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diagnosed type 2 in jan 13

teddybear74

teddybear74

Well-Known Member
Messages
265
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
hi all i was diagnosed type 2 in jan and told no meds i could control it with diet and to make an appointment to see nurse which i did and the only one i could get was for 3 weeks time. at the appointment was told sugar per 100g of 2.5 is good up tp 5.0 is ok and given a leaflet i explained i have been following slimming world for years and what fruit i was eatting and she told me no more than 1 banana a week and a handful of grapes a week but all other fruit is fine (confused) she wasnt interested by what i was eatting and told any probs and pop back in. no one has told me what to do if i have a high or low blood sugar or the amount i am supposed to be eatting or what i asked if i should eat regular to the dr and she said no as long as you eat. i think the advice i have been given is contradictory and confusing so can someone please shed some light on this my fasting sugar level was 7.2 on diagnosis then 2 weeks later 6.9 i have spiked a high for me the other day of 9.3 and felt awful for days i tested 2 hrs after eatting normally im 6.3 2 hours after eatting i dont normally check unless i am feeling like **** as the strips are so expensive so god knows what is going on. im finding it harder and harder to find things to eat and im turning to things that contain sugar for ease i dont know what to do im losing control
 
Hi Teddybear and welcome to the forum :)

Here is some information, which we give to new members, which should help you. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will be able to answer you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

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 30,000 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 ... rains.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 blood glucose 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.
 
I can't help, but I'm in exactly the same position as you, prob told about the same time too. The nurses information contradicts what I have been reading on here. I now have decided to follow what the very informative people on here rather that what is the nhs guidelines. I have spent loads of time up to this weekend reading over a hundred posts on here and On the website to get a better view on things. I now feel better informed to take control of this and move forward. I will be interested in what you are told since we are in a similar place.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
i am considering going back to see my dr and see what he says and try and get on a course i dont think the nurse i spoke to had a clue about diabetes and i think she is just a dietian. i have been speaking to a lot of people in work who are type 2 and they have been given different information. i have never been told to test my sugars so how on earth would you know if you was high or low. sometimes i have a salty taste in my mouth and drink loads and the past few days i have had really cold feet no matter what i have on them. i have been tested for ketones in my urine and as yet i am still waiting for the results which is now 3 weeks i am increasingly tired to the extent i could sleep all day if i had the chance but i have a very lively 4 yr old boy. i am over weight and unactive but thats down to uncontrolled asthma so the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes smacked me in the face like a wet fish as no history. my sugars have been all over the place since march last year and nothing done about it. sugar was even found in my urine when i was pregnant but not showing on blood tests i am at my wits end on which way to turn next
 
Hi. Daisy has provided some useful info and links. All cars, including sugar, need to be controlled and be as low-GI as possible. There are many websites that list foods and their GI rating. Fruit is a difficult subject as the GI varies greatly. Bananas are generally best avoided, but berries are much better. Overall don't go mad on fruit and give preference to veg (yuk!). Test 2 hours after a meal to find out which foods affect you and by how much. I always feel the same regardless of my blood sugar level; are you sure your feeling cr*p is due to your sugars or just something else? We are all different so perhaps you do notice your sugars varying.
 
the thing im strugglig with how much carbs i should or shouldnt be eatting and eatting the right amount of food i work part time and sometimes by breaks couldup to 4 hrs after i start so if i dont have something before i start im starving the dr told me as long as i eat i will be ok and i dont have to have regular breaks
 
this is what i was told i was also told they was thinking of refering me to a diet specialist but nothing that was a month ago

teddybear74 said:
hi all i was diagnosed type 2 in jan and told no meds i could control it with diet and to make an appointment to see nurse which i did and the only one i could get was for 3 weeks time. at the appointment was told sugar per 100g of 2.5 is good up tp 5.0 is ok and given a leaflet i explained i have been following slimming world for years and what fruit i was eatting and she told me no more than 1 banana a week and a handful of grapes a week but all other fruit is fine (confused) she wasnt interested by what i was eatting and told any probs and pop back in. no one has told me what to do if i have a high or low blood sugar or the amount i am supposed to be eatting or what i asked if i should eat regular to the dr and she said no as long as you eat. i think the advice i have been given is contradictory and confusing so can someone please shed some light on this my fasting sugar level was 7.2 on diagnosis then 2 weeks later 6.9 i have spiked a high for me the other day of 9.3 and felt awful for days i tested 2 hrs after eatting normally im 6.3 2 hours after eatting i dont normally check unless i am feeling like **** as the strips are so expensive so god knows what is going on. im finding it harder and harder to find things to eat and im turning to things that contain sugar for ease i dont know what to do im losing control
Click to expand...
 
The carbs that you need to cut down a lot on are bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and baked goods such as cakes and pastry. A rule I use is that if the food is white (or could be if it wasn't wholemeal) - avoid - the exception to this is cauliflower and dairy. Vegetables are good if they grow above ground, use caution with ones that grow below ground. Fruits can be eaten in moderation - berries are best, bananas and grapes are often bad. Meat, dairy and nuts are your friend.

The most important thing to have is a meter, otherwise you will not know what foods affect your blood sugar. It is unlikely that Type 2's will get a meter and strips on prescription as the mantra is that we don't need to test (doctor speak for the strips are too expensive). The meter with the cheapest strips is the SD Codefree - available from http://www.homehealth-uk.com/medical/bl ... esting.htm - they also sell it through ebay and amazon.
 
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