Diagnosed then left!

H i and Welcome @ShropshireDimples

Sadly, your story is an all too familiar one for type 2 diabetic, especially at this time of year.

My advice is to educate yourself, for yourself. This forum and the www.diabetes.co.uk website are excellent places to start.
So are the www.dietdoctor.com and www.bloodsugar101.com websites.

Becoming a member here and joining in on the forum may well help you tremendously in the weeks and months to come.

Hi there @ShropshireDimples and welcome to the forum

While losing weight may assist with managing your diabetes, the most important thing is to reduce your blood sugars.

For type 2s like yourself taking metformin, the best way to do this is via your diet. Specifically, reducing your carbohydrate intake. The extent to which you need to do this will be personal to you.

As a starting point I’d suggest visiting Dietdoctor.com for comprehensive information - recipes, carb content of various foods, meal plans etc.

You’ll also need a blood glucose meter to test your blood sugars before and after meals so that you can see the impact of what you’re eating. I’ll post some links to popular meters in another post.

Finally I’ll advise having a read of ‘The Diabetes Code’ by Dr Jason Fung, which will give you some background on diabetes and how it can be effectively managed.

Do keep us updated and ask as many questions as you like.

Hi again

I see @Brunneria was posting at the same time and we’ve both suggested dietdoctor.com.

As promised, here’s some information on meters:
There are a few popular meters used by type 2s on here. The cost of the strips is important as they’ll be what you spend most on.

The Tee2+ from Spirit Healthcare which has cheap strips (not the cheapest strips but very reasonable): http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-plus-blood-glucose-meter/ with the strips found here: http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product/tee2-testing-strips/ I got a free Tee2+ by phoning up to order the meter and 10 boxes of strips and they threw the meter in for free. Phone number 0800 8815423

The meter with the cheapest strips is the SD Codefree. Strips need to be bought in bulk using the codes below and the manufacturer is in the process of switching people over to a new model (see below). http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/ and here for the extra strips http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/Discount codes for bulk orders:

5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833

Also from Spirit Healthcare, with more expensive strips than the Tee2+ is their Caresens Dual. This can be used for testing ketones too (strips for that very expensive). https://shop.spirit-health.co.uk/collections/caresens-dual

Home Health have recently brought out a new meter, the Navii, which will eventually replace the Codefree. https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/glucose-navii-blood-glucose-test-strips-50-strip-pack/. https://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/gluconavii-blood-sugar-meter-glucose-monitor-starter-kit/

There are also discount codes for when you come to buy more strips - "navii5" and "navii10" will give you 20% off purchases of 5 packs of strips and 25% off 10 packs of strips.

Don’t forget to check the box to say you have diabetes so you can buy VAT free. (for all meters and strips)

Hello and welcome.

What a bad start after receiving your diagnosis. It is completely normal to feel confused and upset when you have been diagnosed and left like this.

First- you've already received some great advice above so I will keep it reasonably brief.

You need a meter. Most doctors do not recommend this and in fact are against this. What nonsense- how can you tell how you are going without information about your blood sugar levels. So get a meter.

Second- while the standard advice is to keep eating healthy carbs and lose weight that advice was completely useless to me. Using my meter it became quickly apparent that the less carbs I ate the lower my blood sugar levels were. I'll be perfectly honest- I found this site and told my husband that I was going to have to give up carbs. I was distraught. I love carbs. He was sceptical. he believed the advice of my doctor. He is now a true believer and one of my biggest supporters. Without this site and the help and support I have received here my world would be dark, my diabetes would have progressed. Now even my doctor concedes my blood sugar levels are of no concern to her. I have just one HbA1c in the diabetic range (on diagnosis) and all others well into the normal range thanks to this site.

For me I find it easier to keep to foods that are really low carbs. That has given me the freedom to lose weight without counting calories for the first time in my life. Who knew it could be so easy. However, I'm pretty sensitive to carbs so I need to buckle down again after Christmas. I didn't have a lot of carbs. but my usual level is under 10 grams a day and I have gone over that for a few days and my weight has gone up. So I will go back down again.

The meter is the key. Your first goal is to lower your blood sugar levels- that has always been my number one goal- the weight loss (over 30 kgs) has happened just going very low carb. Your meter will tell you how many carbs your body can tolerate.

It can take a while so google 'dawn phenomena' and 'keto flu' just for some information. You will be fine- you've found this site and there are so many amazing people you will 'meet' here that are all too ready to give help and support.

Welcome and good luck!!!!

ShropshireDimples said:

Hi one and all. What a fun thing to do on New Years Eve

So.....last week, 3 days before xmas i was diagnosed with Type 2 by the diabetic nurse. It was all rather matter of fact and to be honest it knocked me for six even though i was half expecting it.

Anyway.....i went for my annual optician appointment and she was shocked that the doctor hasnt seen me and that the nurse isnt going to see me for another 6 months and hasn't discussed taking regular checks on my blood sugar level. My eye test has been suspended till my levels have stabilised.....but how will i know if im not going to see the nurse for another 6 months?

Ive been put on metformin 1000 once a day for 2 weeks then 2 x 1000 tabs once a day.

The diabetic nurse said my only goal was to "loose weight". She said "if you can eat chocolate everyday and loose weight then carry on, the importance is on the weight loss" she also suggested that i start slimmers world as i can eat as much pasta/bread/rice/potatoes as i like but still loose weight" (i dont eat pasta or bread luckily)

I live on my own and im feeling very confused as what i should be doing. Is it as simple as 'just loose weight'?

My brain is fried....im sure yours is too after reading this

. I just feel ive been diagnosed and then plonked on a dusty shelf

Thank you everyone for reading.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and a 2021 in the best possible health

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welcome! Time for you to take control. Get a meter, test your meals, cut the carbs, up the exercise. I did! You should have seen the look on my doctor’s face on my second checkup. He said “how the heck did you do that?”

you can do the same!

The nurse doesn't do the eye checks, they are done by - presumably, opthalmists ( however it is spelt) - specialists anyway.

Lots of good info already, check out https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ for good dietary advice and ignore the horrendous advice from your nurse on diet. Managing T2 diabetes is not just about weight, in general it's mostly about diet. And you cannot manage a condition without measuring, which means checking blood glucose levels to track progress. Ignore anyone who tells you not to test and don't be bullied into not testing, this can sometimes happen.

Basically, you are carb intolerant, you can't process them like before. Which makes eating all that stuff the nurse recommended really terrible advice. Plus, there is nothing essential in those foods she said to keep eating. So it hardly makes any sense to be eating a lot of things that you don't even need that have a detrimental effect on your health.

This is one of those conditions where taking control is I think a must do. It's amazing what can be done by changing your diet.

Welcome!

Resurgam said:

The nurse doesn't do the eye checks, they are done by - presumably, opthalmists ( however it is spelt) - specialists anyway.

Click to expand...

I presume the OP was talking about her annual optician check being postponed (as temporary high sugars can affect the focus of the lens and any glasses prescribed during periods of high blood sugar may be useless when blood sugars return to normal). You are right that the annual check for diabetic retinopathy is performed by specialists in the local diabetic eye screening programme which normally has a Consultant Ophthalmologist as their Clinical Lead.

The first appointment with the diabetic eye screening programme should be within 3 months of diagnosis of diabetes.

ShropshireDimples said:

Hi one and all. What a fun thing to do on New Years Eve

So.....last week, 3 days before xmas i was diagnosed with Type 2 by the diabetic nurse. It was all rather matter of fact and to be honest it knocked me for six even though i was half expecting it.

Anyway.....i went for my annual optician appointment and she was shocked that the doctor hasnt seen me and that the nurse isnt going to see me for another 6 months and hasn't discussed taking regular checks on my blood sugar level. My eye test has been suspended till my levels have stabilised.....but how will i know if im not going to see the nurse for another 6 months?

Ive been put on metformin 1000 once a day for 2 weeks then 2 x 1000 tabs once a day.

The diabetic nurse said my only goal was to "loose weight". She said "if you can eat chocolate everyday and loose weight then carry on, the importance is on the weight loss" she also suggested that i start slimmers world as i can eat as much pasta/bread/rice/potatoes as i like but still loose weight" (i dont eat pasta or bread luckily)

I live on my own and im feeling very confused as what i should be doing. Is it as simple as 'just loose weight'?

My brain is fried....im sure yours is too after reading this

. I just feel ive been diagnosed and then plonked on a dusty shelf

Thank you everyone for reading.

I wish you all a Happy New Year and a 2021 in the best possible health

Click to expand...

Welcome on the dusty shelf! You've already been given a link to the Nutritional Thingy, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry you're going through this, and that the help you're getting is for the bulk of us, the standard.... They're way off base in what they do advise, so, yeah... Get yourself a meter, and it'll not steer you wrong.

Hello and welcome to the forum. I agree with the advice already given but do find it so sad that diabetic nurses are still perpetuating old myths. Thankfully you have found a community that will support you in making effective lifestyle changes and providing support and advice. The difficulty is dealing with conflicting sources of information particularly from health professionals who continue to peddle outmoded and increasingly dangerous advice.
Except for an original 5 minute and largely useless appointment with a GP my care in the last 7 years has been in the hands of 'diabetic nurses'. In my surgery this is usually a health care assistant i.e. someone who has neither nursing nor medical qualifications. While I am happy to have a routine health check I learned very early on to ignore all dietary advice handed out and to follow a low carbohydrate medium fat diet. This is against NHS official advice. Result: 6 years of normal blood glucose levels, now off Metformin, fitter, slimmer and healthier. I am regarded as a star at my surgery but there is still little interest in how I have achieved this!
Read, experiment and have confidence that you will find a way forward. Many of us have followed our own path back to remission and health. You can too!

Hi and welcome. Your nurse hasn't a clue with regard to diet. You need to keep all carbs down and rely on fats, proteins, veg and non-tropical fruit. Don't go near SW or WW for dieting as they will allow you to eat what you want and don't understand the food groups.. Do you know what your HBA1c test result was? Waiting 6 months for the next review isn't too bad unless your HBA1C was really bad in which case it should be 3 months. Yes, do get hold of a meter. You should be invited to an annual retinopathy test probably at the local hospital.

I was diagnosed pre covid, I had a second blood test within 2 weeks to confirm the diagnosis, then a foot check, and the 3 month follow up with the nurse, plus the referral for a proper diabetes eye screening at the hospital (the full foot checks and the eye screening at a specialist centre are usually annual). Once I was stable then on to 6 mth blood tests and checks with the nurse plus the annual eye and foot screening. I am about to move to annual blood tests.
I was also, as required offered the local diabetes education course, but as I intended to try going low carb instead of getting metformin I declined it (they were very anti low carb at the time, advising everyone to use the so-called Eatwell plate.
This last year's NHS pressures delays everything. My GP surgery blood checks and chat resumed after a delay but it is now 6mths since I should have had my annual eye and foot checks.

I joined the lowcarbprogram site which has a 16 week video education course, advice, a forum, plus loads of recipes and menus.
While others got into low carb via Dietdoctor, I came here via the lowcarbprogram and Dr Unwin. He has produced some simple infographics that demonstrate why traditional diet advice is not a good idea for type 2 diabetes.
https://phcuk.org/sugar/
I bought a meter, then tested first thing in the morning, plus before and after every meal to see how much carbs I could safely eat and which foods caused spikes in my blood sugar - the aim is to get it down overall but also avoid spikes above the normal range. Once I knew what I can eat then I only tested new foods or new combinations plus a routine check once a week.
I adjusted to eating more fat and much fewer carbs, and while eating lots of calories lost a huge amount of weight - in spite of my disabilities which mean I do hardly any exercise.

Oh no, another dumped and given terrible advice by the NHS.

Same story here. I understand the stress and upset you are going through. But once you take control and start to understand what you need to do it will all become a lot easier.

Advice on these forums is excellent as is the support offered.

I agree with all those who say, test, test, test. How do you know what is going on without the data? Also work out what you are eating from the point of view of carbohydrates.

Test meters are very cheap. Test strips will be needed for the meter though.

But the best advice you have been given here is to find out how many carbs you are presently eating and to reduce that as best you can. There are some excellent web sites and Apps that can help you with that.

I originally mistakenly followed NHS advice of eating 240g carbs a day as they said that was normal. No mention of reducing carbs. Now I am trying to reduce to 130g of carbs a day or less. Some here have made some remarkable reductions.

Since I took control and responsibility for my diet and wellbeing I have lost 20Kg and my blood glucose is stable at between 5 and 6, ideal range. How long did this take? 2 months. One month to realise the doctors had got it all wrong and to safely stop all Insulin meds, and immediately my BG levels stabilised into the target range and have stayed there. New diet and the weight, (controlled), was lost within one month and a bit.

Why do some in the NHS make it so difficult? I suspect that they are very overworked, under constant stress, and have to follow endless legally binding processes.

I was diagnosed early in November as a type 1 diabetic which they have since retracted but they cannot work out what I am, (or are not saying - I suspect that they do not know ). But they gave me insulin never the less. I just hope that didn't mess up my body. I stopped it (carefull) as soon as I realised the diagnosis could not be right - nothing added up.

And I now feel really well too. I mean, really well. Better than I have ever felt.

So, you can get on top of it all and come out as a success. But it will be down to you not the NHS.