• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Clueless....

Sora15

Newbie
Messages
3
Hi all.... I've been diagnosed with T2 about 2 months.... I get new blood tests in about 2 weeks. Since my original diagnosis I've been on a strict keto diet. I've lost over a stone in weight. I'm now regularly checking my blood with an accu chek machine and all readings have been in range bar 1 or 2.... my question is this.... with my original reading of 111 and aiming to get to 48... am I on track with my blood readings, diet and weight loss??? I know I'll get results in a few weeks from the doc but am anxious to know I'm on the right path. Cheers.
 
Sounds like it .. do you have your average BG over say the past month or two?
Or just some examples of your readings?
 
Hi Sora
As this is your first post I’ll tag in @daisy1 for her useful info post.
I record my blood glucose readings into the app MySugr and once it has enough data it’ll work out an estimated HbA1c. I have found it to be very close to my lab results.
 
They've all been between 4 and 6 pre meals and between 5 and 7 post meals. Bar a couple which I discovered I had some carbs by accident.
They all sound great even if you don't get as low as 48 you'll be a lot lower than 111 then can aim for lower next time.
If you were 111 2 months ago then some of your higher readings may still have an impact on the overall figure so don't be too disappointed if you don't quite get there this time. The number will be a lot lower though.
Great work so keep it up!
 
@Sora15

Hello Sora15 and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will 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 235,000 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 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. Most of these are 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 to the forum @Sora15! Well done on the blood glucose readings and weight reduction. You started at quite a high HbA1c reading, but there are others on here who started with higher figures but had reduced them to pre-diabetic and even non-diabetic figures by their 3 month retest. But we are all different. Just keep on doing what you are doing and you should certainly get a lot better result at your 3 month retest.
Ask any questions you want to, you will get a lot of good advice and support on here.
 
Sounds like you have done fantastically. :D

Your test result will surely show a massive improvement.
As @bulkbiker says, your old high bgs may still influcence your new results a bit, but I am sure that your doc or nurse will be surprised and amazed at the result. Just don't let them start saying 'maybe your diagnostic tests were mistakes, maybe you were no where near as high as that..' :)
This is down to your hard work and determination.
 
Back
Top