Diagnosed with type 2 today advice please

Hi @stewfox I see you joined the forum a couple of years ago. If you have been reading posts on here you will have seen that a lot of people, including many with higher HbA1c readings have reduced them, and their weight, by adopting a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) approach to eating.
If you haven't read anything since you joined have a read round the threads and ask any questions you want to, people on here are friendly and supportive.
Your GP was probably giving you the standard NHS line that T2 diabetes is progressive. but you will see that many people on here, including me, have reduced our HbA1c figures (and weight) by LCHF.

Lifestyle changes can often result - very quickly - in absolutely normal blood glucose levels. It took 3 days of low carb eating for everything but the dawn phenomonon to be within the normal non-diabetic blood glucose range. (The dawn phenomenon took weeks - and is the quickest to revert to pre-diabetes levels in response to emotional or physical stress.)

Some people can also return to actual prediabetic (or even non-diabetic) functioning. I went from diabetic to pre-diabetic (based on an OGTT) by following the blood sugar diet. In other words, I'm no longer JUST controlling my blood glucose level by limiting carb intake - since the OGTT expressly measures the body's reaction to carbs.

I'm not quite at the non-diabetic level yet, but I m very hopeful that I will get there, as well.

(Even if I do manage to get there, I will be treating it as remission - with the possibility of relapse - rather than a cure.)

Im pretty new to this , so may be talking rubbish lol . But even if a lifestyle change wont get you back to pre diabetes it should prevent you getting any worse and hopefully stop any increase in medicaion

@stewfox - Just saying Hello and Welcome .

I would also suggest some walking, if you are not already. If you iPlayer "The Doctor who gave up drugs" series 2, a gentleman who was doing 15 minute miles, reduced his fasting readings substantially. Exercise can account for up to 25% of any potential weight loss, so if you are able a great ally.

Hi @stewfox Go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain - including proving your doctor wrong

stewfox said:

Thanks for feed back I have tried to find a link re fasting and non fasting tests . The GP said the non fasting 'looks' at last 3 months. I'm sorry if I ask a lot of questions but will my feeling of needing the loo and tiredness get better soon with the tablets ?
Some talk about finger prick tests , they did that with my partner not me. I had bloods taken away to be tested but I did eat before blood tests were done as I was told I could.

Click to expand...

The hbA1c test checks your blood over the past 2-3 months. You don't need to be fasted for it.

To stop the tiredness and running to the loo, you will need to cut down on carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, cereals, bread, pastry, pasta, sugary fruits and sugar. This will also help with weight loss and give you more energy. Sounds daunting, but if you look around the forum, you will see how other people eat and have success. The metformin only helps a little but has other benefits too.

stewfox said:

I'm 51 over 18 stone and 6ft 1

I have had reading of 8.6 non fasting and was put on metformin today

Prior results last two years were between 5.5 to 6.8 (fasting)

GP said no chance lifestyle change will make you pre diabetic again . I eat rubbish all the time and am a 'classic example'

There is a big family history re diabetes . Is there no way with life style change i could ever 'go back' . I will take pills of course but its a bit of a shock. My twin brother had a reading of 19 when he went to hospital for unrelated problem. I wish I had tried harder with the weight.

Click to expand...

well then now you´ll prove him wrong and just change all your foods , I did and my GP had said my high cholesterol was inherited and in 3 month I got it down to almost ideal numbers..., bet you can as well I wnt 1000 calories and didn´t eat from 19AM til ´next day 12 o´clock

but going very low carb can do the same I think... and is faster and easier like many in this forum do


@daisy1 usually send you a lot of very good information that everybody new here gets, the links are really good

@stewfox

Hello and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like 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 well over 210,000 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

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.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

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.

stewfox said:

Thanks for the feed back I have signed up to Carb diet . My partner had a reading of 19 and even on 3 tablets a day their reading is 9. (diagnosed this year)
Lots to read here. I'm not anti pills my mum is on 16 a day but if i could reduce blood pressure (slightly raised) improve cholesterol as well that would be good. GP said lets deal with diabetes first (new GP my old surgery closed)

I hope this is a wake up call i need. My dad had first stroke at 42 and 3 heart attacks before he was 58

Click to expand...

When I was diagnosed, I agreed to take a low dose of metformin, largely to appease my doctor that I was doing something pharmaceutica. (I wanted to try lifestyle changes. He was pushing statins and hypertensive medications + metformin and thyroid medication.) We compromised on thyroid (there really is no lifestyle fix), and metformin (single 500 mg pill/day - the starter dose to see if you can tolerate it. He agree to wait on the antihypertensive (no need, since my blood pressure typically runs low), and the statins.

A year later, I'm still on the starter dose for Metformin - I don't think he'd have much objection if I dropped it entirely, but it may have beneifts unrelated to diabetes. He is not even mentioning statins or antihypertensive meds anymore. In fact, he was so pleased with what I'm doing that he was pretty much bouncing off the walls at my last physical. (My stats are in my sig line)

So - if you take low carb seriously, you may well address at least any cholesterol issues you have without statins.

As to pills for diabetes - if you're talking about metformin, it really is a minor factor in lowering blood glucose.

Hi @stewfox - sorry to hear you have a very unsympathetic doctor, hardly helpful. I was put on Metformin immediately, 4 months later when my doc had changed to a younger, more progressive one I came off the pills. I now manage purely through exercise and diet.

If you are willing and open to change you can get it under control, just look at the many people here who have. I'm a novice but there are so many folks on here who I admire and inspire me every day.

Get stuck into the forums, it takes time to read and understand but it's well worth it, ask any question you want to - but most importantly, plead know you aren't alone - we've all been through it, and we are all getting to grips with it.

Very best of luck,

Hi. You need to know that Metformin only has a limited effect on blood sugar for T2s and the only real approach that works is a low-carb diet, so don't just rely on pills. For T2s the only serious medications if you have high excess weight are the injectables such as Victoza etc and I would try to avoid those if you can. I can almost guarantee that a weight reduction into a good BMI range will result in your diabetes going near or into pre-diabetic levels. My son went down from 19 stone to 11 stone in 9 months thru low-carbing and a lot of running - it can be done and he has stayed there!

Lots of good advice there. I started with 2x500mgs metformin and a LCHF diet last September. For the last two months I have been just on the diet and exercise.
The medics say I am cured. (Sounds like they think I'm a ham.).
I have gone from 13 stone 3 lbs to 10 stone 10 lbs. still on the diet and exercise. (Just brisk walking, about three to four miles most days).
So you see it can be done, and I'm 83.
Go for it. What have you got to lose. Well lots of weight, but that's OK.
Happy Days and Good health.

stewfox said:

I'm 51 over 18 stone and 6ft 1

I have had reading of 8.6 non fasting and was put on metformin today

Prior results last two years were between 5.5 to 6.8 (fasting)

GP said no chance lifestyle change will make you pre diabetic again . I eat rubbish all the time and am a 'classic example'

There is a big family history re diabetes . Is there no way with life style change i could ever 'go back' . I will take pills of course but its a bit of a shock. My twin brother had a reading of 19 when he went to hospital for unrelated problem. I wish I had tried harder with the weight.

Click to expand...

I was almost 18 stones when diagnosed... now have lost close to 3 stones.... it can be done , and some of the low carb high fat foods tastes wonderfull and it helps you feel much better and not so tired and more healthy
I am 53 years old, now do fitness 3 times a week, and walk some miles some days of the week, couldn´t hardly move before
if not used to sports , then start with long walks every days...at the same time as you go low carb..

MikePea said:

Lots of good advice there. I started with 2x500mgs metformin and a LCHF diet last September. For the last two months I have been just on the diet and exercise.
The medics say I am cured. (Sounds like they think I'm a ham.).
I have gone from 13 stone 3 lbs to 10 stone 10 lbs. still on the diet and exercise. (Just brisk walking, about three to four miles most days).
So you see it can be done, and I'm 83.
Go for it. What have you got to lose. Well lots of weight, but that's OK.
Happy Days and Good health.

Click to expand...

A great result, well done @MikePea love hearing stories like yours, very inspiring

stewfox said:

Thanks for all the responses. I feel so tired and only taken the table Metformin for 3 days .

Click to expand...

Stewfox.
Try and be calm my friend , I am only new to this group and no little about my T2 doctor confirmed 2 weeks ago .
I can tell you like yourself I could not keep my eyes open ,stop drinking water having to run to toilet day and night etc , it took 11 days before my metformin started working yet I was told by doctor it would be few days , hopefully yours meds kick in soon .
James