Another new one here

[kateincornwall]

hello , I`m Kate , I live in Cornwall, am a lively 62 year old with 6 children and 14 grandchildren . I`m feeling a bit shocked and scared , only had my definate diagnosis this morning but glad in a way that my symptoms now have a name , was feeling very tired, thirsty and generally unwell . I`m seeing the surgery diabetes nurse on Friday , my first time and to discuss what mediaction, if any , I need to take . Its come as a bit of a blow as we eat a very healthy diet and having a disabled husband means that the daily dog walking ( two miles) is down to me too so I`m not exactly unfit . Its good to find a forum like this and not feel so isolated ,
Kate

 

[hanadr]

Hi Kate
It's not only unhealthy people who develop diabetes, although you'd get that impression from the press.
You'll cope.
Hana

 

[cugila]

Hi Kate.
Welcome to the forum. Have a good look around and if you have any questions just ask. There is usually someone with an answer.

 

[wallycorker]

Hello Kate,

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I'm a Type 2 myself diagnosed nine years ago.

Diet is the best way to tackle your new situation. One of the first things that you need to recognise is in addition to cutting out the sugar is the importance of cutting back on the starchy carbohydrate - i.e. cereals, bread, potatoes , pasta and rice. That usually leads to a quick and dramatic improvement in blood glucose levels.

You'll get good advice from people on this forum.

Best wishes - John

 

[kateincornwall]

Thank you . The diabetes nurse is going to give me some reading material about foods that convert to sugar , thats the bit I`m really ignorant about so hopefully it will be helpful , thanks again,
Kate

 

[sugarless sue]

Hi Kate, welcome to the forum. Here is the advice we usually give to newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics.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.

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.

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 affect 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 !!

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

Sue/Ken.

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks a lot for all this info , seems its a bit like wading through treacle and not too helpful if the nurse goes down the route of telling me to eat starchy carbs ! Think I`ll have to buy a tester and do some serious trial and error , its very confusing x
Kate

 

[kateincornwall]

To Sue , a typical days diet would be
Breakfast either a banana or natural yoghurt or slice of toast and marmite ( white bread)
Lunch sandwich with salad or home made veg soup
Dinner usually chicken or pork with loads of veg and small ammount of potatoes or something like spaghetti bolognese or curry with rice
No puds, no cakes, the odd plain biscuit with a cup of tea .
Wine ( red) only on Friday evenings , no crisps or fizzy drinks

Kate

 

[cugila]

To Sue , a typical days diet would be
Breakfast either a banana or natural yoghurt or slice of toast and marmite ( white bread)
Lunch sandwich with salad or home made veg soup
Dinner usually chicken or pork with loads of veg and small ammount of potatoes or something like spaghetti bolognese or curry with rice
No puds, no cakes, the odd plain biscuit with a cup of tea .
Wine ( red) only on Friday evenings , no crisps or fizzy drinks

Kate

Hi Kate.

Sue not around at the moment. The foods highlighted are the ones you need to check out carefully. They are the carb laden foods. Now it may be you can tolerate them without too much effect on your Bg levels, however, if you are like me and many others many of these things will shoot up your Bg levels in no time at all.

You need to test before each meal and then at 2 hrs after the meals, where pasta is concerned you need to throw in an extra check at 3 and even 4 hrs. Just to see what happens after these foods.
By the 2 hr check you should be getting back to pre-meal readings.

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks a lot for this , I`ll get a tester from Boots tomorrow and start straight away , thats very helpful for me as I`m flounderining in the dark until I`ve been to the clinic , thanks again
Kate

 

[cugila]

Thanks a lot for this , I`ll get a tester from Boots tomorrow and start straight away , thats very helpful for me as I`m flounderining in the dark until I`ve been to the clinic , thanks again
Kate

Hi Kate.

I shouldn't get too excited just yet.....when you get to the Clinic they MAY tell you the opposite. Unfortunately some of the dietary advice is not good for a lot of Diabetics, we tend to think 'reduce' the carbs....they sometimes say, 'eat more carbs ?'

They also sometimes do not like us testing, they think it 'stresses' us....???? We give you the advice which we know can work for many, YOU have to see for yourself just which is the best advice.
If, by any chance, they give you a meter, then keep it as a spare. I have several, in the car, caravan, at home. They are always useful and you will have a head start before Friday. Test, test, test. They don't cost a lot at all. Money well spent in my view if it enables you to gain control quickly.

Let us know what advice you get and how you get on.

 

[wallycorker]

Thanks a lot for this , I`ll get a tester from Boots tomorrow and start straight away , thats very helpful for me as I`m flounderining in the dark until I`ve been to the clinic , thanks again
Kate

Hi again Kate,

Personally, I wouldn't buy a meter yet until you know what your healthcare people say. In fact, they may give you one and prescribe strips for you. However, whether or not they do that is a bit of a postcode lottery as far as non-insulin dependent Type 2s are concerned.

You can often get meters free from the suppliers - they hope to get you using their strips. It's the strips that are expensive (around £25 for 50 from the pharmacy) and they are only usable on a particular meter. My advice would be not to waste money unnecessarily.

Testing is a great idea but just wait to see what they say.

John

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks again for the advice , I`ve been in today for a Hba1c test and then see the diabetes nurse on Monday but there was a book left for me to take home and yes, it advises a diet where carbs take up a massive ammount of my diet !

 

[carty]

Hi KATE, my background is very much like yours so I too was upset at my diagnosis I am trying low carbing because my diet was more or less pre diagnosis the same as the diet given to lower my gls .I am on 500x5 metformin but the levels are coming down. Hang in there and dont be disapointed if you dont get results right away because it doesnt always happen that way

 

[kateincornwall]

Thanks Carty , I know that I can cut down on quantity because i eat too much ! But to be honest, my diet is healthy and I know if I eat more carbs as advised, I`m going to pile weight on !
Kate

 

[wallycorker]

Thanks Carty , I know that I can cut down on quantity because i eat too much ! But to be honest, my diet is healthy and I know if I eat more carbs as advised, I`m going to pile weight on !
Kate

Hi again Kate,

My diet was healthy too but I was eating too much starchy carbohydrate.

I think almost all the people on this forum will advise that you need to cut back on carbohydrates - especially the starchy carbohydrates such as cereals, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.

It's not about putting on or losing weight - it's about cutting back on your sugar intake. Most starchy carbohydrates turn into sugar almost as soon as they enter your mouth.

As soon as you cut back on starchy carbohydrates, you are almost certain to see a very quick and dramatic improvement in your blood glucose levels.

John

 

[kateincornwall]

Thank you John and all . I`ve been doing some reading on here and realise how ignorant I am regarding the actual science of food ! In my stupidity , I always thought that the better was was low fat/high carb , now I understand it all a bit more , thank you
Kate

 

[wallycorker]

Thank you John and all . I`ve been doing some reading on here and realise how ignorant I am regarding the actual science of food ! In my stupidity , I always thought that the better was was low fat/high carb , now I understand it all a bit more , thank you
Kate

You aren't on your own Kate because I thought the same until fairly recently. That lead my diabetes getting worse - now it's improving tremendously.

Good luck - John

 

[tipsy]

Re: Another new one here and another!

Hi
I am new to this site but have been diagnosed for over 2 years now as type 2.

Just wondered why anyone with diabetes would have to pay for the strips as stated in a
previous post, you should have a excemption certificate for prescriptions!

As for diets, I have tried to keep to a good healthy diet but I am not always good at it and admit that I cannot live without the sweet stuff forever. :evil:

 

[sugarless sue]

Welcome to the forum, Tipsy. Type 2 diabetics on diet only do not get exemption on prescriptions so they have to pay for them.

Some GP's do not prescribe strips for cost reasons so even those type 2's with exemption can find themselves having to buy their own test strips.