Any help and advice be much appreciated.

Hi Kayleigh

I suggest you get a blood glucose meter to check your blood sugar. Recently I got a Contour Next meter which work with an App on my phone.

High blood sugar happens when you eat too many carbs. I control my type 2 diabetes using a LCHF = low carb high fat diet. Have a look around the forums for advice on diet and glucose testing.

Kayley22 said:

Ive just read if you ring the manufacturer of Contour they also give them free. They do this so the person buys their strips. I may ring & ask and update this post. Some may not be able to afford one, I can but I want to see if they do offer that option. It has Contour next and there was another one Plus I think it said

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There is an online form to request a Contour Next One meter ... https://www.dz.contourplusone.com/free-meter/

The Next One is a smaller version of the Contour Next which is what I have. Both connect to the Contour App.

I got mine from Chemists4U ... https://www.chemist-4-u.com/contour-next-connected-meter

If you read this thread ... https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/testing-blood-sugar-level.204023/ there is some links to some inexpensive blood sugar meters such as the Tee2.

Hi Kayleigh.

Try not to worry too much. Things will get easier with a bit of time, knowledge and effort. However blood sugars in the 20s are very undesirable. You could consider lowering carb intake and increasing exercise but you really need some professional help.

If you will have to fund blood glucose test strips yourself, as most type 2s do, I suggest you get one with cheaper strips. I believe SD Code free and Glucomen are at the lower end.

Kayley. I suggest you take a look at the Keto Diet - a Low Carb, High Fat diet.

@Kayley22, welcome to the forum!

Do take time to let your diagnosis sink in. Feel what you need to feel. It can be a massive mental shock initially with hundreds of questions about the condition and how to best manage it. For me, the biggest realisation was that while many of us have the same condition, how our bodies respond to it differs wildly, and you need to go on a journey to figure out what works for you.

+1 for the low-carb diet, seems to have worked real wonders for me. Some resources I found useful when I got started :


In terms of monitoring, you should also be able to get a free trial of CGM from Abbot:

This shows your blood glucose levels throughout the day and impact of any foods you eat, exercise, etc. Can be very educational, but to benefit the most from the free sensor I'd use when you have gotten your head around what you want to do with your diet, so that you can track the impact and adjust as needed.

Kayley22 said:

Apologies just checked. I have a Sinocare one where you get everything but doesn’t mention the app. I will look at the one you have got, so I can log everything. Its this referral thats sticking in my head, are you on Metfomin? Xx

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I took Metformin for about 6 months and stopped (with agreement from my diabetes nurse) once my blood glucose levels were down in the normal range (below 7.0).

When I first was diagnosed my blood glucose level was over 13, so I looked at what I ate and stopped eating anything containing sugar. My "healthy" breakfast cereal Jordan's Country Crisp actually contains 25% sugar, so I stopped eating that. When I saw my diabetes nurse, she have me a blood glucose meter (Accu Chek Mobile) and the initial reading was over 9.0. Over the next 3 months I managed to reduce these glucose levels by changing what I ate using a low carb diet. I also lost a lot of weight (14Kg) during this time, going from obese to merely overweight.

The foods I stopped eating were breakfast cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, bananas, pasta, pizza. I ate more high fat food including cheese, cream, nuts, avocados. I learned a lot about reversing type 2 diabetes from watching youtube videos as such as ...


There is a low carb forum here ... https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/low-carb-diet-forum.18/ plus there is some educational and diet advice available here too.

Kayley22 said:

Hi,

Had to start over as my post has vanished.

How it started 12 weeks ago I had a blood test and was told my sugars were “sky high” and my thyroid was slightly over. They said to repeat the blood test which was done on the 15th, recieved a phone call yesterday (23rd May) advising I have type two diabetes, I was so shocked I couldn’t even speak properly. Im 35 so it’s something big and I wont lie im actually scared, which I put in my original post which was removed.. not sure why.

I joined as I wanted some advice, I noticed a lot of people have been referred to a diabetes clinic, should I have been referred? Im now on Metformin, 500mg twice a day. But I am so worried, I wont sleep tonight (currently 2am) has anyone had any issues with Metfomin? I did read somewhere on the nhs its not recommended for certain people but doesnt say what kind of people allergies etc

Any advice or even to cheer me up would be appreciated. Im that scared, I even asked thr doctor if I was going to die. But I also have anxiety so I overthink everything.

Any advice is appreciated thank you

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Hi Kayley,

Yes, all this is scary, and yes, your blood sugars are high. But there's plenty you can do to get them down, and you've already taken one of the most important steps: You're testing your blood sugars..! You have no idea how precious that machine is going to be on the way to control.

https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html is a bit of a quick start guide for low carb, so you can make, maybe, different choices and start figuring out what is workable for you. If you're this high, you might want to tackle that a bit more than the dent Metformin tends to make, and you can, if you want to.

Couple of things: high blood sugars affect mood. It is VERY likely your anxiety'll not be through the roof anymore when you get better control, (which you will.). So that's another reason to grab this particular bull by the horns. It won't only make you feel better physically, but mentally too. I am a mess, to be honest, but I am nowhere near the steaming heap of desperation I was when I was undiagnosed and in the 20's all the time. So if someone with a panic and anxiety disorder, amongst other things, can get to feeling better... Then you could well be, too. Not saying it'll go away, but... Life can get a whole lot better.

That's the other thing to take away from this: You know what's wrong. That means you can do something about it. Knowledge truly is power. It's not a downward spiral per definition, no unescapable fate.... You can get blood sugars under control, one way or another (diet works for me, but maybe you'd prefer diet and meds, or just meds, or.... It's all up to you!), so take some empowerment from there... You can do something now, which you couldn't before, because you didn't know.

As for the thyroid, what is over, exactly? Is your TSH high, meaning your hormones are low, or are your hormones high? In either case, do get your thyroid sorted if it's wonky enough to need help. Insulin, like thyroxine, is a hormone, and hormones do tend to affect one another. So get it as straightened out as you can, if need be. (And with a thyroid, that takes a few weeks/months, because it's something that just happens slowly, finding a correct dosage is you need one. No pressure.).

I had a diabetic team for about 5 minutes, when they thought I might be a T1. When I was just a regular run-of-the-mill type 2, I was referred back to the GP, and never saw those people again. I did get referrals for eye tests, a podiatrist and a dietician, but in the end, I just get checks once a year or once every two years, and get an annual blood test done to see how my HbA1c is holding up... I tend to go it alone as much as I can, as people give me anxiety.

And since your doc may have tut-tutted at the question: No, you're not about to die. I thought I had one foot in the grave too, and looking back at the state my liver was in at the time because of my diabetes, I guess I wasn't that far off the mark, really.... But there's loads you can do to get your blood sugars under control. Again, knowledge is power. You can fix this. There's no cure for diabetes, but quality and quantity of life are in YOUR hands, not the condition's.

Hugs,
Jo

I only see the diabetic nurse . I think the way to go is LCHF Low carb high fat. It will take time for you to get your reading down. Take it easy. More of the stuff you read say you must eat carb but it not true. Good Luck

Don't panic and take your time to learn and adjust your lifestyle changes. My hba1c was much higher than yours and managed to bring it down to 41 mmol after 3 months. Also, I just met a colleague of mine at work last night who just diagnosed with T2 with her hba1c 100mmol. We both have Metformin, I started taking it Dec 2022 and my colleague started 2 weeks ago, we both haven't experienced any issues. If you do experienced any issues your GP will change the medication so don't worry too much.

I only saw my GP on the day he confirmed I have T2 and met the diabetic nurse 3 times so far since diagnosed 18 months ago. The nurse referred me to local diabetes clinic but all I had was a 30 mins group video call. I got most of the information online, then I picked out foods and exercises from what I came across that suit me.