Dipping a toe in water

[Sueper]

Hi folks,
2 years ago i had blood tests done & they came back impaired, Doc said they would re-check again in a year which they did & also had the sugar drink test & again was impaired. I had another blood test done 3 weeks ago & it was 8.2 i had to go back again for another one today so will have results in next few days, nurse today thinks i am going to be diagnosed diabetic ths time? I have had hypo's for the last 6 years at least 2 a week. My daughter is a Doc in the U.S & has thought for years i was diabetic (she treats diabetics as she is a surgeon of lower limbs) so i just want to know one way or another if i am or not?
Since the nurse said this to me today i thought i would do some nosing about on the net for some information as to what i do & dont should i be diagnosed? I know my weight is an issue, i have had problems with my achillies tendons & surgery which all went wrong leaving me unable to do much for a long time, however i am on the mend & now walking with a stick i go for 2 1 hr walks a day.
I have an underactive thyroid which helped pile weight on too. My biggest problem though is i skip meals then i eat all the wrong things but i soooo want to eat healthy & get this weight off i was never a big person till my health problems arose.
Also with my daughters nagging & her thoughts about me being diabetic i quit smoking & have been smoke free for 10 weeks & 1 day.
So i just thought i would dip my toe in the water & say hi to you all

Sue

 

[Grazer]

Hi Sue, someone like Daisy will be along soonish to give you the normal info for newly diagnosed diabetics which you'll find useful. Probably best to wait for your confirmation before you plunge in though! Specific advice will depend upon just what your diagnosis is, and how high your blood sugars are etc. In many cases people find a reduced carbohydrate diet helps both in weight loss and their control of blood sugars, as it's carbohydrates that raise our blood sugar levels. Some people go on very low carb diets, others like me on more moderate ones - i eat about 50 to 60% of the guideline daily amount of carbs. It depends on what your diabetes can tolerate, the amount of weight you need to lose, the type of diabetes you have and so on. So get your results first, make a careful note of ALL the numbers you're given, and their labels (for example, is a reading a fasting blood sugar, or a thing called an HbA1C), and let us know your results. Then you'll get some good specific advice, bearing in mind we're not doctors and can only tell you the sort of things we do - mainly succesfully mind you!
Good luck

 

[daisy1]

Hi Sue and welcome to the forum Just in case you are diagnosed diabetic, here is some information for you which should give you some idea of what to do. As Grazer said, though, you should wait until you get your diagnosis although the diet information is healthy for everyone. This information was written for newly diagnosed members and should be interesting to you. Knowing something about it will help you feel less confused if you are diagnosed. Ask as many questions as you need to as there is usually someone who will know the answer.

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 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.