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An Unexpected Diagnosis

TikPandora

TikPandora

Member
Messages
8
Location
North Platte, NE
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Well, this is not a forum I was ever expecting nor hoping to join. But that in no way has to do with the strong and wonderful people on it.

My name is Jacob McNeel, and I am a 24 year old male living in the United States. I am about to graduate college with my second degree, and I just took a job as a server at a local restaurant yesterday in order to make ends meet.

I also got the wonderful diagnosis of being diabetic yesterday.

How I came to getting this diagnosis is actually quite a tale. I am a hypochondriac, and about a month ago I went into the urologist to have a testicular ultrasound performed. As par for the course the urologist also did a urine test on me. She told me I was cancer free (as expected) during the appointment, but also said that I had an abnormal amount of ketones and sugar in my urine and that I should consult my primary GP for a blood test.

Now, me being young and stupid simply brushed off the sugar in my urine from the cephalexin I was taking at the time for a finger infection. Now, fast forward to two days ago. I was in my GP's office due to another hypochondriacal situation which is completely unrelated to anything and decided to bring up the results with her from the urine test a month before. She ordered a blood test, I had it done...and then boom, I was told that I have type 2 diabetes.

As unexpected of a diagnosis as it was, I'm really not surprised. Diabetes runs in both sides of my family and with the way I had been living...doing barely anything physical and eating whatever I wanted and as much of it as I could, I knew the results of the blood test before I was even given them. I immediately began to take Metformin and bought a meter/test strips/lances...all of it. The gravity of the diagnosis took a few hours to hit, but then my hypochondriac nature kicked in. I began to Google everything I possibly could...such as:

"Is diabetes terminal?"
"Average age of death from diabetes?"
"Am I going to die from diabetes type 2?"

And of course, I ran into horror stories of people who had continued living the way they had been. People who had died young from simply not doing anything about their disease. I am not going to be one of those people. I made a choice, a commitment to myself that I was going to live just as long with diabetes as I would have without it. To be honest, even though I was only diagnosed yesterday, I think diabetes may be the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I certainly would have continued my old lifestyle had I not been given this diagnosis, and even with diabetes, I feel that the push to lose weight and become healthy might have actually saved me.

Of course, it still isn't without it's minor scares. I expected that the Metformin would start to work immediately, and while I know that isn't true, taking a reading of 340 last night sent me into a spiral of depression. I now know though that it takes time, and that I should be able to start actually managing my blood glucose in a few days. It's still very high, but it's in no way as high as it was last night.

So, here I am. I made an account here to talk to others about my condition. I made an account to get tips and suggestions to live better and to live longer. I made the decision that I am going to rise above this condition and live a better life because of it. With the help from my best friend Daniel and my family, as well as everyone else...I will rise above.

My name is Jacob McNeel. It's nice to meet you all.
 
Hi @TikPandora and welcome to the forum. Well I guess this is a club nobody really wants to join. But the forum is a great source of information and advice.
Try not to get too stressed or depressed about your diagnosis. It is usual to get a range of emotions when you are first diagnosed, fear, guilt, blame, anger, guilt and more. It does take a bit of time to get your head around it all.
It's great that you have decided to take control and change your lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes can be managed, and you can lead a better life.
Don't expect to lower your blood sugar levels dramatically within a few days, it does take time. Metfornin won't reduce your bs much, but it does act as a hunger suppressant so should help to lose weight, which in turn should reduce your bs.
A lot of the T2s on here have found that adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating has reduced our bs levels. Have a read round the threads to see how it works and ask any questions you want to, the people on here are friendly and supportive.
It's good that you have got a bs meter and are self testing. You will be able to find out which foods affect you, and monitor your progress.
 
Hi @TikPandora .. and welcome
You have certainly made a good move coming here. Since joining this forum, the folks here have given me so much info, advice and support that I am now much more confident about the journey ahead. So ask your questions and be assured that you will receive the answers that you need. It can all seem uphill to start with but, in my experience, it gets easier .. very quickly.

You will come across a lot of conflicting information around but the key point to take on board is that managing and controlling your diabetes (or pre-diabetes) through exercise, diet and testing your Blood Glucose seems to be the best way forward for many people. For me, committing to an LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) lifestyle and testing 3-5 times a day seems to be working and you'll find that there is a wealth of info, relevant advice and positive support about LCHF on the forum ..

I have tagged @daisy1 for you and I suggest that you read up on the Low Carb Program in the information that she will soon be sending you. You might also find the discussion on the Low Carb Diet forum helpful .. together with the following Diet Doctor websites, which will give you all the info that you need on what and what not to eat ...
Low Carb Intro and Information and Low Carbs in 60 Seconds

It's good that you are testing your blood sugar levels and I recommend that you test before meals and then again two hours after you started to eat .. some folk also take a fasting blood glucose reading first thing in the morning. This testing pattern will enable you to monitor trends over time and to spot any foods that cause your blood sugar to "spike" or fall ouside the normal ranges. The ranges that you are looking for are ..
# Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
# 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
I've been testing 3-5 times a day since I was diagnosed in February, which means that I now know what my BG levels are .. and I can now manage them

Hope this helps
 
Hi Jason
Sorry about your diagnosis but welcome to the club and the forum just the same!

I am tagging @daisy1, who will no doubt be along soon with the usual extremely useful information given to new members of the forum. Please read carefully and ask questions about anything that seems unclear.

You are right to take your diagnosis as a wake up call and we'll done on your commitment to turn things round.

Managing your diabetes does require a lifestyle adjustment and building up new healthier habits.
As you will read manage your glucose levels has a lot to do with managing and limiting your carb intake (not just sugar but all carbs)

Be aware that emotionally it can be a bit of a Rollercoaster at first diagnosis. Be prepared for some ups and downs but keep doing the basic things right and you should be fine.

Once again welcome.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
Thank you all for the warm welcome and the advice! I'll admit, I'm still new to what all of these numbers and things mean, but I'm sure I'll get used to it in time.

The hardest part about this for me is going to be the diet. But I love protein more than anything else, and various types of fish are my favorite foods so at least that's not something I have to give up. Nothing beats a freshly grilled salmon with lemon pepper.

I just did a test before bed and it is the lowest reading I have gotten at 199 mg/dl. I know it's not in the proper range in any means, but it's the lowest that I've measured and even this feels like a tiny victory.
 
Welcome Jacob to the forum:) lots of friendly folk on here that are only to happy to answer any questions/concerns you may be having on your journey with T2 diabetes just ask away.
 
Welcome to the forum. Most people with type 2 diabetes can get their blood sugars down using a low carb diet. Typically you should avoid breakfast cereals, bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. Also avoid fruit juice and fruit such as bananas and grapes. Metformin does not work very well, so will only reduce blood sugars by a small amount.

Having high blood sugars for an extended period of time can cause diabetic complications such as retinopathy (blindness), neuropathy (nerve damage) and a host of other consequences. Life expectancy with type 2 diabetes is less as people have increased risk of heart disease. However, the good news is that through a LCHF - Low Carb High Fat diet most type 2 people can reduce their blood glucose down to non diabetic levels within about 9 months. Intermittent fasting can also help reduce blood sugars and reverse type 2 diabetes.
 
As far as meals are concerened, it's surprising what you can get used to eating.
It's a lot easier if you fully commit to Low Carb High Fat; trying to have 'cheat' meals or days only makes things harder.
Once you start losing weight and feeling better it really encourages you to keep going.

Best of luck with it.
 
Me again.

A couple of things I forgot to mention earlier

Metformin is a kind of background drag, it takes a few days to accumulate and kick in. It also does not have a huge effect on glucose levels, diet and in particular carb intake are much more important.

So, especially as you are starting on high blood glucose levels, be a little patient with your readings. The important thing is to see a downward trend in them rather than worrying about their absolute values.

The best use you can put your meter too is to educate yourself on how different types (and quantities) of food affect your glucose levels. For this you need to test immediately before and two hours after every meal. Ideally the after count should be within 2 mmol (36mg/dl) of your before reading. If the difference between them is more than your food contained too many carbs for you and you would need to adjust quantities appropriately the next time you have it.

Keep hitting those 36mg targets and you will soon see your glucose levels come down to normal

Sent from my SM-G935F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app
 
Last edited:
@TikPandora

Hello Jacob and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope it will be useful to you. Have a look at the Low Carb Program and give it a try as many members have been very happy with it. Ask as many questions as you want 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 well over 250,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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 blood glucose 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.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
Welcome! I'm nearly 4 months from diagnosis. Once I was over the initial shock, I saw it as the proverbial kick up the bum to get healthier. I was started on Metformin and tolerate it well now after a bit of stomach upset in the early days. I wasn't advised to eat low carb, but stumbled on this forum by chance and took up low carb dieting and self monitoring. To date I've lost over three stone and got my HbA1c down significantly, all due to the advise I got here.

I'm sure you'll do it too!
 
Hi @TikPandora and welcome,

I won't add any further advice as you need time to read up and assimilate everything before you can start asking questions.

As you are an American and using American measurement units, most of the numbers you see on here will look strange to you. In the UK our meters use mmol/l units, whereas your are mg/dl. There is a useful converter here.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html

Hopefully that will make you less confused.
 
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