3 months ago at 38, HbA1C of 118 which I think works out at about 18mmol/, I was also overweight but a little active exercise wise.
The amount of information given and offered was overwhelming, but once you sit down and work out what works for you it isn't too bad, I did have to change doctor at one point as mine was useless when it came to diabetes. I had my 3 month review last week and my HbA1c was 52, this for me has been a massive improvement even though there is a still a long way to go it shows I'm heading in the right direction. I can't say it was fun but you can definitely do something about it which can only help in the future.,

 

[trace_1963]

It is a lot to take in at first,I was diagnosed in may this year with a hbalc of 49,just had my 3 month review last week and it went down to 35,it's been a kick up the backside I needed to look after myself I have lost 2 and a half stone in weight with the low carb diet and exercise and lots of determination,so you will get there,this forum has been a godsend in me achieving this

 

[geoffh]

Thank you so much everyone for this. It's been really encouraging reading your replies.

 

[mo53]

@geoffh . You are in the right place for help, support, first hand knowledge and encouragement. It will be better when you actually get your results and diagnosis from the diabetic nurse. Good luck

 

[stargalsal]

Firstly, I am sorry to hear about your loss and hope that you have a good support system in place as you go through the grieving process.
Secondly, 6 weeks ago, my life came tumbling down with my own diagnosis of T2. I berated myself (natural for most of us I think) but determined that I wasn't going to go down the road of complications that can come hand in hand with diabetes. To do that means I have to change my entire life. I have been overweight for years now, eating well some of the time and not so well most of the time and being somewhat active (but not nearly as much as I should especially given the sedentary aspects of my job). After the initial reaction to discovering I had T2, I was pretty forlorn. But I knew that I had to take responsibility and start caring, I mean TRULY caring, about myself and what I was doing to my body. It sounds like you are ready to do the same and you should be commended for getting off that 5kg on your own. You can do this! I don't know for sure if it gets any easier (It's doing my head in that so much of my life feels like it revolves around food: planning, eating; testing etc at the moment) but I do believe that it will be worth it. You are doing incredibly well dealing with such a major life changing diagnosis on the heels of losing someone of such importance in your life. I don't know how I would be coping if I was dealing with that grief on top of the added grief for my former self (even though I believe there is far more positives than negatives to come from learning I am T2). And whatever happens, regardless of whether you need meds or can control by diet and exercise, you can make the changes you need to make to go into your 40's, 50's and many years beyond with a quality of life I think we are frightened will pass us by when we are initially diagnosed. All the best Geoff.