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Been quite year so far...

N

Nuff Said

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi All,

Absolutely gutted that I just been diagnosed with type 2. Last Friday I was given Metaformin and Gliclazide by the Doctor and told to fast for 12 hours then go to Pathology next morning on Saturday for a blood test it came back with a high reading think they said HBA1c was 89? not really sure what that means and may have got that wrong. It did prompt the out of hours doctor to call me later that day asking to come down straight away to see him, but I explained i had already started on meds and my Doctor had advised me that this call would happen, and just to reassure the out of hours Doctor I was being seen on Monday at the surgery.

I fully appreciate there are a lot of folks out there a lot worse off than me, but it does feel as if I have been through the mincer this year. 1st January started with a hospitalization with Pneumonia & Pleurisy, they treated that successfully and was sent home, back in hospital few days later as the lung infection had caused the heart to go out of sync and hammer on at 162bpm, they managed to get the beats per min under control with meds and was given a controlled shock under a general to put the heart back in sync which was successful. I am still being treated for the heart condition, still on heart meds but hopefully will be off these soon. I have an appointment at a diabetic clinic this week and hope to get some more understanding of what I need to do next.

On the plus side I have managed to quit smoking, been smoke free since 1st January so over 8 weeks now just got to start to shift all the weight I put on when quitting.

I am sure its probably the same for everybody when they are first diagnosed, I never knew how hard something like this can be to bear
 
Hi Nuff said, sounds like you have a rough time lately, sorry to hear that, hope you are getting back on your feet now. Its ok to vent and rant, its good to let it out and know that other people on the forum do too so please don't worry about that.

Congratulation son giving up smoking that is a feat and victory in itself, well done!

It takes a while to adjust but there are some great people on here with good advice, I certainly have personally learn a lot and as a result feel more at ease so welcome and there is so information on the forum but don't confuse yourself by trying to take in too much.

We all tend to encourage one another and have a little giggle along the way so come join us :)
 
hi ,
sorry you are having a ****** year, i know exactly how u feel ,i seem to be getting a new long term illness every year and it is hard to cope at times, you have done so well so far and im sure things will seem better once u are more under control with your diabetes:)
 
Hi Nuff Said and welcome to the forum:)

Congratulations on giving up smoking - I know how difficult it is but will never go back to it again. You have been having a rough time and it's rotten that you got diabetes on top of all that. You'll soon learn how to manage it though - just keep reading this forum. Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helps you. Ask all the questions you need to as there is always someone who will be able to give you some advice.


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 70,000 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.
 
Soun
Nuff Said said:
Hi All,

Absolutely gutted that I just been diagnosed with type 2. Last Friday I was given Metaformin and Gliclazide by the Doctor and told to fast for 12 hours then go to Pathology next morning on Saturday for a blood test it came back with a high reading think they said HBA1c was 89? not really sure what that means and may have got that wrong. It did prompt the out of hours doctor to call me later that day asking to come down straight away to see him, but I explained i had already started on meds and my Doctor had advised me that this call would happen, and just to reassure the out of hours Doctor I was being seen on Monday at the surgery.

I fully appreciate there are a lot of folks out there a lot worse off than me, but it does feel as if I have been through the mincer this year. 1st January started with a hospitalization with Pneumonia & Pleurisy, they treated that successfully and was sent home, back in hospital few days later as the lung infection had caused the heart to go out of sync and hammer on at 162bpm, they managed to get the beats per min under control with meds and was given a controlled shock under a general to put the heart back in sync which was successful. I am still being treated for the heart condition, still on heart meds but hopefully will be off these soon. I have an appointment at a diabetic clinic this week and hope to get some more understanding of what I need to do next.

On the plus side I have managed to quit smoking, been smoke free since 1st January so over 8 weeks now just got to start to shift all the weight I put on when quitting.

Well done for quitting the cigarettes best thing you could do for yourself must be better for your heart and lungs as well as the diabetes. Lots of advice on here to help you cope with the T2 which I am sure you will do but it takes time
Click to expand...
 
Thanks folks,

Thank you all for taking the time and your supportive comments. I seem to be getting over the initial shock now although its still early days. Having a read through some of the other forum members experiences and responses I think I have found a good place to be.
 
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