Diagnosed As Type 2 Yesterday

[Emma_369]

Hi
Just wanted to say hi and how grateful I am already that forums like this exist. I got told yesterday I am diabetic - my A1C level is 62. Doctor has started me on metformin- 1 a day for week 1, 2 a day for week 2 then 3 a day after that for 3 months until next blood tests. After a minor meltdown yesterday about how the hell have I got her at 32, I’m now feeling positive and ready to manage this as best I can. Doctor has said no daily glucose tests so flying blind till December with knowing whether medications and diet is working but taking the line that if I do it all by the book then surely it will!

 

[Deleted member 464700]

they tell every T2 not to test, probably to save money. I test before food and at 2 hours intervals (3 times) after so that I can understand which foods are bad.

 

[Chronicle_Cat]

Hi from another recently diagnosed Type 2. I strongly suggest getting your own blood monitor so you can test to see what foods raise your blood glucose levels so you can avoid these foods. My doctor didn't get me a blood monitor either, most don't for Type 2s.) I bought one on my own.

Many Type 2s have seen good results reducing the carbs in their diet (in varying levels). This is what I'm doing. I'm seeing good results on my meter (my 3 month follow up with my next hba1c is at the start of October.) I've also losing weight this way (another one of my doctor's recommendations.)

I'm tagging @daisy1 who will post the welcome message which contains the welcome information post.

 

[Rachox]

Hi Emma and welcome! I see daisy1 has been tagged for her useful welcome info post.
Next can you tell us a little about what diet you have been advised or decided to try.
I went low carbohydrate with Metformin and self testing to get back down to non diabetic levels, and have maintained that for a year now. I would advise getting a meter if you can afford to self fund. As you say you are flying blind without it. If you decide you want to we can advise which is the most cost effective one to buy.

 

[Emma_369]

Hi from another recently diagnosed Type 2. I strongly suggest getting your own blood monitor so you can test to see what foods raise your blood glucose levels so you can avoid these foods. My doctor didn't get me a blood monitor either, most don't for Type 2s.) I bought one on my own.

Many Type 2s have seen good results reducing the carbs in their diet (in varying levels). This is what I'm doing. I'm seeing good results on my meter (my 3 month follow up with my next hba1c is at the start of October.) I've also losing weight this way (another one of my doctor's recommendations.)

I'm tagging @daisy who will post the welcome message which contains the welcome information post.

Yes after reading pages and pages of info I’m going to lower carbs. Which is going to take some getting used to! Thanks for the advice - will invest in a blood monitor kit!

 

[Emma_369]

Hi Emma and welcome! I see daisy1 has been tagged for her useful welcome info post.
Next can you tell us a little about what diet you have been advised or decided to try.
I went low carbohydrate with Metformin and self testing to get back down to non diabetic levels, and have maintained that for a year now. I would advise getting a meter if you can afford to self fund. As you say you are flying blind without it. If you decide you want to we can advise which is the most cost effective one to buy.

My doctors advice was halve whatever I’m eating. He doesn’t care if I have 1 meal or 6 meals a day. Just halve it all. Diabetes is in my family and I had gestational diabetes 6 years ago and I’ve spent hours reading through sites and this forum and know there’s a lot more too it than his advice - I have read lots about low carb diet and am going to try that and log everything I’m eating to make sure I’m not having more than I realise. Will definitely look into a blood monitor though!

 

[Phoenix55]

If you order through the 'shop' on this site then you can tick the box for being a diabetic and not pay VAT, if you go to the high street you will probably end up paying the extra (I did) You can also compare the costs of the strips - they are the on-going expense part of the system. It is well worth it whichever way you go.
I used a spreadsheet to keep track of what I had eaten, exercise taken, bg results. Later I added weight, body measurements, mood etc. as they occurred to me. I found checking the recommended number of portions on the side of ready prepared foods a real eye-opener. Aim for less than 10g of carbs per 100g initially. The weekly shop takes twice as long as usual for the first couple of weeks as you read all the small print, and it is microscopic in some cases. It gets better and I am back to my usual quick trot round until the supermarket manager decides to move everything around. Good luck on your new adventure.

 

[Emma_369]

If you order through the 'shop' on this site then you can tick the box for being a diabetic and not pay VAT, if you go to the high street you will probably end up paying the extra (I did) You can also compare the costs of the strips - they are the on-going expense part of the system. It is well worth it whichever way you go.
I used a spreadsheet to keep track of what I had eaten, exercise taken, bg results. Later I added weight, body measurements, mood etc. as they occurred to me. I found checking the recommended number of portions on the side of ready prepared foods a real eye-opener. Aim for less than 10g of carbs per 100g initially. The weekly shop takes twice as long as usual for the first couple of weeks as you read all the small print, and it is microscopic in some cases. It gets better and I am back to my usual quick trot round until the supermarket manager decides to move everything around. Good luck on your new adventure.

Fab advice on the 10g per 100g carbs. Thank you! I was convinced everything I eat will have to be completely fresh prepped but it’s not always ideal so that’s useful for me to find some packaged things

 

[Alexandra100]

If you order through the 'shop' on this site then you can tick the box for being a diabetic and not pay VAT, if you go to the high street you will probably end up paying the extra (I did) You can also compare the costs of the strips - they are the on-going expense part of the system.

@Emma_369 Many of us have bought the Codefree meter:
https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring-system-mmoll-or-mgdl/
as it has the cheapest strips, especially if you buy 5 or 10 tubs of 50 strips at a time, with a discount code (5 packs 264086, 10 packs 975833). However, I suggest you just buy one tub initially in case you don't get on with testing. Buying online you get the opportunity to say that you are diabetic and so not to pay VAT. (Codefree meters are not on sale on the High Street.) With your meter you will get a welcome pack with a carrying case, 10 strips and 10 lancets. You definitely need to order more strips with it, but if like many of us you re-use your lancets, the free10 will last quite a while. Good luck.

 

[Alexandra100]

My doctors advice was halve whatever I’m eating.

I think your doctor is confusing lowering bg with weight loss. They are not the same. Losing weight does not necessarily lead to lower bg. On the other hand, lowering one's carb intake often leads to weight loss.

 

[Alexandra100]

Just wanted to say hi and how grateful I am already that forums like this exist.

Me too!

 

[Daibell]

Hi. You are fairly young to be a T2. Can I ask what your BMI is? Yes, do reduce the carbs and have enough fats and proteins to keep you feeling full.

 

[Chronicle_Cat]

Hi. You are fairly young to be a T2. Can I ask what your BMI is? Yes, do reduce the carbs and have enough fats and proteins to keep you feeling full.

People who have had gestational diabetes are at a much higher risk for Type 2 - 5-10% after the baby is born, 20-50% within 10 years. (The original poster indicated she had gestational diabetes 6 years ago in one of her messages.)

 

[Gran25]

Yes, to all of the above re diet & BS meters. The meter is also helpful for measuring the effect of exercise on your blood glucose levels. For instance- aqua exercise even with 30 lbs of weights for 1 hr made no difference to my levels but if I added 10 minutes of brisk walk on the treadmill after the time in the pool, it did (no idea why) and the aqua + 10 treadmill was more effective than 10 min treadmill on it's own. The really effective (so far) is my electric assist bike, I think because it's so much fun that I don't think of it as exercise. In any event, I will continue with all 3 and the dietary changes as the whole package seems to be doing the trick. We are all on the same journey here so don't hesitate to reach out for support.

 

[Debandez]

Hi Emma and welcome.
Daunting time for you but you have found this amazing forum which is great. I was exactly you the same hba1c as you at diagnosis, 62 in December. I'm now at non diabetic level 41 (May test) and probably lower now. I chose not to take metformin and asked if I could try diet alone to start with. My meter was the best ever investment. I test when I wake up (was high when first diagnosed but now in the early 5s). Before eating and 2 hours later. I immediately went low carb, about 50 to 70g a day seems to do the trick for me.everyone is different. I drank gallons of water. The weight came off quickly. I couldn't believe it, and I wasn't hungry! Keeping a lot of what you eat is great too. And as you are testing I would put all your daily reading in mysugr app which will give you an idea of how you are doing with the hba1c level. I've seen levels drop very quickly once the lchf woe starts.

 

[Emma_369]

Hi. You are fairly young to be a T2. Can I ask what your BMI is? Yes, do reduce the carbs and have enough fats and proteins to keep you feeling full.

My BMI is currently 29 so yes I have work to do there. I know my weight has crept up over the last 2 years. I’d already started losing weight prior to the diagnosis so hoping the low carb approach will help both weight and blood levels at the same time. So I’m sure a combination of being overweight, a diabetic father (he was in 30’s when diagnosed and never overweight) and having had gestational diabetes have contributed to where I’m at. Just going to do all ok to get it under control and be positive about the changes

 

[Emma_369]

. I was exactly you the same hba1c as you at diagnosis, 62 in December. I'm now at non diabetic level 41 (May test) and probably lower now

So nice to hear of successes on getting levels down! Shows me it can be done and that I just need to stay focused and hope to achieve the same

 

[Daibell]

My BMI is currently 29 so yes I have work to do there. I know my weight has crept up over the last 2 years. I’d already started losing weight prior to the diagnosis so hoping the low carb approach will help both weight and blood levels at the same time. So I’m sure a combination of being overweight, a diabetic father (he was in 30’s when diagnosed and never overweight) and having had gestational diabetes have contributed to where I’m at. Just going to do all ok to get it under control and be positive about the changes

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm sure the LC will help. I sometimes ask about BMI if someone doesn't appear to fit the 'normal' T2 profile. I was initially mis-diagnosed as have some other LADAs and being slim can be indicator but not always of course.