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Diagnosed type 2 today and scared



Chin up. I felt the same way when diagnosed, guess we all do, but it was not unexpected because I was showing quite a few symptoms before being confirmed.
My BS reading was 23 !!! Which was really scary. However, my doctor didn't want me on melds and said let's try 3 months on diet/excercise. Now after 2 1/2 months I've lost over 35 pounds, joined a gym but also walk a lot.
My latest readings are 9, 8.5 and 8.3.

It's not the end of the world, you just need to decide I'm going to control this and not let it control me.
Do low carb..it's easier than you think because eating fewer carbs means you don't feel as hungry. You'll still get cravings, it's how you handle them .
Good luck and take care
 

Same story as you. Age, Weight, BMI, since mid 30's, carry weight around waist, diet, all the same. Did some exercise but not enough to burn off the calories I was eating. I'd built up a lot of knowledge about health and fitness when I was longer but wasn't following it. It was the kick I needed. I'm not 25 and bullet proof anymore.
First test 60, one week later 54, five weeks after that 44. Said no to the meds, just diet and exercise.
There are a few things I would suggest.
You say your a few stone overweight so I'd go about losing that immediately. Diet will be the main way to do this. Keep it simple. You may find it easier if you stick to the same few meals that don't effect your BG levels to start with. I had eggs and/or bacon for a late breakfast/lunch and generally chicken and salad with balsamic vinegar or veg (usually broccoli) and gravy (watch the carbs) for dinner. Drink more water.
Take measurements, weight, bmi, waist, etc. Pick one to start with and a goal. i.e. I'm going to lose 1/2 stone, do it then pick another.
Walk more, count steps on your phone, if you can try lifting weights.
Test before and after meals, look into a Freestyle Libre if you can even if its just to use for a month to get to know what you can eat.
Make sure you get plenty of rest/sleep, I'm convinced that working shifts and long hours really messed up my health.
Read up and ask questions on this forum, so you can have an intelligent conversation with your doctor. Doctors don't expect much from patients so limit advise to take the tablets and be healthier, surprise him and he should start to take an interest, if not change doctor.
Some people are more susceptible to getting diabetes. I look at it that I'm a sports car and I was trying to be a dumper truck. You will have friends who can eat what they want and be OK because they are built to be dumper trucks.
Don't see the diagnosis for anything other than what it is - an opportunity to start again.
 
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Hi Seagal ! No need to be ashamed . Sounds like your Dr needs to be ashamed . You have made the first decision - to learn how to help yourself. Welcome to online education. So many Drs. health professional are really unprofessional when it comes to type 2 diabetes. Google up Richard Doughty and the Guardian newspaper uk , and Carlos Cervantes. Then look at the stories in the Daily Mail. Lots and lots of info

If you know how to count calories and have some will power there is a clear path ahead .
My Dr gave me the same old rubbish you have had. Even worse . I told him I wanted to try to reverse it and he and his other Dr refused to talk about it. SO before you take meds for too long... ie asap study up the way out. That treatment dished out to you and me -
We used to call it the BR [ the Bum's Rush ] getting whizzed through and dumped out as though we didn't matter. I was panicking and angry when diagnosed. Am happy now. Send me private message if you like, or need any specific help after reading the pages I mentioned.
 
Thank you for all your kind advice. It's reassuring to hear that others have been through this.

I've bought several books including Cavan and Mosley and am convinced by the scientific evidence that low carb is the way to go.

I'm not taking the metformin I was given and am now on day 3 of the 800 cal low carb. I feel really good, tummy feels less bloated and I don't feel hungry. I'm encouraged that my BG looks like it's dropping already.

My intent is to go back to Dr in a couple of months for another test, and prove him wrong. I'm just so angry that the advice on diet from the NHS is so outdated, and the immediate response is drugs.

Will stay on the forum and hopefully will be another success story. Thank you all x
 
It took just 80 days to go from full blown diabetic numbers to not ever diabetic - a Hba1c of 91 down to 47 - and I just bought new tee shirts which are size L - I was in XXL after eating a cholesterol reducing diet for less than two years - which did not do anything of the sort. Not bad for 6 months from diagnosis.
I don't bother to count calories, just the carbs, as I don't really want to give myself even half an idea of being cured and able to eat more carbs again.
 
Hi Seagal75,
I'm newly diagnosed T2 too, and after the initial shock, started researching big time, mainly because I came out of the Surgery without any real help.
The conflicting advice online was mind boggling, in the end I concentrated on this fantastic website and bought Gretchen Becker's book, the First Year Type 2 Diabetes, which I found to be excellent.
Information is power as I always say.
Best of luck.
 

Being informed is half the battle. Knowing what has impact on as as individuals is what let's us take control. The most effective weapons are information, awareness that carbohydrates may as well be sugar, self-testing, recording times, food and levels before an after. Informing ourselves changes everything.
 
Welcome to the forum Seagal75. You have come to the right place! We have all had that shock, and the fear and doubts. Anxiety and depression are typical for diabetics too. Your doctor sounds pretty insensitive, which is all too common these days. But be of good cheer, you can improve your situation and your life. You will find all the information and encouragement you need right here. Read on and good luck!
 
chridjov said:
I hear you, I felt the same when I was diagnosed too. I know following a strict diet is a bit hard but there are a lot of alternative that is available out there.
Best wishes.
Click to expand...
Hi... It was a shock to me too. I'm now nearly a year in from diagnosis . I did the Newcastle diet which does the job but you have to have a fixated ambition to do it . If you want any clues , tips etc I am more than happy to help. It took me 4 weeks to get back to normal blood sugars. You will loose a lot of weight ( around 15%) The diet lasts 8 weeks and after I've been eating LCHF and walking 10,000 steps per day since. My weight is now stable, around 20 BMI my blood sugars are normal and I feel better in ways it is difficult to believe. `Its still not perfect. I still monitor my sugars often and have to talk myself into keeping up with the walks but now its summer its easier and sometimes a real joy. ...and after the diet i am enjoying new food experiences in ways which are taste sensations

Hers the link to the diet.


http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/S.../Documents/SJH NEWCASTLE DIET BOOKLET2012.pdf
 
Hi Seagal75. Sorry to hear you've been diagnosed with type two. Firstly let me try and reassure you, that it is not all doom and gloom. I've been type2 for a few yeas now. At first i didn't really pay much attention to my condition. Have to say here, that i didn't get much help from my doctor or diabetic nurse in the beginning. Anyway. Cut a long story short. Just over a year ago my Hba1c. Was 98. By last christmas i had got it down to 43. And therefore more or less no longer diabetic. But once diabetic always diabetic im afraid. This was done without any medication at all. All done purely on diet and exercise. You have started off on the right foot. Low carb is the way to go. And you can also look at something called the keto diet as well. Try and get as much exercise as you can. And try and loose weight. Not easy by any means. But if you can, it all helps. There is an excellent low carb programme on this web site. That you can follow. Which is what i also used. Get yourself a carb counting book. And armed with that and low carb programme you will be heading in the right direction. Obviosly cut out all the sugar stuff. Pasta rice bread and potatoes. Plenty of veg. Watch the fruit as some can be high in natural sugars. The more i got into it. The more determined i was to reach my goal. Also you don't need to keep going back to the docs for blood tests. As again, you willl find on this site a conversion chart. Which you can see what your blood sugar tests relate to in the Hba1c range. Which is a great help and incentive to get your sugars down. So please cheer up. Stay focussed and determined and you rule your diabetes and not the diabetes rule you. Need any help then please feel free to ask. Be only to glad to help. Best of luck.
 
HI seagal75,
Please don't put yourself on any diet that consists of bacon/egg and the same few meals as you will well and truly screw yourself. Yes you will lose the weight with ease and you will feel better than you have done in a long time (for a while). You will think you have this disease under control but before you know it you will have lost a lot of muscle along with the fat, your arteries will have stiffened and then once you want to try and get away from eating bacon/eggs it will be too late. You'll end up at the point where you will be battling each and every day to keep the muscle you have left and unless you are super strict on a well defined varied diet of 2000 ish calories you could be in trouble. I am speaking from experience as I have screwed my self in only 6 months. I thought it was all about weight loss, oh boy was I wrong.
Slow and steady with lots more walking and resistance exercise to keep your muscles healthy is what is required not a quick weight loss program. Do it slowly over a year or so as you will save yourself and your family a lot of heartache and if you don't know how to learn how to cook or enrol on a course to help you.
All the best
 
The Newcastle diet has been shown to work for some people, but that was under supervision and it does not always translate into everyday life without the supervision. Personally I have a varied diet with lower carb and healthy fats, I have increased the exercise I take, mainly walking, and have rediscovered muscles since I lost weight at a steady rate. I eat to my meter and watch my weight to make sure that it does not start to creep back up. Some people find it easier to stop eating particular foods altogether, some to reduce. We all have to find our own way and to listen to our bodies. Initially the advice given is confusing because different things work for different people, as with most things in life we have to muddle through as best as we can until we find what works for us.
 

@Seagal75
reviving a long dead post,
But just to say YOU are not alone.

we maybe separated by ages and years since diagnosis, but we are the same .

i felt exactly like that at DX

you recently posted up, where i have replied.
just wanted to read your first report.
and it looks to me. like not much has changed doctor wise over those last few years,
so sadly ..your not alone..

safe journey.
 
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