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A Month of Type 2 Diabetes

Type2Guy

Type2Guy

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Location
Chicago, IL
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I was officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last month with an A1C of 8.6. So I've spent the past few weeks trying to make as many drastic changes to my diet and taken on a more rigorous exercise regime in an attempt to get this under far better control. I've been living an emotional trauma in slow motion since being jolted from the sublime comfort of my delightfully lazy, endless carbohydrate infused previous routine, because the notion of lifelong commitment to this perpetual monitoring and management of blood glucose and the restrictive diet required to achieve the desired effect just feels so very difficult. Despite understanding the genetic component of diabetes, I still have a lot of shame to process at feeling responsible for crossing this threshold into it because I avoided warning signs for such a long time and too often made a lot of poor choices.

The diagnosis did quickly force me to overcome one of my biggest fears, which was using a glucose meter. It just doesn't hurt at all to lance oneself given the super fine gauge of the lancet, but I am still mystified by the idea of having to intentionally force blood from my finger tip, even such a minuscule amount that it still takes me ten minutes of creating just the right ambiance with blaring sounds of the rain forest relaxation mp3s to offset the intense pressure I find in pushing that trigger. I am a world class neurotic, but at least humor provides a silver lining in which to better cope.

Although I am in the US, it helps me to get a broader perspective on how others manage their diabetes in addition to any supportive feedback. I like the idea of being part of a global community. It feels a lot less lonely. Thank you for reading this. Matt
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. I'll tag @daisy1 who will be along to give you some advice for newcomers. Sounds like you're off to a great start and maybe reading this article might help with the ''guilts'':

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046739.php

The whole Blood Sugar 101 site is an excellent place to start gathering data for your new experiment :)
 
Hello and welcome.

Some very useful information in the link from indy. I would also suggest having a look at the newcastle diet
 
@Type2Guy

Hello Matt and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask all the questions 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.
 
Hi and welcome from New Zealand. Dont be too hard on yourself, at least you are getting yourself on track now. I most probably had Diabetes for 6-7 years before I was diagnosed so I can relate.
 
4ratbags said:
Hi and welcome from New Zealand. Dont be too hard on yourself, at least you are getting yourself on track now. I most probably had Diabetes for 6-7 years before I was diagnosed so I can relate.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the kind words and please tell Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement from The Flight of the Conchords to make another TV show in America.
 
daisy1 said:
@Type2Guy

Hello Matt and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask all the questions 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.
Click to expand...

Thank you for such helpful information. Best wishes, Matt
 
Hello and welcome from England :) You have come to the right place to find endless support, smiles and help. Just remember....you are not alone and we are always here to answer questions or give a hug when needed. The confusion and trepidation will pass and you will adapt quickly to the life style changes. It isn't that bad once you get your head round it :) Low carb and exercise is always a good way to start....read food labels and see the hidden demons they sneak into our food. Good luck on your journey....any questions just holler :)
 
Thank you for the kind words and supportive message. It would be really useful if diabetes control were acquired by high carb processed food and laziness. I would be so much more motivated to move forward. But I've been learning how to substitute the right foods for the junkie ones and it's not too bad except for the occasional battle of the cravings. I'm taking this one day at a time.
 
Type2Guy said:
Thank you for the kind words and supportive message. It would be really useful if diabetes control were acquired by high carb processed food and laziness. I would be so much more motivated to move forward. But I've been learning how to substitute the right foods for the junkie ones and it's not too bad except for the occasional battle of the cravings. I'm taking this one day at a time.
Click to expand...
We all wish that ;).....a little of that could have caused the problem but you can turn it around and limit the damage and hopefully stay off medication for it....One day at a time is good....Today Low Crabs....tomorrow the world :D
 
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