Confused, bothered and bewildered

[biltong]

Having been diagnosed 3 weeks ago, I am floundering a bit. At the time I was a bit shocked although I shouldn't have been as I did have all the symptoms. I did not ask many questions, they have popped up since then. The doctor mumbled about attending a group but I haven't herd anything about that. His advice was to continue eating everything but in much smaller portions. He then proceeded to warn me that my feet may be devoured by gangrene, my kidneys would likely fail and other such impediments to happy living that were lurking around the next corner. Wow! My problem is not battling to stay on a rigid diet, it is not knowing what I can eat.

Sugar is simple - I don't have any nor any sweeteners. I read labels to make choices, but ~Carbohydrates have me stumped! Can I eat rice cakes (unflavoured), can I eat fruit - if so which?

My doctor simply told me I was 3 times above the top of the normal range (of what???) and that it was not necessary to finger prick test myself as it would take about 9 months to come down. He put me on Metformin 3 x 500mg daily and told me to see him in a month when he would add more tablets.

 

[Brunneria]

Wow. No wonder you are confused, with advice like that!

Ok, so the most important thing is that you find out about diabetes - and that you realise that there are a range if diets, treatments, lifestyles and options to choose from.

There are lots of sources on the internet, and I found two books particularly helpful:
Diabetes for Dummies - written by a doctor
Bloodsugar 101 - written by a diabetic journalist.

They give quite opposing views, in some ways, but their info is great. Most of the second books info is also online at www.bloodsugar101.com

You've probably worked out that the way you used to eat added to the problem, so looking at diet is a good idea.

But the thing that has helped me more than anything else, was buying a blood glucose meter.
Please ignore your doctors advice on this. They do it to save money. They justify it with arguments, but the things you will learn about how your body reacts to food is invaluable!

 

[sanguine]

Hi Biltong and welcome. I assume you are Type 2?

Ask - no demand - a printout of your results. If he says you are 3 times above the top of the normal range, I would estimate you have a fasting blood sugar around 15 mmol/l. You probably also have an HbA1c result of 70? 80? This is the 3-month average measure. As for

and that it was not necessary to finger prick test myself as it would take about 9 months to come down.

that's one of the dafter comments I've heard. If you don't control your blood sugar levels in the shorter term they won't come down in the longer term. Control them and you can reduce the likelihood and/or defer the onset of any nasties significantly, hopefully indefinitely.

But it needs will and discipline. Start with diet. Eating smaller portions will help but you really need to avoid starchy carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. These are equivalent to sugar for diabetics and will spike your blood sugar levels. Also tropical fruits like bananas are full of sugar - berry fruits are better. Many T2s on here eat a low carb diet and compensate the calories with fat - this may sound a bit counter-intuitive at first but it does work well for many. Read www.dietdoctor.com/lchf for more info.

You do need a meter because you need to find out for yourself what foods are best for bringing down your levels. If you don't test how can you know for sure? SD Codefree from Amazon and elsewhere is a popular choice.

Good luck, read around the forum and ask what you like! You've come to the right place for sure.

 

[biltong]

Thank you Brunneria. I have set about the diet as well as I could from what I have read. Eating much smaller portions and salads, veggies and small pieces of fish, almond nuts for snacks and oats with almond milk for breakfast. It feels as if lots of writers give conflicting info, so I thought testing would give me more answers. What is the best type of meter to get?

 

[biltong]

Thanks Rod - he did not tell me what he was measuring, only that the range is up to 42 and I was 128. I will be ordering a test kit today as I need answers and I know each diabetic is different. It is still all a mystery to me but I am reading everything I can.

 

[Pollylocks]

..your doctor had the cheek to call that advice..? Frightening warnings like that when you're newly diagnosed...? Unbelievable!

..Biltong, there's so much sound advice in here, its been a lifesaver to me...welcome to this forum...have a look around....

 

[biltong]

Thank you Pollylocks, already the support is so encouraging. I have just ordered a meter so I can at lest get a handle on where I am.

 

[annelise]

Thank you Brunneria. I have set about the diet as well as I could from what I have read. Eating much smaller portions and salads, veggies and small pieces of fish, almond nuts for snacks and oats with almond milk for breakfast. It feels as if lots of writers give conflicting info, so I thought testing would give me more answers. What is the best type of meter to get?

Biltong, You have been given excellent advice from the above posters - so you are already off to a good start.

I realize that oats are a staple for many in the morning. But I would encourage you to test what it does to your bg once you get hold of a meter. (I know from myself that I cannot tolerate it). What about bacon and eggs in the morning - or an omelet - if you have the time and energy to prepare it at that time? (If you are short of time of a morning, you could mix the omelet the previous evening and it then only needs to sit in the skillet for 5 min in the morning). - Cheese sticks and nuts also make for nice munchies (snacks) when you feel peckish over the day.

As to meters, I get the impression - when reading the forums - that there is not so much difference in accuracy. As from your post it doesn't sound likely that the NHS or your doctor will be subsidizing one, - and not knowing your economy - I would suggest to get the one with the cheapest strips on the market. (Others will know more about the situation in the UK than me).

Meters are - justly or not - reputed for having occasional deviances in accuracy of +/- 20 %. I never take a number as 'carved in stone' but is instead looking for trends in numbers over time. Only when I see a totally unexpected number, I will rewash my hand and test again, as there may be residues on my fingers affecting the number.

But I admit that it is of absolute no value to start testing of numbers if you have no idea what they mean, i.e. you should decide for yourself about the range you wish your numbers to be - and have a strategy for how to act if you see numbers outside that range. Brunneria gave an excellent link to www.bloodsuger101.com . It saved me. Like you I too at first felt confused, bothered and bewildered.

And once I got experience with how certain meals would influence my numbers, I now only test for 'unknown/untested' meals. But I always test my fbg (fasting glucose) first thing in the morning after getting out of bed.

I wish you the best in your journey - it is not a sprint but a marathon.

annelise

- and please disregard your doctor's scaremongering. Once you get this under control, there is not reason to fear his 'painting-on-the wall'. But maybe he is not used to seeing diabetics who themselves wish to take control ...

 

[sanguine]

- and please disregard your doctor's scaremongering. Once you get this under control, there is not reason to fear his 'painting-on-the wall'. But maybe he is not used to seeing diabetics who themselves wish to take control ...

And that's the saddest thing, this inexorable decline in the majority of those diagnosed (T2s anyway) who don't or wont take control, based on advice to eat carbs > HbA1c climbing > more drugs > side effects and so on. You would have thought with the explosion in T2 cases worldwide that the health bodies would have had a "hang on a minute" moment by now. We can only hope ...

 

[biltong]

Thanks Annelise. I am sure with all the advice and a meter to test myself, I will get on top of it.

 

[annelise]

And that's the saddest thing, this inexorable decline in the majority of those diagnosed (T2s anyway) who don't or wont take control, based on advice to eat carbs > HbA1c climbing > more drugs > side effects and so on. You would have thought with the explosion in T2 cases worldwide that the health bodies would have had a "hang on a minute" moment by now. We can only hope ...

I so agree, Sanguine (like your poster name: optimist!).

- But I fear that those of us who will have the energy and ressources to join internet forums to find information and get advice (from others than our doctors and diabeticians) are only a very tiny top of the iceberg of diabetics - and also on a worldwide scale.

Our OP (original poster) is one on the tiny top - energy and ressources - I have no doubt that you will get on top of this, Biltong.

annelise

Personally, I was 'kind of lucky' on diagnosis. When asked about foods, my doctor looked kind of bland-eyed at me and said: Go and search on the Internet.
- I did this to my detriment - Danish Diabetes Association cooking books - but this is a long story - anyway I have none of their cooking books sitting around anymore (very high carb recipes ... hmm) - did nothing good for my HbA1C.
- Since I found some international forums which saved me. But I ask myself, how many have the ressources to do this - especially if English is not their native language (not mine anyway ...)

 

[Daibell]

Yes, I can only add to all the previous posts. Reducing carbs is the only way forward as it's based on a good understanding of how the body handles carbs and how diabetics can't do this properly. The meter tells all and in any area of science, engineering and good medicine, measurement is the key. The advice from the GP is typically poor and what many of us have come across. You are doing the right thing in taking control and I'm sure you will see good results.