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Diabetes never entered my head!

Jaz1006

Jaz1006

Member
Messages
7
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone

I've just been told I have Type 2 diabetes after visiting the Gp to discuss my Hrt!! I had some routine bloods taken as I wanted to check my cholestrol levels and she just dropped the bombshell that I had diabetes! I dont understand as I've had no symptoms at all and in fact I've been going to the gym three times a week doing cardio and weights and eating very healthily indeed. However, thinking back despite all my hard work I was unable to lose any weight from my abnormally large stomach (again blamed on the menopause) - is this a symptom of diabetes as I'm completely in the dark?

I have to see the Diabetic Nurse next week but my Gp has already started me on Metformin twice daily which are giving me a bit of stomach cramps. As for eating the right foods, at the moment I haven't got a clue and am hungry (sorry for the pun!) for information. I thought I had the perfect, most healthy diet with lots of protein, fruit and veg but apparently not! Also do I need to monitor my sugar levels and where should I get a monitor from?

Sorry for all the questions but at the moment I am feeling rather sad and quite worried about the future and my future health. Any words of wisdom greatfully received!
 
Hi Jaz,
Welcome you have found a good place to learn about Diabetes.
By copy to @daisy1, she will send you some info to get you started as she does for new members,
Suggest you read the forums and you will find them helpful.
Metformin can upset your stomach in the beginning, take it with food it will help.
There are some slow release types available, but try this for a week or two and you should settle.
Eating a low Carb diet will help you control your sugars, again look at the Low Carb or type 2 forums.
You as a type 2 will probably have to purchase a meter, as they only give them to type 1 Diabetics, but ask for one you may be lucky.
Good luck, look at it as a wake up call to look after yourself, it is very controllable, with basic steps;)
 
Hi Jaz and welcome to our place.
 
A very warm welcome to you @Jaz1006 . Many of us here use the SD Code free meter (although quite a few use other meters) because the strips needed for testing purposes are much cheaper than others. I originally bought my meter and some strips from Amazon but now buy all my supplies from Homehealth - see below.

http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm

If you buy 5 boxes (250 strips) or 10 boxes (500 strips) there is a substantial discount if you use the following codes:

Discount Code for 5 boxes – 264086

Discount Code for 10 boxes - 975833

P.S. They also sell the meter.
 
@Jaz1006

Hello Jaz and welcome to the forum :) This information which we give to new members will help you with things you aren't sure about, especially diet. It is important to restrict the carbohydrates you eat to keep your levels down. You will get plenty of advice from members here who all want to help. Ask any questions you need to and someone will be able to reply.


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 over 150,000 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.
 
Hi and welcome,

It is a big shock, especially when it comes out of the blue. Please don't start the blame game on yourself. Plenty of healthy, fit people become diabetic. It isn't restricted to the ones you hear about in the media. You know the ones I mean. It is a genetic disease, so if you have any relatives that are diabetics, this may be the case for you. It hits thin people as well as fat people.

Thank goodness you had the tests. Now you can start to learn about the disease and how to control it. This forum is probably the best place to start. This disease can be well controlled with a few adjustments and a lot of knowledge. Your most important tool will be a home meter. I get my stuff from the link given to you above. (The Codefree meter and strips from Home Health) They have the cheapest strips available, and as you will need a lot initially, you need cheap ones!

When you see your nurse, please ask her for a print out of your test results, blood glucose, cholesterol, and liver/kidney functions/FBC and anything else you had. You will find these invaluable further down the line for comparison.

Please have a good read round and ask as many questions as you like.
 
Jaz1006 said:
I thought I had the perfect, most healthy diet with lots of protein, fruit and veg but apparently not!
Click to expand...
Yes, I thought I had too, even when I was on the diet the NHS recommends for diabetes. Daisy1's info above will put you on the right track.

Jaz1006 said:
Also do I need to monitor my sugar levels and where should I get a monitor from?
Click to expand...
Yes, and many of us use a Codefree meter since the strips are cheaper afaik. Try Amazon or
http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/blood_glucose_monitor_testing.htm. Discount codes at homehealth:
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

Jaz1006 said:
Sorry for all the questions but at the moment I am feeling rather sad and quite worried about the future and my future health.
Click to expand...
No worries. Just ask.
 
Hi and welcome. You've had a lot of good advice already. A diet of proteins, veg and fruit is very healthy but it's possible you were focussing on low-fat rather than low-carbs? Be aware that many NHS nurses and dieticians advise carbs with every meal. This advice is positively bad so ignore it if told. If the Metformin stomach problems do not subside in1-2 weeks do ask for the Slow release (SR) version. Although it's a shock at first, you will soon learn to be on top of and manage the condition.
 
Welcome. When I started metformin my doctor advised me to start with one tab for the first week, then increase to two. This seemed to help me avoid too many side effects.
 
Welcome to the forum. It can take a while for everything to sink in but at least you are in the right place as we are all speaking from experience. Many including myself have found the site invaluable for getting moving in the right direction.
 
Hi and welcome
Before you start looking for a meter try your GP first tell him you want to take an active part in your control and self testing will help monitor what different foods do to your BG , it worked for me so give it a try .
No need to panic or worry you will soon get into it . Ask as many questions as you want and no question is silly as far as we are concerned so if in doubt ask
Keep well stay safe JJ
 
Thank you so much!

Just a quick question........my Gp said that my levels were 54 and should be below 49. As a total newbie to diabetes, does this mean that its a 'high' level and is this why I've been started on meds straight away or is this just standard practice? Can I also ask if its still ok to drink alcohol as I'm going on holiday soon and I don't know what I can drink as I'm normally a beer or cocktail lady!!
Sorry but my head is full of questions at the moment!
 
41-48 is pre diabetic, above that is diabetic so its not too high just as you have stated its standard practice to go straight on meds. As for alcohol I drink some type of spirit with diet fizzy as beer is definately not good.
 
When I was diagnosed my HbA1c was 53 with a FBG (fasting blood glucose) of 7. I was not offered meds. I was given 3 months on diet only to see if I could get my levels down, and I believe this is now standard practice unless your diagnosis levels are high. 54 isn't particularly high in the grand scheme of things. I did get my levels down on diet only, so have never been prescribed any meds.
 
Jaz1006 said:
Thank you so much!

Just a quick question........my Gp said that my levels were 54 and should be below 49. As a total newbie to diabetes, does this mean that its a 'high' level and is this why I've been started on meds straight away or is this just standard practice? Can I also ask if its still ok to drink alcohol as I'm going on holiday soon and I don't know what I can drink as I'm normally a beer or cocktail lady!!
Sorry but my head is full of questions at the moment!
Click to expand...

It's standard practice with some doctors. The other approach is to try diet and exercise for 3 months and if that reduces the level then you end up not needing meds. A lot of people take this approach and it works out for them. Another 3 months without meds is probably not going to do any serious harm. My diagnosis level was about the same as yours and I took meds from the start and had no problems with them. So, either way is fine, it's up to you.
 
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