12345vonnie
Active Member
hi everyone I have just been diagnosed as diabetes 2 ..im waiting on a nurse appointment ..what do I do now ...help
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diabetes 2
- Thread starter 12345vonnie
- Start Date
daisy1
Legend
Hi Vonnie and welcome to the forum
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help to get you started. Go ahead and ask all the questions you like and someone will come along and 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 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:
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
Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
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.
Here is the information we give to new members and I hope this will help to get you started. Go ahead and ask all the questions you like and someone will come along and 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 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
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
- Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
- Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
- 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
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.
Hi and welcome to the very large world of diabetics! I suspect some of the following may happen:
The nurse may take things like body weight, check your feet for any nerve damage and so on. May start you on Metformin tablets. May talk about diet (beware any advice to have starchy carbs with every meal) & exercise or setup a dietician appointment. You may want to ask for a glucose meter but don't be surprised if the this is turned down. The reason given will be that you don't need to test but in reality it's due to NHS budgets. You will be given a blood test often within 3 months for an HBa1C etc which shows the average blood sugar over the previous 3 months. You need to discuss when the next appointment will be and who arranges it (probably you). During the year you should have retinal eye screening at the local hospital. Do look at Daisy's info and ask any more questions.
The nurse may take things like body weight, check your feet for any nerve damage and so on. May start you on Metformin tablets. May talk about diet (beware any advice to have starchy carbs with every meal) & exercise or setup a dietician appointment. You may want to ask for a glucose meter but don't be surprised if the this is turned down. The reason given will be that you don't need to test but in reality it's due to NHS budgets. You will be given a blood test often within 3 months for an HBa1C etc which shows the average blood sugar over the previous 3 months. You need to discuss when the next appointment will be and who arranges it (probably you). During the year you should have retinal eye screening at the local hospital. Do look at Daisy's info and ask any more questions.
12345vonnie
Active Member
thank you for replying ill take all the help I can get ..I don't really know anything about diabetes..is it worth buying my own metre as the doctor told me not to wory about getting one as hes going to control my diabetes by tablet form,,,and do you have to pay for perscriptions or do you get them free (im not on benefits)
12345vonnie
Active Member
Hi Welcome
im just running out the door but im sure someone will be along to help
if we were to marry your name would become 12345 12345 hehe
hahaha to late im married
collectingrocks
Well-Known Member
I'm no expert but judging by several members on this forum ... +1 to buying your own meter. This way, you can take control of your diabetes and your own body rather than relying on the "medics" alone.
12345vonnie
Active Member
thank you collectingrocks
Alanp35
Well-Known Member
Hi there
And welcome
Don't buy a meter
As a T2 you may not be provided with test strips. Write to manufacturer,,they will provide a meter so that you use their test strips. There is a free one with much cheaper strips all led code free. Check it out on here. I'm fairly new too.
12345vonnie
Active Member
thank you for your advice
Hi Vonnie
The next step is that your diabetic team will send you on a 2 hour diabetes educational program that you attend once a week for six weeks and at some time in the near future they will send you for an eye test. Heed collectingrocks message and buy a meter so that you can test your bg on a regular basis so you can find which foods affect you. Be careful on what tester you purchase as the strips are exorbitant. Carbs will probably be your greatest enemy so get used to counting them. Good luck with it.
If you would like a log sheet to log all the info into and you have excel on your pc, message me and i will send you a copy of what i use. Included on it is a drop down list with over 350 food types with carb data, See screen shot
The next step is that your diabetic team will send you on a 2 hour diabetes educational program that you attend once a week for six weeks and at some time in the near future they will send you for an eye test. Heed collectingrocks message and buy a meter so that you can test your bg on a regular basis so you can find which foods affect you. Be careful on what tester you purchase as the strips are exorbitant. Carbs will probably be your greatest enemy so get used to counting them. Good luck with it.
If you would like a log sheet to log all the info into and you have excel on your pc, message me and i will send you a copy of what i use. Included on it is a drop down list with over 350 food types with carb data, See screen shot
Hi
I wouldn't be without my meter.
Although some manufacturers will send you a meter free of charge if thee strips are expensive it's a bit of waste of time
I bought an SD Code Free from Amazon and buy my own strips. The strips work out one third of the price of others.
Once you have been testing for a while you will get a good idea what foods cause your sugars to rise and you can avoid them and you can cut back on the testing
Read the welcome message from Daisy and ask questions of the group. we like to help!
Concentrate on losing weight if you need to and increasing exercise if you can.
Cut back on sugar and look at the role carbohydrates play in your diet.
Good luck!
Cara
I wouldn't be without my meter.
Although some manufacturers will send you a meter free of charge if thee strips are expensive it's a bit of waste of time
I bought an SD Code Free from Amazon and buy my own strips. The strips work out one third of the price of others.
Once you have been testing for a while you will get a good idea what foods cause your sugars to rise and you can avoid them and you can cut back on the testing
Read the welcome message from Daisy and ask questions of the group. we like to help!
Concentrate on losing weight if you need to and increasing exercise if you can.
Cut back on sugar and look at the role carbohydrates play in your diet.
Good luck!
Cara
12345vonnie
Active Member
CollieBoy
Well-Known Member
H Vonnie12345,
Welcome .
First thing is to try to trim away any excess carbs from your diet.
WRT your doctor's assertion that HE will control your T2 with pills my thoughts is "taurine excrement" YOU need to be controlling YOUR T2 The best way is by using SMBG see : www.idf.org/webdata/docs/SMBG_EN2.pdf and this lecture : http://diabetes-symposium.org/index.php?menu=view&source=topics&sourceid=16&id=805
As to sourcing of monitors/strips, I would contact the various manufacturers and find a system that suits you. if doc wont provide strips then nothing is lost and you can decide which route is most cost effective cheap strips/bought tester or free tester/dearer strips. either way, SMBG is the way forward.
Welcome .
First thing is to try to trim away any excess carbs from your diet.
WRT your doctor's assertion that HE will control your T2 with pills my thoughts is "taurine excrement" YOU need to be controlling YOUR T2 The best way is by using SMBG see : www.idf.org/webdata/docs/SMBG_EN2.pdf and this lecture : http://diabetes-symposium.org/index.php?menu=view&source=topics&sourceid=16&id=805
As to sourcing of monitors/strips, I would contact the various manufacturers and find a system that suits you. if doc wont provide strips then nothing is lost and you can decide which route is most cost effective cheap strips/bought tester or free tester/dearer strips. either way, SMBG is the way forward.
