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Diagnosed as type 2

H

Husky3

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed as type 2 last week after my Doctor thought i was prediabetic in August but had no nurses to do bloods and i just didn't get around to going back until my Dad was diagnosed with type 2 and tested my blood glucose on his monitor. HBA1C was 66 but i have no idea what this means?

I was given a monitor unlike my Dad who had to buy his own, i'm on Metformin 500MG gradually going to 2000MG over the next few weeks, my fasting bloods are always around 12.3-13 but i had a 16.3 the other day too. With the Metformin i am getting results of around 9.3-10.3 two hours after food, i have lost 7lbs in 6 days just through healthy eating and exercise which i did a lot of anyway, i am hoping my blood glucose comes down more as i increase the dose.

I really don't know what i need to do other than healthy eating and exercise! I've started using my fitness pal to monitor food in take and tend to over estimate if i cannot give exact amounts but my carbs today have been total 106g Sugared carbs 48g, should i lower these levels even more? My meals today have been healthy and calorie intake 1220 but i haven't been out for my usual long walk/jog with dogs today.

I have had absolutely no symptoms of Diabetes other than i am prone to infections but always have been. I have PCOS and High BP but BP has been under control for the last few years, i am over weight but already lost 6 stone prior to being diagnosed through exercise (the weight loss only started when my exercising and calorie counting did and i put on 2 stone again when i stopped exercising so much so i don't think it was diabetic weight loss), i have another 6 or so to lose i should add whilst at times i don't eat the best i am in general a healthy eater and do not have big portions, a combination of PCOS and not getting enough exercise was my main problem. I am trying to be inspired by my diagnosis to change everything and get healthier but at the moment its just a very scary place to be in, i have an 8 year old that i want to be around for :(
 
First your HBa1C of 66 is 8.2% in old money and too high. As your weight comes down thru reduced carbs and portion sizes, your blood sugar should also reduce as any insulin resistance will fade. So keep at it as you are doing the right thing. A daily carb intake of less than 150gm is good and possibly adequate but do go lower if needed to get weight down
 
Hi, Welcome

i suspect your diet is having a bigger effect on your bg than the met, to have lost that weight previously you obviously have an inner strength and that will stand you in good stead for controlling the diabetes, if you cn get the weight off and control your bg levels, theres no reason whatsoever you shouldnt be around a very long time to be there for your little one, please have a read of the forum and ask any questions you come across, best of luck
 
Thanks. I'm making an effort to check labels for carbs and sugared carbs and swapped brown bread for rice cakes, crackerbread and crisp bread. Not sure how well they will work but the lack of calories in them will help if nothing else. I have the will power to do it just not always the energy so hopefully that will change. I walk every where. Go out on my bike when I can do and walk my dog's daily and they pull like machines so that's got to burn a few extra calories :-) reversal would be nice because the healthy eating and exercise aren't hard to keep up providing I don't keep getting infections.

Thank you for explaining the old money value too Daibell. Not understanding these things leads to extra confusion when trying to learn. I see people posting their BG in triple numbers and don't have a clue how mine is converted to those values.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Hi Husky and welcome to the forum:)

Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it helpful. Ask as many questions as you need to and someone will be able to 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
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.
 
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