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Another apprehensive newbie

D

David79

Member
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5
Hi all

New to the forum and just wanted to say Hi, have been viewing as a guest for a few days and reading some of the threads and trying to find out as much as possible – have been feeling off for a while so on one hand good to know i'm not a hypochondriac.

Diagnosed with diabetes on Monday and fair to say i’m a bit apprehensive, doctor not sure whether Type 1 or Type 2 and still awaiting appointment for clinic, i’m 31, haven’t lost any weight at all – the opposite in fact, am probably a stone and a half above my ideal weight – even though not massively overweight my diet has consisted of 6 sugary coffee’s a day, plenty of coke, beer, fruit juice and a ton of Hi GI carbohydrates on a daily basis combined with little in the way of exercise for the past 10 years.

I don’t know too much obviously but hoping that its type 2 as from the little I have read so far that appears to be marginally easier to control? – I don’t know if I’m correct with that assumption or not but I’m sure ill learn quickly. Anyway, I have a million questions which ill get to but following some of the advice on here and altering diet significantly since Monday seems to have helped a little already – maybe its just my imagination but hopefully not.

Looking forward to learning more.
D
 
hello and welcome havent really got any advice to offer u as my son is only 8 but i just wanted to reply and welcome u there are plenty of people here to offer u some great advice so good luck and ask away lol
anna marie
 
Hi David.
Welcome to the Forum. You may already have seen the advice my pal Sue and I post for newbies....if not have a read. Doesn't matter what type you are it should help you.........

Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2010 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l........(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals......no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals....... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do 30 minutes moderate exercise a day. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Ken / Sue.
Click to expand...

Check out the Questions to ask at the Clinic as well......

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091#p155408
 
hya david and a really warm welcome to the forum :D have a good look around and feel free to ask questions
 
Hi all, many thanks for the Kind replies, thought I'd post a short update on my situation-went to clinic today and fair to say I left more confused than when I went in-dr says no way I have type 1 as hbac1 was 6.6(which I believe is good), at the same time she says I do not fit the profile or type 2 as a little young and bmi only 26.9 which isn't too bad... Believes I may be type 1.5 although I suppose there is still the possibility it is type 2..

When originally tested I was 11 and 17 on glucose test, this morning I was 7.4.

Anyone else type 1.5?
 
David79 said:
Hi all, many thanks for the Kind replies, thought I'd post a short update on my situation-went to clinic today and fair to say I left more confused than when I went in-dr says no way I have type 1 as hbac1 was 6.6(which I believe is good), at the same time she says I do not fit the profile or type 2 as a little young and bmi only 26.9 which isn't too bad... Believes I may be type 1.5 although I suppose there is still the possibility it is type 2..

When originally tested I was 11 and 17 on glucose test, this morning I was 7.4.

Anyone else type 1.5?
Click to expand...

Yes me quite probably, will know for sure at my next review at the end of Feb. My BMI has always been 23 - 24, and always fit and active. I believe it is important to make the distinction from Type 2 as you may be given the wrong medication which could burn out your remaining insulin producing cells very quickly - not good.
Good luck with it and keep posting your progress.
 
Hi, another quick update - after 3 weeks finally got results back which kind no antibodies consistent with LADA or type 1.5, and high insulin levels consistent with type 2... I'm taking this as a positive purely because I seem to be able to control reasonably with diet and exercise in the main...

How did you get on dib?
 
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