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Diagnosed Type 2 Today

PurpleArmadillo

PurpleArmadillo

Well-Known Member
Messages
55
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi All

Feeling incredibly stressed after my surgery visit today :(

I was called in at the beginning of last week for one of the NHS health checks. Lots of bloods taken, and told to expect a letter in a couple of weeks if all was well. Instead I had a letter a couple of days later asking me to go back in today and repeat the diabetes bloods as the level was 'quite elevated'.

I read around online a lot over the weekend and was naively expecting I'd have a level in the 50s or 60s and come away with advice to modify diet and up excercise. Instead I discovered the reading was 96. I also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol (with sugars), and liver function slightly below normal.

I have a GP appointment next Thursday when the nurse said the Doctor will certainly prescribe medication for the type 2, and probably for the cholesterol too.

Finding it very hard not to beat myself up about this at the moment. And as someone who has always avoided medication unless absolutely necessary I'm kind of upset and alarmed. I'd much rather go strict low carb and give up alcohol (I am quite a heavy wine drinker) and see if that brings all of the other abnormals back within limits as well at reducing that 96 reading.

Wondering if others feel my level's too high to tackle without meds? Anyone else have experience and advice so I'm sure about my options before I see the GP?

Thanks and Hello :)

Yvonne xx
 
Hi, i've been recently diagnosed with Type 2 as well, and tbh you shouldn't really beat yourself up about it.. At the end of the day it is what it is, all you can do now is concentrate on getting your bloods down a wee bit! :)

96 is crazy high though, my doctor said mine was very high when i got diagnosed and that was at 24. I'm not a medical expert, but at that high levels you will find it hard to bring them down quickly unassisted.. I would listen to the Dr until your levels are stabilized and then take it from there,

Good luck on your journey, and remember its pointless looking back and hating yourself, there is nothing you can do about the past, just shape your future by living in the present!! :)
 
I was diagnosed with a 96 too. There are lots of emotions running, especially anger. Eventually you will come to terms with your circumstances. I was prescribed metformin, though I didn't want to, and now i am glad i did. Doc also wanted to put me on statins, I greeted that with an emphatic NO!, and again glad I did. Every time I go to the docs now we have the punch & judy show of
Doc: Statins?
Me: No!

Just remember this is about you Yvonne, you are quite at liberty to ignore what you Doc says, or be selective. That said knowledge is power, so do consult Dr Google widely and Mug up. If you think you can control you situation with diet and exercise, then tell the Doc that's what you intend to do, so long as you understand diet & exercise wont be a hobby but a lifestyle change

HTH and chin up
 
Hi and welcome, The doc will probably suggest going onto Metformin and if I were you I would agree to this. Note that the plain version he will prescribe is OK for most people but some have an initial stomach upset with it. If so ask to be changed to the Slow Release (SR) version. Metformin is a good safe drug which helps reduce blood sugar a bit. As for statins, many would say no but it's your choice. Do ask for your cholesterol breakdown as the total is pretty meaningless. Ask what your LDL, HDL and Trigs are and their ratios. BTW you don't need to give up the wine; just cut it down to a sensible level which will also avoid liver damage.
 
Just for clarification, I suspect that @PurpleArmadillo and @Li4m79 are using different measurements when they talk of "96" and "24". "96" sounds like a rather high HbA1c to me, i.e. the one that is an "average" measurement over 2 to 3 months and is measured in mmol/mol. "24" sounds like an equally high fasting or spot reading that tells you exactly what the position is at that moment and is measured in mmol/L.
My husband was diagnosed with a spot reading of 24. His Hba1c was not done until a month later, after four weeks of strict low carb and came out at 75. The doctor said he was surprised it was so low! Perhaps, if it had been done a month earlier it would have been 96.
That was all three years ago. On diagnosis, he refused (and continues to refuse) statins or cholesterol tests, but accepted Metformin, which he discontinued after about 6 months. He went immediately low carb and reduced his wine consumption! It took 9 days to reduce spot readings to non-diabetic levels, which is where they remain. His HbA1c is also normal.
So, our experience is that you can reduce very high readings, very quickly, if you understand and are strict about low carb. At first, it is very helpful, if not essential, to monitor your own blood sugar readings before and two hours after every meal, otherwise you won't know if you are making mistakes.
If you haven't already found them, do have a really good look at the following two sites,
http://www.dietdoctor.com/diabetes
ntensivedietarymanagement.com/blog/
lots of info and encouragement about reversing T2.
Good luck
Sally
 
Hi there, my last 2 HBA1C readings where off the charts at 123, so I wasn't given much of an option when it came to being prescribed metformin - I've only been taking them for 3 weeks. One of the nurses at my surgery couldn't understand how my body was functioning with it being that high. Like you I was disappointed but had to come to terms with it and when I saw the nurse last week, she commented on how well I looked so don't how I looked when I saw two weeks earlier
 
Hi, @PurpleArmadillo and @sarahjo
Welcome to the forum.
I've tagged @daisy1 to give you the newcomers welcome information.
Read the post, then if you really want to learn how best to control the condition, read the low carb forum.
Then read the success stories thread, about how successful low carb is in reducing your blood glucose levels and weight loss.
 
@PurpleArmadillo

Hello Yvonne and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find this useful. Reducing the carbs in your diet will help your levels. Ask as many questions as you want 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 over 150,000 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

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


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.
 
As others have said the past is over and done, what you do today and tomorrow are important. The best things I did when I was diagnosed was get a blood glucose monitor and learn how to use it, (some fingers bleed more easily than others) Use a chart to keep a check on your readings, the food you have eaten, exercise taken and how you are feeling. Find where you will get support, my work colleagues have been great and I have found an online support group to keep me exercising regularly. Make a note now of your body measurements and weight and see how it has changed in a month/six weeks. Small changes soon mount up.

Take back control of your life, remember diabetes is only a small part of you. Laugh, rant, explore, learn and help others.

Good luck :happy:
 
Purple Armadillo, a great big welcome to you.

Please don't feel despondent.

I was diagnosed exactly three weeks ago with T2 (12.6) fasting, Trigs (3.6 which is off the chart), HDL (.75 very low and not good), BP 165/95, HbAC1 53 too high but not ridiculous. So Metabolic Syndrome - scared me to death ( figuratively speaking). They wanted to put me on Met, blood pressure, statins.... I said thank you but NO, NO and NO:).

Instead I said give me three weeks and monitor me each week during that time.

I came home, licked my wounds that evening, got up the following morning, signed up to this sight and got great advice and support, read 6 books (over three weeks, tons of videos and clinical reviews), went on a strict LCHF diet, with 36 hour fast one day a week.

My fasting BG has averaged 4.5 this last week, my blood pressure is down to an average of 130/80 and falling (I'm 54, so starting to get near to normal on this). No idea about the other measurement, but I'm hoping they are also falling....oh and Ive lost 18 lbs without trying.

So by all means work with the medics and nurses, but do be prepared to also hold a healthy dose of scepticism and be confident in taking responsibility for controlling and improving your condition.

Good luck!!
 
Hello and welcome ..
I was in very high numbers 103 , not nice ..
Very scary ...
I went down the slow release metformin route .. It worked for me , well more assisted with all the routes I decided to try and follow .. I mean life style changes , diet changes to suit me ...
I read a lot , thought a lot ..
And now I am very happy with my hba1c numbers .. For now that is
It's is such a shock , it's a lot to deal with ..
Think things through , mske a list of questions to seek clarity ..
Try what is right for you and your health needs ..
So msny answers here it can feel overwhelming ...
But it will all fall into place ... More quickly than you realise .. Best wishes Kat
Statins I decided to take them .. Mixed thoughts and views on that topic , but focus on you :)
 
hi and welcom @PurpleArmadillo

I was diagnosed with an HbA1c in the 90s like you and within 3 months I had normal HbA1c without drugs (I was found to be allergic to Metformin within a couple of weeks of starting it) so it can be done. I did it by following a serious fasting diet with 30 mins of light exercise in the morning and evening. So it is very possible from your high HbA1c. Good luck with your path.
 
It's all bit much on day 1, believe me day 180 you can have a plan, have a goal and be relaxed. It is not without its challenges but you can do it. Ask lots of questions, seek advice, read twice. make mistakes, we all do at times.
Be kind to yourself because here is the important bit. you did not make yourself diabetic, it happened, it is not your fault. Your diet can change, so can your lifestyle, you can do all you can to help your body to stay safe.

I quit sugar, pasta, toast, and singapore noodles. No booze for 162 days as of today and it did help me. It is not the formula for everyone, but is it is a view of my starting point.

Lots of good people here, ask questions, have a rant, do what you need to do.

Oh and I was over 120ish hba1c fasting when I found out, I will see what my new running levels are next week
 
Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to post. It is really appreciated :)

The successes so many on here have had have left me feeling a lot more positive. I'm still in two minds about Metformin, but I have until Thursday to think through that one. My initial thoughts are that I would like to try diet and exercise for a month first, and if that doesn't have enough of an effect then I will go down the medication route.

Thank you again xx
 
@PurpleArmadillo - Hello:). Diet and Exercise will have more effect lowering blood sugars. And drink plenty of water and sugar free fluids too.
METFORMIN: Lowers the amount of sugar created by the Liver and decreases the amount of sugar absorbed by the intestines.
Metformin takes time to build up in your system and can take a couple of months to reach it's full effect. It may also help Type 2 Diabetic's lose weight as it lowers appetite.:)
 
Hi and welcome @PurpleArmadillo
My HbA1c was 95 at diagnosis. As I reacted badly to Metformin I was eventually allowed 3 months to try by diet, weight loss and exercise. I found using a meter and testing my greatest tool. I tested before a meal and 2 hours after. This showed me what I could eat and what was best avoided. By cutting out or reducing the carbs I managed to lose the weight I needed to and also bring my HbA1c levels down. They are now within the normal range. For exercise I walk. I started by trying to walk for 30 minutes a day and slowly increased my walking.
 
Hi And welcome to the forum. It's the best place to learn how to change your life around and end up probably healthier than you were before if you follow advice here and don't listen to the doctors and their Eat Well plate. I was only diagnosed as pre-diabetic and that was a huge shock to the system so can only try to imagine what you are feeling. however as others have said the past is the past and it's what you do going forward that counts.

I was offered metformin and statins. I said no to both although I understand that metformin is acknowledged as a pretty safe drug and it may help you in the initial stages. So you can look on it as an aid to get where you want to be and you can then probably discontinue it.

Statins I would not touch with a bargepole - have a read around all the threads here on statins and follow some of the links to the science that suggests statins are not a great idea. When I queried my doctor why she wanted me to take statins despite my cholesterol levels being pretty normal she more or less said 'we give them to all diabetics' . When I further asked about the known side effect of increasing blood sugar levels she got a bit cagey. Then she said they have 'other benefits' in reducing heart disease but was unable to be more specific. Reading around I suspect they may have a mild anti -inflammatory effect but if you are willing and able to go low carb then you will likely have much less inflammation anyway so they would be unnecessary. The numbers they push for with cholesterol in diabetics seem to be arbitrary with the thinking that if low is good then lower is better which is so not the case with cholesterol.. Do ask for a breakdown of the lipid panel as a total is meaningless anyway.

The low carb lifestyle is a big change but after I started on it my whole family has now taken to it because they saw how amazing it was for me. I lost over a stone in weight without trying and though none of us was really overweight we have lost 5 stone as a family. With a low carb lifestyle and a bit of weightlifting my son has lost 2 stone since Christmas and developed a six pack which he had never had before in his life.

I am now officially non-diabetic although as I know I am predisposed to it I intend to carry on the low carb lifestyle as it has had tremendous health benefits in other ways too. Do give it some time to work and don't panic if you get carb flu for a week or two. I second the recommendation of the Dietdoctor.com website. Lots of great advice and all free.

My doctor - the practice diabetes specialist - insisted that diabetes was progressive and I would end up on insulin. if you follow conventional NHS advice and the Eat Well plate etc then it probably is. However i (and many others here) have proved her completely wrong. So take some time to read around the forum especially the success stories and low carb threads and realise that you have an opportunity for a new beginning.
 
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