Feeling lost and confused

Greenacres said:

Newly diagnosed having been told I am now diabetic - not been told what type yet just that my blood was 49 not 47 which makes me diabetic!! very confusing especially now I am still waiting for my diabetes chat with the practice nurse- the appointment is 3 weeks after being told and I am to say the least feeling lost
Any help at this ill informed stage would be great
Thanks

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Hello Greenacres, well you have arrived at the best site for help and information ,1 st i will tag
@daisy1
For the basic info that will help you
Please have a good read and come back with any questions,clive

The best piece of initial advice is to drastically lower your carbohydrate intake. Sign up for the low carbohydrate course on this forum. Not everybody follows Low Carb High Fat, but I would hazard a guess that those with the best management of blood glucose do.

There are some amazing success stories on here, of diabetes being reversed / put into remission with diet alone. Follow @KevinPotts @Lindy1706 for recent examples.

You will probably find this to be at odds with the typical advice given out by the diabetic clinics, but it's the best advice.

Hi and welcome @Greenacres
You have only just crossed the line for becoming diabetic so hopefully a few lifestyle changes could help you cross back again, Have a good read of Daisy's post which she should post soon hopefully.
I used diet, weight loss and exercise.
Diet - it's reducing carbohydrate as well as sugar which should help. I used a meter to help me see what I could eat and what was better avoided.
Weight loss - do you need to lose weight? If so that will help. 2 different ways on here people have had success. Low calorie or low carb, I did a mixture.
Exercise - I walk mostly gentle walking but have found that helpful.

Greenacres said:

Hi all
What a great response feeling a little calmer already! thank you , I have already cut my carb intake and have cut out sugar - my previous diet was good lots of veg and fruit as we grow all our own and now I have increased this and cut down on bread and potatoes and moved to brown not white bread and pasta etc. As we live on a small holding I have always been active but have increased my exercise to include a 3+ mile walk every day and am hoping I am doing the right thing.

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Hi and welcome,

Some good advice above.

As you read through the forum you will notice that we need to be VERY careful with fruit. Most fruits have too much sugar/fructose, which many of us find raise our blood sugars too much. Berries are the best ones, and best eaten as part of a meal with cream or plain yogurts (not low fat ones) rather than as a snack on their own.

Vegetables that grow above ground are good. Most of those that grow below ground are too starchy. Salads, of course, are fine.

As for bread and pasta, brown versions may be better for our general health but have just as much sugar as the white versions, so we also need to be very careful with portion sizes.

If you buy yourself a meter, test before you eat and 2 hours after your first bite, the rise in levels will show you what that meal has done to you. Keeping a food diary, including portion sizes, and recording your levels alongside will help you discover your own danger foods. Patterns will emerge, and by reducing portion sizes or eliminating the culprits completely you will learn. I strongly urge you to buy a meter. It will be your best friend.

You may find these useful:

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/a-new-low-carb-guide-for-beginners.68695/

http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

Good luck, and let us know how you are going on, and ask about anything you don't understand..

I have little doubt that your diabetes nurse will tell you not to test, that it isn't necessary because you are unlikely to have a hypo in your situation, and a variety of other reasons. This is the usual NHS mantra and needs to be ignored. Without a meter you will never learn which foods you can or can't cope with, and will have to muddle along for 3 to 6 months before your next HbA1c test to see how you are doing. In other words, you would be working blind.

You do get used to stabbing yourself. It is nowhere near as bad as you imagine!

There are lots of good alternatives to pasta, rice and potatoes, it seems weird to cut them out at first, but it soon become second nature. Maybe, if you love them, you will be able to have them as a treat, but best avoid them as a staple is my opinion. With the changes you have already incorporated and as you are aware of the condition early, you will soon be back in the normal range, I am sure.

Prof Tim Noakes, 'The Real Meal Revolution' is good information, www.realmealrevolution.com as is 'The Diet Doctor' www.dietdoctor.com and for low carb recipes I just love www.ditchthecarbs.com

And I've just added an avatar, I was just about to tuck into my breakfast, I've been trying to think of a suitable avatar for ages (I really don't like the anonymous grey head). and I thought, this breakfast looks so good, perfect avatar for me!

Greenacres said:

Thank you - I will look at the sites - there is so much to take in and sort in my head - I will invest in a meter too but am waiting for my first appointment with the diabetic team at my doctors - was just hoping I am doing the right preliminary things - I will now watch my fruit intake too - the thought of having to stab myself for blood is a real phobia but I am sure once I get into the habit it will be easier

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Its not really a stab.. more a small prick (if you excuse my terminology..)

@Greenacres

Hello Greenacres and welcome to the forum Here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. It includes important advice about carbs and a link to the Low Carb Program. Ask as many questions as you need to 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.

Greenacres said:

Hi all
What a great response feeling a little calmer already! thank you , I have already cut my carb intake and have cut out sugar - my previous diet was good lots of veg and fruit as we grow all our own and now I have increased this and cut down on bread and potatoes and moved to brown not white bread and pasta etc. As we live on a small holding I have always been active but have increased my exercise to include a 3+ mile walk every day and am hoping I am doing the right thing.

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Just take things slowly, one step at a time. It sounds like you have already started to make changes. Well done, Have a good read of Daisy's post and do come back and ask questions. We were all newly diagnosed once and it is a shock.

You are not alone. I've been very upset for 2 weeks but was diagnosed a month ago. Now on 2000mg metformin. It's terrifying. But we have to let ourselves just learn and eventually make our way to accepting.

You're not alone. Big hugs to you xx

Same. I'm still afraid but I have anxiety so I'm afraid of everything lol.

Yes, I'm learning and giving myself time to learn. We are not meant to know everything immediately. Talk it out as much as you can. Feel free to PM me if you need anyone to talk to. Good luck to you too!