Diagnosed last Friday

[Gabriel37]

Thanks for the replies.
I've been low carbing and my bg in the mornings is averaging 15 still. It does go up a few points with meals but seems to be at this sort of level.

Typical breakfast is black coffee, small pomegranate juice, some berries with fat free gree yoghurt.

Protein bar mid morning.

Lunch is 2 slices wholemeal bread, two slices of turkey with benechol spread.

Protein bar mid afternoon

Evening meals are either salmon, cod, chicken and turkey
Steamed veg or stir fry veg of cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, sprouts, peppers, mushrooms.

Drinking water, abstaining from alcohol and just the one coffee in the morning.

Not had my doctors appointment or seen a diabetic nurse etc so just trying to do the best I can.

Health wise I feel fine, I'm sleeping properly, urination is normal and back out working.
I'm self employed and on the road most days and have been trying to keep stress to a minimum.

It concerns me that my numbers are stagnant but not sure if the drugs and diet will slowly bring that down.
I've done a lot of reading but it's hard to see my path through all the info.

Mentally I'm OK with it. I see it as a positive now as I would have been in a much worse way if I'd carried on as before.
I just want every day to be on an upwards trajectory no matter how small the change.

Will cutting as many carbs as poss ie keto to bring my bg down or do I stay low carb and take it month by month and the drugs help bring things down. That's what I'm not sure of.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, it's much appreciated.
Simon.

Mate ,i mean cut the carbs ,all carbs ,start with 10g carbs excluding fibers on a meal,rise activity level and get a cgm for a couple of months ,see whats good for you ,and also keto means hight fat low carb,you cand go protein as well but that depends of you general helth

 

[syemon]

As a little update my BG levels are now between 6 and 8 regularly. I lost another 4lb last week.
Doctor is happy if I stay under 11 but is happy with my progress and attitude.
Eating two meals a day and maybe a handful of nuts if I get peckish in the afternoon. I take 1 metformin and blood pressure tablet. with breakfast and two metformin and a statin with my evening meal.
I'm on low carb and happy with what I'm eating and feel full after each meal.
Having a blood test in 3 weeks and will see the doctor after that and see how it goes from there.
Thanks for all the advice given

 

[Keith Saunders]

As a little update my BG levels are now between 6 and 8 regularly. I lost another 4lb last week.
Doctor is happy if I stay under 11 but is happy with my progress and attitude.
Eating two meals a day and maybe a handful of nuts if I get peckish in the afternoon. I take 1 metformin and blood pressure tablet. with breakfast and two metformin and a statin with my evening meal.
I'm on low carb and happy with what I'm eating and feel full after each meal.
Having a blood test in 3 weeks and will see the doctor after that and see how it goes from there.
Thanks for all the advice given

So much advice on these forums (and facebook) that sometimes it's difficult to know what's right, and what's wrong, however we are all different and what is right for you might be no good for someone else. It sounds like you are making all the right steps to suit you and your body.

I was diagnosed at the end of November. I've since lost 21lb. 2 inch around my waist and my glucose levels have dropped from 9ish to 6ish on average. All through diet and exercise. I still eat some carbs. Nowhere near as low as those suggested by some people that you MUST do. I do me, and it works.

Good luck on the rest of your journey.

 

[KennyA]

Since last posting I went to a very low carb diet and last week was when I went up to 2 metformin a day.
My average bg readings are down to between 8 and 10 but still not as low as I want.
I've cut put all bread, pasta rice etc..
Breakfast is usually some berries and a desert spoonful of yoghurt with black coffee. No snacks, very light lunch like tuna, boiled or scrambled egg, maybe some salad.
Main meals are fish, chicken or turkey with steamed veg or salad.
I'm keeping the carbs to a minimum.
I checked my weight yesterday and have lost 30lb since Nov 15th.
I feel OK but still think my bg should be single digits pre and post meals.
I had a glass of wine with my Christmas meal and boxing day meal and my number stayed low in the 8.8.
Last night I was at a 30 year get together of the brass band I was in and had 3 x gin & slimline tonics. Checked my number when I got home and 8.8 again which is inline with my average low. Not sure what to make of that if anything at all.
I've and appointment with my GP on the 3rd. Is there anything I should bring up?
Am I being impatient or is there other things I should be doing to get my number into the 5-7 range?

Word of advice - there's an issue with alcohol and blood glucose. Alcohol has much the same effect on your liver in practical terms as metformin does. It ties up the liver in metabolising the alcohol, so the liver stops adding glucose to the bloodstream. This can produce much lower readings than you might expect. It can also lead you to believe that "my system can handle" a particular food or quantity or carb....this might well not be the case. You've still eaten the carb: it still has to be managed: and an artificially low reading might send you off in the wrong direction. It did me.

I learnt that for me even one glass of red wine with a meal is enough to seriously affect the +2hr reading - I can often get lower values than where I started. It's basically not worth me testing around a meal if I'm going to have a drink with it.

 

[syemon]

Word of advice - there's an issue with alcohol and blood glucose. Alcohol has much the same effect on your liver in practical terms as metformin does. It ties up the liver in metabolising the alcohol, so the liver stops adding glucose to the bloodstream. This can produce much lower readings than you might expect. It can also lead you to believe that "my system can handle" a particular food or quantity or carb....this might well not be the case. You've still eaten the carb: it still has to be managed: and an artificially low reading might send you off in the wrong direction. It did me.

I learnt that for me even one glass of red wine with a meal is enough to seriously affect the +2hr reading - I can often get lower values than where I started. It's basically not worth me testing around a meal if I'm going to have a drink with it.

Totally get this.
My alcohol consumption before my blood test in November was 2-3 cans a day after work. As my blood pressure tested high as well I stopped drinking and vaping and that was the point that the thirst and drinking water hit overdrive so my drinking was masking some diabetes symptoms somewhat.
So 3 weeks of not drinking and then seeing my GP for a follow up to the bloods and him sending me to a&e after a bg and urine tests with suspected DKA and ending up hospitalised for 24 hours and on 3 drips. Then diagnosed T2 and sent on my way with metformin, BP and statin meds.
Alcohol is at an absolute minimum now as I know it suppresses glucose production by the liver and gives you a low bg number but not in the way you want.
A glass of wine or a g&t is a treat now but truthfully I don't need it, I never did, I used it as a self medication for a stressful day. Not ideal but that WAS me.
I'm sleeping better than I have for years and get up and about with a spring in my step.
The T2 diagnosis has actually been a positive as it's made me put my health first and I'm feeling better, eating better, slowly losing weight and getting fitter.

I see myself lucky as I have a condition that through my own choices I can lead a healthy life. Obviously my bad choices got me here in the first place but you know what I mean.

 

[Outlier]

Don't blame yourself at all - loads of people eat and drink what you did and are not diabetic (I live with one - good job I like him!). We often get the blame for being ill - we did NOT create our own illness. It's the luck of the draw. At least there is plenty we can do to help ourselves. Not every illness allows that level of control.

 

[syemon]

A little update.
So at present I'm on 3 x 500mg metformin, a stain and a blood pressure tablet a day.

Overall I feel good, no wobbles, have lost 3st 3lb overall so far on keto style diet.

Blood sugars are good now ranging from 5 to 7 range meal dependent.

I'm due to see the doctor this week and at last appointment we discussed that I would up the metformin from 3 x 500mg a day to 4.
As my sugars are under control am I OK in requesting I stay as I am for now, I'm not suffering any side effects from the meds apart from a little bunged up now and then.

All advice welcome