Scared - New and don't know what's happening. Type 2

Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Evening folks,

So I got diagnosed yesterday with type 2, have had a massive sweet addiction, and overweight, so I guess I've no one to blame but myself. Lost my mum 9 months ago, and hubby is out of country at moment, so feeling totally alone, and feel like I've been handed a death sentance at 35. Don't know whT I'm supposed to be doing, don't see the diabetes nurse until next week. So angry and upset with myself. Any help would be truly appreciated right now xxx
 
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M

mrspuddleduck

Guest
Hi @Emmasethy, I'm not the right person to help you cos I'm a type 3c, but I just wanted to say hi, that youre in the right place and there are lots of people on here who will be pleased to help. BTW, stop blaming yourself, we have all been there one way or another!! Sue xx
 
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dancer

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,360
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I'm Type 1 but I'm sure some Type 2s will be along shortly.

Diabetes is not a death sentence. It is a serious condition but if you take care of yourself you will be fine.
Possibly you will be told to try losing weight first and your blood sugar may return to normal levels (that's what happened to my husband).

Ok, it means changing your way of life - no more sweet addiction! - but it's worth it.

OK, if you end up on medication, that also becomes a way of life. My oldest brother has Type 2 and takes tablets twice a day but he says it's no problem.

This has been a shock for you and not having your husband there will make it seem worse. You're still missing your mum and it's to be expected that you feel upset. There's a lot going on in your life but diabetes is something you will get used to. Someone will tag daisy 1(sorry, I don't know how to do that) and she will give you useful information.

This forum is a great way of finding out information and getting advice, so welcome . . . and stop worrying, it could be a lot worse than just having diabetes!
 
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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.
Evening folks,

So I got diagnosed yesterday with type 2, have had a massive sweet addiction, and overweight, so I guess I've no one to blame but myself. Lost my mum 9 months ago, and hubby is out of country at moment, so feeling totally alone, and feel like I've been handed a death sentance at 35. Don't know whT I'm supposed to be doing, don't see the diabetes nurse until next week. So angry and upset with myself. Any help would be truly appreciated right now xxx
Hi Emmasethy and welcome. So sorry for the loss of your mum.

You don't need to feel guilty about getting T2 - it has many causes other than what we eat, including genetics. This article explains it better than I can:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php

I will tag @daisy1 who some information we give to welcome newcomers. Everything is going to be ok. You can get on top of this within a few weeks and it certainly isn't a death sentence for you. With doing the right things you can send it into remission and lose weight.

Just so we may be able to help you better, are you on any medications, did they check your blood pressure, and do you know what your diabetes blood test results were? It would pay to ask for a printout of them, so you can see how much better they are 3 months time.
 
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Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Thanks for the replies xx I guess I've been googling like mad, and just see the negatives like losing limbs and heart disease etc xx and not being able to see the nurse until next week is playing on my mind, as now I don't know what to eat, what not to etc. some sites say you can still eat everything you want to but in moderation and others are saying to follow a low Gi approach x head is spinning from all the conflicting information xx
 
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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.
I'm Type 1 but I'm sure some Type 2s will be along shortly.

Diabetes is not a death sentence. It is a serious condition but if you take care of yourself you will be fine.
Possibly you will be told to try losing weight first and your blood sugar may return to normal levels (that's what happened to my husband).

Ok, it means changing your way of life - no more sweet addiction! - but it's worth it.

OK, if you end up on medication, that also becomes a way of life. My oldest brother has Type 2 and takes tablets twice a day but he says it's no problem.

This has been a shock for you and not having your husband there will make it seem worse. You're still missing your mum and it's to be expected that you feel upset. There's a lot going on in your life but diabetes is something you will get used to. Someone will tag daisy 1(sorry, I don't know how to do that) and she will give you useful information.

This forum is a great way of finding out information and getting advice, so welcome . . . and stop worrying, it could be a lot worse than just having diabetes!
You can tag daisy by typing a @ then her name.
 
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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.
Thanks for the replies xx I guess I've been googling like mad, and just see the negatives like losing limbs and heart disease etc xx and not being able to see the nurse until next week is playing on my mind, as now I don't know what to eat, what not to etc. some sites say you can still eat everything you want to but in moderation and others are saying to follow a low Gi approach x head is spinning from all the conflicting information xx
A low GI approach can be good because your body processes low GI food more slowly, so your blood sugar level doesn't increase then crash so rapidly after meals.

But all carbohydrates (including those in low GI foods) will still cause blood sugar to rise. So most of us find that reducing carbs keeps our blood sugars at a safe level. I'm talking about bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, cereals and porridge. With self-testing using a meter you may find your can eat small amounts of some of these so you will have to wait and see. A few more days of eating moderate carbs is not going to do any harm, while you do some reading and thinking.
 
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Robbity

Expert
Messages
6,683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, we all feel very much the same when we're first diagnosed whether our family are around us or not -so while you're alone please consider us to be your surrogate family/moral support group. Your diagnosis is a warning and is NO WAY a death sentence, and you have a good chance now of keeping your diabetes well under control.

There's a lot you can do for yourself - including (as you're obviously aware now) cutting down on your sweeties, and other sweet and starchy foods. as these are what increase our glucose levels. As type 2 diabetics we can't/don't handle these types of food very well so we should do our best to reduce or avoid them in our diet. Do this in spite of what you may be told about eating carbohydrates by the diabetic nurse. Ask if you can have a meter and prescription for test strips, as checking your glucose levels before and after meals will help you to discover what foods are bad for you in this respect. Daisy's been tagged and she will post here with our standard forum advice to new members, for you.

Robbity
 
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Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
My
Hi Emmasethy and welcome. So sorry for the loss of your mum.

You don't need to feel guilty about getting T2 - it has many causes other than what we eat, including genetics. This article explains it better than I can:
http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php

I will tag @daisy1 who some information we give to welcome newcomers. Everything is going to be ok. You can get on top of this within a few weeks and it certainly isn't a death sentence for you. With doing the right things you can send it into remission and lose weight.

Just so we may be able to help you better, are you on any medications, did they check your blood pressure, and do you know what your diabetes blood test results were? It would pay to ask for a printout of them, so you can see how much better they are 3 months


My blood pressure went upto 160/110 and in fact it was by going to the doctors last week to have the 24 hour monitor on, that she mentioned that I had diabetes, I said I didn't, and she advised on one of my tests back in January it came back raised (don't have the figure) so I had bloodworm done again, and had follow up, she said it had risen again, and because of the two readings they could formally diagnose diabetes. To be honest, I was in so much shock I forgot to ask what readings were, but I'm sure the diabetes nurse will tell me on Thursday. Blood pressure was raised as I was on a medication for depression that can increase your blood pressure significantly x sorry I couldn't give you readings, but should be able to update them next week. I've been trying to lose weight for years, so I'm hoping some medication like metformin will be prescribed, as I do t think I can do it through diet alone. Was on metformin a few years back as I have pcos x
 

Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hi, we all feel very much the same when we're first diagnosed whether our family are around us or not -so while you're alone please consider us to be your surrogate family/moral support group. Your diagnosis is a warning and is NO WAY a death sentence, and you have a good chance now of keeping your diabetes well under control.

There's a lot you can do for yourself - including (as you're obviously aware now) cutting down on your sweeties, and other sweet and starchy foods. as these are what increase our glucose levels. As type 2 diabetics we can't/don't handle these types of food very well so we should do our best to reduce or avoid them in our diet. Do this in spite of what you may be told about eating carbohydrates by the diabetic nurse. Ask if you can have a meter and prescription for test strips, as checking your glucose levels before and after meals will help you to discover what foods are bad for you in this respect. Daisy's been tagged and she will post here with our standard forum advice to new members, for you.

Robbity


Thank you so much for all your kind words of support, was having a mini meltdown this evening, and can't stop crying, know that may sound over the top to some, but it's knocked me for six x
 

Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
You have all been so kind xx so thank you for your support x those with a sweet tooth, how have you coped?
 
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Pipp

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
10,622
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Thanks for the replies xx I guess I've been googling like mad, and just see the negatives like losing limbs and heart disease etc xx and not being able to see the nurse until next week is playing on my mind, as now I don't know what to eat, what not to etc. some sites say you can still eat everything you want to but in moderation and others are saying to follow a low Gi approach x head is spinning from all the conflicting information xx
Hi @Emmasethy
Welcome from me too.
A diagnosis is one hell of a shock. I am sure that is compounded by the loss of your mother, so recently. Sorry for your loss.
A suggestion, don't despair, read info in here, take your time, ask specific questions, keep asking if you still don't understand. Don't get involved in the blame game. Lots of others in the media will do that. You are young, and recently diagnosed, so you can make improvements. It is not unknown for people to regain good blood glucose measurements. The sweet addiction would be the first thing I would ditch. As for your question about sweet tooth, sugar free jelly is a good substitute. Has kept many of us sane.
 
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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.
Don't worry about not having the figures yet, there is plenty of time and the real benefit of having them will come in 3 months time when you can see the improvement.

Have a read in the success stories and testimonials subforum for inspiration. I've seen dozens of stories from people just like you who have normalised their blood sugars (and often blood pressure) within 3 months.

Quitting sugar is hard at the start because the body craves it. You may feel yuck for a few days but it will pass and then you may feel better than you have in a long time. Usually people find they have more energy and no bloated, heavy feeling in their tummy.

One of my favourite foods is full fat natural greek yoghurt with berries and a dash of sucaryl. You may find you don't need to add a sweetener. I also replace the yoghurt with clotted cream sometimes too.

There are loads of food ideas and recipes on the forum. You may need to do a supermarket shop once you've designed an eating plan. Do you live alone or with others?

It's a shame your doctor didn't mention that blood test back in January but never mind, from now on it's a good idea to get a printout after every blood test, so you can compare the figures to earlier results. We can help you understand what each one means. Also don't be afraid to ask your doctor and nurse every question you have. This is better than guessing or being in the dark.
 

Emmasethy

Member
Messages
24
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Don't worry about not having the figures yet, there is plenty of time and the real benefit of having them will come in 3 months time when you can see the improvement.

Have a read in the success stories and testimonials subforum for inspiration. I've seen dozens of stories from people just like you who have normalised their blood sugars (and often blood pressure) within 3 months.

Quitting sugar is hard at the start because the body craves it. You may feel yuck for a few days but it will pass and then you may feel better than you have in a long time. Usually people find they have more energy and no bloated, heavy feeling in their tummy.

One of my favourite foods is full fat natural greek yoghurt with berries and a dash of sucaryl. You may find you don't need to add a sweetener. I also replace the yoghurt with clotted cream sometimes too.

There are loads of food ideas and recipes on the forum. You may need to do a supermarket shop once you've designed an eating plan. Do you live alone or with others?

It's a shame your doctor didn't mention that blood test back in January but never mind, from now on it's a good idea to get a printout after every blood test, so you can compare the figures to earlier results. We can help you understand what each one means. Also don't be afraid to ask your doctor and nurse every question you have. This is better than guessing or being in the dark.

Just me and the hubby at home, although a change in diet would benefit us both. Going to be looking at all the subsections and getting more clued up x thank you so much once again xx
 
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Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
You'll be fine .... we all go thru that and come out the other end.

That said, you're now in the hands of some great people who'll help you all you wish.
 
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daisy1

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

Hello Emma and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful, especially the details on carbohydrates which you need to reduce as much as you can to control your levels. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will help, as you have already seen from the replies from other members.


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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PerfectStorm

Well-Known Member
Messages
207
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi Emma.

I was diagnosed in April at age 35 too and like you was terrified. I have a son who at the time was only 18 months and I was so scared that I would get complications and not live to see him grow up. I sobbed buckets too.

I'm now a few months on, am controlling things well with a low carb diet, have lost 2 stone (am looking great if I do say so myself) but more importantly, my blood glucose levels are in the normal range. I'm also enjoying food. I'm not scared anymore.

Stop googling diabetes and complications and risks, it will not help you and will make you feel worse. I know from experience! Stick around on this site, there's a lot of helpful people with great advice.
 
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Daibell

Master
Messages
12,642
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi and welcome. The key is diet. Although you will probably have to make a large reduction in all carbs, you can make up with proteins and fats. These will help you feel full and reduce the hunger you can get with the 'sugar' high from carbs. Initially you will miss sweet or carby foods but slowly you wil be able to resist the sugar-laden cup-cakes and such like. Just read the labels and be aware that the supermarkets do their best to sell you profitable carby foods, so find the good foods; there are many. If a low-carb diet doesn't help you lose weight and lower blood sugar then the GP can prescribe medication to help.
 
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